THE AIR-GUN. 77 



As to seeing the diminutive arrow in its flight, it is out of 

 the question, and no agility can be of the least use in avoiding 

 it. One of my friends, a peculiarly sharp- sighted officer of 

 artillery, has often tested this point, and although there was 

 but one arrow to watch, and it was blown in the open air, he 

 could not see it until it either struck or passed him (of course 

 the poisoned end was cut off). What, then, would be the 

 result of a number of these deadly missiles hurled out of a 

 dense bush may easily be imagined. 



An account of the poison with which these arrows are armed 

 will be found on p. 64. 



The reader will please to remember that in all these cases 

 the missile is propelled by air which is compressed by the aid of 

 the lungs, and lorced into the tube behind the bullet or arrow. 

 Now, the Air-gun, which really can be made a formidable 

 weapon, is constructed on exactly the same principle as the pea- 

 shooter and the blow-guns, except that the air is compressed by 

 the human arm instead of the human lungs. There are various 

 modifications of this weapon, but in all of them air is driven 

 into a strong chamber by means of a forcing syringe, and is 

 released by the pull of the trigger, so as to drive out the mis*ile 

 which has been placed in the barrel. 



It is worthy of notice that the term "noiselessly destructive " 

 weapon, as applied to the air-gun, is entirely false. I have 

 already mentioned that with the blow-gun of tropical America 

 a definite explosion accompanies the flight of each arrow. The 

 same result occurs with the air-gun, the loudness of the report 

 being in exact proportion to the force of the air, each succes- 

 sive report becoming slighter and the propulsive power weaker 

 until a new supply of air is forced into the chamber. 



However dissimilar in appearance may be the cannon, rifle, 

 pistol, or any other firearm, to the pea- shooter and its kin, the 

 principle is exactly the same in all. It has been already men- 

 tioned that in the blow- guns the air is compressed by the 

 exertion of human lungs, and in the air-gun the compression 

 is achieved by human hands. 



But with the firearm a vast volume of expansible gas is 

 kept locked up in the form of gunpowder, gun-cotton, ful- 



