the Slav tricolour, and the popular demonstration was as imposing as that which had welcomed the Emperor to Dalmatia.

visit the Russian Consulate at any time-if they met Jonine it was at Monteverde's, and this very rarely, so far as I know or believe only once -the Greek New Year. Jonine did not join in the funeral procession, for I myself accompanied it, and saw him on his balcony as it passed. The funeral was on Sunday, and all the consuls, except the Turkish, had their flags hoisted, as is the custom in honour of the day; but as the day was one of absolute calm, the flags hung to the masts like ropes, and Jonine distinctly denied half-masting his flag. A similar complaint was made of the English Consul, and he received a despatch from Sir Henry Elliot asking an explanation, though I am able to declare, on the evidence of my own eyes, that the flag was quite up to the masthead. Nor was there any more truth in the statement as to the wounded. The whole of these incidents were the shameless fictions of the Ottoman Consulate at Ragusa. W. J. S.

CHAPTER IX.

HE Turks remained quiet in Trebinje until the 29th, the road being in undisturbed possession

of Peko. Muktar, stirred out of his confident slumbers at Mostar, began collecting all the disposable forces from the various fortresses, and concentrating at Trebinje for an irresistible attack on the insurgents, who held the position taken from the Turks on the 21st. Unfortunately for the insurgents, the counsels of some young Russian officers who were serving as volunteers with Peko induced him to attempt a regular defence of the entrenchments-a fatal mistake, which gave Muktar the only victory ever achieved under his personal command during the insurrection.

The generalship on both sides was bad, but on that of the Turks atrocious. Peko, whatever qualities he may possess as a partisan, had no appreciation of strategical points, and those who counselled him to offer pitched battle to the Turks on an almost level plain, opposed as he was by nearly five times his numbers, were responsible for what would have been a great disaster if the Turks had any conception of how to profit by it. The insurgents were formed across the road, holding the two hillocks fortified by the Turks in the previous affair, with a left wing at right angles

I

to this line and parallel to the road, and no right wing whatever. The peak to the south of the road was held by Peko, that on the other side by Simonics (Bogdan), and the left wing, composed of the men of Nevesinje and Zubci, by Tripko Vukalovics, nephew of the chief of the insurrectionary forces in 1862. The whole force was about 1,700 men. The bands represented were those of Petkovics, Peko, Simonics, that of Maxime being united with Peko's for want of a chief, and those of Vukalovics and Milecivics (Gligor), though of those of Peko and Simonics only about half had descended from the Baniani and Piva districts.

The Turks moved out of Trebinje on Monday night, taking positions behind Duzi, and in the morning moved slowly down the road, the principal force being on the roadway, with flanking columns in the open plain on either side. All day was occupied in this movement of about two hours' march, and as soon as the strength of the insurgents was ascertained together with their position, the force was halted just out of rifle-shot, and bivouacked in their places. The insurgents, meanwhile, had taken up their positions without ammunition, having received none since the late battle, and waited for it to arrive on the field. Some of them had not a single cartridge; some had three or four, and a very few, who had not been engaged in the last affair, had their full allowance. At eleven a.m. arrived ammunition enough to distribute about fifteen cartridges to each man in the line, and about two p.m. the Turks moved on, their artillery, two pieces, firing sixty shells, of which only five were sent in any known relation to the insurgents, and of these one only killed a man, a splinter of stone thrown off by it hitting him on the head. The fire of musketry was incessant, but so far over-head as to be quite harmless. The column on the

road moved in close order with great steadiness, in spite of the insurgent fire on their dense mass, where it must have been very deadly, up to about 150 yards, when it halted and threw out a strong column to the left, which marched through the plain round the hill on the south of the road.

Here appeared a curious evidence of Peko's incapacity to comprehend strategical considerations. There was in advance of his position a slight elevation, which the insurgents had occupied in the morning, but abandoned, to concentrate their forces in the entrenched positions. This was about, to be occupied by a body of the advancing troops; on seeing which Peko, calling on his men to follow him, charged up one side of the hill while the Turks were going up the other, and met them on the summit; but, to his surprise, he found only four of his men behind him. He turned to fly, but in the advance the Turks had got between him and his men, and with three followers, the fourth regaining the entrenchments, he was obliged to make a detour of several hours' march and pass between Czarina and Drien to get back to his camp at Vukovich, late in the day, after the battle had been fought and lost. He was believed to have been killed or in the hands of the Turks. His men, without a commander and discouraged by his supposed loss, abandoned their works as soon as the Turkish column had begun to menace their rear, and fled precipitately across the road, drawing with them those of Simonics, who all fell back on the elevations to the north of the road. The left wing, in the steadiest and most deliberate manner, fell back, keeping up a steady fire until positions were gained which checked pursuit, and which were those along the ridge from which I had looked at the former affair. Behind this it will be remembered was the temporary camp; but as this was in a

most exposed position, the plain half-circling it on the east, it was abandoned as soon as the wounded had been properly cared for and the dead carried away, with the exception of four, which fell into the hands of the Turks and were beheaded.

The whole force fell back on Vukovich, and the Turks, who followed at a respectful and leisurely distance, burned the deserted village, which was, of course, abandoned by the inhabitants, with the exception of three women, who were murdered. All the villages in this section up to Vukovich were then burned, and the Turks advanced to the ridge overlooking that village, where they waited, without any attempt to accelerate the movements of the insurgents, or discommode them in any way, until the village should be evacuated, when they would burn it. It was evacuated next day after a council, in which some move was decided on; and the whole band, with the exception of the wounded and their carriers, the camp-followers, and some of the timid or weak ones who had not nerve or muscle for the new undertaking, perhaps 300 or 400 in all, leaving a solid force of about 1,200 men, who made their final preparations, received their ammunition, &c., and dined gaily at Grebci, the Turkish force waiting respectfully on the heights opposite, at about 2,000 yards' distance. At about four p.m. they filed off with cheers for unknown parts, the inhabitants of Grebci meanwhile making frantic haste to get their worldly goods across the frontier before the Turks should enter and burn the village.

The escape of Peko and his band was a real masterpiece of irregular warfare. While Muktar Pasha waited till he should ascertain the movement of the insurgents, not even daring to attack Grebci, where a score or so of men only