ABOUT SPORTING AND MILITARY WEAPONS. 87 



position and their camp, to facilitate the hasty 

 retreat which they expected would be compulsory. 

 The probability is that if our troops had been 

 armed with the old " Brown Bess " the Boers 

 would not have been able to take the position, as 

 then at all events the bullets would not have 

 passed over them, and many would necessarily 

 have struck amongst the enemy. As it was, 

 even if our men had confined their defence to 

 throwing stones they would probably have put 

 more than one assailant hors de combat, which 

 was all they achieved by their rifles. 



As a weapon of war the Martini was certainly 

 in abstract qualities far superior to any earlier 

 model, and no doubt the new '303 rifle with 

 which our troops are armed is, as long as it lasts, 

 even better. Nevertheless, if our military autho- 

 rities are allowed to persist in keeping their men 

 innocent of the requisite knowledge of how to 

 use it effectually, it will be a mere " dummy " 

 an indication only of the ascendency of the 

 obstinate stupidity which is so obvious in all our 

 military arrangements, except such as are intended 

 for mere display. In spite of anything said on 

 such subjects, it is, however, certain that nothing 



