ELEPHANTS, HISTORICAL 183
harm to the army of which they formed part as to the enemy.*
The
thoroughness of Caesar's military preparations, suggestive of German
efficiency in the close attention to the smallest details, is
illustrated in the steps he took at the outset of the African campaign
in his struggle for supremacy in the Roman world. As above noted his
enemies, Scipio and King Juba, regarded the war elephants of their
forces as formidable assailants. Caesar, however, put little faith in
them; but, nevertheless, fully aware of the fact that his soldiers
might be thrown into confusion by the onset of such unfamiliar
adversaries, he took measures to familiarize them with the sight of
elephants and to instruct them in the best means of putting them to
flight. He therefore had a number of elephants brought to his camp, so
that the aspect of the apparently dangerous beasts should no longer
strike terror into the hearts of his legionaries, and that the horses
of his cavalry should become accustomed to their appearance. He also
provided these trial elephants with the full panoply of war and had his
soldiers instructed as to the most vulnerable parts of their bodies,
making them throw javelins, with blunted points, at these spots so that
they might know just what to do in real battle. In the decisive
conflict at Thapsus one of the legionaries displayed his natural
courage, perhaps fortified by these preliminary exercises. The
elephants of Scipio and Juba attacked boldly enough but were repulsed
by the Romans and driven off, trampling upon the troops of their own
army. In the heat of the encounter, however, one of the elephants threw
down a member of Caesar's forces and crushed the life out of him;
remarking the attack, a brave Roman of the Fifth Legion hastened to
give help but came too late for this. Turning from the body of its
victim to this unexpected assailant, the elephant seized the legion-
"Cœsaris, "De Bello Civili," cap. 28, 30.
