To 0 on with the account of the demonstration: When the big. six-inch mortar came up into position, the officer and men who had brought it up but who, it seems, had not fired it, laid claim to the right to do the shooting. After a mild dis-this was granted, and they set busily to work to show off. The business of setting up the gun and getting it sighted to fire can_ be made a matter of seconds. The demonstrators, through too much enthusiasm and the usual Chinese weakness for giving one another oners, made it a matter of some minutes, but they finally got it placed to the satisfaction of the structors. Then the business of sighting on the target began and entailed some further discussion among the proud but nervous de-
With a trench mortar one does not raise or lower the gun for distance; the gun remains in a fixed position and the charge of powder determines the flight of the shell—anything from a hundred yards or so ap to two miles. In this case the fir-
Shorily after we arrived the guns came trundling up, on carriages lofts and a cross handle like a Push-cart. This, by the way, is an innovation for which credit is due ing was done on a fixed range of 1400 metres, the amount of powder to be used was known, so the demonstrators kad nothing' to worry about. but the lateral sighting. This
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.