MUZZLE-LOADEKS AND BREECH-LOADERS. 53 



of the breech. A perfectly solid breech, free from 

 all suspicious joinings, curves, and openings, must be 

 by far the safer and more effective one in any instru- 

 ment, in which so searching a substance as gunpow- 

 der has to be compressed and exploded." 



If this last objection is correct the others are 

 superfluous, as it disposes of the discussion; and the 

 statement will be true whenever it can be shown 

 that the cohesion of a tube is increased by forcing a 

 screw into it. To silence, however, such senseless 

 cavils, gun-makers construct the breech end of the 

 barrels slightly heavier than in the muzzle-loader. 



These being the greater disadvantages, the Dead 

 Shot then adverts to the minor ones : 



" On reloading, it is necessary to draw out the case 

 of the discharged cartridge before inserting a full 

 one. It is true the discharged cartridge may gene- 

 rally be withdrawn almost instantly ; but if intended 

 to be refilled and used another day, it must be care- 

 fully replaced in the cartridge-case in one of the 

 divisional compartments, for if carried loose in the 

 pocket it is soon spoilt. Therefore, if these impor- 

 tant minutiae be taken into consideration, it will be 

 found, after all, that there is very little saving of 

 time in re-charging the breech-loader." 



This is the acme of captiousness ; as though the 

 cases might not be placed in the pocket till a favor- 

 able opportunity presented to return them to their 

 compartments. To any one who, with numbed 

 hands on a bitterly cold December morning, is 

 watching for ducks at daybreak, and who looks to 



