RICOCHETS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 759, 7 March 1910, Page 5

RICOCHETS.

"AN UNSATISFACTORY EANGE." The Royal Now Zealand Artillery, in all parts of the Dominion, has been drawn on to work at tho meeting. . Altogether there are over M artillerymen in the camp. They are in charge of the field telephones, the marking, and other duties.

Lieut-Colonel Sommerville, formerly chief executive officer of the ossociation, paiu a visit to the camp on Saturday.

In cieat gatherings of men the photographer is .necessarily, so insistent that individuals may protest at his presence. There is, no' record so '.Valuable as that made by .the photographer, but this is not always recognised "until the record is finished. Photographers should make good soldiers. They run neither from enemy nor friend, and on the range they are, at present as dogged as the potential winner of the belt.

Tea that tastes of soup and vegetables with a fish flavour' are common to camps, but up to now no food flavours have been disarranged. There is ample evidence,of. cleanliness, both in the cooks and their,. cooking.' Camp cooking utensils always present problems, and these .seem to have been solved. At anyrate, the general hunger at meal-times still keeps up.

Slight physical infirmities do not rob keen men.oi a desire to shoot, and a.boy with a wooden leg.can kill men just as effectively as can a six-foot general in full uniform. The halt, and the lame may pull a trigger, and, with two pair of: glasses and occasional reference to a "Zeiss," at least one gentleman, at Trent-' ham has justified, his presence. , ..

' Cast-iion army discipline is :not necessary at Trentham because if a man wants to shoot well , he is not usually ill-be-haved. There is no soemdvof revelry by night, and daylight bringe solemn countenances and- silent lipsi-'into the arena. The determination to-, make good scores freezes the jest and stops the song. As. far as the executive branch is concerned, it is. top busyHofaake. joyful noises.

It is probable that some cartridges speed a bullet at a higher velocity .than others. <This seems feasible on examination of , the target holes, which are of varying gauges., If a bullet makes an extraordinarily Small, hole, the'.. marker may not see it, and fails to mark. One challenge on Saturday resulted in an examination disclosing a "bull," but the perforation was most minute. • Apropos, tho. wound a .303 bullet, makes in a living 'subject' is hardly larger' 'at the• entrance than the wound made by a darn-ing-needle. . Still it may 'let out loved life." • • ■ . -■•■'•■• . . •

Apart fibm match barrels, various forms of sight and many aids to accuracy, the rifle-shot has other fetishes. Some speed the parting bullej; by carefully sucking it before inserting it in the breach. One famous ,shot always gives his rifle .bolt a' tender-little pat before ho squeezes the trigger. Another man was detected talking tenderly to his gun. The gun made answer, and the marker registered a "bull.", "■

"Ifs an ill.•wind,"-etc.:-Wars ought to he foughC only in -calm weather. On Trentham range the zephyrs frequently blow from three different cmarte.-s at once. When a rifle-shot sees one flag leaning against the pole, another briskly flying tonqr'ard, and a third, trying to tear itself in. an opposite direction, he says things uncomplimentary to Nature. A. Cutler, tie Australian "crack, 1, after a disappointing shoot on Saturday, apostrophising the wind,. said, "Ifs got me beaten. I .know nothing about,it." He also examined a cartridge long , and fixedly. It was not of the same brand he .had teen using, and he suggested, alter it had sped, that he had no interest in its destination.. .

Viewed as. an. industrial side-line, target shooting is sometimes, a disappointment to the worker on the mound. Therefore the man. who has been at some expense to get to Trentham . has spent, a good many half-crowns.. in challenging clean targets, and is not piling up"money in. prizes, naturally enough does not"remain during the whole meeting. One or two: men on Saturday' expressed displeasure at their unsuccess from a financial standpoint, mentioning that under these circumstances work on the farm paid better than work on-the mound.

Colonel E. J. ColHns, chief executive officer of.the Dominion Rifle Association, received a telegram.from the Prime Minister '• (Sir. Joseph Ward), wishing every success to the jubliee meeting of the association. . . ■ ' ■

Sunday was-a quiet, day .in camp. The majority of the jnen left camn, and ,thoso ■who remained .received; visitors... The monotony of Saturday evening was .enlivened witha .display of-fireworks, organised by. one of the .southern naval men, for the edification of those who had been left behind while their gayer hreth; ren went to the city. '■■ . '