, 1880-10-27

five aide.de-camps-very smart young gen.
tlemen indeed, wearing the very beautiful
costume OF the country. AS there are no
dinners to1give, and no one to eat them if
there were Except the Minister for For
eign Affairs, who could not be expected to
eat them ALL. the normal duties OF an
aide-de-camp are not expected of them, and
in fact, no one knows what they can find
to do, as there is no kind of general socie-
ty, Montenegrin ladies being kept very
cloee, and not being allowed even to visit
each other, except to o limited extent.
The hotel is the centre of attraction, con-
tanning q billiard table and possibilities of
mild dissipation in the shape of beer and
lansquenet. 1t is kept by one of the most
intelligent men in the country, and IS In
receipt of o subvention on the part OF the
Prince 10 the form of free rent, q most
praiseworthy and considerate act on his
part, and one for which all travellers have
good reason to thank him. Medals and
ribands ore held in much estimation, and
it must be difficult for q modest minded
man to escape this distinction, judging by
the manner In which they appeared to
have been scattered broadcast over the
land. Several people whom I mistook for
prominent leaders of armies, from the
blaze on their breasts of those honors we
associate with the idea of service in the
field, turned out to be followers of most
peaceful, not to say humble, occupations,
it being the duty of these gentlemen to
keep a list of the goats living near the
capital, and very nice goats too, with long
brown coats and large wistful deer-like
eyes. The character OF the Montenegrlns
seems frank and manly. and there can be
no doubt that they are personally courage
Gus. When aroused to fury 10 battle,
they are reckless OF life, and there is pro-
badly no more terrible onslaught of armed
men to be witnessed than a charge of these
wild mountaineers with their yataghans ln
their hands. It IS Irresistible, and many a
time have ten times their numbers OF dis
ciplined troops fled before them, and been
mown down like sheep.
The priests of the country, as usual,
seem to " have q good time" though l
failed to observe that the male portion of
the community held them in any marked
degree OF veneratlon, or even that the
younger among the women were particu.
larly devote. En- reuanche, the older of both
sexes seemed absorbed in attention during
the ceremonial 10 the little chapel, and
evidently thought their not distant saliva
ton depended on their not losing sight of
any of the ten thousand and one antics of
changing OF hats and caps, pulling off of
s%toles, turning inside out Of coats, shifting
at and kissing various little square boxes,
and the opening and shutting of first one
OF three doors and then of another, which
seems to be the form of worship most APP
preciated by Mary the Less (whoever that
may be to whom, as patron saint of Mon.
tenegro, all this business was particularly
add ressed on this her particular day. I
myself was personally much obliged to
this saint for being the means of bringing
all these people together in holiday attire,
us it afforded me q good opportunity OF
seeing most picturesque costumes, which
are produced on such occasions alone.
There is something about the head dress,
a certain cut about the white linen cover
ing the breast which reminds me in these
women of the inhabitants of parts of the
Swartzwald and of the Canton of Aargau
in Swift zerland. The frequency, too, of
light hair and the straight features still fur
the. aid the impression. and but that the
soft Slavovian language is sweet and plea
SAINT to listen to, where as the coarse cultural
sounds of the other women referred to are
not, one might easily imagine..oneself in the
old church of Rheinfeldep, on the Rhine