their gait that perfect grace of
motion which characterises the mountaineer, and in particular the
Montenegrin. The danger in which they have perpetually lived,
accustomed to look death in the face at any moment, has stamped upon
them that open and fearless look which most forcibly strikes the
stranger.

Their blood is of the purest and noblest in the Balkans, for they are
largely descended from the noble families of the old Servian Empire
who fled to the Katunska after the bloody field of Kossovo, which
destroyed the might of the Serbs for ever. It is probably from these
ancestors that their noble bearing and perfect manners, in even
strange and unaccustomed surroundings, are derived. Their notion of
honour is of the highest, and thieving and robbery are practically
unknown.

Prince Nicolas, like King Alfred, trusts his subjects in this matter
of thieving implicitly. Should a man drop a case of banknotes on the
road, the law says that the finder shall pick it up and place it on
the nearest stone, so that the loser has but to retrace his steps,
glancing at the wayside stones. This law is invariably followed.

The Montenegrins are still an armed nation, and the following proverbs
illustrate their love of weapons. One says, "A man without arms is a
man without freedom"; the other says, "Thou mayest as well take away
my brother as my rifle."

Their patriotism and unswerving loyalty to the reigning Prince have
ever been their most brilliant virtues.

The famous traveller Kohl has likened the Montenegrins to the ancient
Greeks of Homeric times, and the comparison holds good to this day.

"Love of freedom and pride of weapons, simplicity of life--remember
the love of mutton and wine, as described by Homer--hospitality, the
superiority of man over woman, all these features, together with the
fact that the heroes are themselves the singers of their deeds," says
Kohl, "are to be found in the Montenegrins, as well as in the Greeks
of Homer."

Woman takes a very inferior position in Montenegro. She is respected
in a sense, and her position has improved greatly in recent times,
chiefly owing to the example set by the Prince himself. At the
official reception held on New Year's Day, when the humblest peasant
can go to Cetinje and kiss the Prince's hand, Prince Nicolas places
his wife to his right, and every man must first kiss her hand. Thus in
the highest classes woman takes very nearly the same place as in
civilised land