BOOK IX: BALKA

by Bram Stoker

　　RUPERT'S JOURNAL--Continued.(Longe Intervallo).February 10, 1908.It is so long since I even thought of this journal that I hardly knowwhere to begin. I always heard that a married man is a pretty busy man;but since I became one, though it is a new life to me, and of a happinessundreamt of, I know what that life is. But I had no idea that thisKing business was anything like what it is. Why, it never leaves me amoment at all to myself--or, what is worse, to Teuta. If people whocondemn Kings had only a single month of my life in that capacity, theywould form an opinion different from that which they hold. It might beuseful to have a Professor of Kingship in the Anarchists'College--whenever it is founded!Everything has gone on well with us, I am glad to say. Teuta is insplendid health, though she has--but only very lately--practically givenup going on her own aeroplane. It was, I know, a great sacrifice tomake, just as she had become an expert at it. They say here that she isone of the best drivers in the Blue Mountains--and that is in the world,for we have made that form of movement our own. Ever since we found thepitch-blende pockets in the Great Tunnel, and discovered the simpleprocess of extracting the radium from it, we have gone on by leaps andbounds. When first Teuta told me she would "aero" no more for a while, Ithought she was wise, and backed her up in it: for driving an aeroplaneis trying work and hard on the nerves. I only learned then the reasonfor her caution--the usual one of a young wife. That was three monthsago, and only this morning she told me she would not go sailing in theair, even with me, till she could do so "without risk"--she did not meanrisk to herself. Aunt Janet knew what she meant, and counselled herstrongly to stick to her resolution. So for the next few months I am todo my air-sailing alone.The public works which we began immediately after the Coronation aregoing strong. We began at the very beginning on an elaborate system.The first thing was to adequately fortify the Blue Mouth. Whilst thefortifications were being constructed we kept all the warships in thegulf. But when the point of safety was reached, we made the ships dosentry-go along the coast, whilst we trained men for service at sea. Itis our plan to take by degrees all the young men and teach them thiswise, so that at the end the whole population shall be trained for sea aswell as for land. And as we are teaching them the airship service, too,they will be at home in all the elements--except fire, of course, thoughif that should become a necessity, we shall tackle it too!We started the Great Tunnel at the farthest inland point of the BlueMouth, and ran it due east at an angle of 45 degrees, so that, whencomplete, it would go right through the first line of hills, coming outon the plateau Plazac. The plateau is not very wide--half a mile atmost--and the second tunnel begins on the eastern side of it. This newtunnel is at a smaller angle, as it has to pierce the second hill--amountain this time. When it comes out on the east side of that, it willtap the real productive belt. Here it is that our hardwood-trees arefinest, and where the greatest mineral deposits are found. This plateauis of enormous length, and runs north arid south round the great bulk ofthe central mountain, so that in time, when we put up a circular railway,we can bring, at a merely nominal cost, all sorts of material up or down.It is on this level that we have built the great factories for warmaterial. We are tunnelling into the mountains, where are the greatdeposits of coal. We run the trucks in and out on the level, and can getperfect ventilation with little cost or labour. Already we are miningall the coal which we consume within our own confines, and we can, if wewish, within a year export largely. The great slopes of these tunnelsgive us the necessary aid of specific gravity, and as we carry an endlesswater-supply in great tubes that way also, we can do whatever we wish byhydraulic power. As one by one the European and Asiatic nations began toreduce their war preparations, we took over their disbanded workmenthough our agents, so that already we have a productive staff of skilledworkmen larger than anywhere else in the world. I think myself that wewere fortunate in being able to get ahead so fast with our preparationsfor war manufacture, for if some of the "Great Powers," as they callthemselves, knew the measure of our present production, they wouldimmediately try to take active measures against us. In such case weshould have to fight them, which would delay us. But if we can haveanother year untroubled, we shall, so far as war material is concerned,be able to defy any nation in the world. And if the time may only comepeacefully till we have our buildings and machinery complete, we canprepare war-stores and implements for the whole Balkan nations. Andthen--But that is a dream. We shall know in good time.In the meantime all goes well. The cannon foundries are built andactive. We are already beginning to turn out finished work. Of course,our first guns are not very large, but they are good. The big guns, andespecially siege-guns, will come later. And when the great extensionsare complete, and the boring and wire-winding machines are in workingorder, we can go merrily on. I suppose that by that time the whole ofthe upper plateau will be like a manufacturing town--at any rate, we haveplenty of raw material to hand. The haematite mines seem to beinexhaustible, and as the raising of the ore is cheap and easy by meansof our extraordinary water-power, and as coal comes down to the plateauby its own gravity on the cable-line, we have natural advantages whichexist hardly anywhere else in the world--certainly not all together, ashere. That bird's eye view of the Blue Mouth which we had from theaeroplane when Teuta saw that vision of the future has not been in vain.The aeroplane works are having a splendid output. The aeroplane is alarge and visible product; there is no mistaking when it is there! Wehave already a large and respectable aerial fleet. The factories forexplosives are, of course, far away in bare valleys, where accidentaleffects are minimized. So, too, are the radium works, wherein unknowndangers may lurk. The turbines in the tunnel give us all the power wewant at present, and, later on, when the new tunnel, which we call the"water tunnel," which is already begun, is complete, the available powerwill be immense. All these works are bringing up our shipping, and weare in great hopes for the future.So much for our material prosperity. But with it comes a larger life andgreater hopes. The stress of organizing and founding these great worksis practically over. As they are not only self-supporting, but largelyproductive, all anxiety in the way of national expenditure is minimized.And, more than all, I am able to give my unhampered attention to thosematters of even more than national importance on which the ultimatedevelopment, if not the immediate strength, of our country must depend.I am well into the subject of a great Balkan Federation. This, it turnsout, has for long been the dream of Teuta's life, as also that of thepresent Archimandrite of Plazac, her