During the reign1 of Asfa Woosen, grandsire to Sáhela Selássie, the independent states of Shoa and Efát were of very inconsiderable extent. Morát, Morabeitie, Giddem, Bulga, and other districts now appended, were at that period distinct governments, as is now the case in Guráguê where there are more rulers than provinces. It is not therefore surprising, that amid the perpetual quarrels of the Christian2 princes, the Galla should have been left in undisturbed possession of the lands which they had wrested3 from Southern Abyssinia. But no sooner had Asfa Woosen subdued4 King Zeddoo, the usurper5 of Morabeitie and Morát, with whom sank also those of inferior pretensions6, than he began with his united forces to make inroads upon the Galla tribes. The unsettled state of the newly-conquered provinces precluded7 extensive operations; and the task of reducing the Pagans to obedience8 was thus principally bequeathed to Woosen Suggud, whose strong arm not only kept in submission9 the territories conquered by his father, but added greatly to the western limits of Shoa by the acquisition of Moogher on the Nile, and by the conquest of the Abitchu, Wóberi, and Gillán, so far south as the mountains of Garra Gorphoo.
Conceiving that a youth who had scarcely numbered twelve years would be unable to hold them in subjection, the tributary10 Galla revolted immediately upon the accession of Sáhela Selássie. But subsequent events proved that they were mistaken in the estimate formed of the monarch12’s military capacity. He vanquished13 King Hailoo, who still asserted his dignity in Morát. Having amassed14 firearms from Gondar and Tigré, as well as from the sea-coast of Tajúra, he was enabled to quell15 many successive insurrections, and for a number of years was fortunate in the fidelity16 of the lion-hearted Medóko, who was even more feared than himself by the surrounding Gentiles. He caused all the Galla of the province of Shoa-Méda to be circumcised and baptised; and having commanded them to wear about their necks the “máteb,” or cord of blue silk, to fast, and to eat neither with Mohammadans nor Pagans, nor to touch meat that has not been killed in the name of the Holy Trinity, they have thenceforth been denominated Christians17.
Throughout his long reign, it has been the king’s favourite project to re-unite the scattered18 remnants of Christian population which still mark the extent of the dominions19 of his forefathers20. The countries to the south and south-west have therefore always received the largest share of His Majesty21’s attention, and in those directions he has attacked and subdued in succession all the tribes on this side of the Háwash. The Metta, Metcha, Moolo Fálada, Betcho-Woreb, Betcho-Foogook, and Charsa-Dagha, are all appended to Shoa. Moreover the royal arms have crossed the Háwash, and to a certain extent accomplished23 the reduction of the Sóddo, of the frontiers of Guráguê, of the Karaiyo, Loomi, Jillé, and other remote clans25. In the north little progress has been made, and many reverses have deterred26 further attempts upon the wild mountaineers; but in the north-east the Selmi, the Abóti, and several other tribes previously27 independent, have been reduced to feudal28 submission, and by judicious30 management are made to secure the frontier from invasion.
But although Sáhela Selássie has thus widely extended the limits of his empire, he has adopted no efficient measures to consolidate31 his conquests. As a contrast between the former and the existing administration, it is said of the southern Galla, “where all was once strength, there is now nothing save weakness. Of yore, tribute was paid by all, whereas at the present day the possession of the dependencies does but entail32 expense.” Three annual expeditions, made, throughout a period of thirty years, for the purpose of collecting the revenues of the crown, have hitherto proved ineffectual to the preservation33 of permanent tranquillity34 amongst the tribes subjugated35 by his ancestors; and the Sertie lake, with other morasses36, remain monuments of the dire22 disasters which sometimes attend his usually successful arms. He neither erects37 fortifications, nor does he establish outposts; and the government being continued in heathen hands, the tributary tribes rebel during each rainy season, only to be re-subdued as soon as it is over—the insurgents38 sometimes tendering their renewed allegiance the instant they perceive the crimson39 umbrellas of state, but more frequently delaying until the locust-like army of the Amhára has swept their fair fields, and like the devastating40 stream from the volcano, has left a smoking desert in its train.
