Various

“ The next moment he uttered the half-terrified exclamation that attracted the attention of Phil and Serge.
As they looked they saw him holding to the firelight between thumb and finger, and beyond reach of Nel-te, who was striving to regain it, an object so strange and yet so familiar that for a moment they regarded it in speechless amazement.
"The fur-seal's tooth!" cried Phil. "How can it be?"
"It can't be our fur-seal's tooth," objected Serge, in a tone of mingled incredulity and awe. "There must be several of them." ”

“ On one side of this stupendous barrier our sledge party from the Yukon was now halted. On the other side lay the frontier of civilization, safety, and their journey's end. Between the two points rose the mountains, calmly contemptuous of human efforts to penetrate their secrets of avalanche and glacier, icy precipice and snow-filled gorge, fierce blizzard and ice-laden whirlwind, desolation and death. It is no wonder that, face to face with such things, the little group, gathered about the last camp-fire they might see for days or perhaps forever, should be unusually quiet and thoughtful. ”

“ Fire is a dangerous thing in its way, and yet we all have fires. Gunning is no more dangerous, if carefully taken up, and a boy of fifteen or sixteen is quite old enough to learn what the dangers of a shot-gun are, to respect them and avoid them. Naturally any parent, especially one who knows nothing about rifles or shot-guns himself, is very chary about letting his son go off alone with one on his shoulder, and it is quite as natural for his mother to think she has seen the last of her boy as he disappears in the woods on his first sporting expedition. ”

“ In your excitement at the sudden flush of the partridge you throw up your gun and "blaze away," forgetting that the other man with you is just ahead. That is rank carelessness. For no two sportsmen ever lose track of each other. If they happen to be out of sight of each other, and within range, they keep up a constant conversation, or call to each other continually, so that from moment to moment each knows where the other is. ”

“ Never, under any circumstances, point a gun at any one, whether loaded or not, whither in pieces or ready for use. If it is never pointed at any one, it cannot very well kill or wound any one. In like manner you can never succeed in shooting yourself unless you have already pointed the muzzle at yourself. I have seen many a crack shot and old-time sportsman shudder as he saw a green hand hold up the detached barrel of a shot-gun while cleaning it, and point it at some one. ”

“ It is far better to lose a shot than to hit a friend or take the slightest chance of hitting him. On the other hand, if a boy thinks the matter over and follows out these rules, there is not the least danger in his owning and using a shot-gun, and the amount of exercise to both brain and body which he can get out of it is astonishing. When you begin you need your father's advice as to the proper way of holding the gun, taking aim, and bringing down the game. ”

“ THE PROPER USE OF A SHOT-GUN.
Though shooting, like many other sports, can be a very dangerous amusement for boys—and men, too, for that matter—there is no reason why boys as well as men should not learn how to use a gun, and get much amusement and benefit out of hunting. It is all a question of learning what the dangers of gunning are, and learning how to avoid them. ”

“ CHAPTER XXXII. THE FUR-SEAL'S TOOTH CREATES A SENSATION.
One evening late in March the smoke of a lonely camp-fire curled above a fringe of stunted spruces forming the timber line high up on the northern slope of the Alaskan coast range. Kotusk, the natives call these mountains. Far below lay the spotless sheet of Tahk Lake, from which the Tahkeena winds for one hundred miles down its rugged valley to swell the Yukon flood. From the foot of the mountains the unbroken solitude of the vast northern wilderness swept away in ice-bound silence to the polar sea. ”

“ He rolled over and over, but this only ground the devils deeper into the fur, while Bimber, aroused by the rumpus, rushed out to add his clamor to the commotion. Suddenly a terrific explosion rent the air, and nearly knocked Bob off his perch with surprise. The bear, in floundering about, had sat down upon the gun, and, entangling the hammers in his hair, had discharged it; but as the barrels were bent, of course the gun had burst. ”

