Read Fianna Kelly Versus the Jeebees: A Collection of Steampunk Stories for Free Online Page B

soldiers and their families."
    The
passenger cars were filled with happy people conversing with each other. Did
they think they were just on a weekend trip to the big city or had the Colonel
told them what might happen. A couple invited me to sit with them a while. The
Colonel was right when he said that the passenger cars had a better view.
    I
moved along the car, talking to people. One soldier had a harmonica and I told
him how I would sing when Bevin played her concertina. He said that they are
similar instruments and offered to play if I would sing.
    I
asked him, "Do you know this song?
    Kiss me
quick and go my honey,
Kiss me quick and go;
To cheat surprise and prying eyes,
Why kiss me quick and go!" [iii]
    He
knew that one and several other songs that I knew and it wasn't long before the
whole car joined in on the choruses. I went back to the boxcar a few hours
later as my voice was getting hoarse. Lieutenants Mills and Reed were
inspecting Bradan.
    "Good
morning, Miss. We were just checking the craftsmanship on your automaton. It is
a fine piece of machinery you have."
    "I'm
sure he appreciates your kind words... Gentlemen, I've been wondering. What
kind of bullets did you use to get the target to explode?"
    "We
don't use bullets; we prefer to call them mortar shells."
    "What
are those?"
    "Usually
they are big round bombs. The Yanks used ones about a foot in diameter.
Coincidently, they also fired them from railway cars. They were designed to go
over obstacles and drop onto the target before exploding. However, the ones we
are using here are almost like your rifle cartridges."
    "My
cartridges don't make things explode."
    "Actually,
your cartridges do explode, but it is contained within the barrel and propels
the bullet to the target. Our shells, on the other hand, are propelled by the
gun and explode on impact."
    "I'm
still confused."
    "Imagine
that we turn your cartridge around and put the bullet on top of the cap and
seal the end where it was. Then we fire the entire cartridge with the bullet in
the front. When the bullet hits the target, the cap fires, and the cartridge
explodes into many pieces."
    "No
wonder the wooden target ended up as slivers"
    The
Colonel looked up from his papers and the men seemed a bit nervous. Lieutenant
Mills said, "It was nice talking with you, Miss. We need to be at our post
when we arrive at the next station."
    I
sat down to think about what he had said. This gun was not like a normal cannon
which did massive damage, but was difficult to aim and slow to fire. This did
less damage, but could be fired quickly and accurately. I guessed that was a
good thing. If it wasn't, why would they have built it?
    The
Colonel said, "We are coming up on a 20-minute stop. If you need to
refresh yourself, the station can accommodate your needs. When we resume our
trip, Albert will serve lunch."
    I
asked, "What about the soldiers? Will Albert be making their lunch as
well?"
    "Of
course not. The families usually pack a lunch and the single men have standard
rations plus water. It is enough to last them until we reach London."
    "I
tried one of those rations yesterday; Fluid beef and chocolate. The chocolate
bar was wonderful. The beef was not. However, if you use mutton, onions, and
potatoes instead, you will have good Irish stew."
    So
far, this was a wonderful trip. Lunch was good. Albert said he cooked it using
the engine's boiler. We resumed our journey on schedule. I was getting
accustomed to the way the train started moving and was not worried about spilling
anything on my dress. At this rate, we would arrive in London in less than an
hour.
    Albert
and I spent some time talking; just the usual conversation about home and
family. I wondered if Bradan's legs ever got tired as he was always standing.
The Colonel glanced at me after checking his maps. He did not look pleased.
    "Coming
up is the last water stop and we haven't discovered a single G.B.H.I. I was
expecting to find several camps of them along