The elephants for the guns have not yet arrived, but are expected
to-morrow, and in that case will go on with Sir Robert Napier; who, I
believe, will positively leave in the afternoon. As several other bodies
of troops move on the same day, it will make his entry into Attegrat quite
an imposing affair. In fact, I should not be surprised if the sight of the
elephants created quite a stampede among the natives. Speaking of
elephants, a sad accident occurred a few days since at Sooro. These
animals are to be met with in the mountains between that place and the
sea, and three have been killed by officers of the Beloochees.
Accordingly, Major Beville and Lieutenant Edwards went out to try their
fortune, and were successful in finding a herd of them feeding in a
valley. The animals scented them before they could get within fair shot,
and began to run rapidly away; whereupon Edwards rushed out, crossed a
small intervening nullah, and followed upon their heels. Elephants,
however, are not animals that like being followed, and accordingly one of
them turned and charged his pursuer. Edwards fired at him, but failing to
check him, took to his heels. The animal overtook him in his descent of
the nullah, seized him in his trunk, dashed him to the ground, and
endeavoured to trample on him, but fortunately the slope of the ground
rendered this a matter of difficulty. At this critical moment Major
Beville arrived, and fired into the animal, who, most fortunately, upon
finding himself wounded, quitted his victim and fled. Extraordinary to
state, poor Edwards was not killed; but he has received some severe
internal injuries, and is now lying at Sooro in a very precarious state.
The bullock-carts, which arrived the day before yesterday, aroused, as I
anticipated, the admiration and wonder of the natives to the highest
point. I believe that they never saw a wheeled vehicle before; and the
apparition of the long line of carts, drawn by the splendid Brahmin
cattle, coming up laden with stores, from a defile which all their
traditions from time immemorial have represented to them as being
impracticable even for their own sure-footed little cattle, completed
their assurance that the English are truly sons of Sheitan. Our energy and
resources must indeed appear something quite supernatural to this
primitive people.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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