Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1912-12-21 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

FIRST SHOOT.  Taking a peep into any gunsmith's shop one cannot but remark on the rapid strides that have been made in the various firearms that are in use to-day, compared with the weapons of 60 years ago. A good many of the guns used at that time were muzzle loaders (few there are of that stamp to-day), and not a few were the old-fashioned Alia and steel type.  My first experience was with one of the latter. Proud was I when I ruana.ged to borrow from a friend at Norton a gun with the flint and steel arrangement -(uch a gun nowadays would be considered a treasure by curio hunters). I carried it from Norton in the dark as at that time there were no lamps, and glad I was when I had passed several of our guardians of the peace. I seemed to dream all night of flying feathers and braces of birds. In the morning I salliea forth as proud of my get-up as any "Boy Sprout" is of his to-day, making for the country. In a short time I came to where there was a high hedge, which was liberally covered with crimson haws, and in and about these haws, flitt.ng to and fro, were two little bluecaps. _ _  I at once COMlnencea to load, and M doing this I was very careful to put in the right quantity of powder, placing thereon a paper wad and ramming it down with the ramrod, then the proper quantityof shot, followed by another wad of paper, and a pinch of powder in the pan for priming. I waa prepared for my first shot! I was sorely tempted to have a shot at the blue. caps, and .chd clear for action, only I could not get the birds m line; I did not wish to shoot one only. I could not get a shot to suit me, and looking round I saw a sight which fairly stirred all my sporting instinct to the core, for over by the Old Mill, hovering in that style peculiar to him, was a murderous sparrow hawk trying to hypnotise some poor little bird of one sort or another, till he could put his cruel talons in him and bear him off. Oh! what a beautaful specimen he would make placed in a case with' a brass plate with engraving thereon: "Shot by --, the date, etc." I double snotted the .gun, and moved away from the temptation to shoot the poor little bluecaps, who had their enemy the hawk to thank for saaeng. them from a tragic end. I crept along the hedge and waited long; and patiently, but Mr Hawk despised me and the gun, for making a sudden swoop, he missed something in the hedge and flew away. I was now fast tirin,g of my shooting expedition, and having been told by my friend never to take home the eetin with a charge in it, and not knowing how to draw the charge, I thought to have a little practice with a piece of paper about the size of the hawk, which I stuck on a gate post. Measuring so many yards away from it I went down on one knee latent on putting so many pellets into the paper as I had intended for the hawk-. Now, I took aim, and pulled the trigger. "Flash!" " Bang!"•and back. wards over I went (without any whispered " sorry"), and it was some time before I was aware of what had happened. I remember I picked up the gun and examined it.. Yes, the stock and hammer were there, also the barrel, but I -am not certain as to the gate post, for I never remembered seeing it again. Home I went, and home went the gun, and I told my friend that I wanted a gun that would shoot from the right end.—J. E. -Coiling, 3, Elm. street., Stockton.