always kept in view the
good of the nation and followed the course which ever led to the
fortune of Montenegro. ... I would not agree that Montenegro's glory
should be denied in accordance with the wishes of the French Consul
at Scutari, who in especial is trying to destroy the power of
Montenegro." (History repeats itself. The French now, 1920, are
aiming at Montenegro's destruction.) "I opposed Turkish rule . . .
but the headmen sided with Prince Danilo and favoured the wish of
the French Consul. They were ready to accept the Turk as lord. Only
I and Prince George Petrovitch opposed them."

The quarrel was heightened by the fact that Tsar Nikola I, when he
died in 1855, bequeathed 5,000 ducats to Montenegro, but stipulated
they were to be used for charitable purposes under Russian control.
Danilo was enraged by this as he wanted the cash himself.
Medakovitch refused to give it him. "He regards as his friend him
who gives him gold," says a contemporary; "who gives naught is his
arch-enemy." Danilo continued negotiating with France, and
Medakovitch carried the 5,000 ducats out of the country to the
Russian Consul-General at Ragusa.

Danilo formed a crafty plan. He sent two cunning agents to Ragusa to
pretend to the Russian that Montenegro was in a state of unrest, and
that they could overthrow Danilo and re-establish Russian influence
if they could have the 5,000 ducats. To what more laudable end could
they be expended? But the Russian was a yet more wily fox and the
plan failed.

Danilo then hurried to Paris to discuss matters and while he was
absent George Petrovitch led a rising against him, instigated
doubtless by Medakovitch. Danilo hastily returned to Montenegro and
according to a contemporary account a reign of terror followed. He
feared every popular man: "Thus it is that a series of executions
without trial or formal accusation has gone on for months without it
being possible to see when this terrible state of things will end.
Persons who to-day are the Prince's favourites are to-morrow
corpses. His commands, his threats and his gold obtain for him false
oaths and false documents." A fierce blood-feud which lasted in
effect till a few years ago, arose between him and the Gjurashkovitches.
Marko Gjurashkovitch, one of the richest and handsomest of the
headmen, dared, during the Prince's absence in France, to marry the
widow of Pero Petrovitch, whom Danilo had meant to bestow on his
favourite Petar Vukotitc