1908 Bosnia and Herzegovina Maude M Holbach

GOVI
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO
3 1822 02783 5032
MAUDE M.HOLBACH
UNiyERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
^-
VUQRJti
3 1822 02783 5032

GEfSEL LIBRARY
DNMRSrTY OF
CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO LA JOLLA. CALIFORNIA
sr
Inl <^Cj
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA SOME WA YSIDE WANDERINGS
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
Dalmatia
THE BORDERLAND 'TWIXT EAST AND WEST.
With
upwards of 50 Illustrations from original Photographs by Otto
Holbach, and a Map.
Crown
8vo.
\AAX>otx^
A BIT OK OLD .MOSTAR
^.
Visfrfrsjr
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA SOME YSIDE WANDERINGS

IVA
By MAUDE M, HOLBACH
WITH 48 ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS BY O. HOLBACH AND A MAP m ^ ^ ^
NEW
LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY. MCMX
PLYMOUTH
WILLIAM BRENDON AND SON, LTD
PRINTERS
PREFACE
is fitting
that
should write the preface
ITmy
to
this
first
I
book from Dalmatia, which was

love in the Balkans, and through
learnt to
which
know
her sister lands,
Bosnia and the Herzegovina.

twin sisters of almost equal
one,
They
are three
though varied
charms ; and when you are privileged to know it follows as a natural consequence that
you wish
to
I
know
all
three.
Nature,
think, never intended
them
to be
separated, for the inland countries need the

outlet to
the sea, and the coast land needs
the supplies of the back country.
From
the
purely aesthetic
point of view even they sup-
ply each other's deficiencies
Bosnia
has the
primeval
forests, Herzegovina mountain scenery, Dalmatia the sunny shore and island-studded coast. Climatically also they are suited to be visited one after another, beginning with Dalmatia, if your visit is in
the grandest
the
spring
for
when
the
heat
begins
to
be oppressive there, a few hours' train jour-
Preface
you to Mostar, where the season is some weeks later, and thence on to the much more northerly climate of Bosnia, where you can spend the whole summer, if you will, wandering in its mountains and
ney transports
forests,
life,
and when you weary of this gipsy returning to civilisation and comfort at
Ilidze.
Bad
If
your journey be
in the
autumn, naturally
you
will reverse the order of the countries.
September and October are delightful months

for Bosnia, as the
autumn
tints
are at their
best during the
month, and are only equalled by those of the American continent. In Herzegovina you will find blue skies and
latter
sunshine throughout November, and

this
write
from Ragusa
in
mid-December,
a
sitting
on
sea
my
over
balcony enjoying the
sunshine of mid-
summer, and looking across

the
summer
walls
ancient
towers
and
I
of
in
the
mediaeval
town,
which
described
my
previous book on Dalmatia as " a dream city
by the
sea."
MAUDE
December loth, 1908
M.
HOLBACH
Imperial Hotkl,
Ragusa, Dalmatia.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
ILLUSTRATIONS
A
Bit of Old Mostar
Gravosa Harbour
.... ....
.
Frontispiece
FACING PAGE
24
26 28
32
The Old Turkish Bridge at Mostar
Peasants coming from Church in Mostar
Turkish
Women
Mostar
in
Mostar
View
in
34
38
The Narenta River

Landscape near Jablanica
Street Scene
in
40
Jajce
44
56
Jajce with the
Waterfalls
Great Falls
of the Pliva River
60
62
On
the Pliva River between Jajce and Jezero

.
Shepherds near Jezero
66
68
78
Between Jajce and Banjaluka
Women
of Jajce
Mosque at Travnik
9
80
Illustrations
FACING PAGE
Travnik from the Hills

Fountain
Sarajevo
in
BIT
OF
Distance
...... ......
Sarajevo, with
Travnik
....
the
82
86
90
in
Rathaus
th
92
Courtyard of Mosque Begova Dzamija (Sar AJEVO)
96
102
Market Scene
in
Sarajevo
in
Old Servian Church
Sarajevo
10
The
English Flag on
of the River
Mount Trebevic
Lim
112
Mouth
FocA from the Hills
....
in
120
128
132
Mohammedan Graveyard
Foca
Dervish Monastery near Foca
Street Scene
in
Foca
Feudal Castle of Rataj
The Beg The
of Rataj
Sutjeska Ravine
.... .... ....

.
136
140
148 152
The Gendarmerie Post at Suha
160
170 178
A Woman of Plevlje (Sandjak Novi Bazar)

In the Sandjak
Mountains
ID
Illustrations
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA SOME WA YSIDE WANDERINGS
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

I BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA ÎNTR OD UCrOR T
yA
/ /
play
LAND
clad
toral
of green pastures and rushing
waters, of
wooded
hills
and forestpasstill
^^
upon
mountains, a primitive
land,
where shepherds
their flutes
distaff in
der with
and shepherdesses wanhand spinning as they
watch their flocks

fret
in
a land untouched by the ; and hurry of modern life, still wrapped ancient peace such was my first impression
:
of Bosnia.
expected something different
perhaps a wild mountain land inhabited by a

half-savage people showing
still
the traces of
that
it
oppression, for
remembered
as
I
is
but
thirty years ago since Bosnia
was rescued from
Turkish rule
and
looked around
me
in
15
Bosnia and Herzegovina

this smiling country,
and saw the old Turkish

in
towns with their picturesque but comfortablelooking houses standing

noted, too, that in
spite
fruitful gardens,
all
of
Europe has
in
heard
of
the
persecution
of
Christians
Mohammedan
mind
as to
land, one-half of the population
here remained Christian, a doubt grew in
my
whether the Western world has
not done the
Turk an
injustice
and painted
him blacker than he deserved. Austria has done much for this country, but could so much have been accomplished in little more than a generation if the people had been downtrodden and degraded by centuries of mismy lack of knowledge of the Alas rule ?
!
native
here,
language
stopped
my
investigations
and much that went before the occupais
tion
more or
less a sealed
book.
It has been rightly said that on the banks
of the Save River (which you cross to enter

Bosnia) the two great currents of civilisation
meet
latter
one flowing from the West, the other
from the East

retires.
the
The
first
advancing as
the
to
traveller
who wants
will
study
the
evolution
field.
of
people
have
here a fruitful
i6
Introductory
In spite of my inability to converse with them, the Bosnians made upon me the im-
pression
of being an
intelligent
people
judge them from their faces and from their readiness to understand gestures when words
fail.
More
out in
than one Austrian
official,
who
came
into close contact with the people, bore

this,
me
is
and the success of the Governit.
ment schools
for fostering the native industries
another proof of
in
The Bosnians and Herzegovinians must also their rude way be an artistic people, for
is
the national dress
beautiful
and does not
national dress evolve from a people's innate,

if
unconscious, sense of beauty and fitness
A
he
Bosnian
is
rarely
ungraceful,
!
even when
is
most
to
rarely
stiff
trying ordeal
he
this
knows
natural
being photographed.
he
has
For
grace
thank
his
Oriental
blood.
And
same remarks apply to the inhabitants of Herzegovina in even greater

these
measure. They are, too, remarkable for beauty of form and feature which cannot fail to strike
every traveller.
The
Slavs,
people ot these countries are Southern

with
the
exception
17
of some
Spanish

Jews scattered about the country and bands of gypsies there is no difference in race between the Turks and their neighbours whom
;
we call Servians (to distinguish them from the Moslem population). The latter adopted the Moslem religion after the Turkish conquest, not, it is now pretty generally admitted, from
compulsion, but to enjoy the greater privileges of the ruling race.
About
a third of
the population
to the Servian
is
Moslem,
two-fifths
belong
Chris-
(Greek Orthodox) Church, and
the rest are Catholics.
Moslems and
in
tians alike are very strict
their
religious
observances, the
Moslems more conservative

itself.
than in
Turkey
for
It
is,
however, most
to
exceptional
Bosnian
Moslem
is
have
more than one
wife.
The
Servian Croatian tongue
the language
of the country, but a good

people in
many of the townsMostar and Sarajevo speak German

Italian.
and some
I
have
spoken of Bosnia
in
as
is
;
" pastoral
land," and such
truth
it
but though
to mining.
agriculture engages the bulk of the population,

there are districts entirely given
up
The mountains
are rich in iron

i8
and copper,
Introductory
and
coal
mines and
salt
mines are worked
profitably.
The
salt
mines were discovered under Turtill
and worked
in primitive fashion
kish rule, but coal was not found
1884.
Both the coal and salt mines are in the neighbourhood of Tuzla. The finding of coal
has naturally given an impetus to other industries,
such
as
the
sugar
oil
refineries
of
Usar and the mineral

Brod.
It is
refinery at
Bosna
greatly to the credit of the Austrian
Administration of Bosnia that so

aid has
much
State
been given to fostering the native

;
industries
probably no
in
other country
direction.
has
done
so
much
this
Hotels
have even been erected by the Government

to assist the tourist traffic.
The
is
great State tobacco factory at Sarajevo

capital,
one of the sights of the
and the
typically Oriental industries
of carpet-weaving
silver are taught
and inlaying with gold and

in State schools,
which for a long time were

In
Herzegovina there are Government vineyards where the peasants can learn the best methods of vine culture and wine making, and in both counnot
self-supporting.
19
even

tries
model farms supported by the
State to
give object lessons in up-to-date agriculture,
under which heading tobacco growing

cluded.
is
in-
A
The
great deal
has
been
said
and written
rule.
I
about the heavy taxation under Austrian

taxes are, however, so far as
have been
able to learn, not higher than in other parts
of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Under Turkish rule the taxation fell only upon the
Christian population
;
naturally, therefore, the
Moslems, long accustomed to immunity, felt themselves aggrieved under the new regime in being called upon to pay taxes at all, and
preferred the old slipshod way, even though
they were sometimes robbed
by a Pasha
in
need of gold.
The Bosnian
secure,
I
peasant's chief desire
is
peace,
this
to plant his fields
and reap
their
produce;
believe he cares
little
be Austrian or Turkish.
An
whether Bosnia incident which
came under my notice at the time of the annexation shows that the Bosnians on the
Servian frontier had
folk the other side.
little faith
in their kins-
petition
was sent to
for
Sarajevo
when war was imminent, asking
Introductory
the protection of Austrian troops against Ser-
vian bands
Another pretty story of the annexation shows the respect for authority innate in the
people.
The Bezirkevorsteher
at
(civil
head of
the
district)
CSjnica
observed
young
countryman (who thought himself unnoticed) reading the Emperor's proclamation bareheaded.
The
Bezirksvorsteher
approached
his
and
his
asked
him why he removed

"
I I
fez
while he read.
read a letter signed by
Majesty, therefore
must stand barefeel-
headed," was the simple reply.
Such
stories
show the trend of public
ing to be not averse to Austrian rule.

the point of view of the
From
mere sojourner and

to
passer-by, the administration inaugurated by
the late Minister von
Kally seems
have
brought peace and prosperity to a land which

little
more than
a generation
ago was given
up
to
bloodshed and sedition
through
the
inability
of the Turkish Government of that

clear the
day to repress robbery and

of agitators
country
who
incited the people to crime.
Quite apart
from
any question
as
to
the
annexation being a violation of the Treaty of

Berlin,
it
cannot
fail
to benefit the people of
Bosnia and Herzegovina to have a settled government, and the majority of the population, especially the
townspeople, appeared to
welcome the new
era.
22
IIGRAVOSA ro MOSTAR
WE
way
is
left
the
pretty
little
port of
Gravosa, on the Dalmatian coast,
one
May
morning, by a most
train
comfortable
which
takes
rather less than six hours to reach Mostar, the
picturesque capital of Herzegovina.

a
The
rail-
narrow gauge line, which at first ascends steeply, and from the train we had a glorious view over the Ombla river. Wild
Cyprus trees grow in profusion along
banks, and are silhouetted against
its
steep
the
blue
water below.
Imperial,
We
rose to the height of
Mount
which watches over Ragusa, and crossed the mountain spur, and then the fertile
Breno
valley,
with
its
green
meadows and
vineyards, lay beneath us

Adriatic.
and beyond the But soon we bid " Good-bye " to the smiling shore and were away in the Karst a mountain region of grey limestone, very bleak and cold in winter, very hot in summer
for
the limestone reflects

23
the
sun's rays.

Stunted trees grew between the rocks, and
made
the bravest
show they could of
fresh
foliage, and here and there were patches of
corn already in
ear.
Habitations were few

little
and
in
far
between, but a
knot of peasants
picturesque costumes was to be found at

at
every station
which the train stopped, and

herbage to be found.
all
shepherdesses watched over their flocks wherever there was a

little
We
with
saw them
afar off, for they are almost
dressed in creamy white
both
the colouring
is
and fashion of their dress

trousers,
(which
made
the
not
petticoats)
denotes
Turkish
influence,
though
their unveiled faces
showed they were not Mohammedans. For more than an hour we journeyed along the shores of a desolate mountain lake, shut in
by barren mountains, which the guide-book told us bears the unpronounceable name of Popovopolje, and is only a lake during five
up in summer so completely that the ground can be cultiThe inhabitants of its banks must vated.
months of the
year.
It
dries
have a similar experience to the dwellers in

the villages along the Nile,
who
are
accus-
tomed
to go about on dry land half the year

24
Gravosa
and the other half by
us not a
little
to
Mostar
This lake puzzled
boat.
first
when
we saw
it,
for the
trees growing here and there out of the water plainly showed inundation ; and on the other
hand, the primitive
little
canoes here and there

if
on
banks showed that the inundation, such, was expected and prepared for.
its
The
waters are said to escape in

in
summer
proof of
in this
through underground courses, and this a special kind of fish is found

lake,
which could not otherwise get there.

the
line
At Gabela, where
the ruins of
(for so far
to
Metkovic
goes off and another to Trebinje, there are
some old Venetian fortifications inland did the sway of the Republic
its
extend in
there
is
golden days), and
farther
on
another
memory of
with
past conquest
warfare, in an
ancient fortified
and town climbing

pic-
the mountain side,

recall those
turreted walls that
of Ragusa.
This delightfully
turesque place goes by the name of Potchitelj,
but no one seems to

history, except that
it
know much about
its
had formerly the un-
enviable reputation of being a robbers' nest.
The foaming
river beneath for
must have been

rid
very convenient
getting
25
of the un-

happy
hands.
travellers
who
fell
into
the
bandits'
My
introduction to the Narenta was a reIt

is
velation.
worthy indeed
to
rank with
the scenic rivers of the world, yet Western
Europe knows
followed
its
little
or nothing about
it
We
be
picturesque banks
through the
it
rugged gorge of Zilomislic, which

called the
has carved
through the mountains, and might well
Gate of Bosnia (for it is the highcountry from the coast), and had a glimpse in passing of the once famous summer palace of the last of the Viziers of Herze-
way
to that
govina
Ali
Pasha
Rizvanbegovic
which
crowns a rocky height.
We
in
left
cool spring weather behind us
on
the coast, and were warned to prepare for cold
the mountains
the
but
Mostar
lay
basking
in
summer sun when we

till
arrived,
and
it
was not
capital
the
cool
of evening we went
impressions of the
is
abroad to gather
our
first
of Herzegovina, which
one of the
most picturesque towns in Europe.

Like Bideford
in
Devon, of which Kingsley

is
wrote, Mostar's pride and glory, her culminat-
ing point of beauty and interest,

26
her bridge.
"
Gravosa
Not
with
to
Mostar
like
" many-arched," one

great
Bideford's,
but
span
of
exceeding
grace,
crossing the rushing Narenta river and join-
ing two grey old towers in which Turkish

prisoners languished during the four hundred
years of
that
Moslem
rule.
There
is
a tradition
origin,
the
bridge was of
Roman
for
Mostar is known to have been fortified by the Romans, and the whole surrounding country
is
full
of
Roman
remains
but
authorities
is
now
agree that the present bridge
of Tur-
kish origin, dating from about the middle of

the sixteenth century, built
tions of
(the
it
on the founda" Kudret Kemeri Arch of Almighty God) is written upon

a
Roman
one.
in Arabic.
Almost every world wanderer who visits Mostar has heard beforehand of Mostar's bridge, and turns his footsteps thither before
he has been
If he
I
many hours
in the semi-Oriental
town on the Narenta

is
river.
it first,
fortunate enough to see
as
did,
when
the golden light of late after-
noon illumines the quaint houses that cluster by the river side, and the slender high-arched
bridge
is
silhouetted against the light, while

over
it
pass the white figures of Herzegovina
peasant
women
driving sheep or cattle back

will
from market, he
in
carry away a
memory
of a scene unsurpassed for picturesque beauty
Europe. But thus
to
see
it,
you must descend
footpath to the green banks of the
rushing
from below. Afterwards river, you will cross the bridge and linger on the top, looking up the stream to where the oldest and most beautifully proportioned mosque in Mostar rises on the right bank,
and view
it
with
its
minaret piercing the blue sky.

its
An
inscription gives the date of
building as
974 of the Hegira, or 1566 of our reckoning. Thirteen minarets are visible from the bridge, and I was told that there are three and thirty
in the
town.
less
Yet
than
half
;
the
inhabitants
half
are
followers
of Islam
the
other
belong
partly to the
Greek Orthodox, partly to the One of the most beautiful Catholic Church. sights I saw in Mostar, or have seen anywhere in my world wanderings, was the Sunday morning Mass at the Catholic Church. Onehalf the church was full of the military, the
Gravosa
other half
filled
(all
to
Mostar
but a few seats occupied
by
the
officers'
wives)
with
white -veiled
peasant
women, with here and

the
soldiers.
I
there a stalwart
man,
clad in his festal attire, kneeling reverently
behind
have
said
that
the
scene inside the church was one of the most

beautiful
that the
I
ever witnessed, but
am
it
not sure
in pictur-
one outside did not equal
esqueness, though the solemnity of the interior
of the church and the military music was missing. Before the church was a broad tree-shaded
and here the men waited for the second Mass, seated on the wall beneath the trees, or standing in little groups to gossip with their
space,
friends.
There must have been some hun-
dreds of them, bravely attired in the beautiful

peasant costume that makes the Mostar streets
like a
charming scene on the
stage.
They
all
wor>e the crimson
fez or turban (though the former prevailed), a short sleeveless jacket edged with braid showing snowy sleeves on
to the
which the sunlight played, and trousers tight knee and full above, with white woolstockings
len
and
*'
opankas " (home-made

all
shoes of untanned skin
in
pointed at the toe) on their

c
29
feet,
one piece and and many a

one had a
little
bunch of spring flowers pinned
on
the
his fez, perhaps for a gift to his sweetheart
after church.
silk
Nor must I omit to mention scarves of many colours twisted
round the men's waists, in which knives and the pistols were formerly carried ; to-day owners find them useful as pockets. After the first Mass was over, and the soldiers had been paraded and marched away
with their band playing, the
men
flocked into
the church and occupied the space vacated by Crowds of more white-robed the military.
and white-veiled
women came upon
the scene
and likewise entered and occupied the other side of the building, and the solemn Mass
began again
tirely, for
this
time a " peasant Mass " en-
which many of them had come far. We sat under the trees and listened to the murmur of a little brook that runs hard by
the church,
mingled with the music of the
organ and the drone of the priest ; at last both ceased, the doors once more opened, and the
men came
following
out, the
women
(though Christians,
second place)
sufficiently Oriental to take the
humbly
afterwards.
for
This was the moment

30
which we had
Gravosa
patiently
to
Mostar
camera to do
its
waited
for
the
work.
the
in
Not without some trepidation, for fear youths and maidens, now mingled together
most picturesque crowd imaginable, should turn their backs or flee at our approach,
the
away some tangible scene, and lo what was people joy that the had no scruple our to find whatever about being immortalised by our little
we went to work to remembrance of the
carry
black box.
Some of them were permitted

childlike joy,
to
peep
at
the picture in the finder, which they did with
and one
fine old
man begged
us
by gestures to take his portrait.

to ask for his address, so that
We
wished
we could send
him
his
photograph, but here gestures were

it
unavailing, and
was some time before an

the
interpreter could be found.
passer-by,
who spoke
at the
At last a friendly German tongue,

and the old man's
volunteered his good

face
lit
offices,
up
;
a picture
prospect of seeing himself in but still, he asked " much } "
How
and when
at last
he grasped the
fact that
he
had nothing to pay, his pleasure and gratitude

were touching.
He
shook hands with us both

after.
and salaamed before and

31

As we wended our way home through
crowded
to
streets,
I
the
had a splendid opportunity

of the
note
the
details
women's
all
dress.
Over
their
long white robes they
wore
under
sleeveless jackets of white or coloured wool,
often edged with gold, and the caps

their flowing veils (which are
thrown back and
do not cover the

coins.
face)
were thickly sewn with
Nearly
silver,
all
had necklaces and rings of

it
gold or
and
seemed the
right, or at
least the coquettish, thing for the girls to
tuck
a rose or other flower over one ear.
Their
veils,
hair
was almost hidden by the caps and
but often neatly-braided plaits twisted round

the head peeped beneath.
There can be little doubt, I think, that the veils worn by the women of Herzegovina had their origin in the Oriental custom of completely veiling the face as the
still
Mohammedans
do to-day. Both the men and women of Herzegovina
are singularly good-looking, with dark expres-
and clear-cut features, and the men's close-fitting clothes show off their slim athletic
sive eyes
figures to perfection.
The Turkish women

32
in
Mostar, however,
WOMEN
IN
MOSTAK
Gravosa
are clad in the
to
Modar
most hideous, uncanny-looking

is
costume imaginable, which
speciality
of
Mostar and seen nowhere
else in the world.
Their figures are completely hidden in an allenveloping black mantle, with a peaked hood
and beyond the face. If you meet them in the dark you may well start back in affright at such an apparition, and expect to see a death's head under the cowl
projects half a foot or so
!
that stands out like a cowl over the head
It is
dangerous to peer into
it
too closely, for
by so doing you risk giving great offence to the Moslems, and possibly being attacked by
the lady's indignant male relatives
;
though
all
you could
see inside the cowl, if
you looked
ever so closely, would be a thick veil of patterned muslin, through which the features are
quite indistinguishable.
are the
The Turks of Mostar

in
most conservative and orthodox
any
Moslem
land, presenting in this a great con-
trast to their
brethren of Constantinople,
allow their
who
till
are beginning to
women
greater
freedom.
The
girls in
Bosnia go unveiled
ten or eleven years of age, and are often very

pretty, in spite of their hair being
dyed red
with henna.
The mingled
which meet
rise
influence of East and West,
in
Bosnia and Herzegovina, give

varieties
to
curious
of costume.
Full
Turkish trousers are generally worn by the

feminine Christian population of the town,
conjunction with modern
pattern
in
blouses of European
the
An
trousers are so very full as to

skirt,
in
have almost the appearance of a

weather.
and are
eminently practical for going about
muddy
American friend of mine was so

with them, that she announced
much impressed
return home.
her intention of having some
made on her
34
lEW
I.N
MUSTAR
III3dOSTÂR fO JABLANlC<tA
<^ND BETOND TO JAJCE
THE
mountain scenery that lies between Mostar and Jablanica is exceedingly beautiful, even viewed from the train but only if you
;
traverse the wild gorge of the Narenta by the

carriage road and see the crags
and pinnacles
of rock soaring above you to a dizzy height, where eagles have their nests, while far beneath
the river rushes through the defile,
do you
gain
road.
fair
impression
of this
magnificent
When
Mostar
is left
behind, the road runs
through a broad valley, with peeps of snow mountains on the right. You will meet many
a picturesque
group of peasants by the way the older the younger men all wear the fez cling to the turban, which is singularly becoming when its crimson folds crown a grey head. The women, driving flocks of sheep and goats
;
to market, or
watching over them in the

figures
in
fields,
are delightfully picturesque

35
their

workaday dress of creamy white wool
;
beneath
divided skirts, or rather trousers, their ankles

appear, sometimes bare, sometimes protected
by embroidered leggings
kas form
in either case
opan-
their foot covering.
Like the
men
they wear a sleeveless zouave jacket, and over

their quaint little pork-pie caps a thick white
linen veil, which in this district
is
exchanged,
on Sundays and
festivals,
for one of embroi-
dered net or muslin, while the trousers on

such occasion are discarded for a more feminine white garment of crepe-like texture, that
reaches
to
the
feet,
and
is
fastened at the
the
waist by a belt, often embroidered like

little
jacket with gold or silver.
But the glorious spring morning on which we sped in a friend's comfortable motor from
Mostar to Jablanica was not a festival, or at though least not so marked in the calendar
;
the pleasurable excitement of seeing for the

first
time such an interesting country under

favourable
conditions
such
made
it
high
birds'
holiday to
me
and judging from the
songs and the mantle in which

herself, she too
beauty of the green spring
Dame Nature had arrayed was making holiday.

36
Mostar
But
I
I
to
Jahlanica
the way of which wondrous way that
am wandering from
to tell
want
you
that
follows
the
course
the
Narenta
river
has
carved out for itself through one of the grandest ravines in
Europe.
little
before the valley narrows and the
gorge begins we had a perfect view of the

Porin
Planina
on our right
magnificent
mountain,
at the
time of which
write entirely
snow-capped.
The
it is
ravine begins about eight-
een kilometres or eleven English miles from
Mostar, and
better to journey
from south
as
to north than
in
the reverse direction here,

increases
in
because the gorge
grandeur
you go north.
The
railway (a single narrow gauge line, on
which there are only two or three trains a day, so that the shriek of a railway whistle rarely
disturbs these mountain solitudes) follows the
left
bank of the
river, the driving road the
right.
Close to the station of Dreznica (distant
many name
miles from the mountain village of that

to
which
it
gives access) a valley opens
up most picturesquely on the left, and there is a magnificent view of snow peaks beyond,
hi

while
a
bridge crossing
the
rushing
river
;
makes a perfect foreground for a picture the motor was stopped here and the camera called At this spot we caused not into requisition.
a little excitement, for a
number of very
fine
horses, probably purchased for the army, were
being brought into Mostar and saw a motor

for the first time in their lives.
Having
at
last assured themselves that the strange, new,
noisy beast they beheld was not seeking to do
them any harm, but on the contrary was stopping for them to pass it, the frightened
animals at
last suffered
themselves to be led
the scenery in-
past the car.
And
creased
;
then
the beauty of
the bare mountains near

for
Mostar were
clad
exchanged
mountain
which vied
slopes
in
with
young
foliage,
brilliancy
of
verdure with the meadows between us and

the river.
We
sped
by picturesque peasant
houses
with high peaked thatched roofs, and almost always their owners ran out to see us pass,
and smiled and doffed

ing.
their red caps in greet-
Even when
the approaching motor gave

all
them
trouble, in spite of
38
the chauffeur's
Mostar
care,
to
Jahlanica
by frightening
their horses or scattering

it
their sheep, they took

Still
farther on, the
most good-naturedly. mountains on either

fantastic forms, rival-
side
assumed the most

turrets,
ling the Dolomites in their crags
and peaks and calling from us exclamations of wonder and delight as the view changed at
and
every turn of the road
like all
;
which
is,
by the way,
Bosnian main roads, an excellent one,

military
made
for
purposes
soon after the

provinces
occupation
Austria.
It
of these Turkish
by
a
its
runs
at
one point through
tunnel in the rock which gives the date of

building 1879.
The
last
few kilometres of the gorge of the

it
Narenta, before
opens
into
the
beautiful
lies,
is
mountain
indeed
to
valley, in
which Jablanica
all
;
are
perhaps the finest of
though
it
hard
make comparisons
rise
here.
Many
river,
waterfalls descend at this point
from the walls

of
of rock that
on either side the

is
which the Komadina
the finest.
Then suddenly we
in
passed through the gate
of this magnificent ravine and found ourselves

a
flowery
land,
backed by snow-capped
mountains, and sped along a pleasant country

39

road
till
we saw
the whitewashed houses of
Jablanica before us and reached, through the

long, shaded village street, the cool retreat of
the shady hotel garden.
There we lunched
birds'-songs that
in
Elysium, beneath the
flowering chestnut trees, and listened to the

filled
the air with rapturous
melody.
I
know no
place in Bosnia or the
Herze-
govina more tempting for a prolonged stay in early summer or autumn than Jablanica, nor
one more
likely to appeal
to English tastes.
all
Fishing, shooting, mountaineering, are
to
be had here
trout
;
the Narenta
is
full
of excellent
mountains, and
be
game abounds in the surrounding many interesting ascents may

either
made
on foot or on the sure-footed

as well as guides, are
Bosnian ponies, which,
provided
at
the
hotel
built
here
by
the
This hotel makes no pretence to luxury, but its very simplicity is charm-
Government.
ing to lovers of retirement.
The
garden, to
I have already alluded, entirely surrounds the house and invites you to live out needless to say, no one thinks of of doors
which
taking meals elsewhere from

40
May
(when the
'^1
C;,^'-'^;:'f#*''V
Mostar
to
Jahlanica
till
cherries are already ripe)
the middle of
October.
From
Jablanica
most interesting
you should make one of the excursions in Herzegovina

;
the ascent of the Prenj
either returning to
Jablanica the following day, after sleeping at
one of the tourist huts on the summit, or

taking
it
en route to
is
Sarajevo, in which case

to
the descent
made
Konjica, a delightful
old Turkish town with a bridge that rivals

that of Mostar, and should
on no account be
missed.
The
Prenj
is
rather a
;
group of mountains
feet,
than a mountain
its
highest peak, the Zelena
Glava, reaches the height of 6700

can only be climbed
taineers
;
and
the
by experienced mounall
but a good bridle-path goes

tourist huts, of
way
to the
which there are
two on the mountain.

huts, except
In the Bosnian tourist

is
on Trebevic, there
and
travellers
;
no attendant, take the key and shift for them!
selves
but that rather adds to the fun
path has just been

the
in
made by
the tourist club to
summit of
the Cvrstnica, the highest peak
Herzegovina, which has an elevation of
considerably over
7000
41
feet.
It
is
not the

height,
however, but the
fantastic
forms of
these mountains that make them remarkable ; they may well be called "the Dolomites of Words give but little idea of the Balkans."
their bizarre
I
forms and wild beauty.

