Several distinctive cracks reached him after three Spaniards fell where they once stood. Before the enemy could respond, the mortar came down; making a sound of dull drumming combined with whistling from its lit fuse.
Marc watched as it flew overhead, and buried itself into the hillside. Three seconds later, the steel casing packed with black powder blew, sending dirt, rock and shrapnel everywhere. Had it been a direct hit, the mortar would have decimated the ranks, as it stood, an additional three fell, two of which managed to stand up.
“The fuse was too long,” Marc said.
Disclaimer: This excerpt from Man of War is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth.
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