Macalle is a most charmingly situated town, and it occupied before the war a good large area and perhaps consisted of about 500 enclosures with four to six houses in each; giving six inhabitants to a house would bring its permanent population up to about 15,000 which had been reduced to half by the war and famine.

ENGLISH FOREIGN POLICY
I had interviews generally twice a day with the Ras, and he always led up to the subject, why it was that the English did not help Abyssinia after they had made a treaty with his father. He asked who it was that had allowed the Italians to come to Massowah, and had behaved so badly to the Abyssinians, whether it was done by Salisbely or Losebely.

I then had to explain to him again how these matters were supposed by the public to be settled, and who were in power and brought out Whitaker’s Almanac to show him who formed the Government at the time. The almanac pointed to Mr. Gladstone being in power at the time, so I told him it was neither of the Ministers he mentioned.

He asked why we did not avenge Gordon’s death at the time, and many other questions which put me into a very awkward position... I do not think that many people have been “heckled” by an intelligent native and asked to explain the foreign policy of 1880 to 1885. As far as Abyssinia is concerned it [English foreign policy] was not an honest one. I felt “right down mean” over it, as an American would say, and I wish that some one who had been responsible for the policy had been there to have answered the questions put me.

MESQEL
Holy Cross Day, at the end of our month of September was well worth seeing, as Ras Sebhat had been defeated by that time, and had given in his submission and been pardoned, and all the troops that could be spared came to the muster.

Holy Cross Day falls at the slackest time of the year, just before the principal harvest, when everyone can leave their fields and come and pay their respects to the Ras. Rifles that have been served out by the Ras are then examined, and the cartridges counted, and if any rifle is in bad repair, it is exchanged for another.

I was told by Ledg Mertcha and Schimper that, during Holy Cross week, over 30,000 fighting men visited Macalle, and I should think that on the great parade day some 8,000 to 9,000 people mustered during the afternoon and morning, and over 7,000 men were fed at the palace in one day, or at the rate of 800 an hour.

It was a grand sight seeing the Ras and all the officials of Tigre, minor rases down to choums and chicas going to church, all dressed in their best, with clean national shammas, with bright silks and satins on, many of them with lion mane collars.

All of the leading men had their silver shields carried before them; and the gold mounted swords and silver and silver gilt armlets made a glittering procession. I went to the church-grove, and the scene would have been worthy of an artists brush. The old grey stone church, the enormous sycamore fig, and other fine trees, the roses, jasmine and other flowers in full bloom, and the really clean white dresses of the women and girls, also laden with jewellry.

I had quite a crowd around me and I also had my best clothes on, and my miniature medals, which they all wanted to see. They asked me what they were for, and I told them for fighting against the Dervishes, then those that had wounds began to show them, and one said Kufit, another Metemmah, and so on...

I often used to go to the church grove and sit down under the big trees, a delightfully shady and cool place, full of the most beautiful bushes and flowers, with the music of a waterfall and the soft murmuring sound of flowing water, as two irrigation streams flow through it, and after leaving the enclosure are split up into many minor channels to irrigate the different large gardens on the mountain side.

Nearly every house at Macalle has a large garden with an irrigation channel to it, and there are several men who look out after the water channels, and keep them in repair. Here the small boys are just as mischievous as they are in any other country, and they have great games with the watermen, breaking down the water channels so as to give them extra work, and I saw several of them caught after a long chase and smacked.

THE BRIDESMAID: -
In the middle of a thick and shady shrubbery is situated a spring of clear water, to which the priests attribute healing and other properties. One day, while looking at the well, the Abbi-Addi bridesmaid came with some other girls, and I sat down and had a long chat with them. [Wylde had attended the bridesmaid’s wedding at Abbi Addi, and was captivated by her beauty]

We were very merry; the bridesmaid and another of the girls talked a little Arabic, and I often used to talk to them afterwards, and I spent several pleasant afternoons with them, and they also brought other of their friends to see the Englishman.

I here gave them tea one day, and sweet biscuits, until Schimper and a priest came, and they all ran away. I was told by the old priest that it was not the correct thing to do to eat near the holy well. Some few days after, I caught the same priest and some of his men drinking tedj at the same place, and the laugh was the other way.

THE ITALIAN PEASANT SOLDIER: -
He was not half a bad fellow, and was delighted when I came across him, and I believed was grateful for all I did for him, as when he left he cried like a child. He belonged to the seventh Battalion Bersaglieri, and was taken prisoner at Raio, after General Baratieri ran away. He had a spear wound in his ankle, and a bullet in his shoulder which still remained, and the wound would not heal.

The man’s name was Benedetto Bistuini, a peasant, and he came from near Pisa. He was always talking about his mother, and he was quite childish in his prattle and delight at the chance of seeing his home again. I gave him all the clothes I could spare and sent him on his way rejoicing, with a present of some lira notes and some Abyssinian jewellery, including a silver gilt cross for his mother, to whom he seemed devoted.

MENELEK’S LETTER: -
Next morning I was called to a meeting at the Ras’s private apartments in his garden, and on entering I found him together with Ras Aloula, Ras Hagos of Tembien, the Choum Agamie, and Hagos Teferi, Nebrid Welda Gorgis, King Menelek’s agent, and my friend the chief priest of the district, Welda Mariam, father confessor to the late King Johannes.

The moment I entered I knew they had made up their minds what to do. I must say they did the business in the nicest manner possible; we first had tedg passed round, and then a very good breakfast was brought in, and when the servants had gone out of the room, King Menelek’s letter was produced, and the seal showed me, and I was told the contents. It was to call me to Adese-Ababa to be present to see how the prisoners were treated.

I told the assembly that I wanted to go north, and that I was run out of all stores and only had a little quinine and other medicines insufficient for my wants.

The reply was that being an Englishman I was wanted as a witness to what terms Menelek would offer and accept from the Italians. “Go in peace my friend, you are a guest of Abyssinia, leave to-morrow morning.”

I asked if this was final, and the answer was, “Yes; have no fear, you have been shown everything in Tigre, and now see how the King has treated the Italian prisoners and what he is going to do.”

With this I had to be content, and returned to my camp, and soon after Schimper came back, who had been sent for by the Council, and he also was told that he must accompany me to the south and explain to the king what he had been doing with the Italians in Erithrea, and he was very down-hearted as his absence from his wife and children, would be a long one. [Schimper was half-Ethiopian. His father was a German botanist who married an Ethiopian and lived in Ethiopia many years collecting plants]

FINAL GOODBYE TO RAS ALULA: -
The next morning I went to say good-bye to Ras Aloula. I little thought when he gripped my hand at parting, that it was the last time I should see him, and that the hero of so many battle-fields would lose his life over a paltry land squabble.

Curiously, the next person I said good-bye to was the other principal in the dispute, Ras Hagos of Tembein, who was also killed on the same occasion.

I was sorry to part with my friend the priest, who had been most kind, and a few days before parting, when in the churchyard with some other priests, he presented me with the cross that he always wore round his neck, and it proved most useful to me on many occasions.

I asked him to inform the Ras of the loss of my miniature medals, that had been stolen, as I thought by a soldier, and some months afterwards they arrived in London, all broken, but it only shews that priests have their use, and that there is a certain amount of law and honesty in the country...