Montenegrin soldiers
were cooking at a wood fire; but we were surprised to find all round the
square log cabin deep rifle pits, the best we had yet seen in Serbia.
"Good Lord, what are those for?" said Jan.
"This is an old Turkish post," said the sergeant. "It has been kept up.
We don't know why."
We walked off meditating. Montenegrins do not squander soldiers without
reason; and then one's mind went back to the four armed guards who were
accompanying us.
We discovered the truth later, let us tell the story here.
Berane, to which we were descending, was once a populous growing Turkish
town. After the Balkan war it fell into Montenegrin territories. The
Montenegrins chased out all the Turkish landowners, who fled to these
mountains, where they formed bands of brigands and caused no little
consternation and trouble to the authorities, who could not catch them.
The authorities passed a little Act, reinstating the landowners in
their territories; but when an attempt was made to put the Act into
force, it was found that the authorities themselves were in possession
of the lands.
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