SOME OLD Gt/NS. 



41 



We were awakened by a howling storm. 

 It was wind, hail and snow. We rose with 

 tin- dawn and alter a red hot breakfast, were 

 again ready for business. Several inches 

 of snow had fallen, and the trees and bushes 

 were covered with the fleecy mantle. Here 

 in sunny. Southern Kansas, one is not 

 often greeted with such beautiful winter 

 scenes. It brought to my mind similar 

 ones in the Mast, in " auld lang syne." 



Pulling on our rubber hoots, we forded 

 the river, to hunt among the wild plum 

 hushes on the sand hills. We walked leis- 

 urely and had an enjoyable half day's 

 sport, bagging numerous rabbits and a few 

 quails. 



My friend killed a large coyote, that un- 

 wisely attempted to pass him, on his way 

 to better cover. He had a beautiful coat, 

 which now, as a rug, adorns my friend's 

 hall. 



Until I have explained, it may be doubted 

 that I got a rabbit up a tree. This, how- 

 ever, actually occurred. Although we had 

 agreed to shoot only running rabbits, I saw 

 one at the foot of a small plum tree, some 

 distance away; so thought to touch him 

 up. At the report, the rabbit sprang 

 straight into the air and landed, dead, in 

 the fork of the tree, over 2 feet from the 

 ground. Was not that treeing a rabbit? 



Could an Eastern sportsman have 

 our camp, he would have exclaimed: 



"Game hogs!" Well, if the killing had 

 been done in a locality where rabbits were 

 less plentiful, the term might be justified. 



Rabbits have no protection here; indeed, 

 they are so numerous and destructivi 

 young orchards that the county paj 

 bounty of 4 cents for every pair of • 

 Even then they seem on the increase, espe 



cially jack rabbits; as they are not 

 teemed much for the table and therefore 

 little hunted. Good sport is had chasing 

 jacks on horseback, with hounds. 



In recalling my hunting trips in Eastern 

 Pennsylvania, several decades ago, 1 re- 

 member many a weary tramp of miles, over 

 hill and dale, with a result of perhaps 1 or 

 2 rabbits and a squirrel or so. Yet, if the 

 game-bag was light, the jaunts were happy 

 ones for all that. 



At the conclusion of our hunt, and on 

 our return to camp, I proposed a final 

 lunch of broiled rabbit, but was ruled out 

 by my friend, who had already had enough 

 of that kind of fare. 



On account of the snow, the return trip 

 was rather tiresome, but we finally got 

 through. For years to come I shall think 

 with pleasure of our day after bunnies, 

 on the Ninnescah. 



SOME OLD GUNS. 



CAPT. PHILIP READE, U. S. A. 



EARLY FRENCH MILITARY BREECH- 

 LOADER MOUSQUETOON. 



The Mousquetoon des Cent Gardes was 

 invented in France. The order of introduc- 

 tion of breech-loading arms, for military 

 service, was as follows: 1. The United 

 States Army. 2. Norway and Swedish 

 Marine. 3. Prussia. 4. France. In his 

 " Report of the Military Commission to 

 Europe," 1855-56. Maj. A. Mordecai says 

 that this " Cent Gardes " arm was destined 

 for the special corps connected with the 

 Emperor's Palace. The arm was of what, 

 in 1856, was small calibre, being 0.36 inch. 

 The ball was long in proportion to its 

 diameter; powder charge 30 grains. The 

 ball, powder and fulminate were contained 

 in one cartridge, covered at the rear by a 

 copper cap containing the priming. Mr. 

 W. W. Greener states that the cartridge 

 used was similar in construction to the Le- 

 faucheux: that is, the pin fire cartridge. 

 The last named authority states that the pin 

 for the cap was placed " under the base of 

 the cartridge and projected barely % of an 



inch." Greener also says the manipula- 

 tion of this arm " was difficult and danger- 

 ous." It will be observed that the 2 au- 

 thorities quoted differ as to the priming 

 system employed. 



Maj. Mordecai's report describes the 

 Mousquetoon des Cent Gardes as having a 



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breech-loading arrangement somewhat sim- 

 ilar to the American Sharp's carbine. The 

 carbine was finished with a slender sword 

 bayonet, 40 inches long, with which it 

 formed a lance 7 1 / feet long. I quote from 

 Maj. Mordecai's report: 



