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1912] THE SCHIPKA VETERANS’ FETE 101
witness at the same Belgrade station of another
departure : that of the heir to the throne, Prince Alexander,
who, with M. Pachitch, was going to inspect the troops
in the south-east of Serbia, that is near the Turkish
frontier. 1 could not help thinking that this journey
was rather significant.
Towards the beginning of August, Bulgaria’s
disquieting state of mind was already the constant topic at
the interviews of members of the Diplomatic Corps of
Sofia. I noticed that the representatives of the Triple
Alliance, and the new Turkish Minister, the intelligent
and shrewd Nabi-bey, had no idea of the complete
understanding between the Bulgarians and the Serbians,
and did not perceive, in the conduct of the two
Governments, a direct preparation for war; but all the same
they were beginning to be anxious, and watched my
words and deeds with suspicious curiosity. Moreover,
Nabi-bey soon left for Switzerland, ostensibly to take a
cure, but in reality to begin secret negotiations, by order
of the Porte, with some Italian financiers, selected ad hoc.
These secret conferences were transformed into official
negotiations of peace as soon as the Balkan War had
broken out. I have reason to believe that the
preliminaries of these negotiations had been laid down in
Sofia before Nabi-bey’s departure to Switzerland.
On the i ith (24th) August, the feast of the veterans of
the first Bulgarian militia was generally celebrated in
Sofia, and always with great pomp. During the days—
celebrated for ever in Bulgaria’s history—of the 9th to
the 1 ith August (O.S.), 1877, when the Turks, pursuing
from Kazanlyk the weak detachment of General Gourko,
ascended the southern slope of the Balkans and tried to
take the Schipka Pass by assault—a position fiercely
defended by us—the Bulgarian militia, newly formed
into picked battalions, displayed heroic courage side b}^
side with regiments of Russian Chasseurs, and helped to
save Shipka and to bar the road to northern Bulgaria to
the Turks. Ever since, the anniversary of the 1 ith (24th)
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