lovers of nature will agree with
think
all
me, that to take the road and not the rail is no matter whether the way to see a country the former be traversed on foot or on horse-
back, or by carriage or motor.
know nothing
through
more
let
tantalising than to be whirled
glorious scenery where
the scene sink into your
you long to linger and memory, knowing,

never
so, I
perhaps that you

pass the same
will, in all probability,
way
again
This being
if possible,
would advise others
to do,
what
we regretted not having done, and drive from Jablanica over the Maklan Pass to Bugogno,
thence by
rail
to Dolnji
Vakuf and
Jajce,
which
most enchanting spot
is
a point of pilgrimage
for every traveller in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and has otherwise to be reached by a very
slow train,
from By driving from Jablanica you Sarajevo. avoid going twice over the same ground, and
taking six to eight
hours
also save the train journey to Sarajevo

42
over
Mostar
five
to
Jablanica
express
hours by
the
fastest
besides
called
seeing
some magnificent scenery
that lies off
the beaten track
if
any track can be

that, in
beaten yet in this part of the Balkans.
The
tains,
road
is
so
it
good
spite
of the
height to which
ascends, to cross the
mounway.
even
bicyclists
may attempt
is
this
You
pass through the celebrated valley of the

semi-tropical,
Rama, where the vegetation

and cross the
able
river,
which here forms innumer-
that
cataracts, by an ancient Turkish bridge marks the border between Herzegovina
and Bosnia.
and the Turkish

narrow
defiles
Between the valley of the Rama village of Prozor, which is

and wild mountain scenery
the half-way station, the road runs through

;
but the finest views are beyond Prozor

the serpentine road that crosses the
on
summit
of the pass
at a
height of about 3700 feet, and
then descends to Gornji Vakuj through virgin

forest.
43
IFJAJCE
THE
tudes in
it
beauty and romance of Bosnia

their
reach
culminating
point
in
town of the Bosnian kings which saw so many vicissithe Middle Ages. History relates
Jajce, the royal
that at the beginning of the fifteenth century
was
founded by Hrvoja, and documents
still exist, which were from in dated fifty Jajce 141 1 and 1412 years later it had become a place of great importance under King Stefan Tomasevic,
bearing his signature
and the story of

conquest
is
his cruel fate at the
Turkish
dark
one of the most tragic

great
in the
records of those days.
When the Mohammed II

king was
armies
of
the
Sultan
were approaching, the Bosnian

of Bobovac.
at his castle
Leaving
fell,
one of
his
commanders
to defend this fortress,
the king retired to Jajce, but Bobovac
and
the Sultan sent a force of twenty
thousand
cavalry to the royal city with orders to capture

44
jesgs^
WUKKI
SL1-.M-.
IN
JAJCE
Jajce
Tomasevic heard, however, in time of their coming, and fled once more to the castle of Sokol, and then, as he saw that
the king.
Stefan
Sokol could not well be defended against such

a force, to the almost invulnerable fortress of
the ancient
Clissa
on the Save
river.
The
ruins of Kjuc are built
upon
a rock rising so
precipitously from the torrent beneath that on
three sides
it
is
absolutely inaccessible, while
the fourth was capable of defence by quite a

small force.
The Turkish commander, Mah-
mud
Pasha, learnt from a peasant where the
king had taken refuge (the story goes that

Stefan Tomasevic was
betrayed for a cake),
and came to the banks of the Sanna, but saw at once that, even with his overwhelming
numbers, he had
force
little
chance of capturing by
a fortress so wonderfully protected
by
nature,
nor could he enter on a prolonged
siege to starve the defenders out, for his
own
army was not equipped for such tactics. In this dilemma he resolved to make terms,
and offered the Bosnian king, name,
his
in the Sultan's
own
life
and those of
his relatives,
promising, moreover, that another province of

equal value would be given him in place of
45

Bosnia
;
these terms of surrender he confirmed
in writing
Stefan
by a sworn oath. Tomasevic took the tempting

as did also his uncle
bait
and capitulated,
in the
who had
entrenched himself in another fortified castle
neighbourhood, and they returned with
the Turkish
army
to Jajce,
where the Sultan

of his General,
Sultan
was overjoyed
but
less
at the success
pleased with the conditions of the
king's
surrender.
Even
name
of those
days could not immediately repudiate a sworn

oath
taken
in
his
but
Mohammed
Ulema,
sought for a good excuse to release himself
from
it,
and
as his religious adviser, the
obligingly told
him
that his
first
oath to slay
the king
absolved him from that given by

Pasha, and moreover that a lord was
for
Mahmud
not responsible
servant without
promises
made
by
his
his sanction, the Sultan's
con-
done away with and the death of Stefan Tomasevic determined

scientious scruples were soon
upon.
his
But the victim was not at once informed of impending fate he was first persuaded to
;
sign a royal edict directing the Bosnian fortified
towns (tradition says they were no

46
less
Jqjce
than seventy in number) to lay
arms.
down
their
The whole country
being thus brought
into the Sultan's
hands he had no more use
for
the man he had betrayed, and Stefan Tomasevic was first flayed alive and then decapitated on the Carevopolji near Jajce. The grave of the last king of Bosnia was discovered in 1888 by Dr. Treehelka of the Sarajevo Museum. It would perhaps be more correct to say that a roughly-hewn stone by
the wayside, on the
turies as
Hum, spoken of for cen" Kraljevski " (the king's grave) by

removed
in that year
the peasantry, was
and
the
excavations
made
to ascertain if there
was any
truth in the local tradition.
On
lifting
covering stone (on which some Christian hand
had rudely carved, doubtless

personal
risk,
at considerable
little
cross
with perhaps a
prayer
for
the
repose
of the soul of the
murdered king) nothing was visible at first but blocks of stone, but on these being re-
moved
neath.
the skeleton of a
man was found

king's
be-
Everything confirmed the accounts of

of
the
the
mutilations
body.
The
corpse had been laid in the ground naked,

for
there was
not a shred of any clothing

47

found,
only a
foot,
fragment
of
an
iron
link
upon the
and the
head was severed
from the trunk.
The
bones, moreover, were
asserted by experts to have been those of a
young man under the middle

tion
height, a descrip-
which perfectly accords with that of Stefan
Tomasevic, and the skull to have the same

formation as that shown in his pictures, of
which two
Sutjeska.
exist,
one
a
in the gallery in
Agram,
and the other
in
Franciscan monastery at
So after the lapse of over four

his
centuries the remains of the last Bosnian king
were carried with honour worthy of

to rest
Jajce. in
rank
the church of the Franciscans at
But Ottoman rule did not
last
here uninterfirst
ruptedly from the time of the
Turkish
conquest: the town was so important a strategical
point
that
it
bore the brunt of
much
Sultan
fighting.
In
the
very year
of the
Mohammed
ll's
triumph, I4i3,the Hungarian

eight weeks' siege.
its
king, Mathias
Carvinus, wrested Jajce from

reward, and Stefan
his grasp after an
treachery received
Thus Toma-
Over and over again the sevic was avenged. Turkish armies appeared before Jajce during the
48
Jajce
and again and again they were beaten back by the Hungarian defenders,
next
sixty years,
who performed prodigies of valour. One more story of the battles that
round
at a
I
raged
you it was in 1520, Jajce time when Servia and the greater part of
must
tell
;
Bosnia had
already been
conquered by the
the Drina
Turk.
point
Zwornik
;
the key of
fell,
and then Tesanj, another important strategical

but Jajce was brilliantly defended by
the grey-headed commander, Peter Keglevic, and the Turkish army, fifteen thousand strong, was repulsed. Yet hardly had the gallant little
garrison
breathing time
before
their
deter-
mined
foe
was once more
at their gates,
under
with
the leadership of Usref Pasha,
who had
him
the Pashas of Epirus, Sinan, and Belgrade,
with their joint armies.
The
;
siege lasted long
and Jajce
still
held out
but there were signs
that the besiegers
were preparing to give up
what seemed a
they had come.
fruitless task
It
and
retreat
whence
was then that Peter Keglevic
sent out spies, and learnt the apparent preparations for departure in the
Turkish camp were
designed to throw him off his guard, while the
enemy was
secretly preparing scaling ladders

49

in
the
woods
to be used for a night assault.
He
was
as quick-witted as
he was brave, and
met ruse with ruse. A detachment of his men were sent out also to hide in the woods and be ready at a given signal, the sound of a
cannon shot,
to
fall
upon the men with the

this all
;
scaling ladders.
Nor was
it
was the
eve of a festival on which, in times of peace,

the
women and maidens

to dance
wont
on the
level
of the town were ground outside the
city gates to the
sound of the "gusla."

and
On
a moonlight night, fitting for dance
song, the brave
women made merry

their ladders to
as if there
were no foe within gunshot.

approaching with
walls,
The Turks,
scale
the
saw the dancing
women and
their
rushed
in
lo
!
upon them, throwing away

a
ladders
their haste each to secure a prize
when
gun boomed from the fortress, the hidden Hungarian soldiers came upon the Turks from
behind, while those in the castle rushed forth
the
women
even drew forth the weapons
they had concealed upon their persons, and the

besiegers were cut
down to a man. Yet once again was Jajce besieged, and once again the Turk repulsed under the brave
50
Jajce
Peter Keglevic, and this time the siege lasted
eighteen months.
for
all
The
people were starving,
the surrounding country was occupied
off.
by the Sultan's armies, and food supplies cut In the last extremity a messenger was
sent out
who
contrived to pass through the

at last
Turkish cordon and
reached Budapest.
His story of the sufferings of the besieged made a deep impression on the king and his nobles, and especially on the Count Frankopan, who immediately volunteered to go to the
relief
of the beleaguered
friend the
city.
In his letter
Venice,
to his
Doge Dandolo of
the count gives an account of his expedition,
which started from Budapest on the eighteenth

of April, 1525, but did not reach the banks of the Save till June ; for the count, knowing he
could not force his way through the Turkish
hosts
with
the
little
army with which he

he went along,
started,
had
to find recruits as
and persuaded many of the great nobles of
Hungary and
retainers.
Croatia to join
him with
their
Of
such great importance was the
expedition that the

to
Pope promised absolution any who took service in the army going to
51
the relief of Jajce, where the forces of the

infidels
were arrayed against those of Christen-
dom.
When
at
last
he came up with the
Turkish army, Frankoplan found himself at the head of 6000 men, and with this gallant little band hardly a third of the Turkish
hosts
he
put the
latter to flight
and saved
Jajce.
It
was the irony of
fate that so
much
hero-
ism should have but postponed the evil day

for a few
more
years,
and that
defeat
little
in at
1527, after
the
great
Hungary had
battle
suffered
of Mohacs, brave
to
it
Jajce
too had
to yield
the voracious foe that had hunso long, and was swallowed
gered for
the vast
I
up
in
Ottoman Empire.
have told you so
much of
when
you
Jajce's
past
that
you may be
stirring
able to picture
something of
enter
those
times
her
mediaeval gates and stand within the walls of

the ancient castle that was the scene of Peter
Kaglevic's gallant defence.
It
always seems to
is
me
that the
shell,
ruin without a story

as
but an
empty
unsatisfying
human
interest as the land,
and shorn of however beautiful,

a height
that has
no history
You
see the castle first,

53
crowning
Jajce
as
you approach the town, which you enter

in
through a mediaeval gateway

is
the wall that
one of the most picturesque points. As your eyes were drawn to the grey pile from afar, so
I
think your feet will find the upward path that

its
leads within
walls before
you have been

it
many hours in Jajce. It may be that, on

appoint you
those
past
;
nearer view,
will dis-
it
surely will unless
you
are of
gifted with
imagination
a place
to
recall
the
but to
me
where men did and
dared and hoped and suffered so
much
in a
bygone day
will ever
be consecrated ground.
Tradition says that before the Turkish con-
quest a royal
palace stood where the clock tower stands to-day, and that it exceeded all
other buildings of that period in Bosnia for

beauty, being of Venetian architecture, built
by an
Italian master.
The
story
is
confirmed
by many
a gracefully
carved stone used in the
walls of those portions of the castle built or
repaired by the
Turks
and
if
you care
to
look for them, you will find two fine Gothic

capitals close together in
what
is
known
the
as the
Plivamauer (the Pliva

the door, and two
wall), to
right
of
more
53
are over the door of

the
are
powder magazine, while here and there

broken rosettes such
in as
are
frequently
used
Venetian
architecture,
and
many
a
another
fragment of sculpture on which

at
master hand has been
work.
for history or
castle
But even
for art, the
if
you do not care

the
view from
for
is
walls will
repay you
below you,
your climb, for Jajce, lying one of the most picturesque towns to be found, not alone in Europe, but anywhere in the world, and it is framed in by
forest-clad mountains, like a jewel lying in a
casket of dark green velvet.
54
VJ<^yCE CONTINUED
THE
cipice
sides
of the
hill
at
Jajce,
on
which
the castle stands, are covered
with quaint wooden Turkish houses,
down
through
in
to the very
edge of the pre-
beneath which the Vrbas river rushes

a wild ravine
;
but out of their midst
rises a graceful tower,
which would be more keeping with the land of Dante an un-
and beside it a ruined church dedicated to St. Luke, who, according to the Bosnian monks, lived and died at Jajce. I am afraid, however, they will never be able to persuade any one outside Bosnia to believe their story. Another and
mistakable
Italian
campanile,
more
likely version
is
that the bones
came
to
Jajce as part of the marriage portion of
Queen
Servian
Helen,
the
granddaughter
of
the
who had purchased the body for the immense sum of 30,000 ducats from the Turks, it having come into their possession when they took the castle ot
despot George Brankovic,
55

Rogus
nople).
little
(to
which the
saint's
remains had been

fall
carried for safety after the
of Constantithere
However
St.
they came,
relics in St.
seems
as
doubt that the
now reverenced
Marks,
at
the
body of
Luke
Venice,
once rested in the church beneath the campanile which bears his
name
at Jajce,
and that
they were bought by the Serene Republic after
some bargaining
(in
which the authenticity
of the remains were called in question) from

the representative of the fugitive queen,
who
away her most precious possessions and then escaped from Jajce and taken refuge in Italy at the time of the Turkish
had
first
sent
siege.
It is
not impossible that the Venetians

St.
feigned disbelief in the genuineness of

in
Luke
order to lower the price, but the queen
was able to prove the amount her grandfather
had paid for the body, and

king
castles
at
as the
Hungarian
of three
this
point
made an
offer
for
the
saint's
bones, the Republic,
fearing
to
lose so unique an
opportunity,
quickly came to terms.

is
The
exact
sum
paid
not known, but
it
was probably enough to

in
exile
support the
fugitive queen
life
;
during
the rest of her
so in one case, at least,

56
Jajce continued
the saint justified belief in
him by rendering
St.
very substantial help.
Not
and
that
is
far
from the ruined church of

is
Luke
its
graceful campanile
another church
;
you must not fail to visit but this time an underground one, hewn out of the solid rock, and locally known under the misnomer of the *' catacombs." There are no existing records to tell the
it
story of this
it
strange place of worship, but

earliest
seems possible that the

gathered
It
Bosnian
Christians
persecution.
here
to
be
safe
from
may
be
it
was then
a natural
cave of which the possibilities were
made use of
by adding partition walls and roughly carving

the rock into the arched doorways and
domed
roofs typical of the ecclesiastical architecture
of that period.
If the
little
church was ever adorned by
pictures or sculptures, they have vanished in
the course of the centuries

the
walls,
damp
has blacked
and
not
all
improbably men
aided
nature to wipe out
records of the past, for
some
barely distinguishable figures were dis-
covered
some years ago under
layer
of
blackened plaster, that served as a clue to

57
Bosnia and Herzegovinxi

connect the church with Hrvoja, the founder of Jajce. The one was a figure of a man
holding in his right hand a lance, and in his
left
grasping a sword
the
other a woman's
A coat figure holding in her left hand a lily. of arms also came to light with an arm bearThis ing a sword emblazoned on a shield.
heraldic device
is
unknown
in
Bosnia except
in the armorial bearings of
Hrvoja
the King
also used
of Bosnia and
the
lily.
Duke
from
of Spalato,
who
It is
this conjectured that
he
had the
Christian
intention
of converting
into
a
the
early
church
royal
mausoleum,
beneath
the
which
church.
also
explains
the
so,
crypt
If this
were
Hrvoja's body was
never laid in the resting place he had prepared

for
it.
And now
perhaps you have had enough of
history and legend, and are impatient with
me
that I have not sooner hastened on to tell you of nature's wonders the falls of the Pliva
river.
charms Jajce is as justly celebrated to-day (when in times of peace men
For her
scenic
have leisure to travel

as
in
quest of the beautiful)
she was for the warlike prowess of her

5S
Jajce continued
defenders during the Middle Ages,
when her
strong castle was the sole remaining barrier of
Europe
against the invading Turk.^
The
the
Pliva river (swollen
month of
May
to an
when I saw it in immense volume of

hundred
water by the melting mountain snows) plunges

in
one mighty leap over
a precipice a
feet in height, to join its waters
with those of
the Vrbas flowing through the ravine below.
its
Yet not alone for the height of its leap nor volume is this glorious fall remarkable
the waterfalls of Europe, but also for
its
among
the exquisite beauty of
surroundings.
A
and
platform has been erected on a spot just above

the cataract
it
is
embowered
in
foliage,
from
this leafy retreat,
with the sound of
many
waters in your ears, you can watch the river
rushing over
its
rocky bed a foaming mass of
white water swirling round innumerable green

islets,
which are covered with mosses and
ferns
wet with perpetual spray
overhead the
writes
Mr. H. C. Thomson, in his book The Outgoing Turk, " Jajce was in a way the key to central Europe the
:
Turk
North
fearing to
advance either
so
through Hungary or the

as
of Dahiiatia,
long
the
Hungarians
could
endanger their flank from Jajce."

59

trees
on the banks and the
trees
on the
islets
entwine their branches and form a canopy of

living green, with here and there a bit of blue
sky peeping through, like the stones in an

Italian mosaic.
The
tion
little
platform, perched on
the very
brink of the precipice, has a strange fascinafor
me.
It
is
not often
its
you get
to
so
near to a waterfall as to hear
heart beating
it
is
not often
you
feel
so close
It
the
mighty forces of nature

a haunt of
as here.
might be
Pan world was young
in the far-off days

!
when
the
When
was told by mine host of the

that the waterfalls could be
I
"Grand Hotel,"
thought, for the
illuminated by electric light,
shuddered
at the
May moon
same
was
I
at its full,
and
1
nature seemed profaned by the suggestion
And
I
yet the very
night,
I
must
confess,
went
to see the sight
and
repented of
my
hasty judgment.
beautiful,
The
scene was indescribably
prising
falls
and we were grateful to the enterAmerican family who had ordered the
be illuminated, nominally for
their
to
own
benefit
and that of
60
their friends, but ac-
tually for the gratification of the
whole town.
L
THE GREAT FALLS OK THE
I'LIVA
KIVEK
Jajce contiruihed
On
the
this occasion
we viewed the
the
little
falls
park
opposite, and
from group of
dress,
country
not a
people
in
their
picturesque
dotted here and there

little
among
the trees, added
to the fairylike scene, as did the
tiny toy houses of Jajce
with their peaked
wooden roofs. The whole quaint Japaneselooking town seemed to be perched on the
brink of the falls, while behind it the white campanile shone out against the green and
grey of the castle-crowned
hill.
Sometimes
the light was concentrated on a particular part
of the river or the
fall,
so that each leaf of the
trees, each graceful fern
frond on the rocks,
was detailed and received

I was fain sometimes virtue in art
admiration.
due meed of to admit that there is

its
to
show the
beauties
of nature.
The
in
people of Jajce are pre-eminent even
streets
Bosnia for their delightful costumes, and the of the little town on a Sunday morning
a
present
picture
even
more
stiffer
striking
than
the
those
of Mostar,
though
is
individually
dress of the
tiful
;
women
and
less
beau-
graceful transparent veil of the Herzegovinians being exchanged for one of
6i
the

linen,
sometimes
plain,
sometimes embroi-
dered, according to the fancy of the wearer.
The Bosnians
childish
are very religious, with the
simple superstitious religion of the

the Catholic people of Jajce
Middle Ages, and

still
cling to the
custom of tattooing
breast.
a cross
on their hands and

introduced
tacy, for
It is said it
was
in Turkish times to prevent aposno Christian thus marked with the
sign
of his faith
could go
over to
Islam
without enduring the painful
operation
of
removing the tattooed portion of the
skin.
The custom,
Serbs,
however,
to
is
limited
to
the
Catholic population and not adopted by the
who belong
the Orthodox Church
and are
the
in a minority at Jajce.^
As
is
in
Mostar,
the scene within the churches
remarkable,
sitting
whole congregation kneeling or

noticed, like the
cross-legged on the ground in Oriental fashion
many,
Turks
in the
mosques,
Two-fifths
of the whole population
of Bosnia
to
is
and
Herzegovina are Serbs (Orthodox), who look

their head,
Belgrade as
very great.
and
their devotion to their

call
church
The
to
Catholic population
themselves Croats and they look
Agram.
Unfortunately for an united Bosnia, they are
bitterly
opposed to one another.
62
Jajce continued
came provided with prayer carpets others spread a handkerchief upon the floor all,
;
:
without exception,
the country people
were
very reverent.
It
was evident by the crowds that assembled that
must come from miles round to attend the Mass, and those who found no room within were content to worship outside, so that without each door of the church was a kneeling group of figures, following the service as devoutly as
sacred walls.
It
is
if
within the
curious to see
how Moslem customs
have had their influence on the Christians of

these countries
the
;
witness that of prostrating

so that the
body
in
the act of worship
forehead touches the ground, and raising the

hands, palms upwards, at the blessing
another,
;
and yet
of
common among
the
men
at Jajce,
shaving the head like the Turks
not wholly,
one lock of
very long,
!
however, for in the middle

hair which, should
is
it
is left
happen
only
to be
plaited
like
Chinaman's
is
pigtail
This
strange
apparition
seen
when they
and the
remove
After
their turbans in the church,
origin of the pigtail remains a mystery.
Mass
the
country people
63
do
their

marketing, and the young
men and maidens
their courting in the streets of Jajce. a village belle

I
Many
a
saw, decked out with silver

plaited
coins resting
on her
hair
beneath
spotless kerchief, dividing her favours between
one or more turbaned beaux.

the
Once married,
is
Bosnian
peasant
woman
when
a
content
to
is,
trudge behind the
man through
first as
life
(there
indeed, a saying that
peasant greets
another he asks him
to his
own
that
health,
then that
of his
lastly
is
children, then
of his
so
I
cow, and
dered
that of his wife
importance
the
woman),
of therefore
it it
little
won-
at the
evident coquetry and spirit of

:
the maidens at Jajce
but
was their day

is
and
idyllic
they
made
the most of
About
six
miles
from Jajce there

all
an
its
spot,
famous
over Bosnia for
sylvan beauty,
named
Jezero.
The
driving
road to
river,
it
follows the course
of the Pliva
which descends by many cascades from

lake,
mountain
mills
and turns innumerable quaint

banks.
little
which are perched like swallows*

its
nests
along
So
lovely
is
the
scenery that you will surely want to linger
by the way, and for
this reason
will
do well
64
Jajce continued
go on foot or by private carriage, rather than by the diligence which, moreover, does
to
not run every day.

Just before reaching Jezero, you must notice
the ruins of the old fortress of Zaskopolji,
which have seen more recent fighting than

that
of the Middle Ages, for

of
at this
spot the
insurgents
1878
were
defeated
by
the
Austrian troops.
Most of
the inviting tree-
shaded houses of Jezero are owned by rich
Mohammedans, who
dolce
retire here to
enjoy the
far niente life they love ; and who no doubt regret the occasional advent of tourists
I
(or shall
not rather say travellers, for the

far
wanderers who come so

track
from the beaten

serious and
surely
deserve
.'')
the
more
dignified appellation
The
Austrian Govern-
ment has erected

refreshments
a little chalet here,
where
is
may
in
be had.
This chalet
by the
very pleasant place, standing back from the

village
street,
garden
river's
brink
here you
little
may
lunch or dine alfresco

the water,
on
balcony
overhanging
where there is coolness on the hottest day, and enjoy an epicurean feast of fresh caught
trout
washed down by the golden wine of

65

Mostar with cafe a la Turque to follow It if you will For fishermen Jezero is a paradise the lake swarms with trout, and anyone who wants to linger here a day or two can sleep
!
at the chalet,
which possesses one bedchamber,
simple but clean.
We
promised ourselves
at Jajce, for
a
!
week
in this
romantic spot some future day
Fortune was kind to us
we hapall
pened on the weekly market to which
the
mountain folk come down bringing their This market takes place sheep and goats. upon a Sunday a fact which struck me as very curious and differed from any I have
seen in Bosnia or elsewhere.
In the flowery
meadows beside
river,
the clear waters of the Pliva
hundreds of shepherds and shepherdWe came esses watched over their flocks speechI really and was suddenly, them upon
1
less for a
moment
with surprise and delight
at the entrancing scene.
These men of the mountains are splendid specimens of humanity tall and supple of limb, with finely cut features and dignified Many of them wore coats of sheepmien.
skin
wool
outside
over
66
their
shoulders,
but others were
in the short sleeveless jackets
Jajce continued
that
are
their
summer
garb,
with
gaily-
coloured belts stuck with knives and turbans of scarlet. The women were in white, with
aprons of Oriental work, and were
plentifully-
bedecked with
silver
ornaments and coins,

covered the front
which sometimes
distaffs
in
literally
of their bodices, and

their
many of them carried The afternoon sun hands.

hills,
was sinking behind the

that
the golden light
comes before sunset gilded the white fleece of the sheep and the white dresses of the women, and played on the scarlet turbans
of the crowds and the vivid emerald-green of
meadows; while the mountains, where already

the purple shadows lengthened, rose
all
around
dark and mysterious.
67
VIJAJCE TO BANJALUKA
THE
is
new road from
Jajce to Banjain
luka, which
was opened
1896,
perfect
one of the engineering feats of

;
the world
level
is
for an almost
maintained over a distance of over

miles, there
forty-five
being only a rise of
2 per cent in a few places for
nothing more
ideal
motorists and cyclists can be imagined.

recalls that
The road
through the gorge of the

to see
it
Narenta, and
we were lucky enough

conditions on
a perfect under the same summer's day and from the point of vantage
of a friend's comfortable
therefore
sleep
at
car.
We
which
did not
would have been necessary had we travelled by the diligence, but returned to Jajce the same evenBanjaluka,
ing,
and
still
had
some hours
to
spare
in
Banjaluka for sightseeing in the middle of the

day.
The main
through the
difference
defiles
between
the
roads
of the Narenta and Urbas

68
Jajce to Banjaluka
is
that
the
for
Herzegovinian
the
one
of
Is
distin-
guished
nakedness
its
barren
rocks, the Bosnian one for the wealth of foliage

that clothes the
It
is
mountain
sides.
does not, however, follow that the latter

it is
the finer;
more smiling
;
perhaps,
strictly
speaking, more beautiful
but the remarkable

defile
forms of the rocks in the Narenta

a
have
savage beauty of their own, and are the more
impressive.
There are
any
in the
spots, however,
Jajce to Benjaluka which are unsurpassed
on the road from by

it
;
gorge to which
should
have compared
and no
traveller
visit
Bosnia and Herze-
govina without seeing both these marvellous
mountain
defiles.
One of
with
its
the most charming views of Jajce,

is
mediaeval walls and towns,
on the
town.
Banjaluka road
a mile or so outside the
Three or four
miles
farther
on the
road
enters the gorge after crossing the river, and
plunges into what at
first
seems the pitch dark-
ness of a tunnel (for being built with a curve

the farther end of it is not visible). This would have been a disagreeable place for an accident, and the motor crawled through it as
69

if feeling its
way
along,
till
we were out
again
in
the sunlight in a wild glen of exceeding
Soon came another tunnel, and a longer one almost the whole road has been made by blasting, and is hewn out of the solid
beauty.
;
rock, which, however,
is
covered with verdure,

edge.
the trees reaching to the water's
At
Bocae there are the remains of an ancient

castle,
and
also of an early Christian basilica,

visit, if travelling
which you have time to

private carriage, while rested
;
by
the
horses are being

the fertile valley
fields
beyond here there

its
lies
of Aginoselo with
trees.
green
and
fruit
The
valley narrows again to a defile
which combines the charms of mountain and

exquisitely beautiful as we when the trees were clad in the fresh saw verdure of May, but equally beautiful, I am sure, if not more so in October, for the autumn tints of Bosnia are unsurpassed, perforest
scenery
it,
haps unequalled, in Europe.
The
ruins
of another stronghold of the
Middle Ages crown a height at the farther end of the ravine, by which it may be argued that there was some kind of a road through the
valley in those far-off days.
70
From
the
number
Jajce
to BanjalifJca
of such ruins on the heights above

bed, the Vrbas almost deserves the
its
rocky
of the
title
Bosnian Rhine.
residence of
Very
in
little
is
known about
them, but Zvecaj-grad claims to have been the
Hrvoja
finest
the fifteenth century.

is
Perhaps the
just
rise
fir
part of the whole road
beyond here.
from the
river's
The tremendous
cliffs
that
bed are covered with dark
forests,
with here and there the fresh green

;
of beeches
sailing
many
the inaccessible
homes in summits, and we saw some

eagles have their
high above
us
on the look-out
for
prey.
About
eight miles or so before
coming
to
Banjaluka the character of the scenery changes

wild nature
is left
behind, and cultivated fields
and
its
villages appear.
Banjaluka
the
Baths
of
St.
Luke
takes
;
name from
the hot springs just outside the

tradi-
town, in the suburb of Gorni Scheher

tion says they
were known from the
earliest
times.
It
would be
interesting to trace their
connection with the story of the evangelist
having lived in Jajce

