Reginald Wyon - The Land of the Black Mountain

R >> Reginald Wyon >> The Land of the Black Mountain

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22

THE LAND OF
THE BLACK MOUNTAIN

THE ADVENTURES OF TWO ENGLISHMEN
IN MONTENEGRO

BY

REGINALD WYON AND GERALD PRANCE

WITH FIFTY-ONE ILLUSTRATIONS

"SOME GLIMPSING AND NO PERFECT SIGHT"

CHAUCER

NEW AND CHEAPER ISSUE

METHUEN & CO.
36 ESSEX STREET W.C.
LONDON

_First Published March 1903
New and Cheaper Issue 1905_

[Illustration: H.R.H. PRINCE NICOLAS OF MONTENEGRO]

DEDICATED BY KIND PERMISSION

TO

H.R.H. PRINCE NICOLAS
OF MONTENEGRO

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I

Montenegro's geographical position--Character of the people--Their
honesty, patriotism, and love of arms--Likeness to the Homeric
Greeks--The women--Montenegrin manners, vices, heroism, lack of
privacy, police--Goodness of the Prince--The national
costume--Religion--Hatred of Austria--Russia's friendship

CHAPTER II

History from first conquest by the Romans, 300 B.C., down to the
present Prince--Fruits of the last campaign--Education--The
military system--Legal administration--Crime--Government--The
educated classes

CHAPTER III

The journey to Montenegro--Arrival in Cattaro--Beauty of the
Bocche, and the drive to the frontier--First impressions of
Montenegro--Njegusi--The national troubadours--Arrival in
Cetinje

CHAPTER IV

Cetinje and its sights--Prince Nicolas--The Archbishop--The
barracks--The princes--A visit to the prison and its system--Our
departure for Podgorica

CHAPTER V

The view from Bella Vista--New scenery--Promiscuous shooting--The
market in Rijeka--The shepherds--Their flocks--Wayside
hospitality--The plain of the Zeta--The Moraca--The
Vizier bridge--Old war-marks--First and last impressions of
Podgorica

CHAPTER VI

Podgorica--Its central position--Our headquarters--Easter in
Montenegro--Our experience of it--We view the town--The
prison and its inmates--Christian and Mahometan friction--The
modern town--The market and the armed buyers--The
Black Earth--Easter customs--Montenegrin methods of doing
business

CHAPTER VII

Medun--Voivoda Marko--His life and business--His part in Montenegrin
history--Our ride to Medun--His widow--We visit his grave--The Death
Dirge--Montenegrin customs at death--Target practice--Our critics--The
hermit of Daibabe--We visit Spuz--A typical country inn and a
meal--The Turkish renegade gives his views on warfare--Dioclea

CHAPTER VIII

Achmet Uiko tells his story--Sokol Baco, ex-Albanian chief--Shooting
on the Lake of Scutari--Our journey thither--Our frustrated
nap--Arrival at the chapel--The island of Vranjina--The
priest--Fishing and fishermen--Our visitors--We return to Podgorica

CHAPTER IX

Stephan our servant--Virpazar--The drive over the Sutormann
Pass--Antivari and Prstan--The beauty of the bay--We are
delayed by contrary winds--We are rowed to Dulcigno--We
make the acquaintance of Marko Ivankovic--A story concerning
him--We shoot together--An episode on a lake--Vaccination--The
Turkish inhabitants

CHAPTER X

We ride to Scutari--The Albanian Customs officials--We suffer
much from Turkish saddles--Arrival at Scutari, and again pass
the Customs--"Buon arrivato"--Scutari and its religious
troubles--The town and bazaar--A slight misunderstanding,
Yes and No--We return to Rijeka by steamer--The beauties
of the trip--Wrong change--The prodigal son's return, when
the fatted calf is _not_ killed

CHAPTER XI

Preparations for our tour in the Brda--We start--Where it is not good
to be giddy--A trying ride--Our inn--Nocturnal episodes--The journey
continued--Pleasant surroundings--The Montenegrin _quart
d'heure_--Arrival in Kolasin--We meet the Governor--Visiting--The Band
of Good Hope--The Crown Prince's birthday--We are ashamed