father, who, since I last touchedthis journal, having taken on himself a Holy Life, was, by will of theChurch, the Monks, and the People, appointed to that great office on theretirement of Petrof Vlastimir.Such a Federation had long been in the air. For myself, I had seen itsinevitableness from the first. The modern aggressions of the DualNation, interpreted by her past history with regard to Italy, pointedtowards the necessity of such a protective measure. And now, when Serviaand Bulgaria were used as blinds to cover her real movements toincorporate with herself as established the provinces, once Turkish,which had been entrusted to her temporary protection by the Treaty ofBerlin; when it would seem that Montenegro was to be deprived for alltime of the hope of regaining the Bocche di Cattaro, which she had acentury ago won, and held at the point of the sword, until a Great Powerhad, under a wrong conviction, handed it over to her neighbouringGoliath; when the Sandjack of Novi-Bazar was threatened with the fatewhich seemed to have already overtaken Bosnia and Herzegovina; whengallant little Montenegro was already shut out from the sea by theoctopus-like grip of Dalmatia crouching along her western shore; whenTurkey was dwindling down to almost ineptitude; when Greece was almost abyword, and when Albania as a nation--though still nominally subject--wasof such unimpaired virility that there were great possibilities of herfuture, it was imperative that something must happen if the Balkan racewas not to be devoured piecemeal by her northern neighbours. To the endof ultimate protection I found most of them willing to make defensivealliance.And as the true defence consists in judicious attack, I have no doubtthat an alliance so based must ultimately become one for all purposes.Albania was the most difficult to win to the scheme, as her owncomplications with her suzerain, combined with the pride andsuspiciousness of her people, made approach a matter of extreme caution.It was only possible when I could induce her rulers to see that, nomatter how great her pride and valour, the magnitude of northern advance,if unchecked, must ultimately overwhelm her.I own that this map-making was nervous work, for I could not shut my eyesto the fact that German lust of enlargement lay behind Austria's advance.At and before that time expansion was the dominant idea of the threeGreat Powers of Central Europe. Russia went eastward, hoping to gatherto herself the rich north-eastern provinces of China, till ultimately sheshould dominate the whole of Northern Europe and Asia from the Gulf ofFinland to the Yellow Sea. Germany wished to link the North Sea to theMediterranean by her own territory, and thus stand as a flawless barrieracross Europe from north to south.When Nature should have terminated the headship of the Empire-Kingdom,she, as natural heir, would creep southward through the German-speakingprovinces. Thus Austria, of course kept in ignorance of her neighbour'sultimate aims, had to extend towards the south. She had been barred inher western movement by the rise of the Irredentist party in Italy, andconsequently had to withdraw behind the frontiers of Carinthia, Carniola,and Istria.My own dream of the new map was to make "Balka"--the BalkanFederation--take in ultimately all south of a line drawn from the Isle ofSerpents to Aquileia. There would--must--be difficulties in the carryingout of such a scheme. Of course, it involved Austria giving up Dalmatia,Istria, and Sclavonia, as well as a part of Croatia and the HungarianBanat. On the contrary, she might look for centuries of peace in thesouth. But it would make for peace so strongly that each of the Statesimpinging on it would find it worth while to make a considerablesacrifice to have it effected. To its own integers it would offer alasting settlement of interests which at present conflicted, and a sharein a new world-power. Each of these integers would be absolutelyself-governing and independent, being only united for purposes of mutualgood. I did not despair that even Turkey and Greece, recognizing thatbenefit and safety would ensue without the destruction or even minimizingof individuality, would, sooner or later, come into the Federation. Thematter is already so far advanced that within a month the various rulersof the States involved are to have a secret and informal meeting.Doubtless some larger plan and further action will be then evolved. Itwill be an anxious time for all in this zone--and outside it--till thismatter is all settled. In any case, the manufacture of war material willgo on until it is settled, one way or another.RUPERT'S JOURNAL--Continued.March 6, 1908.I breathe more freely. The meeting has taken place here at Vissarion.Nominal cause of meeting: a hunting-party in the Blue Mountains. Not anyformal affair. Not a Chancellor or Secretary of State or Diplomatist ofany sort present. All headquarters. It was, after all, a realhunting-party. Good sportsmen, plenty of game, lots of beaters,everything organized properly, and an effective tally of results. Ithink we all enjoyed ourselves in the matter of sport; and as thepolitical result was absolute unanimity of purpose and intention, therecould be no possible cause of complaint.So it is all decided. Everything is pacific. There is not a suggestioneven of war, revolt, or conflicting purpose of any kind. We all go onexactly as we are doing for another year, pursuing our own individualobjects, just as at present. But we are all to see that in our ownhouseholds order prevails. All that is supposed to be effective is to bekept in good working order, and whatever is, at present, not adequate topossibilities is to be made so. This is all simply protective anddefensive. We understand each other. But if any hulking stranger shouldundertake to interfere in our domestic concerns, we shall all unite onthe instant to keep things as we wish them to remain. We shall be ready.Alfred's maxim of Peace shall be once more exemplified. In the meantimethe factories shall work overtime in our own mountains, and the outputshall be for the general good of our special community--the bill to besettled afterwards amicably. There can hardly be any difference ofopinion about that, as the others will be the consumers of our surplusproducts. We are the producers, who produce for ourselves first, andthen for the limited market of those within the Ring. As we undertake toguard our own frontiers--sea and land--and are able to do so, the goodsare to be warehoused in the Blue Mountains until required--if at all--forparticipation in the markets of the world, and especially in the Europeanmarket. If all goes well and the markets are inactive, the goods shallbe duly delivered to the purchasers as arranged.So much for the purely mercantile aspect.THE VOIVODIN JANET MACKELPIE'S NOTES.May 21, 1908.As Rupert began to neglect his Journal when he was made a King, so, too,I find in myself a tendency to leave writing to other people. But onething I shall not be content to leave to others--little Rupert. The babyof Rupert and Teuta is much too precious a thing to be spoken of exceptwith love, quite independent of the fact that he will be, in naturalcourse, a King! So I have promised Teuta that whatever