September 22 [1913]
Salonica
My dear Gertrude,

Thus far at last – arrived this morning. Tomorrow; train to Monastir. The Frenchman part of the miserable left Paris on the 18th but is still errant somewhere.

I am to be President of this crew – and a perfectly beastly time I am going to have. The Austrians & Italians will withdraw on the 1st reasonable pretext – Both are so unpopular just at present that there may be easily a demonstration against them – or even worse things – The Greeks are all drunk with victory & Hellenism & general folly. They have by the local official papers already organised a monster demonstration at Koritza to meet us “slaves of Europe” and impress on us the sacred thirst of a Christian race for the light and nobility of Hellenism: etc. etc. I don’t mind if they don’t stick into Lalia or Belinsky. I shall have the amusement as President of meeting their sacred thirst, with a saying that with the fate of Koritza we poor slaves have nothing to do – it is in the hands of the Ambassadors – I shall not say, thinking of stones dead cats and the fatal flight of Belinski, that the matter has already been settled – for if the thing once breaks up goodbye to our frontier however bad, which may yet serve as a basis of discussion and means of quiet.

The only means of compromise between the four powers which I have yet found is the Vlack country. Elliot in Athens told me that Roumania has been promised by Greece the same facilities in Vlack-land as Roumania gives to Bulgaria in [Silictria?] – This seems to me to prove that if the Vlacks (with certain independent rights) are attached to Greece, Roumania whom all Europe wants to please will be not unsatisfied - & the Albanians may get Arggrocastro peaceably –

An Italian Austrian occupation of Albania would end in a squabble and perhaps the end of the Triple Alliance – And neither really wants it, or at least I hope so – In the meantime Issad Pasha of Scutari seems to have kicked over the traces – The whole thing could be much better settled by the German & me – the others could be represented at the final wrangle over a report.

The Austrian nearly went back from Athens because the Russian had a Greek soldier as orderly! I got him unfrocked – then we were attacked by journalists who are to follow in Greek motor cars to form a chorus to our play – We have protested – but in one form or another they’ll certainly do it – Are there no priests and soldiers in the villages?

There are 2000 Greek soldiers in Koritza – one can always find a few writers out of that lot –

But there are heaps of things and I’m going to be very interested, very uncertain that the show will last a fortnight, & very keen to get through its somehow –

Today we shop – I have just taken on a one eyed Cretan as servant, and have been shewn various Armenian cooks - & I’ve wired to buy horses in Tomorrow’s market at Monastir - & my wife shops – and all is as of old.

But these are such heaps of interesting things to tell you – the meeting of the Pogores for instance - & such heaps I want to hear –

It seems already months & months since England.

Yours,
Dick.