St. Landry democrat., 1888-04-21
ANCIENT FIREARMS.
The Battle-Axe, Pistol, the Arqusbuse and
Wheei-Lock of Old Times

the handle, the weapon being fired by
reversing the battle-axe. Many of them
did not reverse, however, the muzzle of
the pistol in those projecting slightly
beyond the head of the axe.
The Paris museum has sword gun.
straight sword of remarkable fine
workmanship, having for about a
quarter of its distance a pistol barrel
running parallel with it, the lock OF
the pistol being concealed in the handle
of the sword.
A hunting arquebuse belonging to
Henry VIII. is still preserved in the
Tower of London. the system being
nearly identical with that of favorite
modern rifle; and not one modern plan
of breech-loading is known that was
not at one time or another foreshad-
owed in ancient weapons
The ''holy-water sprinkle was a
mace, strong and heavy, and having
six tubes running through its length.
These We're the six barrels, all COM
municating at the base with common
chamber and all fired at once by means
of a match applied to the powder. VI
course such weapon as this once fired
was useless as a gun, but still as good
a mace as it was before.
The wheel-lock, which came in the
sixteenth century, consisted of steel
wheel with ratchets working against a
flint The wheel, being released by
moving the trigger, revolved rapidly
and struck sparks of fire from the flint,
thus igniting the powder. The wheel
lock was considered wonderful in
vention, but no long time elapsed after
it became common before it was SUPER
seeded by the flint-lock.
The whip-pistol, specimens of which
are seen in many European museums,
much resembles an ordinary horse
mans whip, with short, thick handle
and long. heavy lash, but concealed in
the tassels which apparently ornament
the stock is the lock of a pistol, the
barrel of which projects slightly be-
yond the handle Of the whip. 1t was
much used by Italian robbers, postil-
lions and stage-drivers in the south OF
Europe.
The Berlin museum has two-dagger-
pistols, one having the barrel on the
side of the dagger, the weapon being
fired with wheel-lock; the other
showing the barrel in the center of the
dagger-blade, point being fixed at
the end of the pistol-barrel, which,
when the pistol was not in service,
answered for the tip of the blade.
Both these were very richly orna-
mented, being inlaid with gold and
silver, and evidently used by persons
of rank and wealth.
When hand firearms came into use
the only method of firing the gun was
by applying blazing fuse to the prim-
ing in the pan. This was slow and
uncertain, and the difficulties arising
in the use of early firearms was so
great that some wonder may be ex-
pressed at their being used at all. The
gunner was forced to carry coarse
powder for his charge, fine powder for
his printing, bag of bullets, a rest on
which to place his piece when firing,
and burning match. So much lug
gage rendered his movements and
progress exceedingly slow, and every
man who carried a gun was. therefore,
generally attended by an assistant to
keep his fire going.
Perhaps the most antique effort to
combine ancient and modern methods
is seen in the pistol shield, of which
twenty-one specimens are to be found
in the Tower of London. 1t is an ordi-
nary shield, to all appearance, but in
stead of boss in the center an oblong
tube projects short distance in front
of the shield. This is the pistol barrel,
and behind the shield is seen the lock
for firing. The pistol was breech
loader and provided with four separate
thimbles, each one containing charge,
so that the weapon was practicallya
repeater Just above the barrel there
was little hole in the shield through
which aim might be taken. but the eff
fieiency of these weapons must have
been very small.
1t notinfrequently happened in an
cient times that during rain two hos
tile armies were forced to suspend
military operations entirely from the
fact that they could not keep their
powder dry or their matches blazing,
and the spectacle of opposing forces in
the field waiting for a shower to pass,
spreading out their ammunition on
cloaks in the sun, then sitting down
and waiting for their powder to dry.
provoked the merriment of even their
own day Besides the process of load
ing and firing was incredibly slow.
At battle fought in 1886 the best sol-
diers were able to fire only seven shots
in eight hours, while two years later,
in the battle of Wittembergen, the
quickest arquebusers fired but seven
shots each, although the fight lasted
from noon till eight O'Clock in the
evening" Chicago Ne0s.
-Jones-"Yes, sir, it is mighty hard
to collect money just now. ! know
it.'' Smith-"indeed! Have you tried
tn collect and faileda'' ,JOneS-'Ob-