that the mere mention of Montenegro
and my acquaintance with it would suffice to assure me a welcome.

Near the door of the Monastery of Cetinje is the grave of one of the
Karageorgevitches and the priest who showed it me told that the
families Petrovitch and Karageorgevitch had been on very friendly
terms. Prince Nikola had married his daughter Zorka to Petar
Karageorgevitch, the rival claimant to the Serbian throne, in 1883;
that the young couple had lived in Cetinje and their three children
were born there; but that, after Zorka's death in 1890,
father-in-law and son-in-law had fallen out badly about money
matters and Petar had been seen no more in Montenegro. The fact that
the present Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia was born in Cetinje is
of some interest now, when he is attempting to seize his
grandfather's throne--but more of this later. In 1902 it was still
undreamed of.

Only Count Bollati, then Italian Minister to Montenegro, took any
active interest in my plans. Le bon Dieu, he said, "has created you
expressly to travel in the Balkans." He loathed Cetinje and
explained he had accepted it only as one degree better than Buenos
Ayres because nearer to Rome. "Nothing bites you," he continued;
"everything bites me. Your method of seeing lands is undoubtedly the
best, but I am satisfied with what I see from the windows of the
best hotel." Nor, unfortunately, was Count Bollati in any way unique
in his tastes a fact which may have affected the politics of Europe.

He had held a diplomatic post in Belgrade and was very curious to
know how I should fare. "Sooner you than I!" he laughed, and
meanwhile sketched me a route through the chief towns and told me
his first experience in the land.

It was at a court ball, given by the gay and dashing King Milan. The
salon was awhirl with dancers when-click--something fell to the
ground near the Count's feet. A lady's jewel doubtless. He stooped
and picked up a revolver cartridge. Laughing, he showed it to an
aide-de-camp near him, who saw no joke in the matter and referred it
to King Milan, who turned white and looked gravely anxious. And
Bollati for the first time realized the Balkans. Before I left
Cetinje it was officially announced that the marriage of Prince
Mirko (Prince Nikola's second son) with Mademoiselle Natalie
Constantinovitch had been fixed for July 12 O.S. (1902), and the
faire parts were sent to the Corps Diplomatique.

The bride was cousin to King Alexa