THE GUN, AND HOW TO USE IT. 107 



with a piece of wash-leather, and it is ready for recon- 

 struction. , 



" To put them together again, put in tumbler, and 

 screw on cock, so as to be down. 



" Put cock rather backward, and screw on scear-spring. 



" Push cock back as far as it will go ; put pivot of 

 scear into its proper hole, and then taking hold of scear 

 with the thumb, and of the top of the cock with the fore- 

 finger of the right hand, if a right-hand lock, and vice versa, 

 if a left, compress the spring, and move the lock forward 

 and down. 



" Push forward the swivel, so that it may not interfere 

 with the screw, and drawing the cock a little forward, slip 

 the two holes in the bridle upon the heads of the scear 

 and tumbler pivot, and screw on the bridle. 



" Having let down the cock, and pushed forward the 

 swivel as far as it will go, cramp the main-spring, hook 

 the end of it on the swivel, move it up to its place on the 

 lock plate, and unscrew the cramp.*' 



When a fine gun is to be laid aside for any considerable 

 length of time, during the absence of the owner, or under 

 such circumstances that it cannot be readily examined and 

 overhauled, the following plan will be found admirable for 

 its preservation. 



Stop the orifices of the nipples with small pegs of pine 

 wood, plunge the barrels, breech downward, into hot water, 

 pour into the muzzles melted lard, tallow, or suet, carefully 

 tried out and clear from salt, until the barrels are com- 

 pletely full ; oil them copiously, without, with pure clari- 

 fied neat's-foot oil, or loon-skin oil, which is better ; and if 



