DRILL. 145 



limbs. The following standard rules should be 

 carefully observed : 



I. The rifle should always be held with the 

 sights perfectly upright, as it is only in this posi- 

 tion that the line of sight, the line of Jire, and 

 trajectory, are in the same vertical plane. If the 

 butt of the rifle is not held vertically, but is 

 "canted" either to the right or the left, so that 

 the perpendicular of the back-sight with the axis 

 of the barrel is not preserved, the ball will strike 

 to the right if the sight inclines to the left, and 

 vice versd ; and, in firing at long ranges, a very 

 slight deviation in this respect will cause a wide 

 deflection. 



II. The aim or line of sight should be 

 taken along the centre of the notch of the back- 

 sight and the top of the fore-sight, which should 

 cover the centre of the object aimed at. 



III. The eye should be fixed steadfastly on 

 the mark aimed at, and not on the barrel or fore- 

 sight, which latter will be easily brought into the 

 alignment, if the eye is fixed as directed. 



