566 
THE EQUIPMENT OP PIELD ARTILLERY. 
this system and by the adoption of pole-draught a perfect interchange- 
ability would exist between all the horses and men respectively, and on 
an emergency this might be of an incalculable value. 
The question 47. W e will now consider how the total weight arrived at satisfies 
weight of the the laws of traction, but we will not attempt to give a detail of weights 
epuipment, £ or position gun as we have no data to guide us. We will also 
not take into consideration the saving of weight caused by the adoption 
of a lighter style of harness, though this would be considerable, as for 
every 14 lbs. taken off a horse's back, at least \ cwt. can be added 
behind the splinter-bar. The weights are as follows :— 
Machine 
guns. 
Horse Artillery Gun. 
f gun of 8 cwt. 
lbs. 
896 
j carriage (same as Austrian H. A. 
gun) ... 
1027 
| steel shield . 
150 
>f<{ limber (same as Austrian) 
1008 
j 36 rounds . 
. 
540 
| stores . 
. 
112 
1.2 (10-st.) gunners. 
-. 
280 
Total 
... 
4013 
Field Battery Gun. 
f gun of 12 cwt. 
lbs. 
1344 
| carriage (same as that of Krupp’s 
9’6 cm gun 
1188 
| steel shield . 
. 
150 
>f«{ limber (as before) . 
. 
1008 
| 25 rounds . 
. 
700 
j stores . 
. 
112 
(^5 (10-st.) gunners. 
. 
700 
Total 
5202 
It therefore seems quite feasible to devise an equipment such as we 
have sketched out, without offending against the laws of traction. 
48. In addition to the three natures of gun with which we have been 
dealing there also seems a very important role to be played by a good 
machine gun. But in considering this question we must remember 
that the impending introduction into European warfare of a magazine 
rifle will greatly develope the fire-power of the Infantry which at present 
is very great, and may be taken as 30 Martini-Henry rifles =1 Gatling. 
It may be assumed that with the magazine rifle we should get the same 
result from a smaller number of men, the loss of any one or any five 
of whom would not cripple altogether the efficiency of the whole, 
whereas if we seek to obtain the same effect from a machine, the 
equipment of which, composed of men, horses and materiel, must be 
cumbrous compared to that of an individual, we are liable to a loss of the 
whole effect from an accident to one of the parts. In addition, a machine 
gun, the range of which is only equal to that of a small arm, can always 
be effectively opposed by telling off several marksmen to fire at it. 
