arrived, but
it seemed very long and very stony. An old peasant with a candle led us
for what seemed miles between high palisades of wood until we reached
the inn.

There was a big room with a stove in the middle and many Montenegrins in
uniform were sitting about. Some of our party were already asleep, worn
out on the benches. We opened a tin of beef, got some bread and kaimack
and woke up the others for their evening meal. While we were eating a
Montenegrin staff officer said--

"Your commandant, the professor--"

"What?" said we.

"Your commandant, the professor, has said you will rest here to-morrow."

We told him the professor was no commandant of ours, and that we
certainly would not rest there to-morrow.

"Well," said the staff officer, "he has certainly ordered horses for the
day after from the captain."

We were too tired to rectify matters at once, and our meal finished, we
rolled up on the dirty floor.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XXI

THE FLEA-PIT

Those comfortable folks who have never slept out of a bed do not know
how annoying a blanket may be, if there is nothing into which to tuck
its folds. Wrap yourself up in one, lie flat and motionless on the
floor, and we guarantee that in an hour the blanket has unrolled itself
and is making frantic efforts to escape. Every night on the road
resolved into a half-dazed attempt to hold on to the elusive wrap. Sleep
came in as a second consideration, and when we say we awoke on any
particular morning, it really means that we got up, though several of us
in the intervals of blanket catching did get in a snore or two.

Well, we got up, then, in good time next day, hoping to rectify the
professor's interference, and stumbling along with Stajitch, we reached
the high-roofed "Duerer" dwelling where resided the commandant of the
village. In the kitchen we found two women with bare feet, two children
and a man half undressed. He brought in the captain, also in negligee.
Now, mark, we were in Montenegro. We exposed our grievance to the
captain and roundly denounced the professor as an interfering old
beggar. The captain first gave us coffee, second hurried us to his
office, third called in three henchmen and issued rapid orders.

"Certainly, certainly. You shall have all the horses you need. Just only
wait one little quarter of an hour. I will give you four policemen to go
with you."

We protested that four was too many.

"No, no," he said, "you had