enemy--the king or his minister?
Miuskovitch, who was frankly in favor of the Austrians, had become
premier at a critical moment in Montenegro's fate and negotiations
were undoubtedly proceeding while the fighting on Mount Lovcen was
still in progress. It was said that this was well known to the troops
in the field, and in consequence they had not made so determined a
resistance as they might otherwise have done.

Meanwhile throughout Germany and Austria celebrations of the great
victory were going on and a Vienna paper published what purported to
be the terms that were to be granted the conquered Montenegrins, harsh
in the extreme. It was even indicated that the Montenegrin soldiers
must all serve with the Austrians on the Italian front. And next there
was a strange silence, a period during which no mention at all was
made of Montenegrins, as to whether they had accepted the terms or
not.

Meanwhile among the Allies, who had not expected that Montenegro would
give in so quickly, there was much criticism of the little state's
surrender. It was suggested that it had been inspired for dynastic
reasons, by a pro-Austrian section of the court. It was even asserted
that King Nicholas had secretly come to terms with Austria before the
fall of Mount Lovcen and that the resistance put up by the
Montenegrins was unreal and of a purely theatrical character. It was
recalled that the wife of the Montenegrin Crown Prince was a German
princess. It was said that a compact was in existence, and had been in
existence for several months, by which Montenegro agreed to hand Mount
Lovcen over to the Austrians in return for Scutari.

These speculations were finally terminated by an official statement
issued by Sir J. Roper Parkington, the Consul General for Montenegro
in London, in which he said that the king and the Government of
Montenegro had peremptorily refused the conditions of peace offered
them by Austria and that Montenegro would continue the struggle to the
bitter end. The announcement made by the Austrian Government that the
Montenegrins had already laid down their arms seemed, therefore, to
have been without foundation. This communique also stated that all the
reports issued by the Austrians had been in large part untrue.

"King Nicholas," continued this official announcement, "remains with
his two sons at the head of his troops, to organize a final defense,
and to take part, in case of necessity, in the retreat of his brave