THE leading spirit of the Balkan Alliance is Bulgaria, its policy directed by an able ruler, Tsar Ferdinand, its strategy devised by a capable Staff, at whose head, as the sovereign’s right hand, stands General Sava Savof. To the Western nations who were indulging in autumn holidays while the Balkan cauldron was seething1 to overflowing2 the war came as a surprise, was inaugurated with astounding4 efficiency, and went its victorious5 course with bewildering rapidity. That was the impression made by recent events in the Balkans upon the lethargic7 Western mind. To those who happened to have looked behind the scenes there was no suddenness in the outbreak of hostilities8, no surprise at the efficient organization which led to well-deserved successes in the field.
It has been my privilege to visit Bulgaria several times, and on each occasion I have returned with a yet higher opinion of the Bulgarian people, their Tsar, and his advisers9.{295}
The first to mention this people was the Armenian historian Moses, of Koren, towards the end of the fifth century. In his time the Bulgars occupied the lower reaches of the Volga, and called their capital Bular, Bulghar; here was the mart where they transacted10 business with their neighbours. From the banks of the Volga the Bulgars, a Finno-Ugric race, and akin11 to the Turks, moved along the northern shore of the Black Sea towards the Danube, and had reached Macedonia by the beginning of the seventh century.
When the country which is now Bulgaria formed part of Dacia Trajana, in the days of Emperor Aurelian, Goths swarmed12 in and drove the Dacians into Moesia, now Servia. They wandered south, much to the discomfiture13 of ancient Byzantium. On their westward14 way the Goths, under Theodoric, had trampled15 down the Finno-Ugric people, the Bulgarians, which had come to the plains of the Lower Danube from the north-east. For a century and a half all traces of this people disappeared from the historian’s ken16, and they were not heard of again until the ninth century. Debarred by a stronger race from returning northward17 to rejoin their kinsmen18 who had migrated to Finland, their progress westward checked by more powerful nations, they turned towards the south, and thus began a conflict which has never ceased, though it may have lain dormant19, for over ten centuries, a conflict which has since broken out afresh and led the Bulgars to the gates of Constantinople. These people, the Bulgars, found vent6 for their military ardour in opposing the inroads of the Eastern Emperors, and may lay claim to an honour till then appropriated only by the Goths—that of having slain20 a Roman Emperor in battle.
It came about in this fashion. Nicephorus I, Emperor of the East (802-811) had advanced with boldness and{296} success into the west of Bulgaria and destroyed the Royal Court by fire. But while he lingered on in search of spoil, refusing all offers of a treaty, his enemies collected their forces and barred the lines of retreat. For two days the Emperor waited in despair and inactivity, on the third the Bulgarians surprised the camp and slew21 the Emperor and great officers of the Empire. Valens had escaped insults from the Goths when defeated and slain at Adrianople, but the skull22 of Nicephorus, encased with gold, was made to serve as drinking-vessel.
Towards the end of the ninth century King Boris of Bulgaria brought two holy men, Cyril and Methodius, originators of the Cyrillic alphabet adopted by all Slav nations, and Christianity, then introduced, aroused a desire for learning among the Bulgarians.
The power of Bulgaria increased, and under Tsar Simeon, son of Boris, extended over Bulgaria of to-day, Wallachia, part of Hungary and Transylvania, parts of Albania and Epirus, of Macedonia and Thessaly. Simeon assumed the title of Tsar and Autocrat24 of all Bulgarians. This title was retained by all Bulgarian sovereigns until the conquest of their country by the Turks.
Early in October an extraordinary session of the Sobranje celebrated25 the anniversary of Bulgaria’s independence and the assumption of the ancient title by Tsar Ferdinand.
Simeon, son of Boris, was intended for a religious life, but he abandoned it to take up arms; he inherited the crown of Bulgaria, and reigned26 from the end of the ninth to well into the tenth century. His education was completed at Constantinople, where many other youthful nobles of his country gathered for the same purpose, and to this day the custom prevails, for among the students at Robert College, which stands high on the banks of the Bosphorus,{297} are many of Tsar Ferdinand’s young subjects. Among its former pupils was M. Gueshof, now Prime Minister of Bulgaria.
