BOOK VIII: THE FLASHING OF THE HANDJAR

by Bram Stoker

　　PRIVATE MEMORANDUM OF THE MEETING OF VARIOUS MEMBERS OF THE NATIONALCOUNCIL, HELD AT THE STATE HOUSE OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS AT PLAZAC ONMONDAY, AUGUST 26, 1907.(Written by Cristoferos, Scribe of the Council, by instruction ofthose present.)When the private meeting of various Members of the National Council hadassembled in the Council Hall of the State House at Plazac, it was as apreliminary decided unanimously that now or hereafter no names of thosepresent were to be mentioned, and that officials appointed for thepurposes of this meeting should be designated by office only, the namesof all being withheld.The proceedings assumed the shape of a general conversation, quiteinformal, and therefore not to be recorded. The nett outcome was theunanimous expression of an opinion that the time, long contemplated byvery many persons throughout the nation, had now come when theConstitution and machinery of the State should be changed; that thepresent form of ruling by an Irregular Council was not sufficient, andthat a method more in accord with the spirit of the times should beadopted. To this end Constitutional Monarchy, such as that holding inGreat Britain, seemed best adapted. Finally, it was decided that eachMember of the Council should make a personal canvass of his district,talk over the matter with his electors, and bring back to anothermeeting--or, rather, as it was amended, to this meeting postponed for aweek, until September 2nd--the opinions and wishes received. Beforeseparating, the individual to be appointed King, in case the new ideashould prove grateful to the nation, was discussed. The consensus ofopinion was entirely to the effect that the Voivode Peter Vissarionshould, if he would accept the high office, be appointed. It was urgedthat, as his daughter, the Voivodin Teuta, was now married to theEnglishman, Rupert Sent Leger--called generally by the mountaineers "theGospodar Rupert"--a successor to follow the Voivode when God should callhim would be at hand--a successor worthy in every way to succeed to soillustrious a post. It was urged by several speakers, with generalacquiescence, that already Mr. Sent Leger's services to the State weresuch that he would be in himself a worthy person to begin the newDynasty; but that, as he was now allied to the Voivode Peter Vissarion,it was becoming that the elder, born of the nation, should receive thefirst honour.THE SAME--Continued.The adjourned meeting of certain members of the National Council wasresumed in the Hall of the State House at Plazac on Monday, September2nd, 1907. By motion the same chairman was appointed, and the ruleregarding the record renewed.Reports were made by the various members of the Council in turn,according to the State Roll. Every district was represented. Thereports were unanimously in favour of the New Constitution, and it wasreported by each and all of the Councillors that the utmost enthusiasmmarked in every case the suggestion of the Voivode Peter Vissarion as thefirst King to be crowned under the new Constitution, and that remaindershould be settled on the Gospodar Rupert (the mountaineers would onlyreceive his lawful name as an alternative; one and all said that he wouldbe "Rupert" to them and to the nation--for ever).The above matter having been satisfactorily settled, it was decided thata formal meeting of the National Council should be held at the StateHouse, Plazac, in one week from to-day, and that the Voivode PeterVissarion should be asked to be in the State House in readiness toattend. It was also decided that instruction should be given to the HighCourt of National Law to prepare and have ready, in skeleton form, arescript of the New Constitution to be adopted, the same to be founded onthe Constitution and Procedure of Great Britain, so far as the same maybe applicable to the traditional ideas of free Government in the Land ofthe Blue Mountains.By unanimous vote this private and irregular meeting of "Various NationalCouncillors" was then dissolved.RECORD OF THE FIRST MEETING OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE LAND OF THEBLUE MOUNTAINS, HELD AT PLAZAC ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH, 1907, TOCONSIDER THE ADOPTION OF A NEW CONSTITUTION, AND TO GIVE PERMANENT EFFECTTO THE SAME IF, AND WHEN, DECIDED UPON.(Kept by the Monk Cristoferos, Scribe to the National Council.)The adjourned meeting duly took place as arranged. There was a fullattendance of Members of the Council, together with the Vladika, theArchbishop, the Archimandrites of Spazac, of Ispazar, of Domitan, andAstrag; the Chancellor; the Lord of the Exchequer; the President of theHigh Court of National Law; the President of the Council of Justice; andsuch other high officials as it is customary to summon to meetings of theNational Council on occasions of great importance. The names of allpresent will be found in the full report, wherein are given the ipsissimaverba of the various utterances made during the consideration of thequestions discussed, the same having been taken down in shorthand by thehumble scribe of this precis, which has been made for the convenience ofMembers of the Council and others.The Voivode Peter Vissarion, obedient to the request of the Council, wasin attendance at the State House, waiting in the "Chamber of the HighOfficers" until such time as he should be asked to come before theCouncil.The President put before the National Council the matter of the newConstitution, outlining the headings of it as drawn up by the High Courtof National Law, and the Constitution having been formally accepted nem.con. by the National Council on behalf of the people, he proposed thatthe Crown should be offered to the Voivode Peter Vissarion, withremainder to the "Gospodar Rupert" (legally, Rupert Sent Leger), husbandof his only child, the Voivodin Teuta. This also was received withenthusiasm, and passed nem. con.Thereupon the President of Council, the Archbishop, and the Vladika,acting