Chastised41 by two or three successful forays, the chiefs and elders of the rebellious42 and ruined clan24, finding the futility43 of further opposition44 to the yoke45, come in with the tribute exacted, and make feudal submission, whereupon they are suffered to ransom46 their wives and daughters who have been enslaved. It cannot fail to appear extraordinary, that those who are unprepared for resistance should occupy their beleaguered47 abodes48 one minute after they had become aware of the presence of their ruthless and implacable foes49; but in almost every instance they are in blood feud29 with all the surrounding tribes of their own nation, at whose merciless hands they would experience even worse treatment than at those of the Amhára. Neither, during persecution50, could the tax-repudiating hope to find an asylum51 among tributary neighbours, with whom they might perchance be on amicable52 terms, since their reception would inevitably53 entail on those who harboured the fugitives54 the last vengeance55 of the despot. Thus the choice is left between precarious56 flight to the mountain fastnesses, in the very teeth of the enemy, and the alternative of lurking57 in the vicinity of the invaded hamlet, upon the slender chance of eluding58 the keen scent59 of the bloodhounds.
The governor, or, in fact, the king of all the Galla now dependent on Shoa, is Abogáz Maretch, who resides at Wona-badéra, south of Angollála. At first a bitter enemy of Sáhela Selássie, this haughty60 warrior61 chief, renowned63 for his bravery, was finally gained over by bribes64, and by promises of distinction and advancement65, which have actually been fulfilled. Partly by force, and partly by soft words and judicious intermarriages with chiefs of the various tribes, he contrives66 to keep in some sort of order the wild spirits over whom he presides; but he is taxed with want of proper severity, and although still high in favour, has more than once been suspected of divulging67 the royal projects.
Abba Mooállé, the governor of Moogher and of the surrounding Galla in the west, was also formerly68 very inimical to Shoa; but being won over to the royal interests by the espousal of his sister, by preferment to extensive power, and by the hand of one of the despotic princesses, he was four years since converted to Christianity, when the king became his sponsor. The valuable presents which he is enabled to make to the throne, owing to his proximity69 to the high caravan-road from the interior, preserve him a distinguished70 place in the estimation of the Negoos, to whom he is little inferior in point of state. At constant war with the Galla occupying the country to the westward71, between Sullála Moogher and Gojam, he hastily assembles his troops twice or thrice during the year, and making eagle-like descents across the Nile at the head of ten thousand cavalry72, rarely fails to recruit the royal herds73 with a rich harvest in cattle.
Dogmo, who resides in the mountain of Yerrur, was educated in the palace; and his undeviating attachment74 to the crown has been rewarded with the hand of one of the king’s illegitimate daughters. Bótha, Shámbo, and Dogmo, are the sons of Bunnie, whose father, Borri, governed the entire tract75 styled Ghera Méder, “the country on the left,” which includes all the Galla tribes bordering on both sides of the Háwash in the south of Shoa. Bunnie was, in consequence of some transgression76, imprisoned77 in Arámba; and Bótora, another potent78 Galla chieftain, appointed in his stead. But this impolitic transfer of power creating inveterate79 hatred80 between the two families, each strove to destroy the other. Bunnie was in consequence liberated81, and restored to his government; but resting incautiously under a tree on his return, not long afterwards, from a successful expedition against the Aroosi, whom he had defeated, he was suddenly surrounded by the enemy, and slain82, together with four chiefs, his confederates, and nearly the whole of his followers83. His sons were then severally invested with governments; and Boku, the son of Bótora, was at his father’s demise84 entrusted85 with the preservation of the avenues to the Lake Zooai, long an object of the royal ambition.
Among the most powerful Galla chieftains who own allegiance to Shoa, is Jhára, the son of Chámie, soi-disant Queen of Moolo Fálada, who, since the demise of her husband, has governed that and other provinces adjacent. Sáhela Selássie, who it will be seen relies more upon political marriages than upon the force of arms, sent matrimonial overtures86 to this lady, and received for answer the haughty message, “that if he would spread the entire road from Angollála with rich carpets, she might perhaps listen to the proposal, but upon no other conditions!” The Christian lances poured over the border to avenge87 this insult offered to the monarch of Shoa, and the invaded tribe laid down their arms; but Gobánah, foster-brother to Jhára, and a mighty88 man of renown62, finding that His Majesty proposed burning their hamlets without reservation, rose to oppose the measure. At this critical moment an Amhára trumpeter raised his trombone to his lips. The Galla, believing the instrument to be none other than a musket89, fled in consternation90, and their doughty91 chieftain surrendered himself a prisoner at discretion92.
