for four and perhaps six hundred yards, but the old hunter had not so much as a dream of any such thing, but went creeping about through the woods endeavoring to steal upon his game, unconsciously carrying upon his shoulder an instrument that with so simple a contrivance as an elevated sight of proper grade might have brought it down almost as far as the eye could have seen it. And the game well knew the limited capacity of his gun, particularly the deer, which would frisk off to the distance of about three hundred yards and there stop, turn around, stamp their feet and “whistle” at him in apparent derision. Ah! that he had understood the real capabilities of his gun, and had suddenly invented and applied an elevated or long-range sight made after some of the approved modern plans, how he would have astonished them! In those days of pioneer life in the States now no longer on the frontier, “match shooting” (it was not called target shooting, then) was always confined to a certain distance, sixty yards off-hand or one hundred yards with a rest. The marksman was permitted to take his own choice of modes. “Shooting matches” were very common in those earlier times, usually for beef. A fat ox was put up to be shot for at so much per shot, something on the plan of the modern raffle. When the amount asked for the animal had been made up, the shooting commenced. The best shot took first choice, which was one of the hind quarters of the ox, the second best took second choice, which was the other hind quarter; the third best took third choice, which was one of the fore quarters, and so on to the fifth choice, which consisted of the hide and tallow. Happy occasions, indeed, were those old “shooting matches,” and splendid, indeed, was some of the shooting. A regular attendance upon numerous target matches of more modern times, with all the modern appliances, in the hands of marksmen with national reputations, has never shown us better shooting at sixty yards, off-hand, or one hundred yards with a rest. _General Directions._—Mr. Edward C. Barber, author of the “Crack Shot,” says the greatest care and nicety is required in loading any kind of rifle, if we desire to have it shoot with accuracy. A few grains too much or too little powder will alter the range of the bullet, and the bullet itself, if not placed in the barrel exactly right, in the case of the muzzle-loader, will come out at an irregular angle, and, instead of going straight to the mark, will be turned sideways. This trouble is avoided by the use of a “starter,” to be had at any gun store.