That prophecy is going to be fulfilled
at the present time; but I do not know whether I am the king alluded
to, or if it is some one else."
We were delighted at the receipt of this intelligence; for a long
time we believed that Theodore knew of the landing of our troops,
but as he had never made any mention of the fact we still had our
doubts on the subject, and were somewhat in dread of his first burst
of passion on the intelligence reaching him.
On the 15th of February a letter from the Commander-in-Chief addressed
to Theodore was brought to us by the messenger to whom it had been
entrusted, as he was afraid of handing it over to his Majesty
himself. This placed us in a difficult position; though as regarded
the Amharic translation, it was perhaps as well that it had not
reached Theodore, as that version, on some important points, gave
a totally different meaning from that of the letter itself. I was
quite delighted at listening to the Commander-in-Chief's manly and
straightforward language. The letter was as firm as it was courteous,
and I felt happy and proud, even in my captivity, that at last an
English general had torn asunder the veil of false humility which
for so long a time had concealed the bold and haughty spirit of
England. We felt strengthened by the conviction that the hour was
come when right and might would prevail, and the merciless despot
who had acted towards us with such unheard-of treachery would meet
his fate.
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