A MILITARY PICNIC IN ABYSSINIA.

DECEMBER, 1875 TO JUNE, 1876.

BY COLONEL HENRY CLAY DERRICK, EGYPTIAN ARMY.

From the Henry Clay Derrick Papers
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

On Sunday the 5th of December, 1875, the quid nuncs of Cairo were fluttered and the spruce officers of the Staff who had been revelling in the delights of the French Theatre, Italian Opera and Masked Balls of that Gay Capital were disturbed in their arrangements for the approaching winter by the sudden receipt of an order from the Egyptian War Office to find themselves with their servants and baggage at the R.Rd. Depot at six o’clock of that day ready to depart for Suez. They all knew that this meant Abyssinia and felt as if the Egyptian Government had kindly prepared for them a delightful picnic to the mountains, returning from which in a few months, they would come covered with glory, with increased rank and emoluments and with those gorgeous decorations for which men barter life itself. The unfortunate fate of Arrendrup and his 2500 Egyptians, who had been butchered without pity but a few months before, after being led into the mountain fastnesses, if thought of at all, was lightly dismissed by the suggestion of incompetence and inexperience in the leader; but we had leaders, it was urged, who had made fighting a trade, an army well drilled and equipped, armed with the most approved breech loaders, splendid batteries of Krupp guns and magnificent field pieces of French Napoleons; in fact, as was said of the French Army before the Prussian War, “The army did not lack even a shoe-string.” And so it happened that we reached Suez at daylight on the following morning in high spirits, and after being entertained by the Commander-in-Chief, Ratib Pacha, with a grand dinner at the Hotel, at which champagne and other wines flowed like water and many speeches were made, we embarked on a steamer and sailed for Massowah. Following down the Gulf of Suez we left the tall peaks of Mt. Sinai on our left on the peninsula formed by the Gulfs of Suez and Akaba; the next point of interest that we passed was the ruins of the ancient city of Berenice, situated on the right or west coast of the Red Sea about 400 miles south of Suez or just before you enter the tropics; 200 miles further south and on the east side we found Djedda, the port of Mecca; about the same distance further down and on the opposite side is situated the port of Suakim, which is the great entrepot for the ivory and other trade from the Soudan and upper Egypt and where is transacted a heavy trade with the interior. About 300 miles further we reached Massowah, the port of entry for Abyssinia, nearly a thousand miles from Suez where are received whatever products of the chase are sent out from that country and whatever of civilization is sent into it. Massowah is situated on a coral island and connected to the mainland by a causeway more than a mile in length, well constructed, and over which run the pipes that convey the fresh water supply to the city, from wells two or three miles further inland, where the water is pumped up by hand or by bullocks; all this work was executed at great expense by the liberal hand of His Highness, the Khedive. The water obtained is brackish and to the taste exceedingly unpleasant; so much so that during our stay we always thought it a great treat to obtain a few gallons of water from the steamers arriving from the port of Suez. Massowah does not contain anything that would interest by a description; like all towns and cities in a low latitude it contains a mixture of houses, huts and hovels as varied as the color, character and dress of its population, the houses being generally of one story, but you may find a few of more pretentious architecture, and the inevitable mosque marks the religious sentiment which pervades the people. The Governor’s Palace, situated on another island between Massowah and the mainland and facing the mouth of the harbour, is a picturesque and oriental building, well placed to catch every breath of air which ruffles the heaving bosom of the sea or rolls down from the mountain peaks which loom in the distance landward; and good need there is that every breath of air should be entrapped in supporting life in this heated place during the summer solstice, when the ambient air itself seems but a heavy pall slowly but surely closing down upon and extinguishing the last struggling efforts for breath and life. During the winter months the air is not so close, and although one finds it quite hot in the sun, the thermometer in December and January ranging about 80 degrees, yet a pleasant breeze from the sea makes life endurable and the nights bring refreshment and pleasant slumbers.