CHAPTER XII

Montenegro's oldest building--The ride to the Moraca Monastery--A
perilous bridge and ascent--The Abbot's tale--We inspect the
Monastery--The health of the King is drunk--The relative merits of
Boers and Montenegrins--The Abbot makes us presents--We visit a
peasant's house and a Homeric feast--A feu-de-joie--Departure from
Kolasin--We are mistaken for doctors again--Raskrsnica

CHAPTER XIII

A typical mountain hut--Costume of the north-eastern borderers--Supper
and a song--We go out hunting, and cause excitement--The Feast of
Honour--We ride to Andrijevica--Andrijevica and our inn--The
Voivoda--We go to church--Turkish visitors--Alarums

CHAPTER XIV

The Voivoda's invitation--Concerning an episode on our ride to
Velika--The fugitive from a blood-feud and his story--We arrive at
Velika--The men of Velika--The menu--Border jurisdiction--A
shooting-match--The Kom--Pleasant evenings--A young
philosopher--Sunset

CHAPTER XV

We leave Andrijevica--Our additional escort--The arrival at our
camping-place--In an enemy's country--The story of one Gjolic--Our
slumbers are disturbed--Sunrise on the Alps--We disappoint our
escort--"Albanian or Montenegrin?"--A reconnaissance--The Forest of
Vucipotok--The forbidden land--narrow escape--We arrive at
Rikavac--Rain damps our ardour--Nocturnal visitors

CHAPTER XVI

More memorial stones--We get wet again--Unwilling hosts--A fall--The
Franciscan of Zatrijebac--The ravine of the Zem--Methods of settling
tribal differences--A change of diet and more pleasant evenings--A
fatalist--Sunday morning

CHAPTER XVII

A modern hero, and our sojourn under his roof--Keco's story--The laws
of vendetta and their incongruity--We return to Podgorica--The
Montenegrin telephone--An elopement causes excitement--The Sultan's
birthday--The reverse of the picture--A legal anomaly

CHAPTER XVIII

S. Vasili and Ostrog--Our drive thither--Joyful pilgrims--Varied
costumes--We meet the Vladika of Montenegro--The ordeal of hot
coffee--A real pilgrimage--The shrine of S. Vasili--The ancient
hermit--A miracle--Niksic--The gaudy cathedral and the Prince's
palace--We are disappointed at Niksic

CHAPTER XIX

The Club and its members--Gugga--Irregularities of time--The absence
of the gentle muse and our surprise--The musician's story and his
subsequent fate--The Black Earth--A typical border house--The ordeal
of infancy--A realistic performance which is misunderstood--Concerning
a memorable drive--A fervent prayer

CHAPTER XX

We reconsider our opinion of Cetinje--A Montenegrin wake and its
consequences--A hero's death--Montenegrin conversation--Needless
appeals to the Deity--We visit the hospital

CHAPTER XXI

The Law Court in Cetinje--The Prince as patriarch--A typical
lawsuit--Pleasant hours with murderers--Our hostel--A Babel of
tongues--Our sojourn draws to a close--The farewell cup of coffee and
apostrophe

