"An animal pushing against the black string, draws the upper end of the stake towards the muzzle, until the lever is disengaged and releases the hammer.
"In laying the long arm of the lever against the stake sufficient play must be allowed for the contraction of the black string, when wet by dew or rain.
"If a double gun is set, two stakes and two levers will be required. The stakes to be connected above and below the gun, by cross sticks. The levers must be passed round the combs the opposite way, to allow of the long arms pressing outwards from the gun, and enable the levers to disengage without entangling.
"The carcase or live bait must be hedged round, and means adopted to guide the leopard across the string, by running out a short hedge on one side. In this case the black line to be set taut, and some 4 inches from the line of fire. The breast than catches the string, and the push releases the hammer when the muzzle is in line with the chest.
"On this principle, two or more guns can be set, slightly varying in elevation, to allow of one barrel at least being effective."
Bow and Arrow set for Beasts.--The Chinese have some equivalent contrivance with bows and arrows. M. Huc tells us that a simply constructed machine is sold in the shops, by which, when sprung, a number of poisoned arrows are fired off in succession. These machines are planted in caves of sepulture, to guard them from pillage. They use spring-guns, and used to have spring-bows in Sweden, and in many other countries.
Knives.--Hunting-knife.--A great hunting-knife is a useless encumbrance: no old sportsman or traveller cares to encumber himself with one; but a butcher's knife, carried in a sheath, is excellent, both from its efficient shape, the soft quality of The steel, its lightness, and the strong way in which the blade is set in the haft.
Pocket-knife.--If a traveller wants a pocket-knife full of all kinds of tools, he had best order a very light one of 2 3/4 inches long, in a tortoise-shell handle, without the usual turnscrew at the end. It should have a light "picker" to shut over its back; this will act as a strike-light, and a file also, if its under surface be properly roughened. Underneath the picker, there should be a small triangular borer, for making holes in leather, and a gimlet. The front of the knife should contain a long, narrow pen-blade of soft steel; a cobbler's awl, slightly bent; and a packing-needle with a large eye, to push thongs and twine through holes in leather. Between the tortoise-shell part of the handle and the metal frame of the knife, should be a space to contain three flat thin pieces of steel, turning on the same pivot. The ends of these are to be ground to form turnscrews of brass instruments: when this excellent contrivance is used, it must be opened out like the letter T, the foot of which represents the turnscrew in use and the horizontal part represents the other two turnscrews, which serve as the handle. It may be thought advisable to add a button-hook, a corkscrew, and a large blade; but that is not my recommendation, because it increases the size of the knife and makes it heavy; now a heavy knife is apt to be laid by, and not to be at hand when wanted, while a light knife is a constant pocket companion.
Sheath Knives, to carry.--They are easily carried by half-naked, pocketless savages, by attaching the sheaths to a leather-loop, through which the left forearm and elbow are to be passed. A swimmer can easily carry a knife in this way; otherwise he holds it between his teeth.
Substitutes for Knives.--Steel is no doubt vastly better than iron, but it is not essential for the ordinary purposes of life; indeed, most ancient civilized nations had nothing better than iron. Any bit of good iron may be heated as hot as the camp-fire admits; hammered flat, lashed into a handle, and sharpened on a stone. A fragment of flint or obsidian may be made fast to a handle, to be used as a carpenter cuts paper With a chisel; namely, by holding it dagger-fashion, and drawing it over the skin or flesh which he wishes to cut. Shells are sometimes employed as substitutes for knives, also thin strips of bamboo, the sharp edges of which cut meat easily. (See "Sharpening Tools.")