"It has parted just here, where the last protecting coil of steel has been shrunk on; the tube of the gun has burst at this unprotected portion of it, right in front of the chase." "What's the reason, sir," asked Bob, "of its bursting there like that ?" "I suppose because the metal was unable to withstand the strain of the powder charge," said the Captain.

"So, Bob, it went!" "Pardon me, but I don't think you've got it quite right, sir," observed the lieutenant apologetically.

"The gun was strong enough for the old `pebble powder' it was originally intended to be fired with, the force of whose explosion would have been expended in the breech, which you can't say is weak ?" "No," asserted the other, "the gun seems strong enough there." "Well, that being the case," continued the young officer, "the gun might have been fired as many times as you please with the heaviest charges of that powder without its sustaining the slightest injury.

Our wise Ordnance people, however, having taken a fancy to a `slow combustion powder,' whose force, instead of being expended in the breech, is sustained throughout the whole length of the gun, as the particles of powder ignite and expand, bethought themselves they would, for cheapness' sake, use this `cocoa powder,' as it is called, without going to the expense of building additional coils round their heavy guns to enable them to resist the extra strain!" "So this is the result," said the old Captain.

"It's just like putting new wine into old bottles!" "Precisely," replied the lieutenant, joining in his laugh.