“Not at all, not at all!” my dragoman said. “I was afraid those Bulgarians might come back and burn down the tower. Let’s leave quickly!” So, we continued on our journey.
Arriving at Keuprulu
By 9 o’clock, we reached Keuprulu, a Turkish military center. It had a railway station, a decent restaurant, and we were warmly welcomed by Turkish officers. While we enjoyed a Turkish breakfast of coffee and cigarettes, I realized that we were back in a more civilized place. A gramophone was playing “The Honeysuckle and the Bee” loudly in the background A Comfortable Room.
On to Uskup
At noon, the train from Salonika arrived, and a couple of hours later, I was in Uskup. There, I was greeted warmly by Mr. Byan, the head of the British Consulate, and I enjoyed the luxury of a bath and a comfortable chair that was perfect for lounging, designed just for lazy Britons.
Meeting Hilmi Pasha
In Uskup, I had another meeting with Hilmi Pasha. “Ah!” he sighed. “I am investigating lies, lies—nothing but lies!” He acknowledged that the Powers (European countries) meant well by trying to take control of Macedonia’s finances so taxes could be collected fairly and spent correctly. However, he hinted that this approach frustrated Turkey, which wanted to handle things its own way.
As I listened, I could tell that many Turks would rather go to war than deal with the interference and pressure from foreign governments nestinarstvo bulgaria tours .
A Gloomy Conclusion
It is unfortunate, but I have never met anyone whose opinion I valued who believed that the Powers’ intervention, the criticisms of the Sultan, or the management of Macedonia’s finances would solve anything. It seems that war may be the only answer to this very complicated and troubling problem.
