with a
host of friends. Still to two we wish humbly to express our gratitude
for many acts of, at the time, unknown courtesy, namely, H.R.H. Prince
Nicolas, and the Metropolitan of Montenegro, Mitrofanban. As a slight
token of our thanks to, and admiration of, that true father of his
people, Prince Nicolas, we respectfully dedicate this book to the
soldier-poet and prince of the Land of the Black Mountain.

Since we finished the story of our travels, I have had the honour of
speaking long with Prince Nicolas and of seeing him on many occasions;
for during our first travels in the land we were always strangely
unlucky in this respect. I then learnt how our progress through
Montenegro had been watched over, and contingencies provided for,
which we had taken as a matter of course.

Some, alas! of our friends are now no more. The Governor of Podgorica
was shot down in broad daylight a short while ago whilst taking his
midday promenade in which we so often shared. Others, too, have fallen
on the borders. Friends are easily lost in Montenegro, where a charge
of powder and a bullet settle differences.

Disagreeable episodes happened to us--they happen everywhere--but
these we have rightly or wrongly omitted. The good that we experienced
certainly outweighed the bad, and that shall be our reason for so
doing.

And again, throughout the book we have given our _first_ impressions,
much of it was written during our actual progress through the land. It
may be that our feelings will thus be more interesting than a
cut-and-dried treatise of the land and its inhabitants.

In conclusion, it will not be amiss to add an explanation of the Serb
names which appear throughout the book in the original spelling. The
names have often an unpronounceable appearance, and look harsh and
forbidding. This is far from the case, for the Serb language is
full-toned and musical.

In common with the Slav languages it has a sixth vowel, viz.
"r"--hence such words as "Srb" (Serb), "trg" (place or square), and
"Trst" (Triest). It is only necessary to roll the "r" to overcome this
seeming anomaly of a collection of consonants. The language is spoken
exactly as it is written, as for instance Italian, but the consonants
s, c, and z vary according to their accents.

"s" is our sharp s; but with inverted circumflex

"s" it becomes "ssh," as in "show."

"c" is pronounced "tz": thus Cetinje is spoken Tzetinje; Podgorica as
Podgoritza.

"c" and "c" ar