CARE OF A GUN. 13 
at least 45°. 4. Shoulder it reversed, the hand grasping the 
barrels about their middle, the muzzle pointing forward and 
downward: this is perfectly admissible, but is the most awk- 
ward position of all to recover from. Always carry a loaded 
gun at half-cock, unless you are about to shoot. Unless the 
lock fail, accidental discharge is impossible, except under 
these circumstances: a, a direct blow on the nipple or pin; 0, 
catching of both hammer and trigger simultaneously, drawing 
back of the former and its release whilst the trigger is still 
held —the chances against which are simply incalculable. 
Full-cock, ticklish as it seems, is safer than no-cock, when a 
tap on the hammer or even the heel-plate, or a slight catch and 
release of the hammer, may cause discharge. Never let the 
muzzle of a loaded gun point toward your own person for a 
single instant. Get your gun over fences or into boats or 
carriages, before you get over or in yourself, or at any rate no 
later. Remove caps or cartridges on entering a house. Never 
aim a gun, loaded or not, at any object, unless you mean to 
press the trigger. Never put a loaded gun away long enough 
to forget whether it is loaded or not; never leave a loaded gun 
to be found by others under circumstances reasonably presup- 
posing it to be unloaded. Never put a gun where it can be 
knocked down by a dog orachild. Never forget that though 
a gunning accident may be sometimes interpretable (from a 
certain standpoint) as a “dispensation of Providence,” such 
are dispensed oftenest to the careless. 
§8. To cLEAN A GUN properly requires some knowledge, 
more good temper, and most ‘‘elbow-grease ;” it is dirty, disa- 
greeable, inevitable work, which laziness, business, tiredness, 
indifference and good taste will by turns tempt you to shirk. 
After a hunt you are tired, have your clothes to change, a meal 
to eat, a lot of birds to skin,.a journal to write up. If you 
‘sub-let” the contract the chances are it is but half fulfilled ; 
serve yourself, if you want to be well served. If you cannot 
find time for a regular cleaning, an intolerably foul gun may 
be made to do another day’s work by swabbing for a few mo- 
