ulgarian frontier organized komitadji
bands, which carried on a desultory guerrilla war with the Turkish
forces for some time. But it was soon obvious that, unless strongly
aided by some outside Power, the rising must fail.

The most important point to notice now is that not a single one of
these many revolutionaries fled to Serbia, or claimed that they were
Serbs. They received arms, munitions and other help from Bulgaria,
from Serbia nothing. They were rising to make Big Bulgaria, not
Great Serbia. Serbia now claims these people as Serbs. She did not
then extend one finger to assist them.

Milosh would not help the Greeks to obtain freedom because he did
not want a large Greece. Similarly, Serbia and Greece in 1903 did
nothing at all to aid the Macedonian revolutionaries. Most of us who
have worked in old days to free the people from the Turkish yoke
have now recognized what a farce that tale was. Not one of the
Balkan people ever wanted to "free" their "Christian brethren"
unless there was a chance of annexing them.

The Bulgar rising died down as winter came on and acute misery
reigned in the devastated districts. In December, as one who had
some experience of Balkan life, I was asked to go out on relief work
under the newly formed Macedonian Relief Committee. The invitation
came to me as an immense surprise and with something like despair.

I had had my allotted two months' holiday. I had never before been
asked to take part in any public work, and I wanted to go more than
words could express. Circumstances had forced me to refuse so many
openings. I was now forty, and this might be my last chance.

The Fates were kind, and I started for Salonika at a few days'
notice, travelling almost straight through. Serbia was depressed and
anxious, I gathered from my fellow travellers, as we passed through
it. Bishop Firmilian, whose election to the see of Uskub the Serbs
had with great difficulty obtained in June 1902, had just died. The
train was full of ecclesiastics going to his funeral at Uskub.
Russia had aided his election very considerably. It had coincided
with Russia's support of Petar Karageorgevitch to the throne of
Serbia, and all was part of Russia's new Balkan plans in which
Serbia was to play a leading role.

Petar was not received by Europe. Firmilian was dead. Serbia was
anxious. They buried Firmilian on Christmas Day in the morning,
dreading the while lest they were burying the bishopric too, so far