The Western news., 1902-02-05
THE RIFLE AND Ak,

| hiheficduS. LII tne century the matter
is interestingly handled in the first OF q
series of articles which will deal with
the upbuilding of that great empire
and graphic pen picture is given of
that restless pioneer who turned his
face toward the setting sun.
Let us picture. says the writer, this
first restless American. this west
bound man. We must remember that
there had been two or three full Ameri-
can generations to produce him, this
man who first dared turn away from
the seabOard and set his face toward
sinking Of the sun, toward the dark
and mysterious mountains and forests
which then encompassed the least re-
mote land fairly to be called the West.
Two generations had produced man
different from the old world type. Free
air and good food had given him abun-
dant Drawn. He was tall. with Anak
in his frame. Little fat cloyed the free
play of his muscles. and there belonged
to him the heritage of that courage
which comes of good heart and lungs
He was splendid nan to have for an
ancestor, this tall and flord athlete
who never heard of athletics. His face
was thin and aquiline, his look high
and confident, his eyes blue, his speech
reserved
This was our American, discontented
to dwell longer by the sea. He had two
tools. the ak and the rifle With the
one he built. with the other he fought
and lived. Early America saw the in
ventiOn of the small-bore rifle because
there was need for that invention. 1t
required no such long range in those
forest days, and it gave the greatest
possible amount of results for it's ex-
penditure. Its charge was tiny, it's pro-
vender compact and easily carried by
the man who must economic in every
ounce of transported goods; and yet it's
powers were wonderful. Our early
American could plant that little round
pellet in just such a spot as he liked Of
game animal or red-skinned enemy.
and the deadly effect of no projectile
known to man has ever surpassed this
one, If each be weighed by the test of
economic expenditure. This long, small
bored tube was one Of the early agents
Of American civilization. The condi-
tions Of the daily life of the time de-
manded great skill in the use of this
typical arm, and the accuracy of the
early ritlemen of the west has proba-
bly, never been surpassed in popular
average by any people of the world
Driving nail and snuffing a candle
with rifle bullet were common forms
of the amusement which was derived
from the practice Of arms.
When the American settler had got
as far West as the plains he needed
arms Of greater range. and then he
made them; but the first two genera
tions Of the west-bound had the buck
skin bandoleer, with it's little bullets,
it's little molds for making them, it's
little worm. which served to clean the
interior of the barrel with wisp of
flax. it's tiny flask of precious powder,
its extra flint or so. The American
tory might be written Of these alone!
They were the sole warrant for the
departure of the outbound man from
all those associations which had held
him to his home. He took some sweet
girl from her own family. some mother
or grandmother of you or me. and he
took his good ak and rifle. and he put
his little store on raft or pack horse.
and so he started out; and God pros
pered him. In his time he was stanch,
man, a good hunter stur-
dy chopper. a faithful lover of his
friends. and stern hater of his foes.
CHICKENS SNORE AND SNEEZE.