THE GUN, AND HOW TO USE IT. 101 



other, constantly changing both tow and water, until the 

 former comes out of the barrels unsullied ; the latter can 

 be pumped through them pure and limpid. 



Should the barrels be leaded, which all writers say 

 occasionally occurs after very hard and very rapid shoot- 

 ing, when they become so much heated as to melt the shot 

 in its transit, so that a part adheres to them though I 

 confess that a leaded barrel is a thing I have yet to see 

 a wire brush, or a little fine sand sprinkled on the tow, 

 may be used. If the brush, it should be of brass wire, as 

 softer, and less liable to scratch the polish of the barrels 

 than iron ; if sand, the less the better. I have never used 

 either in my life ; and I have, at times, shot very hard 

 to the extent, I doubt not, of several thousand shots in 

 several single seasons, and my guns have always been in as 

 good condition as those of my friends and neighbors. 



I have adhered to a practice, however, which I strongly 

 recommend to others, of having the breeches of my gun 

 taken out at the expiration of every shooting season, by 

 an experienced gunsmith, so that the whole interior may 

 be inspected, and the least flaw, morsel of extraneous 

 matter, or rust spot, detected and removed, if judged ne- 

 cessary, by dry reaming. 



The barrels thus cold washed, wipe them dry exter- 

 nally, and pour into the muzzle of each, from the spout of 

 a tea-kettle, nearly boiling hot water, until they run over 

 at the brim. Reverse them and let them drain, standing 

 erect in a corner, in the sunshine, on the hob of the 

 kitchen grate, for five minutes, or by the register of a hot- 

 air furnace. Wipe the cleaning-rod dry, replenish the jag 