I
must confess
with
to having been
somewhat
is
disappointed
Banjaluka,
71
which
dis-
Bos7iia
tinctly
less
and Herzegovina
than other
picturesque
Turkish
towns.
It is built in
the plain and straggles
over a large extent of ground, with one wide,
European-looking, tree-shaded street running
from end to end. There are, I am sure, from what others have told me, some quaint and
very interesting bits
the
in
the Carsija (bazaar)
and the gipsy quarter, but the heat was so great

at
time of our
visit
that
energy for exploring the
we had town. The
little
seats
under the trees before the Hotel Bosna (where there is an open-air restaurant) were more
attractive.
I
learnt
afterwards
that
in
such
climatic conditions are
most unusual
May,
after
and the weather got cooler immediately
we
left.
The
history of Banjaluka goes back to the times,
Roman
tium."
when
it
was known
as
" Serve-
The highway from
Salona
on the
Adriatic, through Dalmatia to Berber
on the
Save, passed
baths are
its
still
through here, and the Roman remaining to bear testimony to

to tradition the Avars,
this
early civilisation.
According
the Goths,
and
later
must have passed
way, when
they devastated Bosnia and overran some of
Jajce
the
to
Banjaluka
But it the town first
its
Roman
colonies on the Adriatic.
was under Turkish- rule that rose to any importance, on account of

tegical position.
stra-
Many were the battles between

its
the Hungarians and the armies of the Crescent that
waged around
is
castle walls
from
the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries.
The
in
old fortress
is
still
to be seen,
though half
ruins, and powder magazine. In no part of Bosnia were the Begs more powerful and despotic than at Banjaluka, and
used by the Austrian troops as a
much blood
last
flowed in their
strife
with the
Turkish viziers during the early part of the

century,
when
in
the feudal nobles rose in
arms
race
to protect their ancient rights
and resent
any change
the condition of the subject

rayahs."
the Christian "

in
As Mohammedanism
strong
Banjaluka,
it
has
is
always been so
not strange that
there should be no less than forty-five

in
mosques
most are built of wood and unimportant, though picturesque, but the FerIt dates hadija Dzamija is very beautiful. from the sixteenth century, and is said to have
the
town
been built with the money paid by the noble

7Z

Austrian family of Auersperg to ransom their
son
who had been
taken prisoner by the Turks.
The
Christian population of Banjaluka
almost equal in number to the

only three churches
now Mohammedan,
is
but against the forty-five mosques they have
two Roman Catholic and

all
one Servian Orthodox.
Market day
Banjaluka.
Its
is
the best time of

streets
feast
to visit
are
then a study in
costumes and a
of colour
for
hardly
anywhere
is
else in
Bosnia or the Herzegovina
there such variety of dress to be seen, or
such fine gold and silver ornaments worn by

the
women.
work
is
Silver filigree
a speciality of the
town, and can be bought reasonably in the

Carsija, as well as the quaint clasps the
women
wear
at their waists.
striking feature of Banjaluka, even

is
than of other Turkish towns,
the
more number of
between
of
Mohammedan
the houses
;
graveyards
scattered
they are eminently picturesque,

for,
but quite uncared

living.
and seem
a little out
place to Western eyes
among
the abodes of the

here,
Imagine
little
odd cemeteries
there,
and everywhere among

74
the gardens of

Jajce
our English towns and the West
is
to
Banjalulza
But the East
is
the East
the
West
And
I
never the twain will meet.
have alluded to the
strategical
importance
of Banjaluka, which explains the large garrison

the Austrians keep there, lately augmented by
some of
the troops withdrawn from the Sand-
jak Novi Bazar.
The town
has always had a

first
considerable trade, and was one of the

places in
Turkey
it
to possess the advantage of a
railway.
To
first
be sure
only ran to Doberlin in preit
occupation days, but
was
to
have been the

yet
link in the chain connecting the iEgean
Sea with central Europe, and

destiny
if
may
made
fulfil its
the projected line

is
is
to Salonika.
Not
far
from Banjaluka
the famous Trappist
monastery, which, strangely enough, was estab-
on the Vrbas river while the country Still stranger, Turwas under Turkish rule
lished
!
key, the traditional oppressor of the Christian,
was the only country willing to take the poor monks in when they were driven forth from France and then from Germany
!
The two
to
three hundred brethren lead

75

most self-denying
long hours their
lives,
strict
and
in
spite of the
order forces them to
give to religious duties, are busy, useful

bers of the community.
mem-
They have founded
an orphanage for Bosnian children, and are

up-to-date farmers, cultivating their land themselves
on modern methods
cheese making
is
speciality of the monastery, so that cheese " is famous all over Bosnia ;
is
" Trappist and so too

curious
the monks' home-brewed ale

that
It is
to reflect
the
Trappists driven out of
Europe to seek a resting place in a Mohammedan land have by the Annexation acquired a home in Europe once more.
76
VII FROM JAJCE TO
SARAJEVO
EVEN
I
seen
from the
train,
which
is
generally so destructive of romance,
found the scenery through which we passed from Jajce to Sarajevo delightful.
There are advantages

little
in travelling
;
by a slow train in such a country as this

the people at the
for
wayside stations are
and the mixed goods and passenger trains are usually very long, so by selecting a carriage at the extreme end you
immensely
interesting,
windows open without the annoyance of smoke and blacks from the
can
have
the
engine, and
not
only
enjoy the
fresh
air,
but pop your head out at any

there
is
moment when
anything of unusual interest to be seen.
We
train,
have even tried photographing from the but I cannot say that it has been very
railroads, like the
all
successful.
The Bosnian
F
main road
and bridle-paths,
follow the course of the

J7

rivers.
On
leaving Jajce you bid "good-bye"
to the Pliva
when you
cross
is
it
by the great
modern
bridge, which
so out of keeping
with the ancient town that you regret that the model of the old Turkish bridges could not
have been followed, and descend the course of The bridge, however, is not the the Urlas.
most regrettable thing

of view of those
of
its
at Jajce
from the point
who
visit
Bosnia for the sake

factory,
scenic beauty.
The
owned by
company, which unfortunately acquired the rights of the immense water power, is the one
blot
ideal
on the landscape, spoiling an otherwise I am told that it employs a large spot.

so adds to the material
it
number of hands, and

can be tolerated
in
;
welfare of the town, from which point alone
but
at least those interested

traffic
promoting the tourist
should agitate
for the prohibition of the fumes poured forth
from the factory chimneys.

shock
to travellers
It
comes
it
as
who have
in
heard of the
far-
famed beauty of
clouds of smoke
Jajce, to
approach
through
passing the factory, just
before the old town comes in view from the

railway.
The
rail
probably follows what was once a

7S
From
Jajce to Sarajevo
Turkish road or bridle-path, judging from the

ruins of the old castles that here, as well as
o^ the course of the Urlas lower down, crown the rocky precipices between which it flows. They are not always visible unless you keep
a close look out for them, for the old
walls
are of the
first
same colour
is
as
the
rock.
to
The
little
of these, Vinac,
close
the
station
Jajce.
of Vijenac, about fifteen

the train
miles from
Beyond Dolnji Vakuf

mountains
line,
is
run on
the cogwheel system, and begins to climb the

to
which
little
this
Komar, the highest point on the 2400 feet above sea-level. At mountain station we made the
is
acquaintance of a beautiful collie dog,

1
whom
would recommend to your notice if you pass this way, and who will be grateful for any He is a scraps from your luncheon basket. for living his depends who homeless cripple on the contributions of passengers, and never
fails
to
meet the
train.
The
with a
kindly guard,
little
who had come prepared

by a train and so
parcel of
bones, told us the dog had once been run over

lost his foot,
It is
and ever since

to watch
has been a pensioner.
amusing
79

his tactics
when
the train arrives
like a two-
legged beggar he travels the whole length of

it,
but has the disadvantage that he

to look in at the
is
not
tall
enough
windows, so he has
to attract attention by barking.
went over this line I had not noticed the names of the stations, and was not aware that we had reached Komar, for it but a well-remembered was in the dark bark suddenly broke on my ear, and I opened the door to meet a smiling and appealing face. We had finished for tea all that was over from lunch, and I had nothing left but some lumps
last
The
time
of sugar
this,
however, our four-footed friend

his taste,
it
found so much to
after the train
he ran limping
off
till
when
moved
I
the last
a
one was thrown

never to forget
him.
registered
I
vow
him again when

I
passed this
way, and wished
could
make arrangements
for a daily parcel of scraps to be delivered at
Komar
station.
We broke our journey at Travnik, a typical Turkish town which looked so interesting
from the railway that we could not
and
hastily decided
resist
it,
to
take the chances of
there being an hotel and remain the night.

80
"
From
It has, as a
Jajce
to
Sarajevo
no
less
matter of
" is a
fact,
than three
inns which are dignified by the
and the " Grand

hotels
very nice
;
ing in a charming situation
name of hotel, modern buildbut " Grand
do not pay in Travnik, so it had been shut up for months, and was only reopened the day of our arrival. As we were not informed of this till too late, we unfortunately went to the " Kaiser von Oesterreich," which was sadly
lacking in cleanliness.
nik,
The
interest of
Trav-
We
however, made up for creature comforts. were delighted with the great mosque,
is
which
the finest building in the town since
the old
Konak (once
viziers)
the
residence
of the
Turkish
has
been
restored
and
modernised.
The mosque
quarter,
is
the centre of the bazaar
and
is
is
a white
building
delicately
painted in ornamental designs, of which the
colouring
soft
and beautiful.
The
pillars
of
the arcade are green and white, a delightful
background
groups
for the red-turbaned
Turks
of
that
little
are almost always sitting or standing in
before
it
for
the
a
vicinity
the
mosque seems
social
to
be
centre
life.
of
Turkish
large part
as well as religious

of the old town was unfortunately destroyed
by
fire
some years
ago,
and modern European

old ones in this
is
houses
have replaced the
quarter, so that the main street
little
dis-
appointing.
Here, however, are the graves of

little
the viziers, in a
railed-in space beside a
coffee-house, each tombstone
protected from
They by a roof or canopy. their by artist of any eye would attract the picturesqueness, but it gives an added interest
the
elements
to these last
resting-places
of the rulers of
Bosnia
history.
to
know something of Travnik's The seat of government was moved
from Bosn-Saraj (Sarajevo) to Travnik under Turkish rule probably in order to keep a
firmer hand
on
the north
of the provinces,
where, as
have already
said, the
Begs were
1850,
very powerful and fanatical.
Travnik remained the
capital
until
when Omar Pasha put down
the insurrection,
headed by the feudal nobility, who had, until then, been supreme in Sarajevo, and set the
viziers at defiance in this city,
once more the seat of government.

then
relapsed
into
insignificance,
which he made Travnik

and
only
partially
awoke from
half a century of sleep
r-
wsBkix^ naim^meft-t vv

From
Jajce to Sarajevo
If you want palmy days you to try and picture it in must climb one of the surrounding heights and choose a point of view from which the modern innovations are hidden then, gazing on the garden city with its mosques and mina-
with the advent of the railway.

its
rets
lying under the protecting walls of
its
ancient fortress,
you can dream
little
of the
days of the proud dominion here of the Crescent and the Star.
It is
strange to find the old
Mohammedan
city
becoming a centre of Catholicism, yet
such must be the result in time of the great

Jesuit college which has been erected here
not,
however, without some opposition on the

Franciscans,
part of the
who were formerly
the only order represented in Bosnia, with the
exception of the Trappists in Banjaluka.
The
I
students at the Jesuit college are not limited

to those of the
Roman
Catholic faith, and
was told there are many Jews among them.
The
higher education of the Turks

in
is
pro-
vided for
the
its
Medresse, a very charming
building with
own mosque
attached, erected
by the Austrian Government.

only instance
I
This
is
not the
have come across of mosques

83

being built or restored
in Bosnia.
at the cost
of the State
The country around Travnik is and we regretted not having time

any excursions.
beautiful,
to
make
There is a giant oak tree of great age near Doloc that is said to have a
hollow trunk of such vast size as to give shelnot I will ter to a company of soldiers
!
vouch
for the truth of the story, but such

It
is
the local report.
would have been

tree.
interest-
ing to see so wonderful a
We
spent
some
pleasant hours in Travnik,
wandering
quarter,
in
the narrow streets of the old
where the quaint Turkish houses have projecting upper stories, shaded by broad eaves and harem windows of muscharabiah work in the whitewashed walls. Here we watched the Mohammedan children boys and girls together at play in the streets
was sad to remember how soon the playmany marry time of the latter would be over
It
;
at thirteen or fourteen,
and are then immured
in the
harem
for the rest of their lives, only
seeing a peep of the world henceforth through a veil or a hole in the lattice window of their
apartments
84
From
Jajce to Sarajevo
Some of the Turkish girls are very pretty. remember one at Travnik especially at-
She was all in white, tracted our attention. and her muslin blouse might have belonged to her European sisters, but in place of a skirt
she wore the not ungraceful
a
full trousers,
and
diminutive round cap with flowers pinned upon it crowned her henna-dyed hair. The custom of wearing fresh flowers on fete days
either pinned
hair
is
on the cap or fastened

alike
in the
common
among
the
Mohamfor
I
medans
and
seen
is
and Christian population of Bosnia,

not confined to the
women,
have
a
many young men
so
adorned
for
festival.
The
a
following day saw us again in the train

to Sarajevo.
on our way
pastoral
We travelled through
was Arcadian, of greenest meadows backed by blue mountains where herdsmen played upon their flutes as We saw home. cattle they drove the
landscape that
white oxen drawing primitive wooden ploughs and turning over red earth that reminded us of
Devon, with white-clad, red-turbaned peasants

guiding the oxen or following the plough.
The
notes of the flute were wafted to us by

85
"

the gentle breeze, together with the scent of
the
may
hedges like fresh

river
crowned the hawthorn trees and Along the fallen snow. banks golden kingcups shone out from
that
the dark leaves, and blue forget-me-nots starred
the grass, and in the

crab-apple trees
woods wild cherry and

patches of white and
the fresh green.
**
pink blossom
this
made among
All
we saw and heard from our

trains,
mixed
and therefore slowest of
and envied not
the passengers in the fastest train de luxe.
There were picturesque groups of peasants

at
every station,
the
men
usually
wearing
trousers of dark blue, fitting closely below the
knees, and
often elaborately braided at the
pockets and
jackets
down
shirts,
the sides
their sleeveless
showed the loose bell-shaped

which
sleeves of
their white
were often edged
with embroidery, as were also the turn-over

collars that stood
frill.
out round their necks like a
It
is
difficult
for a stranger to distinguish
between
the
but whenever
Mohammedans and Christians, I saw a man wearing a bright

marked him for a Moslem, for Orthodox population do not
86
green belt
the Catholic and
From
ever
Jajce to Sarajevo
the
now
affect
colour
sacred
to
the
Prophet, which under the Turkish dominion
was forbidden them.
Occasionally
his
a
I
Turk
was
was travelling with

interested
in
harem, and
way of veiling Custom decrees that a Mohammedan woman of good family in Bosnia should wear a mask as well
the
different
adapted here to that in Egypt.
as a veil
the
masks
are hideous,
though often
elaborately
worked with gold and silver. It was deplorable that we did not dare to phototo
graph these groups for fear of giving offence
Moslem
prejudices
At Vitez, where there we saw with regret the

virgin forest cut
are great sawmills,
giant trees of
for transport,
the
up ready
trainful
and
a
passed
will
whole
of timber.
if
Bosnia
fall
lose half her
charm
her forests
!
victim to the march of civilisation
Before reaching the main line at Lasva we

traversed a ravine where the train follows the
banks of the mountain torrent between wooded

cliffs.
At
this point the
moon
rose and flooded

It
the whole landscape with silvery light.
was
such a summer's night as that

fairies
on which the
dance
We
crossed the Bosna river

87

shining white in
the
moonlight and saw a
dark castle silhouetted against the sky

passed by
little
we
towns and sleeping villages

wîth
backed by dark forest

of
Bosnia
moonlit mountain
peaks beyond, and came
at last to the capital
to
Bosna
Serai
the
modern
Sarajevo.
8S
VIIISARAJEVO
the middle of the last century, Sarajevo
INwas
supreme.
I
the
stronghold
of feudalism
the
focus of fanaticism
where
the
Mohamreigned
medans, Begs, and
Janissaries
To-day Austrian Sarajevo (by which

is
mean
the quarter lying between the railway
station
modern European city, with fine public buildings, good Here and there shops, and electric trams.
and the Hotel Europa)
a a
picturesque Turkish house has been left, and here and there the minaret of a mosque rises between the European houses, and Oriental-looking figures wearing the fez or turban
jostle
battle for
Europeans on the pavement but in the supremacy between East and West,
;
the
West
has
won
Yet side by side with Austrian Sarajevo
is
Turkish Sarajevo (so wonderfully situated that former travellers have likened it to Damasthere are no cus) the unchanged Orient
boundary
lines
between
89
them, and
viewed

from the surrounding hills they are merged As at Mostar, the great into one fair city.
fortified
barracks
;
catch
the
eye
of every
the
stranger
in
Sarajevo they are
outside
town near the station, noticeable on your arrival.
and
therefore
very
From
grettable
the artistic point of view

that
is
it
is
re-
the
approach
from the main

;
line station
so disappointing
far
otherwise
would be the impression you got of the city if you came from the Servian or Turkish frontier by the new Eastern Railway and
alighted at Bistrik, a station on a height above
the
city
which
to
that
commands
view
equally
beautiful
from the old
castle.
But
perhaps there are advantages in seeing first what is least attractive, and not expending all
your admiration
for
that which
at
once
perhaps, too,
my
love
has the charms of antiquity
leads
me
its
to underrate the present.

its
Sarajevo, with
fine
Government
(in
buildings
and
beautiful cathedral
a city
where
formerly the only Christian church had to be
hidden out of sight behind a high

well-lit streets
wall), its
is
and law-abiding
yo
citizens,
in
striking contrast to the lawless Oriental city,
Sarajevo
which as
of the
late as the seventies
had no communiof which
cation with
Europe but
the weekly post-cart
Austrian
:
Consulate,
Miss
"Three places in the hay in the Irby wrote springless vehicle may be hired by those who
do not object to jolt on continuously days and a night or more,"
^
for
two
In the cathedral square
is
the Post Office,

is
and
in
the
same
which
modern building
in
the
National
stitution
Museum, founded
of
the
1888, an in-
Austro-Hungarian
Administration
traveller
may
well be proud.
Here
the
who
his
wishes to study Bosnia seriously

according to the
will
can spend days or weeks,
time
at
disposal,
and
have
every
from the courteous officials. Geology and zoology have each their different sections in the latter almost the whole
possible assistance
animal
there
a
is
life
of the Balkans
delightful
is
represented
a fine collection of old weapons,
and
specially
one
of the old emis
broideries for which Bosnia
famous, and of
in
carved distaffs used by the

but nothing
^
women
spinning
is
of such general interest as the

Europe,
Travels in the Slavonic Provi7ices of Turkey in
By G. A. Muir Mackensie
and A. P. Irby,
91

exhibition of national costumes, which
to be unique.
I
believe
The groups of wax
figures are
most
lifelike,
and arranged according
to the different parts
of Bosnia in which they are worn.

varies even in the
districts
As
the
dress of the Catholic and Orthodox peasants
same
district
are
quite alike
and no two
a
it
is
great
help
towards recognising the distinctions to be able

to study
them here
for
at leisure.
Moreover, some
of the national costumes shown are

seen
now
their
rarely
as,
instance,
that
of the Bosnian
gipsies,
who, by the way, have

head-dress,
own
dress,
quarter of the town in Sarajevo.
The
or rather the
of the
Orthodox
bride from Osatica, particularly attracted

attention
:
my
the
little
cap,
edged with
a fringe of
coins that rest
upon the hair (commonly worn by both Catholic and Orthodox women under
is
their veils),
adorned not only with flowers

a
and peacock feathers (such

not
in a
mixture might
a
inconceivably
appear
upon
creation
Bond
Street
window), but
this lady bears

It
I
upon her head is a new idea
also a small
hand mirror.
significance
for a Parisian milliner, but

its
should like to understand

92
for
HIT OK
SARAJEVO WITH THli KATHAtS
I.N
THE DIM ANCE
Sarajevo
surely there
is
some
as applied to the bride
The
brides in other districts wear crowns, as

to this day.
It is
do the Norwegian peasants
strange that there should be any likeness in
marriage customs of countries so far removed
from one another

day.
as Scandinavia
and
Balkan
province of Turkey, as Bosnia was but yester-
Other sections of the museum (which is any day on application to the custodian) deal with Roman and prehistoric remains found in Bosnia and the Herzegovina.
free to visitors
Last, but not least, there
is
a very fine collecas well
tion of old Turkish and Bosnian coins

as
those
of the
neighbouring
interesting
republic
of
in
Ragusa.
Sarajevo
Other
are
institutions
in
the
tobacco
factory
which
hundreds of women and girls are employed, the carpet factory, and the schools in which
the native art of inlaying
wood and metal with
gold and silver has been brought to great perfection

tiful,
;
the designs used are often very beauall
but, like
hand work,
is
it is
costly.
all
The Government
but the
buildings are
very
fine,
most
attractive
undoubtedly the
new Town Hall upon

G
93
the banks of the Mil-

jacke.
It
is
prominent object
city,
in
almost
every view of the

style is not out of
but being in Oriental
keeping with the adjacent

in
houses of the Carsija and the mosques and

minarets
interior
is
which
rise
its
vicinity.
The
octa-
well worth seeing, the entrance hall
in particular being strikingly beautiful
gon shaped, with double rows of arches above

and below.
The
colouring here
is
so soft
it
does not give the impression of newness.

the great hall, on the contrary,
it
is
In
is
harsher
and more garish, though the room

in its proportions.
very fine
The Town Hall
has a broad terrace with
Moorish arches which frame in a most entrancing view. On the farther bank of the rushing
river the quaint broad-eaved houses of the old
and
town climb the lower slopes of the mountain, a white minaret flanked by some tall poplar
heavenwards.
trees points
bridge spans the

I
stream just here, across which
watched the
country people driving their flocks of sheep
and goats to market, and the veiled Turkish women coming from their homes on the farther
side to
Carsija.
make purchases
I
in the bazaars
of the
am
familiar with
94
the
bazaars of
Sarajevo
Egypt and of those of the
the Turkish quarter
in
isle
of Cyprus, and
the Carsija of Sarajevo reminded
me more
of
Nicosia than of anyIn
thing
had seen elsewhere.

displayed
are
Cairo the
in
goods
more
there
is
sumptuous,
in
;
Assouan more barbarous.
A
find
family likeness
all
the bazaar
in all
quarters of
Mohammedan
streets
cities
you
the
narrow
without
the
sidewalks
where foot-passengers
jostle beasts of
;
burden
and hawkers cry
their wares
little
open
wooden shops with
their heterogeneous collec-
tion of goods for sale and the
serenely cross-legged
owner sitting on the ground or working (always in the same Oriental posture) at his trade ; in all you see the same repellent
same smells, and yet find the same fascination, the same charm of pulsing life and vivid colour. Sarajevo without its bazaars would not be Sarajevo, and every one who knows and loves
sights, smell the
the
old
streets
of the Bosnian capital
will
rejoice that the recent fire in the Carsija,
which
did considerable damage, did not wipe out the
most
interesting quarter.
was very glad to

col-
hear that a large
sum of money had been

95

lected to help the poor people to rebuild their
houses.
The
tage
Carsija
a
is
seen to the greatest advan-
market day, when the variety of costumes is truly amazing for then side by
on
side with the
Turks
are seen the Catholic and

all
Orthodox peasants from

country-side.
the surrounding
into Sara-
The
trains
coming
filled
jevo
on
market day are
with
the
picturesque crowd, and the scene in the open
market-place baffles description.
The crowning
beautiful
glory of the Carsija
is
the
Begova Dzamija
in the
the
third
finest
mosque
Bosnian
realms of Islam, of which the
Mohammedans may well be proud. Through a grating in the walls of the courtyard you catch a glimpse of a lovely fountain, shaded by an immense sycamore tree, whose
branches overshadow the mosque, where pious
Moslems
first
are performing their ablutions before
the hour of prayer.
When
I
on a hot afternoon, fresh
came upon it from the turover-
moil of the Carsija,

poetry of the scene
!
stood entranced at the
The green canopy
head was grateful to the eye
running water to the ear

96
the graceful arches
the
sound of
COUKTYAKU
Ul-
11EGI)\'
A D/AMIJA MOSIJUE (SAKAJEVO)
Sarajevo
and lovely colouring of the mosque in the background the play of light and shade on
the
fountain,
figures in
and the picturesque Oriental the foreground would have delighted

but
I
an artist
found more
in
it
than this
The same
came over me that I have experienced in turning from the noisy streets of an Italian town into some church at the hour of benediction, or from the busy streets of London into the cloisters of Westminster the relief of the spirit that turns from the mart
feeling
to the temple,
from the seen to the unseen
The Moslems on
court of the
that
I
the marble steps in the fore(that beautiful forecourt
mosque
afterwards studied in detail and found
so exquisite) were worshipping towards
Mecca
watch-
some
idle
bending reverently, others prostrate

If they observed
on the ground.
ing them, they
me
may have thought my

;
curiosity
that
and unseemly
spirit
could not
tell
them
my
worshipped with them the

is
spiritual
Presence which
at the heart
!
of the universe,
of the
and man
calls
God
the
We
visited
interior
mosque
on another occasion, accompanied by Olmiltz Pasha, a well-known personality in Sarajevo,

97

and so named from his having fought in the insurrection and been imprisoned at Olmiitz.
From him we
learnt
much
that
was interesting
about the endowments and the charities connected with the mosque.
longing to
it
called
The property be" Vakuf" brings in a very
large income, and one thousand people, accord-
ing to our informant, are supported from these

funds, including priests and poor pensioners.
In
Turkish times, he
said, the
funds were
often misappropriated, but under the superin-
tendence of the present Government they are I do not know whether well administered.
the
sentiments
expressed
those
by Olmutz Pasha
fairly represent
of the
Mohammedan
least,
population as a body, but he, at

well content with the
was and
new order of
things,
often drew comparisons between the pre-occ.upation times and the present, to the advantage of the latter, which, coming from a Turk,
rather surprised us.
The
in
interior of the Be-
govia Dzamija
beautifully
is
very
fine,
the walls being
painted
Oriental
designs
of
subdued colouring, and adorned with

from the Koran.
texts
The
98
inscription over the

built
doorway
states that
the mosque was
by
Sarajevo
Ghazi Usrej Beg, " The Glory of Justice and Fountain of Benevolence." The founder and
his wife rest in a little chapel beside the
main
building, which
their piety.
is
the enduring memorial of
There
is
a curious stone
column
in the courtit is
yard you should not overlook, for

teresting relic of the past.
tion measures exactly a
an inpor-
The grooved
ell,
Turkish
and
it
was
placed here by a pasha of long ago to settle dis-
putes between buyers and sellers as to whether

the former had been given
good measure.
not Usrej Beg's only gift to Sarajevo, for almost opposite is the " Medrasa,"
The mosque was
founded by him, where
Mohammedan
boys are educated free of

into the
at
cost. If you peep open kitchen adjoining the courtyard
dinner-time you will see steaming bowls of soup and bread being dealt out to them, as well as to some poor pensioners and ragged
here Olmutz Pasha took us " on to see the Scheriat " college for law stubeggars.
dents, established by the
From
Government
This
;
so that
Bosnian
merly,
Mohammedans need
to
not go, as forcollege,
Constantinople.
large,
is
though not
worth seeing
99
the
new

buildings, which were erected eighteen years
ago, are in
tral
Moorish
style, built
round
a cen-
courtyard with a fountain in the middle.

for the comfort
in
The arrangements students are as much hammedan university

have but one
their
little
of the
advance of the
Mo-
in Cairo as the English
universities are of this.
In Cairo the students

in
cupboard each
sleep
which
to
keep their food, their scanty clothing, and
books
;
they
on the
floor
altolittle
together
here each has a comfortable
room
bed
furnished with a divan, which forms a

small wardrobe, and a table,
at night, a
and
takes his meals in the general dining-hall.
Those who know the undergraduates' rooms at Oxford or Cambridge will recall the luxurious chairs and lounges in which the young sybarite
delight.
The
students at Sarajevo read law and
study theology, and after a four years' course

can enter the Government service as judges in
the
Those I saw were extremely intelligent-looking many,

courts of law.
;
Mohammedan
no doubt, were sons of those Bosnian nobles
who
ago
survived the insurrections of thirty years

set
the proud Begs who

lOO
even the Viziers
at defiance.
Saragevo
Nothing
in Sarajevo recalls those
days more
vividly than the old Servian church, hidden
behind a high wall and sunk beneath the level of the street, so that not even its roof shall
meet the eye

subject race
it
typifies the condition
of the
who worshipped
there, tolerated
only
when
not persecuted, so
long as they
made themselves inconspicuous and kept out of the way of the followers of the Prophet.
The
is
little
church, which dates from 1530,

building with a gallery supported
a square
on arches running round, which is set apart The for the women of the congregation. carved and gilded screen and the curious Ambona (pulpit) are its most remarkable
features.
The
screen
is
divided into panels
containing quaint Byzantine paintings, in which

the saints wear halos of solid silver (fastened
on
to the painted
wood) and the angels have

in the
silver wings.
Two large paintings
upper
part of the screen represent the Last Supper
and Christ washing the feet of His disciples. A beautiful old silver lamp which will excite the cupidity of every collector hangs before
the altar, and there are
some very
interesting
things to be seen in the treasury.
The
bridal
Bosnia atid Herzegomna

crown especially attracted
victory.
It
is
my
attention,
and
the " chelenka " given to athletes in token of
remarkable that the treasury

intact
was preserved
during the revolution and terrible persecutions in the last days of
Turkish
rule.
still
There
survives,
among
population of Sarajevo, a
Orthodox curious Easter custom

the
veiled for
that arose out of the insecurity or past times,
when even
safety
Christian
women went
from outrage.
On
the greatest festival of
the Christian year the country lasses in rural
England still put on something new " for luck " and also to enhance their charms in the eyes of country lads, for the budding of the trees and the mating of the birds seem to
arouse in
human
breasts a like impulse to wed.
In the Spring a richer crimson comes upon the robin's breast,
In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love,
But the poor Christian maidens of Sarajevo did not dare to show their finery in the streets they did not dare to leave their homes alone how should they find lovers how the young men wives ? On one day in the year alone on
Easter
Monday
behind the strong
walls that
Sarajevo
shut off the precincts of their church from the Turkish town, did they show themselves in
their best,
wearing
all
the jewels and gold and
silver coins
those
days
that were their dowry. For in no Christian could possess any
property, that was

this
not portable, and out of
had arisen the Easter gathering that has been called for want of a better name " the
marriage
market,"
still
held
in
the
quaint
courtyard of the
little
Orthodox church, and

round
of
in
worth going
to see.
The houses
fortress, within
that
cluster
the
its
old
sur-
the
are
protection
rounding
walls,
the
oldest
Sarajevo.
Here was
the beginning of the town which
gradually spread from the castle to the valley
below and stretched along the river. The " Grad," as this quarter is called, has escaped
all
the
fires
which have from time to time
destroyed the town beneath, and the old castle

is
still
strong fort.
Behind the
so-called
" White
fell
Bastion " the Austrian soldiers
who
here in the sanguinary battles of 1878 are
buried in one
It
common
grave.
to be in
feast
was
during the
my good fortune Mohammedan

103
Sarajevo
of Bairam,

when
the
city,
viewed from the height on

looked like a scene
Its
which the
castle stands,
out of the
Arabian
Nights.
countless
mosques and minarets (reputed to be over one hundred in number, though I have never been able to count so many) are hung with myriad lamps and sketched in light against the dark background of the surrounding mountains. 1 took the winding way that leads upwards to the castle in the late afternoon and watched
the glow of sunset fade into twilight. the muezzins answer one another from
to
I
heard
mosque
mosque, and watched

the
as
one by one the

kept so re-
minarets shone out in the gathering darkness
twenty-four
hours'
fast,
ligiously
by every Mussulman, was ended, and
Turkish Sarajevo, with the setting of the sun,

gave
itself
up
to feasting
which would
last
far into the night.

