there, for over there all jobs are open and unrestricted. We will be free and
happy.Iwillarrangeeverything,ifonlyyouwould...ifonlyyouwouldagree.'
Theyoungmanstopped.Bywayofanswersheputbothherhandsonhis.Inthat
hefelttheexpressionofagreatgratitude.Butheranswerwasneitheryesnorno.
Shethankedhimforallhistroubleandattentionandforhisboundlessgoodness
and, in the name of that goodness, asked for a month before she gave him a
definiteanswer;untiltheendoftheschoolyear.
'Thankyou,Nikola,thankyou!Youaregoodtome!'shewhispered,pressinghis
hands.
Fromthe kapia belowrosethesoundofyoungmensinging.TheywereVišegrad youths,perhapsalso somestudentsfrom Sarajevo.Ina fortnighttheuniversity
students were due to arrive. Until then she would not be able to come to any
decision.Everythingmadehersuffer,mostofallthegoodnessofthisman,butat
thatmomentshewouldnothavebeenabletosay'yes'evenifsheweretobecut
topieces.Shenolongerhopedforanythingsavetoseeoncemore'thatmanwho
can love no one'. Once more, and then let be what would! Nikola would wait;
thatsheknew.
Theyroseand,handinhand,wentslowlydowntheslopewhichledtowardsthe
bridgewhencethesingingcame.
XXII
On Vidovdan the Serbs held their regular outing at Mezalin. Under the dense
walnut-trees, at the the meeting of the two rivers Drina and Rzav, on the high
green banks, tents were put up in which drinks were on sale and before which
lambs were turning on spits over slow fires. Families who had brought their
lunchwiththemsatintheshade.Belowacanopyoffreshbranchesanorchestra
wasalreadyplaying.Onthewellbeatenopenspacetherehadbeena kolo since
morning.Onlytheyoungestandidlestweredancing,thosewhohadcomehere
directlyaftermorningservice,straightfromthechurch.Therealgeneralouting
only began in the afternoon. But the kolo was already lively and enthusiastic, better and more vigorous than it would be later on when the crowd came, and
marriedwomen,unsatisfiedwidowsandyoungchildrenbegantotakepartand
wheneverythingwastransformedintoasinglelongandgay,buthaphazardand
disconnected, garland. That shorter kolo in which more young men than girls weretakingpartwasfastandfurious,likeathrownlasso.Everythingaroundit
seemed to be moving, swaying to the rhythm of the music, the air, the thick
crowns of the trees, the white summer clouds and the swift waters of the two
rivers.Theearthtrembledunderitandarounditandseemedonlytobetryingto
adapt its movement to the movements of the young bodies. Young men ran in
from the main road to take their places in the kolo, but the girls restrained themselves and stood for a time watching the dancing as if counting the beats
and waiting for some secret impulse in themselves; then they would suddenly
leap in to the kolo with lowered heads and slightly bended knees as if eagerly leaping into cold water. The powerful current passed from the warm earth into
the dancing feet and spread along the chain of warm hands; on that chain
the kolo pulsedlikeasinglelivingthing,warmedbythesamebloodandcarried
awaybythesamerhythm.Theyoungmendancedwithheadsthrownback,pale
andwithquiveringnostrils,whiletheyounggirlsdancedwithreddenedcheeks
andmodestlydowncasteyes,lesttheirglancesbetray
thepassionwithwhichthedancehadfilledthem.
At that moment, when the outing had only just begun, a number of gendarmes
appearedattheedgeofthemeadow,theirblackuniformsandweaponsshining
in the afternoon light. There were more of them than was usual for the patrol
whichregularlyvisitedfairsandoutings.Theywentstraighttothecanopywhere
themusicianswereplaying.Oneaftertheother,irregularly,theplayersceased.