together as a deputation, went to pray the attention of theVoivode Peter Vassarion.When the Voivode entered, the whole Council and officials stood up, andfor a few seconds waited in respectful silence with heads bowed down.Then, as if by a common impulse--for no word was spoken nor any signalgiven--they all drew their handjars, and stood to attention--with pointsraised and edges of the handjars to the front.The Voivode stood very still. He seemed much moved, but controlledhimself admirably. The only time when be seemed to lose his self-controlwas when, once again with a strange simultaneity, all present raisedtheir handjars on high, and shouted: "Hail, Peter, King!" Then loweringtheir points till these almost touched the ground, they once again stoodwith bowed heads.When he had quite mastered himself, the Voivode Peter Vissarion spoke:"How can I, my brothers, sufficiently thank you, and, through you, thepeople of the Blue Mountains, for the honour done to me this day? Invery truth it is not possible, and therefore I pray you to consider it asdone, measuring my gratitude in the greatness of your own hearts. Suchhonour as you offer to me is not contemplated by any man in whose mind awholesome sanity rules, nor is it even the dream of fervent imagination.So great is it, that I pray you, men with hearts and minds like my own,to extend to me, as a further measure of your generosity, a little timeto think it over. I shall not want long, for even already, with theblaze of honour fresh upon me, I see the cool shadow of Duty, though hissubstance is yet hardly visible. Give me but an hour of solitude--anhour at most--if it do not prolong this your session unduly. It may bethat a lesser time will serve, but in any case I promise you that, when Ican see a just and fitting issue to my thought, I shall at once return."The President of the Council looked around him, and, seeing everywherethe bowing heads of acquiescence, spoke with a reverent gravity:"We shall wait in patience whatsoever time you will, and may the God whorules all worthy hearts guide you to His Will!"And so in silence the Voivode passed out of the hall.From my seat near a window I could watch him go, as with measured stepshe passed up the hill which rises behind the State House, and disappearedinto the shadow of the forest. Then my work claimed me, for I wished torecord the proceedings so far whilst all was fresh in my mind. Insilence, as of the dead, the Council waited, no man challenging opinionof his neighbour even by a glance.Almost a full hour had elapsed when the Voivode came again to theCouncil, moving with slow and stately gravity, as has always been hiswont since age began to hamper the movement which in youth had been sonotable. The Members of the Council all stood up uncovered, and soremained while he made announcement of his conclusion. He spoke slowly;and as his answer was to be a valued record of this Land and its Race, Iwrote down every word as uttered, leaving here and there space fordescription or comment, which spaces I have since then filled in."Lords of the National Council, Archbishop, Vladika, Lords of the Councilof Justice and of National Law, Archimandrites, and my brothers all, Ihave, since I left you, held in the solitude of the forest counsel withmyself--and with God; and He, in His gracious wisdom, has led my thinkingto that conclusion which was from the first moment of knowledge of yourintent presaged in my heart. Brothers, you know--or else a long life hasbeen spent in vain--that my heart and mind are all for the nation--myexperience, my life, my handjar. And when all is for her, why should Ishrink to exercise on her behalf my riper judgment though the same shouldhave to combat my own ambition? For ten centuries my race has not failedin its duty. Ages ago the men of that time trusted in the hands of myancestors the Kingship, even as now you, their children, trust me. Butto me it would be base to betray that trust, even by the smallest tittle.That would I do were I to take the honour of the crown which you havetendered to me, so long as there is another more worthy to wear it. Werethere none other, I should place myself in your hands, and yield myselfover to blind obedience of your desires. But such an one there is; dearto you already by his own deeds, now doubly dear to me, since he is myson by my daughter's love. He is young, whereas I am old. He is strongand brave and true; but my days of the usefulness of strength and braveryare over. For myself, I have long contemplated as the crown of my lateryears a quiet life in one of our monasteries, where I can still watch thewhirl of the world around us on your behalf, and be a counsellor ofyounger men of more active minds. Brothers, we are entering on stirringtimes. I can see the signs of their coming all around us. North andSouth--the Old Order and the New, are about to clash, and we lie betweenthe opposing forces. True it is that the Turk, after warring for athousand years, is fading into insignificance. But from the North whereconquests spring, have crept towards our Balkans the men of a mightiercomposite Power. Their march has been steady; and as they came, theyfortified every step of the way. Now they are hard upon us, and arealready beginning to swallow up the regions that we have helped to winfrom the dominion of Mahound. The Austrian is at our very gates. Beatenback by the Irredentists of Italy, she has so enmeshed herself with theGreat Powers of Europe that she seems for the moment to be impregnable toa foe of our stature. There is but one hope for us--the uniting of theBalkan forces to turn a masterly front to North and West as well as toSouth and East. Is that a task for old hands to undertake? No; thehands must be young and supple; and the brain subtle, as well as theheart be strong, of whomsoever would dare such an accomplishment. ShouldI accept the crown, it would only postpone the doing of that which mustultimately be done. What avail would it be if, when the darkness closesover me, my daughter should be Queen Consort