Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-07-20

WORDS, rnaI1r we surrendered we should not
be harmed. We surrendered, and although
not subjected to any bodily injury, we were
relieved Immediately Of all the valuables In
our possession. The cook and mining corpo-
raj escaped and nine Of us were captured and
marched back to Ailet to find the town sacked
and burned. I was Immediately conducted
into the presence of one Of the Abyssinian
chiefs, whom found upon the ground with
a crowd of soldiers around him In their
midst stood half emptied bottle which they
were eying with looks Of great curiosity and
distrust Tho chief said that some Of his
men had been drinking from the bottle, and
he was afraid they were going to die. He
wanted to know IL the fluid was "arakee,"
name given by Abyssinians to all intoxicat-
Ing or distilled liquors.
! at once recognized it as bottle OF con-
centric nitric, or sulphuric acid, which had
belonged to my chemical chest, and told the
chief that if he wanted to die be might drink
the liquid. He wanted me to cure them, and
/ was escorted to my ten to find my medi-
cine case. Ny camp h. been plundered end
everything taken. so ] told the chief TO fil'
his Eoen WHO had Deen drinking acids VIII
water. For half an hour Bayourni and
poured water down the burning Threats Of the
invalids, whose tongues were swollen to twice
their natural SIZE learned afterward that
they recovered. When the work Of plumber
ing had finished we were all gathered together,
men, women, children, sheep, cattle and
camels, by our captors, some fifteen hundred
strong. Each Abyssinian was allowed to
keep possession of whatever he captured;
therefore Bayoumi and I belonged to the
same owner, because he captured us standing
together 1t is useless to describe the bar
barous and brutal captivity Of innocent wo-
men and children. Death is preferable to
what they had to suffer
The march to Hamaseen clings to my mem
CRY like some hideous nightmare. was in
the hands of fierce and brutal banditti, and
from the way my captor kept his eyes on me
knew that he valued me as prize of more
than ordinary value. We were driven with
the cattle along the mountains, pursuing a
northwesterly direction from Ailet. No order
was kept whatever In the march, and often
along the narrow and difficult way had to
dispute my passage with a lot of cattle block
ing the route. The CLEAN Of my captor's
lance was always seen at my back, and ]
knew that was specially watched. At night
fall we came to broad valley, where Alluli,
the chief of the province Of Hamaseen and
leader Of the expedition, had remained while
his men were making the raid. | was con-
Quoted between two long lines of petty Of
ficers and soldiers into the presence Of this
noted Abyssinian chief He was seated upon
a carpet or rug, in a common soldiers can
vas tent. We exchanged salutes, and the
words ''dahan anann fell from his lips They
assured me that was not to be mutiIated or
killed.
After days of painful marches, brutal treat
ment, footsore and hungry, our captors made
triumphal entry into the camp OF Alluli,
but not until the chocolate colored brute, our
captor, had taken my shirt and put it on. ]
had to wear Bayoumi's light military coat,
and as | was much larger than he, it fit me
like a wise In that guise | was driven with
the rest in the trfumphal procession. We're
manned prisoners at the camp of Alluli eigh-
teen days Bayoumi and were in charge OF
a petty Abssiniau chief named Turauare
Our brutal captor was merely one Of his de-
pendents Turquare was kinder to US than
bis dependent, and we remained during our
stay in the camp IN bis small but very filthy
hut Aluli, the noted chief and fayorite OF
We found him seated upon carpet in the
middleof large circular apartment, warmed
by means of brazier of living Goals and
supported on either side by about forty per
sons, chiefs, petty officers and satellites
small sized man, With black kinky hair, he
returned our saluta ion and asked us to be
seated upon his left We had no interpreter
present, and so conversation was out of the
Iu hoH
ing of bread, meats, tedge and boosa, and for
the first time since our capture Bayoumi and
had square meal that fully satisfied ou1
appetites
We were conducted back to our squalid
quarters where, on little bed of straw
chilled by the cold night air which crept
through thousand creyices into the hut,
and covered onlT by one small, dirty blanket,
we endeavored to sleep. The next morning
we were summoned to appear before Alluli.
He was seated In the open air upon a little
elevation, the ground falling away before
him with gentle incline, along which ran
two long lines of soldiers, forming two sides
of q rectangle.
We were brought into the open space be
tween the lines, in front of the chief. / saw
that all the prisoners taken in the raid were
gathered into tho area 1t made my heart
bleed to see the comedy women of the Ailet
valley, little boys and girls and sucking
babes, ell ranged into long line. My sol
diers, with the exception OF Bayouni, who
was with me, formed another line. The in.
dignation, the unspSakahle hatred l felt for
the cruel brutes who had had charge Of my
soldiers almost caused me to commit some
overt act that would have involved US all in
ruin-a degradation worse than death. II
was the first time l had seen my soldiers
since we were captured at Ailet, and they
presented truly a pitiable spectacle. Bare |
headed, barefooted, stripped of their cloth
ing to such an extent that they were half ma
ked, shivering In the cold wintry air, these |
men, innocent Of wrong either as to act or
intent, stood guarded by barbarians who
knew neither Justice, clcrnency nor mercy. |
We were conducted back to our quarters tc (
await further orders and TO suffer.
One night / heard the rafting Of chains |
and it sounded onlinouslv TO me, a prisoner,
not knowing my fate, The next day saw
the maidens, women and children of Ailet |
each with the two hands chained together |
Allulis Arabic interpreter told me that thes |
were chained because they were held for ran |
som and 30 keep them from escaping
Not long after the brute who captured III
at Ailet came into our hut with a heavy /
chain about two feet long, with lap ring al
either end, and chained Bsyoumi and me to
gether by the right and left wrists, respec
lively. We were chained beyond eli posi-
bility of separation We were told that VIC
had to go to Adowa to see King John We
were conducted by q guard Of about twenty
soldiers, commanded by 8 petty |