riosity, and as we drew rein before it we noticed a
crowd of men in the balcony of the first or top floor, for here the
ground floor was devoted to stabling. Doctor S. hastily whispered that
the Governor and General of Kolasin was one of the men upstairs. On
going up the rickety stairs, we were at once introduced to him, and
received most friendlily. He was a small wiry man, and reminded one
strongly in appearance of Lord Roberts. Also, he spoke excellent
German, having studied years ago in the Viennese Military Academy.
Very kindly he promised to assist us during our stay in every way, and
invited us to his house next morning.

We overlooked the Market Square and had real beds, though the only
available room was tiny. Dr. S. and Stephan slept somewhere else.
After the heat of the valley, we found the air very keen up here;
Kolasin lies over 3,000 feet, and is the highest town of any size in
Montenegro.

On the following morning we visited the Governor Martinovic formally
in his house. It is only recently that he has ceased to be the
Artillery General of Montenegro, a post which he held all through the
Turkish war, taking part in all the important engagements.

His ambition is to see the road connecting his district with Podgorica
finished, which would bring the two towns within a six hours' drive
of each other, instead of the present two days' very hard riding. The
benefit to Kolasin is obvious. At present the vast beech forests,
literally rotting, could be utilised, for wood is dear in the barren
districts of Montenegro. Pyrite, too, is found in great quantities. In
fact, Kolasin is cut off from the rest of the country. Everything must
be painfully carried on horses or mules, and for a woman, other than a
peasant, it is a journey of great difficulty. Side saddles are things
unknown, and we heard of one lady, the wife of a foreign minister, who
bravely undertook the journey, spending six days on the way from
Podgorica. The Governor gave us a graphic description of the
difficulties that he had experienced when he brought his family up
here.

We also visited the local doctor, a most extraordinary individual with
a crank. He had started a Montenegrin temperance society, called the
"Band of Good Hope." At present, I believe, the three hundred odd
members were all from Kolasin, and it was meeting with very little
encouragement. The cultivation of plums for the manufacture of spirits
is a staple industry, and these peas