Being safely landed at Massowah and having spent about one month in waiting for reinforcements and in making all our preparations, we were recalled to the fact that our business was serious and smelled of gunpowder. Owing to the difficulties of procuring means of transportation and supplies at such a great distance from Cairo, and there being no roads in Abyssinia all our supplies had to be moved by pack mules, horses and camels of which an immense number was required, it was not until the 11th of January that we were able to take up the line of march with the advance guard under the command of Osman Pacha. We reached the dry bed of the stream called Yangoos after a hard day’s march of twenty miles. The route lay over a sandy, rocky, and barren plain covered here and there with thorny bushes and cacti, and the sun beat down upon the plain with intense heat, and not a drop of water was to be found in the whole distance; and upon arriving at the spot designated for our camp no water was to be found although the Shoho guides had promised an abundant supply. The soldiers worn out by a long and weary march under a tropical sun and loaded heavily with guns, ammunition and rations, were yet compelled to go to work digging wells and spent the night in that fatiguing and exhausting labor. And here let me pay a well merited tribute to the Egyptian soldier in entering of record that I have never seen soldiers who stand better under hardship, deprivation, hard labor, and long marches, nor who suffer all with more patience and good spirits. In Abyssinia water is found only at certain known places and at long distances apart, which places are usually or always in sandy beds of mountain torrents and one is compelled to dig down in the sand amongst rocky boulders to come at it. In the rainy season water is easily found thus at varying depths below the surface; but in the dry season it requires hard and deep digging and is often altogether wanting. Our situation was indeed unpleasant, and to add to its discomfort it being now the commencement of the rainy season on that side of Bahr-reza, a drizzling rain set in and we found ourselves without tents, without anything to eat and with no water, our camels and pack animals which strung out miles in extent not having yet reached camp. But a soldier must have a heart for any lot that he finds inevitable, and so we stretched ourselves unprotected and supperless upon the rocky ground and tried to forget the harsh realities of the present in happy dreams of the past or bright anticipations of the future.

We had now crossed the wide desolate plain that stretches from the sea-coast inland, and had reached the foot of the rugged mountains that environ that horrid country and stand as everlasting guardians against the invaders’ steps, more formidable than the hosts that follow its warlike King. At this point we were only 600 feet above the level of the sea and all our troubles lay before us. Henceforward our road was to be what we should make it, and we saw, not without some misgivings, that nature was terribly against us in the coming struggle.

