THE LAND OF THE BLACK MOUNTAIN.
The Land of the Black Mountain. By Reginald Wyon and Gerald Prance. (Methuen and Co. 6s.)—Mr. Wyon, who writes the preface to this book, tells us that he and his companion enjoyed the journeyings in Montenegro very much, and that he will not mention the " disagreeable episodes " which he confesses to having gone through. Possibly this is an ingenious way of keeping off the crowd of travellers who always follow in the steps of a pioneer. It is not difficult, however, to imagine that a country where it is almost an offence not to carry arms may not always be agreeable. The Montenegrins have their good points ; but they have all the notes of a quite primitive barbarism : a quite artless way of cheating in buying and selling, the carrying of arms as described—a man will stand with loaded rifle over a dozen cabbages in the market—and the extraordinarily depressed condition of the women, who mostly do not sit in the presence of men, and always take leave by kissing the hand. Still, our travellers enjoyed their time very much. They seem to have been personally respected as " men of their hands" ; the people were hospitable in the ex- treme, sometimes to the trial of stomach and head, and they had excellent sport,—it was characteristic of the country that one hunting ground on which they had reckoned was closed to them because two men had lately been killed there in a feud. It is not wise, we are told, to visit any place where there has lately been an accident of this kind. There are many amusing descriptions of people and Places ; among them of a vaccination,—it is compul- sory in Montenegro, where the "conscientious objector" is not taken account of. The Turkish infants were commonly brought by their fathers ; the Christian mothers invariably came. This is a very readable book.
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