India 2001 books

When the Montenegrins thought this sport was becoming monotonous they
remembered the business of the day. A big house in Gorazhda was said to
be full of Hungarian officers, and they wanted to get the range of this
with one of the big guns. This decision had been made a day or two
before with much deliberation. This they thought the State could afford.
The precious shell was brought out, and every one fondled it.
Men were called out and huge preparations were made for sighting and
taking aim. We scuttled round with field glasses, and finally stood on
tiptoe behind branches on a mound by the side of the gun. There were
many soldiers fussing in the dug-out, and at last they pulled the
string.
"Goodness! Now we've done it," Jo thought, as the mountains sent back
the fearful report in decreasing echoes. We seemed to wait an eternity,
and then "something white" happened far beyond the village.
The officers looked at each other with long faces. "A bad miss--the
expense."
We felt the resources of the Montenegrin Empire were tottering.


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