Page:Letters from the Battle-fields of Paraguay (1870).djvu/353



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trouble to wet them, and an old gentleman of the party distinguished himself by scraping the spilt gunpowder with his boot-toes. I ran from him as I never ran before. During the last three days several explosions took place ; these extemporized soldiers were careless as Zanzibar blacks.

During the day I saw a review of a Brazilian cavalry corps numbering six full troops; and shortly afterwards all the Argentine army, or rather contingent, marched past. The first at once took my eye ; they were mostly Brazilians, Rio Grandenses, not liberated negroes. These Provincials, riders from their babyhood, are reputed as the best cavaliers throughout the Empire, where the " man on horseback^' is universal. Some were lancers ; their heavy wooden weapons, not nearly so handy as the bamboo of Hindostan, were deco- rated with white stars on red pennons; they carried regulation sabres and coarse horse-pistols, and the European trappings made them look much more soldier-like than the infantry. The lance, so worthless in the hands of raw levies, may be used to great effect by practised troopers : the Poles at Albuera proved it upon Colborne^s brigade of British infantry. The dragoons had swords, Spencer (8-round) carbines, and in some cases pistols. As Confederate General Lee, how- ever, truly remarked, " The sabre is timid before a good revolver,*^ and the carbine is not to be recommended on horseback. General Beatson foresaw, when commanding the much-abused Bashi Buzeuks in the Crimean campaign, that the revolver is the real arm for cavalry, and it should be accompanied by the yataghan, to be used when ranks lock. In due course of time it will be supplanted by the single or double-barrelled breechloader. I have lately tried the Albini or Belgian rifle, cut short, and provided with a short and heavy saw-handle, and I have had every reason to be pleased with it.

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