I will endeavour to give as clear a description of it as possible, in
order that our future operations may be readily understood. From the bed
of the Bachelo the ground rises in a mass of rounded hills, with somewhat
flat tops; down through these, deep ravines convey the streams from the
distant hills into the Bachelo. One of these ravines comes down nearly
direct from Magdala, and it is up this that the road goes, until it gets
within about two miles of Magdala, when it leaves the ravine and goes up
on to the flat hill-tops from the midst of which Magdala rises. Magdala,
from here, appears like a three-topped mountain with almost perpendicular
sides. Two of the summits, which together resemble a saddle with high flat
peaks, face this way. The hill to the right is Fahla; that on the left,
which is some hundred feet higher, is Salamgi. The road winds up the face
of Fahla to the saddle between the two, and it is evident that Fahla will
be the first position to be attacked. There are apparently very few huts
upon Fahla. The road, we hear, after reaching the top of the saddle, turns
to the left, and crosses over Salamgi. Salamgi is tremendously strong; it
is a series of natural scarps, of great height; and upon the terrace
formed by these scarps a great portion of Theodore’s force is encamped.
Salamgi, if well defended, even by savages, will be a most formidable
position to assault. The third top of this singular fortress is Magdala
itself. This, like Fahla, has a flat top, which is completely covered with
large huts. We see only the top of Magdala, over the saddle between
Salamgi and Fahla. It is apparently lower than Salamgi, but higher than
Fahla. It is, we hear, connected with Salamgi by a flat shoulder. It
appears to be about a mile distant from the summit of this mountain, and
when, therefore, we have taken Salamgi, our light guns will not be of much
utility in bombarding Magdala at so great a distance.
I have now given an idea of the scene in which the great drama, which will
commence to-morrow or next day, will be played. My next letter will, at
any rate, give you the opening scene, and possibly even the entire drama.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Before Magdala, April 11th.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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