EPISODES 



461 



I perceived that the ball had hit the piece of the bark 

 immediately beneath the Squirrel, and shivered it into 

 splinters, the concussion produced by which had killed the 

 animal, and sent it whirling through the air, as if it had 

 been blown up by the explosion of a powder magazine, 

 Boone kept up his firing, and, before many hours had 

 elapsed, we had procured as many Squirrels as we wished ; 

 for you must know, kind reader, that to load a rifle re- 

 quires only a moment, and that if it is wiped once after 

 each shot, it will do duty for hours. Since that first in- 

 terview with our veteran Boone I have seen many other 

 individuals perform the same feat. 



The snuffing of a candle with a ball, I first had an 

 opportunity of seeing near the banks of Green River, not 

 far from a large Pigecn-roost to which I had previously 

 made a visit. I heard many reports of guns during the 

 early part of a dark night, and knowing them to be those 

 of rifles, I went towards the spot to ascertain the cause. 

 On reaching the place, I was welcomed by a dozen of tall 

 stout men, who told me they were exercising, for the 

 purpose of enabling them to shoot under night at the 

 reflected light from the eyes of a Deer or Wolf, by torch- 

 light, of which I shall give you an account somewhere 

 else. A fire was blazing near, the smoke of which rose 

 curling among the thick foliage of the trees. At a distance 

 which rendered it scarcely distinguishable, stood a burning 

 candle, as if intended for an offering to the goddess of 

 night, but which in reality was only fifty yards from 

 the spot on which we all stood. One man was within a 

 few yards of it, to watch the effects of the shots, as well as 

 to light the candle should it chance to go out, or to 

 replace it should the shot cut it across. Each marksman 

 shot in his turn. Some never hit either the snuff or the 

 candle, and were congratulated with a loud laugh ; while 

 others actually snuffed the candle without putting it out, 

 and were recompensed for their dexterity by numerous 



