My dragoman and I were riding ahead through a forest when we came around a bend and suddenly saw a priest on a pony talking to a Bulgarian. The Bulgarian was carrying a weapon, which showed he was a revolutionary. The two men were a bit surprised when they saw us, two people dressed in European clothes, approaching them. We greeted them kindly, and I managed to take a photograph. Within a minute, the Turkish soldiers appeared. As soon as the Bulgarian revolutionary saw them, he quickly ran into the woods and disappeared. The priest became very quiet and calmly walked his pony, acting as if he had no connection to the revolutionary movement Antique Hunt in Koritza.
We reached Resna that night and arrived back in Monastir by the middle of the next day.
A Night Alarm
Difficulties in Hiring Horses
Although the Turkish officials were polite, they always tried to prevent me from traveling through areas that were known to be disturbed. They constantly assured me that the country was calm. The Vali of Monastir, for example, suggested that I return to Salonika by train. He told me that the northern region, where there had been so much unrest, was now quiet due to the strength of Turkish forces, and that it was as peaceful as England tour bulgaria.
When I told him I planned to cross the country to reach the Salonika-Uskup railway, he seemed worried. He explained that there was a carriage road, but it wasn’t used often. The places to sleep were terrible, and he was sure that after my rough journey in Albania, I would prefer the comfort of a train.
A Gloomy Outlook
The situation in the area seemed tense, and the more I heard, the more it became clear that war might be the only solution to the problems in Macedonia. There was a feeling of uncertainty, and I began to fear that things could get worse. There were talks of other countries, like Germany, having their own plans for the region, which made the future look even more uncertain.
