FROM "The London Messenger."
CORONATION FESTIVITIES OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS.
(From our Special Correspondent.)
PLAZAC,
October 14, 1907.
As I sat down to a poorly-equipped luncheon-table on board the
Austro-Orient liner Franz Joseph, I mourned in my heart (and I may
say incidentally in other portions of my internal economy) the
comfort and gastronomic luxury of the King and Emperor Hotel at
Trieste. A brief comparison between the menus of to-day's lunch and
yesterday's will afford to the reader a striking object-lesson:
Trieste. Steamer.
Eggs a la cocotte. Scrambled eggs on toast.
Stewed chicken, with paprika. Cold chicken.
Devilled slices of Westphalian ham Cold ham.
(boiled in wine). Bismarck herrings.
Tunny fish, pickled. Stewed apples.
Rice, burst in cream. Swiss cheese.
Guava jelly.
Consequence: Yesterday I was well and happy, and looked forward to a
good night's sleep, which came off. To-day I am dull and heavy, also
restless, and I am convinced that at sleeping-time my liver will have
it all its own way.
The journey to Ragusa, and thence to Plazac, is writ large with a
pigment of misery on at least one human heart. Let a silence fall
upon it! In such wise only can Justice and Mercy join hands.
Plazac is a miserable place. There is not a decent hotel in it. It
was perhaps on this account that the new King, Rupert, had erected
for the alleged convenience of his guests of the Press a series of
large temporary hotels, such as were in evidence at the St. Louis
Exposition. Here each guest was given a room to himself, somewhat
after the nature of the cribs in a Rowton house. From my first night
in it I am able to speak from experience of the sufferings of a
prisoner of the third class. I am, however, bound to say that the
dining and reception rooms were, though uncomfortably plain, adequate
for temporary use. Happily we shall not have to endure many more
meals here, as to-morrow we all dine with the King in the State
House; and as the cuisine is under the control of that cordon bleu,
Gaston de Faux Pas, who so long controlled the gastronomic (we might
almost say Gastonomic) destinies of the Rois des Diamants in the
Place Vendome, we may, I think, look forward to not going to bed
hungry. Indeed, the anticipations formed from a survey of our meagre
sleeping accommodation were not realized at dinnertime to-night. To
our intense astonishment, an excellent dinner was served, though, to
be sure, the cold dishes predominated (a thing I always find bad for
one's liver). Just as we were finishing, the King (nominated) came
amongst us in quite an informal way, and, having bidden us a hearty
welcome, asked that we should drink a glass of wine together. This
we did in an excellent (if rather sweet) glass of Cliquot '93. King
Rupert (nominated) then asked us to resume our seats. He walked
between the tables, now and again recognizing some journalistic
friend whom he had met early in life in his days of adventure. The
men spoken to seemed vastly pleased--with themselves probably.
Pretty bad form of them, I call it! For myself, I was glad I had not
previously met him in the same casual way, as it saved me from what I
should have felt a humiliation--the being patronized in that public
way by a prospective King who had not (in a Court sense) been born.
The writer, who is by profession a barrister-at-law, is satisfied at
being himself a county gentleman and heir to an historic estate in
the ancient county of Salop, which can boast a larger population than
the Land of the Blue Mountains.
EDITORIAL NOTE.--We must ask our readers to pardon the report in
yesterday's paper sent from Plazac. The writer was not on our
regular staff, but asked to be allowed to write the report, as he was
a kinsman of King Rupert of the Blue Mountains, and would therefore
be in a position to obtain special information and facilities of
description "from inside," as he puts it. On reading the paper, we
cabled his recall; we cabled also, in case he did not obey, to have
his ejectment effected forthwith.
We have also cabled Mr. Mordred Booth, the well-known correspondent,
who was, to our knowledge, in Plazac for his own purposes, to send us
full (and proper) details. We take it our readers will prefer a
graphic account of the ceremony to a farrago of cheap menus, comments
on his own liver, and a belittling of an Englishman of such noble
character and achievements that a rising nation has chosen him for
their King, and one whom our own nation loves to honour. We shall
not, of course, mention our abortive correspondent's name, unless
compelled thereto by any future utterance of his.
FROM "The London Messenger."
THE CORONATION OF KING RUPERT OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS.
(By our Special Correspondent, Mordred Booth.)
PLAZAC,
October 17, 1907.
Plazac does not boast of a cathedral or any church of sufficient
dimensions for a coronation ceremony on an adequate scale. It was
therefore decided by the National Council, with the consent of the
King, that it should be held at the old church of St. Sava at
Vissarion--the former home of the Queen. Accordingly, arrangements
had been made to bring thither on the warships on the morning of the
coronation the whole of the nation's guests. In St. Sava's the
religious ceremony would take place, after which there would be a
banquet in the Castle of Vissarion. The guests would then return on
the warships to Plazac, where would be held what is called here the
"National Coronation."
