THE firing had now ceased, and the illumination was fading out by degrees, the band was still playing in front of the Palace, and the full moon was rising well up in the sky. The crowd had increased, as we could see from the window of the saloon, and the broad space in front of the Palace was literally paved with heads and up-turned faces. After looking a few minutes at that dense mass which was swaying to and fro and gradually getting closer and closer, the Prince asked me what I thought of their behaviour. "Most wonderfully quiet, orderly, and well behaved; but I can't help looking upon them all as so many powder kegs. One cross word, an imaginary insult, a little too much drink, one of a thousand trifling incidents, might set a spark going, and it will be wonderful indeed if among these thousands of wild and lawless men some turmoil does not arise, and when their Oriental blood is once up, and arms are at hand and ready, blood will scarcely fail to flow."

"Well," said the Prince, "I venture to say there won't be the smallest misadventure to-night, though I haven't a policeman near here, and there are probably twenty thousand armed men in and about Cettigne at this moment. Do you think there are many Sovereigns in Europe who could with safety walk about in such a crowd in one of their own capitals during a time of excitement such as this?"

"Not one, I should think," I replied.

"Then," said he, "put on your hat and come along with me."

I followed him into the lobby, where throwing a scarf about his shoulders he bid me follow him, first having told his henchman that he would go out alone.

It was now about eleven p.m., and in a few minutes we were out shouldering our way in the thickest of the crowd, making for the spot where the band was playing. It was not long before he was recognised, right and left, and now began one of the most interesting scenes I ever witnessed. Where there had been a crowd so dense that progression seemed almost an impossibility, an ample space was formed, and then one by one men of all grades approached the Prince, and, according to their rank and station, one and all saluted him in the following way—they took off their caps, and those of the lowest grades took up the edge of his coat and "literally kissed the hem of his garment;" then those of somewhat better position kissed the same garment higher up; to others of higher rank still, the Prince extended his hand, which they kissed most reverently, and pressed to their foreheads three times; and lastly the Chiefs and Voyvodes, almost on an equality with him, doffed their caps, while His Highness did the same, and both holding each other's right hand pressed the side of their cheek against each other. And so I accompanied him, walking through that living mass, stopping every moment either to receive some act of homage, or to caress some bold little curly-headed fellow who had squeezed and wriggled himself in to get near to his Prince, and to whom His Highness would speak a few words, asking his name and age, and where he went to school, and what he could do, to the untold pride and joy of the parents who were watching. And so we shortly made the tour of the town, coming out on the plain right in front of the monastery where many groups were busily engaged in the performance of the national dance.

The lights had now gone out, and the illumination had faded away, but the moon nearly at the full was high up in the heavens, and shining as it does not, alas! shine in these islands. The band was gone, and the only music to be heard was the native guzla, accompanied by the monotonous chaunt of the vocalists, interrupted occasionally by the wild piercing shriek of some dancer. The Prince made for one of the groups where apparently the dancing was most energetic, whilst I followed close on his heels. Being at once recognised, ample way was made for him, and I soon found myself alongside of him in the innermost circle of the ring.

Here I had full opportunity of observing the native Montenegrin dance, which, if not elegant, has certainly the merit of originality. How shall I describe it? In the area of that ring in which we found ourselves were five couple of dancers, who were being constantly renewed, men and women, as either became exhausted by their exertions. The dance itself did not seem to consist of any peculiar steps, but mainly in jumping with the arms extended horizontally, leaping as high as each one could opposite the other, and twirling round at the same time like dancing dervishes, whilst occasionally, as either man or woman had to give in from sheer exhaustion, they uttered a piercing shriek. Though somewhat savage and uncouth to behold, there still was a weird charm about that dance. The tall mountaineers looked taller still from their long white surtouts in the bright moonlight, and as they sprang high into the air they appeared absolutely gigantic, while the glitter of the moon's rays on the metallic ornaments of their dress and their jewelled arms produced a strange and pleasing effect. From one group the Prince passed on to another, and so through all till about one in the morning, when he turned his steps towards the Palace,

"Our dance is not an elegant one," said the Prince, "but it is characteristic; it is called the Dance of the Eagles, and its origin is thus accounted for. Many years ago the Montenegrins had no national dance, when some of the young men said, 'How is it all our neighbours have national dances of their own and we have none? Let us imagine and invent a dance; and, as our mountains are the country of the eagles, let us make it like eagles rising from the rocks, and let us scream like the young eagles.' And so they stretched out their arms and sprang into the air as high as they could, dancing their Eagle Dance, which from thenceforth became the national dance of the country."

At the gates of the Palace I made my bow, and the Prince, putting out his hand, wished me good night, saying, "I must see you again before you leave."

