The co-operation between Serbs and Montenegrins for the Bosnian
campaign was the occasion of some of Nikita's usual devious diplomacy.
He summoned, as we have seen, a superfluous Skup[vs]tina, whose
resolutions would enable him to go to Francis Joseph, his secret ally,
with a tale of _force majeure_. And he telegraphed to his grandson,
the Serbian Prince-Regent: "My Montenegrins and myself are already on
the frontiers, ready to die in the defence of our national
independence." While his ill-equipped warriors pushed on to Budva,
arrived before Kotor, seized Fo[vc]a, Rogatica and other towns,
pressing on until they stood before the forts of Sarajevo, the
disreputable Royal Family, jealous as ever of Belgrade, were plunging
deeper and always deeper into treachery. The Serbian officers, General
Jankovi['c] and Colonel (now General) Pe[vs]i['c], who, mainly at the
instance of Russia, had been sent to reorganize the Montenegrin army,
saw themselves hampered at every turn by the Court clique at Cetinje.
Jankovi['c], finding that orders were given without his knowledge,
returned to Ni[vs]; and later on, after the fall of Lov[vc]en, Nikita
tried to foist upon Pe[vs]i['c] the odium of a surrender which his own
machinations had brought about.