Nov. 28. 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
875 
THE YOUNG SHIKARI AND THE OLD. 
It is probable that few of us have not, at one 
time or another, been the recipient of the con¬ 
fidences of the grififin, whose ambition it is to 
make a start as a big game shot, and those con¬ 
fidences seldom fail to deal with the “selfish¬ 
ness” of the old and experienced hands who 
might so easily initiate the aspirant into the 
mysteries of jungle craft, yet assume a mask of 
‘ such prohibitive reserve when the subject is 
approached. In ninety-nine cases out of a hum 
; dred, says the Asian, the would-be beginner has 
devoured shelves of books on big game shoot¬ 
ing, and honestly believes that he knows some¬ 
thing about the business, enough at any rate to 
qualify him to join the older hand and “keep 
his end up;” he has probably done more or less 
rifle practice at the butts, though those who 
have tried their hand on a moving target are 
j the exception; he has devoted some of his 
leisure to study of the vernacular, and has made 
a point of mastering words and phrases which, 
he has reason to believe, will be of particular 
use to him in the jungle; and when he looks 
over his shikar kit and “battery,” he is vexed 
by no qualm of doubt concerning his own fit¬ 
ness to take a hand in the sport, which has 
been the dream of his life from the hour he 
knew that he wa’s destined for a career in this 
country. Having his share of good sense, how¬ 
ever, there is in the back of his mind the con¬ 
viction that it would be well to make a start 
under experienced guidance if possible, but this 
is a minor matter, for the great advantage of 
guidance is of course that without it he does 
not know where to go. Now we need not look 
upon the aspiring sportsman with cynical eyes, 
for that he is strong of belief in himself; belief 
in oneself is a failing which has so much to 
redeem it that we may doubt, whether in this 
connection or any other, it has title to rank as a 
failing at all. Given opportunity, such as may 
fall to the incipient planter, whose lines are 
cast in remote districts, the need of guidance 
I will not be felt, the beginner, if he has the right 
stuff in him, will start “on his own” and find his 
way through mistakes to success. He will as¬ 
suredly have blunders to look back upon when 
he has cut his eye teeth, but each will have 
taught him something and he can console him- 
j self with' the reflection that even self-education 
must be paid for, the price being sometimes 
live-long regret. 
We are satisfied that opportunity serving, 
self-education in shikar is the best education in 
the long run; not only as regards the mysteries 
of jungle craft, but in more subtle matters. 
1 The self-education shikari learns to think for 
himself and acquires self-reliance; moreover, as 
regards sport, if he be really keen he learns 
; from his native aides much that many experi¬ 
enced fellow countrymen could not teach him 
for the adequate reason that they have not 
learned it themselves. Too many of us are 
prone to leave the hard work, the vital A. B, 
C, of jungle craft to the shikari and content 
ourselves with the more exciting sequel to his 
patient work; the sportsman who takes real 
interest in, the ground work of jungle-craft and 
serves his apprenticeship in youth to the pro¬ 
fessor thereof has very much better chances of 
| success in the long run than him who is con- 
r tent to leave “preliminaries” to the native, as 
though these preliminaries were not the bed- 
j. rock of the whole business! 
The case of the young soldier or mercantile 
i assistant, whose lot lies in cantonment or town, 
is very different of course from that of the 
planter, whose opportunities lie, so to speak, at 
his door. Unless he be prepared to spend 
money, he may not be able well to afford, and 
time, which to the majority is even more 
precious, he must depend on the goodwill of ex¬ 
perienced seniors; and experienced seniors, as 
j we all know, are not, let us say, invariably 
anxious to play cicerone to ambitious youths of 
whom they know little more than that they are 
ambitious. Pardonable desire to keep to them¬ 
selves knowledge of good localities influences 
some; strong preference for shooting alone in- 
, fluences others; but we are inclined to think 
[ that the majority of experienced men shrink 
Look into the Future 
—with a screw-driver 
J UST how much pleasure and how much shooting efficiency do you expect to get out of a 
shot-gun from this Fall on? From 1908 to 1918—or to 1928, if you live that long? 
