The Portuguese Expedition to Abyssinia in 1541–1543/Chapter XV

by Miguel de Castanhoso

Of the Second Battle which D. Christovão fought with the King of Zeila, in which the King was defeated.

Thus, when the Sunday after Easter came, the camp was struck before dawn, and all were drawn up in order, with the artillery in its place, and the Queen with her women in the centre. After the patriarch had said the general confession and absolved us, we marched against the Moors, who when they saw us also advanced. The King, still suffering from his wound, lay on a bed carried on men's shoulders. He came to encourage his men, but this was hardly necessary, for they were so numerous that merely seeing how few we were encouraged them; besides, there had joined him a Captain with five hundred horse and three thousand foot; and had we delayed longer many more would have come to him; for his Captains were scattered over the country, and, when he was wounded, he called them all in, and they joined him daily. The Captain [50] who had come in was called Grada Amar, and it was he who was the first to attack us. He, too, urged on the others, saying, how could so few as we were endure long against such a force. In his pride he attacked us with five hundred horse, and had all his men followed his example they would indeed have done us much hurt; but from dread of the artillery, which slew many, they could not break our ranks; but the Captain with four or five valiant Moors threw themselves on our pikes and died like brave cavaliers. D. Christovão all this time kept everything in the best possible order, and everyone fought with great courage; but had the horse broken our ranks then our destruction was a certainty: for when this Captain attacked with his horse, all the others who were on horseback did the like from all sides. By the will of our Lord, at this time, a little powder accidentally caught fire in the part where we were weakest. Truly we thought we should all be burned when we saw the fire in the powder, but as it told for our victory, we did not notice the loss it caused: that is, two Portuguese killed and eight burned, who were very badly injured. The horsemen could not [51] break in because of the fire I mention, as the horses were so frightened that they bolted over the plain with their riders. Meanwhile, we did our duty both with the artillery and the matchlocks, and the whole field was strewn with corpses. Eight Portuguese who were mounted did such deeds, that had they been done at any other time, they would have been held in remembrance. I will not name them, because the footmen would have done the same had they had horses; their deeds while on foot prove this, for they went out to the Turks who came near us, and fought grandly: so that they drove them back far, leaving many dead and wounded on the field. When the Turks retired, and the horse ho longer came on, D. Christovão saw that they were shaken; and we attacked them briskly, and drove them before us till they took flight. The victory would have been complete this day had we had only one hundred horses to finish it: for the King was carried on men's shoulders on a bed, accompanied by horsemen, and they fled with no order. D. Christovão pursued them for half a league, and killed many Moors, who in their haste took no thought of their camp and tents, which spoil fell to our lot. When we could no longer pursue the Moors, as we were very weary, we returned, and when we were mustered fourteen Portuguese were found missing, who were sought out and buried. As the grass on this plain was destroyed, D. Christovão and the Queen agreed to advance to camp by a stream that was near, to rest there, where there was more refreshment for the wounded, of whom there were more than sixty, and of these four or five subsequently died. We began our march, leaving the plain strewn with dead. [52] There was killed in this fight an Abyssinian Captain who was with us: a very valiant man. When we arrived in sight of the stream we saw the Moors halted on its banks, because, when they had crossed it the King thought that we were not in pursuit; and as it was late and the place suitable, he desired to rest there. They fled when they saw us; and an Abyssinian who joined us there, and who had been with them, told us afterwards that the King said "these frades will not let me long alone" — for thus they call us. The Moors started on their way, travelling all that night and eight days, without resting, and many who were wounded died on the march. As D. Christovão would not pursue he went no further, but we pitched our camp there, tending our wounded. Two days later, the Portuguese who had gone to Massowa returned, and with them the Barnaguais, with thirty horsemen and five hundred foot, whom we welcomed with much joy; but the Portuguese returned sadder than can be believed, because they were absent from the battles, and because they had not succeeded in the business on which they had gone, nor had even seen our fleet, because of the Turkish galleys who guarded the harbour, in order that our foists should learn nothing of us, nor we of them.