ss there is no acute political
crisis on now, as there was when the last man came." Mr. and Mrs.
Beaumont arrived, and there followed in pursuit of them a King's
messenger, who bore the assent of the British Government to Prince
Nikola's desire to proclaim himself king.

His position now hurt badly. The Petrovitches were the oldest Balkan
dynasty, and were the lowest in rank. The Montenegrins were divided
as to the desirability of the change. Prince Danilo and his set were
said to favour it strongly. The thing was decided upon suddenly, and
the country consented. "I expect some Power engineered it," says my
diary. And soon the rumour was very certain that the step had been
taken by the advice and with the agreement of King Ferdinand of
Bulgaria. "Which do you love best--me or Ferdinand?" Prince Nikola
had asked me suddenly, when I last visited him. "You, of course,
Sire!" said I, and wondered at the time why he had Ferdinand on the
brain.

That the Turkish Empire would now soon break up, was the general
belief, and Kings Ferdinand and Nikola would divide the peninsula.
Bulgaria would obtain her Alsace-Lorraine, Macedonia, and Nikita
would reign over Great Serbia from Prizren.

Fighting continued in Kosovo vilayet. Meanwhile I was carried
dangerously ill to the Austrian hospital, and lay helpless between
bouts of agony and injections of morphine. The Albanians came and
wept over me, and prayed for advice and help. When I was nearly
screaming with pain they implored me to make an effort and write for
them to the Foreign Office and the papers, for the Turkish army was
approaching. I was dragged to a sitting position, managed to write
two letters, and fainted with the pain. Vain agony. Nothing could
break the journalistic ring which forbade any criticism of the Young
Turks. A foolish policy, for it led them to believe their actions
beyond criticism, and helped their undoing. The more they blundered,
the more Italy, and Austria, and Russia rejoiced. They expected the
Withdrawal of the international gendarmerie to send the Turks
downhill with a crash. England, probably, was not guilty of
withdrawing for that reason, but was much less well informed,
because more sparsely represented, than the other Powers. And we
were already tangled in Russia's plans, and did not know what they
were.

The Turks sent over increased forces and artillery into Kosovo
vilayet, and Scutari learnt with dismay that in spite of the valour
of th