DEFENSIVE ARMOUR. 



121 



between the joints of the armour, and thus inflict a mortal 

 wound. The Misericorde, however, was baffled by the use of 

 chain or scale armour under the plate-mail, and then the only- 

 way of getting at the fallen knight was by breaking up the 

 armour with hammers which were made for this express 

 purpose. 



Perhaps the reader may wonder that any one should lie 

 quietly and allow himself to be so badly treated. The very 

 strength of the armour, however, which rendered its wearer 

 unassailable by ordinary weapons, involved so much weight, 

 that when a knight had fallen, it was impossible for him to 

 rise, much less to mount a horse, without help. Moreover, the 

 first blow of a weighty hammer on the helmet would, although 

 it could not kill the wearer, cause such a jar to his brain as 

 partially, if not wholly, to stun him. 



The rapidly increasing power of firearms soon caused armour 

 to be laid aside, and now the only remains of it are to be found 

 in the helmets and cuirasses worn by our dragoons. 



There are few parts of the world where armour of some 

 sort is not used. Putting aside civilised or semi- civilised 

 nations, we find that in most cases, wherever there is war, there 

 is armour of some kind. Sometimes it is movable, and in that 

 case is called a shield. 



The most singular shields that I know are those made by the 

 Australians, which are so shaped that no one who did not 

 know their use would take them for shields. They are about 

 three feet long, four inches wide at the back, six inches or so 

 thick in the middle, tapering towards the ends, and coming 

 to an edge in front. They are held by the centre with one 

 hand, so that they can be rapidly twisted from side to side, 

 and so serve to parry the spear or stop the boomerang. The 

 weight of the shield enables it to withstand the shock of the 

 boomerang, which whirls through the air with terrific force. 



Several warlike savage tribes have, however, no armour of 

 any kind, such as the New Zealanders, the Samoans, and the 

 Fijians. 



Sometimes the armour is affixed to the body, and of such 

 protection many examples are to be found in various museums, 

 among which the Christy collection is pre-eminent. 



