THE GUN, AND HOW TO CHOOSE IT. 69 



rather have the Mullin or to go at once to head-quarters 

 and get a London fifty-guinea, on whose shooting you may 

 wager your life, with the certainty of winning, and of the 

 gun shooting as well fifty years hence, as on the day of 

 purchase. As Peter Probasco said to J. Cypress, jr., in 

 the fisher's hut at Fire Islands, " Them's my sentiments, 

 and you knows 'em ! " 



I said in the opening of this subject, that the double- 

 barrelled fowling-piece is the only weapon and ultimatum 

 of art for the sportsman. No greater number of barrels 

 than two can be combined, so as to produce a manageable 

 and effective piece ; nor if there could, would the crack 

 shot, once in twenty times, use a third barrel at three 

 different birds, much less fire thrice at one. Than a crack 

 shot, no other possibly could do so if it be considered, 

 how quickly a bevy of quail, all taking wing simul- 

 taneously, get out of the range of shot, and how rarely, 

 when they do spring all together, even two barrels bring 

 down their two birds clean killed. 



All revolvers for sporting shot guns are out of the 

 question ; for more time is lost in recocking and revolving 

 the chamber, than could be recovered by the quickest shot 

 in time to kill even a second, much less a third or fourth 

 bird ; besides which, the weapons are unpardonably clumsy 

 hideous, and unsportsmanlike, and fail entirely of execu- 

 tion as compared with ordinary chambered guns. Stone- 

 henge gives a cut and description of a new breech-loading 

 double gun, invented by a Frenchman, and improved by 

 Mr. Lang, in which the barrels are raised from their con- 

 nection with the false breech, by the turning of a crank, 



