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Updated: June 16, 2025
Frobisher soon discovered that his big body was being made a target for small-arm fire, and was shortly obliged to leave the bridge, in order to avoid being shot. He therefore took up his post in the forward starboard casemate, from which position he could observe the enemy and at the same time encourage his crew to greater efforts.
This curious sheath" he pointed to a cylindrical jacket around part of the rifle barrel "is a Coulomb silencer, which reduces a small-arm report almost to a whisper. Here is an electric button which was connected with yonder battery before I operated on it with the chair, and distributed its spark, part to the gun, part to the flash-light powder on this little shelf. Do you see the plan now?
And you're welcome to tell him so with my compliments," snorted the old man. He threw his eye aloft. "Mr. Caryll, take a party o small-arm men aloft, and clear them sneakin blay-guards out of her tops. Else they'll be boardin by the yards." The boy rushed away. Beneath his feet the deck staggered and shook.
This did not at all satisfy his requirements; for he found that, although there appeared to be plenty of small-arm ammunition, there was very little belonging to the machine-guns and the guns in the batteries; so, taking Quen-lung with him, he made his way to the magazines, taking his requisition book with him in his pocket.
By some means either by rocks rolled down on them or other hostile agency, or by sheer bad luck the small-arm ammunition mules were stampeded. They dashed back on to the battery mules; there was alarm, confusion, shots flying and the battery mules stampeded also. On that the officer in command appears to have resolved to occupy the nearest hill.
Notwithstanding the fact that during the whole of this time we were also harassed by small-arm fire, we lost incredible as it may appear not more than one killed and one wounded, and a few horses besides. The positions which we had abandoned the British now occupied, hemming in General Cronje so closely that he had not the slightest chance of breaking through their lines.
To keep her antagonist in that position was of the greatest consequence to the "Marlborough," as she might thus rake her fore and aft, receiving but little damage in return. An officer and two or three men sprang into the "Marlborough's" mizen rigging to secure the bowsprit to it. The French small-arm men rushed forward to prevent this being done, by keeping up a fire of musketry.
See, that's his blood which has turned you into a red Indian. Hurrah, lads! we'll revenge him, and all those who lose the number of their mess to-day!" All this time the small-arm men were not idle. Showers of bullets were flying from the tops and forecastle, returned from those of the enemy.
They possessed three steel boats fitted for sail or oars, and a small steam launch, the Faidherbe, which latter had, however, been sent south for reinforcements. They had six months' supplies of provisions for the French officers, and about three months' rations for the men; but they had no artillery, and were in great want of small-arm ammunition. Their position was indeed precarious.
Still no one cried for quarter; and though not a gun was discharged, the marines and small-arm men kept up as hot a fire as before. All this time the "Thisbe's" two after-guns on the maindeck kept thundering away at them, fearfully diminishing their numbers. And thus the fight continued: they made, however, no signal of yielding.
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