It
matters
little in
what direction you climb

;
the
hills
round the
it
city
there are lovely views

artistic
everywhere, though from the purely

point of view
is
impossible not to regret

is
the old Turkish
town which
so infinitely
I
more picturesque,
have seen of
it,
in a water-colour sketch
than the Sarajevo of to-day.

104
Sarajevo
Mohammedan
know
churchyards are frequent
in
the precincts of the city, and the graves of men and
people one from another.

are those of
you soon learn to women, priests and The turbaned graves
men
but the form of the turban
decides the rank

the janissaries
those marking the graves of and the dervishes are higher The stone above than those of the merchant. and women pointed, always is a woman's grave are laid to rest in a coffin, which is never the
:
case with
men among
the
Mohammedans
is
of
Bosnia.
A very
interesting churchyard
that of the
Spanish Jews on the lower slopes of

stones
this being,
Mount
Trebevic, where huge boulders form the tomb;
according to Mr. Thomson,
who
visited Bosnia in 1897, to keep the wolves from digging up and devouring the
bodies.
It is
quite probable, as a resident in
Sarajevo told
me
their
howling may
city
in
still
be
heard just outside the

winters,
very
severe
though
they are
gradually
being
exterminated.
The
Spanish Jews, of
whom
there are about
3000 in Sarajevo besides colonies in Mostar, Travnik and Banjaluka, took refuge in Bosnia
los

in
the sixteenth century and are a very in-
teresting section of the
carefully preserved the language
of their
community, as they and customs forefathers and hold no intercourse
with the Jewish traders
who have
Spanish
settled in
Bosnia since the Occupation.
The
(a
head-dress
silk
of the
Jewesses
high
cap edged with gold)

infinite
adds one
national
;
more
to
the
variety
of
costumes to be seen in the streets of Sarajevo

their Oriental dresses for those of
at all events
streets.
It is to
they have, however, unfortunately discarded
Europe, or
in
do not wear the former
the
be feared that before long the Serbs
will follow this

capital
example, but as yet the Bosnian
shows greater variety of national costumes than any other city of the near East, and lovers of the picturesque should hasten to
before they vanish into the limbo of the past and " Sarajevo the Golden " loses one
visit it
of
its
chiefest charms.
06
IXILIDZE
is
distinct surprise to the
traveller,
IT
who has the thought of Bosnia as an uncivilised land, to come across such a
charming bathing-place as Ilidze. We made it our head-quarters during our first visit to Bosnia, and it was delightful after
a day's sight-seeing in Sarajevo to
come back
to the quiet of an hotel standing in the midst
of an extensive park, and to dine in the garden where the air was full of the scent of flowers
and
the
listen to the nightingales.
It
was delight-
ful to
go out here
off
in the early
morning, before
dew was
the
flowers,
and wander
through the avenues of acacia trees, laden with snowy perfumed blossoms, beyond the park
into the green
meadows and
fields.
see the shepherds
with their flocks
and the picturesque country

feel inclined to
people at work in the
Often though
quarrel with
it
the march of civilisation,
when
encroaches
on antiquity,
appreciate to the full the

107
work

the Austrian
Government
has done In build-
ing suitable hotels (so that travellers can see
something of the beautiful scenery of Bosnia

without unnecessary discomfort), and in particular
work done at Ilidze by the late Minister Herr von Kalley. It adds much to the rural attractiveness of
the
pretty place
that
this
instead
of one great
hotel there are three smaller buildings, each
surrounded by
trees, each
with
many
balconies,
and
all
connected by covered ways with the
restaurant,
where
say
in
warm weather
air.
all
meals
are served in the

I
open
may
here that should
you happen
upon hot weather in Bosnia, as we did in the month of May, you need not draw the conclusion that the heat will necessarily increase as
summer
advances, and therefore hasten your

In this year (as
I
departure.
learnt
on
my
fol-
return to Bosnia in the autumn) the hot spell
we experienced
in the early
summer was
lowed by much cooler weather, and no extreme

heat occurred again.
The
baths of Ilidze
a
Romans, and
were known to the piece of mosaic at the back of

tell
the Hotel Bosna remains to

io8
the tale.
It
Ridze
may be
that this discovery of the hot springs'
curative powers was the origin of the
Roman
city that once existed near the source of the Bosna river. Whether any use was made of the
healing waters during the Middle Ages
is
not
known, but the Turks had a primitive bathing establishment here up to the time of the OccuTo-day the bathing establishment is pation.
in
keeping with
twentieth
century require-
ments, and visited by health seekers from near
and
far.
But besides being an inland watering-place,

Ilidze
is
a pleasure
resort for the
people of
a
little
Sarajevo,
being
easily
in
reached
by
narrow-gauge
the capital.
train
twenty minutes from

afternoons especially
On Sunday
our quiet was invaded by crowds from the city, when the bands played in the park, and
I
fear
we were sometimes
it,
selfish
enough
to
regret
though
it
was an interesting and
representative crowd that
promenaded up and
little tables in
down
or drank coffee at the
the
gardens.
Many
officers
were there
in
smart
uniforms, accompanied by ladies in light sum-
mer
frocks of the latest Vienna mode, rubbing
shoulders with Bosnian peasants in gala cos-
109

tume and townspeople who were neither smart
nor picturesque, but always neat and orderly
;
and one and
all
seemed imbued with the

is
spirit
of light-hearted pleasure-making that

cally Austrian.
typi-
From
little
Ilidze
we made our way one day
to
the source of the Bosna, and feasted at the
open-air restaurant on the speckled trout

is
for
which the river

to
famous.
The
and
an
enterits
prising
care
Government has even extended

the freshwater
fisheries,
at
the
source ing
of the
Bosna
for
there
is
interest-
establishment
fish
all
trout-breeding
from
and
which
lakes
are sent to stock the streams
over the country.

to
this
The
there
is
distance
pretty
spot
(where
coolness to be found on the hottest

little
day on the
about two
green islands
in
the river
is
beneath the shadow of the mountain)

miles
all
only
from
Ilidze,
and
shady
avenue goes
the way.
Our most
interesting excursion
from Ilidze
was the ascent of

the sun rise next
Mount
Trebevic, where
we
slept at the tourist hut
on the summit morning but that is
to see
antici-
pating
no
Ilidze
Mount
5000
Trebevic
rises
to a height of over
feet to the south of Sarajevo,
and the
members of the make up parties
tourist club very frequently

for
the
ascent and spend a
merry evening on the summit. Such a party, of which I was the only lady, we were invited to join by Baron Mollinary, the Prefect of All those present on this occasion, Sarajevo.
with one exception, occupied high positions
in the
Government, and
;
several
were heads of
departments
Austrian
the exception was the only pure
who came from Vienna and spoke

as
German members
Poles,
his
native
language,
the
other
of
the
party
all
being
Hungarian,
Serb.
Italians,
who
spoke
This
has an interesting bearing on the statement
made
in
some English papers

is
at
the time of
the Annexation that Bosnia
entirely
governed
by Austrians of Teutonic
of the native tongue.
race
who
are ignorant
We
to ride
arranged to meet on the summit, for
the majority were walking, while
we
preferred
on account of the
after
heat,
and arrived
there
shortly
sunset,
having lingered
ridden
slowly
on the
way
to enjoy
the views of Sarajevo
from the heights, and
then

through the forest
wild flowers.
All the
that
clothes
the
upper
slopes of the mountain and stopped to pick
members of our party had

!
arrived
before us but Baron Mollinary, and of him

there was no sign
The
last
glow of sunset
fallen,
had faded and darkness had

faint
when a shout came from below, and some one

must have
lost his
recognised the Baron's voice, and suggested

that he
which proved to be the case.
way in the forest, Guided by the

at length
answering shouts of our party, he
reached the tourist hut bearing in his hand
an English
flag
Then
caused
learnt
his
that
his
mishap had been

pay
by
anxiety to
me
pretty
compliment.
He
I
had said jokingly, a few
days previous, that
when we went by
raft
down
the Drina
it
must have
my
it
flag to sail
under, and
seems he had made up his mind
to procure one
and present
to
me on
the
mountain.
In Sarajevo the
Union Jack was

and found a She did not
unobtainable, so the resourceful Baron went

to
work
to sketch
it
at the club,
seamstress to do the sewinor.

finish the
work
as
promised
the Baron started
Ilidze
late in
consequence, and to save time tried to
take a short cut with disastrous results, and

after
wandering for hours had almost made
up
his
mind
his
to spend the night in the forest

1
when
shouts were heard.
was
really
distressed,
when
saw how much he was

I
exhausted, to think that

witting cause of so
a
little
had been the un-
much
at
trouble,
and
felt
not
guilty
when he handed me my
I
country's
flag
which was toasted
supper by the whole
party
compliment
appreciated the
more
highly because the

trian
many nations of the Aus-
Empire were represented, and because
the Anti-Austrian tone of the English press
over the proposed new Balkan railway shortly

before had caused a
good
to
deal
of sore
feel-
ing, so that cordiality
towards
be
my
countryat
people
was
hardly
expected
the
moment.
The
forester fortable
tourist hut
on Trebevic
is
kept by a
and
his wife,
who made
as
it
us most com-
and we would gladly have spent a

;
longer time there
was our slumbers
were short, for
official
duties called most of
the party back to Sarajevo at an early hour
next morning, and
it
seemed more sociable to

113

accompany them. I stood on the topmost peak of the mountain at sunrise, looking across to the snowy peak of the Dormitor the giant of the Montenegrin mountains- and
at five
we were
again in the saddle watching
the
valley as
the float upward from we descended the mountain. I regretted that we were not able to make more mountain excursions from Ilidze, and especially that we could not visit the observatory on the Bjelasnica, at 2400 feet above sea-
morning mists
level,
which
is
the
highest
in
the Balkans.
The
day
tour,
in
we were
told,
could be made in one
summer, but as fourteen to fifteen hours on foot or in the saddle is a harder day's work than most people care for, it is usual to take two days over it, sleeping at a From the tourist hut on the mountains. rooms guest observatory, where there are two
for tourists, there
view of the highest mountains of Montenegro, Herzegois
a magnificent
vina,
and the Sandjak Novi Bazar. The Black Mountains of the warlike mountaineers the " bloody Herzegovina " of the past (though
now
as safe as
any part of Europe), and the
turbulent province of Turkey, which has just

114
Ridze
been vacated by the Austrian
this is a
It
troops
truly
view to kindle the imagination.

a
was always
joy to
me
in
Bosnia to
visit the
churches on
Sunday mornings and

the costumes were detells
see the gatherings of peasants in festal attire.
At
that
Stab, near
;
Ilidze,
lightful
my
note-book
of one or two
attention,
in
particularly attracted
:
my
and
which we photographed
dress of Turkish crepe
a girl
white
worn under an emhead

an
orange-
broidered zouave jacket, with vest of crimson

velvet,
wearing
scarf,
on
her
coloured
with a white veil beneath, red
stockings with embroidered leggings showed
below her short

completed her
skirt,
and
silver
ornaments,
attire.
She was accompanied

full
by
friend
who wore
black
Turkish
trousers and a zouave jacket edged with gold

braid,
set
and wore curious ancient

stones.
I
silver bracelets
with coloured
frequently saw
peasants whose
sleeveless
jackets
were emadorn their
broidered with gold and edged with fur, and
men and women
alike delight to
caps with flowers on Sundays and
festivals.
"S
XON THE DRINA
RIVER
this
!
has been truly said that, even in
IT
it,
world, there are always
co rpensations
To
on
a
nothing does
it
more
fully ?pply than
to getting
up with the sun, or soon after summer's morning. Custom makes it
hardship to leave your comfortable bed at
such an early hour, but
Dame Nature
repays
you threefold
self at her
for the effort

best.
by showing herat
very
To
four,
be exact,
the
we were
called
half-past
day we were
It
to
enjoy the
novel
experience of a voyage
down
the Drina River

to get
on
a raft.
was quite unnecessary
up
as early (as
we afterwards found when we had

it
to wait at the station of Bistrik), but opinions
varied as to the time
would take us
side.
to
reach
it,
the
hill
being very steep, and we

begins
the
wished to be on the safe
The
day's
business
little
early
in
Orient, and the
coffee-houses
Ii6
we passed
On
on our way
the
Drina River
were
over
all
to the station
open and
city
had many customers.
The backward views

charming
as
the
are
you climb the
hills
to Bistrik,
and not less so those from the train between here and the point where the new Eastern Railway to the Turkish and Servian frontiers
joins the
main
line
at
the principal station.

there
is
From
ing.
Bistrik
to Visigrad
is
hardly a
mile of the way that
not extremely interest-
triumph of engineering, piercing the heart of mountains and crossing it seems as terrific gorges by many viaducts
line
is
The
if
the engineers had specially planned
it
to
show the glorious scenery, so often do you come out of the darkness of a tunnel at just
the right spot for getting a perfect view.
One
cattle
of the most delightful places on

Pale, with
its
the line is
mountain pastures where
graze and
its
pretty country houses of Sara-
jevo residents.
I
am
told that this narrow-gauge Bosnian
railway was one of the costliest in

build,
Europe
to
and
can well believe
it.
The
highest
point of
the line is reached
an hour or so after
leaving Sarajevo at Stambulcic on the Javorina,

117

which
rivers.
is
3000
feet
over sea-level, and forms

the
the watershed between
Bosna and Drina
We
left
the train at Ustipraca, having
seen more
in
the
it
Sarajevo than
few hours' journey from was possible to remember, of
rushing rivers flowing through narrow gorges,
of dark pine forests varied by beech and oak, of inaccessible mountain peaks and dizzy
precipices
all
from our
seats in the comfort-
able train.
From
district
Ustipraca we went to Gorazda, where
the raft awaited us, and the civil head of the
from the garrison were to join the party, and here we lunched at the little open-air restaurant under the Like Foca, the market trees before the inn. town of Gorazda has declined from a place of
and some
officers
considerable importance in the Middle

little
Ages to more than an overgrown village. The modern iron bridge that now spans
Drina
had
the
many
forerunners,
first
of
wood and then of stone, which must have but doubtless been much more picturesque
;
the present bridge
is
better able to resist the
overwhelming force of the water at flood time, which old records show actually broke the
118
On
the
Drina River
arches of the massive stone bridge erected in
1568 by Mustapha Pasha.
In those days
all
the caravans from the East crossed the Drina
Bridge, and a great caravansary adjoined

for the trade between
it,
Turkey and
little
its
the Adriatic
republic of
was considerable, when the
Ragusa was
at the
height of
lands.
glory,
and had
vessels sailing to
all
raft was awaiting us below the bridge, crowd had collected to see us off, for there is little happening in Gorazda, and small
Our
a
and
events are of importance
besides,
it
is
not
often that anyone besides the steersmen under-
found our novel craft honour with flags and green boughs of trees arranged to form a little canopy in the centre for shelter from the sun, under which rude seats had been made by fixing two logs of wood on end with a cross
takes the voyage.
gaily decorated in our
We
piece to
foot or
sit
on, so high that our feet were a

off the ground.
this
later
raft in
more
of
We
saw the
necessity
on when the water

going through the
floated
washed over the

rapids.
My
Union Jack was run up and

119
gaily aloft,
surrounded by the black and gold

of Austria, the red and yellow of Bosnia, and
the red, white, and green stripes of Hungary.
The
raft
was formed of mighty trunks of
forest trees, about sixty feet in length, fastened
together for transport, by the

river to the
medium of
the
Black Sea.
Danube, and ultimately to the was manned by two picturesque Bosnians, whose skill in guiding it was really remarkable. Often we seemed on the point of
It
colliding with
critical
some projecting rock, but

a deft
at the
moment
movement of
;
the oars
turned the
raft in the nick
of time. Accidents,
however, are not infrequent
we were
told of
two raftsmen who had been unableto clear the arches of the bridge at Visigrad, and met
their death there shortly before.
Less than half an hour
after leaving
Gorazda
stream
the
we came
where
and a
to
particularly
dangerous spot,
through
a great rock partly blocked the

terrific
torrent
;
rushed
narrow channel
it
excitement as the
raft
was a moment of tense was swept along by the
headlong force of the water.
Had
the steers-
men
it
lost their presence

all
of mind for a
over with
would have been
moment Even us.
where the river was
at
its
normal width (about
On
two hundred
the
Drina River
between Gorazda and Visigrad) the current was so strong that it was impossible to stop the raft at Ustipraca, though
feet
a
gentleman from the Sarajevo museum, who had been unable to catch the early train and
wired he would join us en route, was waiting
to board
it.
The poor man had
his four hours'
journey both ways for nothing.
Drina the banks
Along almost the whole upper course of the rise steeply on either side,
grassy glades where the herdsmen bring
covered with thick woods, with here and there

little
their sheep
the
cliiFs rise
and goats for pasturage. In places sheer from the water to a height
five
of four or
scenery
hundred
feet.
The
little
finest
we passed was
is
;
near Medjedje (which,
by the way,
passed
the junction for the

just before
branch
line toVardiste)
cliffs
coming there we
fully a
thousand feet in height,
on the rocks assumed most wonderful forms. Perhaps the most interesting point on the river is that where the Lim joins the Drina, which is spanned at this point
and a
little
farther
beside
by an iron bridge with a fortified watch-house (Every station on the line between it. Sarajevo and the Servian frontier is built with

view to defence in time of war, having the windows fitted with steel shutters pierced with
a
loopholes, steel doors behind the
wooden ones
all
and loopholes in the walls.) Our voyage on the Drina was
too short.
As we neared Visigrad
us
to
in the
evening
gretted arrangements had not been
we made
re-
for
go on
to
Ljubovija
on the Servian
frontier, which takes two or three days by There are, I believe, some very danriver.
gerous places beyond Visigrad, especially at the point where a tributary river, the Zepa,
joins the
main stream, and the passage is but we were told blocked by gigantic rocks join it beyond and the raft passengers can leave
;
the rapids, and the night can be spent at a
" Finanzwach Kaserne "
(fortified
border cus-
tom
houses).
said to be
The scenery beyond Visigrad is much wilder, and in the thick forests
mountain
on both
sides bears are
still
that clothe the
frequently met with.
Visigrad
lies
sides of the Rzava, a
mountain stream which flows into the Drina below the town, and has some very picturesque Old Turkish watch-towers crown all features. the surrounding heights, for under the Otto-
On
man Empire
the
the
Drina River
town was
a
place of con-
siderable importance, lying not only
on the
great highway from the East also on the road between the
to the coast, but

seat of Imperial
capital.
It
government
was, too, the
and
first
the
provincial
place of any importance in
Bosnia
to
be reached
by
travellers
from Stamboul, and here,
as at
coming Gorazda, was a

(which
great caravansary for their
reception
the ruins showed was built to suit the tastes
of people of rank, being no

but
fitted
common
" han,"
It
still
with such
luxuries as baths).
stood near the beautiful old bridge, which
remains to excite the admiration of modern

travellers.
An
in
inscription in
central stones states
Turkish upon one of the that the bridge was built

1577,
the year 979
of the Hedschra (Turkish

a.d.
reckoning),
or
by
the
Vizier
Mehmed
the
Pascha Sokolovic, a Bosnian noble

the foremost statesmen of
It
who became one of

eleven
graceful
Ottoman Empire.
arches,
spans the Drina by

in
and was erected
accordance
with the designs of an

skill
architect
from Ragusa, the
of whose builders was
second only to that of Venice, and was doubt123

less
famed
as
far
and wide
a Serb
at
as a masterpiece of
construction, for
firm
proverb runs
Visigrad."
"
As
the
the
bridge
In
quaintly worded inscription, giving the date
and the name of the builder,
Mehmed
and
Pasha's
stated
wisdom and
it
charity
is
praised,
it is
that his bridge

is
was unequalled
still
at that
day
unsurpassed
in
Bosnia in point of
beauty, being only equalled perhaps by that of
Mostar.
There
of
the
are
many
legends about the building

relates that the
this bridge,
of which one
builder had ridden into the stream to ascertain
depth of the water when

still,
suddenly
his
and neither whip nor spur horse stood Looking down he espied availed to move it.
the river fairy with her golden
hair
its
wound
speed,
round the horse's and drew his sword

off her head.
forefeet to stop
to free his steed
fairy
by cutting
begged that her life might be spared, and promised in return to

help with the building of the bridge, but failed
to
The
keep her promise, and for seven years the
building done in the day was undone in the

night.
At
last the
Pasha grew impatient and told

124
On
the
Drina River
summon
the fairy to his
inability to
the builder to again

aid.
She came and declared her
help (the river spirits being against the building
of the bridge), but made the gruesome suggestion that they might be propitiated
living maidens were walled
if
two
up
in the pillars.
According
that time
to the story this
was done, and from
on the building proceeded without Another version has it that a interruption. woman was to be the sacrifice, and the work-
men determined on
approached
wife
;
seizing
to
in
the
first
who
her
the
this
happened
who,
be the
spite
alive
young
of
in
of
the
builder,
prayers for mercy, was buried
foundations of the bridge that
is
an enduring
monument of
Such
as
her husband's
art.
sacrifices are frequently

it
is
mentioned
in
Bosnian folklore, and

the
related that as late
middle of the
last
century,
when
bridge was being built at Trebinje, the people
begged the dead body of a child to bury

the foundations.
instance of
If this be true,
it is
in
a curious
how
superstition
!
lingers
among
a primitive people
The
I
last
of the stories about the bridge at

its
Visigrad relates that after

125
completion the

Pasha feared it would be unable to withstand the force of the trees carried down by the
water
in flood and, at the builder's suggestion,
made
river
!
a present of
money
to the spirits
of the
in the
pile
of gold was deposited

at
centre of the bridge and shovelled into the

flood
beneath, while
the
builder had himself
let
down by
same time the a rope and
struck viciously at a great pine tree that lay

across the
arches
and blocked the passage.

saying that the tree bled
The legend ends by

as
the axe struck

it
it,
and
voice proceeded
from
last
declaring that
Mahmed's bridge would

So the Drina
spirits
!
till
the end of time.
were conquered and the bridge remains Some crumbling walls, which are all that
remain of the once strong
castle
of Starigrad,
crown
a height
;
above the Drina just outside

fortifications, is
Visigrad
an old tower below, which doubtless

con-
once formed part of the
connected with the story of the Servian hero

Kraljevic
Marko who
figures so largely in the
national songs and folklore.
Tradition says
he was a prisoner here for nine years, and at

his escape cleared the
feat which,
if
Drina
126
at
one bound
he performed
it,
would
place
On
him
in
the
Drina River
rank of the world's
rather
the
foremost
athletes of all time.
There
than
is
another old
castle
more
an
hour's drive from Visigrad on the

I
way
it,
to Priboj, which
should have liked to
have visited, as so many legends cling around
Dobrunj, which gave its name to a some importance in the Middle Ages but we were due to leave Visigrad early the following morning, so had to content ourthis is
place of
selves
with seeing
is
the
town, of which
the
the most picturesque part. gipsy quarter Very reluctantly we bade good-bye next day to
the Drina river.
127
XI FROM GORAZDA TO FOCA

we had not been very persevering we
IFshould never have

for
seen historic Foca, or

it
;
the charming country that lies around
though we were on the Drina
in the
summer, time failed us to explore the border and when we came again to Bosnia
early
;
in the stirring time that followed the annexation,
Foca
was
literally
besieged
by
the
military,
hotel
who occupied every room in the and every private room in the town.
this in advance,
We
were warned of
but as
accounts varied, trusting to our usual good

fortune to find a roof to cover our heads,
set off
we
from Gorazda one golden October day for the four hours' drive along the banks of
the Drina.
It
was not alone of the lack of accommoda-
tion
we were warned, but
also of the possible
dangers of the road in such unsettled times,
and the risk of being shut up at Foca should But we had just returned war break out from the Sand^k, where we had also gone (in
!
128
From Gorazda
spite
to
Foca
it,
of warnings) and not regretted
and
we had
already given up a long-planned tour

to
across the mountains from Cajnica
Foca,
because even optimistic people urged us not

to take a path so near the frontier see
!
Not
to
Foca
at all
disappointing
would have been too cruelly so we went Nor did we go

!
alone, for the wife of the General
command-
ing the forces in the Sandjak, Baroness von
Rhemen, and her

for
sister,
asked to be allowed
at
to join us while they
were waiting
Gorazda
careful
the
troops.
let
not to
her
The Baroness was husband know of her

from
to
inten-
tions, lest her enterprise
should be nipped in
Plevlje.
the
bud by
a telephone message
We
learned
afterwards,
however,
that
our
daily
movements had been reported

while she was in our company.
It
him
was the
last
day of the great Moslem

at
festival
of Bairam, and
the
little
coffee-
houses by the roadside, on the outskirts of
Gorazda, the Turks were gathered in

array.
festal
Our
driver, too,
seemed
as
to have been
celebrating,
and
his
mood
at
he sang Turkish
songs, and sometimes turned sharp corners at
break-neck speed,
others flicked his whip

129

over the horses' back quite suddenly (startling
us as
much
as the
poor animals), was too con-
vivial to be reassuring.
But
after a while
we
got used to these

as
little
incidents,
It
part of the programme.
and took them dawned on us,
moreover, that our driver was very proud of Were we not " Ingleski " who had come us.
from
of
afar to see his
country and make pictures
it }
He
asked to handle the camera, and
beamed when we took his photo in the foreground of a picturesque group of Turks, who
attracted our attention at a house
by the roadside. I am sure he related to one and all what distinguished strangers he had the honour of
Like
all
driving.
Bosnian post roads made by the
military,
that
from Gorazda
folk
to
Foca leaves
is
nothing to be desired, and the scenery

lightful.
de-
The country
here
are
very
to-
prosperous, thanks to their orchards
and
bacco
class
fields,
so the red-tiled roofs of better-
houses often replace the peaked wooden

the whitewashed walls
are
ones, but are not less picturesque, especially
when
hung with
tobacco
garlands of tobacco leaves to be dried in the

sun, as
is
frequently the case.

130
The
From Gorazda
grown
in
to
Foca
is
this part,
by the way,
said to be
the best in Bosnia.
The produce
and
fine
of the orchards
walnuts
were
purple plums
every
little
on
sale at
shop in Gorazda and Foca.

