"Well, one day I was out as usual, and our Irish help
Paddy Burke was along with me, and every time he see'd
me a drawin' of the bead fine on 'em, he used to say,
'Well, you've an excellent gun entirely, Master Sam. Oh
by Jakers! the squirrel has no chance with that gun,
it's an excellent one entirely.'

"At last I got tired a hearin' of him a jawin' so for
ever and a day about the excellent gun entirely; so, sais
I, 'You fool you, do you think it's the gun that does it
_entirely_ as you say; ain't there a little dust of skill
in it? Do you think you could fetch one down?'

"'Oh, it's a capital gun entirely,' said he.

"'Well,' said I, 'if it 'tis, try it now, and see what
sort of a fist you'll make of it.'

"So Paddy takes the rifle, lookin' as knowin' all the
time as if he had ever seed one afore. Well, there was
a great red squirrel, on the tip-top of a limb, chatterin'
away like any thing, chee, chee, chee, proper frightened;
he know'd it warn't me, that was a parsecutin' of him,
and he expected he'd be hurt. They know'd me, did the
little critters, when they seed me, and they know'd I
never had hurt one on 'em, my balls never givin' 'em a
chance to feel what was the matter of them; but Pat they
didn't know, and they see'd he warn't the man to handle
'old Bull-Dog.' I used to call my rifle Bull-Dog, cause
she always bit afore she barked.