shall be put intothis record of the first King of the Sent Leger Dynasty relating to HisRoyal Highness the Crown Prince shall only appear in either her hand ormy own. And she has deputed the matter to me.Our dear little Prince arrived punctually and in perfect condition. Theangels that carried him evidently took the greatest care of him, andbefore they left him they gave him dower of all their best. He is adear! Like both his father and his mother, and that says everything. Myown private opinion is that he is a born King! He does not know whatfear is, and he thinks more of everyone else than he does of his dearlittle self. And if those things do not show a truly royal nature, I donot know what does . . .Teuta has read this. She held up a warning finger, and said:"Aunt Janet dear, that is all true. He is a dear, and a King, and anangel! But we mustn't have too much about him just yet. This book is tobe about Rupert. So our little man can only be what we shall call acorollary." And so it is.I should mention here that the book is Teuta's idea. Before littleRupert came she controlled herself wonderfully, doing only what wasthought best for her under the circumstances. As I could see that itwould be a help for her to have some quiet occupation which wouldinterest her without tiring her, I looked up (with his permission, ofcourse) all Rupert's old letters and diaries, and journals andreports--all that I had kept for him during his absences on hisadventures. At first I was a little afraid they might harm her, for attimes she got so excited over some things that I had to caution her.Here again came in her wonderful self-control. I think the most soothingargument I used with her was to point out that the dear boy had comethrough all the dangers safely, and was actually with us, stronger andnobler than ever.After we had read over together the whole matter several times--for itwas practically new to me too, and I got nearly as excited as she was,though I have known him so much longer--we came to the conclusion thatthis particular volume would have to be of selected matter. There isenough of Rupert's work to make a lot of volumes and we have an ambitiousliterary project of some day publishing an edition de luxe of his wholecollected works. It will be a rare showing amongst the works of Kings.But this is to be all about himself, so that in the future it may serveas a sort of backbone of his personal history.By-and-by we came to a part when we had to ask him questions; and he wasso interested in Teuta's work--he is really bound up body and soul in hisbeautiful wife, and no wonder--that we had to take him into fullconfidence. He promised he would help us all he could by giving us theuse of his later journals, and such letters and papers as he had keptprivately. He said he would make one condition--I use his own words: "Asyou two dear women are to be my editors, you must promise to put ineverything exactly as I wrote it. It will not do to have any fake aboutthis. I do not wish anything foolish or egotistical toned down out ofaffection for me. It was all written in sincerity, and if I had faults,they must not be hidden. If it is to be history, it must be truehistory, even if it gives you and me or any of us away."So we promised.He also said that, as Sir Edward Bingham Trent, Bart.--as he is now--wassure to have some matter which we should like, he would write and ask himto send such to us. He also said that Mr. Ernest Roger Halbard Melton,of Humcroft, Salop (he always gives this name and address in full, whichis his way of showing contempt), would be sure to have some relevantmatter, and that he would have him written to on the subject. This hedid. The Chancellor wrote him in his most grandiloquent style. Mr. E.R. H. Melton, of H., S., replied by return post. His letter is adocument which speaks for itself:HUMCROFT, SALOP,May 30, 1908.MY DEAR COUSIN KING RUPERT,I am honoured by the request made on your behalf by the Lord HighChancellor of your kingdom that I should make a literary contributionto the volume which my cousin, Queen Teuta, is, with the help of yourformer governess, Miss MacKelpie, compiling. I am willing to do so,as you naturally wish to have in that work some contemporary recordmade by the Head of the House of Melton, with which you areconnected, though only on the distaff side. It is a natural ambitionenough, even on the part of a barbarian--or perhapssemi-barbarian--King, and far be it from me, as Head of the House, todeny you such a coveted privilege. Perhaps you may not know that Iam now Head of the House; my father died three days ago. I offeredmy mother the use of the Dower House--to the incumbency of which,indeed, she is entitled by her marriage settlement. But shepreferred to go to live at her seat, Carfax, in Kent. She went thismorning after the funeral. In letting you have the use of mymanuscript I make only one stipulation, but that I expect to berigidly adhered to. It is that all that I have written be put in thebook in extenso. I do not wish any record of mine to be garbled tosuit other ends than those ostensible, or whatever may be to thehonour of myself or my House to be burked. I dare say you havenoticed, my dear Rupert, that the compilers of family historiesoften, through jealousy, alter matter that they are allowed to use soas to suit their own purpose or minister to their own vanity. Ithink it right to tell you that I have had a certified copy made byPetter and Galpin, the law stationers, so that I shall be able toverify whether my stipulation has been honourably observed. I amhaving the book, which is naturally valuable, carefully packed, andshall have it forwarded to Sir Edward Bingham Trent, Baronet (whichhe now is--Heaven save the mark!), the Attorney. Please see that hereturns it to me, and in proper order. He is not to publish forhimself anything in it about him. A man of that class is apt toadvertise the fact of anyone of distinction taking any notice of him.I would bring out the MS. to you myself, and stay for a while withyou for some sport, only your lot--subjects I suppose you callthem!--are such bounders that a gentleman's life is hardly safeamongst them. I never met anyone who had so poor an appreciation ofa joke as they have. By the way, how is Teuta? She is one of them.I heard all about the hatching business. I hope the kid is allright. This is only a word in your ear, so don't get cocky, old son.I am open to a godfathership. Think of that, Hedda! Of course, ifthe other godfather and the godmother are up to the mark; I don'twant to have to boost up the whole lot! Savvy? Kiss Teuta and thekid for me. I must have the boy over here for a bit later on--whenhe is presentable, and has learned not to be a nuisance. It will begood for him to see something of a real first-class English countryhouse like Humcroft. To a person only accustomed to rough ways andmeagre living its luxury will make a memory which will serve in timeas an example to be aimed at. I shall write again soon. Don'thesitate to ask any favour which I may be able to confer on you. Solong!Your affectionate cousin,ERNEST ROGER HALBARD MELTON.Extract from Letter from E. Bingham Trent to Queen Teuta of the BlueMountains.. . . So I thought the best way to serve