CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 217 



bore and slugs being superimposed, the full 

 force of the powder acts on the flat base of 

 bullet or slug and drives it forward, the 

 speed being accelerated by the slow burning 

 large charge of powder in the long barrel 

 smooth bore or cylinder gun. Loading is, 

 however, very slow work. The charge of 

 powder is rammed home into the powder 

 chamber which is slightly larger in diameter 

 than the muzzle of the gun. For ramming 

 purposes an iron ramrod is used, a fraction 

 smaller than the bore of the gun. There is 

 no wad of any kind between the powder and 

 the bullets, but on top of the latter a bit of 

 paper or grass is rammed to prevent them 

 from falling out. When the priming 

 powder has been poured into the pan near 

 the vent it is pressed down with the thumb 

 nail, in order that it may not fall off when 

 the shooter is moving about or blown off 

 by the wind. The slow match is made of 

 coarse hemp rope about half an inch in 

 diameter, steeped in a strong solution of 

 saltpeter and dried in the sun. This rope 

 is an average of ten feet long and made into 

 a small coil, which the shooter carries around 

 his right or left wrist as most convenient to 

 him when firing his gun. The end of the 



