Appearing more numerous and strong-willed than they were due to large amounts of "trumpeting, drumming, cries, and skirmishing," there was constant fear of an Adal attack, but the Christians were ready for the fight.

"[17] Later marvelling greatly at "how he [de Gama] had the audacity to appear before him with so small a force; that indeed he seemed to be a mere boy, as rumour said, and innocent without experience."

[18] Cristóvão then replied that "he had come here by order of the great Lion of the Sea-That the following day he would see what the Portuguese were worth, and that he was not to go over to him; for they obeyed no lord save the King of Portugal" then sending small tweezers for his eyebrows and "a very large looking-glass," implying Ahmad Gragn was a woman.

The Portuguese account states the involvement of 200 Turkish arquebusiers the Adal thought a great deal of, who allowed them to initially defeat Abyssinia.

"[20] Cristóvão then sounded his trumpets to recall them and, due to ever decreasing supplies and their opponents refusal to attack, arranged his forces with the queen at the center.

In the morning of Tuesday April 4, 1542, they began to march towards their enemy who shouted, trumpeted, and drummed, thinking them ensnared in their trap; the Christians then fired their matchlocks and artillery, killing "4 hourses and some foot.

"[26] After the victory, the Christian army wanted to rest, but the local ruler advised them not to due to the bad condition of the environment and to instead return to Ethiopian controlled land.

The Portuguese would stay in the region for a week recovering and waiting for reinforcements from Massawa which would not arrive,[27] meanwhile Seble Wongel sent out spies in disguise.