Despite his Byzantine education Simeon did not love the Greeks, and Luitprand, the historian, writes: “Simeon fortis bellator, Bulgari? pr?crat; Christianus sed vicinis Gr?cis valde inimicus.” This hostility27 to the Greeks found frequent expression, and Simeon with his host appeared before the walls of Constantinople. On classic ground, at Achelous, the Greeks were vanquished28 by the Bulgarians, and Simeon hastened to besiege29 the Emperor in his own strong City.
Down by the Golden Horn on the plain outside the Gate of Edirné, Tsar Simeon met Romanus Lecapenus, the Emperor of the East, at the place where King Crum of Bulgaria had been asked to confer with Leo V, the Armenian (813-820), and had narrowly escaped the arrows of the archers30 treacherously31 concealed32 in ambush33. Vying34 with the Greeks in the splendour of their display the Bulgars took jealous precautions against a similar surprise, and deep mistrust informed the spirit in which their sovereign dictated35 terms of peace. “Are you a Christian23?” asked the humbled36 Emperor. “It is your duty to abstain37 from the blood of your fellow-Christians. Has the thirst for riches seduced38 you from the blessings39 of peace? Sheathe40 your sword, open your hand, and I will give you the utmost measure of your desire.”
But peace was not for long. Simeon’s successors by their jealousies41 undermined the strength of the kingdom, and when next the Bulgarians met the Greeks in battle they were easily defeated by Basil II, called Bulgaroktonos. A terrible home-coming theirs; through snow and ice the remnant of Bulgaria’s manhood struggled on in little bands of a hundred at a time, each company following{298} the voice of a single leader, as they groped their way through darkness—they were blinded. They had escaped from the clemency42 of a Christian Emperor, by whose orders only one man in each hundred retained the sight of one eye.
Then for over a century Bulgaria remained subject to Byzantium, until two Bulgarian chiefs—Peter and Asan—rose in revolt against Isaac Angelus (1185-1195), and spread the fire of rebellion from the Danube to the hills of Macedonia and Thrace. So Isaac and his brother, Alexius III (1195-1203), were forced to recognize Bulgaria’s independence.
Such hopeless rulers as Alexius IV and V and Nicolas Canabas made easy the conquest of Byzant by the Latins in 1204. Calo John, King of Bulgaria, sent friendly greetings to Baldwin I, the new Emperor of the East, but these provoked an unexpected answer. Baldwin demanded that the rebel should deserve his pardon by touching43 with his forehead the footstool of the imperial throne. So trouble broke out again. Again war was waged, with all its attendant savagery44, and Calo John reinforced his army by a body of fourteen thousand horsemen from the Scythian deserts. A fierce battle at Adrianople resulted in the total defeat of the Emperor, who was taken prisoner. His fate was for some years uncertain, and even the demands of the Pope for the restitution45 of the Emperor failed to elicit46 any other answer from King John save that Baldwin had died in prison. For years the conflict raged, till Henry, the second Latin Emperor of the East, routed the Bulgarians. Calo John was slain in his tent by night, and the deed was piously47 ascribed to the lance of St. Demetrius.
Goluba? The stronghold of Old Servia guarding the Pass of Kasan.
Goluba?
The stronghold of Old Servia guarding the Pass of Kasan.
In the fourteenth century another foe48 threatened Bulgaria and all Eastern Europe. Amurath with his{299} Janissaries was closing in upon Constantinople. He beat the Greek Emperor at Adrianople in 1361, and made this town his base of operations against Bulgaria, which country he harried49 until Sisvan, the Tsar, obtained peace at the price of offering his daughter in marriage to Amurath. But peace did not ensue, and Sisvan had to flee before Ali, and surrendered at Nicopolis.
{300}
{301}
Nicopolis, where King Sigismund of Hungary was vanquished by Sultan Bajazet, by whose victory the Balkan States became subject to the Porte. Here there was fierce fighting in 1810, and again in 1877, for the road to the Pass of Plevna starts from here. Here at Nicopolis are the ruins, underground, of one of the earliest Christian churches, but its history is quite unknown.
