The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1880-11-20
Among The MOnteHegrins,


completed it will constitute an exceiIen
carriage way between Antiyari and Get
TIME. When the road is constructe,
the next thing Will be to build vehicle
to pass over it. At present Montenegro
possesses only one wheeled vehicle o
anykind. On leaving Ant.vari ior tn
siontenegrin camp | rode Tor mile
through a Hat country, with fields o
maize and stagnant pools and marshes
which render it, in all probability, tn,
most unhealthy spot in Europe. Whe,
the road reached the lower slopes of tht
hills the scene changed, and | rode fol
hours through olive groves and thickct,
OF myrtle. Higher up the foliage
changed again, and oaks and Other
sturdy trees clothe the hillside, but the
gray SUBMITS aud steep slopes on which
the Montenegrins have pitched theil
camp lie so high that here the oaks are
dwarfed into mere underwood. Only
| by an ascent from the Italian lakes right
up into the Alpine passes can such a
variety Of climate and foliage be wit
messed elsewhere in Europe.
The Montenegro troops have no tents
their camp is bivouac, only the Brisa.
diers having the luxury of tent. Each
company shifts for itself, and the moi
make what shelter they eau ag inst the
cold night breezes. Some OF them erect
huts of the rudest kind, with walls o.
loose stones aud matching OF bushes
but the majority do not care to take
even this trouble, but rely upon
their thick wraps for protection. The
only clothing furnished to the troops BY
their Government is fringed
shawl. They have no uniform and
no pay, and until the present year they
received no food ra.ions whatever.
Money is, however, more plentiful al
present. Russia is believed to have in
creased her annual subsidy, ana The
men have really IN extraya"ant amount
of food, as they receive Is much meat
rs they can Get through and two pounds
Of bread daily. Cooking consequently
occupies q large portion of their time,
and when not engaged the men lounge
in groups, hardly dis,inguishable u
short distance Off from the gray rock
ard bush foliage. save for their red caps
and the glitter Of theirarms. The crest
OF the hill they occupy is some four
miles in circumference, and their stray
Cling camp entirely encircles it.
These armed peasants are generally
dressed in long cloth coat, breaches,
and CATERS, once white, but now gray
with dirt, and red sash furnished with
miscellaneous weapons. The mass of
them have none OF that characteristic
bearing Of savage pride which strikes
travellers among the chiefs. Many OF
them are tall aud handsome, but, as a
rule, they are snub featured and COM
monplace. These rustics complain that
they have been five years under arms;
but l suspect that idleness is not un-
pleasant to them, especially with such
abundant rations as they now en- Joy. 1t
was no doubt to obyiate all risk of a
collision that position was selected
eighteen miles away from the Albanian
camp, the broad plain of Antivari lying
between the hostile forces. There are
two roads from the plain over the noun
tain Of Mazura to Dulclgno, but both
have been so strongly fortified by the
Turkish cngineers-as is said-and are
so strongly held by the Albanians, that
an attacking force would suffer terribly.
There is no other road practicable, and
one or the other of these positions must
be forced in the advance to Dulcigno.
The Montenegrins say they would not
hesitate in attacking the position were
they sure that they would only have the
Albanians to contend with, but they are
convinced that in case of an attack
the Turkish regular troops would assist
the Albanians. They are said to num-
Der six thousand five hundred men, con-
siderably fewer, indeed, than the Alban-
ians, but their excellent arms and disci.
pine render them far more dreaded by
the Montenegrins than any number Of
Albanian peasants would be. The
Montenegrins learnt something of the
fighting power of the Turkish soldier
when Suleiman Pasha's men forced
their way through defiles considered i'm
pregnable. The Montenegrin force is
divided into three brigades, and there is
a regular formation Of battalion and
companies, but the soldiers have q very
dim idea Of anything beyond their own
company.
The transport and commissariat serv-
ice in the field is performed by women.
The new systems of rationing the
troops has greatly reduced their import
ance, for formerly each woman supplied
q male relative in the fields with food.
Every steamer that arrives brings stores
Of biscuits, which are loaded by stalwart
women on the backs of mules, donkeys
and ponies, and transported to the eyrie
where the fighting men are assembled.
I am unfortunate in missing Gen. BOzo
Petrovic, who has gone to Cettinje 70
meet Admiral Seymour. In his absence
there is not q soul in the whole camp
who can speak either French or Italian,
and failed at Antivari to discover an
interpreter. Our communication, there
fore, is Of the scantiest kind, but the
hospitality Of Gen vukotich and his staff
Of giants in gold embroidered silk was
most kindly offered me. This army
could strike its camp in ten minutes,
and reach the Albanian lines in aiY