March, 1918 
FOREST AND STREAM 
163 
FROM PREHISTORIC TO PRESENT TIMES 
THE EVOLUTION OF FIRE ARMS, ACCORDING TO “BILL” POTTER, CARTOONIST AND 
COWPUNCHER, ASSISTED BY CAPTAIN ROY S. TINNEY, SOLDIER AND SONNETEER 
1 —The First Bull’s-Eye 
T HERE was a warrior long and lean, 
Who lived in the prehistoric time, 
And settled many a hard-fought fight 
By making gaps in the battle line 
With whizzing stones he threw apace 
Into the other fellow’s face. 
Eor his arm was strong and his aim was 
true, 
And his fame as a scrapper grew and grew, 
”Til he ruled ten tribes in noble form, 
Thus the science of marksmanship was 
born. 
4 —The Cross-Gun of France 
Y OUR gunstock, we would have you 
know, 
Was made to guide the Frenchman’s bolt, 
Which, driven by a short stiff bow, 
Could give the foeman such a jolt, 
That he must either promptly flee 
Or pass into eternity. 
With aperture and windgauge sights, 
Those cross-guns settled many fights; 
For they were aimed, as you can see. 
With scientific accuracy. 
While quarreling with our relatives 
About a point we would not yield. 
With flash pan, flint and bullet pouch, 
With powder horn and one big grouch, 
We fought it out at forty-rod, 
Put many a Hessian Tieath the sod, 
Because their muskets only ranged 
Ten rods, and so the map was changed. 
2 —The Method David Used 
HEN came a chap who failed to throw 
As fast and far as the others could, 
So he doped out some “hi-power” stuff. 
Evolved the sling and found it good. 
The device was awkward, new and strange, 
But it surely did increase the range, 
And as his skill with the thing increased, 
’Twas found a stone from the sling re¬ 
leased 
Was possessed of power and accuracy, 
Thus long range firing came to be. 
AID the puncher to the poet, 
“Let us make the matter plain, 
All about the evolution 
Of the good old shootin’ game.” 
Said the poet to the puncher, 
“That’s exactly what we’ll do.” 
So the poet started pote-ing 
And the puncher drew and drew. 
* * * (Indicating a long silence ) 
Thus they made this contribution, 
Just exactly as it’s seen. 
To the great religious journal 
Of the Forest and the Stream. 
UT on the plains, the Indian Wars 
Were settled with the “forty-five,” 
That made the name of “Springfield” known 
To every rifleman alive. 
The gun that we now have at hand 
To arm the Home Guards of our land. 
And ’cause it is a single-shot 
Breech-loader, we’d advise you not 
To cast aspersions on this gun— 
Its useful days are not yet done. 
3 —Ye Long Yew Bow 
S time passed by the bowmen came, 
Their arrows tipped with sharpened 
stone, 
And chased the slingmen off the map, 
By using methods all their own. 
Then Robin Hood and his gay crew 
Made six-foot bows of pliant yew 
That fired a steel-tipped cloth-yard shaft 
And caught unwary knights abaft 
Their armor joints, and that is how 
The first sharpshooters made their bow. 
HE booming, smoking musketoon 
With smouldering match and ramrod 
rest, 
The weapon that Miles Standish used 
On redskins that did then molest 
The Puritans, ’though now we feel 
He gave those Indians one raw deal. 
And up in Canada there came 
A doughty Frenchman named Champlain, 
Who also used the matchlock gun, 
Thus was our first exploring done. 
ND now we have the sputtergun, 
An automatic that keeps cool, 
With magazine shaped like a chain, 
A most exquisite shooting tool, 
And in the Hun-hunt “over there” 
You’ll find these autos everywhere 
Along the battered Western Front 
Where brave men bear the battle’s brunt, 
For when there’s shooting to be done, 
Just leave it to the sputtergun. 
