"THE MOOR AND THE LOCH" 229 



maturely develop into fogies. A vast stride was made 

 in advance with the introduction of double-barrels 

 and percussion-locks. Then Joe Manton and his less 

 famous rival Stevens attained, according to their lights, 

 to the perfection of finished workmanship. Curtis and 

 Harvey followed with their lively " diamond-grain," 

 and Eley with his waterproof caps and wired cartridges. 

 Given tolerable weather, and but a fair sprinkling of 

 wild game, and the shooter had good reason to be 

 satisfied with the readiness of his new-fangled tools. 

 But there are occasionally dripping days to the north 

 of the Border, and then to what misery and provocation 

 that laborious muzzle-loading used to lead ! The wads 

 in your open pocket grew saturated, and bulged when 

 thrust into the barrels. The powder half choked the 

 damp measure in the mouth of the flask. The slender 

 ramrod bent and sometimes broke when you were 

 cramming down the reluctant charge in a series of 

 frantic contortions ; and it was a godsend when it was 

 replaced by the more substantial loading-rod. Above 

 all, the best barrels would hang fire, and then you 

 were placed hors de combat till you had cleaned the 

 touch-hole and replenished it with dry powder in the 

 drip of the driving rain. That, with the nuisance of 

 seeing birds getting up about you, before you had 

 reloaded and were ready to drop them, might have 

 been admirable discipline for the patience which should 

 be one of the fundamental virtues of the sportsman. 

 But too often the temper flashed up when the powder 

 refused to burn, sending you on your way sulking and 



