it?"

He replied: "Not necessarily." And seemed surprised. His manner
reassured me. But unless very strong pressure were brought to bear,
I could not see how war between the Slavs and Austria could be
avoided, for "we the Russian army with us" was part of the
programme.

No official confirmation of the news came till next day.

That the Serbo-Greek combine expected to have more than the Russian
army to support it seemed shown by a remarkable letter the insurgent
leaders wrote to Berat, advising the town to surrender, because "we
are supported by the Triple Entente." Berat, however, refused to
surrender.

The insurgents sent a message to Durazzo that they were willing to
be ruled by the International Commissioners if Wied were dismissed.

Terrible rumours came as to what was happening at Koritza. A force
of Albanians went to its defence, led by Dutch officers. Greeks were
pouring in over the border. At the same time it was said that Essad
was returning to Tirana via Serbia, and meant to proclaim himself as
Prince. No one wanted him.

On July 11th came a telegram from Berat. "With heart full of grief I
send the bad news that Koritza, after two days' fight, has fallen
into the hands of the enemy. More than fifty thousand people are
coming away. Take measures for these unfortunates. The Greek army is
spreading on all sides, killing, and burning, and turning into ashes
every Albanian place it enters."

The Albanians were aghast. The Nationalists had all trusted Wied and
the Powers. Without artillery and short of ammunition, with no
trained army and no officers save the Dutchmen, they had done their
best. The "insurrection" had been engineered by Albania's enemies
for the express purpose, among others, of giving a door by which the
Greeks could enter. Not until the Greeks began the wholesale
destruction of Moslems and their villages, accompanied by every kind
of atrocity, did the luckless Moslems of Tirana realize how they had
been tricked.

On July 13th I went at Mr. Lamb's request to Valona to examine into
the number and condition of the refugees. I have no space to
describe the horrors of the next few weeks. The Dutch officers, who
had flung away their uniforms and bolted down to Valona in civilian
dress before the Greek onrush, gave terrible accounts of the mass of
struggling refugees in their flight across the mountains; the dead
and dying children en route; the aged falling by the wayside; the
jam of desper