HERTFORD: MY HOME LIFE 67 



For the stocks he would beg odd bits of mahogany or walnut 

 or oak from a cabinet-maker's shop, and carve them out care- 

 fully with a pocket-knife to the exact shape of pistol or gun. 

 The barrel was formed of a goose-quill or swan's-quill, care- 

 fully fastened into the hollow of the stock with waxed thread, 

 and about an inch of the hinder part of this had the upper 

 half cut away to allow the spring to act. In the straight 

 part near the bend of the stock a hole was cut for the trigger, 

 which was held in its place by a stout pin passing through 

 it on which it could turn. The only other article needed was 

 a piece of strong watch or clock-spring, of which we could 

 get several at a watchmaker's for a penny. The piece of 

 watch-spring being broken off the right length and the ends 

 filed to a smooth edge, was tied on to the stock between the 

 barrel and the trigger, curving upwards, and one end fitting 

 into a notch at the top of the trigger, while the other end was 

 bent round so that the end fitted into a small notch in the open 

 part of the quill at its hinder end. It was then cocked, and 

 a pea or shot being placed in front of the spring, a slight 

 pressure on the trigger would release it and cause it to drive 

 out the shot or pea with considerable velocity. My brother 

 used to take great delight in making these little pistols, shaping 

 the stocks very accurately, rubbing them smooth with sand- 

 paper, and then oiling or varnishing them; while every part 

 was finished off with the greatest neatness. I do not think 

 there was any boy in the school who made them better than 

 he did, and very few equalled him. 



One of the most generally used articles of a boy's stock 

 of playthings are balls, and as these are often lost and soon 

 worn out we used to make them ourselves. An old bung cut 

 nearly round formed the centre; this we surrounded with 

 narrow strips of list, while for the outside we used coarse 

 worsted thread tightly wound on, which formed a firm and 

 elastic ball. We had two ways of covering the balls. One 

 was to first quarter it tightly with fine string, and using this 

 as a base, cover the whole with closely knitted string by 

 means of a very simple loop-stitch. A much superior plan 

 was to obtain from the tan-yard some partly tanned sac- 