At the first dawn of light we were all astir and learned that the men had been able to find very little water during the night and that all of the animals had not yet been watered. It was determined to send the guides ahead to Maassena to ascertain if water could be procured at that point and that the troops should remain at Yangoos all that day and continue work on the wells. This became the more necessary as two officers had arrived from the rear who brought the disheartening news that our train which did not come up during the previous night was inextricable confusion in the narrow trail, and the camels, with loads scattered in every direction, lying around without drivers, the caravan having been attacked during the night by lions and the Shoho drivers having deserted their charges in terror. These Shohos inhabit the country adjacent to the coast and subsist by raising large herds of goats and cattle which they drive from place to place in search of such scanty herbage as they may find. They are good Mohammedans and were liege subjects of the Egyptian Government at that time and I am at a loss to account for their unfaithful conduct upon this occasion. They wear no clothes but a piece of cotton cloth wrapped around their loins. During the day our guides returned from Maassena with unfavorable reports as to water, but we felt independent as our train had been set to rights and brought into camp; the men had been more successful at the wells; forty mules loaded with water in goat skins brought from Massowah, had reached us with our convoy and we knew that we would certainly be able to find a further supply at Bahr-reza on the morrow. Our battalion of Engineer Troops had improved the time by making a practicable route over the first mountain pass that borders the valley of the Yangoos and separates it from the wide sandy slope that reaches from the coast thus far inland. We had now entered the confines of the enemy’s country and did not know at what moment he might fall upon on us in some narrow defile, of which there were many suited to such warfare. But we were all hopeful and confident and if we did not, like the child on the night before Christmas have visions of sugar plums dance through our heads, we had something as sweet to the soldier as are sugar plums to the child—Decorations and Glory. At 3 o’clock on the following morning we were up and making our preparations for departure. The morning was dark and gloomy, a drizzling mist had continued all night, occasionally setting in to a decided rainfall. Leaving an Engineer officer with some troops to continue the work on the mountain pass and to perfect the wells for the convenience of the future, we took up the line of march. Our way for some time lay up the valley of the Yangoos, which presented no especial difficulties; but soon leaving that stream, we pursued a route up the Maassena, being compelled to cross many spurs, steep, rocky, nearly impassable and to wind though defiles that would have been very beautiful to an artist, but for which we had no admiring eye at that time. Of course the only artillery that could accompany us were some mountain howitzers, transported on mules. The rain continued all day, which was an advantage to us, for it moderated the heat and filled all the holes with water, of which the men gladly availed themselves until reaching the plain of Bathegan or Ambatekoane, we fortunately found quite a large pool had been formed there by the rain, into which the men and animals, with cheers and brays, rushed promiscuously, regardless of discipline and enjoyed the muddy water in brotherly communion. Ambatekoane was a beautiful level plain; we found here for the first time cultivated land with growing crops of corn and small grain. But the natives only rest here until the maturity of their crops, living in temporary huts and migrating with their flocks as soon as the harvest is over for “fresh fields and pastures new”. When I first passed this place in January, the corn was about six inches high, the grass was abundant and everything was green and flourishing, all was life; when I repassed in the following June, the fields were dry, dusty and baked, the grass was burned up and gone, the huts were abandoned and in ruins and every vestige of life had vanished from the spot; not even a solitary hyena or jackal woke the solemn silence with its hateful cry, all was desolation. Another short march of five or six miles and we had reached Bahr-reza, one of our strategic points and which we had previously determined to fortify. Here we had attained an elevation of 1800 feet, and began already to feel the change in the atmosphere. We also found plenty of grass and water at this point and game in abundance. On the first day after our arrival one of the advanced pickets was furiously attacked by an Eland, a species of stag very fierce and strong, which the soldier killed and sent the head and horns to the Pacha commanding. It was an immense thing, the horns being spiral or twisted and more than 4 and one-half feet long. The mountain scenery here is enchanting and great numbers of mammoth anthills cover the mountain slopes, these ants are very destructive to anything like cloth and even destroy wood and leather. The thorn bushes which are found everywhere throughout this region, resemble at a distance in their shape and regularity of growth, large apple orchards, but I saw no fruit of any kind in Abyssinia except some Tamarind Trees at Addi-Rasso. A great variety of birds is seen, some of very gaudy plumage and with very peculiar notes. Game is abundant, such as quails, pheasants and guinea fowls, wild hogs, gazelles and deer; whilst for those who find sport in danger, the hyena and lion afford every opportunity to gratify their passion for the hunt, while monkeys frolic playfully amongst the high rocks that border the defiles of the route and look like some pigmy race of men, with their human-like movements and gestures.

We remained at Bahr-reza about two weeks and employed the time in fortifying the position and in building a road from Massowah practicable for artillery and in making reconnaissances ahead. At the end of the time the Commander-in-Chief, Ratib Pacha, and another division of the Army having joined us, we suddenly took up the line of march and pushed rapidly forward, leaving at Bahr-reza and Addi-Rasso forces to garrison and hold those points and striving to pass the dreaded defile of Kaya-Khor and seize on the plain of Gura before the enemy should learn of our intention and occupy those places with his forces. By a march of three days we accomplished our object and took position on the plain of Gura having met, very much to our surprise, with no opposition on the route, and having only the natural obstacles of the country to surmount. This was fortunate for us, as the enemy would have had every advantage in the narrow defiles through which we were forced to march, and in our crossing of the steep and difficult mountain of Bamba which it was impossible to avoid. It is needless to give in detail the difficulties, sufferings and annoyances of the march from Bahr-reza to Gura, but I will merely state that the country passed through was generally rough, sterile and mountainous and that it offered no attractions except to the hunter or the artist. In fact the whole country, as far as we penetrated it, is utterly worthless except as a habitation for wild beasts and wilder men; as an acquisition, it is not worth to the conqueror the life of a single soldier. Its want of water, roads, provisions, wood and its bleak and naked mountains render it impossible to carry on military operations there on a large scale except at immense cost and great risk of failure. It is said that further in the interior, the country is more fertile, water more abundant and that corn, rice, tobacco, cotton and coffee are produced in considerable quantities. It is to be hoped that this is so, for the sake of the poor wretches who live there.