The kolo waveredandstopped.Youngmen'scriesofprotestcouldbeheard.The
dancers stood hand in hand. Some were so carried away and filled with the rhythm that they went on dancing where they were, waiting for the music to
begin again. But the players rose in haste and wrapped up their trumpets and
theirviolins.Thegendarmeswentonfarther,tothetentsandthefamiliessitting
onthegrass.Everywherethesergeantsaidhispiece,inalowharshvoice,and
like some magic charm the gaiety faded away, the dancing ceased and
conversationswerebrokenoff.Whomevertheyapproachedlefttheplacewhere
he had been till then, forgot whatever he was doing, gathered up his things as
quicklyaspossibleandleft.Thelasttodispersewasthe kolo ofyouthsandgirls.
Theydidnotwanttoabandontheirdancingandcouldnotgetitintotheirheads
thatthiswasreallytheendofthegaietyandtheouting.Butwhentheysawthe
white face and bloodshot eyes of the sergeant of gendarmes even the most
obstinateslunkaway.
Disillusioned and perplexed, the people trailed back from Mezalin along the
wide,whiteroad;thefarthertheywentintothetownthemoretheyheardvague
andfrightenedwhispersabouttheassassinationthatmorningatSarajevoandthe
deathoftheArchdukeFranzFerdinandandhiswifeandthepersecutionofthe
Serbswhichwasgenerallyexpected.InfrontoftheMunicipalOfficestheycame
upon the first group of arrested men, amongst them the young priest Mihailo,
beingtakentoprison.
Sothesecondpartofthatsummerday,whichshouldhavebeenafestival,was
transformedintoabewildered,bitterandfrightenedexpectation.
On the kapia, instead of a festival mood and the gaiety of men released from work,therewasthesilenceofthedead.Aguardhadalreadybeenmounted.A
soldierinanewuniformpacedslowlyfromthe sola tothespotwheretheiron
manholecoveredthewaydownintotheminedpier.Hemarchedthesefiveorsix
paces incessantly, and at each turn his bayonet glinted in the sun like a signal.
The next day, beneath the plaque with the Turkish inscription, a white official
notice appeared on the wall, printed in large letters and surrounded by a thick
blackborder.ItannouncedthenewsoftheassassinationanddeathinSarajevoof
theCrownPrinceandexpressedtheindignationrousedbythisevildeed.None
of the passers-by stopped to read it, but passed in front of the notice and the
guardasquicklyaspossiblewithloweredheads.
Fromthattimeonwardtheguardremainedonthebridge.Thewholelifeofthe
townwassuddenlyinterrupted,likethe kolo atMezalinandthatJulydaywhich
shouldhavebeenadayoffestivity.
The days to come were strange, filled with the avid reading of newspapers, of whispers,offearanddefiance,thearrestsofSerbsandsuspecttravellersandthe
rapid reinforcement of military measures on the frontiers. The summer nights
pas
sed, but without song, without meetings of young men on the kapia and
without the whispering of couples in the darkness. In the town mainly soldiers
were to be seen. At nine o'clock at night when the buglers sounded the
melancholynotesoftheAustrianlast-postinthecantonmentsatBikavacandin
thegreatbarracksbythebridge,thestreetswerealmostentirelydeserted.Those
were bad times for young lovers eager to meet and have private conversations.
Every evening Glasičanin passed Zorka's house. She was sitting at an open
windowontheground-floor.Theretheytalked,butonlyforashorttime,since
hewasinhastetocrossthebridgeandreturntoOkolištebeforenightfall.
Soithappenedthateveningalso.Pale,hatinhand,hebeggedthegirltocome
outtothegateforhehadsomethingprivatetotellher.Aftersomehesitationshe
came. Standing on the threshold of the courtyard she was now level with the
youthwhospokeexcitedlyinascarcelyaudiblewhisper.
'Wehavedecidedtoflee.Thisevening.VladoMarićandtwoothers.Ithinkthat
we have foreseen everything and that we shall get across. But if not... if
somethingshouldhappen.Zorka!'
