The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-12-02

in use among the Arabs, All Ethiopian
worthy to wear in ba tie the lions skin
that Menelk gives to the bravest must
] be one who can go three days without
food, fighting the while or journeying
over deserts and mountains; one who
cares nothing for pain or death. 1t is a
custom among these men after battle or
warlike manoeuvres to squat down on
the ground in long line and fire their
rifles in the air, barrels up, butts be-
tween the knees; no blank cartridges
| here, but balls that wound or kill
whomsoever they strike in the descent.
A cannot shot gives the signal, and
forthwith the firing starts far down the
line, rolling nearer and nearer, until 1t
swells into a roar of musketry about
the emperor himself, then dies away at
the further side And the bullets come
| down upon soldiers or citizens as may
be; for this firing, like as not, takes
place in a crowded city. would it not
be wise, Your Majesty" asked a
| French traveller, aghast at this reck-
| less procedure, ito use blank cart
| ridges?" "Why so?" asked Menelik.
1T would economize rifle balls and save
life" II do not mind losing few rifle
balls, if it makes my people despise
them"
The Italians found at Adowa what
these soldiers think of rifle balls; saw
them come bounding on in the charge,
pierced through and through with Maui
ser bullets, and 60 on fighting; saw the
emperor himself toward the, close rush
in, waving his sword, and kill with his
own hands. The Abyssinlans Ito use
the accepted word) go into battle with
modern rifles, and know how ito use
them; but in the heat of action their
spirit is to throw these down and come
at the enemy man to man with sabre
and shield. Each one carries on his left
arm a convex buckler made of hippo
potamus hide, so thick and tough that
often a swift flying projectile is de-
Elected by it. OF twenty-one thousand
men, blacks and whites, who fought In
this battle on the italian side, about
a thousand escaped, about three thou
sand were made prisoners, and the rest
were killed. And at Amba Alagui,
which preceded their final disaster, the
Italians found out what 1t means to
fight an army that knows not shoes, but
comes at you in your fortified place
with perfect feet, with toes that can
grip and cling. The Italians were on
a hill rising from plateau, impregna-
BILE, as they supposed, on three Sides
and guarded on the fourth by strong
artillery. Against these cannon the
black men would hurl themselves, and
that would be the end Of them. So
reasoned the Europeans, but they count
ed without black feet; what the Abys-
sinians did was to take the hill from the
rear straight up the precipice, doing
this stealthily, SO as to give no alarm.
And when enough of them had gained
the vantage ground behind they swept
down like a wave upon the Italians, and
the day was won. Again, at the siege
of Makelle, the Italians were able to
Judge what kind of Christianity 1t Is
the Abyssinians practice The Euro
peans were hemmed In by the Ras Ma
konnen and fifteen thousand soldiers.
The situation was desperate, for water
had been cut off and they were perish |
Ing of thirst. So the Italians sent forth
their natives three thousand blacks. to
it might be, the Ras Ma
a famous Abyssinian general |
dHu COuSlH OI MeHellk. Anu tN6 ItdS |
Makonnen gave the natives drink and |
food, and let them go their way. Then
the whites, seeing their, own case hope
less and that many We're dying, came
out to beg for terms. and were received
by Menelik himself. "You have not
been kind to me or mine" said he; "you
have broken your pledged word and
Drawn the sword against us. Neverthe-
less, I do not wish 1T said that Chris
tians died here like dogs, SO you may
60" And he gaye,orders that the Ital-
ans should be cared for and supplied
with mules for their journey, and he
ct them depart in peace.-Cleveland
Moffett In the Windsor Magazine.