to the first King of a newdynasty? You know this man, and from your record I learn that you arealready willing to have him as King to follow me. Why not begin withhim? He comes of a great nation, wherein the principle of freedom is avital principle that quickens all things. That nation has more than onceshown to us its friendliness; and doubtless the very fact that anEnglishman would become our King, and could carry into our Government thespirit and customs which have made his own country great, would do muchto restore the old friendship, and even to create a new one, which wouldin times of trouble bring British fleets to our waters, and Britishbayonets to support our own handjars. It is within my own knowledge,though as yet unannounced to you, that Rupert Sent Leger has alreadyobtained a patent, signed by the King of England himself, allowing him tobe denaturalized in England, so that he can at once apply fornaturalization here. I know also that he has brought hither a vastfortune, by aid of which he is beginning to strengthen our hands for war,in case that sad eventuality should arise. Witness his late ordering tobe built nine other warships of the class that has already done sucheffective service in overthrowing the Turk--or the pirate, whichever hemay have been. He has undertaken the defence of the Blue Mouth at hisown cost in a way which will make it stronger than Gibraltar, and secureus against whatever use to which the Austrian may apply the vast forcesalready gathered in the Bocche di Cattaro. He is already founding aerialstations on our highest peaks for use of the war aeroplanes which arebeing built for him. It is such a man as this who makes a nation great;and right sure I am that in his hands this splendid land and our noble,freedom-loving people will flourish and become a power in the world.Then, brothers, let me, as one to whom this nation and its history andits future are dear, ask you to give to the husband of my daughter thehonour which you would confer on me. For her I can speak as well as formyself. She shall suffer nothing in dignity either. Were I indeed King,she, as my daughter, would be a Princess of the world. As it will be,she shall be companion and Queen of a great King, and her race, which ismine, shall flourish in all the lustre of the new Dynasty."Therefore on all accounts, my brothers, for the sake of our dear Land ofthe Blue Mountains, make the Gospodar Rupert, who has so proved himself,your King. And make me happy in my retirement to the cloister."When the Voivode ceased to speak, all still remained silent and standing.But there was no mistaking their acquiescence in his most generousprayer. The President of the Council well interpreted the general wishwhen he said:"Lords of the National Council, Archbishop, Vladika, Lords of theCouncils of Justice and National Law, Archimandrites, and all who arepresent, is it agreed that we prepare at leisure a fitting reply to theVoivode Peter of the historic House of Vissarion, stating our agreementwith his wish?"To which there was a unanimous answer:"It is." He went on:"Further. Shall we ask the Gospodar Rupert of the House of Sent Leger,allied through his marriage to the Voivodin Teuta, daughter and onlychild of the Voivode Peter of Vissarion, to come hither to-morrow? Andthat, when he is amongst us, we confer on him the Crown and Kingship ofthe Land of the Blue Mountains?"Again came the answer: "It is."But this time it rang out like the sound of a gigantic trumpet, and thehandjars flashed.Whereupon the session was adjourned for the space of a day.THE SAME--Continued.September 10, 1907.When the National Council met to-day the Voivode Peter Vissarion sat withthem, but well back, so that at first his presence was hardly noticeable.After the necessary preliminaries had been gone through, they requestedthe presence of the Gospodar Rupert--Mr. Rupert Sent Leger--who wasreported as waiting in the "Chamber of the High Officers." He at onceaccompanied back to the Hall the deputation sent to conduct him. As hemade his appearance in the doorway the Councillors stood up. There was aburst of enthusiasm, and the handjars flashed. For an instant he stoodsilent, with lifted hand, as though indicating that he wished to speak.So soon as this was recognized, silence fell on the assembly, and hespoke:"I pray you, may the Voivodin Teuta of Vissarion, who has accompanied mehither, appear with me to hear your wishes?" There was an immediate andenthusiastic acquiescence, and, after bowing his thanks, he retired toconduct her.Her appearance was received with an ovation similar to that given toGospodar Rupert, to which she bowed with dignified sweetness. She, withher husband, was conducted to the top of the Hall by the President, whocame down to escort them. In the meantime another chair had been placedbeside that prepared for the Gospodar, and these two sat.The President then made the formal statement conveying to the "GospodarRupert" the wishes of the Council, on behalf of the nation, to offer tohim the Crown and Kingship of the Land of the Blue Mountains. Themessage was couched in almost the same words as had been used theprevious day in making the offer to the Voivode Peter Vissarion, onlydiffering to meet the special circumstances. The Gospodar Rupertlistened in grave silence. The whole thing was manifestly quite new tohim, but he preserved a self-control wonderful under the circumstances.When, having been made aware of the previous offer to the Voivode and thedeclared wish of the latter, he rose to speak, there was stillness in theHall. He commenced with a few broken words of thanks; then he grewsuddenly and strangely calm as he went on:"But before I can even attempt to make a fitting reply, I should know ifit is contemplated to join with me in this great honour my dear wife theVoivodin Teuta of Vissarion, who has so splendidly proved her worthinessto hold any place in the government of the Land. I fain would . . . "He was interrupted by the Voivodin, who, standing up beside him andholding his left arm, said:"Do