CHAPTER I 



THE KIFLE OF A PAST HALF CENTURY 



FORTY years ago our troops were armed with a smooth-bore 

 musket, and a small force known as the " Rifle Brigade " was the 

 exception to this rule. 



The military rifle carried a spherical bullet, and, like all others 

 of the period, it necessitated the use of a mallet to strike the ball, 

 which, being a size larger than the bore, required the blow to force 

 it into the rifling of the barrel in order to catch the grooves. 



Sporting rifles were of various sizes, but they were constructed 

 upon a principle generally accepted, that extreme accuracy could 

 only be obtained by burning a very small charge of powder. 



The outfit required a small mallet made of hardwood faced with 

 thick buff leather, a powerful loading-rod, a powder-flask, a pouch 

 to contain greased linen or silk patches ; another pouch for per- 

 cussion caps ; a third pouch for bullets. In addition to this cum- 

 bersome arrangement, a nipple-screw was carried, lest any stoppage 

 might render necessary the extraction of the nipple. 



The charge of powder in ordinary use for a No. 16 bore (which 

 carried an ounce spherical ball) was 1| dram, and the sights were 

 adjusted for a maximum range of 200 yards. Although at this 

 distance considerable accuracy could be attained at the target upon 

 a quiet day, it was difficult to shoot with any precision at an un- 

 measured range owing to the high trajectory of the bullet. Thus 

 for sporting purposes it was absolutely essential that the hunter 

 should be a first-rate judge of distance in order to adjust the sights 

 as required by the occasion. It was accordingly rare to meet with 

 a good rifle-shot fifty years ago. Rifle-shooting was not the 

 amusement sought by Englishmen, although in Switzerland and 

 Germany it was the ordinary pastime. In those countries the 



