MUZZLE-LOADEES AND BREECH-LOADERS. 39 



or, which is the preferable plan, in a belt round the 

 waist, or in his pockets, being able to store in the 

 pockets of his vest alone at least twenty. The 

 English sportsmen carry them loose in the pockets 

 of their shooting-coats; but a belt is convenient and 

 commodious, holding from thirty to fifty, and dis- 

 tributes the weight pleasantly. Where the shoot- 

 ing is to be done from a boat or stand, of course 

 they will be kept in an ammunition-box, without 

 having their edges turned over, as there will be 

 nothing to loosen the wads. 



The reader may naturally suppose that there is 

 risk in carrying a number of loaded cartridges about 

 the person ; but in this he is entirely mistaken. In 

 the first place, the difficulty of discharging a car- 

 tridge, except in the gun, is surprising ; no pressure 

 will explode the cap, and no ordinary blow, unless 

 the cartridge is retained in a fixed position ; and if 

 one falls, the weight of the shot compels it inevi- 

 tably to fall on the end : but in case these difficulties 

 are overcome, the result is merely the discharge of 

 a large fire-cracker. 



The writer instituted a number of experiments, 

 and having succeeded, after many trials, in setting 

 off the cartridge, found that the powder burst the 

 paper, but failed to drive the wad out of the case. 

 This was tried with cartridges in all positions, hori- 

 zontal and perpendicular, but produced invariably 

 the same result, with unimportant modifications ; 

 and it was further ascertained that the fire from one 

 would not communicate to another. So that, if a 