In a few minutes I was in my room. I required no light, the moon was so brilliant. The night being warm, and not feeling at all sleepy from the excitement I had gone through, I lit a cigar, and leaning with my elbows on the window-sill, I looked out into the little plain where so shortly before I had been walking about. The turmoil had now greatly diminished, and in every direction I could see that preparations were being made to bivouac À la belle Étoile. The horses that up to this time had been allowed to roam about here and there, cropping the scanty herbage, were now being collected and picketed one by one near the spot which had been selected by the owner for his own peculiar sleeping place; while the court-yard of the old Palace was also fully tenanted, and apparently by the same party I had watched in the early morning, and which, from the better style of their horses, the glitter of their equipments, and the appearance of their attendants, seemed to belong to some of the native chiefs.

By degrees the different noises ceased, and in less than an hour the whole camp was steeped in silence. Such a contrast to the noise and turmoil of an hour before, when twenty thousand people, men, women and children, were shouting, dancing, and yelling at the top of their voices!

I put on my helmet, and with a short stick in my hand, simply to keep away any snarling dog that might be inclined to give trouble, I quickly crossed the court-yard and let myself out by the gate into the plain. The moon had barely passed the zenith, and shone almost perpendicularly on the prostrate groups, who, in different attitudes of sleep, were dotted all about; some wrapped up in their strookas, more from habit than necessity, as the air was warm; some turned on their faces, some on their back with their arms outstretched; but all profoundly asleep; and such was the silence that, but for the absence of blood and mutilated limbs and broken weapons, one could easily have imagined it the field of some hard-fought fight.

I was surveying the placid scene and standing close to a magnificent mountaineer who was sleeping on his back, with his face fully upturned to the moon and his arms extended, when suddenly he awoke. In the twinkling of an eye he was on his feet and his hand on his yataghan. I don't imagine my life was the least in danger, even for a moment—but if it was, my helmet and my cigar saved me. However, I instantly saluted him in Slave, and with a "Sbogo Gospodin" he returned the compliment, at the same time putting out his hand he shook mine warmly, and pointing with the other to the ancient Palace, led me away towards it, talking softly the while and smiling; but unfortunately I could not understand, and the only response I could make was by offering him a cigar, which he at once lit at mine and pronouncing it "dobre" (good) puffed away at it with a will. At the great gate of the Palace he wished me good-night, when I begged of him by signs to take another weed, and so we parted.

The next morning being the day of the feast, I was awoke pretty early by the repeated firing of cannon just outside the gate of the Palace and in front of my window. I should have been glad to have slept a few hours longer, but the noise was too great, and my so-called Italian-speaking servant coming in at the same moment, I jumped out of bed and called out, "Colazione!"

I had not more than half finished, and was in the act of peeling some grand specimens of Albanian figs, when in walked Pero Pejovich, who came to tell me that the Prince and Princess, with all the notables and Voyvodes of Montenegro, would attend High Mass at ten, and that the cortÈge would pass under my windows and would be worth seeing. He added that if I liked he would take me into church and get me standing-room inside before they arrived; but he feared the crowd and the heat would be something fearful. Consequently, finding it quite hot enough already, I determined to remain where I was and enjoy the procession from my window.

I then told the Commandant of my adventure the night before. He scolded me awfully, but patted me on the back, as one would a child, and said I might have run some risk had I not been fortunately recognised as a guest of the Prince.

"Only imagine," said he, "if anything had gone wrong, the honour of Montenegro might have been compromised."

We then lit our cigars, and while waiting for mass-time, fell, as usual, into conversation about his country and its usages.

"What do you think of our Prince, and the way he goes among the people? I saw you last night with him. Did you ever see such love, such devotion, as we all have for him? But he deserves it fully. There never was such a ruler as our Prince; we would all lay down our lives for him, and be proud of the honour. If he were to call us to arms, we could muster in twelve hours, here in this plain of Cettigne, twenty thousand able men, fully armed and equipped, ready to march on any point, and that without endangering Montenegro; for we should leave twenty thousand more behind us, not so well adapted for advancing in an enemy's country, but fully competent to guard our mountain passes and protect our strongholds."

I said I hoped such a contingency might never arise; but he shook his head. The Turks, he said, hated them too much not to seek, sooner or later, for a pretext to attack them, and then he added,

"But the sooner the better; we never were so well prepared to meet them. The Turks pretend that Montenegro is an integral portion of the Ottoman Empire; we insist that we have always been free, and though often hard pressed by Ottoman forces, have never yet been conquered. What chance then is there of our coming to an understanding? My great grief, however, is to hear that England is against us and in favour of our enemies, and if it were not for the friendship which Russia has ever shown us, we might be exterminated by the infidels before you would lift a finger to prevent our utter annihilation. We cannot understand it, for we read of how England exerts herself always in favour of oppressed nationalities, and how she has even spent hundreds of millions of piastres to put down the slave trade; and yet she favours the Turks, who are the greatest supporters of slavery, against us, though our religions are almost identical, I am told. I wish more English would come to Montenegro. I think they would end by appreciating us."

These words of the Commandant made a deep impression on me.