INDEX

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

H.R.H. PRINCE NICOLAS OF MONTENEGRO _Frontispiece_

THE GRAF WURMBRAND, IN THE BOCCHE DI CATTARO

THE BOCCHE DI CATTARO

NJEGUSI

THE GUSLAR

MONTENEGRIN INFANTRY

THE VLADIKA AT THE MONASTERY OF IVAN BEG

THE PRINCE'S PALACE

GENERAL VIEW OF CETINJE

THE FEMALE PRISONERS

THE PRISONERS DANCING

THE VIZIER BRIDGE

GENERAL VIEW OF PODGORICA

THE RIBNICA

THE GRAVE SCENE AT MEDUN

VOIVODA MARKO

SIMEON POPOVIC AND HIS CHAPEL

SPUZ

ACHMET UIKO

SOKOL BACO

THE POP OF VRANJINA

AN ALBANIAN GIRL

VIRPAZAR

ANTIVARI OR BAR

MARKO IVANKOVIC

THE BRIDGE AT RIJEKA

VACCINATION

BAZAAR LIFE, DULCIGNO

THE CONSULAR QUARTER, SCUTARI

KOLASIN--THE MARKET-PLACE

THE KOLO

A TYPICAL ROAD

THE MORACA MONASTERY

OUR HUT AT RASKRSNICA

ANDRIJEVICA

CHURCH PARADE

VELIKA

MORINA

THE FUGITIVE OF VELIKA

THE VASOJEYICKI KOM

ALBANIANS AND MONTENEGRINS AT ANDRIJEVICA

THE RAVINE OF TERPETLIS

THE PATH THROUGH THE VUCIPOTOK

AFTER MASS AT ZATRIJEBAC

MONTENEGRIN WOMEN

THE LOWER MONASTERY, OSTROG

THE UPPER MONASTERY

THE CHURCH, NIKSIC

THE CHURCH AND THE PALACE

A REALISTIC PERFORMANCE

AN ALBANIAN HOME ON THE CRNA ZEMLJA

INTRODUCTION

"What a terrible country!" said a lady tourist to me once in Cetinje,
"nothing but barren grey rocks; and what poverty! I declare I shan't
breathe freely till I am out of it again."

This is a common opinion of travellers to Montenegro, and one that is
spread by them all over Europe. And yet how unjust! A fairly large
number of tourists take the drive from beautiful little Cattaro up
that wild mountain-side and through the barren Katunska to Cetinje. A
few hours later they return the way they came, convinced that they
have seen Montenegro. A few, very few, prolong the tour to Podgorica
and Niksic, returning with a still firmer conviction that they have
penetrated into the very fastnesses of that wonderful little land.
These chosen few have at least seen that all is not bare and rocky,
that there are rich green valleys, rushing mountain torrents, and
pleasant streams.

If they are very observant they will likewise notice that the men of
these parts are more wildly clad and fiercer-looking than their more
polished brethren of the "residence." Rifles are carried more
universally the nearer lies Albania, and in Podgorica itself they will
have seen--particularly if chance has brought them there on a
market-day--crowds of savage-looking hill-men, clad in the white serge
costume of Albania, standing over their handful of field produce with
loaded rifles; stern men from the borders with seamed faces; sturdy
plains-men tanned to a mahogany tint by the almost tropical sun of the
valleys; shepherds in great sheepskins, be it ever so hot; and haughty
Turks, hodjas, and veiled women, all in a crowded confusion, haggling
and bartering. Quaint wooden carts drawn by patient oxen, their huge
clumsy wheels creaking horribly; gypsies with thunderous voices acting
as town criers; madmen shrieking horribly; blind troubadours droning
out songs of heroes on their guslars. If the tourist has witnessed and
understood all this, then he has seen something of Montenegro. But
beyond those lofty mountains which rise on either side of the carriage
road, live these same people in their rude villages. There are towns
far away, unconnected by any road, to reach which the traveller must
journey wearily by horse and on foot, over boulder-strewn paths, by
the side of roaring torrents, through the cool depths of primeval
forests, and over the snow-clad spurs of rugged mountains. There he
will find men accustomed to face death at any moment, who delight in
giving hospitality, and who talk of other lands as "the world
outside." These are the Montenegrins to whom we owe some of the most
pleasant reminiscences of our lives.

Our book does not describe the whole country, as unfortunately we were
unable to visit the northern districts and the lofty Durmitor, but we
certainly saw the more interesting half, namely, the whole of the
Albanian frontier.

