167v - - - - - [continued]
The ones weighing about 27 lb. are ix pousses long and the mouth is 6 pousses in diameter. At their bottom, they are 6 lignes thick, and 3 for the mouth. The ones weighing 17 lb are 8 poulsses long and the mouth is five poulsses. They are all covered together, all the forks, rods, and tools which one uses, with a big canvas or big cloth so that they do not make any noise. It is good that they sit loaded for a while. After the powder has been put in, it is grinded very hard and then tightly pressed paper is put in, then a cake of well pressed wax and, on the wax, another slab of cork that fits in very snugly and that you have to force in. In this way, the powder remains well packed and gives much greater force, and if you wish, you can put on the cork slab one of wood pierced in the middle, if the mortar has a pierced bottom, which is believed to be the easiest and which makes a greater hole because it cannot recoil. And for these that have a pierced bottom, one must have a good gimlet to first make the hole so that the rod, which is made by the point of the gimlet, has before and without noise attached the mortar. And for these, one must cover the button, which is quite sharply filed, with waxed canvas, or add wax to it so that it completely plugs the hole in the bottom. But because the doors are sometimes iron and the iron rods cannot pierce it, an iron fork made like pincers and another iron stick made with three claws, like you see painted, are use. And in this way, the mortar stays in place well and is immediately steadied. The iron rods must come out of the mortar from every point made by the gimlet, namely by three or 4 finger lengths, which all enter in the door. When the mortars are placed, the touch—hole is filled with good powder and inserted in it is a feather shaft filled with tightly pressed powder and moistened with vinegar, or if needed, the powder is firmly pressed with the palms of the hands and, having wet it with some saliva, you shape it like a cocoon or
[continued]