The young man's whisper ceased. In her wide-open eyes he saw fear and
embarrassment. He was deeply moved as if he regretted that he had spoken to
herandcometosaygoodbye.
'Ithoughtitbettertotellyou.'
Thankyou!Thenthereisnothingofour...nothingofAmerica!'
'No, not "nothing". Had you consented when I suggested a month ago that we shouldfinishthematteratonce,thenperhapswemightalreadybefarawayfrom
here.Butperhapsitisbetterthisway.Nowyoucanseewhatthepositionis.I
mustgowithmyfriends.Thewarisherealreadyandthereisneedforallofus
inSerbia.Imust,Zorka,Imust.Itismyduty.IfIcomeoutofallthisaliveandif
we become free, then it may no longer be necessary to go across the sea to
America,forweshallhaveourownAmericahere,alandinwhich
amanmayworkhardandhonestlyandlivewellandfreely.Therewillbealife
initforbothofus,ifonlyyouwillconsent.Itwilldependonyou.Iwill...Iwill
thinkofyouoverthere,andyou,andyou...sometimes...'
Wordsfailedhimandhesuddenlyputuphishandandquicklystrokedherrich
chestnut hair. That had always been his greatest desire and now, like a condemnedman,hefeltpermittedtofulfilit.Thegirlwithdrewinfrightandhe
remained with his hand in the air. The gate shut silently and a moment later
Zorkaappearedatthewindow,pale,withwide-openeyesandfeverishlytwisting
fingers.Theyoungmancamecloseuptothewindow,threwhisheadbackand
revealedhisface,laughing,carefree,almosthandsome.Asifafraidtoseewhat
would happen next, the girl drew back into the room which was already dark.
Thereshesatdownonherbed,bentherheadandbegantoweep.
Atfirstsheweptquietlyandthenmoreandmoreunrestrainedlywithafeelingof
heavy,universalhopelessness.Themoreshewept,themorereasonshefoundto
weep as everything around her seemed more and more hopeless. There was no
wayout,nosolution;neverwouldshebeabletolove,trulyandashedeserved,
thatgoodandhonestNikolawhowasgoingaway;neverwouldshelivetosee
the day when that other one, who could love no one, should love her. Never
again would she see those lovely, happy days which she had passed only last
yearinthistown.NotasingleoneoftheSerbswouldeversucceedincoming
alive out of that dark circle of mountains, nor would see America, nor would
create here a land where, so they said, a man could work hard and live freely.
Never!
NextdaythenewsspreadthatVladoMarić,Glasičaninandafewotheryoung
menhadfledtoSerbia.AlltheotherSerbswiththeirfamilies,andallthatthey
had,remainedinthatoverheatedvalleyasinatrap.Everydaytheatmosphereof
dangerandmenacecouldbefelttobegrowingdenseroverthetown.Then,in
the last days of July, the storm burst over the frontier, a storm which would in timespreadtothewholeworldanddecidethefateofsomanylandsandcities,
aswellasthatofthebridgeontheDrina.
OnlythenbegantherealpersecutionoftheSerbsandallthoseconnectedwith
them. The people were divided into the persecuted and those who persecuted
them.Thatwildbeast,whichlivesinmananddoesnotdaretoshowitselfuntil
thebarriersoflawandcustomhavebeenremoved,wasnowsetfree.Thesignal
was given, the barriers were down. As has so often happened in the history of
man, permission was tacitly granted for acts of violence and plunder, even for
murder,iftheywerecarriedoutinthenameofhigherinterests.
according to established rules, and against a limited number of men of a
particulartypeandbelief.Amanwhosawclearlyandwithopeneyesandwas
thenlivingcouldseehowthismiracletookplaceandhowthewholeofasociety
could, in a single day, be transformed. In a few minutes the business quarter, based on centuries of tradition, was wiped out. It is true that there had always
beenconcealedenmitiesandjealousiesandreligiousintolerance,coarsenessand
cruelty,buttherehadalsobeencourageandfellowshipandafeelingformeasure
andorder,whichrestrainedalltheseinstinctswithinthelimitsofthesupportable
and,intheend,calmedthemdownandsubmittedthemtothegeneralinterestof
lifeincommon.Menwhohadbeenleadersinthecommercialquarterforforty
habits,customsandinstitutionswhichtheyrepresented.
