A Narrative Of Captivity In Abyssinia With Some Account Of The Late Emperor Theodore, His Country And People By Henry Blanc
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We All
Admired The Huge Piece, And Mr. Rassam, Having Complimented His
Majesty On His Great Work, Added, That Before
Long he hoped that
our people would have the same pleasure of admiring it as we did.
Samuel, who translated
On that occasion, turned quite pale, but as
the Emperor understood a little Arabic he was obliged to render the
sentence, though he evidently did not like it. Theodore laughed,
and sent Samuel to tell Mr. Waldmeier what Mr. Rassam had just said.
A few minutes afterwards his Majesty got up; we rose also, and Mr.
Rassam told him, through Samuel, that to gladden his heart still
more he begged him to be gracious enough to release from their
fetters our companions still in chains on the Amba. This time
Samuel not only turned pale, but shook his head, declining to open
such a subject; but on Mr. Rassam repeating his request, this time
in a higher tone of voice, Theodore looked round, and Samuel, having
no option left, complied. His Majesty looked sullen and a little
annoyed, but after a short pause gave orders to some of his attendants
and to Samuel to proceed at once to the Amba and have the chains
of the five remaining captives opened at once.
The Emperor then walked down to the spot where the road made a sharp
angle, and directed the laborious task of having such heavy masses
dragged up the precipitous incline. He sent us to the other side
of the road, where we might witness the whole scene well, and
appointed several of his high officers to attend upon us.
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