not, President, and Lords all, think me wanting in that respect of awife for husband which in the Blue Mountains we hold so dear, if Iventure to interrupt my lord. I am here, not merely as a wife, but asVoivodin of Vissarion, and by the memory of all the noble women of thatnoble line I feel constrained to a great duty. We women of Vissarion, inall the history of centuries, have never put ourselves forward in rivalryof our lords. Well I know that my own dear lord will forgive me as wifeif I err; but I speak to you, the Council of the nation, from anotherground and with another tongue. My lord does not, I fear, know as youdo, and as I do too, that of old, in the history of this Land, whenKingship was existent, that it was ruled by that law of masculinesupremacy which, centuries after, became known as the Lex Salica.Lords of the Council of the Blue Mountains, I am a wife of the BlueMountains--as a wife young as yet, but with the blood of fortygenerations of loyal women in my veins. And it would ill become me, whommy husband honours--wife to the man whom you would honour--to take a partin changing the ancient custom which has been held in honour for all thethousand years, which is the glory of Blue Mountain womanhood. What anexample such would be in an age when self-seeking women of other nationsseek to forget their womanhood in the struggle to vie in equality withmen! Men of the Blue Mountains, I speak for our women when I say that wehold of greatest price the glory of our men. To be their companions isour happiness; to be their wives is the completion of our lives; to bemothers of their children is our share of the glory that is theirs."Therefore, I pray you, men of the Blue Mountains, let me but be as anyother wife in our land, equal to them in domestic happiness, which is ourwoman's sphere; and if that priceless honour may be vouchsafed to me, andI be worthy and able to bear it, an exemplar of woman's rectitude." Witha low, modest, graceful bow, she sat down.There was no doubt as to the reception of her renunciation of Queenlydignity. There was more honour to her in the quick, fierce shout whicharose, and the unanimous upward swing of the handjars, than in thewearing of any crown which could adorn the head of woman.The spontaneous action of the Gospodar Rupert was another source of joyto all--a fitting corollary to what had gone before. He rose to hisfeet, and, taking his wife in his arms, kissed her before all. Then theysat down, with their chairs close, bashfully holding hands like a pair oflovers.Then Rupert arose--he is Rupert now; no lesser name is on the lips of hispeople henceforth. With an intense earnestness which seemed to glow inhis face, he said simply:"What can I say except that I am in all ways, now and for ever, obedientto your wishes?" Then, raising his handjar and holding it before him, hekissed the hilt, saying:"Hereby I swear to be honest and just--to be, God helping me, such a Kingas you would wish--in so far as the strength is given me. Amen."This ended the business of the Session, and the Council showed unmeasureddelight. Again and again the handjars flashed, as the cheers rose "threetimes three" in British fashion.When Rupert--I am told I must not write him down as "King Rupert" untilafter the formal crowning, which is ordained for Wednesday, October16th,--and Teuta had withdrawn, the Voivode Peter Vissarion, thePresident and Council conferred in committee with the Presidents of theHigh Courts of National Law and of Justice as to the formalities to beobserved in the crowning of the King, and of the formal notification tobe given to foreign Powers. These proceedings kept them far into thenight.FROM "The London Messenger."CORONATION FESTIVITIES OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS.(From our Special Correspondent.)PLAZAC,October 14, 1907.As I sat down to a poorly-equipped luncheon-table on board theAustro-Orient liner Franz Joseph, I mourned in my heart (and I may sayincidentally in other portions of my internal economy) the comfort andgastronomic luxury of the King and Emperor Hotel at Trieste. A briefcomparison between the menus of to-day's lunch and yesterday's willafford to the reader a striking object-lesson: Trieste. Steamer. Eggs a la cocotte. Scrambled eggs on toast. Stewed chicken, with paprika. Cold chicken. Devilled slices of Westphalian Cold ham. ham (boiled in wine). Tunny fish, pickled. Bismarck herrings. Rice, burst in cream. Stewed apples. Guava jelly. Swiss cheese. Consequence: Yesterday I was well and happy, and looked forward to a goodnight's sleep, which came off. To-day I am dull and heavy, alsorestless, and I am convinced that at sleeping-time my liver will have itall its own way.The journey to Ragusa, and thence to Plazac, is writ large with a pigmentof misery on at least one human heart. Let a silence fall upon it! Insuch wise only can Justice and Mercy join hands.Plazac is a miserable place. There is not a decent hotel in it. It wasperhaps on this account that the new King, Rupert, had erected for thealleged convenience of his guests of the Press a series of largetemporary hotels, such as were in evidence at the St. Louis Exposition.Here each guest was given a room to himself, somewhat after the nature ofthe cribs in a Rowton house. From my first night in it I am able tospeak from experience of the sufferings of a prisoner of the third class.I am, however, bound to say that the dining and reception rooms were,though uncomfortably plain, adequate for temporary use. Happily we shallnot have to endure many more meals here, as to-morrow we all dine withthe King in the State House; and as the cuisine is under the control ofthat cordon bleu, Gaston de Faux Pas, who so long controlled thegastronomic (we might almost say Gastonomic) destinies of the Rois desDiamants in the Place Vendome, we may, I think, look forward to not goingto bed hungry. Indeed, the anticipations formed from a survey of ourmeagre sleeping accommodation were not realized at dinnertime to-night.To our intense astonishment, an