Upon learning to whom he had relinquished93 his liberty, Gobánah, broken-hearted, abandoned himself to despair, and refused all sustenance94 for many days. The hand of the fair daughter of the queen was eventually the price of his ransom; and on the celebration of the nuptials95, the king, who, with reference to his conquest of Moolo Fálada, might have exclaimed, with the Roman dictator, “Veni, vidi, vici” conferred upon Jhára the government of all the subjugated Galla as far as the sources of the Háwash, and to the Nile in the west. Warlike, daring, and ambitious, exercising his important functions almost beyond the ken11 of his sovereign, and possessing from his proximity to Gojam and Dámot, the means of creating himself the leader of a vast horde96, there can be little doubt, although he has hitherto evinced strong attachment to the crown, that, imitating the example of all pagan chieftains who have gone before him, he will one day profit by his opportunities to take up arms against Shoa, and may thus not improbably enact97 a most conspicuous98 part in the history of the Galla nation.
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1
reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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3
wrested
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| （用力）拧( wrest的过去式和过去分词 )； 费力取得； （从…）攫取； （ 从… ） 强行取去… | |
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4
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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5
usurper
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| n. 篡夺者, 僭取者 | |
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pretensions
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| 自称( pretension的名词复数 )； 自命不凡； 要求； 权力 | |
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precluded
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| v.阻止( preclude的过去式和过去分词 )；排除；妨碍；使…行不通 | |
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8
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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tributary
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| n.支流；纳贡国；adj.附庸的；辅助的；支流的 | |
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ken
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| n.视野，知识领域 | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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amassed
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| v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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quell
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| v.压制，平息，减轻 | |
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fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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18
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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dominions
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| 统治权( dominion的名词复数 )； 领土； 疆土； 版图 | |
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forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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22
dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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23
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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clans
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| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
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26
deterred
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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feudal
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| adj.封建的，封地的，领地的 | |
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feud
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| n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇 | |
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30
judicious
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| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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31
consolidate
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| v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并 | |
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entail
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| vt.使承担，使成为必要，需要 | |
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33
preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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35
subjugated
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| v.征服，降伏( subjugate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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morasses
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| n.缠作一团( morass的名词复数 )；困境；沼泽；陷阱 | |
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37
erects
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| v.使直立，竖起( erect的第三人称单数 )；建立 | |
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38
insurgents
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| n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 ) | |
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39
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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40
devastating
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| adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的 | |
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41
chastised
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| v.严惩（某人）（尤指责打）( chastise的过去式 ) | |
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42
rebellious
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| adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的 | |
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43
futility
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| n.无用 | |
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44
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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45
yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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46
ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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47
beleaguered
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| adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰 | |
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48
abodes
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| 住所( abode的名词复数 )； 公寓； （在某地的）暂住； 逗留 | |
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49
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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50
persecution
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| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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51
asylum
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| n.避难所，庇护所，避难 | |
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52
amicable
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| adj.和平的，友好的；友善的 | |
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53
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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54
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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55
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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56
precarious
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| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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57
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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58
eluding
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的现在分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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59
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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60
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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61
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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renown
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| n.声誉，名望 | |
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renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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64
bribes
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| n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂 | |
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65
advancement
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| n.前进，促进，提升 | |
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contrives
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| （不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的第三人称单数 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到 | |
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divulging
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| v.吐露，泄露( divulge的现在分词 ) | |
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68
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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70
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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73
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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76
transgression
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| n.违背；犯规；罪过 | |
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77
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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inveterate
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| adj.积习已深的，根深蒂固的 | |
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80
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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81
liberated
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| a.无拘束的，放纵的 | |
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82
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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83
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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84
demise
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| n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让 | |
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85
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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86
overtures
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| n.主动的表示，提议；（向某人做出的）友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 )；（歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的）序曲，前奏曲 | |
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87
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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88
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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89
musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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90
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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91
doughty
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| adj.勇猛的，坚强的 | |
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92
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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93
relinquished
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| 交出，让给( relinquish的过去式和过去分词 )； 放弃 | |
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94
sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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95
nuptials
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| n.婚礼；婚礼( nuptial的名词复数 ) | |
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96
horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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97
enact
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| vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演 | |
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98
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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