290 THE STILL-HUNTER. 



The case is not very much altered where pennies are 

 substituted. It is far easier to hit a one-inch mark at 

 ten yards than to hit a three-inch mark at thirty yards. 

 This is owing to the greater clearness of the mark and 

 other causes we shall see hereafter, such as trajectory 

 motion of object, etc. Still, pennies are harder to hit 

 than balls, and with remarkable unanimity the " cham- 

 pion rifle wing-shots" always prefer balls to pennies, 

 though more than twice as expensive and far more 

 troublesome to handle. They also take care to have the 

 pitcher a little closer, shoot at a very few of the pennies, 

 and never attempt a long score. And the full score 

 of those they do shoot at is generally suppressed. 



The man who first tossed up two pennies and hit 

 both with a double shot-gun before they touched 

 ground was considered at first a very wonderful shot. 

 Such a one will even now raise a stare of wonder 

 among folks who know nothing of shooting. But 

 every one who has ever tried it a few times will admit 

 that it is quite an easy matter, requiring only a little 

 practice, and that it by no means implies the ability to 

 send two woodcock whirling right and left to earth. 

 The ball and penny shooting with the rifle stands 

 upon the same footing. The performance was some- 

 thing new. To those who knew nothing of rifle- 

 shooting it was naturally surprising. The only real 

 wonder is that any one knowing anything about 

 shooting should have been deceived by it or thought 

 there was any sleight-of-hand about it. And it no 

 more implies the ability to kill game in motion than 

 hitting pennies with the shot-gun does. To waste no 

 further time on this point, let us see what Carver has 

 done in the field with the rifle. 



He is credited with having killed at Logansport, 



