. Bulletin - United States National Museum. Science. worked on as if in a dream, when one day his father surprised him by saying, "Joe, you have fairly earned your new rifle. I am going to Lancaster and will buy you the best one I can find. What bore do you want?" He replied that he did not want less than three balls to the ounce, but he would prefer one-half ounce; that he wanted one that would kill a bear or bring down a deer at long range; but that he did not want any other make than Gibbs. When his father returned with the rifle and put it in his hands he said, "Joe, I think
. Bulletin - United States National Museum. Science. worked on as if in a dream, when one day his father surprised him by saying, "Joe, you have fairly earned your new rifle. I am going to Lancaster and will buy you the best one I can find. What bore do you want?" He replied that he did not want less than three balls to the ounce, but he would prefer one-half ounce; that he wanted one that would kill a bear or bring down a deer at long range; but that he did not want any other make than Gibbs. When his father returned with the rifle and put it in his hands he said, "Joe, I think if you lug this heavy thing a day vou will soon get tired of fooling your time away hunting; but if it don't suit you, Mr. Gibbs has agreed to exchange it for a lighter ; It was not long before he found he had made a mistake. Bears were growing scarce, the deer season short, the bullets were too large for squirrels and small game, and the rifle too heavy for quick shooting. But his pride was touched, and he was not willing to acknowledge his mistake. He found he could save lead by using a smaller ball and thicker buckskin patch; these patches he thoroughly saturated with melted tallow. One day when starting out on a hunt he primed his rifle, shaking the powder well into the touchhole, closed the pan, and tried to force down a bullet with one of these well-greased patches, but it would not stay down; whenever he loosened his hold of the ramrod, if would rise in the barrel. After several times forcing the bullet down as far as he could by hand grip on the ramrod, and finding it still coming back, he lost patience; he put the end of the wooden ramrod against a tree, grasping the rifle in both hands, and said, "Dang you! you shall go down now and stay ; He gave a violent thrust. When he got up from his back, his hands and arms were lacerated and bleeding, and his gun lay some distance from the tree further than he was. When he gathered himself up he was da
Size: 1345px × 1858px
Photo credit: © Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorun, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectscience
