AUSTRIAN STEAMER SALUTING. 303 



he did not come within half a mile of us), every 

 one was in a glorious bustle and confusion. 

 I wonder they did not blow up the ship, or at 

 least set her on fire, because no one seemed to 

 have any particular duty to perform, and each 

 was in his turn seen with a cartridge or a red- 

 hot iron, a sponge or a rammer, in his hand. 

 Now, there being only two guns on board, it 

 would be a difficult matter under any circum- 

 stances, with a crew so undisciplined in gunnery 

 as ours was, to keep up any thing like a regular 

 fire ; but, as it unfortunately happened, one gun, 

 most obstinately, would not go off at all, and 

 defied all the exertions, persuasions, and oaths, 

 which were alike uselessly expended upon it. 

 This redoubled the confusion. The captain be- 

 came furious, stormed, stamped with his feet like 

 a madman, roared out *^ presto,'' until he was 

 black in the face ; but still the gun was obsti- 

 nate, and no inducement would make it go off. 

 " Ferro," cries one, in a high state of excitement. 

 " Polvere," roars another, running about the 

 deck in every direction but the right one. 

 " L'altro ferro," says a third, in a still greater 

 confusion and bustle. All running with different 



