BOOK VI

SECTION III

EXPEDITION OF CHRISTOPHER DE GAMA

 

Don Christopher began his march towards Dobarwa, the eastern entrance of Abyssinia : and met the Queen near that city. By her the Portuguese were received with the greatest kindness : and De Gama ordered one hundred of his men to attend her as her lifeguard. It was now evidently the interest of this Princess to form a junction with her son; and Gragne was as earnestly set on preventing it. The allied Portuguese and Abyssinians marched from Dobarwa and made the best of their way to join Claudius : the heavy rains, however, much impeded their progress; and on Lady-day the Infidel army came up with them. In numbers, the Royal forces were superior; besides the four hundred and fifty musqueteers, the Queen commanded twelve thousand infantry, and a few worthless cavalry. Gragne had but five thousand foot : but then he had a thousand excellent horse, a few Turkish musqueteers, and a small train of artillery. And the inequality of numbers was more than compensated by the fact, that the men of Adel were well skilled in the use of firearms, an invention of which the Abyssinians knew practically nothing. The disposition which De Gama made of his troops, shows him to have been no less prudent than courageous. Gragne, in riding too near the Portuguese lines, for the purpose of reconnoitring, received a wound, which occasioned great confusion among the Moors, and might probably have ended in their defeat, had not Don Christopher, a few moments afterwards, suffered in a similar manner. No general engagement took place : but the Christian army had the honor of keeping the field. For some time Don Christopher remained in winter quarters; and Gragne obtained another body of a thousand cavalry, and increased his train of artillery, till it became the most formidable that had ever been seen in Ethiopia. Hearing that King Claudius was actually on his way from Dembea, to join the Queen, this chief resolved rather to risk a battle than to permit the junction to take place unopposed. To this end he drew up his forces before Don Christopher's camp, and by reproaches and insults induced that brave, but impatient general, to offer battle. The Queen and Bermudez sought their safety by flight : but De Gama gave orders that they should be pursued and brought back.

Second battle, August 1542

The combat was maintained with the greatest obstinacy : and at first seemed to declare in favour of the Christians. But the Turkish artillery proved an over-match for Abyssinian courage : the Royal army was totally routed, and Don Christopher himself severely wounded. Against his will, he was put in a litter by his friends, and carried towards a place of safety in the company of the Queen and the Patriarch. But night coming on, he declared his intention of remaining in a cave, in which his wounds were dressed; and as his companions could not alter his resolution, they were compelled to leave him. One or two of his servants remained by him : but the accounts of his death vary. It is certain, however, that he was overtaken and discovered by Gragne; that sooner or later, he was put to death by that tyrant; and that he was regarded by his friends, not altogether unjustly, as a Martyr.