THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
181 
the road, while “ B " Battery accompanied the column, which was formed in 
the following order:— 
loth Co. R.E. A portion of the Beloochees and 10th Bombay Native 
“A” 1 Co^Bo^Sappers, Infantry were directed to swarm up the hill and occupy 
“B” Batt., &c. &c. 5 Falla. 
Sir C. Staveley was accompanied by Messrs Wlademir and Flad as guides; 
no resistance was made, and the column ascended the slope of Islamgee; 
here the Bombay Sappers mounted a difficult scarp by the right, the 33rd 
with three guns of “ B '' Battery moving by the left; the guns were dis¬ 
mounted and carried by hand, and were finally brought into action on the 
top of Selassee, 2000 yards from the gate of Magdala ; the remaining three 
guns took an easier road along the southern side of the slope, by which also 
the “A" Battery was advanced, the guns being brought to a position at the 
end of the saddle below Magdala, where they were joined by the three guns of 
“B” Battery from Selassee later in the day; G/14thR.A. the 8-in.mortars, and 
Naval Brigade were brought into action upon the road itself below the scarp ; 
a 6-in. bronze gun and 10-in. mortar on travelling carriages were upon 
the road, the former having recently been withdrawn from Falla, the latter 
from Islamgee. The Cavalry in advance, a Company of the 33rd, and 10th 
Company R.E. occupied the enemy's park, the position afterwards chosen 
for. our mountain guns, about 1300 yards from the gate. A few shots were 
exchanged at this point while the position was held during the formation of 
the division on Islamgee; the batteries being in position about 3 o'clock, 
the column of assault was formed about 4 o'clock, the 10th Company R.E. 
being in advance of the 33rd, the Madras Sappers following with scaling 
ladders, and the remainder of the division being in support. 
Half an hour before the advance sounded, the batteries opened fire upon 
the gate, which was formed of a thick palisade, supported by a barricade of 
stones half-way up its height. Its roof was covered with earth and stones 
and a thick loop-holed defence touched it on the left, a difficult hedge 
running all along the ridge of a precipitous rock, presented an obstacle 
sufficiently formidable, but there was no flanking defence. Whatever may 
have been the number of warriors that accompanied Theodore into Magdala, 
there were very few that remained to hold the gate against a British army. 
The heavy artillery fire brought upon this point, previous to the assault is 
justified by the ignorance in which we remained to the last of the number 
of its defenders; it is at the same time certain that the effect of our shell 
prevented the 700 men who occupied Magdala, from joining in opposing 
our entrance. 
It was some time before the gate gave way, and entrance was obtained 
in the first instance over the hedge, a scaling ladder was then placed 
against the earthwork by which the 33rd passed over. The warriors of the 
silver shield, few in number though they were, had died gallantly at their 
post. Theodore with his armour bearer sole survivors at the first gate, 
pushed up to the second gate by a steep and rugged path. Raised on a stone 
the king was seen to lift his hand as though in the act of cursing those 
who had hunted the lion to his den, and before a British bullet could lay 
him low, his own hand put an end to his existence. 
