The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-21 00:00:00

THE APPROACH OF THE BRITISH TROOPS.

On the evening of Tuesday, the 7th of April, we received
an intimation that we were to descend the mountain the
following morning in order to have an interview with the
King. We immediately concluded that we were not to
return, and our apprehensions were not lessened when we
learnt that all the native prisoners, some 500 in number,
were also summoned below. At daybreak Mr. Flad
came to us, accompanied by Bitwaddad Hassanee, the
new chief of the Amba, and we were directed to dress
ourselves quickly and make our way down. As we
were passing out of the compound, beyond which we had
,not set our feet for nineteen months, the tears of our ser-
vants suft indicated the fate they believed to be in
store for us. However, off we went, and in about half an
hour reached the centre of Salamg4, where the King was
seated on a stone, dressed in a richly-brocaded silk shirt,
woven with gold thread, and white silk trousers—in short,
presenting much the appearance of a harlequin. To our
relief he politely accosted us, and, seeing that Cameron
was much exhausted and fatigued, motioned him to a seat.
He then moved forwards a few steps, and directed Rassam,
Blanc, Cameron, and myself to seat ourselves nearhim. The
rest of the prisoners remained standing at a respectful dis-
tance behind. While a tent which he had ordered to be pre-
pared for our reception was being pitched, the King
entered into a desultory conversation with Mr. Rassam, in j
the course of which he alluded to the story of Damocles, I
indicating thereby the troubles which always impend over
tht heads of monarchs. Twenty minutes were spent in
this manner, at the end of which we were ushered into
the tent which had been got ready for us, and where
breakfast was brought to us after a short time. In the
course of the day our tents and baggage were brought down
from the Amba, and we were ordered by the King to put
ourselves in the way we formerly used to do. Before
this, however, he had been boasting much among his
own soldiers, trying, as I believe, to keep up their spirits,
which were Lather damped by the prospect of a speedy
encounter with our troops. Among other things he told
body of 250 men, whom he was despatching to Arogei,
that directly they saw the English approach they were
to fire off their pieces at them ; the English would reply,
but directly they had fired one volley they would be
unable to load again in time to withstand the shock of the
,Abyssinian spear ; " in which ease," added he, " you will
enrich yourselves' with spoil compared to which the rich
dress I am wearing is but an insignificant prize."
Before proceeding to the top of Selasse hill, from
which he is in the habit of making his reconnaissances,
he ordered the execution of seven prisoners, including the
young wife and infant child of one of his servants who
had escaped from Magdala a few months ago ; these were
ruthlessly shot, and their remains flung over the nearest
precipice. We saw nothing of his Majesty the next day,
but in the afternoon received a message to the effect that
he had seen the British troops descending the Bashilo,
and had remarked among them four elephants and some
white animals, which we surmised to be Berbera sheep.
A short time afterwards a friend of ours (for we had a few
friends at Magdala) came to Mr. Rassam, and implored us
to keep within our tents, for the King was in a fearful
passion, and was then issuing an order to kill all his
native prisoners, who were confined in a few houses a
couple of hundred yards off. The repeated discharge of
firearms, which we heard soon afterwards, confirmed the
sad story, and it was with many misgivings that we asked
ourselves, " What next ?" At dusk, however, the King
returned, and we returned to our tenth comparatively at
our ease. From what I have heard it appears that the
King rushed down mad with rage and arackee, and call-
ing out one of the prisoners, hacked him to pieces with his
own sword. Another speedily met the same fate. The
third was a boy about ten years of age. His youth and
innocence (for it was his father who had been the
offender) were no protection. He was mangled in the same
way as the two others. The cutting and slashing went on
in this manner for some time, when the King, finding
this mode of execution too slow for his impatient spirit,
ordered out the musketeers. The remainder were then
quickly shot down, and thrown over the low cliff, the
force of the shock in several cases opening the chains of
the wretched victims. Those whose quivering limbs
shewed any signs of life were fired on from above till the
murderous work was completed. As we gazed on that
dreadful heap of corpses, animated but a few days before
with life and hope, no one could harbour the slightest feel•
ing of sympathy which otherwise the fate of one would
have elicited who like a brave man had met his own doom
some short hours since.