We had now reached an elevation of 6500 feet and at night we found the temperature cold and bracing, although the sun was quite hot during the day; the thermometer never descended, however, to the freezing point, 40 degrees F. being the lowest I noticed. Gura is quite a village, the huts being built of stone and mud with flat roofs, and it also has a church. The population is about 5000. At our camp, about one mile from the village, we found extensive grassy plains, which enable the villagers to feed their herds, upon which they mainly depend for subsistence, although at that season of the year the grass was considerably dried up. The time was now fully occupied in fortifying our position, making reconnaissances of the country around and constructing a road from Bahr-reza to Gura by which we could bring up our field pieces, which were too heavy for transportation on pack mules and, amongst others, a battery of 6 steel Krupp guns, breech-loaders, the most magnificent field pieces I had ever seen and which did noble service afterwards in the siege of Fort Gura and which now lie at the bottom of the Red Sea, having been lost on their return from Abyssinia by the steamer upon which they had been embarked. All our supplies too had to be transported by camels from Massowah, as it was impossible to subsist the army upon the country, even by paying the people to bring in their supplies from a distance. Our position was not as favorable as it might have been for fortifying; but we were controlled by the question of water and had no option but to make the best of it. All went to work with a will and in good time we had a practicable road all the way to Massowah, our Artillery was brought up, our Fort was done and we considered ourselves masters of the situation. We soon heard that King John was advancing to drive us out of his country; that he had an army of 160,000 to 200,000 men and that he intended to overwhelm and massacre us all without a show of mercy. Nevertheless the Egyptian bugles still gaily woke the sleeping echoes of those ancient hills and startled the prowling beasts of prey on the plains.