that appalling cad would beto take him at his word, and put in his literary contribution infull. I have had made and attested a copy of his "Record," as hecalls it, so as to save you trouble. But I send the book itself,because I am afraid that unless you see his words in his own writing,you will not believe that he or anyone else ever penned seriously adocument so incriminating. I am sure he must have forgotten what hehad written, for even such a dull dog as he is could never have madepublic such a thing knowingly. . . Such a nature has its revenges onitself. In this case the officers of revenge are his ipsissimaverba.RUPERT'S JOURNAL--Continued.February 1, 1909.All is now well in train. When the Czar of Russia, on being asked by theSclavs (as was meet) to be the referee in the "Balkan Settlement,"declined on the ground that he was himself by inference an interestedparty, it was unanimously agreed by the Balkan rulers that the WesternKing should be asked to arbitrate, as all concerned had perfectconfidence in his wisdom, as well as his justice. To their wish hegraciously assented. The matter has now been for more than six months inhis hands, and he has taken endless trouble to obtain full information.He has now informed us through his Chancellor that his decision is almostready, and will be communicated as soon as possible.We have another hunting-party at Vissarion next week. Teuta is lookingforward to it with extraordinary interest. She hopes then to present toour brothers of the Balkans our little son, and she is eager to know ifthey endorse her mother-approval of him.RUPERT'S JOURNAL--Continued.April 15, 1909.The arbitrator's decision has been communicated to us through theChancellor of the Western King, who brought it to us himself as a specialact of friendliness. It met with the enthusiastic approval of all. ThePremier remained with us during the progress of the hunting-party, whichwas one of the most joyous occasions ever known. We are all of goodheart, for the future of the Balkan races is now assured. Thestrife--internal and external--of a thousand years has ceased, and welook with hope for a long and happy time. The Chancellor broughtmessages of grace and courtliness and friendliness to all. And when I,as spokesman of the party, asked him if we might convey a request of HisMajesty that he would honour us by attending the ceremony of making knownformally the Balkan Settlement, he answered that the King had authorizedhim to say that he would, if such were wished by us, gladly come; andthat if he should come, he would attend with a fleet as an escort. TheChancellor also told me from himself that it might be possible to haveother nationalities represented on such a great occasion by Ambassadorsand even fleets, though the monarchs themselves might not be able toattend. He hinted that it might be well if I put the matter in train.(He evidently took it for granted that, though I was only one of several,the matter rested with me--possibly he chose me as the one to whom tomake the confidence, as I was born a stranger.) As we talked it over, hegrew more enthusiastic, and finally said that, as the King was taking thelead, doubtless all the nations of the earth friendly to him would liketo take a part in the ceremony. So it is likely to turn out practicallyan international ceremony of a unique kind. Teuta will love it, and weshall all do what we can.JANET MACKELPIE'S NOTES.June 1, 1909.Our dear Teuta is full of the forthcoming celebration of the BalkanFederation, which is to take place this day month, although I must say,for myself, that the ceremony is attaining to such dimensions that I ambeginning to have a sort of vague fear of some kind. It almost seemsuncanny. Rupert is working unceasingly--has been for some time. Forweeks past he seems to have been out day and night on his aeroplane,going through and round over the country arranging matters, and seeingfor himself that what has been arranged is being done. Uncle Colin isalways about, too, and so is Admiral Rooke. But now Teuta is beginningto go with Rupert. That girl is simply fearless--just like Rupert. Andthey both seem anxious that little Rupert shall be the same. Indeed, heis the same. A few mornings ago Rupert and Teuta were about to startjust after dawn from the top of the Castle. Little Rupert was there--heis always awake early and as bright as a bee. I was holding him in myarms, and when his mother leant over to kiss him good-bye, he held outhis arms to her in a way that said as plainly as if he had spoken, "Takeme with you."She looked appealingly at Rupert, who nodded, and said: "All right. Takehim, darling. He will have to learn some day, and the sooner thebetter." The baby, looking eagerly from one to the other with the samequestioning in his eyes as there is sometimes in the eyes of a kitten ora puppy--but, of course, with an eager soul behind it--saw that he wasgoing, and almost leaped into his mother's arms. I think she hadexpected him to come, for she took a little leather dress from Margareta,his nurse, and, flushing with pride, began to wrap him in it. WhenTeuta, holding him in her arms, stepped on the aeroplane, and took herplace in the centre behind Rupert, the young men of the Crown Prince'sGuard raised a cheer, amid which Rupert pulled the levers, and theyglided off into the dawn.The Crown Prince's Guard was established by the mountaineers themselvesthe day of his birth. Ten of the biggest and most powerful and cleverestyoung men of the nation were chosen, and were sworn in with a veryimpressive ceremony to guard the young Prince. They were to so arrangeand order themselves and matters generally that two at least of themshould always have him, or the place in which he was, within their sight.They all vowed that the last of their lives should go before harm came tohim. Of course, Teuta understood, and so did Rupert. And these youngmen are the persons most privileged in the whole Castle. They are dearboys, every one of them, and we are all fond of them and respect them.They simply idolize the baby.Ever since that morning little Rupert has, unless it is at a timeappointed for his sleeping, gone in his mother's arms. I think in anyother place there would be some State remonstrance at the whole royalfamily being at once and together in a dangerous position, but in theBlue Mountains danger and fear are not thought of--indeed, they canhardly be in their terminology. And I really think the child enjoys iteven more than his parents. He is just like a little bird that has foundthe use of his wings. Bless him!I find that even I have to study Court ritual a little. So manynationalities are to be represented at the ceremony of the "BalkanSettlement," and so many Kings and Princes and notabilities of all kindsare coming, that we must all take care not to make any mistakes. ThePress alone would drive anyone silly. Rupert and Teuta come and sit withme sometimes in the evening when we are all too tired to work, and theyrest themselves by talking matters over. Rupert says that there will beover five hundred reporters, and that the applications for permission arecoming in so fast that there may be a thousand when the day comes. Lastnight he stopped in the middle of speaking of it, and said:"I