286 DEAD WEIGHT 



At the time I made the experiments 

 necessary to my purpose I was greatly 

 handicapped In various wa)s. In the first 

 place, I was abroad, and In a place where I 

 could neither consult any printed or living 

 authority on rifles. Secondly, though I had 

 a fair amount of experience with them, I 

 had no practical knowledge concerning the 

 making or altering of these weapons. But, 

 as Surtees tells us, there are two kinds of 

 knowledge, the one the knowledge that a 

 man has, and the other that which he knows 

 where to get. This last I had ; and accord- 

 ingly wrote a series of questions to the 

 sporting papers. Among those who replied 

 to my queries were a well-known firm of 

 gunmakers, who said that In their opinion 

 the practical sporting efficiency of a rifle 

 would not be Impaired by making the barrel 