On the 7th of March our scouts sent information that the enemy was marching in force with every indication of an intention to attack at Kaya-Khor where we had a small force under Osman Pacha; as it was of vital importance to hold that point, Ratib-Pacha called a council of war at which were present besides himself, Gen’l Loring, Osman Pacha, Col. Dye, Osman Bey and the writer of this article in his capacity as Chief Engineer of the Expeditionary Forces, and after a statement of views and a discussion of the questions before us, it was determined, as the American officers present understood, to move a force from Fort Gura to form a junction with that at Kaya-Khor and to hold that pass at all hazard. But this wise decision, with the wavering and vacillating policy characteristic of Ratib Pacha, was deferred until it was too late and consequently its attempted execution resulted in a terrible disaster which came near proving fatal to the whole campaign, and from which we were only extricated by the fortunate proximity and security of the Fort constructed under my direction upon the plain of Gura. Before the movement of troops decided upon was finally commenced, twenty-four hours after the council adjourned, I was ordered with a small command of cavalry to make a reconnaissance in the direction of the enemy. I proceeded at once toward Amhoor and pushed on near to that village, accompanied by a small escort, leaving the main body of my command at the junction of the Arata and Amhoor trails. When I had arrived near the village, I saw a great cloud of dust beyond the ridge upon which it is situated and thought I heard the sound of tabours and the chanting of many voices. I was about to ascend to the summit of a hill on the right to make further observations, when I was overtaken by three or four couriers, sent from the lookout on the Arata trail, informing me that the enemy was advancing on both trails. Thinking the column on the Arata trail might cut me off, I immediately returned to the junction of the trails where I had left the main body of the cavalry and proceeding to the lookout station and mounting to the summit, I searched the country with my glass and could discern no signs of the enemy and even could not perceive the clouds of dust which had previously attracted my attention when near Amhoor, for which I accounted by supposing they must have been occasioned by the wind. I then determined to return towards Amhoor for further investigation and proceeding cautiously along the route, I soon perceived about 2000 of the enemy on the Demba trail marching toward Kaya-Khor. Pressing forward some distance further, I saw the enemy’s cavalry suddenly appear on the ridge to our left and thinking any further advance in that direction might result in our capture, I returned to the main command, having previously sent several dispatches, from time to time, to Gen’l Loring giving information of my movements and discoveries. When I rejoined my command at the junction of the Amhoor and Arata trails, I saw what afterwards proved to be the Division of Ratib Pacha and some other troops, about 5250 in number, marching as I then supposed, to make junction with Kaya-Khor, and I rode to join the column near Gulla-Gulla, narrowly escaping being fired onto as I was afterwards informed by our own artillery in front and in much danger of being picked up by the Abyssinian Cavalry following rapidly in my rear. Having entered the lines, I rode forward to report and found Gen’l Loring and Ratib Pacha in consultation, when I was at once ordered to place in position upon a rocky point still further in advance, a Battalion of Infantry then marching toward us from the right. Having executed this order I pressed forward in the direction of Kaya-Khor. Arriving at a battery commanded by Major Ismail Sabri, which had just opened fire, I stopped to watch the effect of the firing and finding the battery without infantry support and the enemy pressing toward it in great force, I reported the situation to Gen’l Loring, knowing that if it should be carried, our line would be cut and serious consequences result. At that time I did not know how far our line extended to the right, nor who was directing the movement in that quarter. A battalion of Infantry about this time marched in the rear of the Battery and I hoped it was intended for that point; but it continued past, halted awhile and then returned in the direction from which it had come, and seeing Col. Dye on my right at some distance and feeling very anxious for the safety of Sabri’s battery, I rode toward Dye with the intention of telling him of my fears; but before I could say a word he beckoned me to him and asked me to send him at once two pieces of artillery and to convey the information to Gen’l Loring that the enemy was turning his right and that the men had better be moved back to the hills. I found Loring first and we went together to Ratib with the information stated above. Upon receiving the message Ratib Pacha without reply turned his horse and rode rapidly to the left and I returned to Sabri’s battery, where I soon saw that the right of our line was in a most critical situation, the enemy having abandoned the advance on Kaya-Khor and thrown himself between that point and the Egyptians in the open field, and was now attacking our right with the whole weight of his 90,000 men. In vain our shells and rockets ploughed through their dense masses, making frightful carcasses of what were before lithe and active savages; in vain the continuous roar of our breech-loaders swelled the diapason of death for many a brave; twice or thrice repulsed by the withering fire in their front, they again pressed forward dark and dreadful as one of Afric’s storms—cruel, relentless and blood thirsty as the wild beasts that roam the jungles, and having finally overwhelmed and broken our right and turned our position, they soon envelloped us like a cloud and swept us back before them towards the Fort, like dry leaves in an autumn blast. Our batteries of beautiful rifled howitzers were cut off, and the enemy fell like tigers upon the artillery men and butchered them at their guns. Not a man escaped from Sabri’s battery, and the major himself was left for dead upon the field with many wounds, but he afterwards escaped as by a miracle. The mules and camels loaded with ammunition were soon stampeded in the din and confusion, and uttering their peculiar cries of terror and distress, danced wildly down the line scattering their loads in every direction. And then for the first time was presented to the eyes of the American Officers, most of whom had participated in the stubborn fighting in America either under Lee or Grant, the strange spectacle of soldiers well equipped and in good physical condition marching calmly under the murderous attacks of a savage foe, with hardly an effort in their own defense; and the still more incredible sight of a considerable body of well appointed troops, within sight of the field of carnage, whose officers from their entrenchments, safely viewed through their field glasses the massacre of their comrades, without making a movement towards their assistance, and who afterwards, we were told, congratulated themselves that they were not in the same unfortunate predicament.

Even with all the incompetency and vacillation of Ratib Pacha which had led us into this trap, and all the insane jealousy and intolerance of foreigners which activated him and his chief subordinates and induced him to thwart and disregard the advice given to him; even at this supreme moment of peril, when the honor of his flag, the lives of his soldiers, the success of his campaign and his own reputation were all trembling in the balance, he could not rise above his own petty national and religious prejudices to take some decisive action. If he had only heeded the warning message of Col. Dye and promptly moved two or three battalions from the extreme left, where they were comparatively disengaged, to support the heroic men who were holding the right and at the same time signalled Osman Pacha to move with his whole force to attack the enemy in flank, he would undoubtedly have gained a signal victory for the arms of Egypt and for himself the favor, rewards and commendation of his Royal Master, who knew so well how to recompense those who ministered to his vanity and self-importance. At that time it was exasperating beyond expression to witness this fatal exhibition of weakness and indecision; and even now, after the lapse of years, it fills the heart with sickening regrets at the remembrance of the grand possibilities so recklessly sacrificed and the shame and humiliation suffered by gallant officers, who as a point of honor, would have freely given their lives, If necessary, to maintain untarnished the infidel banner under which they had taken service and to which they had sworn allegiance.