excellent dinner was served, though, tobe sure, the cold dishes predominated (a thing I always find bad forone's liver). Just as we were finishing, the King (nominated) cameamongst us in quite an informal way, and, having bidden us a heartywelcome, asked that we should drink a glass of wine together. This wedid in an excellent (if rather sweet) glass of Cliquot '93. King Rupert(nominated) then asked us to resume our seats. He walked between thetables, now and again recognizing some journalistic friend whom he hadmet early in life in his days of adventure. The men spoken to seemedvastly pleased--with themselves probably. Pretty bad form of them, Icall it! For myself, I was glad I had not previously met him in the samecasual way, as it saved me from what I should have felt ahumiliation--the being patronized in that public way by a prospectiveKing who had not (in a Court sense) been born. The writer, who is byprofession a barrister-at-law, is satisfied at being himself a countygentleman and heir to an historic estate in the ancient county of Salop,which can boast a larger population than the Land of the Blue Mountains.EDITORIAL NOTE.--We must ask our readers to pardon the report inyesterday's paper sent from Plazac. The writer was not on our regularstaff, but asked to be allowed to write the report, as he was a kinsmanof King Rupert of the Blue Mountains, and would therefore be in aposition to obtain special information and facilities of description"from inside," as he puts it. On reading the paper, we cabled hisrecall; we cabled also, in case he did not obey, to have his ejectmenteffected forthwith.We have also cabled Mr. Mordred Booth, the well-known correspondent, whowas, to our knowledge, in Plazac for his own purposes, to send us full(and proper) details. We take it our readers will prefer a graphicaccount of the ceremony to a farrago of cheap menus, comments on his ownliver, and a belittling of an Englishman of such noble character andachievements that a rising nation has chosen him for their King, and onewhom our own nation loves to honour. We shall not, of course, mentionour abortive correspondent's name, unless compelled thereto by any futureutterance of his.FROM "The London Messenger."THE CORONATION OF KING RUPERT OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS.(By our Special Correspondent, Mordred Booth.)PLAZAC,October 17, 1907.Plazac does not boast of a cathedral or any church of sufficientdimensions for a coronation ceremony on an adequate scale. It wastherefore decided by the National Council, with the consent of the King,that it should be held at the old church of St. Sava at Vissarion--theformer home of the Queen. Accordingly, arrangements had been made tobring thither on the warships on the morning of the coronation the wholeof the nation's guests. In St. Sava's the religious ceremony would takeplace, after which there would be a banquet in the Castle of Vissarion.The guests would then return on the warships to Plazac, where would beheld what is called here the "National Coronation."In the Land of the Blue Mountains it was customary in the old days, whenthere were Kings, to have two ceremonies--one carried out by the officialhead of the national Church, the Greek Church; the other by the people ina ritual adopted by themselves, on much the same basis as the GermanicFolk-Moot. The Blue Mountains is a nation of strangely loyal tendencies.What was a thousand years ago is to be to-day--so far, of course, as ispossible under the altered condition of things.The church of St. Sava is very old and very beautiful, built in themanner of old Greek churches, full of monuments of bygone worthies of theBlue Mountains. But, of course, neither it nor the ceremony held in itto-day can compare in splendour with certain other ceremonials--forinstance, the coronation of the penultimate Czar in Moscow, of AlfonsoXII. in Madrid, of Carlos I. in Lisbon.The church was arranged much after the fashion of Westminster Abbey forthe coronation of King Edward VII., though, of course, not so manypersons present, nor so much individual splendour. Indeed, the number ofthose present, outside those officially concerned and the Press of theworld, was very few.The most striking figure present--next to King Rupert, who is seven feethigh and a magnificent man--was the Queen Consort, Teuta. She sat infront of a small gallery erected for the purpose just opposite thethrone. She is a strikingly beautiful woman, tall and finely-formed,with jet-black hair and eyes like black diamonds, but with the uniquequality that there are stars in them which seem to take varied colouraccording to each strong emotion. But it was not even her beauty or thestars in her eyes which drew the first glance of all. These detailsshowed on scrutiny, but from afar off the attractive point was her dress.Surely never before did woman, be she Queen or peasant, wear such acostume on a festive occasion.She was dressed in a white Shroud, and in that only. I had heardsomething of the story which goes behind that strange costume, and shalllater on send it to you. {2}When the procession entered the church through the great western door,the national song of the Blue Mountains, "Guide our feet throughdarkness, O Jehovah," was sung by an unseen choir, in which the organ,supplemented by martial instruments, joined. The Archbishop was robed inreadiness before the altar, and close around him stood the Archimandritesof the four great monasteries. The Vladika stood in front of the Membersof the National Council. A little to one side of this body was a groupof high officials, Presidents of the Councils of National Law andJustice, the Chancellor, etc.