had to be taken in through the ports, this operation could
not be very well managed until her broadside was clear of the hull of
the other ship, so that the cannon could be lifted out of the lighters
and swung inboard, without any intervening obstacle blocking the way and
possibly fouling the hoisting tackle and steadying gear, which was not
the case until we reached Spithead.

Even then, it was no trifling task swaying the heavy guns out of the
holds of the two lighters that brought them out to us early in the
morning from the gun-wharf, one of these craft coming under our mainyard
on either side; for, the guns were long thirty-two pounders, weighing
fifty-six hundredweight, or nearly three tons apiece, and, even after
they were hoisted up in mid air from the lighters they had then to be
hauled through one of the midship ports, mounted on their carriages and
run along the lower deck to their proper position, when the breechings
and side tackle had to be fitted before the job was completed.

It was accomplished in good time, however, much to our commander's
satisfaction; and, by the aid of the fish davit with its tackle and
another purchase, it did not take more than a couple of hours to ship
the whole thirty of these guns that comprised our lower deck armament.

What formidable weapons I thought them! But, they were only babies to
the big rifled breechloaders now in vogue; albeit they did tidy enough
work in the destructive line in their day, as the annals of our navy can
tell, and other nations have experienced to their cost both on land and
sea!

"Pretty little barkers, ain't they?" observed Mr Triggs, the gunner,
noticing me looking at these "long thirty-twos," as they were styled,
and wondering at the light and airy fashion in which the men handled
them, tossing them about like shuttlecocks, so it seemed to me. "They
can do more than bark; though, they can bite too, I tell ye!"

"Oh, yes, I quite believe that, Mr Triggs," said I, taking advantage of
the opportunity of giving a "snop" to Larkyns, who was also standing by
and, of course, grinning as usual. "Not all smoke and noise, like some
fellows' talk."

"No, that they ain't, except, in course, when saluting," replied the
gunner, who was a plain matter-of-fact man and did not see the drift of
my observation. "But, with a ten-pound charge, now, they'd make a
pretty fair hole in a six-inch plank, I tell ye."

"How many of them, Mr Triggs," I asked, "have