September 29 [1913]

I was going snipe shooting to-morrow – the last day before the French, to have a holiday.

Monastir
My dear Gertrude,

It was very nice of you, my dear friend, to write me such another letter – they please me so very much – except that there is bad news in them. You poor thing, both your brother & sister down with appendicitis – I hope they have both got over it well. I know that your brother in particular will be a great strain to you.

I take this enormous bit of paper to expose to you my enormous affection – I can’t fill it, but if it be taken as an outward & visible sign it will have done its work.

The French actually are coming. They have been paying Venizelos a visit - & between them coupled with the Russian and the Bilinski Lalia crowd there is a very sharp feeling. The German, a loyal soldier, is inclined to feel that he must back his friends – But I have no such feeling – or rather no friends or enemies in the matter – They all come to me with their griefs, & then retire to write endless despatches & telegrams & arrangements for carrying on the show, all of which they are to hurl at me (who have written nothing) at the first meeting. It will be interesting –

I have today asked the F. O. to give me young Greig, vice Consul here as helper & secretary. I shall have enough to do without much writing – they are queer these young civilians – I asked him today for his cypher to wire to the F. O. but he said it was his only, that he would not give it to the King etc etc – silly ass, - but that will very soon be put right – and he isn’t a bad fellow really –

Really I believe in my heart that the only sort of faint hope of the faintest sort of decent life for the poor peasants of Macedonia is a European Power or Powers. These Serbs couldn’t rule a dog kennel – nor can the Bulgars – nor can the Greeks – I mean they can none of them rule justly over alien people. The abominable things I hear every day now, make even Adana seem les. There the storm passed – but here though on a much smaller scale, it is a habit, a sport, and the custom of the country.

The Albanians have I think wisely halted – the Serbs (and they are such fine men to look at) are all talking Durazzo – The Greeks have massed 25,000 men (they say – but I don’t believe it) at Koritya – They have found one small band near Colonia, to begin adding up the claim the “the price of blood”. And really you know as well as I no arbitrary frontier in these countries can be just to all – villages of every kind are interlaced in a hopeless jumble - & besides that what of pastorage, access to markets, rights of property etc etc etc. let alone ground –

Whatever we do or don’t do, some poor devil is very likely to have his throat cut over it.

An Italian of my friends – one Castoldi first mayor of Tripoli – told me that when or if he has sons, none shall enter the army – He is a soldier & a keen one, but he says the trade is spoilt, the simpleness of it gone, & politicians & Jews stain better stain better men than they are! I think there must be some truth in those beastly stories we heard in Tripoli –

Whether we shall start God knows – The Servian commander told me today that he considered us moving quite impossible – We should all get killed or held to ransom, for the country is again covered with bands. I don’t believe him at all, but I’ve got to watch over the Austrian & Italian – Why couldn’t they have left the whole thing to the German & me – We’d have half-finished it by this time. The Russian (very confidentially) told me that his instructions were to back the French – nice & simple – but that he hated the show because his position in Athens where he is military attaché would be damnable after it, unless the Greeks got all they wanted – Really neither French Russian Austrian or Italian are going to do anything but contradict each other to help matters forward –

There is hanging about one Colonel Murray C.B. C.M.G, an ex Gunner, now some species of journalist. He is in Koritza with others of the trade, whom may God confound. The Koritza folk & soldiers have not been told that the Ambassadors have already decided their fate – But when we arrive, and I tell them that we are only passing through to the road beyond, etc etc. Lalia & Bilkinski anticipate an outbreak – They both feel naturally nervous, and want to go round over the mountains – Perhaps we shall have to, as the Serbs & Albanians are fighting now across our road.

Its very interesting what you tell me of O’Connor. But if you go aside on your travels anywhere, please come & comfort me – Its quite true what you say we get hypnotized by looking at our jobs, like a fowl by candlelight in a chalk circle – or if you didn’t say that, I still maintain it – But Con is, I have heard from others, a very difficult man to serve – I only know him a little myself –

The second page! now tell me all about the book - & all about yourself – you can’t – but still a little.
Yrs ever,
Dick
Don’t run any risks.