All the
way we followed
the course of the
Drina
its
transparent green waters
on our
left flowing between wooded banks of golden autumn foliage, sometimes rushing over stones,
sometimes seeming
but a
a
little
to sleep in the sun.
It is
river after the
drought of summer,
the torrent along
very different Drina
to
which clever steersmen directed our raft a few months ago, when the stream was swollen with
the melting snows from the mountains
different
a very
Drina to that which uprooted trees and swept away whole houses along its banks
in the terrible floods
of 1898.
We
came
to the halfway house,

to
where our
our anxiety, stopped for reanother traveller who was from freshment, but returning from Foca and went into the coffeehouse we learned he was taking nothing fVe preferred to remain stronger than coffee.
Turk, rather
outside, for the glimpse
we had of rooms hung

sheepskins
that
round with
ghastly-looking
131

had not long ago was not inviting
the outer walls.
;
left their first
owners' backs
the skins likewise adorned
Beyond
the river,
steeply to
this point the valley
narrowed, and
hills
now
its
shut in by high
sloping
brink, formed rapids. before coming to Foca there

village
About an hour
is
an idyllic
little
named
Ustikolina,
grouped about the minaret of a very ancient mosque. Long ago, before the Turkish conquest, history relates that it was a place of
importance, famous for the
skill
of
;
its
goldhill
smiths and with a considerable trade

close
on a
by the foundations of a mediaeval castle may still be traced. But that the history of Ustikolina goes back far beyond the Middle
is
Ages
shown by the number of
prehistoric
gravestones that have been found in the neigh-
bourhood.
In
the
fifteenth
century the
conquering
armies of the Sultan
Mehmed
Fatih came this
way, and on the banks of the Josanica (a tributary of the Drina), not far from here,
was fought,
the
in 1463, the
bloody battle between

in
Turks and Bosnians,

132
which the great
Bosnian hero, Ivko of Josanica, perished.
The
From Gorazda
to
Foca
country people say that he was buried where
he
fell,
and
still
point to an ancient gravestone
as " the stone
of Ivko," while the Turks hold

of the
sacred
the grave
Moslem
fell
leader
who
fight,
slew him and afterwards
in the
same
it
and drink the rain-water which

for
all
collects in a
hollow of the gravestone, believing
a cure
manner of
ills.
The mosque of
Turkish
grave
Ustikolina, which
is
one of
first
the oldest in the land, was built by the
governor,
still
Turkani
It is
Emin
(whose
may
be seen in the Turkish grave-
yard
the
at Presjeka).
rest
because
is
conspicuous from all " Mischan " (Turkish the

is
gravestone)
of marble, on which
is
carved
the Crescent and the Star. There

tion
an inscrip-
upon
it
in
Turkish, which can only be

is
partly read as the marble
broken, but one of
the oldest inhabitants relates that in his youth

it
was
intact
and gave the year of Turkani

after the
Emin's death, 869,

ing
;
Turkish reckon-
so that the age of the
mosque can be
determined accordingly.
more important neighbour, Foca, Ustikolina has declined from a busy town To-day the inhabitants to a sleepy village.
Like
its
133

specially
pride
themselves
on
growing
the
best tobacco in the district.
The afternoon was drawing to a close when we came in sight of Foca, a white town with many minarets, built where two rivers meet,
and backed by forest-clad mountains is no fairer sight, nor fairer town, seen We had to cross the afar, in Bosnia. twice, once by a new bridge from which
is
there
from
river
there
a glorious view of river and mountains,
and then again by an old wooden one which So we came to dates from Turkish times.
the Hotel Gerstl, where
we were
told every
;
room
was
filled
to
overflowing
but
we
succeeded in persuading our host to put us
up beds in the bathroom, while an officer from the garrison in the Sandjak, whom we fortunately met, gave up his own apartment
to the Baroness and her sister,
who were
is
only
remaining
Foca's
till
the morrow.
famous "Aladza" (coloured) mosque, so called on account of the paintings of the interior. This
pride
and
glory
the
mosque
at a cost
has
been
recently
restored
for
the
Mohammedans by
the Austrian
Government
of kr. 10,000 (about 4^06)^ a plain

134
From Gorazda
proof that the Moslems
the annexation.
It will
to
Foca
will
not suffer through
be very beautiful
little
;
when
time has softened the tints a

rather
garish.
is
at present,
the restorations being but a

effect
is
month
old, the
Another
mark
of
Austrian friendship
the costly carpet, so im-
mense
that
it
covers the whole floor, which was
presented by the late
Crown Prince Rudolf.

from the year
told
is
The mosque
dates
and a pretty story
1549, of the founder,
Hassan Nasir, which runs thus. Hassan was a Bosnian by birth, a son of poor parents
who
them
lived
in his
near
Foca.
He
quarrelled
with
youth, ran away from home, and

service
finally
took
with
the
Sultan,
who
showed him great favour,

time to hold high
offices
so that he rose in
of State, and was
one of the Sultan's most trusted servants, accompanying his master wherever he went. Many years passed, and Hassan Nasir had
grown
rich
in
the
Sultan's
service,
still
began to wonder
if his
parents
and he lived, and
wished to see them once again.
So he begged
obtained a
leave of absence from the court,
Firman
and
set
to build a
mosque
135
in his native
town,
out on his journey to his birthplace,

having on his person three
for the building of the
belts full
of gold
mosque.
On
chains
the road he was waylaid by robbers,

his treasure
who took away

;
and put him
in
but he escaped miraculously, for the robbers, having drunk deeply at the " Han,"
where they spent the night, fell fast asleep, and as they slept Hassan prayed for help, and in answer to his prayer the chains fell from He seized his treasure, his hands and feet.
and arrived safely at Foca, where he saw his mother at the spot where the mosque stands to-day. Years had changed
a horse,
mounted
Hassan
so
much
to
that she did not recognise

afar, the
him, but seeing a stranger from
old
woman began
speak of her lost son,

tidings
in the
Hassan asked her if there was any mark by which she could recognise her son, and she replied that she would know him anywhere by a whereupon the traveller mole on his arm drew up his sleeve and showed the mole, and the mother knew her son and embraced him
hope of getting
of him.
;
but died of joy
On
the spot where he was reunited to his
mother,
Hassan
built
136
the
mosque
to
her
From Gorazda
memory, sending
it
to
Foca
from
for a skilled architect
Asia Minor, and sparing no expense to make
of exceeding beauty within and without.
Such
is
the legend of the famous Aladza

It
mosque.
stands within the town, and from
the churchyard
surrounding
it
there
is
an
enchanting view of the quaint old town beyond

the river, with
in
its
broad-eaved houses grouped
picturesque confusion around the minaret
of yet another mosque, while

rise
behind them
the
the
mountains.
You
it
cross
stream
by an ancient wooden bridge, and

in
find yourself
the Carsija, but

;
is
strangely silent and

little
empty
one
half,
indeed, of the
Turkish
shops are shut
of wares for
up
for
of a curious medley you see but wooden shutters Foca has no more its former trade,
sale
instead
though, to be sure, a new industry has sprung

in fruit-growing for export
;
but this docs
not affect the Carsija.
and climb the

a
little
you continue through the quiet streets hill you come upon a Dervish monastery. A low white building built around
If
courtyard, out of which rises a spread-
ing
pine-tree
sketch
ready
made
to
be
transferred to an artist's easel

137
the dusky stone

pine on the brow
of the
hill
standing out
against the blue haze of the mountains across
the intervening valley, while
all
around
it
are
the turbaned graves of bygone generations of
Moslems, who little dreamt that a Christian monarch would one day rule this land. One cannot wonder that the Turks, born and bred in the belief that the supreme head of the State must necessarily be the supreme
head of their Church, were sorely puzzled first by the annexation, and feared that
at
it
meant
to
for
them compulsory conversion

;
to
Christianity
make it ment in no way

all
I
but great pains have been taken clear that the change of governwill affect their religion,
this
and
having once grasped

or at
they appear content,
events patiently accept the inevitable.
But
am wandering away from Foca

some
We
lingered there
days, waiting for favour-
able weather to visit the Sutjeska Valley, in
of discomforts arising from the strengthening of the garrison and the consequent
spite
overcrowding of the hotel (which, though externally promising, can offer little at the best
of times).
it
Travellers less inured to roughing

to visit
138
might prefer
Foca
in
one day and
From Gorazda
to
Foca
the inn,
;
return to Gorazda to sleep, where
though smaller,
excursions
are
is
to
it
more comfortable but if be made to Rataj or the

is
Sutjeska Valley
necessary to sleep, one
night at
least, at
Foca.
were promoted from the bathroom to a more commodious apartment, through strong influence brought to bear upon our host of
the
We
Hotel Gerstl from without, but
truth
compels
me
to say that creature comforts
were
altogether lacking here.^
Foca has been Bosnia only since 1880
it
formerly belonged to Herzegovina, and played

a great part in the insurrection of 1881 and
1882.
Its
proximity to the Sandjak and to
Montenegro account for this, and would make it the chief pawn in the game played on this part of the frontier if trouble came sooner or Hence the great barracks at each enlater. hence the military activity trance to the town
here during the recent crisis. Moreover, Foca is on the Drina river, and from the Servian
point of view the Drina
to be so in fact, part of
^
is
the natural
;
ary between Servia and Bosnia
if it
boundever came
Foca would be Servian.

in
This was written
November, 1908.
159
XII <tA BOSNI<iAN FEUDAL CzASTLERATAJ
OUR
as despotic
rule, as
first
excursion from Foca was to
the Turkish castle of Rataj, a
good
example of the feudal strongholds

of the Bosnian Begs,
a
who
exercised
sway here, under the Turkish
any robber knights of the

in
Middle
I
Ages did
book, and
vorsteher
Europe.
Curiously enough,
in
have not found mention of Rataj
any guide
for
we
(civil
it.
had
to
thank the Bezirksdistrict)
head of the
our
knowledge of
of the
still
He
told us that the present
Beg, though shorn of power beyond the walls

little
village
surrounding
his
tower,
rules
absolutely within
them,
and the
wholly
subject of this petty king lived a
life
cut off from the outside world, never even
intermarrying with the people of the villages.
This
is
the
in
more
interesting, as
the feudal
system
Bosnia did not even survive up to
the time of the Austrian occupation, but was

140

A
Bosnian Feudal Castle
put an end to in 1850 by

abolished the
chiefs
Omer
Pasha,
who
of
rank and
office
of the feudal
their
and deprived them of
right
taking tithes from their subjects, which from

that time
A
Begs
on was paid to the Government. very interesting account of the Bosnian

is
given by Miss Irby, the Englishwoman

her
life
who devoted
Bosnia and
to philanthropic
lived in Sarajevo before the
trian occupation.^
She
:
says, in
work in Ausher book on
the Southern Slavs
" After the conquest of Bosnia by the Turks,

those of the nobility
land
became Mohammedan. Begs were the offspring of an

"
who remained alive in the The Bosnian

alliance
between
feudalism and Islam.
The
feudal system which had been estab-
lished in Bosnia in the Christian period was
continued after the Mussulman conquest

this
with
lords
sole
difference,
faith
that
the
feudal
changed their
and their souzerain.
Their
own
position was confirmed by this change.
We
1
have seen that Bosnia was continually the
object of an attack from

This lady
still
Hungary.
Now
girls.
the
resides in Sarajevo during the greater part
of the year and superintends the school for Servian
141

Turkish policy was acute and masterly there was also much that was noble and magnanitempting mous in the Osmanli character
;
terms were
offered
to
the the
Bosnian nobles.
Perceiving that under
shadow of
their
mighty conquerors they would be able

privileges,
to pre-
serve their nationality, maintain their feudal
and bid defiance
to
Hungary and
the Pope,
many of
the nobles threw in their
cause with that of the
Empire of the Othman
and the Bosnian Slavonic Mussulman ; in the words of the Turkish writers, * the lion that guarded Stamboul,' Bosnia was the bulwark of Islam against Western Europe."^ When the Turkish Empire was at the height of its power, the Bosnian Begs often led its conquering armies and were powerful in the
ranks of the Janissaries,
in
who
practically ruled
Sarajevo, and set the Viziers at defiance.
Most of
estates,
these feudal chiefs resided on their
whom
they exercised power of
which were cultivated by vassals over life and death

;
yet some historians maintain that the Christian
rayah was less oppressed by the Begs than by

1 Travels in the Slavonic Provinces of Turkey by G. Muir Mackensie and A. P. Irby.
in Europe,
142
A
the

tax-gatherers
Turkish
who
succeeded
These Bosnian nobles clung, in secret, some of the traditions of their Christian forefathers, though making in public so great a show of Mohammedanism, for the German historian Ranke relates that a Bosnian Beg
them.
to
sometimes took
a Christian priest secretly to
the grave of his forefathers to bless the re-
mains and to pray for their souls, and Miss

Irby says some of them kept the
name of
the
patron saint of their family and carefully preserved the patents of nobility of the Christian
ancestors
;
though others were
fanatic
Moslems
these
and persecuted the Christians whenever opportunity offered.

feudal chiefs,
little
Having heard much of
who
played so large a part in the
the outside world

I
knows of Turkish
to
rule
in Bosnia,
was delighted
have the oppor-
tunity of seeing one of their strongholds and

possibly
its
present lord, even though he be
but a lion with drawn teeth.
We
the
started
with the intention of visiting

Jelec as well as the castle of
;
little
town of
same direction but the days being short in late October we found this programme could not be carried out, and
Rata], for both lay in the
H3

had to give up seeing the former place. Jelec is surrounded by a mountainous region
that affords pasturage to thousands of sheep
and goats, and was from the
earliest times
famous for its tanneries. As the primitive methods in vogue under Turkish rule could not compete with modern requirements, and the trade from which the inhabitants mostly lived was threatened with extinction, the Austrian
Government (which
has everywhere fos-
tered
the national industries) built a
model
fifteen
tannery and leather factory there some

years ago, which has
more than restored the There is another industry arising out of it in which numbers of children are employed the collecting of sumach, which grows wild on the mountains
reputation
of the
town.
here, the leaves of which are used in tanning
the skins to a fine colour.
anyone who may come this way in the long warm days of summer, I may say here that a bridle-path leads from
For the
benefit of
Jelec over the Zelengora,
where pastoral
the
life
may
be seen at
its
best in
high Alpine
meadows, and extending south to the Montenegran border. This mountain region is not
144
A
and dark

its
the less interesting because

forests
wild ravines
lairs less
were robbers'
than
a generation ago,
though
Rataj
to
safe as
any part of
Bosnia to-day.
way to peasants coming

the
On
we met hundreds of
weekly market
in
the
Foca, which
is
of such importance that the
people
come from Sandjak Novi Bazar

however,
missing, for during
Montenegro
to
attend
it
and on
the
this
occasion,
the
Montenegrins
political
crisis
were
the
and
general excitement the

sidered
it
wiser not to
Government had conallow them to cross the
border.
As our road ascended in serpentine windsaw the approaching groups of ings, we

peasants
from
afar,
and
were
perpetually
stopping the carriage to snapshot

ticularly picturesque people.
some
par-
Most were on
foot, but not a few of the more richly dressed on horseback these bore themselves proudly,
;
like knights
of the olden times.
Many peasants
drove their flocks of sheep and goats, and others had pack-horses laden with goods for
sale.
Nowhere
in
Bosnia have
seen greater
variety of costume, for

145
some men wore the

fez,
others the
turban,
and
still
others the
white cap of Albania, while not a few had

the
is
round pork-pie cap edged with black that in Montenegro (only the embroidered monogram failed, which showed
universal
they were not subjects of the Prince of the
Black Mountains)
attire.
all
were evidently
in festal
We
reached the highest point of the
road about an hour and a half after leaving

Foca, and descended the other side of the
mountain, through a charming wooded glen,

then came out again into a more open landscape where green
distant
forest-clad
meadows were framed by

mountains glowing
hamlet
the
called
with
autumn foliage. At a wayside

stopped
to
Budanj
Rataj
we
from
inquire
way
to
some gendarmes who were resting

our driver could
there, for
speak only Slav, and

as to
we
were
alight
a little
dubious
whether he knew
told
the road
himself
They
us
we must
it
at a certain
point and proceed from
there on foot.
Before coming to
we saw
not
it
!
the ancient tower, looking
in the distance
unlike a Tyrolese castle, but to reach

not
was
so easy, for the river lay between

146

taken to guide us and carry
Turk we had
carriage,
the cameras, at the point where
we
left
the
made us
understand by signs
he
;
would carry us across the stream pick-a-back

but for reasons of cleanliness
1
had scruples
contact,
about coming
into
such
close
and had
the
decided to take off
my
the
shoes and stockings

I
and wade
must
for
confess, however,
icy
not bargained
coldness
of
water, which was nearly knee-deep in places,
nor yet for the difficulty of walking over the

slippery
stones
of the
river-bed
against
strong current, and had not our guide come to the rescue and held my arm, I think I
should have
I
fallen.
On
!
the return journey
resigned myself
to the inevitable,
and conbuilt
sented to be carried
The
castle
of
Rataj,
which
is
on
a terrace
on the mountain-side, stands like a sentinel keeping watch and ward over the Arcadian valley below. On the day of our
visit,
the whole landscape lay basking in sun-
shine, as
it
warm
last
as that of
was the
midsummer, though day of October. Blue smoke

the
curled slowly upwards from the roofs of the

cottages
nestling under
147
shadow of the

ancient fortress, and fleecy white clouds flecked
an
Everything spoke of peace but that grim tower with its memories of past warfare and oppression.
azure sky.
In seeking the best place to take a picture
from the distance, we came across a curious rock-hewn tomb, in what appeared from the other side merely a huge boulder that had become detached from the mountainof
it
arched cavity had been scooped out in the interior, in which a coffin-shaped grave was hewn out in the rock above this was
side.
;
An
mosques for There was carrying bodies to the grave. some rough carving on the arched entrance,
one of the boards used
in the
and
other
fragments
of carved
stone
lay
this
scattered
around, which suggested that
was the tomb of no common person. But, we could not speak the language to alas
!
inquire of
our guide about this interesting find, and no one in Foca whom I asked on my return there could tell me anything of it.
The
is still
village
surrounding the
castle
of Rataj
fenced in by its were made to understand we must not enter He was sent without the Beg's permission.
mediaeval walls, and we
THE
I'.KG
OF KATAI
A
for
and appeared
beard,
ancestors
a fine old
man
with long,
grey
his
who looked we feared
not
at
unworthy of from his first
gestures that he refused us entrance to his
domain, but our guide motioned us to wait. The Beg left us for a short time, and then
we and signed to us to follow to interval afterwards thought he used the

returned
;
order
all
the
women
of the village to dis-
appear.
Following our host, we entered his feudal

walls,
proach.
stable
and very rude they were on near apFirst we descended to an underground above this, on for horses and cattle
;
the
ground
floor,
corn was stored
the other
floors, six in all,
were apparently unused. It was evident the Beg no longer lived in the
of his ancestors, but
it.
castle
in
the
more com-
fortable dwelling beside

circular
We
climbed by a
stone staircase to the topmost story

pile,
which had projections on missiles on the all four sides for hurling besiegers below. When our host playfully took hold of my husband's arm to show him how
of the ancient
men were
across
down formerly, it my mind how utterly we were

hurled
149
flashed
in
his

power had he thought well to rob and murder us. The gloomy walls were depressing, and I was glad to leave them and get out again into it seemed as if memories of dark the sunshine deeds clung to them. The Beg became very though we cordial before we bade him adieu could only communicate to him by signs and
smiles,
we
felt that
we had made
a favourable
impression, and
he was
delighted
when we
took
his
photograph and promised to send
him
one.
One
capital
thing that surprised
me
in
his tiny
was that I saw no harem windows Did the Turkish covered with musharabeah.
women
see
of Rataj have more liberty than elsewhere, I wondered, because there is no one to
them but
their blood relations
.''
What
life
a strange survival in the

is
Europe of the
twentieth century
the patriarchal mediaeval

village in the heart of the
of
this
Turkish
!
Bosnian mountains
Only
a mile or so distant
modern
civilisa-
tion is represented by a neat European house in a garden where the Austrian revenue officers
live,
whose duty
is
to
collect
left
taxes
in the
district.
Here we had
150
our carriage, and
Bosnian Feudal Cadle
begged for some hot water to make tea on our

return before setting off on
our long drive
back to Foca.
that they
What was
our surprise to find
had misunderstood us and provided a substantial meal of soup and meat, which we were expected to partake of at four o'clock in
the afternoon, after having had a
in the
good lunch
middle of the day

hospitality,
;
Such
feint
though
forced
kind, was
barrassing
politeness
it
us to
emmake a
to
of eating, but
was hard work, and, and

was,
a
fortunately,
two pet
cats
dog came
however,
our
assistance.
There
no
feigning about our appreciation of the
good
Bosnian wine our kind hosts pressed upon us.

I
only regretted that, though living so near,

tell
they could
Rataj and
me
nothing of the
castle
of
its
past history.
151
XIII FROM FOCA TO THE VALLET OF THE SUrjESK<^
THE
fastnesses
Sutjeska river runs through one

;
of the grandest ravines in Europe

the scenery
this valley
but not alone for the wild beauty of

is
famous,
but also for the dark deeds wrought there by

the robber bands
who
inhabited
its
mountain
It
is
under Turkish rule and
in the early
years of the Austrian occupation.
no
exaggeration to say that the banks of the Sutjeska were literally drenched
past
centuries.
in
blood in the
As
chiefs,
late
as
the eighties two

still
famous robber
ominously
cevic
in
whose names
in the peasants' ears, Stojan
sound Kova-
and Risto Bakac, had
their hiding-places
the side valleys that open into the ravine

;
through which the river flows

travellers,
thence they
issued with their followers to rob and murder
of
whom many
passed this way (for,
though the old Turkish road is but a bridlepath, it was the route by which all commerce
152
The Valley of
the Sutjeska
passed from Servia and the Sandjak to Herze-
govina and the
coast).
The
bandit chiefs took refuge across the
border in Montenegro when driven from the

Sutjeska valley by the Austrian troops, and
Stojan Kovacevic
is still
living there, as
treaties.
is
Monte-
negro makes no extradition
Of
Risto Bakac a good story courtesy of Robin
told that
recalls the
Hood.
He
fell
large
upon the gendarmerie post of Cureva with a band the few gendarmes were powerless to offer resistance to overwhelming numbers, and doubtless expected death. But massacre
;
was, in this particular instance, not Risto's intention

;
he merely wished to get rid of the

in the
gendarmes, whose presence,
domain he
So he
considered his own, was inconvenient.
dispatched them to Foca, afterwards burning

the station to
make
sure they did not return.

fell
Needless to say, retribution
later,
and the
Austrian Government deserves full credit for the work of the " Streifkorps " (Border Volunteer
Corps), which were specially formed to
root out the robbers and
make
life
and protheir
perty safe on the frontier.
These did
duty so effectually that an era of peace and

153

security
dawned
for the peasantry,

lives.
who once
went
in fear
of their
The "
at the
Streifkorps " were disbanded
many
on
and
to
years ago, but reorganised in October, 1908,
time of our second
visit to Bosnia,
account of the demonstrations in Servia and
Montenegro
in
that followed the annexation,
the reported formation of marauding bands

these
countries,
whose intention was
cross into Bosnia.
The men
all
it
serving in the
" Streifkorps " are

regular troops, and
that so
volunteers
is
from
for
the
interesting to
note
the
many Turks volunteered

thirty
service
were serving in one company.
The
service appeals to soldiers,
who
love ad-
venture
good,
than
sleep
better
than
regular
routine.
The
more
risks are great, the life arduous, but the pay
the
common
the
the
soldiers
earning
double
in
ordinary pay.
open, and
one day to
another
The men know from where they may be

never
naturally the secrecy as to their
movements
is
one of the secrets of their efficiency. This alone is certain, that no single spot on the
frontier escapes their vigilance.
To
visit
the
valley
154
of the Sutjeska
the
The Valley of
the Sutjeska
night must be spent at the gendarme station

at
Suha, which
is
so close to the
Montenegrin
to
frontier that, in the rather unsettled state of

affairs
at the
time of our
visit
Foca,
we
hesitated a
little
about making the excursion,

desired to see this wonder-
greatly though
ful
we
ravine.
We
put
it
off,
therefore,
from
day to
cleared,
day, to see if
the political
horizon
died
down and we could go

turned
and by the time the excitement had the weather had

very
cold.
It
suddenly
required
almost more courage to face the early start

in
the state of the elements, with a whole
day's ride in prospect, and only a possibility
of the sun dispelling the fog later, than the possibility of being stopped by Montenegrin
bands.
We
decided
to
leave
the
revolver
behind on this occasion, several civilians
who
were used to travelling on

carry no arms.
official
it
duties in
safer to
the mountains having told us
was
thick
fog
hung over Foca when

frost.
the
horses came to the door, and the ground was
white with hoar
For the
first
hour
and a half our way lay along the new road, which is being made from Foca to Gacko in
155

Herzegovina (and will be finished, we were Here we might told, in two years' time). have trotted the horses and gained time, as
well as got a
little
warm, but the man who

foot, so
accompanied them was on
we had to suit our pace to his, and, as it was chilly work riding under such circumstances, we walked The mountains were completely hidden too. from our view, and all we could see was the Drina river, whose banks we followed. About half-past nine, however, our enterprise
in
starting
under such adverse condi-
the sun was equal to the tions was rewarded Within a quarter faith we had put in him. time that he sent his the from hour, of an
gleams through the mist to cheer us, the whole scene was changed the fog lifted and
first
;
dispersed in fleecy white clouds which drifted

across
the
mountains,
till
peak after peak

deep
hid in the
came
into view, standing out against a
blue sky, while their base

river mists.
was
still
We
pass
had
left
the
new road now, and were

two horses could scarcely
its
slowly ascending the mountains by a stony

path, so narrow that
;
far
below us the river rushed over

156
The Valley of
stony bed, and
again,
trees
the Sutjeska
beyond the mountains rose

summits, with half the
wooded
still
to their
clad in the golden
autumn
the
foliage,
the
other
half
leafless
yet
interlacing
branches making a feathery mass of delicate
grey hardly
Signs of
far
less beautiful
than foliage.
human
;
habitation were few and
between
only occasionally a heavily laden

passed
us,
pack-horse
with
its
owner
a
in
picturesque garb walking behind.

there
Nor was
few
the
any sign of wild

birds
life,
except
in
ravens,
very
common
Balkan
mountains.
Lovely though the scene was, the keen

to
air
sharpening our appetites brought our minds
mundane
things,
and we began
to look for-
ward with pleasurable

and
rest
anticipation to a sight
of the halfway house where we were to lunch
our horses.
At
hill
!
last
we
sighted a
white fort crowning a

sure, be
it
that must,
we
It
felt
our goal.
five
But no
still
Our
guide said
on.
was deserted, and

till
we went
hours
was
not
and
a half
after
Foca that he pointed
to a
"
Han
leaving " far below
us (the road had been a sort of switchback
ascending and descending by turns

i^
all
the way)
157

as the
rest
house.
The view
:
at
this
point
was strikingly beautiful

shepherd
lads,
flock
of sheep
grazed on the brow of the
tended by two group made a charming foreground to the panorama of distant mountains and tempted us to photograph it.
hill,
and
this pretty
To
river
reach the "
Han
"
we had
to cross the
if
by one of the many picturesque

is
rather
rickety bridges over which the road

It offered
carried.
nothing in the way of refreshment

coffee,
but black
so
we were glad
to
have
brought lunch with

in
self within.
and picnicked outside the sunshine while our guide enjoyed himus,
was evidently anxious, however, to reach Suha before nightfall, and in

less
He
than half an hour
we were
again in the
saddle,
and none too soon,
for the
sun went
behind the mountain before we reached the

ravine
It
we had come
so far to see.
it
was evident
narrow
that, as
shines for such a
very short time

this
at this season
of the year
in
valley,
photographing would be
;
impossible except just before and after noon
we
therefore decided to stay two nights instead

at the
of one
gendarmerie
station, so as to be
there in the middle of the day.

158
The
ravine
The Valley of
the Sutjeska
a half before
commences about an hour and
reaching Suha, and is worthy of its reputation. It will be the " Via Mala " of Bosnia when the
driving road is finished. The so-called Turkish " road " by which we went, and which is the
roughest of footpaths, where the horses often
have to climb over boulders and sometimes
go unpleasantly near the edge of
a precipice,
is here cut out of the face of the mountain at a height of three to four hundred feet above
the river bed.

that riding
is
Later on
impossible.
it
descends so steeply
At
;
the point where

is
a bridge crosses
the
river
the scene
the
in-
describably wild and grand

rise like walls
mountains
on either
in
side, their
summits
to
torn into crags and peaks
similar
those
we had
seen
the
defile
between Mostar
and Jablanica, and their sides clothed with virgin forest which hides (so we were told)
the
narrow entrances
which
the
to
some
side
valleys
inaccessible to any but practised mountaineers,
through
men of the Black Mountains swooped down to rob and murder,

of the Sutjeska valley.
in the turbulent times
We
wondered
if
history
would repeat
!
itself in
case the threatened war broke out

59

Suha was reached a we were very thankful
fire
little
before
five,
and
to find ourselves in a
scrupulously clean, comfortable room, where a
was soon blazing

if it is a fair
in the stove.
The whole
station, indeed,
was a model of cleanliness and

sample of the gendarmerie
system which provides
order;
stations
in
general they deserve the highest
praise
as also does the
so well for travellers in out-of-the-way places
where there is no inn. At the " Fremden Zimmer

is
'
(guest rooms)
attached to the military casino, no provision
made
for meals,
is
but
at
the gendarmerie
as comforttariff"
stations food
provided as well
is
able beds,
and there
is
regular
for
meals, which
hung on
the wall,
so
that
every traveller knows what he has to pay.

food, naturally,
treat to us to
is
The
was a
air
of the simplest
it
but
it
have
served in our
own room
is
instead of in a public one,
where the
is
thick with tobacco smoke, as
the case every-
where
in
Austria at the country inns. After the
disorder and discomfort of the hotel at Foca

the gendarmerie station of Suha was luxury.
I
have wandered
far
from the
Pacific to the land
and on many a shore, of the Pyramids
1^
r^3tiî^ ,
The Valley of
the Sutjesha
far
and the Sphinx and the borders of the Soudan, but never has it been my lot
sleep
little fell
to
this
in
more romantic spot than

reached
its
border fort in the Balkans.
Darkness
soon after we
hospitable walls,
but then the
moon
rose and flooded the valley
with silver light, and the ravine on which our
windows looked had a weird fascination a it would have formed moonlight

;
in the
fitting
background for a scene The " Wachtmeister

little
in Dante's Inferno. "
who commanded
visit
the
garrison of eleven gendarmes (strengthat the
ened
by the addition of three soldiers from the regular troops on account of the unrest on the border) came to
time of our
our room by our invitation after supper, and from him we learnt much that was interesting
on the frontier. We were surprised that there is no telephone between the different posts, the only communication being by the patrols which meet halfway. The men's duties are most various, for the peasants seem to
of
life
come
to
them
far
in all sorts
of
difficulties
they
a
have alike to give assistance in illness

doctor
is
when
away, and to hunt
down wolves
or bears that have carried off the peasants'

i6i

sheep or goats.
their
not unimportant part of
work
is
to get in touch with the people
and hear of any complaints or dissatisfaction which may be discussed at the wayside coffeehouses. As they always go about in twos, there
is
no opportunity for
single
man
to abuse
his
somewhat privileged position towards the

working
learnt
in
peasants, and doubtless also the regulation of

their
safety.
couples
is
for
reasons of
Wachtmeister that, though we had seen so little wild life on our way, chamois and wild boars are plentiful around Suha, and the former particularly tame,
from
the
as they have sanctuary in this district.
We
The
Government
has set a price of Kr. 20 on the
head of every bear and wolf killed in Bosnia, and our informant told us he had himself
earned Kr. 40 in one day by killing two large bears (besides the value of their skins) when
a
peasant
sent
for
assistance
to protect his
sheep, several of which had been
devoured.
This reminded
me
that
had heard of a tax
on sheep and goats which weighed heavily on the peasants, and I inquired as to the amount,
and learnt that ten
heller (one
162
penny) a year
is
The Valley of
collected
the Sutjeska
(rather less
on sheep and on the
fifty heller
!
that sixpence)
latter
The
value of a
sheep in Bosnia varies from Kronen I2 (ten

shillings) to
Kronen
20.
The sun shone

ing, but
it
in a cloudless
sky next morn-
was so cold
did,
in the shade in
which
the valley lay that

early
;
we did not venture out very

our
first
when we
business was to
inspect our fortified dwelling, which
we had
not paid
much
attention to
tired the previous night.
when we arrived Heavy iron doors

little
;
closed the only entrance to the
courtyard,
the wall of
beyond which lay the house door

this
courtyard, as
all
well
as
the walls of the
house
round, were pierced with loopholes
for guns.
Yet we did not think the

attack.
place
could have resisted a prolonged

case of trouble,
In
no doubt the two cows be-
longing to the establishment, together with the turkeys and cocks and hens, would be
placed in safety inside the courtyard.
In spite
of
its
warlike aspect, however, the gendarmerie
station of
Suha
is
most pleasant
place, stand-
ing in a garden with a summer-house that must be delightful in warm weather the men
;
have also fenced about a
little
park and planted
163

with trees and placed a seat at the finest The only other building near point of view.
it
the station
is
Turkish " han," where our
man put up
with his horses.
walked to the end of the ravine on the Gacko side, and much wished to proceed as far as Cemerno at the summit of the pass, but
We
had we done so should not have had time for photographing. The fortified barracks on the
Cemerno
feet)
pass are at a greater elevation (4000
than any other garrison in the Austrian
Empire, and the pass is the watershed between the Adriatic and the Black Sea. Were I to visit the Sutjeska ravine again, I would proceed into Herzegovina over the pass (three hours from
Suha
to
Cemerno and another
three to four to
;
Gacko) instead of returning to Foca had made our arrangements and had
but we
to abide
by them.
We
looked
in vain
for traces of the
two
castles, said to
the ravine, on this side in the
have guarded the entrance to Middle Ages,

says,
and which, tradition

in
the legendary
;
Duke
were joined together Stefan's time by a
hanging bridge but there seems no need of castles, for Nature herself has provided senti164
The Valley of
nels to
the Sutjesha
keep eternal watch and ward
in
two
immense pyramidical
and
left
rocks, which rise to right
of the foaming torrent of the Sutthe
jeska.
The whole valley lay glowing in day sun when we retraced our steps
mid-
to Suha,
and so beautiful were the views at every point along the way, and especially when we crossed
the river by one of the
numerous wooden
Turkish bridges, that our progress was very The clear green water flowed between slow.
banks fringed with russet beeches and feathery
golden willows
;
high above, dark
fir
forest
clothed the mountain sides, and here and there
some ancient
fir
tree
had gained
a foothold in
the rock on a dizzy peak and was silhouetted

against the blue sky.
Next day we bid " good-bye " to Suha There was a delay in starting, caused by our
!
man
trying to
make us pay
for the
horses'
it
fodder, though he had agreed to include

the price per day (a
in
much
higher one, by the

;
way, than
the
natives
pay)
it
was rather
annoying, as
we had
risen
;
early to try and
reach Foca before dark
but we refused to be
cheated, and he had to keep to his bargain,

165

though he did
all
it
with an
ill
grace and sulked
the day, walking far in advance of or behind
the horses, so that
he would have been no Alas for poor

incident
possible use in case of need.
humanity,
how
such
trifling
!
has
power
to
mar one's mood
But
after a little
all
while the lovely scenery claimed
our atten-
tion, and by the time we reached the han, where the man insisted on stopping to rest and feed the horses, though we had done but two and a half hours out of nine, we were in-
different to his sour visage.

