re as innocent as babes about European politics,
though they had passed thirty years in the Balkan Peninsula, that he
and not the Englishman could best forward their interests, and they
foolishly induced the American Government to transfer them and their
schools to Austrian protection. And he pushed himself to the front
always, declaring that he had far more power to aid the relief work
and trying to make the English consult him instead of their own
representative. This annoyed me, and I therefore never visited him
at all. Up country among the revolted villages it was clear that the
luckless people had been induced to rise by the belief that, as in
1877, Russia would come to their rescue! But as time passed, and
Russia herself realized that the Japanese were a tough foe, it
became more and more apparent that no further rising would take
place in the spring. The Balkan Orthodox Lenten fast is so severe
that a rising before Easter was always improbable. This Easter would
see none.. I remembered with curious clearness the words of the Pole
who gave me my first Serbian lessons. "Russia is corrupt right
through. If there is a war--Russia will be like that!" and he threw
a rag of paper into the basket scornfully. His has been a twice true
prophecy. The Bulgarian Bishop of Ochrida still believed firmly in
Russia's invincibility. Furious when I refused to have cartridges,
etc., hidden in my room--which the Turks never searched--he turned
on me and declared that England was not a Christian country and
would be wiped out by Holy Russia, who had already taken half Japan
and would soon take the rest and all India too.

By the middle of March I was quite certain no rising would take
place. The Foreign Office in London still expected one, and notified
all relief workers up country to wind up work and return. The others
did, but I stayed and managed to ride right through Albania.

CHAPTER NINE.

ALBANIA

"Where rougher climes a nobler race displayed."--BYRON.

Study of the Macedonian question had shown me that one of the most
important factors of the Near Eastern question was the Albanian, and
that the fact that he was always left out of consideration was a
constant source of difficulty. The Balkan Committee had recently
been formed, and I therefore decided to explore right through
Albania, then but little known, in order to be able to acquire
first-hand information as to the aspirations and ideas of the
Albanians.

Throu