also in this fourth plate and 13. figure, is shown you the manner of it, by dividing your men into three drawing files or teames, according to the greatnesse of the peece which your men are to draw up, for a Demy-canon, carriage, attelage, and all will weigh a matter of 6000. pound weight, now giving to every man 60. pound weight to draw such a halfe Canon will require a 100. men to draw it, and proportionably the 8. half canons 800. men.
For a quarter Canon, carriage, attelage and all, will weigh 3000. pound weight, now al∣lowing to every 60. pound weight to draw, every of these 8. peeces will require 43. men, so that for these 8. quarter Canons you must have in all 344. men, which being (as is said) divi∣ded into three equall files and distances, each drawing rope must have 14. men and one odde man over to go by.
And because it may sometimes happen, that by reason of the steepinesse, badnesse, and un∣evennesse of the way, you may be driven to dismount and remount your peece ere you get up to the top of the hill, you must carry along with you a Fearne, a winch, or a Scalet, with all appurtenances thereunto belonging, as winding roaps, an iron goats foot, with a crow, pinns, truckles, pullies to help you withall at a dead lift. All these Engines and Materials may con∣veniently be carryed on the shoulders of 30. men, insomuch that if you make your calculation you shall find that you must have for the drawing of these 16. peeces of Ordnance, and for all things above specified, the number of a 1703. men without any difficulty will do the deed and draw these Ordnance whithersoever you please. The Fearn the figure and its necessaries shall be described unto you in the next chapter following.
Now for your attirals or drawing harnesse, to the end that every man may draw alike share you must fasten a crossebeame or barre to the end of the fore waggon marked as you see with A. B. through which you put your drawing roaps into an equall distance, that your men may not hinder one another drawing, having behind it three men to steer the peece aright, when you come to any winding or turning in the way.
Again, if it be a whole canon or a peece of Ordnance, which you are to draw through a trench to a battery, or some other place, where you would plant it, and find these drawing ropes to short for the men that are to draw it, then you must lengthen the ropes and fasten an other crosse barre just in the very midst, and this will guide your peece from wrenching aside for certain, the shorter your drawing ropes be, the more steddier and easier your peece will be drawn, to every drawing rope also you must have as many necklines to cast about your mens shoulders as you have men, to the end they may draw with more ease, strength, and take fir∣mer footing. Neverthelesse if you draw your peece after this manner up to some steepy hill least the peece should fall downward and overturn them, for the avoiding of this danger, they must in an instant whip these lines over their heads to loosen themselves from them, or else cut them on a suddain, but then it is safer to draw with their hands.
This manner of drawing of Ordnance is no new thing, but hath been practised by the first conquerours of the West Indies, as Pizarre, Ferdinand Cortes, and diverse others, who with the strength of men drew their Ordnance over hils and mountains to the City of Mexico. Like∣wise Henry 4. King of France, of immortall memory, used this manner of drawing of his Ordnance over the Alphes in his last warres of Burgundie, and instead of pyoniers used lusty Swissers to do it
The 5. rings called in dutch, Mailles, number 14. is to try whether the bullets which you are to choose in the Arsenall will fall through them, which if they do, then they will fit your peece to a hair, the severall bores and calibres of your 8. peece of Ordnance described before.