The author relieves the patriarch and missionaries, and supports them. He
escapes several snares laid for him by the viceroy of Tigre. They put
themselves under the protection of the Prince of Bar.
Having concluded this negotiation, they drove us out of our houses, and
robbed us of everything that was worth carrying away; and, not content
with that, informed some banditti that were then in those parts of the
road we were to travel through, so that the patriarch and some
missionaries were attacked in a desert by these rovers, with their
captain at their head, who pillaged his library, his ornaments, and what
little baggage the missionaries had left, and might have gone away
without resistance or interruption had they satisfied themselves with
only robbing; but when they began to fall upon the missionaries and their
companions, our countrymen, finding that their lives could only be
preserved by their courage, charged their enemies with such vigour that
they killed their chief and forced the rest to a precipitate flight. But
these rovers, being acquainted with the country, harassed the little
caravan till it was past the borders.
Our fathers then imagined they had nothing more to fear, but too soon
were convinced of their error, for they found the whole country turned
against them, and met everywhere new enemies to contend with and new
dangers to surmount. Being not far distant from Fremona, where I
resided, they sent to me for succour. I was better informed of the
distress they were in than themselves, having been told that a numerous
body of Abyssins had posted themselves in a narrow pass with an intent to
surround and destroy them; therefore, without long deliberation, I
assembled my friends, both Portuguese and Abyssins, to the number of
fourscore, and went to their rescue, carrying with me provisions and
refreshments, of which I knew they were in great need. These glorious
confessors I met as they were just entering the pass designed for the
place of their destruction, and doubly preserved them from famine and the
sword. A grateful sense of their deliverance made them receive me as a
guardian angel. We went together to Fremona, and being in all a
patriarch, a bishop, eighteen Jesuits, and four hundred Portuguese whom I
supplied with necessaries, though the revenues of our house were lost,
and though the country was disaffected to us, in the worst season of the
year. We were obliged for the relief of the poor and our own subsistence
to sell our ornaments and chalices, which we first broke in pieces, that
the people might not have the pleasure of ridiculing our mysteries by
profaning the vessels made use of in the celebration of them, for they
now would gladly treat with the highest indignities what they had a year
before looked upon with veneration.
Amidst all these perplexities the viceroy did not fail to visit us, and
make us great offers of service in expectation of a large present. We
were in a situation in which it was very difficult to act properly; we
knew too well the ill intentions of the viceroy, but durst not complain,
or give him any reason to imagine that we knew them. We longed to
retreat out of his power, or at least to send one of our company to the
Indies with an account of persecution we suffered, and could without his
leave neither do one nor the other.
When it was determined that one should be sent to the Indies, I was at
first singled out for the journey, and it was intended that I should
represent at Goa, at Rome, and at Madrid the distresses and necessities
of the mission of AEthiopia; but the fathers reflecting afterwards that I
best understood the Abyssinian language, and was most acquainted with the
customs of the country, altered their opinions, and, continuing me in
AEthiopia either to perish with them or preserve them, deputed four other
Jesuits, who in a short time set out on their way to the Indies.
About this time I was sent for to the viceroy's camp to confess a
criminal, who, though falsely, was believed a Catholic, to whom, after a
proper exhortation, I was going to pronounce the form of absolution, when
those that waited to execute him told him aloud that if he expected to
save his life by professing himself a Catholic, he would find himself
deceived, and that he had nothing to do but prepare himself for death.
The unhappy criminal had no sooner heard this than, rising up, he
declared his resolution to die in the religion of his country, and being
delivered up to his prosecutors was immediately dispatched with their
lances.
