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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The Chiefs Reproved Him For His Weakness, And Proposed
That We Should All Be Killed, Or Kept In A Hut In The Camp And Burnt
Alive On The Approach Of Our Soldiers.
His Majesty took no notice
of these suggestions, dismissed his chiefs, and told Messrs.
Meyer
and Saalmueller, two of his European workmen, to get ready to
accompany us to the English camp. At the same time he sent two of his
high officers, Bitwaddad Hassanie and Ras Bissawur, to us with
the following message: - "Go at once to your people: you will send
for your property to-morrow."
We did not like that message at all. The two chiefs were sullen and
downcast, and Samuel was so excited that he would give us no
explanation of this sudden decision. We called our servants to pack
up a few things, and many of them bade us good-by with tears in
their eyes. The best disposed of the guards looked sad and sorrowful:
no doubt the general impression was the same as ours, that we were
sent for, not to go to the English camp, but to certain death. There
was no use in remonstrating or in complaining, so we dressed; glad
that at all events the end of our captivity had arrived, whatever
it might be; we bade good-by to our servants, and under a strong
escort left the Amba. Whilst we had been dressing, Samuel had
consulted with the two chiefs; they told him that Theodore was quite
mad, and that anything which might delay our meeting should not be
neglected, as time to allow him to cool down a little was of the
utmost importance.
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