THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
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be somewhat less or more than that appropriate to the distance at the 
moment of laying the gun. 
Again, if the object is in motion across the line of fire, the elevation is 
not affected; but the piece should be laid to the right or left of the object 
according as the object is moving to the right or left; the amount of this 
allowance should be such as to result in the projectile and the object 
reaching the point aimed at, at the same instant. 
In firing at objects of considerable width laying the gun to one side is 
unnecessary; if the object is a column of troops for instance, the gun is 
laid at the head of the column, and thus the projectile will strike somewhere 
to the rear of the front. 
The allowance to be made in laying at moving objects depends on the 
time of flight of the projectile and the rate of motion of the object: on 
service the latter can only be roughly determined. This is however of 
trifling importance when we recollect that common and shrapnel shells 
effectively command a considerable width of ground by their explosion; 
generally speaking it is only when the object is in quick and continuous 
motion that allowance need be made in laying. 
With reference to the service of the 3-pr. rifled mountain gun, it remains 
to be stated that to transport the gun on its carriage for a short distance, 
No. 4 takes a recoil-rope off the carriage, hooks the ring at one end to the 
hook at the other, then reeves the doubled rope through the trail ring. 
The handspike is placed through the sling so formed, and Nos. 1 and 4 
drag the gun by it, whilst Nos. 2 and 3 lend a hand at the front of the 
carriage or spoke the wheels. We understand that shafts are shortly to be 
introduced for facilitating the transport of the gun on its carriage. 
Firing, 
20. While the gun is in process of being loaded. No. 4 bends down the 
loop of the friction-tube wire and attaches it to the hook of the lanyard. 
As soon as the gun is loaded and laid, he puts the tube into the vent and 
draws the lanyard taut with his left hand; when the word “Fire” is given, 
he strikes the lanyard a smart blow with his right hand; thus the rubber 
is drawn out of the friction tube and the tube and cartridge ignited. 
Sponging . 
2]. Sponging is the duty of No. 2; he enters the sponge, runs it up to 
the bottom of the bore, gives it a few turns to catch any residue of cartridge 
which may have been left in the bore and withdraws the sponge to fetch 
it out. Meanwhile No. 3 serves the vent with the thumb of his right 
hand in order to extinguish any spark which may exist in the bore. 
No. 3 passes the priming iron down the vent to see that it is clear. If 
the vent is choked by a remnant of the cartridge, it is cleared if possible 
with the priming iron: if this fails, it is driven into the bore with the drift 
and hammer: it is then brought out by the sponge. 
When the gun has not been used for some time or when it may be 
supposed that there is some dirt in the bore, the gun is sponged and the 
vent searched before loading. When circumstances admit, on ceasing fire 