--all in splendid robes of greatantiquity--the High Marshall of the Forces and the Lord high Admiral.When all was ready for the ceremonial act of coronation, the Archbishopraised his hand, whereupon the music ceased. Turning around, so that hefaced the Queen, who thereon stood up, the King drew his handjar andsaluted her in Blue Mountain fashion--the point raised as high possible,and then dropped down till it almost touches the ground. Every man inthe church, ecclesiastics and all, wear the handjar, and, following theKing by the interval of a second, their weapons flashed out. There wassomething symbolic, as well as touching, in this truly royal salute, ledby the King. His handjar is a mighty blade, and held high in the handsof a man of his stature, it overtowered everything in the church. It wasan inspiriting sight. No one who saw will ever forget that nobleflashing of blades in the thousand-year-old salute . . .The coronation was short, simple, and impressive. Rupert knelt whilstthe Archbishop, after a short, fervent prayer, placed on his head thebronze crown of the first King of the Blue Mountains, Peter. This washanded to him by the Vladika, to whom it was brought from the NationalTreasury by a procession of the high officers. A blessing of the newKing and his Queen Teuta concluded the ceremony. Rupert's first act onrising from his knees was to draw his handjar and salute his people.After the ceremony in St. Sava, the procession was reformed, and took itsway to the Castle of Vissarion, which is some distance off across apicturesque creek, bounded on either side by noble cliffs of vast height.The King led the way, the Queen walking with him and holding his hand . .. The Castle of Vissarion is of great antiquity, and picturesque beyondbelief. I am sending later on, as a special article, a description of it. . .The "Coronation Feast," as it was called on the menu, was held in theGreat Hall, which is of noble proportions. I enclose copy of the menu,as our readers may wish to know something of the details of such a feastin this part of the world.One feature of the banquet was specially noticeable. As the NationalOfficials were guests of the King and Queen, they were waited on andserved by the King and Queen in person. The rest of the guests,including us of the Press, were served by the King's household, not theservants--none of that cult were visible--but by the ladies and gentlemenof the Court.There was only one toast, and that was given by the King, all standing:"The Land of the Blue Mountains, and may we all do our duty to the Landwe love!" Before drinking, his mighty handjar flashed out again, and inan instant every table at which the Blue Mountaineers sat was ringed withflashing steel. I may add parenthetically that the handjar isessentially the national weapon. I do not know if the Blue Mountaineerstake it to bed with them, but they certainly wear it everywhere else.Its drawing seems to emphasize everything in national life . . .We embarked again on the warships--one a huge, steel-plated Dreadnought,up to date in every particular, the other an armoured yacht most completein every way, and of unique speed. The King and Queen, the Lords of theCouncil, together with the various high ecclesiastics and greatofficials, went on the yacht, which the Lord High Admiral, a man ofremarkably masterful physiognomy, himself steered. The rest of thosepresent at the Coronation came on the warship. The latter went fast, butthe yacht showed her heels all the way. However, the King's party waitedin the dock in the Blue Mouth. From this a new cable-line took us all tothe State House at Plazac. Here the procession was reformed, and woundits way to a bare hill in the immediate vicinity. The King andQueen--the King still wearing the ancient bronze crown with which theArchbishop had invested him at St. Sava's--the Archbishop, the Vladika,and the four Archimandrites stood together at the top of the hill, theKing and Queen being, of course, in the front. A courteous younggentleman, to whom I had been accredited at the beginning of the day--allguests were so attended--explained to me that, as this was the nationalas opposed to the religious ceremony, the Vladika, who is the officialrepresentative of the laity, took command here. The ecclesiastics wereput prominently forward, simply out of courtesy, in obedience to the wishof the people, by whom they were all greatly beloved.Then commenced another unique ceremony, which, indeed, might well find aplace in our Western countries. As far as ever we could see were massesof men roughly grouped, not in any uniform, but all in national costume,and armed only with the handjar. In the front of each of these groups orbodies stood the National Councillor for that district, distinguishableby his official robe and chain. There were in all seventeen of thesebodies. These were unequal in numbers, some of them predominatingenormously over others, as, indeed, might be expected in so mountainous acountry. In all there were present, I was told, over a hundred thousandmen. So far as I can judge from long experience of looking at greatbodies of men, the estimate was a just one. I was a little surprised tosee so many, for the population of the Blue Mountains is never accreditedin books of geography as a large one. When I made inquiry as to how thefrontier guard was being for the time maintained, I was told:"By the women mainly. But, all the same, we have also a male guard whichcovers the whole frontier except that to seaward. Each man has with himsix women, so that the whole line is unbroken. Moreover, sir, you mustbear in mind that in the Blue Mountains our women are trained to arms aswell as our men--ay, and they could give a good account of themselves,too, against any foe that should assail us. Our history shows what womencan do in defence. I tell you, the Turkish population would be biggerto-day but for the women who on our frontier fought of old for defence oftheir homes!""No wonder this nation has kept her freedom for a thousand years!" Isaid.At a signal given by the President of the National Council one of theDivisions moved forwards. It was not an ordinary movement, but anintense rush made with all the elan and vigour of hardy andhighly-trained men. They came on, not merely at the double, but as ifdelivering an attack. Handjar in hand, they rushed forward. I can onlycompare their rush to an artillery charge or to an attack