The chief reason of calling me was not that I might hear this confession:
the viceroy had another design of seizing my person, expecting that
either the Jesuits or Portuguese would buy my liberty with a large
ransom, or that he might exchange me for his father, who was kept
prisoner by a revolted prince. That prince would have been no loser by
the exchange, for so much was I hated by the Abyssinian monks that they
would have thought no expense too great to have gotten me into their
hands, that they might have glutted their revenge by putting me to the
most painful death they could have invented. Happily I found means to
retire out of this dangerous place, and was followed by the viceroy
almost to Fremona, who, being disappointed, desired me either to visit
him at his camp, or appoint a place where we might confer. I made many
excuses, but at length agreed to meet him at a place near Fremona,
bringing each of us only three companions. I did not doubt but he would
bring more, and so he did, but found that I was upon my guard, and that
my company increased in proportion to his. My friends were resolute
Portuguese, who were determined to give him no quarter if he made any
attempt upon my liberty. Finding himself once more countermined, he
returned ashamed to his camp, where a month after, being accused of a
confederacy in the revolt of that prince who kept his father prisoner, he
was arrested, and carried in chains to the Emperor.
The time now approaching in which we were to be delivered to the Turks,
we had none but God to apply to for relief: all the measures we could
think of were equally dangerous. Resolving, nevertheless, to seek some
retreat where we might hide ourselves either all together or separately,
we determined at last to put ourselves under the protection of the Prince
John Akay, who had defended himself a long time in the province of Bar
against the power of Abyssinia.
After I had concluded a treaty with this prince, the patriarch and all
the fathers put themselves into his hands, and being received with all
imaginable kindness and civility, were conducted with a guard to Adicota,
a rock excessively steep, about nine miles from his place of residence.
The event was not agreeable to the happy beginning of our negotiation,
for we soon began to find that our habitation was not likely to be very
pleasant. We were surrounded with Mahometans, or Christians who were
inveterate enemies to the Catholic faith, and were obliged to act with
the utmost caution. Notwithstanding these inconveniences we were pleased
with the present tranquillity we enjoyed, and lived contentedly on
lentils and a little corn that we had; and I, after we had sold all our
goods, resolved to turn physician, and was soon able to support myself by
my practice.
I was once consulted by a man troubled with asthma, who presented me with
two alquieres--that is, about twenty-eight pounds weight--of corn and a
sheep. The advice I gave him, after having turned over my books, was to
drink goats' urine every morning; I know not whether he found any benefit
by following my prescription, for I never saw him after.
Being under a necessity of obeying our acoba, or protector, we changed
our place of abode as often as he desired it, though not without great
inconveniences, from the excessive heat of the weather and the faintness
which our strict observation of the fasts and austerities of Lent, as it
is kept in this country, had brought upon us. At length, wearied with
removing so often, and finding that the last place assigned for our abode
was always the worst, we agreed that I should go to our sovereign and
complain.
I found him entirely taken up with the imagination of a prodigious
treasure, affirmed by the monks to be hidden under a mountain. He was
told that his predecessors had been hindered from discovering it by the
demon that guarded it, but that the demon was now at a great distance
from his charge, and was grown blind and lame; that having lost his son,
and being without any children except a daughter that was ugly and
unhealthy, he was under great affliction, and entirely neglected the care
of his treasure; that if he should come, they could call one of their
ancient brothers to their assistance, who, being a man of a most holy
life, would be able to prevent his making any resistance. To all these
stories the prince listened with unthinking credulity. The monks,
encouraged by this, fell to the business, and brought a man above a
hundred years old, whom, because he could not support himself on
horseback, they had tied on the beast, and covered him with black wool.
He was followed by a black cow (designed for a sacrifice to the demon of
the place), and by some monks that carried mead, beer, and parched corn,
to complete the offering.
No sooner were they arrived at the foot of the mountain than every one
began to work: bags were brought from all parts to convey away the
millions which each imagined would be his share. The Xumo, who
superintended the work, would not allow any one to come near the
labourers, but stood by, attended by the old monk, who almost sang
himself to death. At length, having removed a vast quantity of earth and
stones, they discovered some holes made by rats or moles, at sight of
which a shout of joy ran through the whole troop: the cow was brought and
sacrificed immediately, and some pieces of flesh were thrown into these
holes. Animated now with assurance of success, they lose no time: every
one redoubles his endeavours, and the heat, though intolerable, was less
powerful than the hopes they had conceived. At length some, not so
patient as the rest, were weary, and desisted. The work now grew more
difficult; they found nothing but rock, yet continued to toil on, till
the prince, having lost all temper, began to inquire with some passion
when he should have a sight of this treasure, and after having been some
time amused with many promises by the monks, was told that he had not
faith enough to be favoured with the discovery.