Amongst those hardy borderers we made many warm friends, but it would
be invidious to mention names amongst so many. We came to the country
with a single introduction, to Dr. Stefanelli, the companion of many
of our journeys, and we left at the conclusion of six months with a
host of friends. Still to two we wish humbly to express our gratitude
for many acts of, at the time, unknown courtesy, namely, H.R.H. Prince
Nicolas, and the Metropolitan of Montenegro, Mitrofanban. As a slight
token of our thanks to, and admiration of, that true father of his
people, Prince Nicolas, we respectfully dedicate this book to the
soldier-poet and prince of the Land of the Black Mountain.

Since we finished the story of our travels, I have had the honour of
speaking long with Prince Nicolas and of seeing him on many occasions;
for during our first travels in the land we were always strangely
unlucky in this respect. I then learnt how our progress through
Montenegro had been watched over, and contingencies provided for,
which we had taken as a matter of course.

Some, alas! of our friends are now no more. The Governor of Podgorica
was shot down in broad daylight a short while ago whilst taking his
midday promenade in which we so often shared. Others, too, have fallen
on the borders. Friends are easily lost in Montenegro, where a charge
of powder and a bullet settle differences.

Disagreeable episodes happened to us--they happen everywhere--but
these we have rightly or wrongly omitted. The good that we experienced
certainly outweighed the bad, and that shall be our reason for so
doing.

And again, throughout the book we have given our _first_ impressions,
much of it was written during our actual progress through the land. It
may be that our feelings will thus be more interesting than a
cut-and-dried treatise of the land and its inhabitants.

In conclusion, it will not be amiss to add an explanation of the Serb
names which appear throughout the book in the original spelling. The
names have often an unpronounceable appearance, and look harsh and
forbidding. This is far from the case, for the Serb language is
full-toned and musical.

In common with the Slav languages it has a sixth vowel, viz.
"r"--hence such words as "Srb" (Serb), "trg" (place or square), and
"Trst" (Triest). It is only necessary to roll the "r" to overcome this
seeming anomaly of a collection of consonants. The language is spoken
exactly as it is written, as for instance Italian, but the consonants
s, c, and z vary according to their accents.

"s" is our sharp s; but with inverted circumflex

"s" it becomes "ssh," as in "show."

"c" is pronounced "tz": thus Cetinje is spoken Tzetinje; Podgorica as
Podgoritza.

"c" and "c" are accentuated "tsch": as Petrovic, Petrovitsch; Moraca,
Moratcha.

"z" is soft, as "s" in "rose."

"z" is sounded like the French "j" in "journal."

"dz" is sounded like the "j" in "James."

"nj" is sounded like the "gn" in French "campagne": Tzetigne
(Cetinje), and so on.

We are fully aware of many shortcomings, and for these we crave
pardon, but if we benefit little Montenegro by the publication of our
work, then we shall not have written it in vain.

England has once before proved the friend of Montenegro; the fighting
instincts of that brave race, their love of freedom, and the
possession of their most glorious of histories appeal to all of us.

I fear there are troublous times ahead for that gallant little nation,
perhaps another bitter disappointment is in store for them, when they
will need a friend.

Times have changed now, personal valour avails but little against
overwhelming armies and modern artillery.

"We little nations must beseech the Almighty to give us peace," said
Prince Nicolas to me not so very long ago.

May it be His will!

R.W.

VIENNA, _February, 1903_

THE LAND OF THE BLACK MOUNTAIN

CHAPTER I

Montenegro's geographical position--Character of the people--Their
honesty, patriotism, and love of arms--Likeness to the Homeric
Greeks--The women--Montenegrin manners, vices, heroism, lack of
privacy, police--Goodness of the Prince--The national
costume--Religion--Hatred of Austria--Russia's friendship.

Roughly Montenegro is diamond-shaped, with its points towards north
and south, east and west. To the north-east it is bounded by the
Sandjak of Novipazar, held by Turkey and Austria jointly, and dividing
it from its parent country, the kingdom of Servia. To the south-east
lies Albania, while Austria again borders Montenegro in Bosnia and the
Hercegovina in the north-west and in Dalmatia to the south-west.
Dalmatia and a narrow strip of the Adria complete the circuit, so
Austria practically surrounds Montenegro on three sides.