“ But a dear old lady in the corner of the car was a pattern of sweetness and amiability, and I heard her observe to her neighbor, "We will probably lose our train, but at this time of the day there are trains every half-hour, and it's never well to be put out by little accidents of this sort." She had the right philosophy.
Through life when little things go wrong it will be wise to accept the situation without fretting, and by maintaining composure, you will often be able to set them right again. ”

“ Let nothing about liniments and pills and prescriptions creep into your talk, for though you are an invalid to-day, you expect to be well to-morrow or next week, and illness is only temporary, while health is the rule, and the state to look forward to with eagerness and hope.
It is worth while for us all, even when suffering pain, to refrain from frowning and wrinkling up our faces, and saying impatient words. ”

“ We all know that there are too many events, anyhow, on both cards, and I am glad to hear that next year the colleges will eliminate the mile walk and the bicycle race. The schools cannot do better than follow this example, and those leagues which have throwing the baseball, standing high jump, standing broad jump, and other acrobatic feats on their lists will do well to start in on sweeping reforms. There is nothing athletic about throwing the baseball, especially, and it certainly is not a picturesque feature of any meeting. ”

“ From them the mighty range of snow-clad peaks follows the coast line eastward, gathering, with icy fingers, the mist clouds ever rising from the warm ocean waters, converting them with frigid breath into the grandest glaciers of the continent, and sending them slowly grinding their resistless way back to the sea. ”

“ Tons of water broke over the forecastle deck, and the Captain was alarmed lest the deck seams should open. At six bells in the morning watch the main-topsail blew out of the bolt-ropes with a report like a gun's, and went swirling away into the flying spoondrift down on our lee quarter. A stay-sail was set to do the main-topsail's work, but nothing would prevent the ship from falling so far off at times that the seas broke on her decks in masses. All day long she was driven by the wind, and pounded by the seas. ”

“ For instance, half the associations use a 16-lb. hammer and a 16-lb. shot, whereas the other half use 12-lb. weights. In some instances, such as at the Worcester-Andover dual games, the contestants put a 16-lb. shot, but threw a 12-lb. hammer. It is impossible to make a comparison of relative efficiency under such conditions. Why is it not just as easy for all the schools to use a 16-lb. hammer, and thus equalize things? Then they could not only compare their own records, but they could see in what relation they stand to college-men. ”

“ The original Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln is written upon very heavy white unruled paper that is folded once. The fold is at the left, like a sheet of four-paged letter-paper, and each page is ten by fourteen inches in size. It begins, as do all Presidential proclamations, 'By the President of the United States of America—A Proclamation.'
"The first line is written with a pen in a bold hand, and the words, 'A Proclamation,' form a line of themselves—printing characters, although executed with a pen. ”

“ Again, when two men are standing close beside each other and a covey jumps up under their guns, there has to be a quick swing to right or left. Usually, under these circumstances, the man on the right takes the right-hand shot, and the one on the left takes the left-hand shot. If the right-hand man swings to the left he may very easily bring his friend in the line of his muzzle.
As regards the half and full cock of the hammers, there is one safe rule to follow. When on the actual ground, and following dogs on the scent or pointing, the gun must, of course, be at full cock. ”

“ You owe an amount of thought and consideration to the woman you are going to be, and the friends who will love her, and so you must not let needless lines and furrows come to your pretty brows, but keep your foreheads smooth, and do not draw your lips down at the corners, nor go about looking unhappy. It is possible, even when bearing much pain, to wear a tranquil expression if one will, but remember that the tranquil mind in the end can conquer pain.
Crossing town the other day in haste to catch a train, the horse-car was three times blocked by great vans which stood upon the track. ”

“ A good sportsman is familiar with his piece, and brave enough to be afraid of it. From the time he takes it out of the case the muzzle of the barrels is on his mind until he has taken it to pieces, cleaned it, and put it away in his case. When he starts out in the morning, he takes out the barrels, and pointing them towards the earth as he holds them in his left hand, he springs the stock into its place with his right. ”

