SNUFFING THE CANDLE. 45 



tlie rifle exhibited by tlie Kentuckians in their 

 sports. 



A common feat among these is driving the 

 nail. An assembly then mount a target, in the 

 f-entre of which a nail is hammered for about 

 :wo-thirds of its length. Forty paces is consid- 

 rred a proper distance for the marksmen. The 

 bending of the nail is indicative of some skill ; 

 but nothing short of hitting it on the head is 

 satisfactory : this is called " driving the nail." 



In the flat land, thickly covered with black 

 walnut, oaks and hickories, beyond the rocky 

 margin of the Kentucky river, it is that the 

 squirrels are seen gamboling on every tree. To 

 hit with a rifle shot" the bark of the tree imme- 

 diately beneath the squirrel, and through the 

 concussion to kill the animal, constitutes the 

 cruel diversion of " barking a squirrel." 



There are frequently sporting expeditions for 

 practice in the woods, when fires may be seen 

 blazing through the thick foliage of the trees, to 

 enable a marksman to shoot at the reflected light 

 from the eyes of a deer or wolf at night. 



In snufiing the candle, such dexterity is at- 

 tained as to enable a rifleman, six times out of 

 seven, actually to snuff a light without extin- 

 guishing it. When it is considered that a Ken* 

 tuckian, with the same ease with which he snuffs 

 his candle dispatches his enemy, and that every 



