8 



THE COIMPLETE SPORTSMAN 



He had shot with these weapons himself for over 

 forty years, and had only finally decided to dis- 

 card them because the barrels had become so worn 

 that he was afraid they might at any moment 

 burst in his hands and injure him fatally. 



To say that I 

 was enchanted 

 would be but a 

 poor way of ex- 

 pressing the ex- ^i^s^ ^ ^ p ^^^^^ S Lij jj 

 tent of pleasure 

 that I derived 

 from my new 

 possession. In 

 the excitement 

 of the moment, 

 and heedless of 

 possible conse- 

 quences, I 

 rushed out, gun r 

 in hand, to the home farm, in search of some 

 suitable target. And before my natural pru- 

 dence had warned me of the doubtful wisdom 

 of such conduct, I had discharged both barrels 

 in the direction of a large Jersey cow named 

 "Maud,"* which was at that moment being 

 milked by one of the farm-hands. 



Neither of my shots took effect, I am glad to 



* Owing to her incurable habit of coming into the garden. 



