The Lady of the Shroud - Bram Stoker (phonics reader txt) 📗

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