GUNS AND THEIR PROPER CHARGES. 47 



man. Few men, if any, know better how, when, 

 and where to make a good bag of woodcock, 

 snipe, or quail. Now, Miles had a number of 

 crack muzzle-loaders, expressly for shooting-matches, 

 and he was confident no breech-loader could equal 

 them in pattern and penetration. I remarked that 

 I had a good gun, and would shoot against him 

 and his best muzzle-loader at a target. Miles 

 declared with some heat and vociferation that 

 " he'd be — " if I could beat him in shooting at a 

 target at all, let alone using a breech-loader 

 against the most famous of his muzzle-loaders. 

 However, taking paper for targets and our guns, 

 we repaired to an old barn near Yardville, and 

 shot at them. Mr. Nathan Dorsey was present. I 

 beat Miles very easily, and with an ounce of shot 

 put more pellets in the target from the breech- 

 loader than he did with an ounce and a half from 

 his muzzle-loader. Miles hardly knew what to 

 make of it, but, perceiving that the penetration of 

 my shot was also good, he finally acknowledged 

 that a good breech-loader would beat any other 

 sort of gun in shooting, and he now shoots with 

 one himself. And thus it will be found in almost 

 every case. When a man has strong precon- 

 ceived opinions, it is of very little use to argue 



