hrough a firing trial near Simon's Town, and so it was not
subsequently employed with these "platform" mountings, as they came to
be called. Sir George White, in Ladysmith, to which place the first
two "platform" mountings had been promptly taken by the _Powerful's_
Naval brigade, was, on October 30th, informed by telegram of the
result of the firing trial, also that no moorings had been found
necessary.

[Sidenote: Scott's travelling carriage.]

Captain Scott now obtained permission to make a travelling carriage
for a 4.7-in. gun. It consisted of a double trail of 14-inch timber
fitted with plates and bearings to carry the cradle of the ordinary
ship mounting. A pair of steel wheels and a heavy axle were required,
and all the work was done in the dockyard under Captain Scott's
supervision. This mounting was satisfactorily tried and embarked on
the _Terrible_ for Durban on November 3rd.

In giving this brief description of the mountings which enabled
long-range guns to be put at the disposal of the General Officer
Commanding-in-Chief, the events which led to their use have been
anticipated. The foregoing explanation is necessary, because, though
the warships were already supplied with field mountings for the 12-pr.
8-cwt. and some smaller guns, and these were therefore available, and
to a certain extent were used during the war, yet when more powerful
guns were required it became necessary to extemporise a carriage for
them.

[Sidenote: Numbers employed.]

The first long 12-pr. was tried on October 21st, and by November 3rd
there were already prepared for use, or actually in use:--

21 field mountings for 12-pr. 12-cwt. guns.
3 platform mountings for 4.7-in.
1 travelling carriage for 4.7-in.

[Sidenote: Later developments.]

This number was, soon afterwards, largely increased, and a 6-in. Q.F.
7-ton gun was also mounted on a travelling carriage at the Durban
Locomotive Works under Captain Scott's supervision. As more mountings
were made and other people's ideas were enlisted, modifications were
introduced; some mountings, entirely of steel, were indeed used for
4.7-in. guns; but in the main these mountings resembled those which
were so hurriedly prepared in the last ten days of October.

To resume the sequence of Naval events at the Cape.

[Sidenote: Difficulties of Naval C.-in-C.]

The Commander-in-Chief found himself, when war broke out, with his
small squadron of ships ready for any service, an