Pirates of the Timestream by Steve White

we take for granted in the way of amenities.”
    “Oh, surely, Commander,” said Nesbit brightly, “it can’t be all that bad. After all, those were people then, just like ourselves, so surely the basic fundamental must be essentially—”
    “Toilet paper,” Jason cut in succinctly.
    “I beg your pardon.”
    “Just a very minor example. Toilet paper, like so many things, was a Chinese invention. It wasn’t introduced into the West until the nineteenth century.” Seeing Nesbit’s blank look, Jason explained patiently. “We’re going to be in the seventeenth century.”
    “But . . . er, that is . . . what does one, well, do ?”
    “One does without,” said Mondrago with a grin that was wicked even for him.
    “Thank you, Commander Thanou,” said Rutherford firmly. “I believe that’s all the orientation we need for now.”

CHAPTER FIVE

    “Now this,” said Alexandre Mondrago admiringly, “is one good-looking gun!”
    “Somewhat more to the point, it was a state-of-the-art firearm for its time,” said Grenfell rather didactically. “One of the reasons why the buccaneers were so successful against the Spaniards was that they were, quite simply, better armed.” His expression softened a trifle. “But there is no denying that it is almost a Baroque work of art, in its way.”
    They all stood in the armory, just inside the wide doors that led to the firing range, and admired the five-foot-long, broad-butted musket Mondrago held. It had been produced by the Authority’s workshops to the exacting standard of authenticity time travel required. In this case, that had been harder than usual. Grenfell was explaining why.
    “Each of these muskets was one of a kind. Remember, mass production of firearms using interchangeable parts didn’t come in until the mid-eighteenth century. This is a reproduction of the kind of musket crafted by the great French gunsmiths of Normandy like Brachere of Dieppe and Galin of Nantes—the best in the world. Each one required a whole staff in addition to the designer: specialists in stockmaking, barrelsmithing, metal carving, engraving and inlaying.”
    “I believe it,” said Jason. The four-foot-long blued barrel had an almost porcelainlike gleam, and was decorated with mythological scenes. “Did they work all this artwork into the cold metal?”
    “Yes. The craftsman was also a metallurgist.”
    “Again, I believe it.” Jason took the weapon from Mondrago and hefted it. It had an odd look, with its spade-shaped stock, but it balanced beautifully. “It’s a lot lighter than it looks.”
    “The French gunsmiths were able to achieve that lightness by a combination of superb metallurgy and certain design innovations. It was one of the things that gave them an edge over their competitors and enabled them to charge the high prices they commanded. This particular example is—or, to be precise, would have been—even more expensive than average. Most of the muskets were still matchlocks, in which a moveable clamp called a serpentine connected to the trigger held a burning taper, which was dipped into a tiny pan of gunpowder. It was old technology—it had been around for more than two and a half centuries before our target date—and was not noted for either convenience or reliability.”
    “That’s one way to put it,” said Jason, recalling his experiences in the Thirty Years’ War.
    “But it was cheap, which was why it was still the standard ignition system for infantry weapons. This one, on the other hand, is a wheel lock.” Grenfell pointed at the little roughened steel wheel set just under the pan. In front of it was a serpentine, crafted to resemble a leaping dolphin, whose clamp held an iron pyrites, resting against the pan cover. “When the trigger is pressed,” he explained, “it sets the wheel spinning and also pushes back the pan cover and allows the pyrites to come in contact with it, causing sparks to fly. This system was superbly reliable, but its