The land may be said to possess three distinct belts of vegetation,
each of an entirely different character. It is divided from north to
south by the River Zeta, and the low-lying plains are fertile and
rich, and this district also comprises the sea coast. To the west is
the Katunska or "Shepherds' huts," those barren and rocky mountains of
old Montenegro, from which the country derives its name; while to the
east lies the Brda, mountains vying with Switzerland in beauty, rich
grazing grounds and densely-wooded hills abounding with game, and the
streams well stocked with fish.

The plains are the granaries of Montenegro, unfortunately too limited
in area to give an abundance, but there is a mine of wealth in the
Brda, when that part shall be opened up by connecting roads. The vast
primeval forests and mineral products will be an important source of
income in the times to come. Even at the present day the district
constitutes the chief source of revenue from the export of cattle,
sheep, and horses which flourish on the magnificent mountain
pasturages. Montenegrin wool, greatly famed, comes too from the Brda.

It is chiefly in the Katunska, the cradle of the Montenegrin nation,
that the most interesting geological formations are to be found, and
in these formations lay its former strength. The most prominent
features of the Karst region are imperfect valleys which have no
outlet. As a consequence of this, the water cannot escape by an
overground bed, so it forces itself through the porous surface to
reappear in a lower valley, undermining the subsoil, which in time
collapses, and forms the oases of this otherwise barren land. The
rain washes down the little earth that there is on the hillside, the
chemical action of the limestone oxidises the same, and the so-called
"terra rossa" is formed in these depressions, sufficient to give
nourishment to the trees and bushes which grow there. The frugal
peasant cultivates these tiny patches of earth and derives enough
crops to subsist on, the goats and cattle living on the bushes and
smaller trees.

In olden times the little nation found barely enough substance for
themselves, consisting as they did of but a few thousand, but an
invading army starved. It was in truth a land "where a small army is
beaten, a large one dies of hunger."

The character of the people has been formed by their surroundings.
Hardy and frugal, capable of subsisting on the smallest amount of
nourishment, lithe and active, and open and fearless as their native
mountains.

Their food consists of a piece of maize bread at daybreak, and they
eat nothing again till sunset, when bread and a little milk form their
evening meal. Meat is eaten but rarely, and then they feast. The
athletic feat of crossing rock-strewn surfaces, bounding from rock to
rock at a great pace, rivalling their goats in sure-footedness at dizzy
and precipitous heights, has lent their gait that perfect grace of
motion which characterises the mountaineer, and in particular the
Montenegrin. The danger in which they have perpetually lived,
accustomed to look death in the face at any moment, has stamped upon
them that open and fearless look which most forcibly strikes the
stranger.

Their blood is of the purest and noblest in the Balkans, for they are
largely descended from the noble families of the old Servian Empire
who fled to the Katunska after the bloody field of Kossovo, which
destroyed the might of the Serbs for ever. It is probably from these
ancestors that their noble bearing and perfect manners, in even
strange and unaccustomed surroundings, are derived. Their notion of
honour is of the highest, and thieving and robbery are practically
unknown.

Prince Nicolas, like King Alfred, trusts his subjects in this matter
of thieving implicitly. Should a man drop a case of banknotes on the
road, the law says that the finder shall pick it up and place it on
the nearest stone, so that the loser has but to retrace his steps,
glancing at the wayside stones. This law is invariably followed.

The Montenegrins are still an armed nation, and the following proverbs
illustrate their love of weapons. One says, "A man without arms is a
man without freedom"; the other says, "Thou mayest as well take away
my brother as my rifle."

Their patriotism and unswerving loyalty to the reigning Prince have
ever been their most brilliant virtues.

The famous traveller Kohl has likened the Montenegrins to the ancient
Greeks of Homeric times, and the comparison holds good to this day.

