Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-07

and Herzgovinians. fellow
Serbs. But Austria-Hungsry would not
permit the formation OF a strong Serb
state a. = barrier between herself and
Turkey. and At the Congress Of Berlin she
exacted the right to administer the laws In
these provinces as well ss to occupy with
troops the Sandjak Of Novibazsar. Turkish
territory, which divided servla and Mont
eneRro.
The dual monarchy has now broken the
Berlin treaty by formally aunexing Bosnia
and Herzegovina. and all the Serbs. those
OF the provinces. and tho Servians and
Montenegrins, are az one in the purpose OF
preventing their arbitrary act which blights
their ambition. Everyvhere the Serbs say
that II the powers recognize the annexa-
ton they will organize their comparatively
feeble forces into guerrilla bands and fight
the army of Austria. They believe that in
their mountains they can keep up the
struggle for at least a year.
II they can do this they believe that one
OF two things must happen; the first is
that the Russian nation. with its sympathy
for them as Slavs Of the Orthodox church,
must come TO their assistance; the other IL
the breaking VI under the strain OF Aus
tris-Hungary, an empire composed Of con-
flicting elements. But should neither Of
these things happen and should the Serbs
be forced to submit to the will Of the
House OF Hspsburg. then at least they viii
all be united. waiting as a whole for the
opportunity to break from their ~conquerer."
Strength of the Nations.
The S~ervians can put about 10000 SOL
diers In the field; the Montenegrins claim
to have 5000 men, beside arms for 5000
BosnianA. who are not permitted under
Austrian rule to possess them As the
population OF Montenegro Is less than 500
900 people. this number OF fighting men is
proportionately larger than that of other
countries, which usually count 10 per cent
OF all inhabitants as available for the
army. The difference in conditions in Mon
tenegro and elsewhere accounts for this in
creased percentage. Here younger men and
older men than fight sewhere are called
upon to carry arms. and the country needs
no men at home to labor. for the women
have always hewed the wood and plowed
tho fields.
At one OF the recent street receptions Of
Prince Nicholas some women appeared to
ask II It were true that they were not to
be allowed to do the transport work in
the war and load the rifles. as they used
to do IN the old wars against the Turks.
When the big guns were recently moved
up the "Loftchen." the high mountain
which dominates the Bocca di Cattaro. the
women had not been called upon to help,
and the rumor had got about that they
were to take no part n the war.
On the morning that 1 planned to de-
scend from cetinie to Cattaro; that is, to
go back over the road by which 1 had come
from the Austrian port into Montenegro, I
was told that Prince Nicholas. who had
been indisposed for a few days. was now
well again and would give me an audience.
1 was not to be received as a newspaper
correspondent, but as q private gentlemsn:
In other words, 1 was not to have an in
terview.
Some Local Color.
In order to meet the Prince 1 deferred
my departure till midday. an hour after
that appointed by the prince. OF course.
my coachman fused and complained that
he had already hsrnessed his horse: but I
knew that his chief object in protesting
was to procure extra compensation. Cab
men the world over. east and west, are Of
a fraternity hostile to the rest Of human
ity.
On the way down over the mountains we
found the peasantry on one place killing
sheep. They were slaughtering a greater
HUMMER lnah the NHIdBe couIu deVour IN
many days and we asked the reason. They
answered. beaming, that the meat was for
the war; they were going to smoke and dry
it, they said.
In the custom house here in Cattaro
where our baggage was examined we met
four tall fellows wearing broad-brimmed
hats and coats with shoulders padded after
the American fashion. They were Monte
n~egrians who had been out mining in
California. I am told that hundreds OF
them have passed through here, drawn
back from America by the rumors Of war.
The Austrian Eendarmes searched their
pockets and took from them their revolvers.
That's nothing" said one OF the Monte
negrins to me. "the prince has got plenty
more up the mountain"
FREDERICK MOORE.