RELICS OF THE GREAT DAYS 273 



hitch in shooting. It is shocking even to think 

 of what a short-tempered man might say if he 

 flung away an open box full of copper caps in mistake 

 for an empty case, or if he applied his powder-flask 

 to his lips and swallowed a few drachms of treble 

 strong black powder instead of a few drops of sloe-gin. 

 No doubt some of the party would suffer the mis- 

 fortune of upsetting their whole supply of shot for the 

 day's sport. Then the short-tempered man sooner or 

 later would break his ramrod others would shoot 

 ramrods, like arrows, into the air. At the end of the 

 day there would be headaches and black-and-blue 

 shoulders. And what would be the bag ? 



The old-time gunner went out in the morning with 

 all manner of contrivances and implements stowed 

 about his person. He wore a shot- belt for 

 Relies distributing the weight of his lead, he carried 

 Great neat ^k magazines, so that he might the 

 Days more easily handle his copper percussion- 

 caps, and he wore a wallet of leather con- 

 taining such tools as a nipple-wrench and spare parts 

 the nipples in the gun might break or blow out. 

 The careful man carried a wad-punch, and in emer- 

 gency would punch wads for his muzzle-loader out of 

 his felt hat or his neighbour's what could be a more 

 neighbourly act than to sacrifice a pair of leather 

 gaiters in the cause of wads ? A keeper friend 

 treasures many relics of the great days of the old 



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