Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-11-03
FIRING trA DEAD TARGET.
The Device of Colonel Nancor TO Out
vii ShRrpshOO OOter.
From Allthe Year Round.


There WAS one Russian fellow who had
Il sand-pit all of his own, right in front
Of oar trenches. | never saw anybody
SO persevcrmg as that man was, Early
in the morning he'd he popping away,
and there he'd stay until nightfall, TAX
ing his food with him into the pit. He
seemed to take real pleasure il it, and
ms hc was II very fine shot and never lot
us get much OF chance at him, he was
not popular character i'll the advanced
trenches Manya good fellow he sent to
glory 1t got to be such n nuisance that
we dropped shells at him now and again,
but he minded them no more thnn if they
had been 80 many oranges. One day
was down in the trenches when Colonel
Muncor of the Forty -cighth--a splendid
shot and n great man fOr sport-came
along. A party with a Sergeant We're at
work, and Just us the Colonel came up
one of them dropped with n ball through
his head.
"Dcuccd good shot Who fired that ~
says the Colonel, putting up his eyeglass.
MAN in the rile-pit to the left, Sir, u
answers the Sergeant. "Ncver saw a
ncater snot, says the Colonel. "He
only showed for n moment, and would
not have showed then only that the edge
of the trench is n bit worn away. Does
he often shoot like that? ''Terribly
dangerous man." replies the Sergeant
kills more than all the guns in the Re-
dan. "Now, Major" says the Colonel,
turning to- another man who was with
him, what's the odds against my pick
ing him otl?' ''In how long ?" with
in ten minutes. 1.-Two to one ponies I'll
give you" says the Major. "Say three,
and it's Il bargain.
"Thrcc to one i'll ponies" answer the
Major, and the bet was made. He was a
great man for measuring his powder. was
the Colonel, and always emptied out a
cartridge and then filed it up again ac-
cording to his taste. He took about half
his time getting the Sergeaut's gun load.
ed to please him. At last he got il
right. aud the glass screwed well into his
eye.
Now my lads, says he, 'iust push
poor Smith here up over the trench. He's
dead enough, and another wound will
make little difference to him."
The men began to hoist the body up,
and the Colonel stood, may be twenty
yards off. pecring over the edge with eyes
like lynx. As soon as the top of Smith
shake appeared, we saw the barrel OF the
gun come slowly out of the sandpit, ant
when his poor dead face looks over til,
edge, whizz comes II bullet right through
his forehead,
The Russian he peeps ont Of the pit to
see the effect OF his shot and, he
never looks ut anything again until he
sees the everlasting river. The Colonel
fined with n sort Of chucklc, and the ri
lleman sprang up in the air and ran {
matter of ten OF twelve PAGES toward us
and then fell down on his face as dead NJ
door-nail. "Double or quits on tn,
man in the pit to the right says thu
Colorel, loading mp his gun again, but
think the Major had dropped none,
enough for one day over his shooting
for he wouldn't hear Of another try. B.,
the way, it was handed over to Smith
widow, for he was II free handed gentle
man, was the Colonel, not unlike your
self sir