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

THE CAPTIVES AS AMBASSADORS OF PEACE.

After breakfast and a short stay in the camp we returned
to his Majesty, bearing a letter from Sir Robert Napier
couched in firm but conciliatory terms, and assuring the
King that, provided he submitted to the Queen of England
and brought all his prisoners and the other Europeans to
the British camp, honourable treatment would be accorded
to himself and to all his family. When we arrived he was
sitting on the brow of Selass6, overlooking the British
camp, and apparently in anything but a pleasant humour.
Having been previously joined by Mr. Waldraeier, we
presented ourselves before him and delivered to him the
letter, which was twice translated to him. At the conclusion
of the second reading he asked in a deliberate manner,
" What does honourable treatment mean? Does it mean
that the English will help me to subdue my enemies, or
does it mean honourable treatment as a prisoner?" I
repliul to him that on the first point the Commander-
in-Chief had said nothing ; that all his wishes were
contained in his letter, and that the English army had
simply come into the country to rescue their fellow-
countrymen, and, that object effected, they would then
This answer evidently pleased him but little.
hopes of re-establishing himself by British aid were
to the ground, and he had thenceforward to lead the
precarious life of a brigand chief. His lips, always thin
as a sword-blade, quivered nervously, the horseshoe on
his forehead grew deeper, but, controlling himself, he
motioned us to seat ourselves at a little distance from him
while he dictated an answer to his chief scribe, and when
it was finished called us forward, delivered it over to us,
and bade us depart. The pith of this incoherent epistle,
teas simply that he had previously surrendered himself to
i
,and was not prepared to do so now. Our second
the British camp lasted about a couple of hours
at stay
iu
the expiration of which time the Commander-4:

t' .1t

Chief felt himself called upon to despatch us, however
reluctantly, to the fortress. We took our departure,
hoping for the best, but fearing the worst. This time no
letter was handed to us, but simply a verbal communication
of the same purport as the former note. It was growing
dusk as we neared Selass6 for the second time, and we were
beginning to make the last ascent, when we encountered
a European, accompanied by several Abyssinians. This
proved to be Mr. Meyer, one of the German artisans, who
communicated to us the welcome intelligence that the King
had liberated Mr. Rissam, Dr. Blanc, Consul Cameron,
and the remaining Magdala prisoners, and that they were
now descending the hill ; news which was corroborated
by the accompanying natives. On receipt of these tidings
we turned the heads of our mules, and, in company with
Mr. Meyer, arrived in the camp as the bearers of good
news, not only to ourselves, but to every one of those
who so eagerly surrounded us. Shortly afterwards Mr.
Rassam and his party arrived, and it was with heartfelt
gratitude that we laid our heads on the pillow that night,
secure at last after so many dangers. In the course of the
following morning the remainder of the Europeans, accom-
panied by their families, arrived. The King also, as it
was Easter Sunday, sent a present of 1,000 cows and 500
sheep to the Commander-in-Chief, who, seeing that his
Majesty had avoided complying with, perhaps, the most
important terms of the communication addressed to him—
namely, his own submission—had no option left but to
decline them. From that moment the King must have
clearly seen that two courses only were open to him—
either to yield himself unconditionally to the British
General or to make a stand on his amba and fight it out to
the last. He chose the latter.