have an inspiration! Fancy a thousand journalists,--each wanting toget ahead of the rest, and all willing to invoke the Powers of Evil forexclusive information! The only man to look after this department isRooke. He knows how to deal with men, and as we have already a largestaff to look after the journalistic guests, he can be at the head, andappoint his own deputies to act for him. Somewhere and sometime thekeeping the peace will be a matter of nerve and resolution, and Rooke isthe man for the job."We were all concerned about one thing, naturally important in the eyes ofa woman: What robes was Teuta to wear? In the old days, when there wereKings and Queens, they doubtless wore something gorgeous or impressive;but whatever it was that they wore has gone to dust centuries ago, andthere were no illustrated papers in those primitive days. Teuta wastalking to me eagerly, with her dear beautiful brows all wrinkled, whenRupert who was reading a bulky document of some kind, looked up and said:"Of course, darling, you will wear your Shroud?""Capital!" she said, clapping her hands like a joyous child. "The verything, and our people will like it."I own that for a moment I was dismayed. It was a horrible test of awoman's love and devotion. At a time when she was entertaining Kings andnotabilities in her own house--and be sure they would all be decked intheir finery--to have to appear in such a garment! A plain thing withnothing even pretty, let alone gorgeous, about it! I expressed my viewsto Rupert, for I feared that Teuta might be disappointed, though shemight not care to say so; but before he could say a word Teuta answered:"Oh, thank you so much, dear! I should love that above everything, but Idid not like to suggest it, lest you should think me arrogant orpresuming; for, indeed, Rupert, I am very proud of it, and of the way ourpeople look on it.""Why not?" said Rupert, in his direct way. "It is a thing for us all tobe proud of; the nation has already adopted it as a national emblem--ouremblem of courage and devotion and patriotism, which will always, I hope,be treasured beyond price by the men and women of our Dynasty, theNation, that is--of the Nation that is to be."Later on in the evening we had a strange endorsement of the nationalwill. A "People's Deputation" of mountaineers, without any officialnotice or introduction, arrived at the Castle late in the evening in themanner established by Rupert's "Proclamation of Freedom," wherein allcitizens were entitled to send a deputation to the King, at will and inprivate, on any subject of State importance. This deputation wascomposed of seventeen men, one selected from each political section, sothat the body as a whole represented the entire nation. They were of allsorts of social rank and all degrees of fortune, but they were mainly "ofthe people." They spoke hesitatingly--possibly because Teuta, or evenbecause I, was present--but with a manifest earnestness. They made butone request--that the Queen should, on the great occasion of the BalkanFederation, wear as robes of State the Shroud that they loved to see herin. The spokesman, addressing the Queen, said in tones of ruggedeloquence:"This is a matter, Your Majesty, that the women naturally have a say in,so we have, of course, consulted them. They have discussed the matter bythemselves, and then with us, and they are agreed without a flaw that itwill be good for the Nation and for Womankind that you do this thing.You have shown to them, and to the world at large, what women should do,what they can do, and they want to make, in memory of your great act, theShroud a garment of pride and honour for women who have deserved well oftheir country. In the future it can be a garment to be worn only byprivileged women who have earned the right. But they hope, and we hopewith them, that on this occasion of our Nation taking the lead before theeyes of the world, all our women may wear it on that day as a means ofshowing overtly their willingness to do their duty, even to the death.And so"--here he turned to the King--"Rupert, we trust that Her MajestyQueen Teuta will understand that in doing as the women of the BlueMountains wish, she will bind afresh to the Queen the loyal devotionwhich she won from them as Voivodin. Henceforth and for all time theShroud shall be a dress of honour in our Land."Teuta looked all ablaze with love and pride and devotion. Stars in hereyes shone like white fire as she assured them of the granting of theirrequest. She finished her little speech:"I feared that if I carried out my own wish, it might look arrogant, butRupert has expressed the same wish, and now I feel that I am free to wearthat dress which brought me to you and to Rupert"--here she beamed onhim, and took his hand--"fortified as I am by your wishes and the commandof my lord the King."Rupert took her in his arms and kissed her fondly before them all,saying:"Tell your wives, my brothers, and the rest of the Blue Mountain women,that that is the answer of the husband who loves and honours his wife.All the world shall see at the ceremony of the Federation of Balka thatwe men love and honour the women who are loyal and can die for duty.And, men of the Blue Mountains, some day before long we shall organizethat great idea, and make it a permanent thing--that the Order of theShroud is the highest guerdon that a noble-hearted woman can wear."Teuta disappeared for a few moments, and came back with the Crown Princein her arms. Everyone present asked to be allowed to kiss him, whichthey did kneeling.THE FEDERATION BALKA.By the Correspondents of "Free America."The Editors of Free America have thought it well to put in consecutiveorder the reports and descriptions of their Special Correspondents, ofwhom there were present no less than eight. Not a word they wrote isomitted, but the various parts of their reports are placed in differentorder, so that, whilst nothing which any of them recorded is left out,the reader may be able to follow the proceedings from the various pointsof view of the writers who had the most favourable opportunity of moment.In so large an assemblage of journalists--there were present over athousand--they could not all be present in one place; so our men, inconsultation amongst themselves, arranged to scatter, so as to cover thewhole proceeding from the various "coigns of vantage," using their skilland experience in selecting these points. One was situated on the summitof the steel-clad tower in the entrance to the Blue Mouth; another on the"Press-boat," which was moored alongside King Rupert's armoured yacht,The Lady, whereon were gathered the various Kings and rulers of theBalkan States, all of whom were in the Federation; another was in a swifttorpedo-boat, with a roving commission to cruise round the harbour asdesired; another took his place on the top of the great mountain whichoverlooks Plazac, and so had a bird's-eye view of the whole scene ofoperations; two others were on the forts to right and left of the BlueMouth; another was posted at the entrance to the Great Tunnel which runsfrom the water level right up through the mountains to the plateau, wherethe mines and factories are situate; another had the privilege of a placeon an aeroplane, which went everywhere