3 oo WOLF-HUNTING. 



the game, as he was wont, fair law, he drew first one trigger, then 

 the other. Both caps exploded, but failed to ignite the powder, 

 and instantly the duck, with a quack of delight at their escape, 

 were winging their way in wild flight beyond the range of my two 

 barrels. An ejaculation not usual with Keryfan, and certainly not 

 fit for ears polite, burst from his lips, as he followed the birds with 

 his eye, marvelling at their luck, and reprobating his own in no 

 measured tones. " It's the old story," he went on " trusting to 

 another what I suppose I ought to do myself namely, clean my 

 own gun : it's what you, Frank, always do for yourself, and I am 

 coming to the conclusion that, with all the dirt, it is the right thing 

 to do in the end." 



" No doubt about that," I replied. " No less than three 

 personal friends of my own have had their forefingers and thumbs 

 shattered by the explosion of their powder flasks, owing entirely 

 to the careless way in which their guns had been cleaned. A bit 

 of tow remains behind in the breech, and either the gun misses 

 fire, or worse consequences ensue on reloading the discharged 

 barrel." 



A good hour was lost ere we could get Keryfan's gun into 

 shooting order again ; and I think it will teach him a lesson of 

 self-dependence- which he will not readily forget. The Faucheux 

 breech-loaders were then only known to a few, even in France a 

 great boon as regards time saved in cleaning, safety, and rapidity 

 in loading, and other advantages. For the first half-hour or so 

 we could hear the roar of Shafto's heavy gun ringing constantly 

 through the woods ; but either he killed what he shot at, or the 

 fowl winged seawards, for not a head came up to enliven the 

 dull hour wasted over Keryfan's gun. At length we were off 

 again ; and from that time till the shades of night made it a hard 

 matter to see even a duck on the wing between your gun-barrel 

 and the dark woods in the background, we scarcely passed a bend 

 in the brook without springing duck or teal, the latter numbering 



