On Gun Accidents, 369 



the party to catch. The rifle, we all fancied, exploded in the air, 

 for the bullet went in at the front of his throat and came out at the 

 back of his neck ; and had he been struck down by lightning, his 

 death could not have been more instantaneous. I say we all fancied 

 that the rifle exploded in the air, for the man to whom it was 

 thrown did not catch it, and the rifle fell on the ground ; and 

 although we all heard the report, and saw the young man fall, not 

 one of us could, at the coroner's inquest, give any satisfactory evidence 

 how the strange accident happened. I was sitting across a gate 

 leading into a lane from a meadow which we had just crossed ; the 

 three others stood in the lane, having got through the hedge, and 

 my friend was alone in the meadow. When I last saw him alive 

 he was just uncocking the rifle, and I heard him distinctly call out 

 to one in the lane to look out and catch it. I stooped my head as 

 the rifle passed me in the air, and the same moment I heard the 

 report and saw the young man fall dead. We supposed he must 

 have taken the rifle by the end of the barrel, and pitched it but-end 

 first. It was, perhaps, not surprising that an accident should have 

 happened on this occasion, as our party consisted of five young 

 fellows under twenty-one, with three guns and one rifle amongst 

 us. I had no gun, for I had come down the North-road on one of 

 the London coaches, and the party had walked across to meet me. 

 It seems often as if these accidents were predetermined by Provi- 

 dence, and that no human foresight can prevent them, for in this 

 case there were but four bullets. While the party were waiting at 

 the roadside for me they had shot three bullets into an ash tree, and 

 the last one was in the rifle. They wanted me to fire this, and 

 make a diamond on the tree ; but I wished to try my hand at a 

 crow or a magpie, and I carried the rifle till we came to the meadow 

 where he was shot, when I gave it back to him. Now, had I fired 

 away the last bullet as the others wished me, this poor young man 

 would not at least have been shot by his own rifle. It happened 

 just before Christmas, and it is easy to guess what a gloom such a 

 sad occurrence shed over a quiet country family at this joyous 

 season. 



