LONG SHOTS. 



239 



earth at a much greater angle that is, much more 

 nearly in a perpendicular direction. On the ordinary 

 parabolic theory, of course, the angle of fall would be 

 the same as the angle of elevation, but under actual 

 circumstances there is an important difference. If 

 forts are to be battered down, however, it will not 

 serve that they should be struck from above ; our 

 artillerists must perforce keep to the old method of 

 pounding away at the face of the forts they attack. 

 Therefore, an elevation which is all very well for 

 mortars that is, when the question merely is of fling- 

 ing a bomb into a town or fortress is utterly unsuited 

 for ordinary artillery. With an elevation of ten 

 degrees, Whitworth's cannon scarcely projected the 

 250-lb. shot to a distance of three miles. 



The progress of the modern science of gunnery 

 certainly tends to increase the distance at which armies 

 will engage each other. With field artillery flinging 

 shot to a distance of two or three miles, and riflemen 

 able to make tolerably sure practice at a distance of 

 three-quarters of a mile, we are not likely often to hear 

 of hand-to-hand conflicts in future warfare. The use 

 of breech-loaders will also tend to the same effect. 

 Hitherto we have scarcely had experience of the re- 

 sults which these changes are to produce on modern 

 warfare. At Sadowa breech-loaders did not encounter 

 breech-loaders, and it was easy for the victors in that 

 battle to come to close-quarters with their enemies. 

 But in a battle where both sides are armed with 

 breech-loaders, we shall probably see another sort of 

 affair altogether. The bayonet will be an almost useless 



