Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-09-16
QQl0reester Dailp Syn,
sharp shooting of English Volunteers

The canvas is a square, ST. Ives says, with
true volunteer JUNCTION, that represents the
height and width of a column of men three
deep. Lacy all this time is tightening the
target and patching with white paper circles
the rough edge perioratlDns torn by the bull
lets OF his masters last nights practice. The
Keeper now takes to his burrow, as we shoul.
der our rifles and pace back to the two hun.
dred yard post.
st. Ives opens his large leather pouch ire
markable for holding thirty roundsl and takes
out government cartridge He twists off
one end, pours into the rifle barrel the small
dose of large faky -grained powder, slips in
the creased bullet, levers of the sloughing pa
per, drives home the pointed lead with a
strong gentle pressure of the cup like end of
his steel ramrod puts the little copper hat of a
cap on the nipple, and full cocks. l. on the
other hand, load on a different recipe. | pour
in the powder from horn, through small
measuring tin filter, to ensure the exact guam.
tity OF a charge. Then | take out my thim-
bleshaped conical bullet, place the bottom of
it on CREASED circle Of thin linen, and drive
it. into The gun.
We are both loaded. Yonder, beyond the
rude hills and turze bushes, right against the
dark redoubt of clay and turf, is the target,
looking about as big as an archery target the
black wafer in the center about as large as the
crown of a large hat While st. Ives makes
ready | throw myself on the parched grizzly
turf Slightly thistly, by the by) and look up
to freshen my eye at the great snow noun.
tains of cloud.
'sThose mighty fragments rent away
From some white Alp of yesterday
The larks are singing overhead. The black.
birds answer them from the plantation on the
hill
St. Ives is now in a superb position; his
1aft a., ,I,a
SO that the barrel is embedded firm and steady
in the palm of his left hand his right arm is
rectangular, and kept well out. The back and
foresight are in splendid line. The barrel
does not waver nor tremble hairs breadth ::
it might be bar OF steel riveted into stone
wall. The keeper went under cover when l
threw up my felt just now There is dead
silence. St Ives holds his breath and presses
the trigger gently but firmly-a jerk or bend
forward from anxiety would ruin the aim
Bang! a thin, angry Jet Of fire, puff of
backward blown smoke ping whz then
curious echo, as of an AK coming down on a
wood block; slight ripping sound as of torn
canvas, and a spirit OF dust in the butt imme
diately behind the target,
"a center, Pll bet a flyer, though | say it
that shouldn't say it |" says St. Ives, keeping
his gun for moment in position
The keeper emeTges from his troglodyte
cave ana iumDers 10 the target lie looks a
moment 'iieh returns 10 MS ouffow
ga miss !' said l.
mot il" replied st. Ives, quietly ringing
down his ramrod. Il know all his moves.
He's only gone back to get his rule to measure
if it's center or a bulls eye"
Inc keeper waved the blue hag-ot' Ives s
was center
now as thls was one OF my nrst days rifle
pracuce' may as wen confess that the arr IS
NOT an easy one-cool head, iron nerves, strong
wrist, keen, true eye, much thought and obser
vatlon, ana all these things aided by constant
pIacuce' are needed 10 make good ride shot
ne quick instinct anu partnership OF eye ana
manu- Is an very wen ior partridge OF raobt
sno'' ouI mere other qualities are required.
Inc distances are SO long that an error OF the
smallest traction OF ah men IN the ann throws
Tie oullet up or Gown many yards. AT hrst
1t seems almost impossible to keep rifle
weighing eight pounds steady, in difficult
position; anxiety, moreover, Is as detrimental
10 goou ann as careiesshess or even lncompe-
tence. Then, the WIND and any iault OF ones
gun have both studlousiy to be provided for
1t is often necessary, too, purposely to aim
little too low or too high to allow for the in
voluntary jerk up OF The rife barrel in firing
have slipped the bar OF the 6acksight to
the little ngures ZOU. make ready, present
feel the little Mo OF the foresight coming up
over the horizon OF the notch or gap in the
pacKslghl, ana Ooth tellng against the black
wafer. ltry to get an aim dead IN the centre,
but L feel the barrel waver. wish had
pulled on my hrst instinct Slowly readJust
II. remember my BREATH press the tng-
ger IN dead silence Again the crack, rush,
and billet chopping echo
High to the right, SAID 81. Ives. 81 saw
1t hit. Hall the bullets fired fell away to the
right. You can correct that partly by making
rest OF the sling, and twisting your e bow in
it."
The keeper, without going to the target,
waved white flag.
We fire six more bullets, all either whites or
blues, except one bulls eye of ST. Ives, at
two hundred, and we then move backward to
the three hundred yards-a distance generally
found peculiarly difficult by volunteers.
We move the bars of our rest up 10 the re-
quired distance.
"Patcl, roars St Ives to the keeper. Out
he tumbles, paste box in hand, and is soon
busy ut work. Our gun barrels now begin to
get besmrched about the breech, the nipples
are black, and moist at the tips; while at the
muZzles there are little splts and frothlngs of
red, the result of the fired grease from the car.
tridges.
The target now looks scarcely bigger than
the door OF hackney coach the black wafer,
too, contracts. st. Ives lies on his stomach
like deer stalker, and fires; or he kneels on
his left heel and makes a firm rest of his left
elbow on his left knee We look at each bull
let as it energies, clean and bright, from its
paper chrysalis, with tender solicitude St
Ives is four above me, and the distance is in
eft,fr. h,tT h.. Il