MUZZLE-LOADERS AND BREECH-LOADERS. 39 
or, which is the preferable plan, in a belt round the 
waist, or in his pockets, being able to store in the 
pockets of his vest alone at least twenty. The 
English sportsmen carry them loose in the pockets 
of their shooting-coats; but a belt is convenient and 
commodious, holding from thirty to fifty, and dis- 
tributes the weight pleasantly. Where the shoot- 
ing is to be done from a- boat or stand, of course 
they will be kept in an ammunition-box, without 
having their edges turned over, as there will be 
nothing to loosen the wads. 
The reader may naturally suppose that there is 
risk in carrying a number of loaded cartridges about 
the person; but in this he is entirely mistaken. In 
the first place, the difficulty of discharging a car- 
tridge, except in the gun, is surprising ; no pressure 
will explode the cap, and no ordinary blow, unless 
the cartridge is retained in a fixed position ; and if 
one falls, the weight of the shot compels it inevi- 
tably to fall on the end: but in case these difficulties 
are overcome, the result is merely the discharge of. 
a large fire-cracker. 
The writer instituted a number of experiments, 
and having succeeded, after many trials, in setting 
off the cartridge, found that the powder burst the 
paper, but failed to drive the wad out of the case. 
This was tried with cartridges in all positions, hori- 
zontal and perpendicular, but produced. invariably 
the same result, with unimportant modifications 5 
and it was further ascertained that the fire from one 
would not communicate to another. So that, if a 
