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i io THE BALKAN WAR, 1912 [chap. ix.
in Thrace, which they did not even dare to hope for
when they took up arms. All that is quite true. But
one must also look to the future. The Bulgarians will
have nothing more to gain, whereas the Serbians will
have all their historic goals before them. These goals
are situated in the west. Sooner or later, the Serbians
will aspire to unite all Serbian lands, and then, if
successful, they will possess a splendid coast, inhabited
by Serbians of the purest race, and who have been
experienced sailors, from father to son, whereas, in this
respect, the Bulgarians have to depend on Greeks and
Turks. If at the present moment you contrive to
keep intact the Serbo-Bulgarian alliance—even at the
cost of real sacrifices—the achievement of your great
national aims is already half guaranteed."
"All that would be quite true," replied Spalaikovitch
sharply, " if the Bulgarians were not Bulgarians and if
their Tsar was not Ferdinand. Do 3’ou seriously think
that, if we yield to them in everything to-day, they will
come to our assistance when the moment arrives for us
of a decisive national contest?" " No, that I could not
guarantee," I agreed; " and it would be particularly
difficult to expect such noble behaviour on Ferdinand’s
part. It is as you say. But on the other hand, if to-day
you violate the agreement and if you succeed in keeping
Southern Macedonia, to the detriment of the claims so
long matured by the Bulgarians, you may be quite
certain that at the moment of the supreme and decisive
contest, Bulgaria will attack you from behind. And in
doing so the Bulgarian people will be one with
Ferdinand, for you know the essentially vindictive character
of the Bulgarians."
I had no idea at the time that my prediction would
come true so quickly.
I took care to inform M. Sazonoff of my
conversations with Spalaikovitch, and to warn him of the
storm which was brewing and of the frame of mind
of the Bulgarians with regard to it.
During the first week in March M. Venizelos really
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