Instead of speculating and pipe-dreaming about it, use a screw-driver ! 
Remove the lock-plates of the Lefever Shot-gun ; the Future is there plainly pictured 
before you. The simple, substantial, three-piece lock system speaks of years of success for you. 
Lefever Shot-Guns 
Pull the trigger and you will see the lock work as it will work for a lifetime. The entire 
mechanism is attached to the frame, giving solid bearings. From 15 to 25 fewer parts than in 
any other shot-gun. 
Shooting loose is impossible ; a compensating screw at the hinge-joint forces the barrels 
against the face of the frame and the compensating bolt holds the barrels absolutely tight. 
All Lefever guns are high-grade—$28 up to$1000. No gun on the market below $50 can 
compare with the $28 gun. Send for our catalog. It is filled with valuable information. 
THE LEFEVER ARMS CO., 23 Malibie St., Syracuse, N. Y. 
IN SELECTING A GUN 
for field or trap use—BUY THE BEST. It may 
cost twice as much as a cheap gun, but it will last 
ten times as long. There is no better gun than a 
PARKER. Ask the man who owns one. 
SEND FOR ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE 
Parker Bros.. Meriden, Conn. 
NEW YORK SALESROOMS, 32 Warren Street 
THE OLDEST GUN BUILDERS IN AMERICA 
p+h 
m 
Gamo Life in the Woods 
HAMILTON GIBSON 
A Complete Manual of Wood Life 
Handy, complete, with full explanations and 
directions so written that they are readily un¬ 
derstood, Camp Life in the Woods is an in¬ 
valuable book for camper, hunter, fisherman, 
trapper, for every one who goes into the woods 
for sport or recreation. 
Covers all details of “roughing it,” camping, 
shelter building, cooking, wood craft, canoe 
building and handling, trapping and taxidermy. 
Good for every outdoor man. 
Full of “the tricks” that make for success in 
trapping, it is indispensable to every one, novice 
or old timer, who plans a campaign against the 
fur-bearing animals the coming season. Cloth, 
fully illustrated. 
Postpaid, $L00 
FOREST AND STREAM PUB. CO., 
127 Franklin Street, New York 
For Guns 
“3 in One” Oil Has No Equal 
for oiling trigger, lock, every action part. Does 
not dry out quickly like heavier oils, gum, harden 
or collect dust no matter how long gun stands. 
"3in One” cleans out the residue of burnt powder 
(black or smokeless) after shooting, leaving the j 
barrel clean and shiny. It actually penetrates j 
the pores of the metal, forming a delicate per¬ 
manent protecting coat that is absolutely | 
impervious to water or weather. No acid. 
T 7 /_» A test will tell. Write for sample 
r ree bottle. 3-IN-ONE OIL CO., 
61 New Street, New York City 
Castle Dome Cut Plug 
THE BEST SMOKE FOR THE PIPE 
In America. Made from Old Virginia Sun-Cured 
Tobacco. Money refunded if it bites or burns 
the tongue. Sent prepaid postage 
(/ jsj&Si 75c Pound. Large Sample 10c. 
JASPER L. ROWE, 
RICHMOND, VA. 
Estab. 1880 Ref: Broad St. Bank 
Moose Hunting and Salmon Fishing 
TRAINING vs. BREAKING. 
Practical Dog Training; or. Training vs. Breaking. 
By S. T. Hammond. To which is added a chapter on 
training pet dogs, by an amateur. Cloth. 165 pages. 
Price. $1. 
FCREST AND STREAM PUBLISHING CO. 
and other sketches of sport. Being the record of per¬ 
sonal experiences of hunting game in Canada. By T. R. 
Patillo. 300 pages. Price $2.00. 
FOREST AND STREAM PUBLISHING CO. 
