a voyage to abyssinia-第28部分

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o　burn　and　ruin　Zeila；　in　revenge　of　the　death　of　two　Portuguese　Jesuits　who　were　killed　by　the　King　in　the　year　1604。　　As　Zeila　was　not　far　from　the　frontiers　of　Abyssinia；　they　imagined　that　they　already　saw　the　Portuguese　invading　their　country。

The　viceroy　of　Tigre　had　inquired　of　me　a　few　days　before　how　many　men　one　India　ship　carried；　and　being　told　that　the　complement　of　some　was　a　thousand　men；　he　compared　that　answer　with　the　report　then　spread　over　all　the　country；　that　there　were　eighteen　Portuguese　vessels　on　the　coast　of　Adel；　and　concluded　that　they　were　manned　by　an　army　of　eighteen　thousand　men；　then　considering　what　had　been　achieved　by　four　hundred；　under　the　command　of　Don　Christopher　de　Gama；　he　thought　Abyssinia　already　ravaged；　or　subjected　to　the　King　of　Portugal。　　Many　declared　themselves　of　his　opinion；　and　the　court　took　its　measures　with　respect　to　us　from　these　uncertain　and　ungrounded　rumours。　　Some　were　so　infatuated　with　their　apprehensions　that　they　undertook　to　describe　the　camp　of　the　Portuguese；　and　affirmed　that　they　had　heard　the　report　of　their　cannons。

All　this　contributed　to　exasperate　the　inhabitants；　and　reduced　us　often　to　the　point　of　being　massacred。　　At　length　they　came　to　a　resolution　of　giving　us　up　to　the　Turks；　assuring　them　that　we　were　masters　of　a　vast　treasure；　in　hope　that　after　they　had　inflicted　all　kinds　of　tortures　on　us；　to　make　us　confess　where　we　had　hid　our　gold；　or　what　we　had　done　with　it；　they　would　at　length　kill　us　in　rage　for　the　disappointment。　　Nor　was　this　their　only　view；　for　they　believed　that　the　Turks　would；　by　killing　us；　kindle　such　an　irreconcilable　hatred　between　themselves　and　our　nation　as　would　make　it　necessary　for　them　to　keep　us　out　of　the　Red　Sea；　of　which　they　are　entirely　masters：　　so　that　their　determination　was　as　politic　as　cruel。　　Some　pretend　that　the　Turks　were　engaged　to　put　us　to　death　as　soon　as　we　were　in　their　power。



Chapter　XIII



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