In vain these officers, joined by a gallant few of the native troops (Allah rest their brave souls!) used every exertion to rally and reform the line in order to check this surging line of exultant barbarians and snatch a possible victory. In vain? Aye, as well might they have called upon the valiant dead of Egypt’s past to burst the cerements of the grave and to come forth, waving their rotten shrouds, to guide the fight. “Allah is great and Mahomet is his Prophet, to fight against Fate is an impiety worthy only of an Infidel,” shout the pious Mussulmans, with death and destruction staring them in the face; the Prophet must have indeed looked down with indignation upon the slaughter of the Faithful, for 4000 dead and wounded cumbered the plain, from the haughty Pacha, with his jewelled sabre and gaudy uniform, down to the poor private soldier of the Soudan in his white cotton regimentals. The day was evidently lost beyond retrieve, and it only remained to make the best of adverse circumstances in order to renew the contest on the morrow under more favorable circumstances, if possible. The Abyssinians got between the Fort and our troops and whole battalions, seized with that strange and unaccountable infatuation with which sometimes takes possession of men in the hour of danger, turned their backs upon the only possible means of escape then left, and were forced off into the surrounding hills where at last driven to bay, they were ruthlessly butchered by these savages with every accompaniment of cruelty.

Gaining the Fort, about 500 of us, by forcing a passage through the enemy, a sufficient garrison having been left there to hold it, we took a breathing spell and counted our losses. The 1st Division had been almost annihilated and its brave commander, Raschid Pacha, lay stiff and cold among his dead battalions. We had lost several batteries of artillery, many small arms, much ammunition, many of our animals, all our prestige, and we had to regret the loss of some valuable officers. Raschid Pacha, dismounted and surrounded by hordes of Abyssinians, fell nobly defending himself with his sabre; Ismail Effendi Sabri, commanding the battery on the right, was left for dead upon the field; Mahommed Bey Gabir, commanding the Battalion on the right was butchered among his men; Mahommed Ali Pacha, Nieb Mahommed and other prominent officers, as well as numerous Majors, Captains, subalterns sealed their fidelity to a thankless and despotic Government with their blood, and Col. Dye and Dr. Wilson of the Americans were seriously wounded. Testaferrata, an attache of the Staff, was among the slain, and Major Durholtz of the Engineers and Dr. Wilson of the Medical Staff were captured.

I withhold the horrid details of the carnage; the scene is indelibly stamped upon my sight and memory, but the recital of it would be sickening. Let it rest untold with all the unwritten horrors of other wars. Our loss had been serious, but that of the enemy had also been severe, and we had gained some important advantages, for we had diverted the attack from Kaya-Khor, which probably would have been successful and if successful would have endangered the whole army, for it would have broken our communications, and placed the enemy in a strong position in our rear; and further we had gained time for the arrival at Kaya-Khor of reinforcements, 3000 strong under Gen’l Field, then on the march from Bahr-reza rendering the former place secure and our line of communication open. On the other hand, the enemy had disorganized a Division, captured some field pieces, many small arms and ammunition, a good many camels and mules and taken about 600 prisoners. Yet the army of invasion still occupied two strong positions at Kaya-Khor and Gura and showed no disposition to retreat so when we summed up results we thought we could claim at least a drawn battle for that day and were ready again.

