DETONATING SYSTEM. 85 



the gun is fairly discharged; or many other such cir- 

 cumstances : I most strongly advise him to lose not a 

 moment in getting a detonater, because I have known 

 many instances, where a man had been a very bad 

 shot all his life, through defects which the use of a de- 

 toriater might so effectually remedy, that by taking up 

 one he might, almost immediately, become a tolerable, 

 if not a very good shot. For one, however, who has 

 always shot well with a flint, it becomes somewhat dif- 

 ficult to give advice. On first taking up the detonater, 

 he will, by habit, fire well forward at all his game, and, 

 very probably, have the mortification to miss such shots, 

 as he was before in the habit of killing. (Of this I was 

 an eye-witness when out with one of the most certain 

 shots in England.) He will soon, however (to use a 

 sailor's expression), " know the trim" of his gun ; and, 

 taking all things into consideration, most probably shoot 

 still more accurately with a detonater than he had been 

 used to do with a flint, by reason of its very great 

 readiness in obey ing the pull of the trigger, before the 

 eye or hand has time to vary .; its equal rapidity in foul 

 or damp weather ; and having scarcely any flash from 

 the lock of the first barrel to intercept the sight of the 

 second. He must, however, compound for a greater 

 recoil to the shoulder ; and, on the whole, I should say, 

 to missing fire rather oftener than with a good flint, 

 provided he is out in fine still weather. We may, 

 therefore, on the whole, taking all things into considera- 

 tion, say, that at first a detonater may make a good 

 shot an indifferent shot, and both first and last an in- 

 different shot a good shot, and therefore we may be 

 rather inclined to give the balance in its favour. But, 



