98 PERSONAL NARRATIFE. 



being now abundant, all tbe mules and horses were 

 rapidly getting into good condition, and much fewer 

 fell or knocked up on the road. Still I frequently pre- 

 ferred allowing the whole camp to go ahead, and march- 

 ing quietly by myself in the afternoon, so that I could 

 examine the rocks along the road, or shoot any rare birds 

 or animals I might see. This was, I believe, against 

 orders, as there was supposed to be risk of being 

 attacked, but the risk was very small ; all that was 

 necessary was to keep the mules in sight, as otherwise 

 they might have been plundered by some of the petty 

 thieves who hung about the route of the army. Much 

 more was related about thieves than was true. Petty 

 pilfering took place everywhere, as amongst all civUized 

 and semi-civilized peoples ; but, except in the disturbed 

 country around Ashangi, most of the stories of attacks 

 and thefts were invented by muleteers and camp fol- 

 lowers to conceal their own villanies.^ I can only say, 

 in justice to -the Abyssinians, that both in marching to 

 Magdala and in returning I rode or walked the greater 

 portion of the distance either entirely alone or with one 

 or two companions, who, like myself, preferred keeping 



1 An admirable instance occurred at Undul Wells, when I was staying there. 

 Some muleteers arrived with three or four Shoho prisoners bound, and asserted 

 that these men had attacked them, and had attempted to rob their mules on 

 the road. The Shohos, on the other hand, declared that they had been con- 

 veying stores from Zulla to Senaf6 for the Commissariat, and were returning 

 with the money when attacked by the muleteers. On inquiry this turned 

 out to be the case, the money taken from the Shohoa was found upon the 

 muleteers. Another trick of the muleteers was to sell stores entrusted to 

 them to Shohos or Abyssinians, and to account for the deficiency by stories 

 of robbery. Undoubtedly a few cases of robbery did take place, but the 

 greater number of asserted instances were, I believe, imaginary. 



