ZAIMUKHT EXPEDITION. 
401 
luckily guessed range of 1600 yds. and elevated to 20°. The first shell 
burst right in the middle of the enemy, taking them completely by 
surprise, as at such a distance they had not thought of taking cover, 
and, the projectile travelling quicker than sound, they were unaware 
till it fell that the gun had been fired. A splendid chance was offered 
while they crowded to pick up their dead and wounded, but, unfortu¬ 
nately, the unevenness of the ground prevented the other gun being 
sufficiently elevated until they had begun to withdraw, when its shell 
swept the face of the hill, and they hastily fled from the position. 
The 4th P. I. and the 20th on the right, advanced as far as the 
village of Kotkai. In front of the right, the enemy had fallen back to 
the strong line x 3 y 3 z , where, to the number of 2000 to 3000, they 
appeared determined to make a stand. The crest of the hill afforded 
them such good cover, that the direct fire of the short 7-prs. with 
Colonel Gordon's force could not touch them at a range of 2000 yds., 
but the jointed guns gained a point beyond Kotkai, from which they 
were able to enfilade the reverse of the crest at a range of 2500 yds., 
and a dozen shells caused them to move, and they retired towards 0 and 
dispersed. General Tytler now ordered the whole of the 85th K. L. I. 
from the right attack to join him at the gorge below M. Here the 
enemy made a last stand, but the 85th stormed the crest, killed 20 of 
the defenders, and occupied Zawa. 
Description of 7-pr, jointed gun . 
'“nominal . ... 
total . 
. 70-45 „ 
Length, 
-1 
breech portion . 
j muzzle a . 
. 25*7 n 
. 45'5 „ 
! 
1 
1 
[ bore .. . 
. 66-5 „ 
^rifling . . 
1 
f breech portion . 
. 200 lbs. 
Weight, 
! muzzle a 
. 200 „ 
( 
(.total .. 
. . 400 * 
1 
f number of grooves .. 
. 8 
Bifling, 
width . 
{ 
(.depth . 
. 0*05 in., 
spiral increasing from 1 in 80 at breech to 1 in 30 at muzzle, commencing at 
11*7 ins. from bottom of bore. 
Powder chamber enlarged to 2'56-in. diameter. Tangent scale of steel, reading 
from 0 to 15°. The head of the scale has a slow motion arrangement for reading 
to minutes, and a deflection leaf. 
Beneath the sighting notch is a small hole for laying, in combination with 
trunnion fore-sight cross wires. 
Pore-sight screwed into trunnion ring, hog-backed, with cross wires. 