and saw everything. Thisaeroplane was driven by an old Special Correspondent of Free America,who had been a chum of our Special in the Japanese and Russian War, andwho has taken service on the Blue Mountain Official Gazette.PLAZAC,June 30, 1909.Two days before the time appointed for the ceremony the guests of theLand of the Blue Mountains began to arrive. The earlier comers weremostly the journalists who had come from almost over the whole inhabitedworld. King Rupert, who does things well, had made a camp for theirexclusive use. There was a separate tent for each--of course, a smallone, as there were over a thousand journalists--but there were big tentsfor general use scattered about--refectories, reading and writing rooms,a library, idle rooms for rest, etc. In the rooms for reading andwriting, which were the work-rooms for general use, were newspapers, thelatest attainable from all over the world, Blue-Books, guides,directories, and all such aids to work as forethought could arrange.There was for this special service a body of some hundreds of capableservants in special dress and bearing identification numbers--in fact,King Rupert "did us fine," to use a slang phrase of pregnant meaning.There were other camps for special service, all of them well arranged,and with plenty of facility for transport. Each of the FederatingMonarchs had a camp of his own, in which he had erected a magnificentpavilion. For the Western King, who had acted as Arbitrator in thematter of the Federation, a veritable palace had been built by KingRupert--a sort of Aladdin's palace it must have been, for only a fewweeks ago the place it occupied was, I was told, only primevalwilderness. King Rupert and his Queen, Teuta, had a pavilion like therest of the Federators of Balka, but infinitely more modest, both in sizeand adornments.Everywhere were guards of the Blue Mountains, armed only with the"handjar," which is the national weapon. They wore the national dress,but so arranged in colour and accoutrement that the general air ofuniformity took the place of a rigid uniform. There must have been atleast seventy or eighty thousand of them.The first day was one of investigation of details by the visitors.During the second day the retinues of the great Federators came. Some ofthese retinues were vast. For instance, the Soldan (though only justbecome a Federator) sent of one kind or another more than a thousand men.A brave show they made, for they are fine men, and drilled to perfection.As they swaggered along, singly or in mass, with their gay jackets andbaggy trousers, their helmets surmounted by the golden crescent, theylooked a foe not to be despised. Landreck Martin, the Nestor ofjournalists, said to me, as we stood together looking at them:"To-day we witness a new departure in Blue Mountain history. This is thefirst occasion for a thousand years that so large a Turkish body hasentered the Blue Mountains with a reasonable prospect of ever getting outagain."July 1, 1909.To-day, the day appointed for the ceremony, was auspiciously fine, evenfor the Blue Mountains, where at this time of year the weather is nearlyalways fine. They are early folk in the Blue Mountains, but to-daythings began to hum before daybreak. There were bugle-calls all over theplace--everything here is arranged by calls of musicalinstruments--trumpets, or bugles, or drums (if, indeed, the drum can becalled a musical instrument)--or by lights, if it be after dark. Wejournalists were all ready; coffee and bread-and-butter had beenthoughtfully served early in our sleeping-tents, and an elaboratebreakfast was going on all the time in the refectory pavilions. We had apreliminary look round, and then there was a sort of general pause forbreakfast. We took advantage of it, and attacked the sumptuous--indeed,memorable--meal which was served for us.The ceremony was to commence at noon, but at ten o'clock the whole placewas astir--not merely beginning to move, but actually moving; everybodytaking their places for the great ceremony. As noon drew near, theexcitement was intense and prolonged. One by one the various signatoriesto the Federation began to assemble. They all came by sea; such of themas had sea-boards of their own having their fleets around them. Such ashad no fleets of their own were attended by at least one of the BlueMountain ironclads. And I am bound to say that I never in my life sawmore dangerous craft than these little warships of King Rupert of theBlue Mountains. As they entered the Blue Mouth each ship took herappointed station, those which carried the signatories being closetogether in an isolated group in a little bay almost surrounded by highcliffs in the farthest recesses of the mighty harbour. King Rupert'sarmoured yacht all the time lay close inshore, hard by the mouth of theGreat Tunnel which runs straight into the mountain from a wide plateau,partly natural rock, partly built up with mighty blocks of stone. Hereit is, I am told, that the inland products are brought down to the moderntown of Plazac. Just as the clocks were chiming the half-hour beforenoon this yacht glided out into the expanse of the "Mouth." Behind hercame twelve great barges, royally decked, and draped each in the colourof the signatory nation. On each of these the ruler entered with hisguard, and was carried to Rupert's yacht, he going on the bridge, whilsthis suite remained on the lower deck. In the meantime whole fleets hadbeen appearing on the southern horizon; the nations were sending theirmaritime quota to the christening of "Balka"! In such wonderful order ascan only be seen with squadrons of fighting ships, the mighty throngswept into the Blue Mouth, and took up their stations in groups. Theonly armament of a Great Power now missing was that of the Western King.But there was time. Indeed, as the crowd everywhere began to look attheir watches a long line of ships began to spread up northward from theItalian coast. They came at great speed--nearly twenty knots. It was areally wonderful sight--fifty of the finest ships in the world; the verylatest expression of naval giants, each seemingly typical of itsclass--Dreadnoughts, cruisers, destroyers. They came in a wedge, withthe King's yacht flying the Royal Standard the apex. Every ship of thesquadron bore a red ensign long enough to float from the masthead to thewater. From the armoured tower in the waterway one could see the myriadof faces--white stars on both land and sea--for the great harbour was nowalive with ships and each and all of them alive with men.Suddenly, without any direct cause, the white masses becameeclipsed--everyone had turned round, and was looking the other way. Ilooked across the bay and up the mountain behind--a mighty mountain,whose slopes run up to the very sky, ridge after ridge seeming likeitself a mountain. Far away on the very top the standard of the BlueMountains was run up on a mighty Flagstaff which seemed like a shaft oflight. It was two hundred feet high, and painted white, and as at thedistance the steel stays were invisible, it towered up in lonelygrandeur. At its foot was a dark mass grouped behind a white space,which I could not make out till I used my field-glasses.Then I knew it was King Rupert and the Queen in the midst of a