SNUFFING THE CANDLE. 45 
the rifle exhibited by the Kentuckians in their 
sports. 
A common feat among these is driving the 
nail, An assembly then mount a target, in the 
centre of which a nail is hammered for about 
two-thirds of its length. Forty paces is consid- 
ered a proper distance for the marksmen. The 
bending of the nail is indicative of some skill; 
but nothing short of hitting it on the head is 
satisfactory: this is called “driving the nail.” 
In the flat. land, thickly covered with black 
walnut, oaks and hickories, beyond the rocky 
margin of the Kentucky river, it is that the 
squirrels are seen gamboling onevery tree. To 
hit with a rifle shot the bark of the tree imme- 
diately beneath the squirrel, and through the 
concussion to kill the animal, constitutes the 
cruel diversion of “barking a squirrel.” 
There are frequently sporting expeditions for 
practice in the woods, when fires may be seen 
blazing through the thick foliage of the trees, to 
enable a marksman to shoot at the reflected light 
from the eyes of a deer or wolf at night. 
In snuffing the candle, such dexterity is at- 
tained as to enable a rifleman, six times out of 
seven, actually to snuff a light without extin- 
guishing it. When it is considered that a Ken- 
tuckian, with the same ease with which he snuffs 
his candle dispatches his enemy, and that every 
