Editorial note — Chapter II · THE AMERICAN RIFLE

In a careful test an old squirrel-rifle, for three generations in the author’s family, and now nearly one hundred years old, was fired five times, at a distance of 60 yards, and the point of the finger would cover all five of the balls, which made practically but one ragged hole. The author’s father handled the old weapon on this occasion. Again, in the author’s hands, it shot out in succession the spots or pips of a playing card, the ten of clubs, at such distance as left the spots only clearly distinguishable. This piece was altered from flint lock to pill-percussion lock, and later to the percussion cap lock.