I
overcame
my
scruples about the doubtful
cleanliness
of " bans " in
general sufficiently
to enter this one coffee

;
and partake of some black for the Bosian " coffee-house " is so
essentially an institution of the country, curi-
osity compelled
me
for once to see the interior

It
with
my own
fire,
eyes.
was
for
a small
room with
an open
little
on which the
coffee
brass pots
tall
one
was boiled in and each person
another
earthenware stove of the type pe-
round which some peasants sit on a broad wooden shelf covered with a mat, which did duty for a bed for several persons by night
culiar to Bosnia,
squatted.
We
were invited to
i66
The Valley of
and for
a divan
the Sutjeska
by day.
fire,
Two
with
Bastaci sat by the

able to converse in
gendarmes from whom we were
German, and they told us accommodation as the " han " offered was free, the " Open Sesame " to bed (such as it was) and fire being the purchase of a cup of
such
black coffee at a cost of five hellers (one half-
penny).
Assuredly
if
!
travelling
is
cheap
in
Bosnia
country
you can fall in with the ways of the " The gendarmes thought the " bed
at least
would hold
feet
four people lying head to

say,
bedclothes,
It
needless to
were not
provided.
passed
my
understanding, how-
ever, how the " han " keeper could earn a living by the sale of halfpenny cups of coffee.
He
was a genial soul, and I liked his name of Omar, which brought the Rubaiyat of the
Persian poet to
that
my mind
I
for the second time
day
for
when
saw our lunch of a loaf

of red wine being put
of rye bread and

up,
I
a flask
:
mentally quoted
"
loaf of bread, a flask of
wine
and thou
"
!
Beside
me
singing in the wilderness
Oh, wilderness were Paradise enow
The East
is still
the East of
167
Omar Khayyam
and
is
Bosnia, though
now
politically
Europe,
the Orient of the Prophet.
What
a wonderful blue the

!
mountains were
on our homeward way land nor Tyrol have
Neither in Switzerseen this colouring.
We
walked during the afternoon the better to enjoy the scenery, and we walked after sunset because our feet and hands became stiff with
cold riding.
Foca was bathed in moonlight when we came to it, and its white minarets gleamed out the way par excellence to against a starlit sky moonlight by is see a Turkish city
i68
XIV TO THE S^NDJ^K
THE
reports)
Sandjak of Novi Bazar was being

!
evacuated
Could we
left
still
get there
before the troops the exodus

!
and witness
official
Reports (even
were conflicting
the
air
was
full
of
rumours.
The morning
paper spoke of the

In Sarajevo
uneasiness of the Albanians in the Sandjak as

to their fate after the evacuation.
nothing was happening ; indeed, the whole town wore a holiday air, though business went on
as usual
even the proclamation on the walls but everyone waited attracted little attention for news from the frontier, and to the frontier
;
;
we went,
It
trusting to our luck. was a superb morning, and as we waited for the train at the station of Bistrik, above
Sarajevo, the beautiful city, with
its
multitude
of minarets, lay beneath

sun's rays.
us
basking in the
Never had the city, which has been likened to Damascus for beauty of situation,
looked
fairer, for the

169
mountains which

encircle
it,
as if they loved
it,
were
in glorious
apparel of russet and gold, decked like the
beflagged city for a festival.
The
it
train
was very
late,
but
who
at
?
could
grumble with such a view to look

came, no passengers in the
but a few
officers
;
At
last
first
or second
class
civilians
were not
the
first
going towards the
frontier.
till
We
watched the beautiful city

it
tunnel hid
ourselves in a
walls of rock
from our gaze, and we found mountain canon where the grey
on
either side were enlivened

foliage
!
by vivid splashes of crimson

a railway
is
What
of the
this that pierces the heart

!
wild Balkan mountains

are
At one moment you
plunged into the darkness of one of the countless tunnels, the next you are enchanted by the beauty of some pastoral scene forming
a
background for
;
a picturesque
group of pea-
sants
then again you find yourself hanging

a precipice
on the edge of
in fantastic
with a mountain
cliffs
torrent thundering below and the
rising
forms high above you.

interest
But to-day the railway had another At the first than its scenic beauty.
170
station
the blue uniforms of the soldiers were con-
t',\\l>/Ak
Ni'\l
I'.A/AK)
To
;
the
Sandjak
splcuous the whole line from Sarajevo to the Turkish and Servian frontiers was guarded by
military and patrolled night and day between
For was not the great bridge across the Save river tampered with a few days ago by cunning hands which all but caused catastrophe to the one express train which connects faraway Bosnia with Budapest and Vienna ? We little thought of
the stations.
!
No wonder
the reason
soldiers
when we crossed it so slowly The made a rush for our train which brought
!
!
their their
Poor fellows peasant homes perhaps

rations.
!
brought from
few days to
in a
be shot at
We
reached Ustipraca without any disquiet-
ing incident, but in a chat with the stationmaster, while waiting for a carriage, he
re-
marked
volcano
that the people here

1
were living on a
October
in
Darkness
falls
early
in
the
Balkans, but the
moon was kind
to us,
and
rose like a great golden ball to light our way, which lay along the bank of the rushing Drina river. Like all Bosnian post roads, that which
connects Gorazda with the railway at Ustipraca

is
excellent,
and we had
171
a comfortable

carriage,
and
drawn by two stout Bosnian ponies, who wore a scarlet fez and was seated on a sheepskin. So we came to Gorazda and eagerly asked for news from
a picturesque driver
the Sandjak.
Could we get
of this
in
The
officers
little
garrison
town
it
said " No."
We
were told the military post
was stopped.
Afterwards we learnt
was
ran a
again running, but were warned that
we
grave risk in proceeding, for guerrilla bands
might be about.
It
was pointed out that we

if
ourselves might be the means of war
we
were attacked.
twenty-five
All the
women and
children,
officers'
wives and their families
had
left
some days
before, and the sick soldiers

;
had been sent into safety no civilian was left in the Sandjak, and yet an Englishwoman
would go there
mad, I'm sure
is
They did not
say so, those
courteous, kindly officers, but they thought us

;
madness of
this sort,
however,
characteristic
of our nation.
We
went
to bed, almost resolved to give
up
our plan and content ourselves with visiting
Metalka on the border of the debatable land at all events, we promised our military
friends to ask the advice of the

172
commander
To
of the garrison
further.
the
Sandjak
before proceeding
at Cajnica
The news
;
next
morning was not
reassuring
all
orders arrived for strengthening
and we privately learned that there was graver news still. But, at all
the garrisons,
events,
we could
get as far as Cajnica
It
was Sunday, and we could not send an important telegram before three o'clock, so
it
was
start
late
in
the
afternoon
before
we could
on our three
people
to four hours' drive.
The
we passed on
as
the outskirts of
the town did not return our greetings, which
seemed suspicious,
friendliness
we remembered
visit
their
on our previous
the
to
Bosnia.
town behind this changed, however the country people were smiling as of old, and stood up to salute us if sitting
After
left
;
we
outside their houses
the
quaint, whitewashed
houses with high wooden roofs that are so

very
picturesque
and
very
Bosnian.
We
Turkish graveyard with turbaned gravestones on our left, and a little farther
passed a
on another graveyard where the sign of the cross showed the faith of those who slept
beneath.
The Cross and

of
this
173
the Crescent
side
by
side, typical
borderland where the

East meets the
West and Moslem and
Chris-
tian are neighbours.
The broad white road

travelled
ran
we sometimes between meadows

along which
at others
parched by the sun of the Orient,

the
on either side. Gorazda we began to ascend through a wooded mountain gorge, and as we rose higher and higher we saw the way by which we came lying half in shadow, the other half glowing in the afternoon sun winding like a white ribbon through the
in
woods hemmed us
An
hour or so
after leaving
valley far beneath.
The
setting sun shining
through the yellowing leaves of the chestnut

trees turned
them
to shining gold, silhouetted
against the
tains.
dark blue of the distant mounthe highest point of the road
At
a to
reached
primitive wayside
inn,
we where we
stopped
water the horses and chatted to
the innkeeper (who

the
hope
did.
of getting
;
the
Sandjak
came from Bohemia) in the latest news from but he knew no more than
fell
we
Dusk and
reached
then darkness
long before
we
Cajnica,
and although we knew the

;
road was patrolled by troops, none were visible

174
To
the
Sandjak
we
so in the disturbed state of the country
were not altogether sorry to see the first lights of the town in the distance. The minarets
were illuminated for the
feast
of Bairam, and
a spread-
made
sky.
a lovely picture against the clear, starlit
Our
in
carriage
drew up beneath
ing tree before a long, low building which,
even
the darkness,
barracks
side,
we knew must be the from the number of soldiers outfor
and we inquired
to
the
commander,
, had brought a from our military friends at Gorazda. The captain was not at the barracks, and two
Captain
whom we
letter
soldiers with fixed bayonets
were given us
necessary
"
as
an escort to go and find him.
"
Was
in
an armed
surprise.
escort
we
asked
officer said
" Yes."
a
The non-commissioned The captain was not to

first
be found, so we returned to the barracks and

interviewed
youthful lieutenant, our

:
question being, of course

the
Sandjak.'"'
" Can we get into
With
was
boyish confidence he
told us the road
as safe as
any
street in
Vienna, being patrolled night and day by the

military Servian,
!
Just then the captain (a handsome

is
who
blood relation of the murdered

175

King Alexander) arrived upon the scene and
gave
us
a
very different version
he had
of
private
information by
telephone, which
course he could not reveal, but which

it
inadvisable for us to proceed
made he would
not be answerable for our safety
The
nice
young
lieutenant, with
the pink
and white
had
face, quite
nonplussed
at the turn things
taken, saluted and walked away.
Quarters were found for us

Casino,
for
in
in the military
the
little
garrison towns
it
of
is
customary to
room for visitors. While this was got ready we took supper at the inn in a smoky room which seemed to be the rendezvous of townspeople and officers alike. Here
keep
a guest
our picturesque captain joined us and repeated his advice, but the " Bezirksvorsteher " (civil
head of the
district)
who
arrived shortly after-
wards was more optimistic and sympathetic

with our desire not to lose such an interesting
experience as to be the
last
civilians to visit
Plevlje before the evacuation
and
its
return to
Turkish
rule.
All the officers present were
introduced to us and all gave their opinion,

and, as no two thought the same,
176
we were no
To
wiser,
the
Sandjak
and went
to
bed once more irresolute
as to the
morrow. Everything possible was done for our comfort in our military quarters, and we were
grateful to find a
wood
fire
burning cheerily
nights are cold
in the stove, for the
autumn
is
in Bosnia,
though the sun
hot at midday.
Our windows looked upon

yard
Turkish grave-
most romantic scene in the moonlight the turbaned graves were just beneath and beyond, a white mosque stood out against the
a
mountains with
its
the feast of Bairam.
minaret illuminated for The " Bezirksvorsteher,"
same house, warned us that our sleep might be disturbed by the Turks' midnight prayer, and bid us not to take it for an alarm, but so tired were we that we heard not a sound till morning, when I was awakened
who
lived in the
by the door opening and a soldier appearing on He gave me quite a fright till the threshold.
I
remembered
that
we had given orders

and
fire
to be
called at half-past six
realised his pacific
intention of lighting our

clothes.
and brushing our

difficult,
Communication was
as
he
spoke only Hungarian, and signs failed to convey to him that hot water was wanted for
177
"

shaving, but here
my
spirit-lamp
(coffee)
came
to the
rescue, and " kaffee "
and " brod
(bread) were within his vocabulary, so that he
brought us both, and we neither had to resort

to the not too appetising hotel nor start breakfastless.
Next morning the military post for the Sandjak arrived quite empty (we had been
told
seats,
it
was
questionable
if
we could
get
and to travel by private carriage without escort would be more risky), and the temptaSo the die tion to go on was irresistible. for the thirty places engaged was cast, and we
miles to Plevlje.
Our spirits rose and danger was when we found ourselves really
remembered it for the morning was one of those autumn in the mountains when
merely to be
alive.
fir
forgotten
off,
or
if
lent only a spice of adventure,
peculiar to
it
is
joy
The
road led upwards
through thick
forests varied
and
gold
of
beeches.
The
by the russet scenery might
have been anywhere in Switzerland or Tyrol

but for the Oriental looking garb of the occasional
peasants
whom we
178
passed,
some on
foot
and some riding sturdy Bosnian ponies.
^') ^
To
The
military
the
Sandjak
were
;
patrols
so
frequent
we
ceased to count them
at
some points they

so,
were every half mile or
and
at
others
double or treble that distance, but as we neared Metalka there were sentries every few yards.
This
little
mountain
station,
which consists
of a group of wooden houses surrounding the henceforth be the fortified barracks, will
farthest outpost
of the Austrian Empire on
the
Turkish
frontier.
hill
There
is
Turkish
watch-house on the
opposite the Austrian,
and a short walk brings you within sight of the Black Mountains of Montenegro.
of the garrison came out to meet us, for news of our coming had been
The
officers
telephoned
Cajnica
as
is
;
by
the
military
authorities
at
they
made
light of possible danger,
often the case with those actually on the
spot.
In
ten
minutes we were off again, and
found ourselves actually in the Sandjak, that unquiet bit of Turkish Empire of which we
had heard so much long before the
crisis
political
European importance. On the Turkish side of Metalka the military patrols were less frequent and the country grew wilder.
gave
it
179
We
still
ascended, leaving the
fir
forest behind
and crossing desolate mountain passes.

cattle
few
living
and sheep were trying to pick up a on scanty herbage some peasants were reaping the meagre crops grown on stony
;
ground, for harvest

tudes.
is
late in these
high
alti-
Some were
threshing, driving horses

floor
round the threshing
to
tread out the
corn in primitive patriarchal fashion.
The
loneliness of the scene
had
strange
fascination,
and away to our right, chain upon chain, rose the Montenegrin mountains, recalling to our minds, very forcibly under
existing circumstances,
like
grim
tales
of the war-
prowess of the
air
fierce
mountaineers.
The keen
an invitation
sharpened our appetites, and

lunch, or
is
to
rather
dine (for
mid-day dinner
the officers at
de rigueur in Austria) with
Boljanic was gladly accepted.
Here
all
was
life
and movement,
for the first
luggage train had returned empty, and another
was going out laden, some

each.
fifteen
carts in
The road was

tiful
all
through the Karst after
leaving Boljanic, but even the Karst was beauin
the mellow sunshine of the

1
autumn
80

To
the
Sandjak
hills
afternoon, the bare
brown
aglow against
the hazy blue of distant mountains. Gradually, as we descended, patches of wood became fre-
below us a little mountain stream watered the valley, and a few sheep enjoyed
quent
;
the fresh green grass along

veiled Turkish
its
banks.
Two
women
passed us on horseback,
and then
venerable looking orthodox priest,
with long white beard and high black cap picturesque figures belonging to another world than ours, but not so picturesque as the Servian peasant women, clad in white and crim-
son-embroidered jackets,
who
delighted us as
we approached Plevlje. The white town, with its minarets, shone out long before we reached it, and signs of the evacuation were not wanting before we entered.
Bugles were sounding, soldiers hastening here and there, and another long train of carts
laden with every imaginable kind of luggage
stood ready to
start.
i8i
XFIN PLEVLJE
jA
N
^L
adjutant sent by the general met us
/
/
with the news that there was not a
room
in the
town
not
a furnished
room, at least, for beds and bedding were packed, except those reserved for the
officers
of other garrisons,
who were coming

in
in with the troops
on the morrow.
quarters
We
town head
sleep
! !
might
find
!
the
Turkish
his
But
and the adjutant shook
We
replied that
we would
;
prefer to
on the floor in barracks for in the Turkish quarters cleanliness was not to be expected, and safety was questionable in the
excited
state
of the
people,
all
the
troops
the
being withdrawn from the town.

consuls had
Even
!
moved
;
into military quarters

find
a
Yet somewhere we must

cover our heads
consisting
roof to
so after passing our luggage,
of
the
one
bag
and
two
cameras,
the
through
officials
Turkish
182
customs
(where
set
were very courteous), we
off to
In
see
Plevlje
some
private houses where
rooms might
possibly be found, guided by a soldier told

off to carry our baggage.
But even in the Turkish town it was the same story every European was on the point those who had formerly kept of departure
lodging-houses were no longer prepared for

guests.
Happily just then, when we were contemplating a night in the open, we met the two
Austrian consuls (one suffices for Plevlje in
ordinary times, but for this crisis another had been sent from Constantinople), and with the
invariable courtesy of officials of the Austro-
Hungarian Empire they placed one of their own rooms at our disposal. It mattered nothing that it was dismantled,
the floors bare, the beds of a military hard-
was safe, for we are set apart rooms were in the house where for the officers' guests, and known as the " Fremdenzimmcr." Having found this anchorage, we proceeded to make tea, with the youngest of the two and consuls, Count Drascovich, as our guest
ness.
It
was clean and
it
believe this
is
the only time in

183
my
life
that

have entertained a distinguished visitor in such unconventional fashion, for one of our two
I
teacups was broken on the journey, and the
men had
seats
to drink out of tumblers, while
our
were the beds and a packing-case the table. There over the tea "cups" we discussed the political situation, and wandered
from this to talk of Vienna and London, which the Count had recently visited. He was, by the way, the only person in Plevlje who spoke English. The other consul then took us in tow, and with him we went to call on General von Rhemen, who gave us a cordial welcome, and
expressed his regret that he was not able to do more for our comfort under the circumstances.
Supper
officers
at the military casino

;
was an
to
a
interest-
ing experience
from eighty
seated
hundred
who were
when we entered
rose, and remaining standing while we made our way to seats opposite the general at the
central table.
fess, I
On
was
this occasion, I
must conto
found Austrian courtesy

;
a little over-
powering
it
quite
an
ordeal
walk
down
the long
room and bow
right and left
In
as
I
Plevlje
made my
I
progress, and as this was re-
peated twice a day during the day

at
we spent
coming
were
Plevlje,
had recourse to stratagem to

publicity
escape so
much
sometimes
many
to
early to get seated before

there,
officers
and sometimes waiting
enter with
the
general,
salute
so that when they rose to him they might include me too. The
officers
Austrian
dinner
a la
have no " mess," as

;
it
is
understood in the English army

is
the
is
midday
served
a table d'hote,
and supper
carte,
everyone ordering what he chooses,

at the
and paying
restaurant.
ate,
end of the meal
as
at
The
charges are extremely moder-
and at Plevlje the food, though plain, was of excellent quality. In the dining-hall there were several tables the consuls as well as the officers of highest rank sat at the general's table, the former opposite and the latter on either side of him. My seat opposite
;
the general afforded
me
particular satisfaction,
on account of the opportunity of hearing the

situation discussed by the staff officers
when
did
telegrams
arrived,
It
as
they
frequently
during meals.
was an interesting study
to watch the general's face

i8s
when he
received

them, and try to guess their import.
The
most exciting incident occurred a few days after our arrival, when the news was brought during supper that the Turkish barracks were on
fire.
Everyone
in the
room (excepting
the
general, his
adjutant, and
terrace
ourselves) rushed
out on to the
town,
visible.
which overlooks the

fire
I
from
which
in all
the
was
distinctly
For
a few minutes,
am
;
sure, the
thought was
minds
that this
might be
but very
the signal for a general conflagration
soon we learnt that the

in the stables only,
it
fire,
which had been

;
was already out
whether
was incendiary or not we never learned. The Austrian officers at Plevlje had a little
world of their own outside the Turkish town
an
European world
infinite
soil
girt
about by gardens
made with
labour by the soldiers
who
so
had brought
from
distance,
and
turned the bare rock into shady plantations.

In the casino concerts were given daily, and
every afternoon the tennis courts were a centre of

life
and gaiety, when the band played on

bells
the terrace.
The
of the
little
Catholic church rang
daily for matins and evensong, just before the

1
86
In
muezzins
call to
Plevlje
prayer
Christian
no more
!
bells in a
Moslem
land have a
strange power
to stir the
emotions of even the careless Christian.
Totwo
of
day they ring
in Plevlje
On
to
call
the
evening of our
arrival,
the
consuls escorted us to the Turkish barracks
on
the
;
commander and
the
officers
the
garrison
former
spoke
little
German, and the consuls translated our remarks to the other officers who were present. The room in which they received us was very bare, being furnished only with divans on we sat on one side, the Turks three sides opposite, and of course we drank the inevitable black coffee, and everyone smoked
;
but myself.
The
ostensible reason of our call
was merely
the polite observance of a social custom, for
during the
feast
of Bairam good
all
Mohamcalls.
medans, who have fasted
day, devote the
night to feasting and exchanging social
But the
real
reason of our
(for
visit,
or rather that
of the consuls
curiosity
to
see
ours was prompted by Turkish military quarters),
was
the
to ascertain the truth of a
rumour
fire
that
populace of
Priboj
i87
had
set
to
the

Austrian garrison after the troops
left.
The
it,
;
Turkish commander had heard nothing of

but immediately telegraphed to find out
did not, however, hear
following day,
like
we
the
the
answer
till
when
the alarmist
rumour
to
many
another in those days
proved
be without foundation.
Our
play
hosts
ordered the military band to
some Turkish music for our entertainment, and we afterwards went downstairs and
saw the musicians, who were
divans in Oriental fashion.
all
seated on low
The
;
tunes they
played were melancholy rather than martial,
and had
scenery,
a weirdness truly Eastern
the music
had the curious effect of bringing the Nile
where
last
heard
such
strains,
vividly before me.
Next morning
as
Turkish gendarme was
awaiting our orders, courteously sent to act
our escort by our host of the previous

;
night
to
the consul had lent us his dragoman

as
act
interpreter,
and
the
latter
had
engaged a native to carry the heaviest of the two cameras. So we set out to see the town on photographic thoughts intent, and doubtless
with such a retinue appeared in the eyes

i88
LAXUSCATK NEAR
I'LEXLJl!.,
Willi
iK
li il)(
)X
.MU.NASIEKV IN Uli.rA.\Ct:
In
of Plevlje
small
as
Plevlje
distinguished strangers of no
Very soon, however, we and ceremony, for the dropped dragoman we found to be superfluous, the gendarme speaking sufficient German to understand what we wished him to convey to the
importance.
all this state
natives (chiefly requests to allow us to photo-
graph
them, and
not to stand at
attention
during the
process),
and
being also
quite
ready to carry the camera.
The
third day of
our
stay,
when he
outside
did not appear,
we ven-
tured alone to the Servian monastery, some

distance
the
town, and
found the
country people so friendly we had no more

fear of unpleasant incidents,
and thenceforward
inhabitants, with
went alone on
Plevlje
is
all
occasions.
town of 9000
a population half Servian, half Turkish,
the latter
left their
among being some Bosnian emigrants, who

at the
country
time of the Austrian
occupation, and have their
own
quarter.
Seen from the

negro,
the
east,
is
looking towards Montevery

beautiful.
town
of
Seven
con-
white minarets rise from
among
Not
the red and
brown
N
roofs
the
houses,
and are
less
spicuous from the distance.

189
charm-

ing,
though
less extensive
because the
mounis
tains
on
the opposite side are nearer,
the
view of the town from the terrace of the military casino, framed in by the trees of
surrounding plantations. On close approach the town offers nothing of architectural
the
interest,
bits.
though there are some picturesque

are the real interest of
But the people
Plevlje, and we saw them out in crowds the day after our arrival to welcome the new Governor, who had come from Salonica to succeed Suljman Pasha (the old Turkish
Governor, who had ruled over the destinies of the Sandjak during the whole time of the Dual Control). Both men and women are
often remarkably handsome, and there
is
con-
siderable variety in the costumes, for, besides Turks and Servians, Albanians are not in-
frequently seen in the streets of Plevlje.

dress
The
worn by the Servian women here, of creamy woollen stuff made with a short kilt
below the waist, edged with embroidery and
worn over an underskirt,

that of Bosnia,
is
quite different to
very
first
and pleased me greatly. The photograph we took in the Sandjak
was of a good-looking young

190
woman
in this
r.ri-
i)i-
I'l,
i:\LiR
In
Plevlje
picturesque attire standing beneath what the
Turks
call
it
the Sacred Tree, though another

that the first Austrians
story has
who
entered
Plevlje were
hung on
it
in 1878.
had been warned to expect unfriendliness, if not hostility from the people, and
especially that in their present frame of
it
We
mind
might be dangerous to try photographing
But our experience was quite contrary none objected, many purposely stood to this deliberately posed to assist us, and still or some even asked us to take their pictures. The Turkish troops also were very pleased to be photographed at the review on the arrival of the new Pasha, who, by the way, made a very good impression on us. He is one of the " Young Turks," and had been a
them.
;
staff officer at Salonica
previous to his appoint-
ment
as
Governor of the Sandjak.

need to be a strong man to keep
Sandjak,
for,
He
order
will
in the
even with the sup-
port of the Austrians, his predecessor, Suljman Pasha, was sometimes afraid to punish crime.
I
was told some

informant
tales
of the
latter,
on good
authority,
which showed criminal weakness.

stated
that
191
My
about two years

ago a young Turk was taken prisoner
in the
mountains by
fanatical
orthodox Christians,
to kiss the cross
;
who
his
tried to force
refusal
him
on
they cut off his nose and ears,
afterwards imprisoning him, and finally
as
and
he remained obdurate
they
killed him,
the murderers went scot free.
Another story illustrative of Suljman rule related to a young Montenegrin girl, who loved and was beloved by a Turkish soldier, and left her home to join him, but was overtaken
by
her
parents
before
she
reached
to return
a
Plevlje, cruelly beaten,
and forced
Turkish
a
with them.
time,
She ran away, however,

reached
the
second
and
barracks,
where she begged to marry the man of her choice. priests were willing to receive her as a convert to Islam, but not so the Suljman Pasha, who saw an opportunity of winning popularity for himself with the orthodox population
;
become
Moslem and The Turkish
so he sent the poor girl back with an escort of
zeptiahs, and the story ends with her death,
whether from a broken heart or ill-usage I Yet this was the charming cannot say
!
cultured
man whom
all
travellers
who met
192
In
him united
officers told
Plevlje
in
praising,
and many Austrian

school
vastly
me was
a delightful person socially
typical
Turk of
the old
different to his equals
and to the people he

Austrians
are
ruled.
"Are
going
?
the
I
people
glad the
"
asked our zeptiah (Turkish gen-
darme) one day. He had grasped the fact that we were English and not Austrians, so " Half the people he gave a candid answer when they go, no work for Austrians
:
money
"
This expressed the situation.

at
Property
Natives
Plevlje
depreciated
in
value
immediately the order

regime, and invested
came
in
for
evacuation.
the Austrian
who made money during

it
houses of European
build which they let to the officers, have
them
now
a
standing empty
for the
Turk
rents no
it
house.
hovel.
He
lives in his
own, though
be but
Shopkeepers have no one to buy their wares, and workmen who have lived on Austrian pay for more than a generation no
one to
work
for
And
this
is
the
case
wherever there were Austrian garrisons. The army of occupation in the Sandjak
Novi Bazar consisted

193
of
2000 men
two
Bosnia and Herzegomna

battalions were stationed at Plevlje, one battalion lay at Prjepolje, a
company and
between
half a
company each
(the
at
Metalka, Boljanic, and Jabuka

