CARE OF A GUN. 13 



at least 45. 4. Shoulder it reversed, the hand grasping the 

 barrels about their middle, the muzzle pointing forward and 

 downward : this is perfectly admissible, but is the most awk- 

 ward position of all to recover from. Always carry a loaded 

 gun at half-cock^ unless you are about to shoot. Unless the 

 lock fail, accidental discharge is impossible, except under 

 these circumstances : a, a direct blow on the nipple or pin ; 6, 

 catching of both hammer and trigger simultaneous!} 7 ", drawing 

 back of the former and its release whilst the trigger is still 

 held the chances against which are simply incalculable. 

 Full-cock, ticklish as it seems, is safer than no-cock, when a 

 tap on the hammer or even the heel-plate, or a slight catch and 

 release of the hammer, may cause discharge. Never let the 

 muzzle of a loaded gun point toward your own person for a 

 single instant. Get your gun over fences or into boats or 

 carriages, before, you get over or in yourself, or at any rate no 

 later. Remove caps or cartridges on entering a house. Never 

 aim a gun, loaded or not, at any object, unless you mean to 

 press the trigger. Never put a loaded gun away long enough 

 to forget whether it is loaded or not ; never leave a loaded gun 

 to be found' by others under circumstances reasonably presup- 

 posing it to be unloaded. Never put a gun where it can be 

 knocked down by a dog or a child. Never forget that though 

 a gunning accident may be sometimes interpretable (from a 

 certain standpoint) as a "dispensation of Providence," such 

 are dispensed oftenest to the careless. 



8. To CLEAN A GUN properly requires some knowledge, 

 more good temper, and most "elbow-grease ;" it is dirty, disa- 

 greeable, inevitable work, which laziness, business, tiredness, 

 indifference and good taste will by turns tempt you to shirk. 

 After a hunt you are tired, have your clothes to change, a meal 

 to eat, a lot of birds to skin, a journal to write up. If you 

 " sub-let" the contract the chances are it is but half fulfilled ; 

 serve yourself, if you want to be well served. If you cannot 

 find time for a regular cleaning, an intolerably foul gun may 

 be made to do another day's work by swabbing for a few mo- 



