Show I 1 A QUEER OLD GUN gui 1 l tho rho way tha the ancient matchlock was loaded and fired among the arms now obsolete which formed a inigo part of the infantry equipment tu a the da days das s when the army was started was the pike which was in abo form of a spear with a flat and pointed pointel head mounted on a staff from thirteen to eighteen feet long the firearm in general fe use at the time wae was the matchlock blat what would a sergeant per geant major of the present day with his is men mell armed with the tile magazine rifle think thin of such a weapon as this attached to the lock loek of this tills musket was a pan also a cock the hammer of which was somewhat in the form of a birds serpents or dogs head this head wa spilt split and a acre screw w compressed on eased the slits the piece being loaded first with powder and arid then with ball some powder was poured into the pan pam the pan was then shut to keep this priming from dropping out and to keep it dry when the soldier wished to fire he fastened his burning match into the silt slit of the cock opened the pan looked to his priming presented and pulled the trigger the match failing into the powder in the pan fired tired it between the pa pan timid and breech of the barrel communication wac war established by means of a small hole when the piece was being loaded the grains of 0 powder were naturally rammed and shaken down cloce to this hole and when priming the soldier took care to perfect the communication of the powder in the pan with that in the barrel thus the explosion in tho pan caused the ignition of the charge london graphic |