238 SHOOTING. 



sider a gun as loaded, and never suffer it to be pointed for a 

 moment towards any human being. 



" Never display skill by firing close to the head of either man 

 or beast, whether a companion's or a favourite pointer's. A story 

 is told of two persons shooting together, when one of them, an 

 exhibiter in this way, put several shots into his friend's arm, who 

 made suitable outcries. In the course of the day the compliment 

 was returned, with interest, by the wounded man : ' You're a 

 pretty fellow (exclaimed the man last hit) to be so vociferous 

 about my shooting you this morning ; why, d n me, I have 

 half your charge now in my leg.' ' Very likely, (replied the other, 

 coolly,) but I killed my hare, and your bird was missed/ 



" In shooting alone with a double gun, it frequently occurs, 

 that the attention is taken up by a wounded bird, and the oppor- 

 tunity of a second shot is neglected ; or, upon a second bird 

 being shot at, the first is lost, although, if -observed, it might 

 have been easily retrieved. In company, the marker to a double 



are handled,) occurred in August and September, 1806 ; the first where 

 the son of Mr. Turkin, at Taunton, a young gentleman about seventeen 

 years old, had fired one of the barrels of his double-barrelled gun, and 

 returned to the house, thoughtless of the other being loaded. It acci- 

 dentally went off, and the contents were lodged in the arm and side of 

 his sister, a mostamiable girl, two years older than himself; and although 

 every assistance was immediately procured, a few hours terminated her 

 existence The latter was in the county of Bucks, when Mr. Pincott, a 

 hop-factor at Clapton, was shot in the following manner : he went out 

 shooting with a gentleman at whose house he was visiting; having oc- 

 casion to get over a hedge during their diversion, the deceased, who was 

 a man of agility, first passed over, and in order to assist his friend, gave 

 him the butt end of the piece to help him up the bank : the gun dis- 

 charged, and lodged its contents in the body of Mr. P. who immediately 

 expired. This is a practice very frequently adopted ; but it is to be 

 hoped this accident will operate so as to show the danger, and to pre- 

 yent its being ever again resorted to, 



