souvenir of himself, he kindly presented me with this rifle,* which I
still have.

[*--This single-barrelled percussion-cap rifle described by Allan
Quatermain, which figures so prominently in the history of this epoch of
his life, has been sent to me by Mr. Curtis, and is before me as I
write. It was made in the year 1835 by J. Purdey, of 314 1/2, Oxford
Street, London, and is a beautiful piece of workmanship of its kind.
Without the ramrod, which is now missing, it weighs only 5 lbs. 3 3/4
oz. The barrel is octagonal, and the rifled bore, designed to take a
spherical bullet, is 1/2 in. in diameter. The hammer can be set to
safety on the half-cock by means of a catch behind it.

Another peculiarity of the weapon, one that I have never seen before, is
that by pressing on the back of the trigger the ordinary light pull of
the piece is so reduced that the merest touch suffices to fire it, thus
rendering it hair-triggered in the fullest sense of the word.

It has two flap-sights marked for 150 and 200 yards, in addition to the
fixed sight designed for firing at 100 yards.

On the lock are engraved a stag and a doe, the first lying down and the
second standing.

Of its sort and period, it is an extraordinarily well-made and handy
gun, finished with horn at the end of what is now called the tongue, and
with the stock cut away so as to leave a raised cushion against which
the cheek of the shooter rests.

What charge it took I do not know, but I should imagine from 2 1/2 to 3