COST OF IMPROVED PACK SADDLE. 31 



any saddle, and should any part of a tree get 

 broken, it can be replaced in two minutes, and 

 the saddle is again serviceable, whereas in other 

 systems, when a tree is broken, the saddle is 

 useless. 



Fifthly. A cannon can be carried by this sys- 

 tem of pack-saddle over the centre of the mule's 

 back, along which the weight is thus equally 

 divided. 



In the pack-saddles adopted by Government 

 for carrying the mountain train in Abyssinia, the 

 gun is carried transversely at right angles with 

 the mule's back, or across instead of along it. 

 The consequence of this arrangement is, that the 

 whole weight of the gun rests upon only a small 

 portion of the spine, instead of being evenly 

 divided, as in the approved system, along the 

 whole length of the animal's back, and should 

 a stumble occur, a sprain of the spine is very 

 likely to be the result. 



Sixthly. When baggage animals are driven 