group ofmountaineers. They were on the aero station behind the platform of theaero, which seemed to shine--shine, not glitter--as though it wereoverlaid with plates of gold.Again the faces looked west. The Western Squadron was drawing near tothe entrance of the Blue Mouth. On the bridge of the yacht stood theWestern King in uniform of an Admiral, and by him his Queen in a dress ofroyal purple, splendid with gold. Another glance at the mountain-topshowed that it had seemed to become alive. A whole park of artilleryseemed to have suddenly sprung to life, round each its crew ready foraction. Amongst the group at the foot of the Flagstaff we coulddistinguish King Rupert; his vast height and bulk stood out from andabove all round him. Close to him was a patch of white, which weunderstood to be Queen Teuta, whom the Blue Mountaineers simply adore.By this time the armoured yacht, bearing all the signatories to "Balka"(excepting King Rupert), had moved out towards the entrance, and laystill and silent, waiting the coming of the Royal Arbitrator, whose wholesquadron simultaneously slowed down, and hardly drifted in the seethingwater of their backing engines.When the flag which was in the yacht's prow was almost opposite thearmoured fort, the Western King held up a roll of vellum handed to him byone of his officers. We onlookers held our breath, for in an instant wassuch a scene as we can never hope to see again.At the raising of the Western King's hand, a gun was fired away on thetop of the mountain where rose the mighty Flagstaff with the standard ofthe Blue Mountains. Then came the thunder of salute from the guns,bright flashes and reports, which echoed down the hillsides innever-ending sequence. At the first gun, by some trick of signalling,the flag of the Federated "Balka" floated out from the top of theFlagstaff, which had been mysteriously raised, and flew above that of theBlue Mountains.At the same moment the figures of Rupert and Teuta sank; they were takingtheir places on the aeroplane. An instant after, like a great goldenbird, it seemed to shoot out into the air, and then, dipping its head,dropped downward at an obtuse angle. We could see the King and Queenfrom time waist upwards--the King in Blue Mountain dress of green; theQueen, wrapped in her white Shroud, holding her baby on her breast. Whenfar out from the mountain-top and over the Blue Mouth, the wings and tailof the great bird-like machine went up, and the aero dropped like astone, till it was only some few hundred feet over the water. Then thewings and tail went down, but with diminishing speed. Below the expanseof the plane the King and Queen were now seen seated together on the tinysteering platform, which seemed to have been lowered; she sat behind herhusband, after the manner of matrons of the Blue Mountains. That comingof that aeroplane was the most striking episode of all this wonderfulday.After floating for a few seconds, the engines began to work, whilst theplanes moved back to their normal with beautiful simultaneity. There wasa golden aero finding its safety in gliding movement. At the same timethe steering platform was rising, so that once more the occupants werenot far below, but above the plane. They were now only about a hundredfeet above the water, moving from the far end of the Blue Mouth towardsthe entrance in the open space between the two lines of the fightingships of the various nationalities, all of which had by now their yardsmanned--a manoeuvre which had begun at the firing of the first gun on themountain-top. As the aero passed along, all the seamen began to cheer--acheering which they kept up till the King and Queen had come so close tothe Western King's vessel that the two Kings and Queens could greet eachother. The wind was now beginning to blow westward from themountain-top, and it took the sounds towards the armoured fort, so thatat moments we could distinguish the cheers of the various nationalities,amongst which, more keen than the others, came the soft "Ban Zai!" of theJapanese.King Rupert, holding his steering levers, sat like a man of marble.Behind him his beautiful wife, clad in her Shroud, and holding in herarms the young Crown Prince, seemed like a veritable statue.The aero, guided by Rupert's unerring hand, lit softly on the after-deckof the Western King's yacht; and King Rupert, stepping on deck, liftedfrom her seat Queen Teuta with her baby in her arms. It was only whenthe Blue Mountain King stood amongst other men that one could realize hisenormous stature. He stood literally head and shoulders over every otherman present.Whilst the aeroplane was giving up its burden, the Western King and hisQueen were descending from the bridge. The host and hostess, hand inhand--after their usual fashion, as it seems--hurried forward to greettheir guests. The meeting was touching in its simplicity. The twomonarchs shook hands, and their consorts, representatives of the foremosttypes of national beauty of the North and South, instinctively drew closeand kissed each other. Then the hostess Queen, moving towards theWestern King, kneeled before him with the gracious obeisance of a BlueMountain hostess, and kissed his hand.Her words of greeting were:"You are welcome, sire, to the Blue Mountains. We are grateful to youfor all you have done for Balka, and to you and Her Majesty for giving usthe honour of your presence."The King seemed moved. Accustomed as he was to the ritual of greatoccasions, the warmth and sincerity, together with the gracious humilityof this old Eastern custom, touched him, monarch though he was of a greatland and many races in the Far East. Impulsively he broke through Courtritual, and did a thing which, I have since been told, won for him forever a holy place in the warm hearts of the Blue Mountaineers. Sinkingon his knee before the beautiful shroud-clad Queen, he raised her handand kissed it. The act was seen by all in and around the Blue Mouth, anda mighty cheering rose, which seemed to rise and swell as it ran far andwide up the hillsides, till it faded away on the far-off mountain-top,where rose majestically the mighty Flagstaff bearing the standard of theBalkan Federation.For myself, I can never forget that wonderful scene of a nation'senthusiasm, and the core of it is engraven on my memory. That spotlessdeck, typical of all that is perfect in naval use; the King and Queen ofthe greatest nation of the earth {3} received by the newest King andQueen--a King and Queen who won empire for themselves, so that the formersubject of another King received him as a brother-monarch on ahistory-making occasion, when a new world-power was, under his tutelage,springing into existence. The fair Northern Queen in the arms of thedark Southern Queen with the starry eyes. The simple splendour ofNorthern dress arrayed against that of almost peasant plainness of thegiant King of the South. But all were eclipsed--even the thousand yearsof royal lineage of the Western King, Rupert's natural dower of stature,and the other Queen's bearing of royal dignity and sweetness--by theelemental simplicity of Teuta's Shroud. Not one of all that mightythrong but knew something of her wonderful story; and not one but feltglad and proud that such a noble woman had won an empire