The Washington times., 1935-10-17
BIG OFFENSIVE
PLANNED BY
ETHIOPIA
Ras MouIougetta Set
to Leave Tomorrow
for the Front
BY H. r. KNICKERBOCKER
Copyright, 1885. by International
News Service)

TN.S.).-"It isn't your Emperor
who wants to go to war-On the
contrary it is the Italians who
are itching to fight"
Emperor Halle SelaSsie declared
this in a stirring proclamation tt
115,000 of his warriors as he sent
them off to the wars today.
Mixing sage advice on how tx
meet the betterequipped italian
foe with words of cheer. the Neguc
preached a fatahstic view Of life;
"AlI Of us will die one day
from either typhuS or pneu-
mOnia. 1t Is much better to die
for your country.
FINAL ADVICE
"The Italians will try to re-
pulse us with machine-guns.
They have got machine-guns,
but we've got God on our side"
AS the Negus reviewed his
troops, all decked out in full war
regalia, a report ran through the
massed troops and throughout the
capital that the Ethiopian gen.
eral offensive against the Italians
was about to be launched.
The dusky fighters were cheered
at the prospect of finally being
allowed to sink their spears into
the Italians. The Emperor said ::
my advice is not to fight in
~ -
ing against the enemy, but to
follow the instructions of your
leaders.
Don't get hot-headed, be-
cause if the enemy finds you
angrily gathering in groups,
they will burn you as logs in .
fire"
Offensive to Start
That the Emperor is going to
the front in a few days; that Ras
Moulougetta is going tomorrow:
that at last Ethiopia is going to
rise up with the Lion Of Judah
and throw the enemy out Of the
country were more reports which
cheered the hordes Of savage fight
ers who today paraded past the
Emperor. .-
The source Of the report con
cerning an imminent Ethiopian Of.
fensive lies in the calculation that
a majority of the troops mobilized
three weeks ago have already
reached the front, and will re-
quire only a few more days to per-
feet their military dispositions.
Dedjasmatch (GeneraD NaSibu
Zamanuel, commander Of the
Harar section, has already re-
ported that he is ready as soon
as the Emperor is.
And the war-like eagerneSs Of
the concentration Of 115,0 troops
in the capital area was vigorously
shown in today's clamorous re-
view.
On Crimson Throne
Eighty thousand from the
vicinity Of Adds Ababa, 10000
from Wolaga province and $4,000
from Gotta province shrieked,
1eaped, danced and yelled before
the Emperor, and their noise
could be heard two miles away.
Their chieftainS, with tawny
non-mane head-dresses and lion
skin coats, rode on horses capari-
Soned with scarlet silk, and bran
dished spears within an inch Of
the nose Of the Emperor, who sat
regally calm on crimson throne.
Wearing for the first time his
new gray whipcord uniform Of
commander-in-chief, the Emperor
smiled as his tribesmen, rattling
their rifle bolts and waving
swords, leaped towards him with
curious, mincing SkipS.
Occasionally his ministers were
compelled to use their rifles to
push back the over-enthuSiastic.
Drums Garry 20 Miles
Boys of 9 and gray.beards of 80
waved their ancient blunderbusses,
kissed the ground, and went off
singing the praises Of the En-
peror and cursing MusSolini.
The new war drums sounded at
Adds Ababa for the first time
since formal mobilization, and
their ominous roll echoed all fore
noon from one side Of the hills
surrounding Adds Ababa to the
other.
Their amazingly penetrating,
though low, note carried 20 miles.
While the Ethiopian troops pre-
pared to march, 800 British sub
jects registered yesterday and to-
day at their consulate and, or
ganized for security.
All, except the legation staff,
journalists and eight other civil
ianS. are colored subjects.
The largest British trading firm
at Adds Ababa has ordered its
employees to close the company'S
doors and leave Ethiopia.
Hero Of Aduwa
Thirty.two drums crashed as the
minister of war alighted from his
horse and marched under a green
umbrella to the Emperor'S feet.
Ras Moulougetta is 81. a veteran
of the 1896 battle at Aduwa. and
is credited with large responsible
ity for the Ethiopian victory at
that time. He is the, Joffre Of
Ethiopia, and will take over Su.
preme command in the north.
The governments communique
declared In Italian transport ship
passed abouti bound for Maya