Saba: Under the Hyena’s Foot

Hope of the Great

After the day at the church, the whole world seems wonderful and new. Saba is in beautiful Gondar and, although she hasn’t seen her brother since the day with the emperor, she knows he is somewhere close by. Also, Saba has created a plan to bring Emama.

Now, Saba is free to move around. She spends the next day outside, with the girl holding the red umbrella over her. She creeps as close as she dares to the house of the lions. They’re behind strong bars, but she can’t stop shaking as she stares at their swiftly padding, clawed feet and their swishing tails. The smell of rotting meat and blood ensures she doesn’t linger.

Their house in the countryside was made from clay and mixed with straw. The roof was made of grasses caught together at the top and hanging down low over the sides. In Gondar, every building is made from rock. Some castles have round houses floating high in the air, but even those are made of stone. Saba sees many of the castles have places where towers have tumbled, or rocks have slumped. She wanders into one and sees it’s full of books, but it has a musty smell that makes her want to run out. In another, a rat runs by Saba’s foot, making the girl and her scream at the same time.

At home, they made or built or grew things for themselves. Here, the compound bustles with people bringing in whatever is needed: wood for fires, meat for meals, shields and harnesses, jars and cloth. A number of small houses are used for cooking. Servants rush into them and delicious smells drift out. Saba sees the trees and gardens where someday, Emama, Mesfin, and Saba will walk and talk for hours.

The empress castle where Saba stays is near the Gate of the Pigeons. For a while, Saba stands and listens to the sound of the pigeons as they chuckle and coo. Saba stays far away from the lions, with the smell of death. It makes her cringe to watch those powerful tawny beasts pace constantly from one end of the cage to the other. What castle is Mesfin in? Is he seeing the same things as she is? Saba longs to talk to him. Perhaps by tomorrow the old servant will know where they’ve taken him.

When the old woman comes to Saba’s room the next morning, she tells her that she’s been invited to receive instruction from one of the teaching priests. Saba thinks about the loneliness that sits heavy on her shoulders. What she wants most is to see her brother. Still, it’d be good to have someone, anyone, to talk to. When Saba asks if Mesfin will be taught with her, the woman responds no. He must have his own teacher.

The priest that comes to teach Saba that morning wears a turban wrapped around his head. Under, he has a lively face and eyes that remind Saba of the angels’ eyes in the church. He sits quietly with his flywhisk, asking her if she knows her Psalms and if she knows the 231 characters of the alphabet. She responds that she doesn’t. But, when he asks if she can tell him the story of Solomon and the Queen of Saba, she says yes. After she’s done, he praises her. The story has many versions he tells her, but all agree on the important points.

The priest says Saba may ask him a question. She asks how many angels there are on the ceiling of the church. He smiles. The artist painted so many that no one has been able to count. Then, Saba asks him about her grandparents. Maybe they died while in prison on Amba Wehni. Can he tell her about that?

The priest brushes his flywhisk slowly back and forth. He explains that in ancient times, the male relatives of an emperor were traditionally imprisoned on a flat-topped mountain called an amba. Some emperors made sure their relatives were well cared for. Others did not. At this point, the practice has fallen out of use. But their current emperor had spent a few years in prison on Amba Wehni. His sister, Saba’s grandmother, joined him with her husband. The chronicles say they both died there.

When Saba asks more questions, he states he’ll tell her the history of their land, beginning with a story.

Once, an emperor was brought down from Amba Wehni and crowned about a hundred years ago. He was beloved because the land was calm under his rule. Once, with the help of his sister, he almost escaped from Amba Wehni while wearing a disguise. So after being crowned, he wandered the countryside in old, tattered clothes. He did that so he could find out who his enemies were and what his people thought of him.

One day, he saw an old man throwing sticks into a pond, as a means of divining the future. The emperor asked what the sticks were saying. Because of the disguise, the old man assumed he was speaking to a peasant. He said the sticks say the emperor will have a son, but they also say a person named Wallata Giorgis, that is not the son, will govern the kingdom after the emperor’s death.

One day, the empress bore a son to the emperor and he remembered the sticks. He explained to her the prophecy. His wife sat the emperor down and explained that her name by baptism is Wallata Giorgis. If he dies when their son is young, she will govern, even though she is not his descendant.

One day, while in the countryside, the emperor came across an Oromoo peasant. He gave his shamma to the peasant to wash. Then, as a test, the emperor began to say rude things about those in power. The peasant threw the emperor’s shamma back to him, saying, “I was washing your cloak as a kindness to a poor man. Wash your own shamma. That will give you less time to criticize your superiors.” When the emperor got back home, he summoned the man to Gondar and made him one of his most trusted servants. Thus, the Oromoo people came to the court of Gondar and have been here ever since.

Indeed, the emperor fell sick soon after. When he died, his son was still young, and his wife did indeed rule.

When the priest was finished with his stories, he got up to leave. If the queen and the emperor could have courage, then Saba can, too. Both Saba and the priest are very pleased with the day’s lessons.