Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

CHAPTER XIMARKSMANSHIP IN THE WOODSNever shall I forget the remark that a backwoodsmanonce made when I was trying: to entertainhim at a rifle match near St. Louis. I had shownhim the shooting-house, the target-house, and theirappurtenances; had explained our system of scoringand our code of rules; had told him the reasonsfor using such heavy rifles, sensitive triggers, prongedbutt-plates, cheek-pieces, vernier and wind-gaugesights—all that; and then I bade him watch someof our experts as they made buUseye after bullseye,seldom missing a space the size of a man's head,shooting ofihand, at 200 measured yards. I thoughtthat my friend would be impressed. He was; butnot quite as I had anticipated. After watching thefiring for a long time in silence, he turned to me andremarked: '*If it weren't for the noise and thepowder smoke, this would be a very ladylike game."Of course, I was piqued at this, and felt like givingthe honest fellow a peppery reply. And yet,many a time since, as I have sat, chilled to the bone,on some crossing in the high Smokies, straining myears for the bear-dogs far below ; or, tired beyondspeech and faint from hunger, as I lay down besidea log in the great forest, all alone ; or, blown by hardclimbing till my heart seemed bursting, as I wipedthe mist from my eyes, and got down on all foursto follow a fresh spoor into the hideous laurel fastnessof Godforsaken—aye, many a time I have lookedbackward and thought, ''You were right, partner;it was a very ladylike game."It was a long time ago—that shooting match. If173