Confessions of a Macedonian Bandit Quotes

“Apostolic and his ch eta held the second of the two posts taken from the Turkish troops. He it was who had defended them against the attempted recapture. He came to invite Lula, Te odor and me to visit and dine with him. We went in two boats, winding down through the cane brake, emerging suddenly into a lake larger than ours. Apostle's post more resembled a farm; in the lake were tame ducks and geese while about his three huts wandered chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, sheep and goats. There was a tame ram, the ch eta's mascot, an obnoxious beast that walked in and out of the huts at its pleasure, trampling and waking sleeping men, butting them when they resented his intrusion. Occasionally he was forcibly ejected, but I never observed any permanent results. They told me that he was a most excellent companion on the night marches. He walked at the head of the file, behind the Suddenly he would stop, give a wicked little snort and stamp a forefoot. This warning never failed; somebody would be ahead on the trail, friend or foe. In this way the ram had saved the ch eta several nasty surprises. It struck me at once that Apostle's men averaged below Lula's in intelligence. Most of them were simple, illiterate peasant boys. Since the swamp had been taken it had become the haven for refugees from Turkish justice. There was one boy of fourteen who had stolen an old carbine from a Turkish field watcher whom he found asleep, and then fled —to the swamp. Another, an anaemic lad of seventeen, a tailor's apprentice, had stabbed a drunken soldier who was beating him. Off he ran—to the swamp. An old man had hailed the post one night, and was brought into camp. He had killed an Albanian land steward. A week later, his son, a mere child, badly wounded a gendarme with a stone. Then—off to the swamp. In this way Apostolic had acquired a large camp following of non-combatants Apostle's orphan asylum," as Lula called it. About twice a year there was a general clearing up; then a score or two were sent marching to Bulgaria. There the Central Committee housed them until they found work. Apostolic complained that he could never keep a secretary long. Lula caught my eye and smiled. Apostolic was not the kind of commanding officer a student would choose.”
― Albert Sonnichsen, Confessions of a Macedonian Bandit

“To correct a false impression that I may have created just here, let me add that Lula was no creature of the Bulgarian political propaganda in Macedonia. In truth, he had once been implicated in a plot to dethrone Prince Ferdinand and to establish a Bulgarian republic. The discovery of the conspiracy resulted in a death sentence for Lula, but this the National Assembly commuted to a short term of imprisonment to censure the prince in some quarrel that happened to be on at that time between Ferdinand and the popular representatives. For a while Lula edited a radical journal; then the uprising of 1904 broke out in Macedonia, and he volunteered his military training. Since then he had remained in Macedonia as chief of the rayon. It was on the occasion of one of his annual visits to Bulgaria, made for the purpose of procuring war materials which the Central Committee bought from Austrian merchants, that I had been introduced to Lula in Sofia by Damian Grue ff, chief organizer of the revolutionary organization.”
― Albert Sonnichsen, Confessions of a Macedonian Bandit

“Here men rise to a day's work with bitter hate uppermost in their hearts, pass the day scheming destruction to their fellowmen, and lie down at night with venomous thoughts to dream over.”
― Albert Sonnichsen, Confessions of a Macedonian Bandit

“Well, no. You see, so many of the Greeks are Some are secretly Bulgar s, supporting the brigands out in the mountains. Let me warn you—don't go outside of the town without a strong escort. Lula and his band of desperadoes come down into the plain sometimes." I thanked him for his warning.”
― Albert Sonnichsen, Confessions of a Macedonian Bandit