The illumination was so instantaneous that the effect was charming, and coupled with the music, the enthusiastic cheering, and the booming of the cannon, which kept up a sort of "contrabasso" accompaniment to the whole, all contributed to produce a coup de scène never to be forgotten.
We now all withdrew to the drawing-room for coffee and tea, à la Russe, without cream and with a slice of lemon. I was not sorry to leave the balcony, for that firing of pistols in the air is not so innocent a pastime as might be imagined, as no Montenegrin ever dreams of loading his weapons with anything else than ball-cartridge.
The Prince again resumed his conversation with me about English customs and manners. He said, "I am told that in London one policeman, unarmed, can control a mob, while in Paris it is very different, as nothing short of loaded muskets and bayonets will do for the French."
I answered him that English mobs could be troublesome too, but that, generally speaking, owing to our constitutional respect for the majesty of the law, we came to look upon that solitary unarmed policeman as an impersonation of it, and as such he was always sure of the active assistance of all respectable citizens in the execution of his duty.
He then began to question me about the British constitution, and I never felt more posed. Irish mother-wit, however, came to the rescue, and I said, "To explain the British Constitution I should have to be a lawyer, but one of the great characteristics of it, so far as a layman like me can explain it, consists in what is called the Law of Habeas Corpus, by which no man can be imprisoned by any authority whatever without being immediately informed of the accusation against him, and brought up before the constituted authorities within twenty-four hours."
He said he had heard of that before, and thought it a grand law, but under certain circumstances he considered it might be advantageous for the king to have the power of arresting dangerous characters, upon which I told him that in certain emergencies the law of Habeas Corpus had been suspended, but that could only be done by Act of Parliament, and not by the sovereign's authority.
"In short," said he, "your Chambers are the real sovereign, the King being only the outward and visible sign of regal authority."
CHAPTER XVII.
A WALK WITH THE PRINCE—SALUTATIONS OF THE CROWD—THE GUZLA—MONTENEGRIN DANCE—THE PRINCE'S ACCOUNT OF ITS ORIGIN—THE CAMP AT NIGHT—ADVENTURE WITH A MONTENEGRIN—DEVOTION OF THE PEOPLE TO THEIR PRINCE.