Recent times have witnessed the rise of Bulgaria from the status of an Ottoman province to that of an independent kingdom, strong, prosperous, and determined50. And on its southern frontier, and from the banks of the Struma to the Black Sea shore, the armed forces of Bulgaria strained at the leash51, their eager gaze towards Constantinople, Tsarigrad, the Castle of C?sar.
Among those whose eager eyes turned ever towards the south is one (I hope he still lives) for whom I have the friendliest feelings. His name is Dedo ’Mitri, and I venture to describe a visit I paid to that worthy52.
Like Bill Sloggins of song, Dedo ’Mitri is “a party as you don’t meet every day.” The continuation of the verse applies equally:
“He’s always hale and hearty53,
And he’s cheerful in his way.”
In itself this condition is a matter for no great wonderment, but you must know that Dedo ’Mitri has reached the age at which it cannot be said of many that they are always hale and hearty. Many do not travel as far along life’s journey as Dedo ’Mitri has done; he was well on in the eighties when I met him a year or two ago. This, of course, accounts for his being called “Dedo ’Mitri,” which, being interpreted, meaneth “Grandfather Dimitri.” The fact of Dimitri being abbreviated54 to ’Mitri speaks of his popularity. Several circumstances go towards the making of Dedo ’Mitri’s popularity. His age, of course, has something to do with it, his cheerfulness still more, and his position adds to his popularity—he keeps the largest of the two inns in the village, keeps the only inn that really counts for anything. Probably the most important ingredient of the recipe for Dedo ’Mitri’s popularity is his past—he is an ex-comitadji.
To have been a comitadji is indeed a matter of great distinction in those countries south of the Balkans. There it is that Dedo ’Mitri lives and has his being, there, among the Rhodope Mountains, along which runs the frontier between Bulgaria and Turkey. Dedo ’Mitri is a Bulgarian, a splendid specimen55 of a fine race.
For his country’s sake Dedo ’Mitri endured untold56 hardships, and committed deeds desperate and daring, deeds that perhaps send their phantoms57 crowding round his couch o’ nights. Perhaps! though to all appearances Dedo ’Mitri’s looks do not suggest nights spent with the spectre Remorse58. He, like other fighters for a country’s liberties, may rather glory in what he has done, though of this again no word escapes him. There are others in the village ready to tell you of his exploits.
Dedo ’Mitri
Dedo ’Mitri
{303}
Songs and legends of the great, of King Crum, Tsar Simeon, and the Asens, kept alive the intense feeling of Bulgarian nationality during centuries of Turkish domination. Under the heavy oppression of Ottoman rule the Church founded by Cyril and Methodius lived on, deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. So, when Bulgaria{305} awoke in the beginning of the nineteenth century there were found men like Dedo ’Mitri to take up arms, to sacrifice all for their country’s liberty. He was a baby when Russia declared war against Turkey in 1827, but still remembers the depth of feeling that stirred his folk and urged him to take his share in the work as soon as his arm was strong enough for it. He was in the full vigour59 of manhood when his own efforts, and those of other patriots60, had brought about the establishment of a Bulgarian Exarchate at Constantinople. He rejoiced when the Congress of Berlin ratified61 the treaty of San Stefano, making Bulgaria autonomous62, and his militant63 activity came to an end when Eastern Roumelia was united to his country.
Now Dedo ’Mitri lives at peace with all the world in his quiet little village among the Rhodope Mountains.
To get to Rado?l, where Dedo ’Mitri lives, two roads are open to you. You may train from Sofia to Bellova, then drive along the high road towards Tshamkuria in the mountains. The road is good, because the King has a shooting-box at Tshamkuria, and he is very particular about the roads he travels over. Rado?l is half-way to Tshamkuria, and every one who passes that way stops to bait at Dedo ’Mitri’s.
