xes of the
woodman seeking fuel for his camp-fire had hollowed out a comfortable
retreat from the storm. Surrounding the tree was a bed of wild
strawberries, which helped to beguile the time. When at length the
clouds cleared away, we resumed our saddles with dry jackets. But, as it
turned out, the half-hour we spent under the tree lost us the chance of
some fun.

I must remark that our road lay the whole way through a majestic forest.
We were actually on the highroad to Belgrade, yet in many places it was
nothing more than a grass-drive with trees on either side. Looking some
way ahead when we found ourselves on a track of this kind, we observed
in the distance two men on horseback standing their horses in the middle
of the road, apparently waiting for some one to pass. One of the
fellows, armed with the usual long Turkish gun, seeing our approach,
came forward as if to meet us. We instinctively looked to our revolvers,
but as he came up we saw that the stranger on the black horse (he must
have been _once_ a splendid roadster) had no sinister intentions upon
us. It turned out that he was the pope from a neighbouring village. He
was in a great state of excitement, but shook hands with us all round
before uttering a word. He then told us that the diligence from Belgrade
had been stopped only half an hour ago by five brigands at the bottom of
the very hill we had just passed. The booty was by no means
insignificant. The robbers had made off with 7000 florins in gold; but
what seemed rather significant was the statement that though the driver
and the conductor of the diligence were both well armed, they had
offered but little or no resistance. They declared they were overpowered
by numbers. If there had been a shot fired we certainly must have heard
it.

Later we ascertained that the money belonged to the copper-mining
company at Maidenpek; the loss was not theirs, however, as the
Government would have to reimburse it. It was just like our ill-luck to
wait out of the shower; but for that delay we should have come in for
the affray. I have my doubts as to whether our assistance would have
been particularly welcome to the driver of the diligence. Robbery on the
highroad is a capital offence in Servia.[5]

Arriving at the next village, we found the whole place in a hubbub and
commotion. The men were arming and collecting horses. We went straight
to the post-office to hear the rights of the story; the facts were
mainly as