Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1847-07-23

0tottu IAoI lolhLE 1OlC YOU SHOOt
Never mind,' said Hiram, can talk
little and shoot little too but that's nothln'.
Here goes!'
Hiram assumed the figure of a note of inter
rogation, took a long sight, and fred.
sPve eat paper,' said he, at the crack of The
gun, without looking, or seeming to look, to-
wards the target Buck klller maze a clear
racket. Where am [, gentlemen
you're lust between Mealy and the dia-
mond,' was the reply.
4 said I'd eat paper, and Eve done 1t
haven't I, gentlemen
And 'spose you have " said Mealy, swhat
do that mount to j? You'll not win beef, and
never did,
Be that as it mout be, Eve beat Meal Got.
ton mighty easy; and the boy you call Hiram
Baugh are able to do it.
sAnd what do that mount to !. Who the
devil ant able to beat Meal Cotton! | DOM
make no pretense of bein' nothin' great, nc
how: but you always makes out as if you
were gwine to keep 'em maxim crosses fol
you constant, and then Go nothin' but eat pa
per- at last and that's a long way from eatin
beef, 'cordin' to Meal 'Cotton's notions, as you
call him.
Simon Stow was now called on.
ooh, Lord = exclaimed two or three: now
we have it. It'll take him as long to shoot al
it would take Squire Dobbins to run round {
track O. land
sGood-by, boys, said Bob Martin.
'Where are you going, Bob ?
Going to gather in my crop; I'll be back
agin though by the time Sine Stow shoots
Simon was used to all this, and therefore i
did not disconcert him IN the least. He wen
off and brought his own target, and set it VI
with his own hand.
He then wiped out his rifle, rubbed the par
with his hat, drew a piece of tow through
the touch-hole with his wiper, filled his char
ger with great care, poured the powder int
the rifle with equal caution, showed in will
his finger the two or three vagrant grains tina
lodged round the mouth of his piece, took gu
handful of bullets, looked them all owe
carefully, selected one withoutfla or wrinkle
drew out his patching, found the most ever
part of it, sprung open the grease-box in thu
breech of his rifle, took upjust so much grease
distributed it with great equality over the cho
sen part of his patching, laid it over the muz
zle of his rifle, grease side down, placed hi
ball upon it, pressed it little, then took it VI
and turned the neck little more perpendicu
larly downward, placed his knife-handle on it
Just buried it in the mouth of the rifle, cut OF
the redundant patching just above the bullet
looked at it, and shook his head, in tokel
that he had cut off too much or too little, NJ
one knew which, sent down the ball, measur
ed the contents of his gun with his first ant
second fingers on the protruding part of thu
ramrod, shook his head again, to signify Their
was too much or too little powder, prime(
carefully, placed an arched piece of tin owe
the hind sight to shade it, took his place, go
a friend to hold his hat over the foresight It
shade it, took very long sight, fired, ant
didn't even eat the paper.
my piece was badly loadned,' said Simon
when he learned the place Of his ball.
sOh, you didn't take time.' said Mea1y.-
8 No man can shoot that's in such hurry a.
you is I'd hardly got to sleep fore | heart
the crack O. the gum
The next was Moses Firmly. He was
TALL slim man, of rather sallow complexion
and it is singular fact, that though probabl,
no part of the world is more healthy than tn
mountainous parts of Georgia., the mountain
GERS have not generally robust frames or fin
compilations they are, however, almost mex
haustible by toll.
Moses kept US not long in suspense. Hi
rifle was already charged, and he fixed it up
on the target with steadiness of nerve an
aim that was astonishing to me and alarming
to all the rest. A few seconds, and the re
port of his rifle broke the death-like silenc
which prevailed.
No great harm done YET said Spivey
manifestly relieved from anxiety by an even
which seemed to me better calculated to pro
duce despair Firmby's ball had cut out tn
lower angle of the diamond, directly on RICH
line with the cross.
Three or four followed him without better
ing bis shot; all OF whom, however, with on
exception, eat the paper
1t now came to Spivey's turn. There wa
nothing remarkable in his person or manner
He took his place, lowered his rifle slowl,
from perpendicular until it came on a lin
with the mark, held it there like vice for
moment, and fired.
Pretty seUigrous, but nothing killing yet
said Billy Curlew, as he learned the place O
Spivey's ball.
Spivey's ball had just broken the upper an
gle of the diamond beating Firmly about hal
it's width
A few more shots, in which was nothin
remarkable, brought us to Billy Curlew. Bill
ly stepped out with much confidence, and bro
the Soap-stick TO an order, while he deliber
ately rolled up his shirt sleeves Had iudg
ed of Billy's chance of success from the look
of his gun, should have said it was hopeless
The stock of Soap stick seemed to have bee
made with a case knife; and had it been, tn
tool would have been but poor apology fc
its clumsy appearance. An auger-hole in tn
breech served for grease box; cotto
string assisted single screw in holding o
the lock and the thimbles were made, one {
brass, one of iron, and one of tin
where's Dark Spivey's bullet /" called OF
Billy to the judges, as be finished rolling u
his sleeves.
About three quarters of an inch from tn
cross was the reply.
Well. clear the way the Soap-stick's com
ing, and she'll be along in there among 'el
presently
Billy now planted himself astraddle, like a
inverted V !; shot forward his left hip, DIRE,
, his body back to an angle of about forty-fv
degrees with the plane of the horizon, brougl
his cheek down close to the breech of oil
Soap stick, and fixed her upon the mark wit
t untrembling hand. His sight was long, an
the swelling muscles of his left arm led ne
believe that he was lessening his chance
success with every half second that he kel
it burdened with his ponderous rife; but
neither tagged nor wavered until Soap-stic
! made her report.
where am l ? said Billy, as the smok
> rose from before his eye.
You've Jlst touched the cross on the lowe
side,' was the reply OF one of the judges.
Il was afraid | was drawing nv bead