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It throws a long cartridge or shell, similar in shape, but not so large as those used on the Vesuvius, about which I have told you. One day Sergeant Borrowe volunteered to manage the gun that the rest of the men were afraid of. They let him have it, and he did splendid work with it. Another famous gun in the fighting before Santiago was gun No. 2, of Captain Capron's battery.
"I guess the folks will have to believe I was in a battle now," he said. That coign of safety ceasing to be a coign of safety caused us to move on in search of another, and I came upon Sergeant Borrowe blocking the road with his dynamite gun. He and his brother and three regulars were busily correcting a hitch in its mechanism.
One Isaac Medicus a bergomast was the man hee chose to make him a monster, who beeing a courtier and repairing to his house very often, neither for loue of him nor his wife, but onely with a drift to borrowe monie of a pawne of waxe and parchment, when he sawe his expectation deluded, and that Castaldo was too charie for him to close with, he priuily with purpose of reuenge, gaue out amongest his copesmates, that hee resorted to Castaldos house for no other end but to cuckolde him, & doubtfully he talkt that he had and he had not obtained his sute.
Negotiations for capitulation having failed, firing was resumed about three o'clock on the 10th, and continued until one o'clock on the 11th of July. In this firing all four of the Gatling guns were used; Tiffany's guns and the dynamite gun under Serg. Borrowe participated. Three of the Gatling guns had been placed in the trench on the night of July 3d.
Borrowe, delighted at the chance to exhibit his toy to a professional soldier, beamed with equal eagerness. "In just a moment, sir," he said; "this shell seems to have jammed a bit." The officer, for the first time seeing the shell stuck in the breech, hurriedly gathered up his reins. He seemed to be losing interest. With elaborate carelessness I began to edge off down the road.
Ye awthour dyd reappeare in ye aufternoone, and dyd seeke to borrowe a crowne from mee, but I sente hym packing. Ye Bosse hath heartilye given me Styx forr admitting such Vagabones to ye Office. Hee tooke thys advyse in goode parte, and wente. Hys jerkin wolde have beene ye better for a patchinge.
"Wait," Borrowe begged; "we'll have it out in a minute." Suddenly I heard the officer's voice raised wildly. "What what," he gasped, "is that man doing with that axe?" "He's helping me to get out this shell," said Borrowe. "Good God!" said the officer. Then he remembered his errand.
Every few shots it got out of order, and the Rough Rider machinists and those furnished by Lieutenant Parker whom we by this time began to consider as an exceedingly valuable member of our own regiment would spend an hour or two in setting it right. Sergeant Borrowe had charge of it and handled it well.
Until last year, when I again met young Borrowe gayly disporting himself at a lawn-tennis tournament at Mattapoisett, I did not know whether his brother's method of removing dynamite with an axe had been entirely successful. He said it worked all right. At the turn of the road I found Colonel Leonard Wood and a group of Rough Riders, who were busily intrenching.
An officer carrying an order along the line halted his sweating horse and gazed at the strange gun with professional knowledge. "That must be the dynamite gun I have heard so much about," he shouted. Borrowe saluted and shouted assent. The officer, greatly interested, forgot his errand. "I'd like to see you fire it once," he said eagerly.
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