Training Day - the Girandoni

[This is the general Training Day thread, with access to other events.]

Edrington set up the case on a trestle table. He had carried the case from London to Coimbra, and, until today, had not had a real chance to examine it or indeed to fire it. Filling the air reservoirs took time - and working the pump had been a useful and very unusual punishment, given to the three of his men picked up for drunkenness overnight. The physical exertion had been mild, compared with the more usual punishment of extra drill, but he now had his Girandoni ready to be demonstrated.

When he noticed that Edrington had started fussing with a large carrying case on a trestle table, v Lossow started to make his way over to the colonel. The going was slow, the crowd still chatting exitedly about the previous events and craning their necks to see what entertainment would be provided next.
Here and there money was changing hands. Betting on the outcome of the various events had been fierce.

Edrington looked up from his rifle. "My dear v Lossow - I saw you earlier... It has been an interesting afternoon, don't you think? The rifles have become part of us, and I think half of the Line doesn't have the faintest idea what they do. But now," he said, smiling, "I feel like the proprietor of a freak show. Or perhaps the freak itself. But I know it will of interest - if it works properly..." The smile broadened. "And if it doesn't, I think I can bear the embarrassment."

"Oh, no, if it was a freak show the pay would be better! Hmm, perhaps we should have demanded an entrance fee..."

He returned the smile and bend forward to inspect the rifle.

"I believe the demonstration did point out the strength of the rifles, their superior range and accuracy, as well as their weakness, the slow loading. While it was not as... educational as seeing riflemen calmly picking off french officers while their voltigeurs are still far out of range, it should get the soldiers thinking. Don't know if it had any effect on the officers, though!"

"So, where is the air stored? Is the pump here?" Curious, he started poking at the rifle parts.

(OOC what does that big red button do? The one that says 'do not push'? )

"My officers ... will I hope realize that the purpose of the forward screen of riflemen is to stop the voltigeurs getting close enough to pick off our officers. Let the riflemen pick off the enemy's officers, instead." He swatted mildly at v Lossow's hand. "This is the pump. Screw the foot-rest on and you can pump it up and down until the reservoir - which is the gun's stock - is full. Useful exercise, or at least worthwhile. A valve stops the air leaking back out - don't look at me like that. I don't really know how. But it works."

He glanced up from v Lossow as others approached.

Lt. Jaeger eyed the strange gun with interest. Sizewise, it looked like a musket, but with a slimmer barrel and the pan... there was no pan. Shyly, and acutely aware that these officers were the kind of nobles that his parents would have been bowing and tugging their forelocks at, he edged closer.

Lossow turned to see whom the colonel was looking at. It wasn't one of the staff officers, who seemed to be oblivious to anything but the heavyly guarded portugese ladies they were besieging, but a young Rifles officer, who was oviously fascinated by the air gun.

Edrington recognized the young lieutenant and smiled. He was in theory addressing himself to the Staff - but they would not be as interested as the handful of Rifle and other officers and men.

"This is the Girandoni air rifle," he said more loudly, "as used by the Austrian Army, where it is known as the Windbüchse. It has a rifled barrel," he held up the barrel on its own, "and a magazine containing 20 balls." He showed that. "Lieutenant Jaeger, how many shots can your men fire in a minute?"

Quelling the urge to snap to attention, Lt. Jaeger answered: "Two when using the greased leather patches to take advantage of the superior range of the weapon, and later in the fight, when the barrel has become fouled and they have to use a hammer to ram the shot home, only one. Or four, without the patch and the accuracy." Selfconciously he liked his lips. Had that made sense?

Edrington smiled at Jaeger. "So, at best four shots with limited accuracy, and only until the barrel becomes fouled with powder residue. With the Girandoni you could fire these twenty balls in less than one minute, with lethal accuracy over a range of one hundred to a hundred and fifty yards."

Lossow watched the riflemans reaction to this bit of news. He remembered his own astonishment from the night before very well.

