could see how carefully some famous old sportsman who is a friend of
your father's handles his firing-piece.

On arriving finally at the particular woods you have planned to cover,
or the "blinds" which you are going to lie in, put in the charges, and
then all is ready for the sport.

Most of the danger after this stage of the proceedings has been reached
is again only through carelessness or excitement over the sport, which
is only another word for carelessness. For example, you are in the woods
and a bird flies out among the branches. In your excitement at the
sudden flush of the partridge you throw up your gun and "blaze away,"
forgetting that the other man with you is just ahead. That is rank
carelessness. For no two sportsmen ever lose track of each other. If
they happen to be out of sight of each other, and within range, they
keep up a constant conversation, or call to each other continually, so
that from moment to moment each knows where the other is. Again, when
two men are standing close beside each other and a covey jumps up under
their guns, there has to be a quick swing to right or left. Usually,
under these circumstances, the man on the right takes the right-hand
shot, and the one on the left takes the left-hand shot. If the
right-hand man swings to the left he may very easily bring his friend in
the line of his muzzle.

As regards the half and full cock of the hammers, there is one safe rule
to follow. When on the actual ground, and following dogs on the scent or
pointing, the gun must, of course, be at full cock. But whenever a fence
is to be climbed, or a bad bit of close underbrush broken through, the
hammers should be dropped carefully to half cock, or, if the gun is
hammerless, the half-cock trigger should be sprung.

In all this the important point is that every man or boy, while carrying
a shooting-piece, should have his mind on what he is doing, and should
never for a moment lose his head. It is far better to lose a shot than
to hit a friend or take the slightest chance of hitting him. On the
other hand, if a boy thinks the matter over and follows out these rules,
there is not the least danger in his owning and using a shot-gun, and
the amount of exercise to both brain and body which he can get out of it
is astonishing. When you begin you need your father's advice as to the
proper way of holding the gun, taking aim, and bringing down the game.
But after that nothing is necessary but your own coo