DISCUSSION ON ARTILLERY. 
87 
The Chairman :—Then what is the weight of the gun ? 
Major Young :—I do not know. Sir. I daresay it is down here, but 
I cannot read it. 
The Chairman :—You have got a book there ? 
Major Young :—Yes Sir, but it is all in German (loud laughter). 
The Chairman -This equipment does not seem to have much to 
teach us. 
Major Young :—It will not be used again. I may say it would not 
have been used then if we had got another kind. 
The Chairman :—You do not consider then that it was a satisfac¬ 
tory equipment ? 
Major Young :—No Sir, I do not at all. 
The Chairman :—You do not think we have much to learn from it ? 
Major Young :—-Nothing at all, Sir; I did not want to speak of it. 
(laughter). 
The Chairman :—Except the one thing which you did say to us the 
other day, that was the importance of keeping down the weight. 
Major Young :—Yes Sir. 
The Chairman :—You liked it because it was only 20 cwt. behind 
the team ? 
Major Young :—Yes Sir. Messrs. Maxim-Nordenfeldt were going 
to supply a new gun if they had time of the same weight throwing the 
same shell and using the same ammunition as the field batteries took 
out there, 12J pound; but we did not get it, it was a question of 
money I think. 
The Chairman :—There is one other point in connection with it. 
Was your shrapnel satisfactory, what you had ? 
Major Young :—Very. 
The Chairman :—And your fuze, was that satisfactory ? 
Major Young :—The fuze was satisfactory so far as it went; it was 
not percussion fuze which I should like to have had. 
The Chairman :—How were your guns horsed ? 
Major Young :—I had eight horses in the team. 
The Chairman :—And only 20 cwt. behind the team ? 
Major Young :—Yes, and a pole; it was very lightly harnessed. 
Lieut.-Colonel H. B. Jeffreys :—May I ask, Sir, anything about the 
quality of the Egyptians as gunners ? 
The Chairman :—I think so certainly. 
Major Young I cannot speak too highly of them. I have been 
in action a good many times with them now and I do not want to go 
with better men. 
The Chairman :—Would anyone like to ask any question with 
reference to this Horse Artillery ? 
Major May :—When Major Young was acting with cavalry did he 
have any escort with his waggons, and if not, did he find any difficulty 
when they were separated from the guns ? 
Major Young :—I never allowed my waggons to be separated from 
the guns. As I mentioned on the last occasion, that seems a point 
which is not very clear in our drill book, namely, what is to be done 
7 
