10 SNORTING OF THE PAST 



A few men are still content with their sherry- 

 flask and sandwich, and I would back these to beat 

 the others into fits in a day's sport. One does not 

 go out to eat, but to shoot, and a man that has laid 

 in a heavy luncheon can neither walk well up to 

 his dogs nor shoot straight after it. 



Great improvements have been made in guns. 

 The old flint that took half an hour to load was a 

 bore ; the flint had every now and then to be 

 chipped and renewed, the pans fresh steeled, the 

 touch-hole pricked, powder put in the pan, and even 

 then there were constant misfires and disappoint- 

 ments. The flint in time gave way to the percussion, 

 a great improvement ; but there are many incon- 

 veniences with this ; unless the nipples are kept 

 clean, and the gun washed each time after using, 

 constant misfires are the consequence. Then, in 

 cold weather it is no end of trouble to get the caps 

 on. With half -frozen fingers it is a difficult job ; 

 but this has been remedied by a cap-holder, which 

 sends the caps up with a spring as you want them. 

 With both flint and percussion there were great 

 inconveniences in loading; the spring of your powder 

 or shot flask might break, and then you had to judge 

 your charge till they were repaired. All this trouble 

 was put an end to by the introduction of the breech- 

 loader, which has not half the danger, is ten times 



