The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-10
-s-@e~-S------
SOUBRIQUETS OF WEAPONS.
Are CustomRriIy "Called Out Their
Names" by Queer Applications.

From the London Globe.
The names of weapons are continually
undergoing change, The arquebus gives
rife, while gun" which was once a gem
eric term, is now pretty well restricted 20
weapons used for purposes of sport and 10
artillery. The pistol in its earlier form
was called a hand-gup; in the course of
time the revolver pistol was invented
was, as matter of fact, invented and re-
invented more than once-and when this
development was perfected practically all
pistols were made on the new system, and
revolvers became the everyday term,
while pistol began to fade out of use.
The revolver in its latest form is one of
the handiest, most rapidly fired, and, al
fairly short ranges, one of the most et-
fective of weapons. In the days of its
youth the discharge of a pistol was a mat
ter of time and careful attention to de-
tell. An old book of military tactics, pub
lished when Charles II. was on the throne.
gives us no fewer than twenty-five words
of command for pistol drill. The warrior
had to uncap, draw forth. order, and sink
his weapon before he prepared to fire it.
The next process were to bend and secure
the cock, open and prime the pan, shut
the pan. and cast about your pistols
which is to be done against your left
thigh with your muzzle upwards in your
bride hand" Having got so far, the
operator was told to guage his flash, lade
the pistol with powder, draw forth and
shorten his hammer, 'lade with bullet and
ram home" Four more words of com
mand withdrew, shortened, and returned
the hammer and recovered the pistol.
The pistoler was now getting to business;
he proceeded to fix or order the ham
mer. TO free and bend the cock, to pres
ent his pistol, and, finally, TO give fire"
He was carefully told when firing not to
aim directly forward Ito your enemy's
horses head. but toward the right hand
With the lock of the pistol upwards" 1t
is only charitable to hope that no one was
hurt as the result of these Ella borate man.
oeuvres.
An old name for the kind of heavy pistol
or hand-gun which the subject of the
drill just described was dag" a word of
quite unknown derivation. The anouy-
nous author of play of the Elizabethan
era makes a character relate how his mas
ter
Would show me how TO hold the Dagge.
flint;
which Is a further testimony to the elab-
Grafton with which the act of firing the
weapon was accomplished In proclama-
ton by Queen Elizabeth of 1875. Her Ha-
jesty noticed the prevalent habit of car
rying arms. and calling 90 mind how
unseemly thing II was in so quiet and
peaceable q realm TO have men so armed"
oh flrnPhpdpd n f,,rr
''privlly or openly any dag or pistol or
any other harquebuse gun or such wea-
pom for fire" Exception, however. WAS
made in the cases of noblemen and others
who could show good reason for carry
ing arms on their travels If they carried
dag" or 'pistolet' openly in their sad
die bow.
From being a recognized term dag
seems to have dropped into the slang vo-
cabulary. for in "Canting Dictionary"
of 1725 IL appears as the cant name for
"A gun. It has long since been banished
to the limbo of unused words. much
later pistol name-that which heads this
coumn--is now seldom heard. Mr. Jus
tice Glossim in Guy Mannering" was
reminded by MacGuffog, the thief taker,
that rascals "are never without barkers
ard siashers," and in "Oliver Twist"
when MIR. William Skies and his compan-
ions are preparing for the burglary ut
Chortsey-"Barkers for me. Barney"
says Toby Crackit, and is forthwith hand
ed a pair OF pistols. Barking irons" was
an earlief form, in use more than a CEN
fury ago. but abbreviation is a favorite
process in the manufacture and develop
ment OF slang.
Another old name for pistol, not al
together extinct. Is "bulldog." Some one
in Farquhars comedy Of THE Constant
Couple remarks: HE whips out his st-
lepo and | whips our my bulldog" and
one might safely back the wielder Of the
stiletto if the speakers aim were no bet
ter than his grammar. "Bulidog" re-
minds one of the California "bulldoser,"
a fairly expressive name for a heavy pIs-
tol which carries large-sized bullet
Many attempts were made through a
long series Of years, centuries, Indeed, TO
construct a revolving pistol, or, as In