of massedcavalry battalions. It was my fortune to see the former at Magenta andthe latter at Sadowa, so that I know what such illustration means. I mayalso say that I saw the relief column which Roberts organized rushthrough a town on its way to relieve Mafeking; and no one who had thedelight of seeing that inspiring progress of a flying army on their wayto relieve their comrades needs to be told what a rush of armed men canbe. With speed which was simply desperate they ran up the hill, and,circling to the left, made a ring round the topmost plateau, where stoodthe King. When the ring was complete, the stream went on lapping roundand round till the whole tally was exhausted. In the meantime anotherDivision had followed, its leader joining close behind the end of thefirst. Then came another and another. An unbroken line circled andcircled round the hill in seeming endless array, till the whole slopeswere massed with moving men, dark in colour, and with countlessglittering points everywhere. When the whole of the Divisions had thussurrounded the King, there was a moment's hush--a silence so still thatit almost seemed as if Nature stood still also. We who looked on werealmost afraid to breathe.Then suddenly, without, so far as I could see, any fugleman or word ofcommand, the handjars of all that mighty array of men flashed upward asone, and like thunder pealed the National cry:"The Blue Mountains and Duty!"After the cry there was a strange subsidence which made the onlooker rubhis eyes. It seemed as though the whole mass of fighting men hadpartially sunk into the ground. Then the splendid truth burst uponus--the whole nation was kneeling at the feet of their chosen King, whostood upright.Another moment of silence, as King Rupert, taking off his crown, held itup in his left hand, and, holding his great handjar high in his right,cried in a voice so strong that it came ringing over that serried masslike a trumpet:"To Freedom of our Nation, and to Freedom within it, I dedicate these andmyself. I swear!"So saying, he, too, sank on his knees, whilst we all instinctivelyuncovered.The silence which followed lasted several seconds; then, without a sign,as though one and all acted instinctively, the whole body stood up.Thereupon was executed a movement which, with all my experience ofsoldiers and war, I never saw equalled--not with the Russian Royal Guardsaluting the Czar at his Coronation, not with an impi of Cetewayo's Zuluswhirling through the opening of a kraal.For a second or two the whole mass seemed to writhe or shudder, and then,lo! the whole District Divisions were massed again in completeness, itsCouncillors next the King, and the Divisions radiating outwards down thehill like wedges.This completed the ceremony, and everything broke up into units. Later,I was told by my official friend that the King's last movement--the oathas he sank to his knees--was an innovation of his own. All I can say is,if, in the future, and for all time, it is not taken for a precedent, andmade an important part of the Patriotic Coronation ceremony, the BlueMountaineers will prove themselves to be a much more stupid people thanthey seem at present to be.The conclusion of the Coronation festivities was a time of unalloyed joy.It was the banquet given to the King and Queen by the nation; the guestsof the nation were included in the royal party. It was a uniqueceremony. Fancy a picnic-party of a hundred thousand persons, nearly allmen. There must have been made beforehand vast and elaboratepreparations, ramifying through the whole nation. Each section hadbrought provisions sufficient for their own consumption in addition toseveral special dishes for the guest-tables; but the contribution of eachsection was not consumed by its own members.It was evidently a part of the scheme that all should derive from acommon stock, so that the feeling of brotherhood and common propertyshould be preserved in this monumental fashion.The guest-tables were the only tables to be seen. The bulk of thefeasters sat on the ground. The tables were brought forward by the menthemselves--no such thing as domestic service was known on this day--froma wood close at hand, where they and the chairs had been placed inreadiness. The linen and crockery used had been sent for the purposefrom the households of every town and village. The flowers were pluckedin the mountains early that morning by the children, and the gold andsilver plate used for adornment were supplied from the churches. Eachdish at the guest-tables was served by the men of each section in turn.Over the whole array seemed to be spread an atmosphere of joyousness, ofpeace, of brotherhood. It would be impossible to adequately describethat amazing scene, a whole nation of splendid men surrounding their newKing and Queen, loving to honour and serve them. Scattered about throughthat vast crowd were groups of musicians, chosen from amongst themselves.The space covered by this titanic picnic was so vast that there were fewspots from which you could hear music proceeding from different quarters.After dinner we all sat and smoked; the music became rather vocal thaninstrumental--indeed, presently we did not hear the sound of anyinstrument at all. Only knowing a few words of Balkan, I could notfollow the meanings of the songs, but I gathered that they were alllegendary or historical. To those who could understand, as I wasinformed by my tutelary young friend, who stayed beside me the whole ofthis memorable day, we were listening to the history of the Land of theBlue Mountains in ballad form. Somewhere or other throughout that vastconcourse each notable record of ten centuries was being told to eagerears.It was now late in the day. Slowly the sun had been dropping down overthe Calabrian Mountains, and the glamorous twilight was stealing over theimmediate scene. No one seemed to notice the coming of the dark, whichstole down on us with an unspeakable mystery. For long we sat still, theclatter of many tongues becoming stilled into the witchery of the scene.Lower the sun