Travels in Southeastern Europe

The burden of the Balkans / by M. Edith Durham.

I96 THE BURDEN OF THE BALKANS. what the other woman has had, and is left declaiming. When I return at mid-day she will begin again, 'Another woman has had,' etc. Very few families get more than their share-their neighbours see to that; but it is impossible to see that the right member of a family gets the garment, for the stronger ones annex them. The able-bodied press forward; I search in the background for the aged and infirm. Some of these, who are not on the list-for their villages are not burnt-are more grateful for a small gift of flour than are those who have been receiving it for weeks. One poor old lady crossed herself and threw up her hands heavenward before shouldering her little sack, and some murmured blessings. Two stout and dumpy brides whose marriage coffers had been looted were so overcome with the gift of a length of good cloth apiece that one burst into tears, and both were loud in their thanks. Most, I am sorry to say, on receiving a gift, asked for another. Twice I was asked for help by women who said their husbands had been roasted to death in the oven by soldiers. 'Like bread! ' added a man who thought I did not understand. The ovens are large buildings separate from the houses, and are heated by burning wood inside them. The tale was a possible one, and their manner of telling it inclined me to belief, for mediaeval manners prevail in this land. Of excessive flogging inflicted during the search for hidden weapons I had plenty of evidqnce. And the terror that the Moslems have cf
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About this Item

Title
The burden of the Balkans / by M. Edith Durham.
Author
Durham, Mary Edith, 1863-1944.
Canvas
Page 196
Publication
London :: Nelson,
[1905]
Subject terms
Eastern question (Balkan)
Balkan Peninsula -- Description and travel.

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https://name.umdl.umich.edu/ans3900.0001.001
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"The burden of the Balkans / by M. Edith Durham." In the digital collection Travels in Southeastern Europe. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/ans3900.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 30, 2025.
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