This, with a counter poise at the butt,
gives as good a reach and is much more useful for close quarters. Major
Beatson, one of the most distinguished cavalry officers on the frontier,
is a strong advocate of this. Either the pennon should be knotted, or a
boss of some sort affixed about eighteen inches below the point. Unless
this be done there is a danger of the lance penetrating too far, when it
either gets broken or allows the enemy to wriggle up and strike the
lancer. This last actually happened on several occasions.
Now, in considering the question to what extent a squadron should be
armed with lances, the system adopted by the Guides may be of interest.
In this warfare it is very often necessary for the cavalryman to
dismount and use his carbine. The lance then gets in the way and has to
be tied to the saddle. This takes time, and there is usually not much
time to spare in cavalry skirmishing. The Guides compromise matters by
giving one man in every four a lance. This man, when the others
dismount, stays in the saddle and holds their horses.
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