The memoirist was born to fight, and fight he did even to the end ofhis life. He could not do otherwise, because that was what the vicissitudes of the era required ofhim. He was born and brought up at a time when Eritrea became a battlefield of foreign interests. In addition to what his parents related to him, he hirnself saw as early as in his childhood cruel tax exacters scrounge up the possessions ofthe peasants, warriors fight intermittently to attain political dominance, and looters roam the land wantonly; in one such incident his eldest brother was killed.Behind all these troubles were ofcourse greater political forces which aimed at bringing the country under their contro!. Like his parents, Gilarnika'el tried to survive by siding with the victorious, regardless ofwho won and how often victory changed sides. His traditional and western education as weil as his agility, energy and sagacity helped hirn not only to adjust himselfto new situations, but also to take on different assignments as a soldier, an interpreter, a researcher, a public administrator, a telegraphist, a political intermediary, without losing his composure. However, the exigencies ofthe time did not leave hirn in peace. He was forced to leave his horne and go in exile. A dozen or so years later, political upheavals in the country ofhis refuge forced hirn again to move back to where he started. The upheavals of his own native village, too, gave hirn no peace. On the contrary, he suffered bruises, imprisonment and the payment of damages caused by his own relations.