86 SOUTH AFRICA. 



and the attempt to adjust elevating sights to the 

 required nicety within the distances mentioned 

 will result in firing over the object in nine shots 

 out of ten. At all events, the very best game 

 shots in South Africa whom I have known have 

 found it better to restrict themselves to the use 

 of a single standard sight for all shots within 

 sporting distances. In war, as a general rule, 

 soldiers should be discouraged from using the 

 elevating sights unless when pelting an enemy's 

 battery or any stationary post or object at 

 distances ascertainable by trial shots. Our 

 disaster at Majuba Hill would never have 

 occurred had no elevating sights been on the 

 rifles; simply because it is fair to conclude that 

 out of the thousands of shots fired by our men 

 when the enemy were within two hundred and 

 fifty yards, at least a score or so would have been 

 hits if the rifles had not been oversighted and 

 in that case the Boers would not have persevered 

 in the attack, as they freely admit. On that sad 

 occasion all the rifles taken by the Boers were 

 found sighted either for four hundred or seven 

 hundred yards, and the bullets actually flew clean 

 over the horses which the Boers left between our 



