Chapter 84: Guns
It was with great excitement that we escorted the slow-moving caravan.
For decades, the cannons had rusted on the platforms of the Boac Cathedral walls, barely used. In time, the townspeople had regarded them no differently than statues—merely decorations.
The Spanish had placed them there, facing the river, in case of Moro pirate attacks. But when the pirates stopped targeting Boac, their purpose became merely symbolic.During the revolution against Spain last year, the defenders fired a few rounds—once or twice—though only for intimidation, not real combat.
But today, we were transferring them somewhere they could actually be of use.
Two carabaos led the caravan, pulling a cart that carried four swivel guns, dismounted from the fort’s stone parapets. I was surprised to see they weren’t actually more impressive than the pirate swivel guns found on the garay warships.
The ones from the port were plain, made of cast iron, and had limited flexibility. The Moro swivel guns, on the other hand, were ornately designed with intricate carvings, made of bronze, and could swing widely side to side and tilt sharply up and down. The European models were likely mass-produced, while the Moro cannons were hand-crafted.
I had considered stripping the garay warship of its swivel guns and transferring them to the steamship—but I doubted Eduardo and his crew would take kindly to that. Besides, the garay’s ability to tread shallow water meant it would likely be used for close-quarters battles, where swivel guns were most effective.
So the fort’s inferior swivel guns would go to the gunboat—but so would its largest cannon.
Another two carabaos followed behind, pulling a large, heavy cart containing the 8-pounder cannon. It was a labor to move and would likely cause us more hardship later on—but it was our greatest firepower asset.
It would give the gunboat its gun, granting it the ability to seriously damage enemy vessels or shore fortifications. Loaded with grapeshot, a well-aimed shot from the 8-pounder could single-handedly cause a massacre among coastal defenders.
At the rear was a single carabao with the lightest load, pulling the 4-pounder cannon. This lighter piece would be installed on the garay warship. It had half the firepower of the larger cannon but was still a serious weapon—enough for the repurposed pirate ship to offer fire support or hold its own in a skirmish.