of his
position, and, not unlike men similarly afflicted, most aggressively
stupid.

As a great favour, and after our united persuasion, he allowed us at
last to look from a window overlooking the courtyard of the prison. As
in Cetinje, the prisoners walk without let or hindrance in the
spacious walled-in courts before their cell doors. Being Easter no man
was chained, a privilege they owe to the Prince, who always releases
the prisoners from their fetters during the great festivals; one
wretched individual, however, we noticed more heavily manacled than
even a murderer of the worst kind. He was, we were informed, a
dangerous madman, though, poor devil, he looked harmless enough,
slouching round and round the yard. The primitive custom of confining
dangerous lunatics (for the harmless are allowed their full liberty
outside) in the common prison is soon to be done away with. A large
lunatic asylum is rapidly nearing completion near Danilovgrad--another
memorial of Prince Nicolas' improvements.

The prisoners were sleek and fat--those imprisoned for long terms or
for life bearing witness of the good treatment which they receive at
the hands of the authorities. One youngish man in particular
attracted our attention, a merry laughing fellow whose girth had
reached alarming proportions. He was imprisoned for life, and his
crime, which sat so lightly upon him, had been a particularly
atrocious and dastardly murder for plunder--a crime practically
unknown in Montenegro.

Imprisonment is more real here than in Cetinje. There is none of that
delightful promenading up and down before the prison walls, hours
pleasantly whiled away with a friendly visitor from afar over a pint
of wine. The only glimpse of the outside world that these prisoners
obtain is when a few of them fetch water daily from a well outside the
walls.

As we gazed upon the strange scene from the window above, of prisoners
and warders amicably chatting together, others squatting in groups
over a harmless game, a horrible voice disturbed the serenity of the
picture. Then at a closely barred window a face appeared, with matted
hair and long unkempt beard. It was the face of a madman; with
terrible curses he filled the air, and we looked inquiringly at our
cicerone.

"That man is a political offender," came the answer. "For fifteen
years he has waited his trial, and now he has become hopelessly
insane. Many years ago he endeavoured to stir up a revolution aga