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_Written July_ 8, 1907

GREAT LADY,

I am asked to write by the Vladika, and have permission of theArchbishopI have the honour of trans to you the record ofthe pursuit of the Turkish spies who carried off the Voivodin Teuta,of the noble House of VissarionThe pursuit was undertaken by theGospodar Rupert, who asked that I would coood as to call ht serve e of the Land of the Blue Mountains and its people, astwhich and whom my whole life has been passedBut in such a cause noreason was requiredThere was not a iven his life for the Voivodin Teuta, and when theyheard that she had not been dead, as they thought, but only in atrance, and that it was she whom the marauders had carried off, theywere in a frenzySo why should I--to whoreattrust of the Monastery of Spazac--hesitate at such a time?Forht withmy country's foes; and well I knew that the Gospodar Rupert, with alion's heart iant body, would press on with awhen our foes are infront of us; most of all do we of the Eastern Church press on whenthe Crescent wars against the Cross!

We took with us no gear or has excepte stood in; no food--nothing but our handjars and our rifles,with a sufficiency of aavehurried orders by signal from the Castle to have food and anal) by the nearest hamlet

It was high noon e started, only ten strong--for our leaderwould take none but approved runners who could shoot straight and usethe handjar as it should be usedSo as ent light, we expectedto go fastBy this tinalled toVissarion that the enemies were chosen men of no despicable prowess

The Keeper of the Green Flag of Islahthe Turk is an infidel and a dog, he is soIndeed, except when he passes the confines of the Blue Mountains, hehas been known to do stirring deedsBut as none who have dared towander in ast our hills ever return to their own land, we may notknow of how they speak at home of their battles hereStill, thesemen were evidently not to be despised; and our Gospodar, who is awise man as well as a valiant, warned us to be prudent, and not todespise our foes over muchWe did as he counselled, and in proof weonly took ten ainst usBut then therewas at stake reat clock at Vissarion clanged of noon, the eight fastest runnersof the Blue Mountains, together with the Gospodar Rupert and nalled to us that thecourse which theone, running eccentrically at all sorts of angles in all sortsof directionsBut our leader had htintercept our foes across the ion we paused not a second, but went as fast aswe could all night longIndeed, it was ast us a race as was theOlympic race of

old Greece, each one vying with his fellows, thoughnot in jealous eh spirit, to best serve hiscountry and the Voivodin TeutaFore hi for no obstaclePerpetually did he urge us onHe wouldnot stop or pause for a ether--for, lady, in my youth I was the fleetest of all in therace, and even that now can head a battalion when duty calls--hewould ask e radually unfolded in And as each new phase of knowledgecame to him, he would rush on as one possessed of fiends: whereat ourmountaineers, who seehness,would strive to keep pace with him till they too seemed worked intodiabolic possessionAnd I myself, left alone in the cal ears and eyes thatsaw blood, I rushed along with best of them

Then truly the spirit of a great captain showed itself in theGospodar, for when others were charged with fury he began to forcehimself into calm, so that out of his present self-command and they and thought forevery contingency that ht ariseSo that when souidance, there was no hesitation in its co kinds, all felt that we had ato limit ourselves to strict obedience, ere free touse such thoughts as well as such powers as we had to the bestadvantage of the doing

We caafter the abduction, a little before noonIt was easyenough to see, for by this tiether, andour people, oodlanders, were able to tell much of the partythat passedThese were evidently in a terrified hurry, for they hadtaken no precautions such as are necessary baffle pursuit, and all ofwhich take timeOur foresters said that tent ahead and twobehindIn the centre went thetheir prisonerWe caught not even a singleglimpse her--could not have, they encompassed her so closelyButour foresters saw other than the round that had beenpassed was before thely--nay, more: one of them said as he rose froround:

"The hans!There are drops of blood, though there are no blood-marks on herfeet"

Whereupon the Gospodar flaether, and with a deep-breathed "On, on!" he sprang off again,handjar in hand, on the track

Before longthe party in the distanceThey this were farbelow us in a deep valley, although the track of their going passedaway to the right handThey were reatcliff, which rose before us allTheir reason ofold, as wesoon knewFar off down the valley which they were crossingsigns of persons co froh the trees hid thensI was ain, it was evident that the young Voivodin could travel no longerat the dreadful pace at which they had been goingThose blood-markstold their own tale!They meant to make a last stand here in casethey should be discovered

Then it was that he, who ast us all had been most fierce and mostbent on rapid pursuit, becah, God knoere and had been silent enoughduring that long rush through the forest--he said, in a low, keenwhisper which cut the silence like a knife:

"My friends, the tiht us face to face with our foes!But we must be carefulhere--not on our own account, for ish nothing more than to rushon and conquer or die--but for the sake of her whoer fro to those fiendsIf they know or even suspect for an instantthat we are near, they will murder her"

Here his voice broke for an instant with the extre--I hardly knohich; I think both actedon him