"Bring a rope." One is hastily procured, and the first captain--a great, brawny, good-natured fellow, who has spent years at sea--deftly fastens the bight of the rope to the handle of the breechblock.

He then retreats a short distance and signifies his readiness.
"When I give the word," calls out the officer, "pull handsomely.
Ready--pull away!" From out the smoke-filled compartment men lean forward, eagerly--anxiously.

They instinctively shrink back as the breech plug slowly moves.

Then, when it finally opens, revealing the brass head of the cartridge inside the firing chamber, a sigh of relief comes from all.
But the danger is not yet over.
The defective projectile must be taken out and tossed into the sea.

The second loader steps forward at a signal from the gun captain.