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224 TRAVELS ©
bridge, made themfelves extremely merry at our folly in fpending
powder and lead on birds which in their minds were of little or
no value. But as they remarked our {erious air and feeming dif-
appointment at mifling them, they began to imagine that they
might oblige us by killing fome on their fide, and bringing them
tous. Prefently we faw one of them fetch out his gun, and,
after firing his fhot, creep over the bridge to prefent us with
one of thofe birds. I thanked him, but obferving that the bird
wanted the head, I made him underftand that this circumftance
rendered it not defirable to me, and that I wifhed to have it en-
tire. I examined his gun, which I found had an old rifle-barrel,
but of a very {mall bore, and that it was with a ball he had killed
the bird. I then fhewed him the {mall fhot, and made figns to
him that he fhould charge his piece with this. The honeft pea-
fant was not a little aftonifhed at the fight of my fmall lead, which
probably he had never feen before. He declined my offer, and
loaded as ufual with ball, but intimated to me that he would
bring me another bird with its head. My friend departed, fired
his piece, and brought me a bird of the fame fpecies, which, that
he might have it as entire as poffible, he had but flightly grazed
under the throat. I was much furprized at the precifion of his
aim, but was afterwards affured that all the peafants fhoot with
thofe rifle-guns, and that they hardly ever mifs their mark ;
that they fend quantities of water quails and other birds killed in
this manner to Stockholm; and that they prefer this kind of
fowling-piece to any other on account of its narrow bore, which
1S
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