If you wish to see more of people and country than is possible from the train, another way to Rado?l is preferable. Take a seat in the motor which goes to Tshamkuria every other day. The chauffeur64 is a young Englishman, who has a good deal to say if you ask him about the state of the road. It is in parts a very bad road indeed. In fact, but for the trees that line it with more or less regularity65 on either hand, you might mistake the road for a dried-up watercourse. The first part of the road is not so bad, quite good, in fact, but it suddenly becomes incredibly bad, about eight or ten miles from the small town of Samakov,{306} and the streets of that town are quite Oriental in their uselessness as such. You stop at Samakov to let the engine cool down a bit, and find it quite an Oriental town. Here and there an old mosque66, a Turkish fountain, and mules67, donkeys, heavy-going buffaloes68 drinking at it. The costumes of the people you meet are Oriental, though the women go unveiled. Samakov has a garrison69; it is not far from the Turkish frontier, and the uniforms of the fine-looking Bulgarian soldiers strike a Western note. But on the whole the aspect of the town is Oriental, the smells intensely so.
The road improves as it leaves Samakov, it becomes really quite a good road, and carries you upwards70 into the mountains. There on a high plateau embowered in a forest of pines lies Tshamkuria. It is a hot-weather resort—everybody who is anybody in Sofia comes here for the summer. But we are not concerned with such fashionable matter, we have set out to visit Dedo ’Mitri at Rado?l, so start at once.
We have arranged for the hire of a conveyance71 the evening before with a Jew. If the weather be fine we will drive away at seven in the morning, keep the conveyance for the day, and pay the son of Israel seven francs. The morning mist among the mountains made one or two unsuccessful attempts to turn into rain; we thought the weather fine enough, the Jew did not think so, and therefore thought fit to demand double the amount arranged for. This was not to be borne, so we looked about for some other means of conveyance, and in our search met one Vasil. Vasil, a stout72 Bulgarian peasant wearing a dubious73 cotton shirt, his thick cloth baggy74 breeches upheld by a cummerbund of faded crimson75, his coat of the same brown cloth, black braided, slung76 over his shoulders, promised to convey us to Rado?l in great comfort as soon{307} as he should have caught a horse. It appeared there were several horses over which Vasil disposed, but they happened to be out in the forest in search of breakfast. After a delay of an hour or so Vasil returned with what he described as a horse. The likeness77 was there, though very remote, and the unhappy-looking scraggy pony78 was tied by assorted79 strings80 to a two-wheeled trap—once upon a time something like a dogcart; a head-stall and odd bits of harness were then artistically81 arranged about this anatomical study, Vasil wiped the damp seat with a wet cloth, handed me his whip, and intimated that all was ready for a start. All was not ready, however, for the horse had gone to sleep, and my attempt to crack the whip flung the lash82 into the bushes, whence it had to be retrieved83, then refastened. In the meantime the horse realized that something unusual was toward; he woke up, shook off some bits of harness, and went to sleep again while they were being readjusted. Then Vasil woke him up again, gave him a gentle lead, and so we really started. There was no difficulty about finding the road, or chance of losing your way. The road leads broad and smooth in zigzags84 down into the valley where Rado?l lies. On either hand dense85 forest, where wolves prowl during the winter months and bears are no infrequent visitors. Huge pines send straight shafts86 up into the morning sky, their dark green striking a sombre note among the rich green of birch and oak. Here and there honeysuckle trails over masses of rock in sweet profusion87, and the voice of a tinkling88 stream lightens our way with music. Now and again at an angle of the road we were granted a glimpse of the distant country below, wide expanses of fertile plains, and beyond them again the purple lines of mountains far away. The sun had broken through the mountain mist and called forth89 the songs of birds.{308}
Those angles of the road were rather too much for the horse. The trap boasted of no brake, the wheels revolved90 in a manner suggesting the infirmity of extreme old age, yet they took charge and guided our course, and with senile spite attempted to hurl91 us into the depths below. But we were saved by the fact that our speed was not excessive. Any attempt at steering92 the horse by the usual method led to a dead stop, on which occasion the head-gear would fall off. All these matters put much incident into our journey. After a couple of hours the “passage perilous” down the mountain was behind us and we were on a fairly straight and level road. An occasional gentle rise met us; this caused the horse to stop for contemplation of the awful task before him; he would shake his head at our wild proceedings93 and patiently wait until the whip-lash had been recovered. Our progress, though not marked by any undue94 haste, roused interest where we passed. Slow-stepping oxen dragging a plough, a primitive95 implement96, little more than an iron-shod staff, would stop to watch us with big wondering eyes. At last—a turn of the road brought us in full view of the village and we rattled97 down the stone-paved street. Stone-paved—that is, large stones were placed about at irregular intervals98, the interstices being pools of muddy water. Across a bridge, over a turbulent mountain stream, and we pulled up in front of Dedo ’Mitri’s hostelry.
