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corrected use, all this introductory matter would 

 only be considered as a superfluous trespass 

 on your patience. With all the humbler uses 

 of the gun, your hands have from early life been 

 familiar : you have already conquered all fear ; 

 of that, however, we shall be better satisfied 

 anon: and you have only to get rid of a few 

 bad habits, and to establish in their place a 

 more scientific handling of your arms, in order 

 to enable you to rise superior to those blunders 

 which, to your imagination, present so for- 

 midable a bar to your attaining the honours of 

 our profession. Courage, my dear Sir ! and I 

 will answer for your success. You have been 

 more than sufficiently lavish in your praises of 

 the means I afforded you, of creating to your- 

 self so interesting and so valuable a companion 

 as, I learn with somewhat of conscious triumph, 

 our pupil of last season has become ; for you 

 may imagine, I feel myself not a little flattered 

 by this additional proof of the merits of my 

 system; although I am well satisfied that, on 

 the present occasion, it has owed much, as 

 every system always must, to the hands which 

 it has been committed to. Now, Sir, I will 

 venture to pledge whatever of reputation I 

 may have acquired with you on this head, that 

 with an equal attention to the precepts which I 

 am preparing to deliver to you upon the present 



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