The troops remained under arms all night expecting an assault and we could hear in the distance the mad orgies of these “Christian Mountaineers” as they celebrated their successes. In the morning immense masses of the enemy crowned the heights by which we were surrounded, and they made several attacks upon the Fort, but were always repulsed with loss. Another night of watchfulness and expectation and the day dawned upon us with crowds of enemy in every direction evidently preparing for some great effort. They opened on us finally with artillery, but they did not appear to handle their guns with skill and our Krupp battery soon disabled their pieces. At last they made a determined attack upon the South-east salient, choosing the point of attack with judgment and approaching close up to our lines with a determined bravery which despised danger and death, their sharp-shooters picking off our artillerists and officers with deadly aim. But their reckless daring could not stand against our Remingtons, grape and cannister and so they were finally driven back with heavy loss and drew off sullenly and slowly, keep up a desultory fire till night drew her curtain over the scene. In this day’s fight Lt. Raif of Gen’l Loring’s staff was killed and Lt. Riffat of the Engineers wounded in the head; nearly every commissioned officer of the Krupp battery placed in the southeast salient was also killed. Another night of suspense and in the early dawn not an enemy was to be seen and all was quiet as the grave; but heavy clouds of dust rose over the mountain tops that lay between us and it was evident some important movement was on foot. Obtaining permission to do so, I mounted my horse and selecting Capt. Irgens of the Engineers as my companion, we sallied out to reconnoitre the movements of the enemy. We rode towards their camp and all our way was lined with wounded soldiers, perfectly naked, dragging their mutilated forms towards the Fort, and the field of battle was covered with nude and bloated forms of those already dead and left without burial for the beasts of prey. The wounded informed us that a horrid butchery of prisoners had taken place that morning, having been ordered by the King in revenge for the heavy losses he had sustained in his futile efforts of the previous days, and that the Abyssinian Army was preparing to move away. We pressed on until we reached their camp which we entered whilst their camp fires were still burning and I shall never forget the sickening sights that greeted our eyes. The ground was covered with the dead and wounded victims of King John’s brutality, stripped and violated with every conceivable indignity; their bodies burned, stoned, clubbed, hacked with swords and pierced with lances. The supplicating cries of the wounded, who could yet speak, for water and for succor, were enough to appall the stoutest heart. What must have been the agonies of those already dead we can never know, those of the survivors we tried to assuage, but being without any water or provision for their relief, we could do little and bidding them be of good cheer, we hurried back to the Fort, obtained with difficulty the necessary assistance and returning again to the camp, brought in all that we could find, except one poor soldier too badly injured to bear transportation and whom we were obliged to leave to his unhappy fate. Imagine what dreadful torture a helpless wounded man must undergo in such circumstances: naked, for those people strip everyone who falls into their unholy hands, he would be scorched by day and frozen by night in the cold atmosphere of that mountain region; added to this the agonies of unquenched thirst, the gnawings of unappeased hunger, the torture of dreadful wounds inflicted with intense delight by savage hands upon defenseless prisoners, and the mental anguish of one who lies alone, neglected, hopeless, listening to the howls of savage beasts more pitiful than his Christian foes and you have a sum total of misery so intense and great that one who hears your tale regards you with a smile of incredulity and silently asserts that human nature could not bear such a trial; but I have seen men who lived for days under such circumstances and at last been rescued and lived to remember, with a shudder, those wretched hours of inexpressible suffering and hopeless despair. On the following day a letter came from King John, who had pitched his camp a few miles away, saying that we had killed many of his men and that he had killed many of ours and that he would like to know now what it was all about and proposing to treat for peace. Some days after this the King went away into the Province of Hamasen and sent an Envoy, Lico-Manguaus-Worky, with great pomp to our Camp at Gura to treat for peace. He arrived, escorted by our cavalry, on Sunday, March 26, three cavalry men riding in front of him, one carrying his shield, another his lance, and another his golden goblet. He was riding an Abyssinian horse, gaily comparisoned and was followed by several servants or attendants on foot. He went up to the prince’s Headquarters. The terms demanded by one side or offered by the other are not known to me. The return of the surviving prisoners, about 75 in number, was one of the demands and they were finally given up to the Egyptians, amongst them were Dr. Johnson and Major Durholtz, more dead than alive. When I left the army of Egypt at Gura to perform official duties elsewhere and when I left Massowah to return to Cairo in the following July, the flag of Egypt still floated over the invaded territory, the battlefield of Gura still lay deserted and silent under the guns of Ratib Pacha and King John had retired to his Capital at Adua, leaving the Egyptian Forces in quiet and undisturbed possession. Shortly after my return to Cairo, the Russian-Turkish War commenced and the main body of Egyptian Troops were withdrawn from Abyssinia for service in Turkey, Egypt being a tributary of Turkey and obliged to furnish a certain number of troops in time of war. The negotiations with Abyssinia, although about brought to a satisfactory conclusion, considerably extending Egyptian boundaries, were suddenly broken off by the treacherous conduct of the Egyptian negotiators, and everything was left in status quo at that time.