Rado?l Dedo ’Mitri’s Hostelry.
Rado?l
Dedo ’Mitri’s Hostelry.
Dedo ’Mitri himself stands outside his front door. The house projects above it, thus forming what might be a verandah were it not on a level with the road. Dedo ’Mitri was in shirt-sleeves, as becomes a busy man. The twinkle in his eyes might be that of a hospitable99 welcome, though having heard of his antecedents it may be suspected of suggesting old predatory instincts slow to die. We advised our host that we meant to take the midday{310}{309} meal with him, and while he prepared it we had a look at the village, took a sketch100 or two which meant to give a better idea of the place than word-painting can do.
The accessories to the repast prepared by Dedo ’Mitri were simple in the extreme, it was also necessary to wipe your fork carefully before using it. However, the food was good, wholesome101 grey bread and a quaint102 mess of eggs and cream-cheese. Then Dedo ’Mitri was called upon to supply cheese by itself; this he did without demur103, but a demand for clean plates puzzled him, though he complied. On being asked for a clean knife he had no cause to vanish again into his dark kitchen, but produced a murderous-looking clasp-knife from out the pocket of his voluminous breeches; we preferred our own knives. An excellent if somewhat rough red wine accompanied the repast.
In the meantime the village had assembled. Stalwart men stood round us watching intently, others sat drinking wine a little way off. The village priest in passing, seeing something unusual in progress, stepped in and found the time suitable for refreshment104. A background of children completed the circle. When it became evident that sketching105 was the next event Dedo ’Mitri’s authority was evidenced. I pointed106 out a small fair child with dark-lashed eyes—Dimitra—she was called up to stand perfectly107 still. This she did in solemn wonder. A well-built maiden108 moved with graceful109 steps to the village fountain opposite the house. On my noticing her Dedo ’Mitri’s powerful voice rang out, “Helenka,” and she too remained motionless until released. There were urgent demands from the spectators to be taken one after another, but time was short, so only one smart buck110, his short jacket slung jauntily111 across his shoulders, figures in my sketch-book.{312}
Then Vasil was called for. He appeared leading the horse, both stumbling—the horse from the infirmity of old age, Vasil from an undue indulgence in the red wine. He had also regaled himself freely on garlic; the afternoon sun drew an indescribable aroma112 from him.
Farewell to Dedo ’Mitri and promises to return, farewells and much handshaking to all the assembled village, a discriminate113 distribution of small copper114 coins, a courtly salute115 from the priest, and we turned our horse’s head towards the mountains whence we came.
Slower than ever was our progress, as Vasil in his sleep was constantly falling off the back seat, and the horse, once stopped, was loath116 to move on again. The whip-lash was lost for ever, yet there was the broad road up into the mountains all before us.
We left Vasil and his conveyance in the road and turned afoot into a track which used to be the only means of communication in earlier days. A very unsafe one too, for it offered splendid opportunities to those who pursue guerilla warfare117. Here and there were masses of boulders118 whence marksmen could command the track and then vanish in the impenetrable forests.
Dedo ’Mitri knows them well, that track, those piles of rock that offer cover to the sniper, those giants of the forest, and the thick undergrowth that covered his retreat. But Dedo ’Mitri no longer goes to see his old acquaintances the rocks and forest trees. His country is free, free as the wind that howls on wintry nights up the valley to join chorus with the wolves. From mountain and valley, from town and village, the Crescent had faded away to the south, and Bulgaria, a strong young kingdom, forced its way out of Turkish oppression. They are old men now, those who are left, who like Dedo ’Mitri spent the best years of their life in the cause of freedom. But the story{313} has never been forgotten, the traditions of Bulgaria’s former greatness live strong in a regenerate119 Bulgaria. The sons of Bulgaria looked down from the Rhodope Mountains, over the rolling plains, their gaze bent120 on Constantinople, Tsarigrad, the Castle of C?sar. They have knocked at the gates of that City before.
