The Light Infantry Companies were much used during the Napoleonic wars, but were soon afterwards abolished. The Rifle Battalions gradually lost their special character as Light Troops, while retaining their uniforms and designations, and are at present armed, trained, and used exactly like ordinary Infantry, which has, however, adopted their rifle and their extended formation in battle. The tactical work of Light Infantry may perhaps be said to be now done by Mounted Infantry, and it may be asked whether the Rifle Regiments of the British Army might not have taken up the duties of Mounted Infantry, for which they seem suited by their origin as picked troops, and their Peninsular reputation and regimental traditions of mobility and independent action. In Germany a similar suggestion has been recently made to provide Rifle Battalions with cycles, and send them out to the front with the Cavalry--in fact, to turn them virtually into “Mounted Infantry” on cycles. CHAPTER XVII THE EVOLUTION OF CAVALRY Modern Cavalry has perhaps but slight claim to be descended from feudal Chivalry. The Man-at-Arms, the fully armoured Knight, with his mounted retinue of a squire, a page, and a few retainers, acted indeed by “shock,” but _individually_, with jealous independence of his fellow knights; whereas the efficiency of Cavalry action has from the first rested on a combined disciplined attack. But the traditions of Chivalry may be traced in the “Cavalry Spirit,” which preaches, like Danton, “de l’audace, encore de l’audace, et toujours de l’audace,” and in the prestige which still clings to the Mounted Arm. Cavalry has never forgotten its aristocratic and romantic ancestry, and is inclined to look down somewhat on the Infantry without whom battles cannot be fought, and still less won. Cavalry is to this day the premier Arm in the British and in many other Armies. In Germany the logical insight of the Hohenzollerns has long since made Infantry the senior Arm of the Service. The word _Cavalry_--French _Cavallerie_, Italian _Cavaleria_--is, like _Chivalry_, derived from the Late Latin word _caballus_, in common use for horse when _equus_ had become highflown. But _caballus_ became _cheval_ in Early French, whence _Chivalry_; while the Italian _Cavaleria_ was directly derived from _caballus_. The Knight’s arms, the sword and lance, are still those of Cavalry, and his armour survives in the metal helmet and cuirass.