TO MAKE AN OLD GUN SHOOT WELL. 285 



that the plug and touchhole were rather too much worn 

 to be safe, I had them both replaced by the same 

 country maker who put a new stock and lock. The 

 barrel afterwards shot so slow and weak, that it was 

 perfectly useless ; on which I sent ifc to be altered by 

 Mr. John Manton, who very civilly undertook the job; 

 and, by putting in a common chamber plug, and. fresh 

 perforating a common touchhole, made this gun shoot 

 so admirably well, that it was not till I had received five 

 best finished duck guns from London that I could get 

 one to equal it. 



We are often laughed at for our expenditure in guns, 

 when an old gamekeeper will sometimes beat them all 

 with a " piece" that has scarcely a choice, whether to 

 prefer firing, or being fired at with it. I admit, that 

 if his barrel happens to be well bored, his mainspring 

 strong, and his touchhole and chamber plug well put 

 in, there will perhaps be very little difference in the 

 killing, between his "piece" and the best gun that ever 

 came out of London. But if we consider, that the ex- 

 cellence of a lock and soundness of a barrel, although 

 not absolutely requisite in killing, are indispensably 

 necessary for the safety of our persons ; and that, al- 

 though practice may bring a man to point accurately 

 with a broomstick, yet we must allow the advantage, 

 not to say the comfort and neatness, of having our guns 

 turned out in a handsome arid workmanlike manner. 



