The collector of weapons must be very careful how he stores his treasures. To leave, say, a bayonet where it can be handled by children is almost a criminal act; to buy a firearm and not examine the charging chamber immediately is, if anything, a trifle more unscrupulous. Thoughtlessness has accounted for a good many tragedies, and so it ought to be the determination of the curio-hunter to see that his treasures are stored out of harm's way. Swords, bayonets, rifles, and other lengthy weapons are conveniently kept on the walls of living-rooms, and if placed horizontally and fairly high up are safe and ornamental. Smaller things, such as daggers and pistols, are better preserved in glass cases. Steel implements which, when exposed continuously to the air, are apt to deteriorate, should be carefully cleaned and then coated with a thin layer of copal varnish. If the varnish be painted on sparingly and no patches are left uncoated, the metal will remain bright permanently, and only require an occasional dusting. If the specimen which is to be treated is rusty, it should be carefully gone over previously with emery, but should it have a chased, engraved, or damascened surface, it will be advisable to soak it in benzine for a week or more, and then give it a rubbing until a sufficient polish has been obtained. [Illustration: A SOUTH AFRICAN POM-POM SHELL AND A MARTINI-HENRI CARTRIDGE.] [Illustration: CARTRIDGES AS USED IN THE GREAT WAR. (From left to right: German, French, Belgian, and British.)] * * * * * Of the weapons with which we shall deal in these pages, probably firearms are the most interesting. Such implements have been in use among armies for many centuries, but as cannon and other large pieces possess little interest for the collector, on account of their size, it will be convenient to omit the earliest firearms and speak first of hand culverins. This weapon consisted of a small tube of ½ to ¾ in. internal diameter, fixed to a straight piece of wood or welded to an iron handle. At the close of the fifteenth century it was extensively employed. In 1471 culverins were in the army of Edward IV, after his landing at Ravenspur, Yorkshire. The smallest hand patterns, weighing 15 lb., were used on horseback, whilst heavier weapons of sixty odd pounds' weight were manipulated by foot soldiers and fired from trestles or tripods.[12] [12] See article on "Firearms" in _Chambers's Encyclopædia_. The culverin may be seen in a variety of makes; some possess a touch-hole and flash-pan at the side, whilst the earlier kinds have no flash-pan at all. In some the barrel is circular, whilst in others it is hexagonal or octagonal. Of course, specimens are only to be found in museums, and are seldom obtainable for private collections.