o a western European it would be
surprising that the kindred Radovi['c] party should also be on terms
of close friendship with Danilo, seeing that it consisted of Nikita's
dissatisfied relatives (one of these was Radovi['c]'s powerful
father-in-law) who disliked the new statute which limited the Royal
Family to Nikita and his children. Danilo protected this party for
personal reasons. As for the third political party, that of General
Martinovi['c], its principal plank was its opposition to the other two
parties. Mita Martinovi['c] himself was not much of a politician; he
was a sturdy friend of Russia. Of his rivals, Lazar Miu[vs]kevi['c], a
bearded, rather stout, medium-sized man, has a pious opinion of his
own abilities, and is, or was, very proud of his friendship with
Danilo. He need not be taken seriously, for he has no knowledge of
administration, no political courage and no popular support. [During
the Great War he was for a time the Premier, and after the War, when
the other five ex-Premiers ranged themselves against Nikita, he stayed
in Switzerland, where he tried for many months to make up his mind.]
Andrija Radovi['c], a middle-aged man, whose tall, athletic form is
crowned with the head of a grave poet, was erstwhile a favourite of
Nikita's. Being related to the Royal Family, Nikita called him his
fourth son, and when, after the fatuous bomb conspiracy (of which more
anon), Radovi['c] was lured back from Paris and sentenced to four
years' imprisonment, it was not because he was in any way guilty, but
on the ground that he knew what was going to happen and should have
handed on the information. The real reason was that any party which
was even to a mild extent in favour of reforms did not meet with the
approval of the Gospodar. In his opinion it was necessary to reduce
Radovi['c] to obedience; and Nikita used to try, without success, to
force the innocent prisoner to beg for pardon. Since he declined to do
so, he remained incarcerated with a large cannon-ball chained to his
left leg. While he was in prison he corresponded with Danilo, and on
being liberated was received by Nikita--they wept in each other's
arms.

Nikita fancied he was just the man to govern a progressive modern
State. When he had the famous old warrior Pero publicly flogged by a
criminal for having refused to degrade himself by flogging that same
criminal, Nikita might plead that he was acting in the interests of
discipline. When he confined