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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It Is Left To Mr. Rassam To
Extinguish It Before It Spreads." We Were Glad To Return Safe And
Sound To Our Old Prison, And Rejoiced On Seeing Our Companions Freed
From Their Fetters And Looking Happy And Hopeful.
On the following morning Mr. Rassam sent word to the Emperor,
requesting his permission to be allowed to inform
The Commander-in-Chief
of the British army of his Majesty's good-will towards the Europeans
in his power; but Theodore answered that he did not desire him to
write, as he had opened the chains of the captives not out of fear,
but simply on account of his personal friendship for Mr. Rassam.
As Theodore had on several occasions expressed his astonishment at
not receiving any communication from the Commander-in-Chief, we
thought it advisable to request Sir Robert Napier, through our
friends, to be kind enough to send a short courteous letter to the
Emperor, informing him of the object of the expedition; as the
letter he had addressed to him before landing had been detained by
Mr. Rassam, and the ultimatum sent by Lord Stanley previous to the
intervention of an armed force, having also fallen into Mr. Rassam's
hands, instead of reaching the Emperor, had been destroyed by that
gentleman.
The five (Mr. Staiger and his party) were making stone balls for
his Majesty's cannons, but as none of the Europeans in his service
would stand security for them, every evening the hand chains were
hammered on after their day's work was over.
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