116 PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 



grown elephants and two young ones. As they crossed 

 in front of us at about forty yards Jesse and Mockler 

 both fired at the leading elephant, which fell over. The 

 others stood by it, and were soon dropped also ; but we 

 had to fire several bullets before they were dead. Not a 

 single attempt at a charge was made by any one of them. 

 The smallest elephant was shot by accident. 



A more unexciting attack it would be impossible to 

 conceive, and I believe we all felt rather ashamed of our- 

 selves for shooting such inoffensive animals as these 

 elephants appeared. Abyssinian elephants are not always 

 so harmless. An officer of the 2d Belooch regiment was 

 severely injured, and very nearly killed by one which he 

 had wounded near Suru. Lieut. Mockler was most 

 viciously pursued by a herd which he attacked on the 

 Anseba ; and Mr. Jesse was charged by a large female 

 without any provocation, on our return journey, close 

 to this very place, Kokai. For my own part, this 

 happened to be the first and last occasion on which 

 I came across any elephants in Abyssinia. The only 

 satisfaction was that we provided all the people in the 

 neighbourhood with meat for some time. We made 

 one or two essays ourselves. Trunk proved rather 

 good, though tough ; but elephant foot met with general 

 disapproval. 



On the 12th, Mockler went on. Jesse and I remained 

 a day longer to collect at Kokai, and proceeded on the 

 13th. The road led through fine jungle for about five 

 miles, gradually ascending. All the rocks, as throughout 

 the Lebka valley, are metamorphic, but from Mohabar 