Plevlje
half-way
station
and
Prjepolje).
The work done by
the Austrian
troops
is
certainly very creditable, for they
have made good roads across the country where formerly there were but rough forest and mountain tracks often blocked by fallen
trees.
They have
planted trees and gardens
where there was nothing but bare rocks, and the interest the officers and men took in their gardens is the more remarkable when you
think
how
short a time they were likely to
enjoy them, owing to the frequent changes of the regiments, and therefore laboured for the
most part for those who would come after. The garrisons of Pribov and Prjepolje were
withdrawn and the whole forces concentrated at Plevlje when we were there, and we witnessed the march-in of the company from
Prjepolje (not a few dogs,
among them some
lovely collies, were marching with the soldiers).
A colossal work, indeed, is the evacuation of an army which has occupied a country for Nothing like what we witnessed thirty years
!
194
In
has been seen in
Plevlje
for a generation, if
!
Europe
ever, save in time of war
One of
the
most curious
sights
was the
destruction of the old uniforms
the
whole
army had been given new ones for the march. The old ones could not be left, or the whole
would be clad very shortly in the Austrian uniform, and one can imagine the confusion that might occur if the populace so garbed rose and crossed the Moreover, military regulaBosnian frontier
population
of
Plevlje
tions strictly enjoined that each
uniform given
for, so a
to
the flames
should be accounted
squad of soldiers was at work cutting a small piece from each garment as evidence of its
destruction.
Everywhere in the streets of the Turkish town was furniture from the officers' houses or
the casino.
We
saw a
it
billiard table sold for a
few pounds because
was too heavy
to carry
away, and yet one convoy after another went

out laden day by day. More than once during our
visit
to Plevlje
we found our way

tery, half
to the old Servian monas-
an hour's walk from the town, which
nestles in an idyllic little

195
wooded
valley in the

hills.
Living
all
as
we were
in military quarters,
air full
where
this
was excitement and the

it
of
war's alarms,
restful
was a pleasant change to seek

with
its
spot,
old-world atmo-
sphere.
The monastery
century, and
is
from the thirteenth picturesquely built round a

dates
great central courtyard, with a tiled roof faded
by wind and weather to the shades of autumn a wooden gallery supported on arches leaves
;
runs
all
round the building, and

In
the
is
is
reached by
an outside staircase.
courtyard
a little
centre
of the
whitewashed church worth
visiting, for the interior walls are covered
by
curious
paintings
dark with
age,
and per-
mission can be obtained to see a very ancient

bishop's staff and silver-bound copies of the
Gospels.
to
who showed them us one day spoke only Servian, or we

Alas
!
the priest
might have obtained some interesting information about the monastery and its inmates. We went for two days to the Sandjak and
remained nine,
officers
as the chaplain
and many of the
begged us (when we were fixing the day of departure) to remain over the following Sunday for the last mass at the Catholic
196
In
church before
yard, and
its
Plevlje
destruction, and the services

in
on the following day
the military church-
we consented.
!
It is hard to say which ceremony was the most impressive and most touching I felt something like personal grief for the little church whose fate was sealed it was sad to
hear the bells ring for the
last time.
Many
churches are built but, thank God, few destroyed

!
Yet
it
were better for those who

it
loved
it
it
to reverently lay
low than to leave
to possible
It
nay, probable desecration.

autumn morning on which
its
was
a glorious
the last mass was celebrated within
walls
the sun gleamed on the white robes of the

priest as he read the gospels for the
day on
the steps before the entrance, on the golden

foliage
of the acacia groves that surrounded
the church, and on the brilliant uniforms of the officers and the shining arms of the two
thousand troops assembled for the

worship
in
last act of and around the sacred building. There was but little sunshine for the Requiem Mass, and perhaps it was more fitting
that Nature's
mood
should be in keeping with
that of the soldiers,
who were
197
leaving
com-

rades or loved ones behind.
An
altar
was
erected in the centre of the churchyard (which

is
on the bare
hands,
hillside),
and candles,
all
lit
by
loving
burnt
upon
the
graves.
Before the altar bareheaded, with bowed heads,

stood the general and his
a little
staff, and beside it group of men, women, and children, whose black garments showed recent bereave-
ment.
solemn,
The bands
soft,
is
!
played
funeral
dirges
and low, and many eyes were
dim.
This
how
the Austrians bade farewell
to their dead
By remaining
had
lost the
for these
two ceremonies we
it
chance of seats in the post, for
was taken by
a
the military for the removal of
the sick from the hospital, so

private
carriage
we had
to engage
and take our chances of

It
travelling without escort.

difficulty that
was not without

all,
we secured
a carriage at
and
we did not
unsettled
feel quite
comfortable about the
forty miles' drive over the mountains in the

state
of the country
there
was,
however, no choice of routes or means, and

every day increased the
away, for the
difficulties
of getting
in
few tradespeople
left
the
town,
who had
stayed to the last to pack their

198
In
Plevlje
goods, were securing every available vehicle

in
their haste to place themselves

in safety before the
and their
So, in
wares
troops
left.
spite of tales told us
by the
officers
of carriages
being days on the way and drivers stopping

half-way to
demand
extra money,
we ordered
our conveyance for an early hour the following
morning.
We
were not
to
travel
alone, for a halfsoldiers'
grown grey
herself to
to starve,
kitten,
who had been the

"
pet at the "
and attached would be left me I knew, when the army had its final
since
Fremdenzimmer
my
I
arrival,
marching orders, so
with me.
decided to take her
We
stayed late at the casino that night, for
many " good-byes " to be said, and though we had lived among the Austrian
there were
officers for
but
little
over a week, the circum-
stances
had
brought us into more intimate

a
relations with
them than done elsewhere. There

English
social
month would have

is
no term
in the
language
that
quite
expresses
the
atmosphere of
;
an Austrian
military
casino
among
these officers there was a cor-
diality, a geniality, a
good-fellowship that
199
is
summed up
fitting
It
in the
German word
life
so often used
to describe the social
here " Gemiithlichkeit."

real
of Vienna and equally-
was with
regret
we shook
half a
hundred kindly hands, and with a cordial hope

to meet,
some of them
at least, again that
we
said
"
Auf Wiedersehen."
200
XVITHE RETURN FROM THE SANDJAK
THE
six,
day of our adventurous journey
dawned darkly. Heavy snow-clouds hung over the mountains the
prospect was not reassuring.
The
least,
orderly came and

for
lit
our
to
fire
at a
quarter to
at
we meant
start
warm
though probably no amount of wraps would

keep out the cold on the bleak mountain
passes that lay between us and Cajnica.
We
had ordered the carriage for seven, that being the latest hour at which our Kurd driver was
willing to start, for he evidently feared to be
benighted before reaching our destination.
But somehow it was nearly eight before we got off, what with dressing and packing and making tea, for we had to wait for the milk, which our orderly fetched daily from the military casino where, for some reason we
never could understand, as everything
is
astir
very early in camp,

waiting.
they always kept him
201
We
could have done without milk, but not
so our adopted kitty,
who was watching our

At
least
I
preparations
with anxious eyes.
wanted her
crisis
to start with a
it,
after all she refused
good seeming
life
breakfast, but to
know some
have
in
her kittenish
had arrived, and

to
being too
appetite.
concerned
thereat
any
My
heart misgave
me when
all
thought of
her terror when she found herself imprisoned

in a basket
and jolted
day in the darkness

;
towards an unknown destination

be cruel to be kind, so
her
her
ear
in, in
I
but
had
to
remorselessly bundled
spite of her protests,
and carried
a
down
to
to
the
carriage,
turning
deaf
her
to
grew
fate
mews, which presently " loud miows " when we started

pathetic
but after a while she resigned herself to her
and forgot her sorrows in slumber. few last handshakes and " Good-byes," and we were really off! Up the hill between the groves of acacia trees that are all round and about the Austrian quarter, what a changed scene from the day of our arrival, when all Now everyhad been bustle and confusion the thousands of wooden thing cleared away
202
The Return from

packing-cases
that
the
Sandjak
strewn about
were then
already on their
way
to Bosnia, the soldiers

as if their lives deit,
no longer busy packing

but standing about in
pended on the speed with which they did

their
new uniforms
off,
ready for the march towards home.

I
have said we were really

the
to a full stop
It
but before
little
we were out of
came
hill.
town our poor and refused
horses
to take the
seemed
bad beginning, when we

to Metalka.
thought of the thirty-three miles before them,
and the steep ascent

fully
Visions of
having to sleep on the road or in some doubtfriendly peasant's hut

that
Would
driver's
came before us. But the whip prevailed, though it made our
we had taken
the post
hearts bleed for the overworked, half-starved
horses
they
described
complete
circuit,
nearly overturning the carriage, but to our

relief
they went on, for well
we knew
the
chance of getting another carriage was more
than doubtful, and we had already paid our

driver half of his fare in advance, and every
seat
in
the
post
was engaged days ahead,
besides which, the order might

to reserve
it
come any day
for the military.

203
We
new
roads,
turned at the top of the
hill,
by the
barracks which show, as well as the
new
how unpremeditated was

will be its
the evacuation
last
of the Sandjak, to look our
at Plevlje.
What
The
coming
fate
desolate road was guarded by
patrols, especially near the
town
three within the
first
mile.
numerous we passed Farther on they

;
were
less
frequent.
The
roads and bridges
we
noticed were either being
mended when
a
or had
newly been put
in order to prepare
them for
the heavy guns passing over

left.
the troops
The
track
old Turkish road
than
road
more
mountain
alongside
sometimes
ran
and sometimes crossed ours. The natives, who travel chiefly on horseback, take it in preference to the post road made by the Austrian
soldiers
along which
we drove.
The
Servian population here wear woollen scarves
wound round
in
the head and over the ears, even summer, but to-day they had hoods of
coarse white woollen stuff attached to coats of

like
home manufacture
feet
for
still
further pro-
tection
against the cold, which was piercing.
My
and hands were soon numb,

204
in spite
The Return from,
the
Samljak
two
pairs
of two pairs of stockings and

gloves, and a
of
warm rug tucked over the former. The sudden change from the warm weather of
the previous
It
week was
white
particularly trying.
took us an hour and a half to reach
Gotovusa
on
the
barracks
were
visible
a height
long before we got there, and
we
wondered why they were not painted conspicuous colour where we stopped
a less at the
at
barracks
to
telephone
to
Captain
Cajnica that
arrive
we were on our way and hoped

nightfall.
to
before
Two
little
obelisks
here record the names of the regiments
who
have garrisoned this outpost.
On
ing,
again for another hour or so,
still
ascend-
and now we saw the first traces of the snow we had heard was lying deep the previous
at
day
Metalka.
The bushes by
lace
;
the roadside
were
of
network of white
snow
lay
by
the roadside in patches, but soon

it
;
we saw more
clouds of mist and melting snow en-
veloped us as they drifted across the mountains.
The hood of our

I
partial protection,
carriage gave us but pussy's basket on the

tried
front seat had none.
holding
in.
it
on
my
lap,
but the rain and snow beat

205,
At

happy thought struck me the greasy in which our sandwiches had been packed Grease keeps out wet effectually. The buttery paper formed a roof which the
last
paper
raindrops could not penetrate, and puss slept
snug and dry within. As we put mile upon mile behind us the dangers of the road seemed less. We were
more concerned with

possible
attack.
the elements than with a
The
fog grew thicker, the

;
damp
cold
more penetrating
there was not a
sign of
life,
but here and there the roof of a
peasant's hut
clouds, and a
looming ghost-like through the few ravens birds of ill-omen in
keeping with
fence.
the weird scene
sitting
on
Glad indeed were we to reach Boljanic The officers at the garrison gave us a warm welcome, and insisted on our joining them at their midday dinner I really do not know whether the warm rooms or the hot soup were
!
most acceptable
her basket
for
My
kitty, too,
came out of
less
I I
I
refreshment,
and was
feared.
frightened in a strange place than
take this opportunity of saying
was very
jpuch touched at the kindness and hospitality

?O0
The Return from

displayed to us at
all
the
Sandjak
in
the
garrisons
the
Sandjak
at a
time when our newspapers were

towards Austria.
Captain
,
bitterly hostile
The commander,
us
several
who was
good amateur photographer, very kindly gave

photographs of Boljanic, among
arrival there
them one of Suljman Pasha's his flight from Plevlje.
on
The sun broke through the clouds we finished dinner, and my husband
picturesque driver.
just as
seized
the opportunity to take a photograph of our
We
were a
little
afraid
he might offer objections (for the Count had told us he was a fortune-teller who wrote
charms for the peasants against the Evil Eye, so it seemed not improbable, as he presumably
believed in
it,
he would fear
I
it
for himself),
but he was well pleased and,

at
think, flattered
being immortalised.
The Muktar (Mayor) of Boljanic, a splendid looking old Turk, was among the lookers-on, and permitted me to handle and admire a
wonderful old knife
in
an ancient silver sheath
which he wore
arranged that
in his belt.
We
longed to take
it
his portrait also, but time pressed, so
was
the captain,
207
who had
already

photographed him, should exchange with us
a picture of the
Muktar
for
one of the Kurd.

Boljanic the
as
far
About an hour
fir
after leaving
forest
begins,
which
reaches
as
The points of the first trees were from afar, while the lower branches and trunk were hidden in a thick mist most curious effect. As we got nearer we saw that the branches of the trees were festooned with snow, and it was nearly a foot deep on either side of the road and this was on October 2ist Here and there among the dark fir trees were golden birches which had not yet lost their leaves, and we longed for the sun to show us the glories of the woods in their mingled autumn and winter
Cajnica.
visible
attire.
We
by
;
had passed several baggage

it
trains
on our
to get
way, and
was always a tight squeeze

reaching
the road
but just before
waggon was broken down, and

pletely blocked.
Metalka one comAustrian
Great excitement prevailed,

:
and the scene was most romantic

side the
soldiers with fixed bayonets standing
on either
;
way to guard the baggage in the foreground Turks and Servians discussing the
208
The Return from

situation,
the
Sandjak
and
for
background the dark
forest
Somehow
the baggage cart was
moved
suffi-
ciently to enable us to squeeze by once more, and this time we were on the edge of a precipice.
Metalka was our next stopping-place. Before coming to it we drove for fully an hour through virgin forest where the trees had tall
straight stems like the pillars of dral aisle.
some
cathe-
Our
carriage stopped at the fron-
tier before the Turkish customs, and our pass was demanded and given up with some trepidation, for we had forgotten to get it viseed in Still, but fortunately all went well. Plevlje I did not breathe quite freely, for some one
;
had told
horses
to
me
of a law forbidding live animals

at
and dogs,
any rate
to be taken
I
into Austria.
a bit of pussy
What
by
about cats
displayed
lid
partially lifting the
of
the basket,
first
to the Turkish and secondly

officials
the Austrian customs-house
(for
the former are almost as strict about what
you
take out of their country as what you bring

in).
I
left cats
do not know whether the law-makers out of their calculations, or whether

209
Bosnia and Herzegcmna
my
little
pussy's pretty face pleaded for her,
but she was allowed to enter Austria without
any trouble
We
crossed the boundary be-
neath the great hanging bar that marks the
and the most dangerous part of our journey was over we had left the Sandjak Novi Bazar, and were back again in Bosnia the new province of Austria-Hungary.
frontier line,
;
Metalka
frontier.
will
henceforward be took tea with
the
farthest
outpost of Austria-Hungary on the Turkish
We
the officers in the pass,
the fortified barracks that
command
us go, so
and they would hardly

hour
later than
let
we had
to
telephone to Cajnica that
we should
arrive an
we
expected.
If Metalka were in Switzerland or Tyrol it would be much sought after as a health resort
both in
height
summer and
of
winter, for
it
lies
at a
4000
feet
above
sea-level,
sur-
rounded by virgin pine

high mountain climate.
that a small
year.
forest,
I
and has the
was glad to learn

fa-
hotel
is
to be built there next
Skeeing and toboganning are the
vourite amusements of the officers of this
little
garrison in winter, varied by shooting parties
when
the wolves, that
are
still
plentiful in
OUK DRIVEK KKOM THE
.sAMJjAlv
The Return froin
the
Sandjak
Bosnia, grow troublesome, and the peasants
ask for help to protect their flocks.

the
fir
Some of
trees in this region are veritable giants,
rising, with tall straight stems, to
an immense
height.
all
this
were sadly disappointed to lose beautiful scenery through the fog, and
We
promised ourselves to go up again from Cajnica

if it
should clear the next day.
was really surprising how fast our little The horses went from Metalka to Cajnica. road descends in serpentine windings all the
It
way, but remembering our

expected
the
start,
had not
It
poor beasts to
have so much
strength left at the end of the day.
was
very dark in the woods, and seemed a likely place to be attacked if any marauding bands
were about, so we had the revolvers ready.
But we reached Cajnica

clined, as to laugh
in safety, rather ina
one often
at
is when
danger
is
passed,
our
fears,
and
especially at
our
mistrust of our wild-looking Kurd driver, In with whom we were now good friends.
fact his leave-taking
was rather embarrassing, for he lingered by our fire so long I feared he
would never go, and, to my dismay, pulled out a long Turkish pipe which he filled with
211

strong
tobacco, evidently
without the
least
idea that he was doing anything incorrect in

filling
our bedroom with the fumes

it
nor could
!
we
find
in
our hearts to remonstrate
He
went at last, saluting us by touching forehead, mouth, and heart. "What the heart feels, that the head thinks and the mouth speaks," was the significance of his gesture and though
;
we did not understand
words, we knew that he bid us a kindly and gracious " good-bye."

his
212
XVIICAJNICA
AS
first
we had
and
ing,
arrived at Cajnica in the dark
left it
very early the next mornto the Sandjak,
on our way
we
visit
got only a vague impression on our of a little town surrounded by
mountains which seemed from our bedroom windows to rise like a wall of rock behind
houses.
I
knew, however, that Cajnica was famed

its
for
beauty, as well as for

is
its
pilgrimage
church, which
known
far
and wide and
visited by the orthodox population of
Montedis-
negro and Turkey
as well as
by that of the
I
whole of Bosnia
therefore
was sadly
appointed to find on waking
the
morning
after
our arrival from Plevlje, that the storm we had driven through in the mountains had pursued us, and snow lay nearly a foot deep
upon the ground.

question, as
light
I
Going out was out of the

me, suited
213
had only summer clothes and

to
shoes
with
the
warm
"
Bosnia
aifui
Herzegovina
weather of ten days previous, when we had

left
the bulk of our luggage behind at Sara-
jevo.
The
I
kitten objected to the

it
snow
as
much
!
as
did
was the
first
she had seen, and nothing

it
would induce her

ever,
I
to venture out in
How-
consoled myself with the remembrance
of similar storms in the Swiss mountains, even

earlier in the season,
which was followed
by glorious weather, and
settled
down
But
to write
my
impressions of the previous day's adven-
tures
after
with
kitty
on
my
lap.
we had surmounted
breakfast,
the
was difficulty of
this
getting
which
proved
to
be
no
slight one, for the
to look after the military "
Hungarian orderly told off Frendenzimmer

at
(guest room) at Cajnica spoke only his native
Magyar, and was not quick

signs.
understanding
He
with
interpreted his duty towards us, after
lighting the stove, in scrupulously brushing,
not
too clean a brush, not alone our
boots and travelling wraps, but every one of
our personal belongings, and I had to forcibly rescue some of them from his well-meaning
hands.
The
breakfast
214
difficulty
was
finally
Cajnica
solved by the aid of a policeman (the police
office
being in the same building),

to fetch fresh
rolls,
who
sent
our man
milk and eggs
from the inn, while I made the tea. We had in the end quite an excellent repast, for delicious rolls are obtainable everywhere in
Bosnia, and
on
this
occasion
we not only
warmed them on the stove, being in a luxurious mood born of our cosy room and the
from the window, but had plenty of butter, which we had brought from the casino at Plevlje, and butter is not an
snowy
vista seen
article
it
of everyday consumption in Bosnia, as
is
all
imported from Austria.

little
The poor
Bosnian cows give

inferior quality
it
milk, and that of such
has hardly any cream.
No
how-
wonder,
for, like the
hard-worked horses, the

;
cattle get
but
little
to eat
the former,
ever, are the worst off, for they carry their
heavy wooden saddles, or rather packs (on

which wood and other things are fastened for
transport)
through
life
the peasants
to
never
having
been
accustomed
remove
them,
cannot see the cruelty of leaving the poor

animals day and night so burdened.
But
am wandering
far
from
Cajnica.
We
215

saw nothing of the town that
first
day, except
the village street, along which
we made our
way, in spite of snow and slush, to the inn,

for our
midday meal.
a
We
dined off soup,
followed by the meat that went to the making
of
all
it,
and
kind of apple pie that

" apfelstrudel."
its
is
known
Cajnica
over Austria as
cannot be congratulated on
less better things will
inn, but doubt-
come
left
in time.
Though
tically
the acute political crisis was pracPlevlje, the
over before we
exciting
news
was
still
enough
to
make us look
greatly appre-
eagerly for the papers, so
we
ciated the use of the reading-room belonging
to the casino, which was kindly accorded to
us here as at Plevlje.
This gave us the opporwith
tunity of meeting not only the officers but

also
the
civil
officials,
whom we
I
had
many
interesting talks about things Bosnian.
On
this particular afternoon
found
a para-
graph in the Sarajevo paper stating that packs
of wolves had appeared
in
the country near
Banjaluka, and a remark on the subject led to
my
being told what had happened to an unfor-
tunate shepherdess a few months previously
not far from Cajnica.

216
Cajnica
Two
night.
sisters
were with their

lost
flock
in
the the
mountains
and
ten
off
sheep during
in
Both
started
search
of the
truants, but one sister lost her footing on the
edge of a precipice and

beneath
;
fell
into
the chasm
the other hastened to the nearest
peasant's hut for help,
and led the rescue-party
by another path to the foot of the cliff down which her sister had fallen. There the poor
girl lay dead.
By
a strange coincidence, not
from her were the bloody remains of one of the sheep she had lost her life in seeking of the other nine the wolves had left nothing
far
!
Such
in
stories tell their
own
tale
of the hardlife
ships and dangers of a Bosnian peasant's
the
mountains,
which,
nevertheless,
he
loves as well as the Swiss his native Alps.
hoped for sunshine the following day to disperse the half-melted snow and enable us to take some photographs ; but though no snow fell, and the clouds were a little lighter, there was only a very slight improvement in Our orderly had brought armthe weather. fuls of wood in the previous night, of which
We
we now understood
appear to light the
the reason, for he did not

fire,
and we guessed had
217

been sent off on duty. We soon had a blaze roaring up the chimney, and sent the policeman to the inn for breakfast. It was funny to
see this grand individual, with a scarlet fez
and sword clanking by his side, gravely carrying in the coffee and rolls and two boiled eggs in a newspaper parcel ; no egg-cups were provided nor any
salt
1
Later in the day the
weather cleared sufficiently for us to visit the Orthodox Church, which is dedicated to the
Virgin and her wonder-working picture painted,
according
to
I
local
tradition,
by
St.
Luke
(whom,
nian
as
have related elsewhere, the Bosbelieve to have lived at Jajce).
monks
The
at
picture was brought from the monastery
Banja in the Sanjak Novi Bazar some four hundred years ago by the great Vizier Ghazi
Sinan,
who was himself
a native
of Cajnica.
Why he should have plundered a monastery and stolen the sacred picture, only to give it back
to the
Orthodox Church
at Cajnica, is a riddle
possibly the reputation of the picture was so

great that even the
superstitious about
Mohammedans were
it,
a little
and being uneasy about
the sacrilegious deed he found this the easiest way to salve his conscience. Be that as it may,
3l8

Cajnica
Cajnica became a celebrated place of pilgrimage
from this time on, and no one who is in Bosnia on the day celebrated by the Orthodox Church as the Festival of the Virgin, August 28th,
should miss going to Cajnica to see the thousands of pilgrims who assembled here from all
the countries that once formed the
Servian
kingdom. The
that
is, all
painting
is in
Byzantine style
it,
that can be seen of
for the piety
of generations has kissed

the Virgin, so that
little
away the features of more than an outline
of her features remains.

St.
representation of
John the Baptist is painted on the back of the wood on which the sacred picture is painted, the whole being in a very ancient and
valuable frame.
The
miraculous
picture
was formerly
in
the old pilgrimage chapel beside the
modern
church, completed about twelve years before the Austrian occupation. The older building,
like the Servian church at Sarajevo,
is
partly
underground, the reason of this being that the dimensions above ground permitted for a Christian church in Moslem lands during the
Middle Ages were so small

319
that the only
way
to secure the necessary height for the interior
Bosnia ami Herzegovina

was
to sink the building in the earth.
little
This
gives the
Christian churches a
humble
the
crouching
appearance,
which
doubtless
Turk thought
fitting to a place
of worship of
the despised " rayah," a

for the Christian in
plies that the
word
universally used
Turkish times, which im-
man
is
so designated has forfeited
his
life,
and
only permitted to live at the
pleasure of the " true believers."

little
The gloomy
offerings
chapel has
still
some votive
past,
hung on its walls by pious pilgrims of the among which are the curious leather
of great weight and
occasionally seen.
belts
thickness which
were formerly universally worn by the women,
and are
I
still
was told they were placed here by the widows of murdered men, who had tracked
down
slain,
the murderers with their dead husbands'
pistols in these belts,
and
after
avenging the
this little
hung them here

place of
in the church.
It is a
many memories,
a
Christian church, which kept alight the flame
of Christianity in
the
centuries
Moslem
Ottoman
land throughout
of
dominion,
and
worthy of being more carefully preserved for the sake of its past.
220
Cajnica
The new church

tolerance towards
Is
symbolic of the greater
Christianity
of the nine-
teenth century.
this
When
Sultan
Medshid allowed
prominent building to be erected between 1857 and 1863, the knell of Moslem rule had
it
already sounded in Bosnia, though

till
was not
fifteen years later that
it
passed into the
occupation of a Christian power.
Both churches stand in a roomy court, surrounded by a wall which doubtless was built
for protection in
former times.
but
The
buildings
around the courtyard are

tion of pilgrims
;
for the
accommodathey had
once, at least,
other tenants, for
when
the Austrian troops
vacated the Sandjak, they slept at Cajnica, on

the march to Sarajevo, in the pilgrims* quarters
at the Servian
monastery.
is
The
style,
present pilgrimage church
in
Eastern
with no less than fourteen little cupolas on the roof; the interior is somewhat bare, and besides the famous picture, only the pulpit and bishop's throne and the offerings brought from the old church hung on the
screen are interesting.
miraculous
The same great Vizier who brought the Madonna to Cajnica, and thereby

made
his birthplace
its
famous amongst the Serbs,

for his
it
erected
finest
mosque
own
place
of worship, and
rests beside
with his wife
and son. The pilgrimage church and the proud Vizier's mosque representative of the Cross and the Crescent have changed places. Once the mosque was the prominent feature
of Cajnica
;
to-day
it is
the great white church

so
it is
upon the mountain-side, and

with the faiths they represent.
Cajnica
is
in
Bosnia
proud of
its
" Appelquelle," a
that
rises
spring of
delicious
water
in
the
mountain-side above the pretty town, where

a little terrace has been built
from which to
enjoy the view.
The
spring
is
named
after a
former Governor of Bosnia, Baron Appell,
who seems
to
have won his way

fountain
finest
(as also
did
his wife) to the hearts
of the Bosnian people,

that encloses
who
erected the
the
crystal water.
The
view of the town,
however, or at least that which
we
preferred,
was from the road which climbs the hill through the forest to Metalka. In sunshine it must be exquisite ; but the elements were not kind to us at Cajnica, and though we
waited patiently four days for weather pro222
Cajnica
mising enough to risk the eight hours' ride the mountains to Foca, and a lady's
saddle, kindly lent
over
me by one
of the
officers'
wives, was sent specially from Gorazda for my use (there being none procurable at
Cajnica),
this
we had
at last reluctantly to
give up
long-planned
tour.
Perhaps we might
have waited even longer, but in this instance

the civil officials as well as the officers were
against
owing to the rumours of Montenegrin bands on the frontier. In fine weather we might have laughed at their fears, but to risk being captured by
our taking
this
road,
brigands in a drenching rain or possible snow-
storm
to
that
was too much for us
So we returned over the road we had come Gorazda alas but not all of us. I left
;
!
my
kitty in the kindly care of the wife of the

" at Cajnica
little
" Bezirksvorsteher
been
not without
heart,
lay before us,
pang, for the gentle
creature
who had
and but
I
my
constant companion in such stirring
times had
won
her way to
my
for the long
journey that
still
would have taken her home to be an English cat, and remind me of the wild Sandjak where 1 found her.
223
XFIIITREBINJE AND
IT'S
NEIGWBO U%HOOD
THERE
vosa,
are three
ways of approachtrain
ing Trebinje
a station
by
from
Hum,
off,
between Mostar and Graline
where the
branches
or by road either from
Gacko
to the north or
Ragusa
to the south.
first visit
My
it
to Trebinje,
when
I
reached
by the
last
of these three routes,
have deIt is
scribed very fully in

a drive of
my book on Dalmatia.
From
from three to four hours, part of the

the coast. the height to which
way along
the
road
ascends
before turning inland the
distant view of
Lacroma
tains are
is
Ragusa and the wooded Isle of exquisite. Later on you traverse
the barren Karst, but the shape of the
moun-
very
fine,
and early
in the
morning
and just before sunset the grey rocks take on

lovely colourings.
The road from Gacko

224
to Trebinje
is
likeis
wise through the Karst, and as the distance
CATHOLIC GIKL OK HEKZKGO\lNA
Trehinje
great
and
its
Neighhourhood
fifty
travellers
way
parts
would only be taken by anxious to visit the most out-of-theof the country, which are untouched
miles
it
:
by the modernising influence of the railway to such I would recommend the road, or rather
bridle-path, from
Suha
in
the valley of the
Sutjeska to
Gacko over
the
Cemerno Pass on
horseback, and then by post or private carriage

to Trebinje.
This wild road leads along the

frontier,
Montenegrin
is
and old Turkish and
modern Austrian forts are frequent. Gacko a tiny town that has been forced, by its
important
tragic
strategical position, into playing an
part in Bosnian history, and has
many
memories of the insurrection of 1878.

hero of that time, Bogdan Zimunic,
living here,
is
The
still
and has
tales to tell to those
who
understand his native
tongue of more enfiction.
grossing interest than any
But Gacko
is
also of great interest to anti-
quarians, on account of the wonderful early
Christian gravestones
in
its
neighbourhood,
which throw and history.
light
on ancient Servian usages
Hunting scenes are depicted upon some of them, and men in single-handed combat upon others. Horses are frequently
225

represented, for the old Bosnian knights dearly
loved the trusty steeds which carried them to
and a good horse is the most prized possession of a Bosnian Beg to this very day.
battle,
From Gacko
the military post goes three