With consummate121 skill Tsar Ferdinand kept his plans secret while the Balkan League was forming to overthrow122 the last of Ottoman power in Europe. For many years all Bulgaria had been preparing for this great stroke, arming, organizing, making sacrifices as a nation must do when in pursuit of a high ideal, so when the moment came it found a strong people, trained to arms, determined to snatch success from before the cannon’s mouth and crown its standards with laurel victory. With a possible war strength of over three hundred thousand men and four hundred and fifty guns Bulgaria stood ready to take the field.
The massacres123 of Kochana gave impetus124 to the avalanche125 which was ready to descend126 over the hills and vales of Thrace. Bulgaria had been making steady propaganda in Macedonia and had drawn127 within the folds of its nationality a great number of those nondescripts, Slavs, who form the major portion of the inhabitants of that quondam Turkish province. This propaganda was actively128 supported by the Bulgarian Church under its enlightened high-priest, His Beatitude Joseph, Exarch of Bulgaria.
I first met the Exarch some years ago while on a visit to Bulgaria. His Beatitude had left Constantinople, where the interests of his flock in Macedonia require that he should reside, and was taking a holiday in a remote village near Sofia, a village nestling among the mountain range of Vitosa, by the banks of a mountain torrent129 along which a broad military road leads to the Turkish frontier.{314} We discussed the state of Macedonia, and though I may not divulge130 all that was said to me, I gained an even higher opinion of Bulgarian thoroughness and efficiency. We also discussed the schism131 between the Greek and Bulgarian sections of the Orthodox Church; this is a purely132 political matter, and was freely used by the Porte to foster racial animosity in Macedonia. When the Greeks gained their independence the Bulgarians of Macedonia were encouraged to build schools and were allowed to endow several new bishoprics; when the Greeks were temporarily disabled by the war of 1898 the Porte thought fit to persecute133 the Bulgarians of Macedonia, assisted in this by Pomaks, Bulgarians converted to Islam some centuries ago. The Turks overdid134 this policy, and their measures only served to crystalize the different non-Turk racial and religious elements of Macedonia. Bands of comitadjis were formed, they assisted nationalist propaganda by primitive methods, and finally, the Porte being weakened by revolution and the vacillations of a farcical Parliament terrorized by esoteric militarism, strengthened the arms of those who sought freedom from Turkish rule.
The occasion arose over the massacres of Kotchana, which sent a wave of fierce indignation over Bulgaria. Reforms in Macedonia and the punishment of those concerned in the outrages135 were demanded by Tsar Ferdinand and refused by the Porte, which, feeling itself strong enough and ignoring the strength and stability of the Balkan Alliance, declared war on Bulgaria. Forthwith the armies of Bulgaria, already assembled in battle array on the frontier, poured into Thrace and overran that province, driving the Ottoman forces before it.
War was declared by Turkey against Bulgaria and Servia on October 17th, on the same day Greece sent a similar declaration to the Porte. Then the highly organized forces{315} of the Allies marched. While the Greek navy put to sea to capture islands in the ?gean and invaded Turkey from the south, the Bulgarians entered Thrace in three columns under the Tsar and General Savof, General Hanof capturing Kurt Kalé and Mustapha Pasha on October 18th. On the following day Turkish cruisers made a futile136 attempt on the Bulgarian coast, bombarding Varna and destroying an inoffensive monastery137. By this day all the four Allies had invaded Turkish territory. The mountain passes were in the hands of the Bulgarians by October 20th, and the army marching on Adrianople; Adrianople, where the Bulgars had vanquished Emperor Nicephorus and his troops by the banks of the Maritza in 811.
While in the west the Servian army was continuing its victorious march on üsküb, while the Montenegrin northern army under Prince Danilo moved from Berane to the capture of Plava and Gusinje, and their southern army commenced the siege of Scutari by attacking Tarabosh, the Bulgarian armies drove the Turks from the Arda River west of Adrianople, and General Dimitrief completed the easterly turning movement by attacking the Ottoman forces at Kirk Kilisse. Here the battle raged to and fro with varying success until the Turks, under Abdullah Pasha, were finally routed on October 24th. At the same time Bulgarian troops occupied Vasiliko on the Black Sea; the Servians, under General Yankovitch, had already captured Prishtina on the 20th, and others commanded by General Ziskovitch had entered Kralovo and Novi Bazar. On the day which witnessed the defeat of Abdullah Pasha at the hands of General Dimitrief at Kirk Kilisse, the Servians, led by their Crown Prince in person, won the decisive battle of Kumanovo.
