THE RIFLE AND THE SPY-GLASS. 13 



forward, others to draw back, but those that are made 

 to push forward, and put the stop on behind the 

 hammer, are perhaps the most handy. When the stops 

 are about to be used, care should be taken to hear the 

 " click " of the half-cock, so that it is certain the scear 

 has laid hold of the half bent. In badly made rifles, or 

 in those which have seen a great deal of service, or 

 have had the " pull " altered by inexperienced work- 

 men, if this precaution be neglected, it is possible to 

 push the stop into the notch of the hammer before or 

 after it is really at half-cock, and then when it is with- 

 drawn an accidental discharge must take place, and 

 nothing can be more dangerous or disconcerting. The 

 .quite modern weapons are made with rebounding locks, 

 which add materially to comfort and safety: it would 

 require the exertion of a double action to cause an 

 accidental discharge with these locks, for the trigger 

 would have to be pressed backwards, and the hammer 

 knocked or pressed forwards, before the cartridge could 

 be exploded ; there is, however, no knowing what may 

 happen in a hasty crawl in rough ground, so that it is 

 as well to be on the absolutely safe side, and have stops 

 to the rifle even if made with rebounding locks. 



Let the rifle cover be made of stiff material ; the brown 

 canvas of which the cartridge bags are made is very good, 

 if tipped with leather to receive the muzzle. The 

 stoutness of the canvas protects the rifle from blows 

 and scratches, and wet only has the effect of making 

 this cover stiffer even than it is when dry. With a 

 case of this description, left unstrapped at the end, the 

 rifle can be extracted very quickly in case of a sudden 