In the Land of the Blue Mountains it was customary in the old days,
when there were Kings, to have two ceremonies--one carried out by the
official head of the national Church, the Greek Church; the other by
the people in a ritual adopted by themselves, on much the same basis
as the Germanic Folk-Moot. The Blue Mountains is a nation of
strangely loyal tendencies. What was a thousand years ago is to be
to-day--so far, of course, as is possible under the altered condition
of things.
The church of St. Sava is very old and very beautiful, built in the
manner of old Greek churches, full of monuments of bygone worthies of
the Blue Mountains. But, of course, neither it nor the ceremony held
in it to-day can compare in splendour with certain other ceremonials-
-for instance, the coronation of the penultimate Czar in Moscow, of
Alfonso XII. in Madrid, of Carlos I. in Lisbon.
The church was arranged much after the fashion of Westminster Abbey
for the coronation of King Edward VII., though, of course, not so
many persons present, nor so much individual splendour. Indeed, the
number of those present, outside those officially concerned and the
Press of the world, was very few.
The most striking figure present--next to King Rupert, who is seven
feet high and a magnificent man--was the Queen Consort, Teuta. She
sat in front of a small gallery erected for the purpose just opposite
the throne. She is a strikingly beautiful woman, tall and finely-
formed, with jet-black hair and eyes like black diamonds, but with
the unique quality that there are stars in them which seem to take
varied colour according to each strong emotion. But it was not even
her beauty or the stars in her eyes which drew the first glance of
all. These details showed on scrutiny, but from afar off the
attractive point was her dress. Surely never before did woman, be
she Queen or peasant, wear such a costume on a festive occasion.
She was dressed in a white Shroud, and in that only. I had heard
something of the story which goes behind that strange costume, and
shall later on send it to you. {2}
When the procession entered the church through the great western
door, the national song of the Blue Mountains, "Guide our feet
through darkness, O Jehovah," was sung by an unseen choir, in which
the organ, supplemented by martial instruments, joined. The
Archbishop was robed in readiness before the altar, and close around
him stood the Archimandrites of the four great monasteries. The
Vladika stood in front of the Members of the National Council. A
little to one side of this body was a group of high officials,
Presidents of the Councils of National Law and Justice, the
Chancellor, etc.--all in splendid robes of great antiquity--the High
Marshall of the Forces and the Lord high Admiral.
When all was ready for the ceremonial act of coronation, the
Archbishop raised his hand, whereupon the music ceased. Turning
around, so that he faced the Queen, who thereon stood up, the King
drew his handjar and saluted her in Blue Mountain fashion--the point
raised as high possible, and then dropped down till it almost touches
the ground. Every man in the church, ecclesiastics and all, wear the
handjar, and, following the King by the interval of a second, their
weapons flashed out. There was something symbolic, as well as
touching, in this truly royal salute, led by the King. His handjar
is a mighty blade, and held high in the hands of a man of his
stature, it overtowered everything in the church. It was an
inspiriting sight. No one who saw will ever forget that noble
flashing of blades in the thousand-year-old salute . . .
The coronation was short, simple, and impressive. Rupert knelt
whilst the Archbishop, after a short, fervent prayer, placed on his
head the bronze crown of the first King of the Blue Mountains, Peter.
This was handed to him by the Vladika, to whom it was brought from
the National Treasury by a procession of the high officers. A
blessing of the new King and his Queen Teuta concluded the ceremony.
Rupert's first act on rising from his knees was to draw his handjar
and salute his people.
After the ceremony in St. Sava, the procession was reformed, and took
its way to the Castle of Vissarion, which is some distance off across
a picturesque creek, bounded on either side by noble cliffs of vast
height. The King led the way, the Queen walking with him and holding
his hand . . . The Castle of Vissarion is of great antiquity, and
picturesque beyond belief. I am sending later on, as a special
article, a description of it . . .
The "Coronation Feast," as it was called on the menu, was held in the
Great Hall, which is of noble proportions. I enclose copy of the
menu, as our readers may wish to know something of the details of
such a feast in this part of the world.
One feature of the banquet was specially noticeable. As the National
Officials were guests of the King and Queen, they were waited on and
served by the King and Queen in person. The rest of the guests,
including us of the Press, were served by the King's household, not
the servants--none of that cult were visible--but by the ladies and
gentlemen of the Court.
There was only one toast, and that was given by the King, all
standing: "The Land of the Blue Mountains, and may we all do our
duty to the Land we love!" Before drinking, his mighty handjar
flashed out again, and in an instant every table at which the Blue
Mountaineers sat was ringed with flashing steel. I may add
parenthetically that the handjar is essentially the national weapon.
I do not know if the Blue Mountaineers take it to bed with them, but
they certainly wear it everywhere else. Its drawing seems to
emphasize everything in national life . . .
