THE OLD MUZZLE-LOADING RIFLE. 



"There could be no greater pleasure to me than to wander "with a 

 matchlock through one of the great forests or wild tracts that still remain 

 in England- . . . The w^eapon itself, w^hether matchlock, wheel-lock, or 

 even a cross-bow, w^ould be a delight. . . 



"An imperfect ^^eapon — yes; but the imperfect weapon w^ould accord 



with the great oaks, the beech trees full of knot-holes, the tall fern, the 



silence and the solitude. The chase w^ould become a real chase; not, as 



now, a foregone conclusion. And there would be time for 



pondering and dreaming." 



—Richard Jefferies. 



t 



HERE used to be (and still is) an old muzzle- 

 loading rifle about the farm, hanging generally 

 in the lobby, which is just around the corner from 

 the fireplace, on two forks of saplings that had 

 been nailed against the wall as hooks to support it. 

 It had curious curvatures on the stock, on which to 

 rest the chin and cheek, and the butt was curved so 

 as exactly to fit the shoulder. Its barrel was octagonal 

 in shape, and full-stocked — that is, wi<"h wood from 

 the stock extending all the way beneath the barrel up 

 to the muzzle — and was very long, the full length 

 from butt to muzzle being fifty-eight inches; 



THE OLD MUZZLE- _ 6 J 6 > 



LOADER. thus making the gun, stock and all, as tall 



as the tallest boy thereabouts, almost. It 

 had a very long ramrod, too, that slipped down into the 

 stock in a groove under the barrel, and we used to 

 wonder how we could ever replace it, if it got broken. 

 The caliber was about .38. The shoulder plate and 

 trigger guard were of brass, and there was a silver 

 shield-like plate on the small of the stock for the 

 owner's name. 



71 



