Page:Can Germany Invade England?.djvu/112

for the conveyance of men and material, ten days to put in the necessary fittings for horses, for whose use the larger vessels must be reserved, as the only proper place for them is on the main deck, where in small vessels there would be no room for the stalls, without which it is impossible to ensure their safety or to hope to land them in good condition.^[1] Placed on the upper deck they add greatly to the rolling of the ship, and in heavy weather the horses and stalls are in danger of being washed overboard.^[2] This occurred on the voyage of the Queen to Natal in 1881, when a number of horses were lost before she reached St. Vincent. After the Abyssinian Expedition, in which he was disembarkation officer, Lord Roberts was so convinced of the necessity of the horse transports being

1. Military Transport pp. 158, 160, by Colonel G. A. Furse, C.B.
2. Staff Duties, p. 230, by Major F. C. H. Clarke, C.M.G.