;
times in the week as far as Bilek
there
is
daily postal service on to Trebinje connecting with the post cart from Gacko, so it is not
necessary to stay a night on the way.
The Trebinje of
fied
to-day
is
a strongly fortifirst
Austrian garrison
town, which on
approach makes no appeal to the lover of that
which
in
is
old-world and picturesque
but withit
the
modern quarters which

its
encircle
is
Trebinje of history, with
ancient walls and

its
strong towers that bid defiance to

in the
enemies
stormy Middle Ages.

as
The town was known

vunia, under the
Trebunia, or TraIn
Romans, and ruled over by

it
a Slav prince at the time of Constantine.
the fourteenth century
formed part of the
dominions of the Count of Chlum, which were

annexed by the Bosnian Ban Tvrtko, who proclaimed himself " King of Bosnia and the
Coastland."
After the Turkish conquest the town rose
226
Trehinje
to
and
its
Neighbourhood
station
for it was the first on the great high road from Ragusa to Stamboul, along which so much costly mer-
no small importance,
chandise was carried from the Adriatic to the
As it was also a very vulnerable point, owing to its proximity to the Ragusan and Montenegrin as well as the Venetian frontiers, fortresses and watch-towers were erected on
Orient.
all
the surrounding heights for
its
protection.
still
Some of
ing,
the
Turkish
been
in the
forts are
stand-
others
have
replaced
by modern
is
Austrian ones, for the vulnerable point of the
Turkish Empire
Middle Ages
the
vulnerable point of the
newly acquired do-
minions of Austria to-day, and the armies of
Franz Joseph guard Trebinje in the present crisis even more jealously than did the armies of the Sultan during the bloody
political
wars with the
men of
the Black Mountains.

positions alter
is
That the value of

little
strategical
in the course of the ages
our garrisoning Egypt just as
shown by did the Romans.
On
our
first visit
to Trebinje, in the spring
of 1906, we were very kindly entertained by Lieutenant-Colonel von Lilianhof, at that time
of the Trebinje garrison, and heard from him

227

and from his wife a good deal about army life The tropical summer is in the Herzegovina.
so trying that, as with us in India, the officers'
wives are
all
sent
away during the hot months

are
indeed,
blance
India.
there
many
points of resem-
between the Austrian officers' lot in Herzegovina and that of the British officer in
Both are
is
exiles,
though certainly the

to
Austrian
a great deal nearer to his beloved
Vienna than the Englishman

semi-tropical
London. The
been
for
climate
of
Trebinje has
wisely utilised by the present
Government
the cultivation of the tobacco plant and the vine, and model vineyards and orchards were planted at Lastva, a mountain valley about eight miles from Trebinje, in 1892, which have met with In great success and are well worth visiting. order to get the best results, Hungarian vint-
ners were brought from the famous vineyards
where the juice of the grape

Imperial
the
art
is
converted into
Tokay
to teach the people of Lastva
of vine culture and wine

pears,
making.
all
Cherries,
peaches,
and
apricots
flourish in the peaceful fertile valley,
which
is
now reached by
good driving road from

228
Trebinje, but was, before the Occupation, so
Trehinje
and
its
Neighbourhood
it
cut off from the outside world that
was one
of the most lawless parts of Herzegovina, where border fights with the neighbouring
It is said that the inhabitants
Montenegrins were of constant occurrence. of Lastva were
paid by the Turkish
Government
to
keep the
border, and were
so
busy fighting that the
fruitful land lay barren
under the old regime.

is
The Lastva of
to-day
the seat of a local

(Bezirk),
government department
frontier,
and
has,
besides the inevitable gendarmerie post of the

a small
military post, schools, and

are used
in
some houses which
summer by
residents of Trebinje.
One of
this
the most interesting excursions in

is
neighbourhood
to the Popovopolje
in
summer
lake
;
a fruitful plain, in winter an inland

is
it
easily reached
by a good driving
periodically dis-
road from Trebinje.
These
appearing lakes are peculiar to the Karst, and
where the waters come from and whence they go remains a mystery. It seems, like the
overflow of the Nile, to be nature's provision
for watering
less
and enriching the

for
a
soil
of a rainof
the
stony country,
the
waters
Popovopolje leave
deposit of
229
mud
which

acts as a
manure.
peculiar thing about this

is
particular
Karst lake
that the
ill
low-lying
swampy
land seems to have no
effect
on the
it,
health of the population living around
for
dis-
the Popovopolje
tricts
is
one of the healthiest

in
in
Herzegovina,
marked
of
contrast to
the
very similar
district
Gabella,
near
Metkovic.
The Popovopolje
around
it
(or
rather
the
villages
which nestle
at the foot
of the bare
surrounding mountains) have a population of

about 5000 persons.
long
The
lake
is
twenty miles
when
the waters are at their height, and

to over a
from forty
hundred feet deep. Not wind blows down from the mountains, quite high waves are seen, and it is not pleasant to be caught on the lake in I was told a small boat on such an occasion.
unfrequently,
when
the
that but one kind of fish, called " gaovice,"

is caught in the Popovopolje, and that it is esteemed by the natives as a great delicacy.
The
gaovice
is
hardly as large as a sardine,

fish
and perhaps for this reason the

squeeze through the
water
rises,
1
manage
to
oles
through which the
where
their larger brethren
would
stick fast.
Possibly as Herzegovina advances

230
Trehinje
in civilisation,
and
its
Neighbourhood
under the new regime, someone may erect a fish cannery on the banks of the Popovopolje, and introduce to the world
of gourmands a new finny delicacy that will
cast
our old friend the sardine in the shade. Antiquarians will find the banks of the lake
it
happy hunting ground, for

burial places,
abounds
called
priest,
in ancient
which are often

the
Bogomile
graves
but
orthodox
in
Iguman
superior
says
that
Mihajlovic,
who
studied them
the
when
of the monastery
district,
many of
cross,
the
stones
it
bear the
signs of the
which
was not the custom of the
Bogomiles to use. Nor are the gravestones all that show that this district was of importance in past times, for more than one ruined castle crowns the surrounding heights, and
the
tumuli
tell
the
story
of a
still
earlier
occupation.
Another natural curiosity

cave.
is
the Vjetrenica
The
entrance
is
in the
mountain-side,
level
it
;
about a hundred feet or

the interior bears traces
at
more above the

of human
;
of the lake, so that the waters never reach
habitation
some former period

231
figures are roughly
depicted on the walls at the entrance, which
Bosnia and Herzegomyia

probably were meant
to
represent knightly
heroes of the Middle Ages, for they are wearing helmets and bearing swords ; a cross shows In an inner cave, their Christian origin.
some hundred and
fifty
yards from the main
entrance, fragments of iron vessels and animal
bones are to be seen
it
probably served the
cave-dwellers as a kitchen.
At
is
the village of Zavala, in the Popovopolje,

interesting old Servian monastery,
a very
standing high above the banks of the Trebinjcica ; yet not so high but that the waves
of the lake wash against the rocks on which it The is built during the winter inundation.
library contains
some
interesting old
manu-
scripts and rare books in the Turkish and Servian languages, and the monastery seal is
shown, which bears the date 1271. It is well worth while to make an excursion
from Trebinje by carriage to Ragusa Vecchia, near which are the ruins of Gradina, about
which the following legend is told. When the Venetian Republic was
height of
its
at
the
its
glory, Ragusa Vecchia, like
greater namesake, was an
independent
state,
ruled
over by a young princess

232
who was
A MLEi-'ZIX
Trehinje
and
its
Neighhourhood
famed
for her beauty far
of her kingdom.
beyond the borders Needless to say, she had
most favoured a young engineer, and promised to marry him if he could bring fresh water from the hills to her
many
lovers, but she
tiny capital.
This the young man

in time accomplished.
set
himself to do, and

fixed
The day was
on
which the waters should be released and flow for the first time into the town. Unfortunately
for the ardent lover, in a spirit of mischief
he introduced a harmless snake into the pipe,
would cause fun to the onlookers when it came out at the other end. Little did he dream of the consequences of his joke The princess came in person to the opening of the new aqueduct to do special honour to her lover. So great was the force with which
thinking
it
!
the pent-up water rushed out at a given signal

for its release, that the imprisoned snake
was
the
thrown
less,
fell
against
the
royal
breast,
and
princess, not
knowing the reptile was harmfainting to the ground and died of
fright.
233
XIXF%pM SARAJEVO
BOSNA BROD
"TO
FEW
ing,
are the travellers
who break
their
journey between the capital of Bosnia
and the Hungarian frontier of Brod,

but there
is
much
that
is
worth
in
see-
by those who are interested
the
de-
velopment of the country, at some of the intermediate towns along the main line and
on its branches. Here, more than anywhere else in Bosnia, industry has made strides, and though factory
chimneys occasionally
is
spoil the landscape, there
satisfaction in the
thought that they mean

the terminus of a
greater prosperity to the people.
Vares, for instance, at
branch
line
going
off
from
Podlugovi
station about fifteen miles distant
from Sara-
jevo
is
the centre of a flourishing iron trade.

are
The mines
lation, for
worked by the Catholic popuis
mining
foreign to the nature of
the Turks,
who were
content to
let
the rich
234
A GUZLA PLAYER
From
mineral
Sarajevo
to
Bosna Brocl
lie
treasures
of Bosnian mountains
part.
buried for the most
Yet even under

district
Moslem
rule
the Christians of this
worked these using the same methods that their forefathers had done for hundreds of years, and so great
was the reputation of the iron ore that
sent not only
into Asia.
all
it
mines in a primitive fashion,
was
over the Balkans, but even

the Austrian regime
Under
modern
methods have been introduced at Vares, and two large iron foundries erected by the Govern-
ment give work to a whole township that has grown round them. At Zenica, on the main line, there are
" Landesararische " (Government) coal mines
model convict prison on the progressive system, where the prisoners are taught trades and work on the land, is one of the sights of the place. Fruit culture on
and
steel
works.
a very large scale
is
carried on,
all
the
work of
being
planting and cultivating
the
orchards
done by the prisoners. Yet
in spite
of industry
and the modern buildings, something of old Zenica remains in the green gardens surrounding the Turkish houses and the slender minarets that rise
from among them.

235

Usora
It
is
is
another important industrial centre.
the end station of the Usora railway, a
company who export wood from the great oak forests of the Usora under a contract with the Government valley the line owned by this company will, in time,
private line
owned by
become
state
property and probably be ex-
tended to Banjaluka. The Austrians have introduced the cultivation of beet-root for sugar-making into Bosnia,
and
in
erected at
1892 a large sugar refinery was Usora, in which many hundreds of
refugees from Russia, chiefly Chekhs, are employed. The company owning the sugar refinery also have a large stock-breeding estab-
lishment.
At Doboj another branch

and
salt
is
line goes
off to the coal

I
mines of Dolnja Tuzla.

to see in this district
have said there
much
is
for those
interested in the industries of the

also
country, but there
much worth
lies
seeing
here from
quite another point of view, that of
the travellers whose interest

confess does
historical
mainly
my own in
Bosnia,
as
its
scenic beauty and
interest.
in
The
at
oldest
Franciscan
monastery
ruins
Sutjeska,
royal
of
the
famous
236
old
and the castle of
From
Bobovac
Sarajevo
to
Bosna Brod
from the
station of
a visit
;
are easily reached
Kakanj-Doboj, and both are worth
driving road goes to Sutjeska, but Bobovac

can only be reached on foot or on horseback.
century by the
The monastery was founded in the fourteenth first Franciscan monks that
their
found
way
to
Bosnia, but
only
the
church remains of that period, for the other

buildings were destroyed by
fire in
1658 and
marvellous
rebuilt six years later, as a Latin inscription
on the west door

that
testifies.
It
is
one stone remains upon another of those placed there by the founders, when you recall
often
fire
how
and sword have swept

of six centuries.
this land
in the course
History relates that after the Turkish conquest of Bosnia in 1464 and the destruction
of the neighbouring
castle
of Bobovac, the
monks of
a
Sutjeska by some means procured document from the Sultan promising them
;
protection
time,
this sufficed for their safety for a
but did not save the monastery from
molestation in the following century,

fanatic zeal
when
the
of the Bogomiles
over to Islam
who had gone under the leadership of the

237
then governor, Hassan Bey, destroyed one reQ

ligious
house
after
another
Sutjeska
was
plundered when Fojnica, Kresevo, Visoko, and

Konjica were utterly destroyed.
In the monastery archives chronicles of one of the
monks,
by name Fra Bona Benic, exist which give a

graphic account of the
trials that
overtook the
brotherhood in the period that followed the

reverse of the Turkish armies before the walls
of Vienna.
The unfortunate
Christians in the
realm of Islam then suffered for the success
of their fellow Christians in Europe.
For sixteen years the monastery was deserted, while the monks wandered in the
mountains, sleeping in caves or
disguised as peasants
;
in
the open,
but
still at
hand when
Catholic
sought for to administer the rites of religion

in
secret
to
the
fast
diminishing
of
population.
The monastery church

Baptist,
St.
John the
first
on the right bank of the Trstivinica,
claims the proud distinction of being the
Christian church in Bosnia to possess a belfry
and have the privilege of calling

pers to prayer by the
bells,
its
worship-
sound of the sacred

rule.
while
yet
under Ottoman
this
238
An
inscription
commemorates
great conces-
From
Sarajevo to Bosna
Brod
when
hears
sion granted in the year i860, at a time
the ringing of church bells was
still
fraught
with dire penalties.
"
When
the
Turk
is
the sound of a church bell then
his
anger
kindled against the Christians," was a saying

typical of popular feeling in those days.
Visiko
is
a place that has historic associaall
tions of special interest to

visited Dalmatia
travellers
who have
and become enamoured of the romantic history of Ragusa, for it was here in 1335 that the representatives of the proud
republic,
little
received
from
Ban
trade
Stefan
in
Tvrtko the
Orient
has
;
privilege
is
of free
the
nor
this the only connection Visiko

fifty
with
Dalmatian history, for some
years later
King Stefan Ostoja here confirmed
the privileges of Zara and Sebenico.
From
nica,
Visiko, a driving road leads to another
interesting old Franciscan monastery at Foj-
which has an
its
idyllic situation
and pos-
sesses in
archives, a
Firman of the Sultan
Mahmud
II,
which was the charter of freedom
to worship the
God
of the Christians for the
Franciscans under
interesting
Ottoman rule. An equally document in the monk's library is

239
an ancient book of heraldry containing the

names and arms of all the Bosnian nobles who left the country on account of the Turkish
invasions or adopted the religion of the conquer-
ing race, and in so doing dropped their family
names, but preserved the tradition of the In spite of so many valuable docunobility.
ments being
lost in times
of persecution, the
still
Franciscan monasteries of Bosnia are
happy hunting ground for the lovers of rare volumes and old missals, and the monks delight to show them to appreciative travellers. An interesting book might be written about so numerous are the feudal castles of Bosnia they, so stirring their history, and nowhere more frequent than between Sarajevo and the Hungarian frontier at Brod. Those who de-
light in such relics of the past, should drive
or travel by the military post from Usora to
Tesanj and see the ancient strongholds of the
Bans of Usora, famous alike for its picturesque position, on an almost inaccessible rock, and for its stirring history. This castle shared
the
fate
of
Jajce,
being
conquered by the
Turks
1463 and retaken by the Hungarian king, Mathias Corvinus, in the same year but its final conquest by the armies of the
in
;
240
A BOSNIAN
1.11
-\
From
Sarajevo
to
Bosna Brod
Sultan was eight years previous to Jajce's final

fall
;
walls
some of the breaches in the massive may have been made when it was be-
sieged by Prince Eugene,
who took
it
on one
of his many raids against the Turks.
The
height,
castle
is
of Maglaj, which crowns a rocky

striking object
from the train, and is in particularly good preservation. Maglaj boasts too a very fine mosque, and is so picturesquely situated that it is well worth while to break your journey there, if only for a few hours and if you are an artist or
a
;
photographer, with an eye for picture-making,
you
to
will certainly find that a

it.
day
is
not enough
devote to
The town
has tragic memories
erected to the
records, and
of the insurrection of 1878, which an obelisk memory of the Austrian soldiers

is
strongly garrisoned to-day for
the protection of the great bridge across the
Bosna
field
river.
Not
far
from here
4th,
is
is
the battle-
of Kosna,
where the insurgents were

1878
;
defeated
on
August
is
another
memorial of that time

great iron cross
at
Doboj, where a
erected on a height at the
entrance to a mountain ravine to the
memory
town
of those
who
fell in
the battle near that

241

where the Austrians, under Count Szapary, defeated the insurgents under the Mufti
Taslidza.
Doboj has preserved its mediaeval character from the height on which its almost intact ancient castle stands there is a wonderful view
;
that well repays the exertion
of the ascent.
To
the east you look across the river to the
forests
to the west
and mountains of the Spreca valley one mountain-chain rises behind

:
the other
Vicija
till
the snow-capped peaks of the
and Vlasic-Planina near Travnik bound There is another view from a the horizon. height along this line which is strikingly
beautiful,
and can be enjoyed from the
train
when
at
you reach the station of

watershed
;
Han
Marica,
the
of
the
the
rivers
train
Save
and
lies,
Bosna
and
after
this
gradually
descends to the plain in which Dervent
This reaching to the banks of the Save. whole district, I was told, was one great lake
during the insurrection in the autumn 1878
to 1879, but the old quarter
of Dervent which
little
then existed
is
built
;
on two
the
hills,
and
rose above the flood
new houses
are in
the plain, and would fare badly if the same

242
</
?>
^r.J*-'
.t
"*
^jfe^p^._''
THt Lonooit slographical institute
From
Sarajevo
to
Bosna Brod
From Dervent
intermediate
is
conditions occurred again.
to
the frontier at Brod

teen
miles,
is
but a distance of
six-
and
at
the
station
Sijekovac
the
Save river
reached, which
there forms the boundary between Bosnia and
Hungary. Brod is a little town with two mosques, a Greek orthodox church, and two monuments, one of which records that the Austrian army here entered Bosnia on July 29th, 1879, and the other the visit of the Emperor Franz
Its only importance lies in Joseph in 1885. it being the terminus of the narrow-gauge Bosnian railway at its junction with the
Hungarian
lines.
Here we crossed
the
great bridge across
the Save river, and bid a regretful " Goodbye " to beautiful Bosnia, which will have
henceforth a place in
our affections second
only to
its
sisterland of Dalmatia.
THE END
INDEX
A
Aladza mosque, 134, 137
Ali
Bcgova Dzamija, 96
Bobovac, 237
Boljanic, 180, 194,
206
243
Pasha
Rizvanbegovic,
26
Annexation, Austrian,
1 1
Bosna Brod, Bosna
19, 234,
Serai, 82,
1 1
88
Anti- Austrian tone, English

press,
1 1
Bjelasnica,
Bistrik,
90
Arabian Nights^ 104

Austrian soldiers in
1
Black Sea, 120

Burying
878, 103
human
bodies
in
Austro-Hungarian Administration,
masonry, 125
91
Austrian
Government,
83,
108, 134
Cajnica, 129, 174, 201, 21 3-
B
Bairam,
feast of, 103,
223
Cairo, 95
129
Caravopolji,
47
Servian)
lan-
Banjaluka, 71-76, 83, 105
Chelenka, 102
Croatian
{see
Baths of Ilidze, 108

Bears, price on heads of, 162
guage, 18
Beg of
Rataj,
48-1
51
Crown Prince Rudolf, 135

Cvrstnica, 41
Begs, Bosnian, 73, 141, 142
Q2
245
Index
D
Damascus, Sarajevo compared
to,
Gornji Vakuf, 43
Government, Bosnian (Austro-Hungarian), 99,

100,
89
1
Danube,
20
108,
10
Dervent, 242
Dervishes, graves
of,
1
Grad
105
3
(Sarajevo), 103
Gradina, 232 Gravosa, 23
Dervish monastery,
Dobrunj, 127 Doloc, great oak

Dormitor,
1 1
tree,
84
H
Han, Marica, 242
Hans, Turkish, 166, 167
E
Egypt, 87, 95
Hot weather
71
in Bosnia,
108
5 8,
Hrvoja, King of Bosnia,
Feudal
system
in
Bosnia,
141-143
Frankopan, Count,
Freshwater Foca,
1
Ivko of Josanica, 132

5
i
1
fisheries,
10
Ilidze,
107-115
18,
128-139, 168
Irby, Miss, 91
Fortified watch-houses, 121
Gabela, 25
Janissaries, 89,
105
Gacko, 155, 164, 224, 225, 226
Jablanica, 35,
40-42
69
Jajce, 44-64, 68,

Jesuit College, 83
Ghazi Usrej Beg, 99

Gorazda,
118,
119,
121,
Jezero, 65-67
Josanica, 132
129-131, 172, 174, 223
246
Index
K
Karst,
Middle Ages, 109, 118, 132

Military casino, 184
229
Kaglevic, Peter, 52
Kally, Minister von, 108
Miljacke
river,
93
Montenegro, 139, 146

Mostar, 26-35,90, 105, 124
Komadina
waterfall,
39
26
Konjica, 41
Kraljevic
Marko,
bridge,
27
at,
Catholic church
curious dress of
28
Moham-
medan women, 33
Lasva, 87
Mount
1
Treberic, 105, iii
Lim
river,
Ljubovija, 122
N
Narenta
river, 26,
of,
Luke,
Saint, 55
27
M
Maglaj, 241
gorge
39
Nicosia, 95
Maklan
Pass,
42
O
Occupation, Austro-Hungarian, 106, in Sarajevo,
Mathias Carvinus, 48
Marriage market
103
109
Olmlitz Pasha, 97, 98, 99
Mecca, 97 Medjedge station,

Medresse, 83
Omar
1
Pasha, 82
Osatica, costumes of,
92
Oxford, 100
Mehmed Mehmed
123
Fatih Sultan, 132
Pasha
Sokolovic,
Pale,
1
1
Metalka, 209, 210, 211
Plevljc, 129,
181-204
Metkovic, 25
Pliva river, 59, 78

1
Mischan
graves,
3 3
Porin Planina, 37
247
48
Index
Popovopolje,
230-232
Stone of Ivko,
Streifkorps,
33
Prenj, ascent of, 41
154
Presjeka, town of, 133
Suha, 155, 160, 165
Priboj (Sandjak), 127, 130

Prjepolje,
194
Prozor, 43

43
139,
Sutjeska monastery, 236, 237

valley,
139
ravine,
river,
1
152-168
5 2
R
Ragusa, 93, 119, 123
Sokol, castle
of,
45
Spanish Jews, 17, 105, 106

Stambulcic, 117
Rama,
valley of,
Rataj, castle of,
140,
Stefan Tomasevic,
44-48
Rhemen, General von, 184

Risto Bakac, 152
Rizvanbegovic,
Ali
Pasha,
tobacco
State aid, 19
factory, 19
vineyards, 19
schools, 19
26
Suljman Pasha, 193, 207

river,
Rzava
122
Superstition in Bosnia, 125
T
Sandjak, Novi Bazar,
i34-
129,
i39 i79 210

1 1
Tattooing in Bosnia, 62
Safety in Herzegovina,
Sarajevo,
Tobacco growing, 130, 134

Trappist monastery, 75, 76
Trebinje,
82,
85, 89-106,
109, 121
224-234
111-114
Save
river, 16,
242, 243
Trebevic, 105,
Scheriat (college),
99
1
Travnik, 80, 81
Servian Croatian language,
Treaty of Berlin, 21
church,
1 1
Trout breeding,
Turkani Emin,
248
i
1 1
Stab,
33
Index
u
Urlas
river, 78,
Vitez
station,
87
79
Vlasic Planina, 242
Ustipraca, 118, 121, 171
Usar, 19
W
Watershed, Bosna and Drina,
118
Usora, 236, 240
V
Vakuf, 98
Vardiste, 121
Wolves, price on head
of,
162
Vares, 234, 235

Veils
Zelengora, 144
worn by women
of
Zeleneslic gorge, 26
Herzegovina, 32
Venice,
1
Zelena Glava, 41
Zenica, 235
23
Vinac
castle,
79
Zepa
river,
22
Visika,
239
Zwornik, 49
DALMATIA
THE LAND WHERE EAST MEETS WEST
By Maude M. Holbach.
With upwards of Fifty Illustrations from Photographs by O. Holbach, and a Map.
Crown
Zvo.
^s. net.
The Times. " The volume is attractive and entertaining. Mrs. Holbach sees with her own eyes and describes by her own standards the whole country is a gallery of vivid pictures, and she has made good
use of her opportunity."
The Globe. " The author of this bright and pleasant book describes vividly her impressions of the land and its people, showing a talent for observation as accurate as well directed."
"A very charming and useful travel-book, with a country of singular interest present, described with sympathetic pen in her informing and brightly written volume." Spectator. " The story of the Dalmatian coast a long and stirring
The World.
illustrations.
It is
fine
historical,
and prospective
little
is
writes with an enthusiasm which is infectious, to tempt the tourists in Italy to cross the Adriatic. The book is illustrated with good photographs, enough to give her readers a notion of the pleasures in store for them. The architectural glutton has an almost unending feast prepared for him, we may be sure, and the painter of types and customs will find rich material for his canvas."
one.
The authoress
and sure
Manchester Guardian. "The photographs are delightful, and the simple narrative and description that accompanies them is admirably fitted to encourage travellers to follow her example."
" Mrs. Holbach's account is picturesque, her people and places of interest being admirably supplemented by the numerous illustrations for which her husband is
description of
responsible."
its
Saturday Review.
Dundee Advertiser. " To read the beautifully written description of the country is to imagine that you have at last discovered the land where Anthony Hope'sheroes meet with adventures and the inevitable princess. The volume is illustrated by upwards of fifty reproductions of photographs, some of which are really works of art."
Holbach has accomplished a task, has, in fact, She has produced not a guide-book, but a highly instructive and decidedly entertaining book of travel. Mrs. Holbach goes about with the real traveller's seeing eye and understanding, has a facile pen, and a pretty knack of descriptive writing. The work is beautifully illustrated from photographs by Mrs. Holbach's husband."
Notts Express.
Mrs.
come through
the ordeal with flying colours.
stale, matter.of-fact
The Car. " Dalmatia deserves to be better known and Mrs. Holbach's volume can be heartily recommended to every jaded traveller who wishes to obtain information about a new and unspoiled touring ground."
LEAVES FROM
A MADEIRA GARDEN
By Charles Thomas-Stanford,
Author of
f.s.a.
"A
River of Norway,"
etc.
With
sixteen full-page illustrations.
CrowTi
From
?>vo.
Price
^s. net.
Postage
a^d.
the vagaries and rigours of a European winter many thousands of people fly each year to the Island of Madeira. Mr. Thomas-Stanford for many years has been one who chose thus to love his country from afar. In " Leaves from a Madeira Garden " he gives his impressions of scenery and politics, tells of folk lore and native customs, recreates the atmosphere and blue skies. More especially he deals with gardens and garden lore. The wonderful climate of the Island produces in the open air a riot of flowers and blossoms that with us are never seen outside hot-houses and green-houses. The Author's aim is to {jresent to the general reader and the garden-lover and enthusiast, a picture of the general conditions of life, the beauties both wild and cultured of this glorious sub-tropical island. To those who know
Madeira, Mr. Thomas-Stanford's book will awaken many happy memories whilst those who have yet to know it will close his book with a firm determination to hasten the date of their departure for this
;
island of the blest.
The book is dedicated to the Members of the Library Association of which Mr. Thomas-Stanford is this year the President.
Daily Chronicle.
" Our author knows the island and loves
it."
WALKS AND PEOPLE IN TUSCANY

By Sir Francis Vane, Bt.
With numerous and
This book treats of
Illustrations
S.
by Stephen Haweis Garstin Harvey.

^s.
Crow7i Svo.
many walks and
net.
cycle rides, practically describIt has been written with ing, if not covering, the whole of Tuscany. the especial object of setting before the reader not only the characteristics of the landscape, but no less the inhabitants of all classes, whom the author encountered. Not only, however, does he describe the people and the scenery, but he has placed on record his thoughts about them in a frank and bold manner. The author also has a considerable acquaintance with history, heraldry and genealogy, which prove useful to him in dealing with the social system of Italy in the past and of today. The general scheme of the work is to take the two centres, Florence the capital, and the summer resort Bagi de Lucca, and the author has made his e.Mpeditions from these, consequently covering with an effective network of raids the mountains and valleys between.
LIBRARY FACILITV
AA
000 798 552

1908 Bosnia and Herzegovina Maude M Holbach

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GOVI

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO

3 1822 02783 5032

UNiyERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO

3 1822 02783 5032

CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO LA JOLLA. CALIFORNIA

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA SOME WA YSIDE WANDERINGS

BY THE SAME AUTHOR

A BIT OK OLD .MOSTAR

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA SOME YSIDE WANDERINGS

WILLIAM BRENDON AND SON, LTD

should write the preface

book from Dalmatia, which was

her sister lands,

Bosnia and the Herzegovina.

think, never intended

separated, for the inland countries need the

the sea, and the coast land needs

the supplies of the back country.

point of view even they sup-

ply each other's deficiencies

be oppressive there, a few hours' train jour-

will reverse the order of the countries.

September and October are delightful months

best during the

sunshine throughout November, and

balcony enjoying the

summer, and looking across

previous book on Dalmatia as " a dream city

The Old Turkish Bridge at Mostar

Peasants coming from Church in Mostar

The Narenta River

Jajce with the

of the Pliva River

the Pliva River between Jajce and Jezero

Shepherds near Jezero

Between Jajce and Banjaluka

Travnik from the Hills

Courtyard of Mosque Begova Dzamija (Sar AJEVO)

Old Servian Church

FocA from the Hills

Dervish Monastery near Foca

Feudal Castle of Rataj

The Beg The

.... .... ....

The Gendarmerie Post at Suha

A Woman of Plevlje (Sandjak Novi Bazar)

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA SOME WA YSIDE WANDERINGS

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

of green pastures and rushing

and shepherdesses wanhand spinning as they

watch their flocks

expected something different

perhaps a wild mountain land inhabited by a

thirty years ago since Bosnia

was rescued from

Bosnia and Herzegovina

and saw the old Turkish

towns with their picturesque but comfortablelooking houses standing

land, one-half of the population

here remained Christian, a doubt grew in

whether the Western world has

not done the