The general rules of care apply to both rifles and shot-guns. Always clean the gun after you have taken it into the field. This is necessary whether you have fired the gun or not, as a gun barrel will always collect a certain amount of dampness. It is an excellent practice to keep a gun covered with oil or vaseline except when it is in use. It not only prevents rust, but the grease also discourages visitors and friends from handling the gun, snapping the trigger, or otherwise damaging it.
In this chapter, I have not said anything about revolvers or pistols, because I do not believe that any sensible boy will care to own one. A revolver is a constant source of danger owing to its short barrel, and as it has no practical value except as a weapon of defence, and as there is a severe penalty for carrying a concealed weapon, I should not care to recommend any boy to own a revolver.
The final question whether we may have a gun and what kind it should be, will depend very largely on the place we live. Any kind of a gun is very much out of place in cities or towns. The boy who does not really have an opportunity to use a gun should be too sensible to ask for one, for surely if we own it we shall constantly want to use it even at some risk. It will be far better to ask for something we can use and leave the gun question until the time when we have a real opportunity.
Finally we must remember that the one who has the gun in his possession is rarely the one that is accidentally shot. We should therefore avoid companions who do own guns and who are careless with them. No amount of care on our part will prevent some careless boy friend from risking our lives. The safer way is to stay home.
VII
FISHING
Proper tackle for all purposes—How to catch bait—The fly fisherman—General fishing rules
Fishing is one sport of boyhood that we never outgrow our love for. Some of the most enthusiastic fishermen are gray-haired men. We often hear about the boy with the bent pin and the piece of thread who catches more fish than the expert fisherman with modern, up-to-date tackle, but I doubt if it is so. As a rule the better our tackle the more fish we shall catch. If the country boy catches the most fish, it is simply because he is better acquainted with the places where the fish hide or feed. He knows their habits better and the best kind of bait to use. A lover of fishing should take a personal interest in his equipment and should desire to have the best he can afford.
The chief requirement of a successful fisherman is patience. Next to that is a knowledge of the waters fished in and the habits of the fish and how to attract them. A man or a boy who will sit all day in the hot sun waiting for a bite is not always a good fisherman. He must use common sense as well as patience.