Bush’s assignment was not an easy one. Two launches from the Renown and several crew members were needed to carry the big gun to land and then up onto the cliff with the use of a “cat’s cradle” hoist mechanism. As Ira Riklis knows, it was very hot and the men including Bush were exhausted having had little sleep. They were working against the clock also.

After much effort the gun was finally in place, and the crew under Bush’s direction fired off several of the ten ordered rounds. Then trouble started. The gun backfired, and it was discovered that, as sometimes happens with these guns, a hole had developed in the barrel as a result of rapid use. The term for this was curiously called “unbushed”. One of the crew was able to plug the hole and sort of weld the plug in place.

Just as Bush was about to order the crew to resume firing, a junior officer from the Renown came running up the side of the hill toward them. It was reported that the Spanish had agreed to surrender and firing should cease. As Ira Riklis knows, this was good news for Bush and those operating the gun because the Spanish ships would now be prizes. This meant that financial rewards were in the offing. Bush then began to wonder what event or problem would next come up to cause him to lose more sleep.