United States or Mauritius ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
But, as the men who were not killed picked themselves up, and as they and the surgeon's people were carrying off the bodies, there appeared Nolan, in his shirt-sleeves, with the rammer in his hand, and, just as if he had been the officer, told them off with authority, who should go to the cock-pit with the wounded men, who should stay with him, perfectly cheery, and with that way which makes men feel sure all is right and is going to be right.
Both guns came down at the same instant, each man grasped his muzzle with his left hand, and reached for his cartridge-box, awaiting the next order. "Handle cartridges." "Tear cartridges." "Charge cartridges," repeated Si slowly and distinctly. The rebel's second nodded approval of his knowledge of the drill, and sang out: "Good soldiers, all of yo'uns." "Draw rammer," continued Si,
"But that's all werry well," said Chips; "but it won't do. If I lost my adze or caulking-hammer overboard, I must have another, mustn't I?" No one answered, and he continued: "If you lost the rammer of the big gun, Billy Waters, or the corporal here hadn't got his bayonet, he'd want a new one; so why shouldn't we have a new orsifer?"
Plato's expression of a city in high fever was never more applicable than to Rome at that time; in its origin formed by daring and warlike spirits, whom bold and desperate adventure brought thither from every quarter, it had found in perpetual wars and incursions on its neighbors its after sustenance and means of growth and in conflict with danger the source of new strength; like piles, which the blows of the rammer serve to fix into the ground.
But no sound came from the sack. Gefty called angrily, "Maulbow " "Don't excite yourself, Rammer." There was a suggestion of what might be contempt in Maulbow's tone now. "The girl hasn't been harmed. She can breathe easily through the restrainer. And you can remove it by pulling at the material from outside." Gefty's mouth tightened. "I'll keep my gun on the passage while I do it "
The rammer crumpled her bows up a bit, but could still steam, but the ship rammed was rather badly damaged, and had to be taken in tow. It was in the middle of this operation that many hostile seaplanes, stirred up like a wasps' nest by our 'planes earlier in the morning, came out and started dropping bombs.
Bob Hampton thrust in the rammer and felt the cartridge. "Yes, sir; seems right. Perhaps the powder's old and damp." "No; I think it was perfectly dry." "Humph!" growled Bob; and then an idea seemed to strike him. "Beg pardon, sir," he cried; "would you mind showing me how you shoved the cartridge in?"
They had the gun, by this time, slewed round upon the swivel, and Hands, who was at the muzzle with the rammer, was in consequence the most exposed. However, we had no luck, for just as Trelawney fired, down he stooped, the ball whistled over him, and it was one of the other four who fell.
Now tap your sponge against the muzzle to knock the dust off. There! Now the powder." This he poured down the muzzle of the gun. "Now a wad," he said, taking up a screw of twisted paper. "Ram it home on to the powder with the rammer. That's the way. Now for the shot. We'll put in a dozen bullets, and then top with a couple more wads. There! Now she's loaded.
We had put in the powder to the four guns on the main deck, when we were fighting the Danish gun-boats, in a frigate I was in; and as the men withdrew the rammer, a shot from the enemy entered the muzzle and completed the loading of each gun. We fired their own shot back upon them, and this occurred three times running."
Word Of The Day