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Show Grant Made Son a Crack Shot TO Gave the Lad Careful Shooting Lessons Les-sons When They Went Hunting Together Near Galena, III., Before the War. Gen. Fred D. Grnnt was nppolntcd minister to Austria by Pronldont Harrison Har-rison In 1885. "1 havo boon told, gonerai," 1 said to him tho othor day, "that when you wore In Vienna as our diplomatic representative rep-resentative you were regnrded as' ono of tho best shots In tho Austrian capital cap-ital and for that reason were frequently fre-quently Invited to take part In tho very exclusive court hunts." "Woll," (Jenoral Graut roplled. "it Is truo that I was often asked to take part in tho court hunts, and that wan a little unusual, since tho Austrian court at that time was not accustomed accus-tomed to Invito any dlplomntlc repre-Hontntlvo repre-Hontntlvo of a foreign nntlon to Bhnro In Its Hport oftenor than onco a year. They toll mo that I did mnko Homo pretty good HhotB. I know that tho sport was exciting and that It roquired fairly good marksmanship to gain triumphs thnt could bo compurod With tllOSO of ROtnft Of thu hnnt ntintn of Austria. Uut I also know thnt whatever what-ever my aklll as a sportsmnn may bo, It In entirely duo to tho training given "mo by my fnthor. I novor had any othor teacher than ho in tho use of llreanuo. "When fnthor was In tho leather busluosn in Galena, 111., It used to bo necessary for him to tako trips, lasting last-ing for ton days or two wooks, Into tho country of which Galona was tho center. Ho would hnrncsa up tho horao to his wagon and drlvo all over tho country, and many times ho would tnko mo Into tho wngon with him and 1 would bo his companion all tho time ho was away from homo. "During ono of theso trips, when I was not tnoro than nino or ton years of ago, I said to. father: 'Father. I should llko to learn to Bhoot I want to know how to shoot a rabbit or a pralrlo hon.' - "Now, ' It was characteristic of fa-thor fa-thor that ho took a very keen Interoat In ovorythlng that appcalod to his children. So, when ho saw that I really moant what I said when 1 told him that I wanted to learn to bo a hunter, ho said: 'Well, Fre'd, I will teach you how to bo a good Bhot and how to hnndlo a gun.' "I romombor very distinctly tho caro and tho reasoning which ho employed em-ployed In giving mo my shooting lessons les-sons with shotgun und rlllo. Firat of all, ho would say: 'Now, Fred, I want to show you about the percus sion cap.' (You know, at that time, nil the guns utilized tho percussion cnp.) 'First of all, Fred, you must bo careful not to havo the hammer pressing against tho cap. Thcro "All the preliminaries of loading might come n blow against the hammer, ham-mer, nnd that would causo the gun to bo discharged, when you wero not rondy for that. Then, again, you must not havo tho hammer at full cock, or away back. Thero Is danger, If you -do, thnt by accident It may fall upon the percussion cap and tho gun bo fired In that wny. Always koop tho trigger at half cock.' "Then, ao patiently as explicitly, father fa-ther would explain to me how to charge tho gun with powder. 'Not too much,' ho would sny, 'because that would mnko tho gun kick and you would miBB your alp.' Then ho would tako the ramrod and show mo how to ram homo a shot or bullet, so that It would fit cloao against tho powder charge; and na ho did this ho would explain the renson, Baying that unless -" ---" -ifHj-tni-i--i-i ahot and powder wore in cIobo contact con-tact there would bo danger of the gun bursting. nnd making ready gone through with and carefully and clearly explained, oven to the minutest detail, father would show me how to hold tho gun at my shoulder and how to guide It, following tho motion of a rabbit or a Sv' prairie ben, and at last, when 1 was well instructed, ho permitted mo to ' lake my' first shot It, was a rabbit, and 1 hit it and tho pralso that he gavo mo for the accuracy of thnt shot rings In my ears yet when I think of it "Well, I followed father's Instructions Instruc-tions closely, especially those that he gave me In tho uso of thu rifle,' until at last I gained some skill as a marksman and was thought a very good hunter for a youngster. It waa this Bklll Imparted to me solely by fathor on thoso wngon trips Wo used to tako together around Galena that enabled mo to do whatever I did In the way of marksmanship at tho court hunts In Austria. And yet father himself cared nothing whatever for hunting or for any sport excepting that in which ho could ubo n horse." (Copyright, 1910, by E. J. Edwards.) |