All this I saw myself, and could not forbear endeavouring to convince our
protector how much he was imposed upon: he was not long before he was
satisfied that he had been too credulous, for all those that had so
industriously searched after this imaginary wealth, within five hours
left the work in despair, and I continued almost alone with the prince.
Imagining no time more proper to make the proposal I was sent with than
while his passion was still hot against the monks, I presented him with
two ounces of gold and two plates of silver, with some other things of
small value, and was so successful that he gratified me in all my
requests, and gave us leave to return to Adicora, where we were so
fortunate to find our huts yet uninjured and entire.
About this time the fathers who had stayed behind at Fremona arrived with
the new viceroy, and an officer fierce in the defence of his own
religion, who had particular orders to deliver all the Jesuits up to the
Turks, except me, whom the Emperor was resolved to have in his own hands,
alive or dead. We had received some notice of this resolution from our
friends at court, and were likewise informed that the Emperor, their
master, had been persuaded that my design was to procure assistance from
the Indies, and that I should certainly return at the head of an army.
The patriarch's advice upon this emergency was that I should retire into
the woods, and by some other road join the nine Jesuits who were gone
towards Mazna. I could think of no better expedient, and therefore went
away in the night between the 23rd and 24th of April with my comrade, an
old man, very infirm and very timorous. We crossed woods never crossed,
I believe, by any before: the darkness of the night and the thickness of
the shade spread a kind of horror round us; our gloomy journey was still
more incommoded by the brambles and thorns, which tore our hands; amidst
all these difficulties I applied myself to the Almighty, praying him to
preserve us from those dangers which we endeavoured to avoid, and to
deliver us from those to which our flight exposed us. Thus we travelled
all night, till eight next morning, without taking either rest or food;
then, imagining ourselves secure, we made us some cakes of barley-meal
and water, which we thought a feast.
We had a dispute with our guides, who though they had bargained to
conduct us for an ounce of gold, yet when they saw us so entangled in the
intricacies of the wood that we could not possibly get out without their
direction, demanded seven ounces of gold, a mule, and a little tent which
we had; after a long dispute we were forced to come to their terms. We
continued to travel all night, and to hide ourselves in the woods all
day: and here it was that we met the three hundred elephants I spoke of
before. We made long marches, travelling without any halt from four in
the afternoon to eight in the morning.
Arriving at a valley where travellers seldom escape being plundered, we
were obliged to double our pace, and were so happy as to pass it without
meeting with any misfortune, except that we heard a bird sing on our left
hand--a certain presage among these people of some great calamity at
hand. As there is no reasoning them out of superstition, I knew no way
of encouraging them to go forward but what I had already made use of on
the same occasion, assuring them that I heard one at the same time on the
right. They were happily so credulous as to take my word, and we went on
till we came to a well, where we stayed awhile to refresh ourselves.
Setting out again in the evening, we passed so near a village where these
robbers had retreated that the dogs barked after us. Next morning we
joined the fathers, who waited for us. After we had rested ourselves
some time in that mountain, we resolved to separate and go two and two,
to seek for a more convenient place where we might hide ourselves. We
had not gone far before we were surrounded by a troop of robbers, with
whom, by the interest of some of the natives who had joined themselves to
our caravan, we came to a composition, giving them part of our goods to
permit us to carry away the rest; and after this troublesome adventure
arrived at a place something more commodious than that which we had
quitted, where we met with bread, but of so pernicious a quality that,
after having ate it, we were intoxicated to so great a degree that one of
my friends, seeing me so disordered, congratulated my good fortune of
having met with such good wine, and was surprised when I gave him an
account of the whole affair. He then offered me some curdled milk, very
sour, with barley-meal, which we boiled, and thought it the best
entertainment we had met with a long time.