452 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
from Antalo, whence there was no road, on the backs of elephants, over 
the most difficult ground—the steepest, stoniest, and narrowest passes and 
mountain gorges. 
The elephants possessed a wonderful degree of training, not to say intelli¬ 
gence. These animals, so docile and obedient to their keepers, made an 
immense impression on the inhabitants, who only knew them in their wild 
state. It was a bold experiment to employ these animals, accustomed 
as they were to the hot Indian climate and good roads, on such vile roads 
and in such a variable temperature as that of Abyssinia, but they would 
have been of material service if Magdala had been more vigorously defended; 
for there is no doubt that if Theodore had not given up the positions of 
Tala and Islamgee, in consequence of his unaccountable attack on the 
10th of April, and the consequent demoralisation of his troops, a severe 
bombardment would have been necessary. This circumstance alone made it 
possible to bombard Magdala from the dominating position of Islamgee, 
and to take this almost impregnable position. The experiment, however, 
succeeded capitally, and the elephants, in spite of all obstacles, arrived before 
Magdala with the troops, in a surprisingly good condition. 
These animals w r ere treated with the greatest care, and even if the whole 
army had been obliged to suffer from hunger, the Commander-in-Chief would 
yet have given the elephants their full rations. They had, however, to suffer 
great privations in some places, in consequence of the enormous quantity of 
water they require, and where it was impossible to give them sufficient to 
drink. They suffered most before and after the capture of Magdala, as 
there, as well as on the plateau of Arrogy, there was no water, and the 
poor beasts had to go six miles to drink the w r ater o‘f the Bashilo, which was 
tainted with the carcasses of dead animals. At first it was feared that the 
stony roads would cut their feet, and in consequence thick leather shoes 
were provided for them. It was soon seen, however, that this precaution 
was unnecessary, as the elephants picked their way so cleverly, and even 
pushed stones on one side with their trunks, that their feet suffered little 
—much less than the camels, which, notwithstanding the climate agreeing 
with them better, could not on this account have Borne the march as far as 
Magdala. Their saddles w r ere very cumbersome, and the w T hole arrangement 
struck me as very primitive. To mount the guns on them, the elephants 
were made to kneel down, when two skids were placed resting against them, 
and the gun pinched and parbuckled up. The two 8-inch mortars were 
carried in a similar way. 
The gunners of the Armstrong battery were very muscular, fine, soldier¬ 
like men; many had taken part in several previous campaigns, and some 
had as many as five medals. 
Infantry . 
There was no opportunity of forming an accurate opinion of the power of 
manoeuvring of the English infantry, as the only time I saw them formed up 
and exercised was at the review held at Senafe in honour of the birthday of 
Her Majesty the Queen. The English infantry is formed up in two ranks, 
three (?) paces from one another. On the march, the rear rank closes up 
to the front rank to such an extent, that the feet of the rear rank men can 
only tread in the intervals of the feet of the front rank, which of course 
