Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, Volume 2 (of 5): In the years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 and 1773Bruce, James
History
Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, Volume 2 (of 5): In the years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 and 1773
Bruce, James
Egypt -- Description and travel; Ethiopia -- Description and travel; Ethiopia -- History; Natural history -- Ethiopia; Nile River
Claudius shewed great signs of sorrow for the death of Don Christopher,
and mourned three days. He then sent 3000 ounces of gold to be divided
among the Portuguese, who, in the place of Don Christopher, had elected
Alphonso Caldeyra for their captain. These all flocked about the king,
demanding that he would lead them to battle, that they might revenge
the death of Don Christopher. Soon after which, Alphonso Caldeyra,
exercising a horse in the field, was thrown off and died of the fall.
In his place was elected Arius Dias, a Portuguese, born at Coimbra,
whose mother was a black; he was very much favoured by the king, who
now began to cultivate particular parties among the Portuguese, in
order to divide them, and loosen their attachment for their patriarch,
religion, and country.
The king marched from Samen to Shawada, where the Moorish army came
in full force to meet him. They were not, however, those formidable
troops that had defeated and taken Don Christopher: For the Turkish
soldiers, who were the strength of the army, expecting to have shared
a great sum each for Don Christopher’s ransom, thought themselves
exceedingly injured by the manner in which he was put to death; and
they had accordingly all to a man returned into Arabia, leaving Gragnè
to fight his own battles for his own profit. Nor was Claudius ignorant
of this; and having collected all his army he gave the Moors battle on
the 15th of November in a plain called Woggora, on the top of Lamalmon,
in which the Moors, notwithstanding their recent victory, were not long
in yielding to the superiority of the king’s troops.
The loss of the day was not inconsiderable. Mahomet, Osman, and Talil,
three Moorish leaders, famous for their successes against David the
king’s father, were this day slain in the field.
Claudius now descended into the low country of Derseguè, a very
plentiful province, to which the Moors always retreated to strengthen
themselves after any misfortune. This the king utterly destroyed;
while Gragnè did the same with those countries in Dembea that had been
recovered by the king. Claudius then returned to Shawada, and Gragnè to
Derseguè. After that the king marched to Wainadega, and Gragnè, leaving
Derseguè, advanced so near the king’s army, that the outposts were
nearly in sight of each other. In such a position of two such armies a
battle became inevitable.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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