The day after the declaration of war on Serbia a schutzkorps squad began to patrolthetown.Thissquad,hastilyarmedandintendedtoassisttheauthorities
intheirhuntforSerbs,wasmadeupofgipsies,drunkardsandotherpersonsof
illrepute,mainlythosewhoforlonghadbeenatoddswithsocietyandthelaw.
AcertainHusoKokošar,agipsywithouthonourordefiniteoccupation,whohad
losthisnoseinearlyyouthasaresultofashamefuldisease,ledthedozenorso
ne'er-do-wells armed with old-fashioned Werndl rifles with long bayonets, and
lordeditoverthemarketplace.
Facedwiththisthreat,PavleRanković,asPresidentoftheSerbianChurchand
School Community, went with a number of other leading members to the sub-
prefectSabljak.Sabljakwasapale,puffyman,completelybald,borninCroatia,
whohadonlyrecentlybeenappointedtoVišegrad.Nowhewasexcitedandhe
hadnotsleptwell;hiseyelidswerereddenedandhislipsdryandbloodless.He
waswearinghighbootsandinthelapelofhishuntsman'scoatworesomebadge
in two colours: black and yellow. He received them standing and did not offer
themseats.Pavle,yellowintheface,hiseyesliketwothinblackslits,spokeina
hoarseunfa
miliarvoice:
'Sir,youseewhatisgoingonandwhatisbeingprepared,andyouknowthatwe,
SerbsandcitizensofVišegrad,havenotwantedthis.'
'I know nothing, sir,' the Prefect curtly interrupted him in a voice harsh with
vexation,'andIwanttoknownothing.Wehaveother,moreimportant,thingsto
donowthanlistentospeeches.ThatisallIhavetosaytoyou!'
'Sir,'Pavlebeganagaincalmlyasiftryingbyhisowncalmtomoderateeventhis
irritableandangryman,'wehavecometoofferyouourservicesandtoassure
you....'
'Ihavenoneedofyourservicesandthereisnothingforyoutoassuremeabout.
YouhaveshownatSarajevowhatyoucando....'
'Sir,'continuedPavleresolutelyandwithunchangedvoice,'wewouldhaveliked withinthelimitsofthelaw...'
'So! Now you remember the law! To what laws have you the effrontery to
appeal...?'
'Thelawsofthestate.Sir,whichapplytoall.'
ThePrefectsuddenlybecameseriousasifhehadcalmeddownalittle.Pavleat
oncetookadvantageofthismomentofcalm
'Sir,permitustoaskyouwhetherwemaybesurethatourlivesandpropertyand
thoseofourfamilieswillberespected,andifnot,whatweshoulddo?'
ThePrefectspreadouthishands,palmsupward,shruggedhisshoulders,closed
hiseyesandconvulsivelyshuthisthin,palelips.
Pavle knew only too well this characteristic gesture, pitiless, blind-deaf-dumb,
whichstateofficialsadoptinimportantmomentsandsawatoncethatitwasno
usegoingontalking.ThePrefect,afterloweringhishands,lookedupandsaid
moregently:
'Themilitaryauthoritieswilladviseeveryonewhattheymustdo.'
Now it was Pavle's turn to spread out his hands, close his eyes and shrug his
shouldersforamoment,andthensayinadeep,changedvoice:
'Thankyou.Sir.'
The representatives bowed stiffly and clumsily. Then they filed out like
condemnedmen.
Themarketplacewasfilledwithaimlessmovementandsecretconsultations.
InAlihodja'sshopweresittinganumberofprominentTurks,NailbegTurković,