Narrative of Captivity in Abyssinia | Page 4

to swell the
ranks of the conqueror. Victory followed victory, and after a few years,

from Shoa to Metemma, from Godjam to Bogos, all feared and obeyed
the commands of the Emperor Theodore; for under that name he
desired to be crowned, after he had by the battle of Deraskié, fought in
February, 1855, subdued Tigré, and conquered his most formidable
opponent, Dejatch Oubié.
Shortly after the battle of Deraskié, Theodore turned his victorious
arms against the Wallo Gallas, possessed himself of Magdala, and
ravaged and destroyed so completely the rich Galla plain that many of
the chiefs joined his ranks, and fought against their own countrymen.
He had now not only avenged the long-oppressed Christians, so often
victims of the Galla inroads, but curbed for a long time the haughty
spirit of these clans. At the height of success, he lost his brave and
loving wife. He felt the cruel blow deeply. She had been his faithful
counsellor, the companion of his adventures, the being he most loved;
and he cherished her memory while he lived. In 1866, when one of his
artisans almost forced himself into his presence to request permission
for me to remain a few days near the man's dying wife, Theodore bent
his head, and wept at the remembrance of his own wife whom he had
so deeply loved.
The career of Theodore may be divided into three very distinct
periods:--First, from his early days to the death of his first wife;
secondly, from the fall of Ras Ali to the death of Mr. Bell; thirdly, from
this last event to his own death. The first period we have described: it
was the period of promise. During the second--which extends from
1853 to 1860--there is still much to praise in the conduct of the
Emperor, although many of his actions are unworthy of his early career.
From 1860 to 1868 he seems little by little to have thrown off all
restraint, until he became remarkable for reckless and wanton cruelty.
His principal wars during the second period were with Dejatch Goscho
Beru, governor of Godjam; with Dejatch Oubié, whom he conquered,
as we have already stated, at the battle of Deraskié, and with the Wallo
Gallas. He could, however, still be merciful, and though he imprisoned
many of the feudal chiefs, he promised to release them as soon as the
pacification of his empire should be complete.

In 1860 he advanced against his cousin Garad, the murderer of Consul
Plowden, and gained the day; but he lost his best friend and adviser, Mr.
Bell, who saved the Emperor's life by sacrificing his own. In January,
1861, Theodore marched with an overwhelming force against a
powerful rebel, Agau Negoussi, who had made himself master of all
northern Abyssinia; by cunning and skilful tactics, he easily overthrew
his adversary but tarnished his victory by horrid cruelties and gross
breach of faith. Agau Negoussi's hands and feet were cut off, and
though he lingered for days, the merciless emperor refused him even a
drop of water to moisten his fevered lips. His cruel vengeance did not
stop there. Many of the compromised chiefs, who had surrendered on
his solemn pledge of amnesty, were either handed over to the
executioner or sent to linger for life, loaded with fetters, in some of the
prison ambas. For the next three years Theodore's rule was
acknowledged throughout the land. A few petty rebels had risen here
and there, but with the exception of Tadla Gwalu, who could not be
driven from the fastness of his amba in the south of Godjam, all the
others were but of little importance, and did not disturb the tranquillity
of his reign.
But though a conqueror, and endowed with military genius, Theodore
was a bad administrator. To attach his soldiery to his cause, he lavished
upon them immense sums of money; he was therefore forced to exact
exorbitant tributes, almost to drain the land of its last dollar, in order to
satisfy his rapacious followers. Finding himself at the head of a
powerful host, and feeling either reluctant or afraid to dismiss them to
their homes, he longed for foreign conquests; the dream of his younger
days became a fixed idea, and he believed himself called upon by God
to re-establish in its former greatness the old Ethiopian empire.
He could not, however, forget that he was unable to cope single-handed
with the well-armed and disciplined troops of his foes; he remembered
too well his signal failure at Kedaref, and therefore sought to gain his
long-desired object by diplomacy. He had heard from Bell, Plowden,
and others, that England and France were proud of the protection they
afforded to Christians in all parts of the world; he therefore wrote to the
sovereigns of those two countries, inviting