about seven hours' driving, Cetinje appears in sight, at the end
of a long valley, and completely surrounded by the characteristic
naked and rugged rocks. The road descends by another series of
serpentines, and a long straight drive brings us into the town. The
valley is about four miles long and three-quarters of a mile broad and
absolutely flat.

The effect is most odd at first sight, a long main street, an open
market-place, and a few side streets constituting the capital of an
important European principality. The town, on entering it, bears a
strong resemblance to a South African township, where, as is the case
here, space is no object, and the houses are rarely more than one
story high.

We stayed at the Grand Hotel during our first visit. It is the only
really good hotel in Montenegro, and in consequence expensive. Here
all the tourists stay for a night or so during a hasty visit to the
Crnagora, and it is to be avoided by those who wish to see the
country.

CHAPTER IV

Cetinje and its sights--Prince Nicolas--The Archbishop--The
barracks--The princes--A visit to the prison and its system--Our
departure for Podgorica.

There is not much for the tourist to see in Cetinje; a day is quite
sufficient to do the sights, such as they are.

Unfortunately for the country, the tourist usually contents himself
with a look round the little capital and returns the way he came to
Cattaro, only a few prolonging the tour _via_ Rijeka to Scutari. Thus
a very erroneous impression is gained of Montenegro and its people.
Firstly only a small part of the Katunska is seen, which is the most
uninteresting district of the whole country; and, secondly, no idea of
the sturdy inhabitants can be formed from the handful of more or less
well-to-do officials and merchants, all intimately connected with the
outside world, round the proximity of Cattaro.

[Illustration: MONTENEGRIN INFANTRY]

[Illustration: THE VLADIKA AT THE MONASTERY OF IVAN BEG]

Cetinje, with its four thousand inhabitants, is simply the residence
of the Montenegrin Court, it is not even a trading centre, which the
absence of the Turkish element sufficiently proclaims. It is only the
question of expense which has hitherto prevented the transference
of the capital to another site, viz. Nikzic. Cetinje was chosen as the
capital some hundreds of years ago--1484, to be pedantically
correct--when a defensible position was the most important factor,
which even to