through her ownbravery, even in the jaws of the grave.The armoured yacht, with the remainder of the signatories to the BalkanFederation, drew close, and the rulers stepped on board to greet theWestern King, the Arbitrator, Rupert leaving his task as personal hostand joining them. He took his part modestly in the rear of the group,and made a fresh obeisance in his new capacity.Presently another warship, The Balka, drew close. It contained theambassadors of Foreign Powers, and the Chancellors and high officials ofthe Balkan nations. It was followed by a fleet of warships, each onerepresenting a Balkan Power. The great Western fleet lay at theirmoorings, but with the exception of manning their yards, took noimmediate part in the proceedings.On the deck of the new-comer the Balkan monarchs took their places, theofficials of each State grading themselves behind their monarch. TheAmbassadors formed a foremost group by themselves.Last came the Western King, quite alone (save for the two Queens),bearing in his hand the vellum scroll, the record of his arbitration.This he proceeded to read, a polyglot copy of it having been alreadysupplied to every Monarch, Ambassador, and official present. It was along statement, but the occasion was so stupendous--so intense--that thetime flew by quickly. The cheering had ceased the moment the Arbitratoropened the scroll, and a veritable silence of the grave abounded.When the reading was concluded Rupert raised his hand, and on the instantcame a terrific salvo of cannon-shots from not only the ships in theport, but seemingly all up and over the hillsides away to the verysummit.When the cheering which followed the salute had somewhat toned down,those on board talked together, and presentations were made. Then thebarges took the whole company to the armour-clad fort in the entrance-wayto the Blue Mouth. Here, in front, had been arranged for the occasion,platforms for the starting of aeroplanes. Behind them were the variousthrones of state for the Western King and Queen, and the various rulersof "Balka"--as the new and completed Balkan Federation had become--dejure as well as de facto. Behind were seats for the rest of thecompany. All was a blaze of crimson and gold. We of the Press were allexpectant, for some ceremony had manifestly been arranged, but of alldetails of it we had been kept in ignorance. So far as I could tell fromthe faces, those present were at best but partially informed. They werecertainly ignorant of all details, and even of the entire programme ofthe day. There is a certain kind of expectation which is not concernedin the mere execution of fore-ordered things.The aero on which the King and Queen had come down from the mountain nowarrived on the platform in the charge of a tall young mountaineer, whostepped from the steering-platform at once. King Rupert, having handedhis Queen (who still carried her baby) into her seat, took his place, andpulled a lever. The aero went forward, and seemed to fall head foremostoff the fort. It was but a dip, however, such as a skilful diver takesfrom a height into shallow water, for the plane made an upward curve, andin a few seconds was skimming upwards towards the Flagstaff. Despite thewind, it arrived there in an incredibly short time. Immediately afterhis flight another aero, a big one this time, glided to the platform. Tothis immediately stepped a body of ten tall, fine-looking young men. Thedriver pulled his levers, and the plane glided out on the track of theKing. The Western King, who was noticing, said to the Lord High Admiral,who had been himself in command of the ship of war, and now stood closebehind him:"Who are those men, Admiral?""The Guard of the Crown Prince, Your Majesty. They are appointed by theNation.""Tell me, Admiral, have they any special duties?""Yes, Your Majesty," came the answer: "to die, if need be, for the youngPrince!""Quite right! That is fine service. But how if any of them should die?""Your Majesty, if one of them should die, there are ten thousand eager totake his place.""Fine, fine! It is good to have even one man eager to give his life forduty. But ten thousand! That is what makes a nation!"When King Rupert reached the platform by the Flagstaff, the RoyalStandard of the Blue Mountains was hauled up under it. Rupert stood upand raised his hand. In a second a cannon beside him was fired; then,quick as thought, others were fired in sequence, as though by oneprolonged lightning-flash. The roar was incessant, but getting less indetonating sound as the distance and the hills subdued it. But in thegeneral silence which prevailed round us we could hear the sound asthough passing in a distant circle, till finally the line which had gonenorthward came back by the south, stopping at the last gun to south'ardof the Flagstaff."What was that wonderful circle?" asked the King of the Lord HighAdmiral."That, Your Majesty, is the line of the frontier of the Blue Mountains.Rupert has ten thousand cannon in line.""And who fires them? I thought all the army must be here.""The women, Your Majesty. They are on frontier duty to-day, so that themen can come here."Just at that moment one of the Crown Prince's Guards brought to the sideof the King's aero something like a rubber ball on the end of a string.The Queen held it out to the baby in her arms, who grabbed at it. Theguard drew back. Pressing that ball must have given some signal, for onthe instant a cannon, elevated to perpendicular, was fired. A shell wentstraight up an enormous distance. The shell burst, and sent out both alight so bright that it could be seen in the daylight, and a red smoke,which might have been seen from the heights of the Calabrian Mountainsover in Italy.As the shell burst, the King's aero seemed once more to spring from theplatform out into mid-air, dipped as before, and glided out over the BlueMouth with a rapidity which, to look at, took one's breath away.As it came, followed by the aero of the Crown Prince's Guard and a groupof other aeros, the whole mountain-sides seemed to become alive. Fromeverywhere, right away up to the farthest visible mountain-tops, dartedaeroplanes, till a host of them were rushing with dreadful speed in thewake of the King. The King turned to Queen Teuta, and evidently saidsomething, for she beckoned to the Captain of the Crown Prince's Guard,who was steering the plane. He swerved away to the right, and instead offollowing above the open track between the lines of warships, went highover the outer line. One of those on board began to drop something,which, fluttering down, landed on every occasion on the bridge of theship high over which they then were.The Western King said again to the Gospodar Rooke (the Lord HighAdmiral):"It must need some skill to drop a letter with such accuracy."With imperturbable face the Admiral replied:"It is easier to drop bombs, Your Majesty."The flight of aeroplanes was a memorable sight. It helped to makehistory. Henceforth no nation with an eye for either defence or attackcan hope for success without the mastery of the air.In the meantime--and after that time, too--God help the nation thatattacks "Balka" or any part of it, so long as Rupert and Teuta live inthe hearts of that people, and bind them into an irresistible unity.