Part 104 (2/2)

Nothing more was said till they reached home, when half scornfully they inquired in what the secret lay?

”The secret is in this,” said Bevis, holding out his left arm. ”That's the secret.”

”How? I don't see.”

”He puts his left arm out nearly as far as he can reach,” said Bevis, ”and holds the gun almost by the muzzle. That's how he does it. Here, see--like this.”

He took up his grandfather's gun which was a muzzle-loader and had not been shot off these thirty years, and put it to his shoulder, stretching out his left arm and grasping the barrels high up beyond the stock. His long arm reached within a few inches of the muzzle.

”There!” he said.

”Well, it was like that,” said Mark. ”He certainly did hold the gun like that.”

”But what is the difference?” said the governor. ”I don't see how it's done now.”

”But I do,” said Bevis. ”Just think: if you hold the gun out like this, and put your left arm high up as near the muzzle as you can, you put the muzzle on the mark directly instead of having to move it about to find it. And that's it, I'm sure. I saw that was how he held it directly, and then I thought it out.”

”Let me,” said Mark. He had the gun and tried, aiming quickly at an object on the mantelpiece. ”So you can--you put the barrels right on it.”

”Give it to me,” said the governor. He tried, twice, thrice, throwing the gun up quickly.

”Keep your left hand in one place,” said Bevis. ”Not two places--don't move it.”

”I do believe he's right,” said the governor.

”Of course I am,” said Bevis in high triumph. ”I'm sure that's it.”

”So am I,” said Mark.

”Well, really now I come to try, I think it is,” said the governor.

”It's like a rod on a pivot,” said Bevis. ”Don't you see the left hand is the pivot: if you hold it out as far as you can, then the Long part of the rod is your side of the pivot, and the short little piece is beyond it--then you've only got to move that little piece. If you shoot in our old way then the long piece is the other side of the pivot, and of course the least motion makes such a difference. Here, where's some paper--I can see it, if you can't.”

With his pencil he drew a diagram, being always ready to draw maps and plans of all kinds. He drew it on the back of a card that chanced to lie on the table.

”There, that long straight stroke, that's the line of the gun--it's three inches long--now, see, put A at the top, and B at the bottom like they do in geometry. Now make a dot C on the line just an inch above B.

Now suppose B is where the stock touches your shoulder, and this dot C is where your hand holds the gun in our old way at home. Then, don't you see, the very least mistake at C, ever so little, increases at A-- ratio is the right word, increases in rapid ratio, and by the time the shot gets to the bird it's half a yard one side.”

”I see,” said Mark. ”Now do the other.”

”Rub out the dot at C,” said Bevis. ”I haven't got any indiarubber, you suppose it's rubbed out: now put the dot, two inches above B, and only one inch from the top of the gun at A. That's how he held it with his hand at this dot, say D.”

”I think he did,” said the governor.

”Now you think,” said Bevis. ”It takes quite a sweep, quite a movement to make the top A incline much out of the perpendicular. I mean if the pivot, that's your hand, is at D a little mistake does not increase anything like so rapidly. So its much more easy to shoot straight quick.”

They considered this some while till they got to understand it. All the time Bevis's mind was working to try and find a better ill.u.s.tration, and at last he s.n.a.t.c.hed up the governor's walking-stick. The k.n.o.b or handle he held in his right hand, and that represented the b.u.t.t of the gun which is pressed against the shoulder. His right hand he rested on the table, keeping it still as the shoulder would be still. Then he took the stick with the thumb and finger of his left hand about one third of the length of the stick up. That was about the place where a gun would be held in the ordinary way.

”Now look,” he said, and keeping his right hand firm, he moved his left an inch or so aside. The inch at his hand increased to three or four at the point of the stick. This initial error in the aim would go on increasing till at forty yards the widest spread of shot would miss the mark.

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