234 PURCHASE OF CAMELS FOE MILITARY PURPOSES. 



only to make some remark. To load and fire, the cannoneer, seated 

 upon his pack, took with his right hand a powder bag from his pouch, 

 jjoured out a charge into a measure, turned it over into the gun, and 

 put over it a loose wad; then, with the left hand taking a hall or 

 a handiul of bullets he introduced them into the bore of the piece, 

 and placed over them a felt wad, and then rammed all down with the 

 rammer stuck up behind him. This done, seizing the powder horn 

 which hung at his belt, he primed ; and that the motion of the 

 dromedary should not shake the priming from the pan, he held it in 

 either with the palm of his hand, or by a rag wrapped over it. The 

 piece was fired by a match worn over the body in the manner of a 

 shoulder belt, the lighted end being hung, for ready use, astride of 

 the gun, care being taken not to let it touch the dromedary's neck. 

 This, as we may see, was the manner of doing the thing with us in 

 the sixteenth century, and the most expert artillerist required at least 

 three minutes to load and fire his piece. We have already said that 

 the cannoneer, after dismounting his piece from the pack, stuck the 

 pivot with force into the ground ; this injured the trunnions, and 

 jarred the stock so much as soon to render it unserviceable. The gun, 

 moreover, was laid too low, affecting materially the regularity of the 

 firing; and, kicking violently, it often happened that the cannoneer's 

 hands were injured. Another inconvenience proceeding from the 

 want of a carriage was the derangement of the gun by the kicking, 

 destroying the perpendicularity of the pivot by the enlargement of 

 the hole in which it stuck. It often occurred, as I have myself wit- 

 nessed, that after the second discharge the gun was lying on the 

 ground. 



It was necessary then to modify the zembourek, and to simplify its 

 service in such a manner as to remedy to the utmost its inconveniences, 

 without at all impairing its particular advantages. 



NEW PACK CARRIAGE. 



The improvement which the grand vizier had made in the fabrica- 

 tion of the piece, and in the preparation of the ammunition for it, 

 was, without doubt, a great step ; and if confined to small charges of 

 grape shot, the end was almost gained. But it was not less import- 

 ant that the piece should be able to fire ball with heavy charges 

 when dismounted from the animal and placed in battery, and at the 

 same time that the cannoneer should not be incommoded by a carriage 

 which would interfere with his movements, and impede the animal's 

 march by an increase of burden. I invented a pack carriage, (figs. 4 

 and 5,) the model of which I presented to the prime minister in May, 

 1847. It consists of the two forks, (D,) the branches of both being 

 united by a curved cross tie, forming the pommel (a) and the cantle 

 (b) of the pack. To the ends of the four branches are attached small 

 wheels (c) for the pack to move on when it is placed upon the ground. 

 The two Ijranches are joined together by eight iron bars, (e,) four 

 on each side. This forms the frame of the pack carriage. .. The cantle 

 fork bears an elevating screw, (k,) and the pivot on which the gun 

 turns passes through the pommel fork, and rests upon the curved 



