48 EEMINISCENCES OF A SPOETSM.iN", 



you call it, if as good, as that old steel and flint Man- 

 ton of my father ; so you a'n't much advanced in that 

 respect, for I doubt if your workmanship is one bit 

 better, or that your gun shoots closer or harder than 

 ours did, though in mechanism, I give in. To be sure, 

 the flint and steel took a long time going off, particu- 

 larly in wet weather, when it might not go off at all ; 

 and although the percussion was a great innovation, yet 

 after all, it was beneficial, and the percussion upon trial 

 answered ; but I stop there. The percussion muzzle- 

 loading double is my Eubicon. In all conscience, my 

 dear boys, what can you want more? Can't you kill 

 your twenty to twenty-five brace a day with it comfort- 

 ably, and what d'ye want more ? Ain't twenty-five 

 brace a day enough for sport and satisfaction to any 

 man who is a sportsman and isn't a butcher ? Why, 

 d — n it, sirs, here's Lord B. and Lords S. and W. killing 

 their 160 and 190 brace a day! By the Lord Harry, 

 sir, it is murder, sheer murder, and slavery likewise ! 

 Why a man might as well be a steam gun at once, as 

 go hammering away from morning to night in this way ; 

 it's a mere pigeon match. What room either for walk- 

 ing, for dogs working and finding ? for expectation, 

 healthy excitement, or shoAving good sportsmanlike 

 acquirements, when its nothing but kill ! kill ! kill ! one 

 continued bang ! bang ! bang ! all day long as fast as 

 you can fire? To my notion there's no sport in it, and 

 it completely defeats the entire object and end of sport. 

 Now, look you, I can understand the use of your breach- 

 loading system, were your object to exterminate; and 

 no doubt in military matters, when one man had as well 

 be half a dozen men as not, and where there may occur 

 moments where two or three shots may save his life, it's 

 all very well ; and for cavalry carbines too, of course, the 