The tale of disaster continued; on October 25th the Turks evacuated138 Küpr?lü in the west; in the eastern{316} theatre of war the Bulgarians opened the bombardment of Adrianople. On the following day King Peter entered üsküb, the former residence of Servian Kings, in solemn state, and Küpr?lü, Drama, and Koziani were captured by the forces of the Allies.
Further Ottoman losses occurred on October 27th, when Istip fell and the Bulgarians captured Baba Eski, occupied Bunar Hissar, and took the Kresna Pass in the Struma Valley. All this time the Greeks were gaining ground towards Janina, and by October 30th had captured Veria and Thasos, preparatory to marching on Saloniki. By October 31st fighting was general all along the line in Thrace, the Allies were marching on Saloniki, and the northern and southern armies of Montenegro had closed in upon Scutari.
By the beginning of November the Western Powers had awakened139 from the dreams of the soporific status quo and began to realize that that formula no longer applied140 to the Near East. On November 9th Mr. Asquith solemnly announced that the Allies must have secured to them the fruits of victory. I wonder what Power, or group of Powers, however prominent the capital P, would dare to rob these gallant141 young nations of what they have won by bravery and devotion such as no older nation has exhibited in recent history. The Allies had continued along the path of conquest; Serbs had occupied Prilep and begun their advance on the Albanian coast, and Saloniki had surrendered before Mr. Asquith’s sententious statement. Fighting continued, and step by step the Allies pressed their old enemy towards the sea, the Greeks occupying more islands in the ?gean, the Bulgars pressing on towards Chatalja, hammering insistently142 on those outer defences of Constantinople till the Porte saw no help for it but to arrange an armistice143.{317}
So while the great men of the Great Powers were beginning to realize what was happening next door, and were working the cumbrous machinery144 of diplomacy145 too late for any practical purpose, the Allies, four young nations, unspoilt by luxury and great possessions, inspired by a high ideal, crossed their borders, drove the Ottoman forces before them from many a sternly contested field, and forced them to offer terms within a day’s march of the Turkish capital.
There is great glory in this crusade of the Allies against the heavy obstacle to progress which centres in Constantinople. Great glory for Western civilization by which these young kingdoms were informed when they set their house in order and united their forces to bold endeavour. Great glory to the faith they profess146, which makes union possible and thus leads to victory. Greater glory still to those of all the other European nations who, seeing the plight147 of Christianity’s old enemy, hastened to assist him. Here in Constantinople they are at work, these bearers of Western culture, under Red Cross or Red Crescent, helping148 where the Turkish authorities have proved helpless, saving thousands from death by wound or disease while their own stand by and let the mosques149, built to commemorate150 the victories of Islam, overflow3 with untended sufferers.
Yes, it is a great and glorious victory this last crusade begun by the young kingdoms of the Balkans, informed with high purpose, trained by Western thought and action, completed by those soldiers of the Cross who risked their lives in fighting dread151 diseases, seeking no reward, moved by that mainspring of their faith, Charity.
