at the house of a
Belgrade lawyer I heard his wife, a Scotswoman, to whom he had
been married for more than a year, ascertain that he had won
the Obili['c] medal for bravery and several other decorations
which--and his case was typical--he had not troubled to
procure.]

[Footnote 40: June 24, 1919.]

[Footnote 41: May 15, 1919.]

[Footnote 42: Mr. Leiper in the _Morning Post_ (June 23, 1920)
scouts the idea of these malcontents being the supporters of
Nikita, who "were all laid by the heels or driven out of the
country long ago--largely by the inhabitants themselves." He
observes that the land is one land with Serbian soil--its
frontiers are merely the artificial imposition of kings and
policies. The nations, he points out, are not two but one--one
in blood, in temperament, in habits, in tradition, in language;
round the fireside they tell their children the same stories,
sing them the same songs: the greatest poem in Serbian
literature, as all the world knows, was written by a
Prince-Bishop of Montenegro. Since the day when the Serbian
State came into existence it has been, he says, the constant,
burning desire of the Montenegrins to be joined to it. We may
well rub our eyes at a letter in the same newspaper from Lord
Sydenham, who makes the perfectly inane remark that this
constant, burning desire was never probable. "Montenegro
already _is_ Serbia," says Mr. Leiper, "and Serbia Montenegro,
in every way except verbally." But Lord Sydenham has set
himself up as a stern critic of the Serbs in Montenegro;
therefore he cannot countenance the Leiper articles, which give
him "pain and surprise." Is he surprised that Mr. Leiper, a
shrewd Scottish traveller, who is acquainted with the language,
should disagree with him? "The great mass of the people," says
Mr. Leiper, "are as firm as a rock in their determination that
Nicholas shall never return." Listen to Lord Sydenham: "I am
afraid," says he, "that your correspondent has been misled by
the raging, tearing Serbian propaganda with which I am
familiar." And he quotes for our benefit an unnamed
correspondent of his in Montenegro who says that the people
there are terrified of speaking. It is much to be desired that
a little of this terror might invade a gentleman who plunges
headlong into matters which he does not