"Love of freedom and pride of weapons, simplicity of life--remember
the love of mutton and wine, as described by Homer--hospitality, the
superiority of man over woman, all these features, together with the
fact that the heroes are themselves the singers of their deeds," says
Kohl, "are to be found in the Montenegrins, as well as in the Greeks
of Homer."

Woman takes a very inferior position in Montenegro. She is respected
in a sense, and her position has improved greatly in recent times,
chiefly owing to the example set by the Prince himself. At the
official reception held on New Year's Day, when the humblest peasant
can go to Cetinje and kiss the Prince's hand, Prince Nicolas places
his wife to his right, and every man must first kiss her hand. Thus in
the highest classes woman takes very nearly the same place as in
civilised lands, but as the social scale descends, so does the
position of woman.

In the lowest classes she is still not much more than a beast of
burden, given to man to ease his lot. She carries heavy burdens to
market, while her lord rides; she may not walk at his side, but a few
paces to the rear; neither may she sit at table in the presence of
strange men. The kiss with which men salute each other is not allowed
to her, and she must kiss the hand only of the man. Likewise, she must
rise to her feet when men pass by, and in some districts, should she
meet a man on the way, she must stop and remain standing meekly at the
side of the path; also, she must leave the room backwards. Neither of
these last-mentioned customs is universal, but are to be found largely
in the Brda.

The men are handsome and often of immense stature. Giants of 6 feet 8
inches are by no means uncommon; in fact, a few such men will be seen
in every town. The average height is quite 5 feet 10 or 11 inches,
broad-shouldered and deep-chested, with pleasant faces.

The women are often strikingly beautiful, especially when young, but
hard work ages them very quickly; in the upper classes, however,
middle-aged and elderly women of regal appearance can often be seen.
It is the manners of such women and universally of the men which comes
as the greatest surprise, when it is remembered that none or very few
have ever seen anything of the outside world.

The faults of the nation are inordinate vanity in their appearance,
causing them to impoverish themselves for the sake of gorgeous
clothes, and gambling. They gamble to an excessive degree, heaping
debt after debt upon their heads. Both these vices have caused an
active legislation. Gold embroidery has been abolished on the uniforms
of the army officers, and Prince Danilo has already declared that on
coming to the throne he will abolish the national costume altogether,
_i.e._ amongst the officials and the upper classes.

They love money and will do a good deal to get it, but when they have
money, they spend it in a reckless and freehanded manner. Thus they
will overcharge a stranger in an exorbitant fashion, thinking, in
their simple minds, that travellers are possessed of unlimited means.
Tourists are largely to blame for this, and pay, without audible
comment, what is asked. If a strong remonstrance is made, the charge
will be reduced in most cases. The dawn of civilisation has brought
the love of money, the frugal Montenegrins are now awakening to what
money will procure them, and they take as much as they can get without
thought, and without swindling intentions. Perhaps the lack of banks
or any institute where money can be saved up, may account for this.
Merchants buy houses or increase their stock. The peasant, as often as
not, gambles it away or buys fine clothes, a few thrifty ones
purchasing an extra cow.

No doubt the influence of civilisation, and in particular the
long-delayed prosperity of the land which is now slowly raising its
head, will alter this.

They very rarely quarrel, never brawl, and are hardly ever to be seen
in a state of intoxication.

On the other hand, they are merry, convivial, boon companions, and are
never happier than when dancing, singing their war songs and love
romances, or listening to the "guslar"--the national troubadour.

The characteristic bravery is still manifested in reckless deeds of
"derring do" on the Albanian borders. Shepherds will deliberately
drive their flocks across the frontier, thereby courting instant
death. Many instances have been given illustrating their love of
danger.

Privacy of dwellings is non-existent. Men walk in and out, seating
themselves in the room and talking. In the evening the men will
congregate, stand and squat in a large ring, and solemnly discuss the
events of the day, or in towns will walk majestically up and down the
main street swinging the graceful "struka" or shawl from their
shoulders. Likewise, the drinking-houses are used as common
meeting-places, and there is no need to order refreshment.

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22