"That's his powder-flask," he said to himself. "I might have known that much. The powder goes in first: of course it does."
He had never loaded a gun in all his life, and his experience with the axe had made him feel a little cautious. Still he tried to make quick work of it; and, when Corry began to push down a wad of paper after the powder, his city cousin did the same thing, only he was a little behindhand, and he put in a much bigger wad of paper.
"How he does ram it! So will I," Porter remarked.
"Don't put too many shot into that gun. I'll measure 'em for you. You'll know next time. It scatters too much if you overcharge it."
Porter was wondering at that very moment how many shot he had better put in, or whether he should try the big shot from one side of his shot-pouch, or the smaller shot from the other.
"What are the big ones for?" he asked, when he saw Corry choose the smaller size.
"Buckshot? Oh! you can kill almost any thing with buckshot,—deer, or even bear."
"Can you? I never used 'em. Thought they were big for rabbits."
He was glad to know his gun was correctly loaded, however; and he imitated Corry in putting on the caps for both barrels, as if he had served a long apprenticeship at that very business.
"We haven't reached the swamp yet, have we?"