I should love that above everything, but I
did not like to suggest it, lest you should think me arrogant or
presuming; for, indeed, Rupert, I am very proud of it, and of the way our
people look on it." "Why not?" said Rupert, in his direct way. "It is a thing for us all to
be proud of; the nation has already adopted it as a national emblem--our
emblem of courage and devotion and patriotism, which will always, I hope,
be treasured beyond price by the men and women of our Dynasty, the
Nation, that is--of the Nation that is to be." Later on in the evening we had a strange endorsement of the national
will. A "People's Deputation" of mountaineers, without any official
notice or introduction, arrived at the Castle late in the evening in the
manner established by Rupert's "Proclamation of Freedom," wherein all
citizens were entitled to send a deputation to the King, at will and in
private, on any subject of State importance. This deputation was
composed of seventeen men, one selected from each political section, so
that the body as a whole represented the entire nation. They were of all
sorts of social rank and all degrees of fortune, but they were mainly "of
the people." They spoke hesitatingly--possibly because Teuta, or even
because I, was present--but with a manifest earnestness. They made but
one request--that the Queen should, on the great occasion of the Balkan
Federation, wear as robes of State the Shroud that they loved to see her
in. The spokesman, addressing the Queen, said in tones of rugged
eloquence:

"This is a matter, Your Majesty, that the women naturally have a say in,
so we have, of course, consulted them. They have discussed the matter by
themselves, and then with us, and they are agreed without a flaw that it
will be good for the Nation and for Womankind that you do this thing. You have shown to them, and to the world at large, what women should do,
what they can do, and they want to make, in memory of your great act, the
Shroud a garment of pride and honour for women who have deserved well of
their country. In the future it can be a garment to be worn only by
privileged women who have earned the right. But they hope, and we hope
with them, that on this occasion of our Nation taking the lead before the
eyes of the world, all our women may wear it on that day as a means of
showing overtly their willingness to do their duty, even to the death. And so"--here he turned to the King--"Rupert, we trust that Her Majesty
Queen Teuta will understand that in doing as the women of the Blue
Mountains wish, she will bind afresh to the Queen the loyal devotion
which she won from them as Voivodin. Henceforth and for all time the
Shroud shall be a dress of honour in our Land." Teuta looked all ablaze with love and pride and devotion. Stars in her
eyes shone like white fire as she assured them of the granting of their
request. She finished her little speech:

"I feared that if I carried out my own wish, it might look arrogant, but
Rupert has expressed the same wish, and now I feel that I am free to wear
that dress which brought me to you and to Rupert"--here she beamed on
him, and took his hand--"fortified as I am by your wishes and the command
of my lord the King." Rupert took her in his arms and kissed her fondly before them all,
saying:

"Tell your wives, my brothers, and the rest of the Blue Mountain women,
that that is the answer of the husband who loves and honours his wife. All the world shall see at the ceremony of the Federation of Balka that
we men love and honour the women who are loyal and can die for duty. And, men of the Blue Mountains, some day before long we shall organize
that great idea, and make it a permanent thing--that the Order of the
Shroud is the highest guerdon that a noble-hearted woman can wear." Teuta disappeared for a few moments, and came back with the Crown Prince
in her arms. Everyone present asked to be allowed to kiss him, which
they did kneeling. THE FEDERATION BALKA. _By the Correspondents of_ "_Free America_." The Editors of _Free America_ have thought it well to put in consecutive
order the reports and descriptions of their Special Correspondents, of
whom there were present no less than eight. Not a word they wrote is
omitted, but the various parts of their reports are placed in different
order, so that, whilst nothing which any of them recorded is left out,
the reader may be able to follow the proceedings from the various points
of view of the writers who had the most favourable opportunity of moment. In so large an assemblage of journalists--there were present over a
thousand--they could not all be present in one place; so our men, in
consultation amongst themselves, arranged to scatter, so as to cover the
whole proceeding from the various "coigns of vantage," using their skill
and experience in selecting these points. One was situated on the summit
of the steel-clad tower in the entrance to the Blue Mouth; another on the
"Press-boat," which was moored alongside King Rupert's armoured yacht,
_The Lady_, whereon were gathered the various Kings and rulers of the
Balkan States, all of whom were in the Federation; another was in a swift
torpedo-boat, with a roving commission to cruise round the harbour as
desired; another took his place on the top of the great mountain which
overlooks Plazac, and so had a bird's-eye view of the whole scene of
operations; two others were on the forts to right and left of the Blue
Mouth; another was posted at the entrance to the Great Tunnel which runs
from the water level right up through the mountains to the plateau, where
the mines and factories are situate; another had the privilege of a place
on an aeroplane, which went everywhere and saw everything. This
aeroplane was driven by an old Special Correspondent of _Free America_,
who had been a chum of our Special in the Japanese and Russian War, and
who has taken service on the Blue Mountain _Official Gazette_. PLAZAC,
                                                          _June_ 30, 1909. Two days before the time appointed for the ceremony the guests of the
Land of the Blue Mountains began to arrive. The earlier comers were
mostly the journalists who had come from almost over the whole inhabited
world. King Rupert, who does things well, had made a camp for their
exclusive use. There was a separate tent for each--of course, a small
one, as there were over a thousand journalists--but there were big tents
for general use scattered about--refectories, reading and writing rooms,
a library, idle rooms for rest, etc. In the rooms for reading and
writing, which were the work-rooms for general use, were newspapers, the
latest attainable from all over the world, Blue-Books, guides,
directories, and all such aids to work as forethought could arrange. There was for this special service a body of some hundreds of capable
servants in special dress and bearing identification numbers--in fact,
King Rupert "did us fine," to use a slang phrase of pregnant meaning.