Motherless Babies 35 



small boy as well as the book, for he could scarcely 

 have separated them. There must be some scien- 

 tific, some psychological explanation of the effect 

 of this old gun and the bloody account of killing 

 big game in Africa, upon the mind of a naturally 

 tender-hearted little chap. Without at all claim- 

 ing to be a "Daniel come to judgment," here is a 

 possible explanation. In every human heart is a 

 desire for conquest, dominion; the gun gives us 

 dominion over savage nature, the power of life 

 and death the very attribute of kings. Add to 

 this, the joy of the chase, a reversion to a savage 

 ancestor and the universal lust to kill becomes less 

 mysterious. There being no elephants, or lions 

 within range, he had to content himself with the 

 smaller things that the forests of his own coun- 

 try afforded, insignificant though they were. The 

 first time he shot the head off a red-winged black- 

 bird, flaunting on a cat-tail, a hundred yards away, 

 cutting it away with a bullet, he seemed to grow 

 a foot ; eleven gophers with ten bullets, put him in 

 the ranks with "Simon Kenton," that grand In- 

 dian fighter who never missed. The shooting of 

 Abe Brulley's sheep-killing dog, at twenty rods, 

 taken red-handed, so to speak, and he had con- 

 quered the earth and must now turn his attention 

 to the sky for worlds to be subdued. Once more, 

 he turned to Adolph for help. 



"Want learn shoot on wing? Easy 'nuf. Hold 



