"I
Would Have Cut Off Your Head," Answered Don Christopher, "And Dividing
Your Body Into Quarters, Would Have Exposed Them
As a terror and warning
to other tyrants." The king caused him to be buffeted with the buskins
of his
Slaves; his body to be immersed in melted wax, and his beard
interwoven with waxed threads, which were set on fire, and in this
manner he was led through the army as a spectacle. Being brought back,
the king cut off his head with his own hand, and caused the body to be
quartered and exposed on poles. Where the head fell, it is said that
there gushed out a spring of water which cured many diseases. On the
same hour, a tree was torn out by the roots in the garden of a certain
convent of monks, though the air was at the time perfectly calm.
Afterwards, at the same hour, the emperor of Abyssinia having vanquished
the tyrant and caused his head to be struck off, the tree which was then
dry replanted itself in the former place, and became covered with
leaves.
Most of the Portuguese who were taken on occasion of this defeat,
perished in slavery. Alfonso Chaldeira followed the queen with thirty
men. Emanuel de Cuna with forty got away to the Baharnagash and was well
received. Sixty more followed the Patriarch Bermudez, making in all 130
men. Ninety of these went to the emperor, who was then near at hand, and
very much lamented the slaughter among that valiant body of auxiliaries,
and the loss of their brave commander. De Cuna with his forty men were
too far off to join the Abyssinian emperor at this time. The emperor
marched soon afterwards against the king of Zeyla, accompanied by ninety
of the Portuguese who had joined him after the former defeat, to whom he
gave the vanguard of his army, in consideration of the high opinion he
had of their valour. At the foot of the mountain of Oenadias in the
province of Ambea, they met a body of 700 horse and 2000 foot going to
join the king of Zeyla. Fifty Portuguese horse went immediately to
attack them, and Antonio Cardoso who was foremost killed the commander
of the enemy at the first thrust of his lance. The rest of the
Portuguese followed this brave example, and slew many of the enemy, and
being seconded by the Abyssinians, first under the Baharnagash and
afterwards by the king in person, eight hundred of the enemy were slain
and the rest put to flight, when they went rather to terrify the tyrant
with an account of their defeat, than to reinforce him by their
remaining numbers.
The king of Zeyla was only at the distance of a league with his army in
order of battle, consisting of two bodies of foot of three thousand men
in each, while he was himself stationed in the front at the head of five
hundred horse. The emperor of Abyssinia met him with a similar number,
and in the same order.
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