e. This custom is largely adopted in Montenegro, particularly
amongst the peasants, but even then we never quite knew if a shake of
the head was meant in the Turkish or European sense. It is a
confusing and irritating habit, and takes months to get accustomed to.

Visitors to Montenegro usually spend a day in Scutari, for the route
by steamer is the only perfectly safe way of entering the town.
Passengers by the steamer are not required to have their passports
vised, if they state their intention to the official, who promptly
boards the steamer on its arrival, to return by it next day. But names
and particulars are carefully noted and laid before the Governor.
During this particular visit, we were already well known to the
Turkish officer in charge of this department, a pleasant little
fellow, inordinately proud of his French which he had just learnt; but
still he worried us greatly, calling daily and even sending obvious
spies to find out how long we really meant to stay and our object. We
tried to impress upon him that we had no base intentions on the town,
and were really quite harmless individuals, but he remained friendlily
suspicious till he bade farewell to us on board the little steamer
_Danitza_.

It is about four hours to Plavnica, and the trip across the lake is
very fine, surrounded as it is by magnificent mountains and dotted
with tiny wooded islands along its northern bank. We did not disembark
at Plavnica, the nearest point for Podgorica, but proceeded _via_
Virpazar up the river to Rijeka, the final station of the steamer and
connecting link with Cetinje. The voyage up to Rijeka is delightful,
as the boat threads her way through a narrow channel between lofty
green hills. It is a picture of as true sylvan beauty, peace and
quiet, as can be found on many of the upper reaches of the Thames.

At Rijeka we waited in an inn for the carriage, which we had ordered
by telegraph from Cetinje to take us back to Podgorica, and were
startled to hear a revolver-shot fired in the village. Everyone was
running excitedly to a certain small "dugan," or shop, and thither we
also directed our steps and found a bleeding Montenegrin standing over
a prostrate and insensible Turk.

What had happened was as follows. The Montenegrin had bought some
tobacco from the Turk, and claimed to have been given two kreutzers
(under a halfpenny) short in change, whereupon the Turk accused the
other of having hidden it.

"Thou art a l