sank, till only the ruddiness of the afterglow lit theexpanse with rosy light; then this failed in turn, and the night shutdown quickly.At last, when we could just discern the faces close to us, a simultaneousmovement began. Lights began to flash out in places all over thehillside. At first these seemed as tiny as glow-worms seen in a summerwood, but by degrees they grew till the space was set with little circlesof light. These in turn grew and grew in both number and strength.Flames began to leap out from piles of wood, torches were lighted andheld high. Then the music began again, softly at first, but then louderas the musicians began to gather to the centre, where sat the King andQueen. The music was wild and semi-barbaric, but full of sweet melody.It somehow seemed to bring before us a distant past; one and all,according to the strength of our imagination and the volume of ourknowledge, saw episodes and phases of bygone history come before us.There was a wonderful rhythmic, almost choric, force in the time kept,which made it almost impossible to sit still. It was an invitation tothe dance such as I had never before heard in any nation or at any time.Then the lights began to gather round. Once more the mountaineers tooksomething of the same formation as at the crowning. Where the royalparty sat was a level mead, with crisp, short grass, and round it whatone might well call the Ring of the Nation was formed.The music grew louder. Each mountaineer who had not a lit torch alreadylighted one, and the whole rising hillside was a glory of light. TheQueen rose, and the King an instant after. As they rose men steppedforward and carried away their chairs, or rather thrones. The Queen gavethe King her hand--this is, it seems, the privilege of the wife asdistinguished from any other woman. Their feet took the time of themusic, and they moved into the centre of the ring.That dance was another thing to remember, won from the haunting memoriesof that strange day. At first the King and Queen danced all alone. Theybegan with stately movement, but as the music quickened their feet kepttime, and the swing of their bodies with movements kept growing more andmore ecstatic at every beat till, in true Balkan fashion, the dancebecame a very agony of passionate movement.At this point the music slowed down again, and the mountaineers began tojoin in the dance. At first slowly, one by one, they joined in, theVladika and the higher priests leading; then everywhere the whole vastcrowd began to dance, till the earth around us seemed to shake. Thelights quivered, flickered, blazed out again, and rose and fell as thathundred thousand men, each holding a torch, rose and fell with the rhythmof the dance. Quicker, quicker grew the music, faster grew the rushingand pounding of the feet, till the whole nation seemed now in an ecstasy.I stood near the Vladika, and in the midst of this final wildness I sawhim draw from his belt a short, thin flute; then he put it to his lipsand blew a single note--a fierce, sharp note, which pierced the volume ofsound more surely than would the thunder of a cannon-shot. On theinstant everywhere each man put his torch under his foot.There was complete and immediate darkness, for the fires, which had bynow fallen low, had evidently been trodden out in the measure of thedance. The music still kept in its rhythmic beat, but slower than it hadyet been. Little by little this beat was pointed and emphasized by theclapping of hands--at first only a few, but spreading till everyonepresent was beating hands to the slow music in the darkness. This lasteda little while, during which, looking round, I noticed a faint lightbeginning to steal up behind the hills. The moon was rising.Again there came a note from the Vladika's flute--a single note, sweetand subtle, which I can only compare with a note from a nightingale,vastly increased in powers. It, too, won through the thunder of thehand-claps, and on the second the sound ceased. The sudden stillness,together with the darkness, was so impressive that we could almost hearour hearts beating. And then came through the darkness the mostbeautiful and impressive sound heard yet. That mighty concourse, withoutfugleman of any sort, began, in low, fervent voice, to sing the NationalAnthem. At first it was of so low tone as to convey the idea of a mightyassembly of violinists playing with the mutes on. But it gradually rosetill the air above us seemed to throb and quiver. Each syllable--eachword--spoken in unison by the vast throng was as clearly enunciated asthough spoken by a single voice:"Guide our feet through darkness, O Jehovah."This anthem, sung out of full hearts, remains on our minds as the lastperfection of a perfect day. For myself, I am not ashamed to own that itmade me weep like a child. Indeed, I cannot write of it now as I would;it unmans me so!* * * * *In the early morning, whilst the mountains were still rather grey thanblue, the cable-line took us to the Blue Mouth, where we embarked in theKing's yacht, The Lady, which took us across the Adriatic at a pacewhich I had hitherto considered impossible. The King and Queen came tothe landing to see us off. They stood together at the right-hand side ofthe red-carpeted gangway, and shook hands with each guest as he went onboard. The instant the last passenger had stepped on deck the gangwaywas withdrawn. The Lord High Admiral, who stood on the bridge, raisedhis hand, and we swept towards the mouth of the gulf. Of course, allhats were off, and we cheered frantically. I can truly say that if KingRupert and Queen Teuta should ever wish to found in the Blue Mountains acolony of diplomatists and journalists, those who were their guests onthis great occasion will volunteer to a man. I think old Hempetch, whois the doyen of English-speaking journalists, voiced our sentiments whenhe said:"May God bless them and theirs with every grace and happiness, and sendprosperity to the Land and the rule!" I think the King and Queen heardus cheer, they turned to look at our flying ship again.