138 MANUAL FOK YOUNG SPORTSMEN. 



startling him, at first, by a broad flash and loud report, to 

 which he must gradually and imperceptibly be habituated ; 

 or, afterwards, by an overloaded and kicking gun. 



When this has been all steadily gone through, for some 

 time, and both quickness and fearlessness have been ac- 

 quired, I would proceed to the lesson which Stonehenge 

 recommends as the first; but even this I would modify. 



" Provide gun-caps, &c.," says he, " in a good-sized 

 room at night, then get a lighted tallow candle, and place 

 it at about two yards' distance on an ordinary table. 

 Raise the gun to the shoulder," from this time with the 

 left eye closed, and, still without seeking to take deliber- 

 ate aim, Stonehenge says, " with deliberate aim pull the 

 trigger. If the aim be good, and the bore of the gun 

 about 16, at that distance the candle will be extinguished, 

 or, at least, its flame will be visibly affected." If the 

 first, proceed again and again as before ; but if not, and 

 if the flame be but little agitated, the learner will now 

 begin to rectify his aim, by sighting the lighted wick as 

 quickly as possible, until he finds himself able to blow out 

 the flame, with moderate rapidity, twice or thrice out of 

 five times. 



The next step, when this has been mastered, is to fix 

 a black mark of the size of an ordinary playing card, on 

 a white wall or fence, at about twenty paces distance ; or 

 a white mark on a black wall, and then to practise at it, 

 as before, firing powder only, bringing the gun up quickly, 

 cocking it while raising, and bringing it down the moment 

 it is discharged ; still taking care not to pause or dwell 

 upon the aim, but to fire on the first catching sight, even 



