350 A BAD RIFLE-SHOT. 



among them several of the smaller coins, for which there 

 was a general scramble, and we drove away. 



We had not proceeded far when we overtook a small 

 boy with a long rifle, at the sight of whom the mayor, 

 with good-humoured exultation, exclaimed, "Now I'll 

 show you a specimen of how we shoot in this country. 

 That little fellow, trained to the rifle from his cradle, would 

 hit the pip in the ace of hearts, as far almost as he could 

 see it." " Come here, boy," he cried, jumping out of 

 the carriage, and producing from his pocket a penknife 

 and visiting card, sticking the latter, by the aid of the 

 former, on the bark of a large tree by the road side. 

 " Now, boy," taking him back the very short distance of 

 twenty paces, " show this gentleman how you can shoot. 

 If you hit the card I will give you ' a bit,' but if you hit 

 the penknife you shall have a dollar." On this the boy 

 grinned with delight ; but as my friend the mayor had 

 stuck the card on a tree exactly in a line with, but the 

 road wide, from me, I begged the shooter to pause till I 

 attained a safer place, in case the ball should glance, the 

 mayor ridiculing my apprehension. Having allowed a 

 more considerable margin for accident or juvenile misdi 

 rection, I watched the shot, and to my intense amusement 

 this young example rifleman, after some moments' aim, 

 not only did not hit the knife or card, but he missed even 

 the tree ! The mayor himself, though considerably dis 

 appointed, laughed at the failure, resumed his seat in the 

 carriage, and we had a very jolly drive the rest of the 

 way home, meeting a gig or two, containing some friends 

 of the mayor, who, like highwaymen of old, stopped 

 us and produced their pocket pistols at our heads, demand 

 ing, not our money, but our brains, the power over which, 

 and in regard to myself, I resolutely refused to resign. 



