Miguel de Castanhoso

“ With great labour we retreated up the hill, for we were all wounded, each one going as he could. The steepness of the hill was our safeguard, as horsemen could only follow us slowly; but the foot did us much hurt, as numbers followed us, and slew many who could not travel with arrows and stones. ”

“ When the Captain of [81] the Turks saw that the Moors were giving way, he determined to die; with bared arms, and a long broadsword in his hand, he swept a great space in front of him; he fought like a valiant cavalier, for five Abyssinian horsemen were on him, who could neither make him yield nor slay him. One of them attacked him with a javelin; he wrenched it from his hand, he houghed another's horse, and none dared approach him. There came up a Portuguese horseman, by name Gonçalo Fernandes, who charged him spear in rest and wounded him sorely ”

“ Here we found ourselves in great trouble; but our artillery stood us in good stead, for those in charge behaved like valiant men without fear, and fired so rapidly that the horse could never get near us, because the horses feared the fire; still the Moors did us much harm, especially the Turks with their matchlocks. D. Christovão, seeing this, halted the force, ordering us not to fight save with the artillery, with which we did them much hurt; and as one hundred Turks advanced very close to us, D. Christovão sent Manuel da Cunha to attack them with his men, that is, about fifty Portuguese. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Men can only climb up with naked feet to a projection; from this up is four fathoms, and the rock is scarped with only a few holes chiselled out and some chinks, and over this one must proceed, or clamber by help of spears. Above was another Captain with five hundred men, who defended the pass. [31] The top of the mountain is very flat, with a few hillocks. In the centre is a very high peak, visible for a long distance, and from its foot there gushes a fountain of very excellent water, so copious that it irrigates the whole hill ”

“ When, a month later, some of us were better, we returned to D. Christovão, for, directly he sent us to recover, he started in pursuit of the Moor. It took him ten days to reach where he was, which was in a great and strong hill, opposite the entrance to the straits, because he did not dare to retire elsewhere, for the country people after his defeat refused to obey him or give him supplies; and hence it suited him to retire to this hill, where he could recuperate, and could get assistance from the skirts of the sea, either from his own people or from the Turks, as it happened. ”

“ We at once pitched our camp, and it was the Saturday before Palm Sunday. D. Christovão, as the Queen came in the rear, and had heard how near the enemies were, went out to receive her with great parade and joy, for she was a woman, and came filled with fear at the news. Encouraging her greatly, he placed her in the centre of our camp, which was this same day pitched in proper order, and arranged to await in it the Moors; for the ground was very suitable, as we occupied the best site on the plain, for we were on a hillock in it. ”

“ There were fifteen thousand foot, all archers and bucklermen; fifteen hundred horse, and two hundred Turkish arquebusiers, of whom they thought a great deal, and with whom they had conquered all that country. They were indeed men of greater determination, for they came closer to us than any of the others, and helped him a good deal. They got so close that they made some breastworks of loose stones very near us, whence they did us some hurt. D. Christovão had to send Manuel da Cunha and Inofre de Abreu with seventy men to dislodge them, which they did. ”

“ It is the most fertile hill that can be, and they may boast that they still enjoy manna, since they are in such luxury that they can get honey from the rifts in the rocks, and there is so much that there is no owner, and whoever likes collects it. This hill lies nearly due west of the Straits, and may be forty leagues distant. When D. Christovão had made over the hill to the Jew, he left him an order to send to the Preste to inform him of its capture. ”

“ The house was filled with men too wounded to fight, and she, with her women — who that day did their duty in this well — bound up their wounds. They fired many shot into her house, and wounded two of her women. When D. Christovão saw this, and the great hurt the Turks were causing, and that in each retreat men were killed, he ordered Francisco de Abreu to attack with his men on his side, and his brother, Inofre de Abreu, to follow on his flank, so that when the first retreated the other should support, that they might not have the opportunity of doing so much hurt. ”

“ All the same, they treated us very badly, and killed two men of ours before we began to climb the hill. D. Christovão, seeing the evil treatment they gave us, attacked the ascent very briskly, and we all followed him with our lives in our hands; when we got under shelter of the hill the stone-throwing did us less harm, and then we began to ascend the pass. D. Christovão headed the climb by the help of his pike, and of fissures in the rocks; here many were wounded, and all twice beaten back, but our matchlocks kept off the Moors from approaching the pass. ”

“ Of how the Preste began to march with the Portuguese and found the King of Zeila encamped on the Lake of the Nile; and of the method the King of Zeila adopted to kill the Captain of the Preste's Camp. Forming our ranks, we began our march on Shrove Tues-day, February 6th, 1543, with eight thousand footmen with bows and bucklers, and five hundred horse, all very fine and well-found men, and one hundred and twenty Portuguese, – some maimed, with wounds still open, who refused [76] to stay behind, as they were bent on vengeance or on death in the attempt. ”

“ That day also, late, D. Christovão made a feint of attacking, signalling to the Captains and bringing his artillery close, drawn up in order (posse em ordem) ; he did this to learn where it would be better to attack with matchlocks, and where the artillery would cause greater damage; and also to induce them to expend their munitions and magazines, which would help us on the following day. It is [34] difficult to believe how thick the stones and arrows fell when we got near; and they let fall rocks from the hill above, which caused us great fear and damage. ”

“ He at once provided us with all necessaries, gave us all mules to ride – for, after the late defeat, we had come here on foot — he gave to all, too, silken tunics and breeches, for such is the country wear, to every two men a tent, and servants in abundance to attend us, carpets and mattresses, and all we needed. ”

