One hard-working "gob" was observed manfully trying to answer questions at the rate of one a second and prevent, at the same time, disastrous results from a contest which was taking place between two young men, precariously poised over the Whangpoo, who had thrown the gauntlet and were not inclined to cease their activities until the question of "distance, discounting wind velocity and quantity, had been definitely settled.
Young ladies between the ages of six and fifteen were also somewhat distracted from details concerning calibre and weight of projectiles by the nearness of hinges and swivels cóated with oil, The girls their feminine instincts already well on ihe way to maturity, were often engaged in keeping their summer frocks clear of such danger zones, while the male contingent of the tour were, for the most part, listening with rapt attention to a description of the huge guns which loomed above them.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.