Sentence:  Whatever we felt about the redcoats , we respected them in terms of their trade , which was killing ; and I know that I , myself , was nauseated with apprehension and fear and that my hands were soaking wet where they held my <WSD>gun</WSD> . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)