Dear colleagues,

It is a phrase from "Ningguta jilue" (寧古塔記略):

"有者名西瓜砲其形如西瓜量敵營遠近雖數里外必到敵營始裂"

It descripts the weapon and tactics of Cossaks who raided Amur in 1669. Traditional Russian translation of this passage was done in the end of XIX and could be rendered as following:
"They have a thing called water-melon cannon as it looks like water-melon. They used to shot it into the enemy encampment which was even in several li by distance and hit them precisely. Then ["water-melons"] began to crackle".

So the first translator Prof. Vasiliev assumed that the "water-melon cannon" could be a kind of mortar.

But there were only 60 Cossaks who raided Amur by vessels. And they have no mortars in their fortress of Albazin untill 1686!

1) What could be meant as "xiguapao" in this case?
2) Is my translation possible?

"They have a thing called water-melon bomb as it looks like water-melon. Considering the distance to the enemy trops they surely reached the enemy troops and began to shot (with matchlocks)"?

So I assume that the "xiguapao" is a kind of hand-grenade.

Thanks in advance,

Alexey.

Hi Alexey,

The Pao in this case would probably be translated as Bomb/Grenade rather than as Cannon.

If you look in my book on page 79, it gives an illustration of the xiguapao. The xiguapao releases Huo Shu (fire rats) with hooks to stick onto material, and caltrops when exploded.

Ning hao, Liang lao-e,

I haven't received your book yet

But I checked your site and found this item

I think it matches as I wrote my variant of translation above.

What about my variant of translation in general?

Best regards,

Alexey.