What is "portfires"

Usage examples of "portfires".

The English gunners stand with their portfires ready, which are seen glowing luridly in the daylight.

Their portfires seeped grey smoke into the air and Lassan knew how dry their mouths were and how fragile their bellies felt.

The French gunners touched portfires to vents, and the battle of Arcachon had begun.

The brass elevating screws were turned and the portfires touched vent tubes and the fire slipped down to the coarse powder that hammered more grapeshot to slice into the undergrowth across the clearing.

The gunners, who had been hammering quoins into the shaken howitzer beds, leaped back as the portfires were lit and as the barrels thudded down again.

The guns were loaded, their portfires smoking gently in readiness for the French.

The portfires touched the fire to the quills of mealed powder that flashed the flame down to the charge in the fabric bags, and the guns crashed back on their trails, their wheels jumping clear out of the mud before smashing down yards back from where they had started.

A few cannon had been left loaded with canister and the portfires touched the quills to send barrels of the killing musket-halls at the rumps of the fleeing cavalry.

The glowing slow-matches of the portfires touched the quills and the nine-pounders crashed back on their trails.