112 GUNS 



Then there was the second gun I shot with. 

 The first, as related, was a single-barrel, and I 

 seem to remember that it passed hands for about 

 thirty shillings about the time of my acquaintance 

 with it. The second was a double-barrel, belong- 

 ing to the gamekeeper whom my brother employed 

 when he wanted a more active man than our old 

 family retainer, who had long filled the place, to 

 rear the pheasants. It was altogether a more im- 

 portant weapon, and I found it rather heavy. I 

 believe I potted a rabbit or two with that gun when 

 the keeper would let me have some shots. Once 

 or twice I enticed the keeper to let me have a few 

 shots at ferreted rabbits. But, after I had missed 

 two or three rabbits bolted by the ferret, he grew 

 impatient, and talked about wasting time and 

 powder. My impression is I did not get much 

 sport out of that gun. It was better fun using 

 the saloon pistol, but the wonder now is how we 

 never did grievous injury to somebody with that 

 pistol. As we never seemed to go near hitting 

 birds on the trees or sitting rabbits with the saloon 

 pistol, we grew quite careless in using it. It was 

 not bad fun putting a bullet now and then through 

 the lead of the tower which held the bell over 

 the stables : you could see the little round hole 

 the bullets made there, and there was some satis- 

 faction in this. 



Before we leave the muzzle-loading guns of my 

 boyhood, a word as to ammunition and method 

 of loading. There is no doubt that the old 



