It 



Tsecomlng in any way galled or chafed and to devise measures 

 for removingany injurious influence wliichia found to be at work 

 by means of pads, stuffing, bandaging, &c. 



The old pattern harness for the elephants of Heavy Field 

 Batteries, drawing 18-pounder guns and 18" how-itzers, consists 

 of : — The large pad which completely covers the animal from 

 the withers coming well on the quarters and down both sides low 

 enough to prevent the skin from being chafed by either the shaft 

 or draft chains ; over this large pad is a smaller one to protect the 

 back, and over it again a very thick pad stuffed with straw on 

 which the saddle is placed. The saddle (the arches of which 

 should be wide, so as not to gall the shoulders ^vith its front points) 

 is used only as the means whereby the girths can be attached, 

 for the elephant pulls from the girth by means of a hook attached 

 to a plate on the girth to which the draught chain and shaft chain 

 are hooked ; then there are the breast piece and crupper attached 

 to the saddle to prevent it shifting forward or backward ; the 

 back-bands for holding up the shafts j the breechings which hook 

 on to the shafts and are used for backing a gun down a slope, 

 and the stirrups made of rope only for the drivers feet to rest on. 

 The harness of elephant both shaft and leader weighs about 4 

 c^vt. — the former has to carry over 2 cwt. as the weight of shafts, 

 {Handbook for Field Service, 1867). Each gun with its carriage 

 and limber weighs about 83i cwt., each Howitzer 66 cwt. 



The new •pattern harness differs only in some minor improve- 

 ments from that just described. 



The O-pounder Batteries in Afghanistan in 1879 mustered 22 

 elephants each, the guns, can-iages, limbers, and ammunition 

 boxes were carried in cradles resting on thick pads. The cradle 

 for the gun supported it by an arch at the breech and one at the 

 muzzle (which points to the rear). It is found that the gndee- 

 lahs become very heavy when wet, and retain the sweat and keep 

 the animal's back moist, being liable to cause galls. 7-pounder 

 (200 lbs.) guns also are carried on elephants. A squad of 12 men 

 can dismount gun and carriage, put them together and fire a 

 round under four minutes. The elephants must kneel on pads 

 or soft ground otherwise they are liable to jump up at a critical 

 moment (Handbook for Field Service, Vol. I). 



We are indebted to Slymm's work for the following information 