We embarked again on the warships--one a huge, steel-plated
Dreadnought, up to date in every particular, the other an armoured
yacht most complete in every way, and of unique speed. The King and
Queen, the Lords of the Council, together with the various high
ecclesiastics and great officials, went on the yacht, which the Lord
High Admiral, a man of remarkably masterful physiognomy, himself
steered. The rest of those present at the Coronation came on the
warship. The latter went fast, but the yacht showed her heels all
the way. However, the King's party waited in the dock in the Blue
Mouth. From this a new cable-line took us all to the State House at
Plazac. Here the procession was reformed, and wound its way to a
bare hill in the immediate vicinity. The King and Queen--the King
still wearing the ancient bronze crown with which the Archbishop had
invested him at St. Sava's--the Archbishop, the Vladika, and the four
Archimandrites stood together at the top of the hill, the King and
Queen being, of course, in the front. A courteous young gentleman,
to whom I had been accredited at the beginning of the day--all guests
were so attended--explained to me that, as this was the national as
opposed to the religious ceremony, the Vladika, who is the official
representative of the laity, took command here. The ecclesiastics
were put prominently forward, simply out of courtesy, in obedience to
the wish of the people, by whom they were all greatly beloved.
Then commenced another unique ceremony, which, indeed, might well
find a place in our Western countries. As far as ever we could see
were masses of men roughly grouped, not in any uniform, but all in
national costume, and armed only with the handjar. In the front of
each of these groups or bodies stood the National Councillor for that
district, distinguishable by his official robe and chain. There were
in all seventeen of these bodies. These were unequal in numbers,
some of them predominating enormously over others, as, indeed, might
be expected in so mountainous a country. In all there were present,
I was told, over a hundred thousand men. So far as I can judge from
long experience of looking at great bodies of men, the estimate was a
just one. I was a little surprised to see so many, for the
population of the Blue Mountains is never accredited in books of
geography as a large one. When I made inquiry as to how the frontier
guard was being for the time maintained, I was told:
"By the women mainly. But, all the same, we have also a male guard
which covers the whole frontier except that to seaward. Each man has
with him six women, so that the whole line is unbroken. Moreover,
sir, you must bear in mind that in the Blue Mountains our women are
trained to arms as well as our men--ay, and they could give a good
account of themselves, too, against any foe that should assail us.
Our history shows what women can do in defence. I tell you, the
Turkish population would be bigger to-day but for the women who on
our frontier fought of old for defence of their homes!"
"No wonder this nation has kept her freedom for a thousand years!" I
said.
At a signal given by the President of the National Council one of the
Divisions moved forwards. It was not an ordinary movement, but an
intense rush made with all the elan and vigour of hardy and highly-
trained men. They came on, not merely at the double, but as if
delivering an attack. Handjar in hand, they rushed forward. I can
only compare their rush to an artillery charge or to an attack of
massed cavalry battalions. It was my fortune to see the former at
Magenta and the latter at Sadowa, so that I know what such
illustration means. I may also say that I saw the relief column
which Roberts organized rush through a town on its way to relieve
Mafeking; and no one who had the delight of seeing that inspiring
progress of a flying army on their way to relieve their comrades
needs to be told what a rush of armed men can be. With speed which
was simply desperate they ran up the hill, and, circling to the left,
made a ring round the topmost plateau, where stood the King. When
the ring was complete, the stream went on lapping round and round
till the whole tally was exhausted. In the meantime another Division
had followed, its leader joining close behind the end of the first.
Then came another and another. An unbroken line circled and circled
round the hill in seeming endless array, till the whole slopes were
massed with moving men, dark in colour, and with countless glittering
points everywhere. When the whole of the Divisions had thus
surrounded the King, there was a moment's hush--a silence so still
that it almost seemed as if Nature stood still also. We who looked
on were almost afraid to breathe.
Then suddenly, without, so far as I could see, any fugleman or word
of command, the handjars of all that mighty array of men flashed
upward as one, and like thunder pealed the National cry:
"The Blue Mountains and Duty!"
After the cry there was a strange subsidence which made the onlooker
rub his eyes. It seemed as though the whole mass of fighting men had
partially sunk into the ground. Then the splendid truth burst upon
us--the whole nation was kneeling at the feet of their chosen King,
who stood upright.
Another moment of silence, as King Rupert, taking off his crown, held
it up in his left hand, and, holding his great handjar high in his
right, cried in a voice so strong that it came ringing over that
serried mass like a trumpet:
"To Freedom of our Nation, and to Freedom within it, I dedicate these
and myself. I swear!"
So saying, he, too, sank on his knees, whilst we all instinctively
uncovered.
The silence which followed lasted several seconds; then, without a
sign, as though one and all acted instinctively, the whole body stood
up. Thereupon was executed a movement which, with all my experience
of soldiers and war, I never saw equalled--not with the Russian Royal
Guard saluting the Czar at his Coronation, not with an impi of
Cetewayo's Zulus whirling through the opening of a kraal.
For a second or two the whole mass seemed to writhe or shudder, and
then, lo! the whole District Divisions were massed again in
completeness, its Councillors next the King, and the Divisions
radiating outwards down the hill like wedges.
This completed the ceremony, and everything broke up into units.
Later, I was told by my official friend that the King's last
movement--the oath as he sank to his knees--was an innovation of his
own. All I can say is, if, in the future, and for all time, it is
not taken for a precedent, and made an important part of the
Patriotic Coronation ceremony, the Blue Mountaineers will prove
themselves to be a much more stupid people than they seem at present
to be.