Jaeger felt his jaw drop. Twenty shots a minute?

"That's not possible, sir!"

Edrington grinned. "I am informed that that is so. Provided the gun does not fail, and it may do so - they are notoriously prone to become unusable, which is why we do not have them in our rifles regiments. But we shall see." He screwed on the butt, without comment, and then beckoned the young officer closer. "The slide will work a ball into the firing chamber. Cock it, aim and fire. Work the slide to bring another ball into the firing chamber, and so on."

"One reason for breakdown is that the balls must be the right size. You cannot use a patch, obviously. A ball that is too large will jam; one that is too small will be fired at a much lower speed."

Edrington looked round, caught v Lossow's eye and smiled before turning back to Lieutenant Jaeger. "Are you a good shot, Lieutenant? Because I would like to see this tested for accuracy as well as rate of fire."

At the Leutnant's wide-eyed exclamation, Lossow noticed that a cut on his brow started to bleed again.

"You are injured, sir. Here... what happened? Were you in on the heroic fight for the french flag?"

He handed his handkerchief to the younger officer.

Absentminded, Jaeger took the handkerchief and dabbed at his brow.
"Oh, it's nothing, just some children throwing stones... " All his attention was on Edrington.

"Yes, I am a good shot. I would be honored to test your gun!"

"So that's why there is no pan. No half-cock position either, I'd wager. What powers the balls? Is there a powder reservoir anywhere?"

"Throwing stones?" Edrington looked round as if hoping to see a stone-throwing urchin within reach. "Did you see them?"

As Edrington explained the mechanics of the air gun to the rifle officer, Lossow turned his attention elsewhere. So, so, children throwing stones...

He fished a shiny coin out of his pocket and started to play with it, having it wander along his chuckles and flashing in the sun. In no time a group of native boys were watching him. He caught the leaders eye and motioned him to come closer.

(To Edrington)
"It is nothing, sir. So it is air that propells the bullets? Marvellous!"

Jaeger's last question needed to be answered, and Edrington said: "That is right. It is powered by air - or rather by air pumped into the stock, and held there until the trigger releases just enough to fire - to propel -each bullet."

They were close to the butts where the competition had been held, and the area had been kept clear for them. "The difference will be clear when you fire it," he concluded.

While the officers took the airgun over to the firing butts, v Lossow was talking with the boy in rapid portugese. After a bit of haggling, the coin changed hands, and Lossow strode over to rejoin the other men.

"Wait a moment. Lt. Jaeger, did you actually see a child throwing the stone at you?"

The Leutnant answered in the negative, and Lossow continued:

"I thought not. A little porugese bird told me that a "blue horseman, with french weapons" was the culprit. It must have been one of the 15th Hussars, I believe."

Edrington listened to v Lossow's description and swore under his breath. Although why Willoughby would be throwing stones at the men with whom he had been living for the last few days. "Willoughby?" he said softly. "Have you upset our Hussar, Mr Jaeger?"

"I have never had any direct dealings with him. He was messing with Rifleman Cotton."

The crow flew over the men, emitting one of its cackling noises again

"Yes. The stone must have been thrown with considerable force to break the skin like that though." It might not be Willoughby. The boy would be back with his own regiment by now, and would probably be confined to the billet while they worked out what offences, if any, he had committed by being separated from his troop. And losing his horse and weapons. They would surely have contacted him if they meant to charge him, to check his story. There were other Hussars here, but ...

He beckoned a young Ensign of the 62nd over, and sent him with a message to the Major. "We can't detain every Hussar, but ... Thank you, v Lossow. Jamie Vereker will keep an eye out for the man I suspect may be responsible - or irresponsible."

He turned back to Jaeger and offered the Girandoni to him. "Now, Lieutenant."

Reverently, Jaeger took the gun and carefully checked it's readyness.
He looked at Edrington again. "May I really, sir?"


[ooc have to go to sleep... don't do anything I wouldn't do while I'm away...]