The corporal, who the night before had resolved in his mind to supply the grand _desideratum_, of keeping up something like an incessant firing upon the enemy during the heat of the attack, --had no further idea in his fancy at that time, than a contrivance of smoking tobacco against the town, out of one of my uncle _Toby's_ six field-pieces, which were planted on each side of his sentry-box; the means of effecting which occurring to his fancy at the time same, though he had pledged his cap, he thought it in no danger from the miscarriage of his projects.
Upon turning it this way, and that, a little in his mind, he soon began to find out, that by means of his two _Turkish_ tobacco-pipes, with the supplement of three smaller tubes of wash-leather at each of their lower ends, to be tagg'd by the same number of tin-pipes fitted to the touch-holes, and sealed with clay next the cannon, and then tied hermetically with waxed silk at their several insertions into the _Morocco_ tube, --he should be able to fire the six field-pieces all together, and with the same ease as to fire one.------
----Let no man say from what taggs and jaggs hints may not be cut out for the advancement of human knowledge. Let no man, who has read my father's first and second _beds of justice_, ever rise up and say again, from collision of what kinds of bodies light may or may not be struck out, to carry the arts and sciences up to perfection. ----Heaven! thou knowest how I love them; ----thou knowest the secrets of my heart, and that I would this moment give my shirt ----Thou art a fool, _Shandy_, says _Eugenius_, for thou hast but a dozen in the world, --and 'twill break thy set.----
No matter for that, _Eugenius_; I would give the shirt off my back to be burned into tinder, were it only to satisfy one feverish enquirer, how many sparks at one good stroke, a good flint and steel could strike into the tail of it. ----Think ye not that in striking these _in_, --he might, peradventure, strike something _out?_ as sure as a gun.----
----But this project, by the bye.
The corporal sat up the best part of the night, in bringing _his_ to perfection; and having made a sufficient proof of his cannon, with charging them to the top with tobacco, --he went with contentment to bed.
The corporal, who the night before had resolved to keep up something like an incessant firing upon the enemy during the attack, - had no further idea how at that time, other than smoking tobacco out of one of my uncle Toby's six cannon beside his sentry-box.
Upon turning it over in his mind, he soon decided that by means of his two Turkish tobacco-pipes, along with three smaller tubes of leather added to their lower ends, with the same number of tin-pipes fitted to the touch-holes, and sealed with clay next the cannon, and then tied with waxed silk at their insertions into the Morocco tube - he should be able to fire the six field-pieces all together, as easily as firing one.
Let no man say from what tags and jags human knowledge may not be advanced. Let no man, who has read of my father's first and second beds of justice, ever say from what strange sources light may not be struck, to illuminate the arts and sciences. Heaven! thou knowest how I love them - and that I would this moment give my shirt-
'Thou art a fool, Shandy,' says Eugenius, 'for thou hast only a dozen shirts in the world.'
No matter for that, Eugenius. - But to this project.
The corporal sat up the best part of the night, in bringing it to perfection; and having charged his cannon to the top with tobacco, he went contentedly to bed.