The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-05-10


steudner, in an account of his journey from
Chanksr to Msgdsls. in 1862, thus describes the
scene of the stronghold Of the Abyssinian king
and its surroundings:
On the l4th Of March we assembled a steep.
stony path to Magdala. mere chance aud the
strength Of my mule saved me from a fall down
The precipice. On reaching the lower terrace of
the mountain we found ourselves on a small
plateau, above which rises perpendiculary on the
highest terraces the fortress proper. We now
rode 10 the midst Of rocks. This is the advanced
fortress, for the citadel, If may be permitted to
use that term, rises further south on The same
plateau. On that part Of the plateau which lies
between the advanced fortress and the Amba
serving a. a citadel, there are a few houses called
lslamg gle. This portion, however, also forms part
OF the fortress, and IL can be defended easily as il
rises on most points perpeDdicularly from the
valley 10 height of six 10 eight hundred feet.
The advance northern Amba is not as high as the
main fortress which commands 1t as well as the
plateau. The main fortress rises several hun
dTed feet above the plateau of Islam. gle and
on that side there are some uncomfortable
works IN masonry to fill up some gaps which
might possibly be escaladed. few other points
are defended by abatis, but for the rest il is a
fortress by nature. As we we're not permitted to
pass the main Amba, we were not able to reach
the principal road leading to Tanta. We descend
ed narrow, almost perpendicular path, on the
eastern side OF the Amba, for several hundred
feet, 10 the spurs OF the mountain, and thence by
less steep paths down to the bottom of the Woro
haimanot valley, which is about 1900 feet below
the plateau Of the fortress. | do not think
European mule could have got down this path,
even without q burden. In the bottom of the val
ley we found some water in hole of the dry
bed Of the river, and there we rested for some
time. The ascent to ranta, on the other side of
the valley, though fatiguing. owing TO the stony
path, was mere ehild's play compared to the
descent from Magdala.
Tanta is not village, but a fortified plateau,
forming part of the fortress, on which a number
OF huts have been erected for stores, etc. In
front of US, beyond the valley of Wore Haimanot,
we had the entire fortress of Magdala CON-
manded by the guns Of, Tsnta. It ascends
preeipitousiy from the valley, and a mar
now rocky ridge connects IL towards the
southwest with the plateau of Tsnta. This
ridge bounds the WorO Haimanot valley on the
south, and the main road between the principal
Amba of Magdsla and Tsntals leads along it.
Towards the north we saw the Ambs KushIt, be-
yOnd the Beshilo. Tanta is plateau which rises
IN several terraces. The few accessible spots are
defended BY masonry walls, with the exception of
two, and these also can be rendered inaccessible /
in snort time. Ii forms part of the fortress of
Magdals, and being several hundred feet higher |
il commands 1t. On the south it ia connected with
a large plateau, extending south and southwest, \
and broad ditch separates the plateau from /
Tanta. This ditch Is generally filed with earth, |
but in time of danger il Is cleared out. At this /
spot the plateau is hardly two hundred feet wide. 4
Short grass covers the plateau, and there are
some shrubs on the hills rising on its edges. The
rocky precipices consist of phonolite and ira
chyte; there are veins of pitch stones, sometimes |
ken to be mineral coal. large church has
been eXcavated in the rocks of one of the hills. |
In its subterranean passages there were kept at
the time of our stay about one hundred cows. |
The magazines stand on the western edge of the |
plateau. opposite Magdala. They contained about /
5000 ardeb of corn furnished in the course of this
hvt he frih oil ofr -
deep Ambela Sieda valley, with q broad, dry river
bed, extends north to the Beshilo.