“ Helping them, there went two Portuguese who were less wounded than they, urging them on and remaining in their company. One was called Fernão Cardoso, the other Lopo de Almansa. At nine or ten hours of the next day, they saw following them many Moors on foot and two horsemen. When the pursuers drew near, they determined to die, and try and save their comrades, who were in front of them, wounded. These they told to travel as fast as they could, for they would defend them or perish. So they both turned back against the Moors, and they carried bucklers and pikes. ”

“ The Abyssinian horse also made many sallies, seeking to impress us; the Captain-General of the camp, by name Azemache Cafilao, did marvels with his horse on these days, for nothing could show outside the King of Zeila's camp without being raided by this Captain; in this the Moors always had the worst, losing both their flocks and their lives. When the Moor saw how brave our Captain was, he determined to make a great effort to kill him by treachery. ”

“ Besides, our Lord chose to arrange matters thus, because the restoration of the kingdom was to be brought about by this means; when he came, the Jew informed D. Christovão about the hill, and told him that there were but few Moors on it, and that he would guide him to an approach where he would not be discovered until he was at the top, and that it was easy to capture, if the people of the country helped; that he would find on it many and good horses that were bred on the hill ”

“ D. Christovão went straight to the mosque after the victory, and directed the patriarch and the padres who had followed to consecrate it, in order that Mass might be said the next day. They gave it the name of Our Lady of Victory, and we buried there the eight Portuguese. D. Christovão next sent to ask the Queen if she wished to see the hill in the condition in which the Moors had held it. She was astonished at the ease with which we had carried it; she considered that all the Moors who were on the summit could not possibly be killed. ”

“ I have no words wherewith even to express his courage, when looking at the positions and the camp, he saw his men very weary, and the greater number wounded. The Queen was in her house in the direst trouble, weeping for the hour that had come to her. ”

“ The horsemen tried to support the Turks, and here some Portuguese were wounded. From the camp our artillery killed some horsemen, and wounded many Moors. D. Christovão, finding that this engagement increased, ordered a trumpet to sound the recall, and they obeyed; thus the day passed. That night D. Christovão determined (as our supplies were failing, and the Captain of the country who was with us was unable to help us, as we were blockaded) to join battle next morning early, as they refused to attack. ”

“ The Portuguese, seeing that the Turks were defeating us, charged them, slaying many and driving the rest back; for the Portuguese horse, who were sixty, worked marvels, and the Abyssinians, ashamed to see them fight thus, threw themselves in so vigorously that they left a track as they went. When the King saw that his men were losing ground, he in person led them on, encouraging them, and with him was his son, a young man, helping him ”

“ When they heard of what had taken place, they found that it was the very day, as I say, that was the signal of freedom for so many Christian people. When they told us this, as the monastery lay on the road to Massowa, whither after the [69] freeing of the country we were travelling, we all went to the monastery to see the tree and to bear witness. I saw it, with many of its roots exposed, all cut as the friars said, and it had only recently become green. ”

“ The Queen collected many cultivators to make straw huts to winter in, which they made very diligently, for there are plenty of materials for this in the country, namely wood and straw; they also brought all the necessary supplies in great abundance, for the soil is very fertile and the produce great. ”

“ As the Preste was at that time some distance away he could not easily assist; still he would never have been defeated had his men been as loyal as the Portuguese, even although they were much weaker than they are. ”

“ They were much astonished at this success, and very joyful to see them: for they thought they were already dead or captives. Thus all escaped, these two running the risk of death to save the others. Our Lady, seeing their intention, inspired them at such a time with this courage. ”

“ We were here all December, both because the Preste wished to celebrate Christmas here, and also to collect the men who daily flocked to him: there assembled here eight thousand foot and five hundred horse. When we saw this force we went to the Preste, and begged him to help us to avenge the death of D. Christovão. ”

“ That he treated him with this magnanimity because of his age and inexperience, and because he was sure that the woman had deluded him, by telling him that in those countries there was some other King than himself; but, since he now knew the truth, that he should do as he [43] was ordered. With this he sent him a friar's cowl and a rosary of beads, making us all out friars — for so they call us. After D. Christovão had heard the King's message, he gave great honour and welcome to him who brought it, and gave him a red' satin garment, and a scarlet cap with a valuable medal ”

“ He obeyed, and the engagement waxed so fierce that the Turks seized the banner and slew the ensign and three other Portuguese; they also killed and wounded many of the Turks; Manuel da Cunha retired, wounded in the leg with a matchlock bullet. All this while D. Christovão was encouraging our people, always present where danger was greatest, many of ours being wounded ”

“ All this while our men were pursuing the Moors, chiefly the Portuguese, as they could not glut their revenge; they mainly followed the Turks, as against them they were most enraged; of the two hundred not more than forty escaped, who returned to the King's wife. When she heard that her husband was dead, she fled with the three hundred horse of her guard and these forty Turks, taking with her all the treasure that her husband had captured from the Preste, which was not small. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The third pass is the strongest of all, as from all outward appearance it is impregnable; for there is no path save over slippery rocks entirely exposed to the summit, so that any stone would do great damage. ”

“ Thus they brought them before the King, who was very pleased with the victory, with more than one hundred and sixty Portuguese heads before his tent: for he had offered a reward to any Moor who would cut off the head of a Portuguese, and his men, to gain it, brought him those they found on the field. When D. Christovão reached his tent, that dog ordered the heads of the Portuguese to be shown him, to grieve him ”

“ By early morning we were all in our ranks, and we said a prayer before the banner of the Holy Compassion (Sancta Misericordia) , begging our Lord to have it [compassion] on [80] us, and give us vengeance on, and victory over, our enemies. After a general confession by a Mass priest, who absolved us, we arose and advanced against the enemy, we leading the van and that banner, or we following it [? e esta bandeyra ou nós com ella] . ”