“ The principal argument in favor of the 12-lb. shot and hammer is that school-boys are not strong enough to use the heavier weights. This does not seem to me to be a good argument, because fully half the associations use the 16-lb. hammer and shot, and there are no reports of resultant evil effects. Besides, a school athlete who goes in for those events is usually a well-built and muscular boy, who, if he is going to college will probably continue to put the shot and throw the hammer. ”

“ If he does it at home while cleaning the barrels, he may do it out in the woods some day when the barrel is attached to the stock, and perhaps loaded with cartridges, and then there may really be danger for any one who is near by.
The only accidents that can occur if the muzzle is never pointed at any one are, first, the bursting of the gun itself, which is unlikely, unless the piece is badly made, cheap, or very old; and secondly, the presence of some one in the woods who is not within the cognizance of the sportsman. ”

“ No charge goes into his gun until he has not only left the house but actually arrived on the grounds where he expects to find game. If he has to drive to the proper woods or the shooting-stands or blinds, he places the piece in the bottom of the wagon, pointing out towards the rear, never once allowing it to point towards himself or any one else who may be standing by. If he is near enough to the woods or shore to walk he carries the gun as described, unloaded, until he reaches the proper place. ”

“ Still clad in their well-worn garments of fur they were engaged in characteristic occupations. Phil, looking anxious and careworn, was standing close to the fire, warming and cleaning his rifle. Serge was making a stew of the last of their moose meat, which would afterwards be frozen and taken with them into untimbered regions where camp-fires would be unknown. Jalap Coombs was thoughtfully mending a broken snow-shoe, and at the same time finding his task sadly interrupted by Nel-te, who, nestled between his knees, was trying to attract the sailorman's undivided attention. ”

“ A crown is [Pg 621] about the most uncomfortable possession a man can have, and Arthur, I fancy, felt very much at first as you do. He felt very badly indeed when he learned that Sir Ector was not his father, and that Kaye was nothing but a chum, instead of a brother, as he had always thought, for he loved them both more than he did any one else in the world. So when Sir Ector knelt before him and said, 'You are the rightful King of England,' Arthur opened his eyes as widely as he could and started back in amazement. ”

“ The hotel in Spanish Town is one of the best in Jamaica—cool, with large rooms and wide verandas. There is a garden in front of it with a thick royal palm in the middle. Kingston City is the hottest place on the island; but we are higher up, and that is much better, though in summer it is none too cool. I should like correspondents of my own age, seventeen, but foreign to the United States, and not boys.
Gwendolen Hawthorne.
Mona, Kingston, Jamaica, B. W. I.
Those Funny Foxes. ”

“ In either case it only takes a little jarring to cause the shot-gun to slide one way or the other and fall to the ground, and in doing so it may very easily go off. If it is unloaded this would, of course, do no harm. But if it is never allowed to get into the position where it may so slide, it certainly can never go off, loaded or unloaded. In other words, form the habit of never giving a gun the chance of sliding or going off, and then you can never have an accident. ”

“ A headache or neuralgia or a cough is hard enough to bear in one's own case; there is no need of troubling other people about it. Among so many girls there are no doubt those who are not always well, and there may be some who have to suffer a great deal of pain, but the pain must be kept in its place, which is in the background, not the forefront of conversation. ”

“ There are almost no hills along the entire route until the rider gets up to the north shore at and beyond Huntington. On taking the left fork, after passing Holliswood Park, the rider gets into Queens, continues on through Floral Park, Hyde Park, and Mineola straight out to Jericho, on a remarkably good road for Long Island, and a creditable road for any country. Jericho is practically the end of this plank-road. After leaving Jamaica and passing by the toll-gate, the rider may to advantage take to the side paths, for these will give him considerable help ”

“ Mina K. asks whether it is proper to allow a friend whom she happens to meet in a public conveyance to pay her car fare and ferriage. As a rule it is not proper. The meeting is an incident, and does not affect the relative positions of either friend. Each should pay for herself, precisely as if she had not met the other. Of course, this rule is equally and perhaps more imperative when a girl happens to meet a man whom she knows, her friend or her brother's chum. He should not offer to pay for her, nor should she accept the offer if he make it. ”