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seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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overflow
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astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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victorious
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vent
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lethargic
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hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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advisers
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transacted
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| v.办理（业务等）( transact的过去式和过去分词 )；交易，谈判 | |
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11
akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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12
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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13
discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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14
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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15
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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16
ken
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| n.视野，知识领域 | |
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17
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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18
kinsmen
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| n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 ) | |
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19
dormant
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| adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的 | |
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20
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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21
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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22
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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23
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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24
autocrat
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| n.独裁者；专横的人 | |
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25
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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26
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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27
hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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28
vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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29
besiege
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| vt.包围，围攻，拥在...周围 | |
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30
archers
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| n.弓箭手，射箭运动员( archer的名词复数 ) | |
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31
treacherously
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| 背信弃义地； 背叛地； 靠不住地； 危险地 | |
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32
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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33
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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34
vying
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| adj.竞争的；比赛的 | |
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35
dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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36
humbled
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| adj. 卑下的，谦逊的，粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下，贬低 | |
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37
abstain
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| v.自制，戒绝，弃权，避免 | |
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38
seduced
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| 诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷 | |
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39
blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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40
sheathe
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| v.（将刀剑）插入鞘；包，覆盖 | |
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41
jealousies
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| n.妒忌( jealousy的名词复数 )；妒羡 | |
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42
clemency
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| n.温和，仁慈，宽厚 | |
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43
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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44
savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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45
restitution
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| n.赔偿；恢复原状 | |
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46
elicit
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| v.引出,抽出,引起 | |
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47
piously
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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48
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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49
harried
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| v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰 | |
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50
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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51
leash
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| n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住 | |
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52
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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53
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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54
abbreviated
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| adj. 简短的，省略的 动词abbreviate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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55
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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56
untold
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| adj.数不清的，无数的 | |
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57
phantoms
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| n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 ) | |
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58
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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59
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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60
patriots
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| 爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 ) | |
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61
ratified
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| v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
autonomous
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| adj.自治的；独立的 | |
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63
militant
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| adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士 | |
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64
chauffeur
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| n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车 | |
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65
regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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66
mosque
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| n.清真寺 | |
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67
mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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68
buffaloes
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| n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓 | |
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69
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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70
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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71
conveyance
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| n.(不动产等的)转让，让与；转让证书；传送；运送；表达；（正）运输工具 | |
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73
dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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74
baggy
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| adj.膨胀如袋的，宽松下垂的 | |
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75
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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76
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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77
likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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78
pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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79
assorted
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| adj.各种各样的，各色俱备的 | |
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80
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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81
artistically
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| adv.艺术性地 | |
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82
lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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83
retrieved
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| v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息） | |
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84
zigzags
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| n.锯齿形的线条、小径等( zigzag的名词复数 )v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的第三人称单数 ) | |
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85
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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86
shafts
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| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
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87
profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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88
tinkling
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| n.丁当作响声 | |
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89
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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90
revolved
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| v.（使）旋转( revolve的过去式和过去分词 )；细想 | |
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91
hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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92
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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93
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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94
undue
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| adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的 | |
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95
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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96
implement
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| n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行 | |
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97
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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98
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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99
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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100
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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101
wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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102
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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103
demur
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| v．表示异议，反对 | |
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104
refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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105
sketching
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| n.草图 | |
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106
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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107
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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108
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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109
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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110
buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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111
jauntily
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| adv.心满意足地；洋洋得意地；高兴地；活泼地 | |
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112
aroma
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| n.香气，芬芳，芳香 | |
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113
discriminate
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| v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待 | |
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114
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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115
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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116
loath
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| adj.不愿意的；勉强的 | |
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117
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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118
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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119
regenerate
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| vt.使恢复，使新生；vi.恢复，再生；adj.恢复的 | |
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120
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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121
consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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122
overthrow
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| v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆 | |
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123
massacres
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| 大屠杀( massacre的名词复数 )； 惨败 | |
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124
impetus
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| n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力 | |
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125
avalanche
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| n.雪崩，大量涌来 | |
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126
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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127
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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128
actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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129
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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130
divulge
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| v.泄漏(秘密等)；宣布，公布 | |
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131
schism
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| n.分派，派系，分裂 | |
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132
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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133
persecute
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| vt.迫害，虐待；纠缠，骚扰 | |
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134
overdid
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| v.做得过分( overdo的过去式 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度 | |
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135
outrages
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| 引起…的义愤，激怒( outrage的第三人称单数 ) | |
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136
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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137
monastery
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| n.修道院，僧院，寺院 | |
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138
evacuated
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| 撤退者的 | |
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139
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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140
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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141
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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142
insistently
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| ad.坚持地 | |
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143
armistice
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| n.休战，停战协定 | |
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144
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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145
diplomacy
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| n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕 | |
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146
profess
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| v.声称，冒称，以...为业，正式接受入教，表明信仰 | |
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147
plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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148
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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149
mosques
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| 清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 ) | |
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150
commemorate
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| vt.纪念，庆祝 | |
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151
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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