The adventures of the Portuguese, and the actions of Don Christopher de
Gama in AEthiopia.
About the beginning of the sixteenth century arose a Moor near the Cape
of Gardafui, who, by the assistance of the forces sent him from Moca by
the Arabs and Turks, conquered almost all Abyssinia, and founded the
kingdom of Adel. He was called Mahomet Gragne, or the Lame. When he had
ravaged AEthiopia fourteen years, and was master of the greatest part of
it, the Emperor David sent to implore succour of the King of Portugal,
with a promise that when those dominions were recovered which had been
taken from him, he would entirely submit himself to the Pope, and resign
the third part of his territories to the Portuguese. After many delays,
occasioned by the great distance between Portugal and Abyssinia, and some
unsuccessful attempts, King John the Third, having made Don Stephen de
Gama, son of the celebrated Don Vasco de Gama, viceroy of the Indies,
gave him orders to enter the Red Sea in pursuit of the Turkish galleys,
and to fall upon them wherever he found them, even in the Port of Suez.
The viceroy, in obedience to the king's commands, equipped a powerful
fleet, went on board himself, and cruised about the coast without being
able to discover the Turkish vessels. Enraged to find that with this
great preparation he should be able to effect nothing, he landed at Mazna
four hundred Portuguese, under the command of Don Christopher de Gama,
his brother. He was soon joined by some Abyssins, who had not yet forgot
their allegiance to their sovereign; and in his march up the country was
met by the Empress Helena, who received him as her deliverer. At first
nothing was able to stand before the valour of the Portuguese, the Moors
were driven from one mountain to another, and were dislodged even from
those places, which it seemed almost impossible to approach, even
unmolested by the opposition of an enemy.
These successes seemed to promise a more happy event than that which
followed them. It was now winter, a season in which, as the reader hath
been already informed, it is almost impossible to travel in AEthiopia.
The Portuguese unadvisedly engaged themselves in an enterprise, to march
through the whole country, in order to join the Emperor, who was then in
the most remote part of his dominions. Mahomet, who was in possession of
the mountains, being informed by his spies that the Portuguese were but
four hundred, encamped in the plain of Ballut, and sent a message to the
general that he knew the Abyssins had imposed on the King of Portugal,
which, being acquainted with their treachery, he was not surprised at,
and that in compassion of the commander's youth, he would give him and
his men, if they would return, free passage, and furnish them with
necessaries; that he might consult upon the matter, and depend upon his
word, reminding him, however, that it was not safe to refuse his offer.
The general presented the ambassador with a rich robe, and returned this
gallant answer: "That he and his fellow-soldiers were come with an
intention to drive Mahomet out of these countries, which he had
wrongfully usurped; that his present design was, instead of returning
back the way he came, as Mahomet advised, to open himself a passage
through the country of his enemies; that Mahomet should rather think of
determining whether he would fight or yield up his ill-gotten
territories, than of prescribing measures to him; that he put his whole
confidence in the omnipotence of God and the justice of his cause, and
that to show how just a sense he had of Mahomet's kindness, he took the
liberty of presenting him with a looking-glass and a pair of pincers."
This answer, and the present, so provoked Mahomet, who was at dinner when
he received it, that he rose from table immediately to march against the
Portuguese, imagining he should meet with no resistance; and indeed, any
man, however brave, would have been of the same opinion; for his forces
consisted of fifteen thousand foot, beside a numerous body of cavalry,
and the Portuguese commander had but three hundred and fifty men, having
lost eight in attacking some passes, and left forty at Mazma, to maintain
an open intercourse with the viceroy of the Indies. This little troop of
our countrymen were upon the declivity of a hill near a wood; above them
stood the Abyssins, who resolved to remain quiet spectators of the
battle, and to declare themselves on that side which should be favoured
with victory.
Mahomet began the attack with only ten horsemen, against whom as many
Portuguese were detached, who fired with so much exactness, that nine of
the Moors fell, and the tenth with great difficulty made his escape. This
omen of good fortune gave the soldiers great encouragement; the action
grew hot, and they came at length to a general battle; but the Moors,
dismayed by the advantages our men had obtained at first, were half
defeated before the fight. The great fire of our muskets and artillery
broke them immediately. Mahomet preserved his own life not without
difficulty, but did not lose his capacity with the battle: he had still a
great number of troops remaining, which he rallied, and entrenched
himself at Membret, a place naturally strong, with an intention to pass
the winter there, and wait for succours.
The Portuguese, who were more desirous of glory than wealth, did not
encumber themselves with plunder, but with the utmost expedition pursued
their enemies, in hopes of cutting them entirely off. This expectation
was too sanguine: they found them encamped in a place naturally almost
inaccessible, and so well fortified, that it would be no less than
extreme rashness to attack them. They therefore entrenched themselves on
a hill over against the enemy's camp, and though victorious, were under
great disadvantages. They saw new troops arrive every day at the enemy's
camp, and their small number grew less continually; their friends at
Mazna could not join them; they knew not how to procure provisions, and
could put no confidence in the Abyssins; yet recollecting the great
things achieved by their countrymen, and depending on the Divine
protection, they made no doubt of surmounting all difficulties.
Mahomet on his part was not idle; he solicited the assistance of the
Mahometan princes, pressed them with all the motives of religion, and
obtained a reinforcement of two thousand musketeers from the Arabs, and a
train of artillery from the Turks. Animated with these succours, he
marched out of his trenches to enter those of the Portuguese, who
received him with the utmost bravery, destroyed prodigious numbers of his
men, and made many sallies with great vigour, but losing every day some
of their small troops, and most of their officers being killed, it was
easy to surround and force them.
Their general had already one arm broken, and his knee shattered with a
musket-shot, which made him unable to repair to all those places where
his presence was necessary to animate his soldiers. Valour was at length
forced to submit to superiority of numbers; the enemy entered the camp
and put all to the sword. The general with ten more escaped the
slaughter, and by means of their horses retreated to a wood, where they
were soon discovered by a detachment sent in search of them, and brought
to Mahomet, who was overjoyed to see his most formidable enemy in his
power, and ordered him to take care of his uncle and nephew, who were
wounded, telling him he should answer for their lives; and, upon their
death, taxed him with hastening it. The brave Portuguese made no
excuses, but told him he came thither to destroy Mahometans, and not to
save them. Mahomet, enraged at this language, ordered a stone to be put
on his head, and exposed this great man to the insults and reproaches of
the whole army. After this they inflicted various kinds of tortures on
him, which he endured with incredible resolution, and without uttering
the least complaint, praising the mercy of God who had ordained him to
suffer in such a cause.
Mahomet, at last satisfied with cruelty, made an offer of sending him to
the viceroy of the Indies, if he would turn Mussulman. The hero took
fire at this proposal, and answered with the highest indignation that
nothing should make him forsake his heavenly Master to follow an
impostor, and continued in the severest terms to vilify their false
prophet, till Mahomet struck off his head.
Nor did the resentment of Mahomet end here; he divided his body into
quarters, and sent them to different places. The Catholics gathered the
remains of this glorious martyr, and interred them. Every Moor that
passed by threw a stone upon his grave, and raised in time such a heap,
as I found it difficult to remove when I went in search of those precious
relics.
What I have here related of the death of Don Christopher de Gama I was
told by an old man, who was an eye-witness of it: and there is a
tradition in the country that in the place where his head fell, a
fountain sprung up of wonderful virtue, which cured many diseases
otherwise past remedy.