FOR GENERAL INFORMATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 451, 9 March 1909, Page 6

FOR GENERAL INFORMATION.

STRANGE LANGUAGE INTERPRETED. (BT EO»EJ,ON.) It is really time that a long-suffering and very .patient public should be enlightened as to tho meaning of certain queer words and phrases which are in vogue at the riflo range at Trentham, and which, now and then, steal into the printed reports of the daily proceedings at tho riflo championship meeting. For general information, then, the subjoined glossary should be useful for reference:— Rifle.—A . lethal weapon, used at Trentham for scoring bull's-eyes, iniiers, magpies, outers, ricochets, and misses. All good marksmen possess good ri/les. There are no bad marksmen—it is always the rifle that is bad. Bullot.—jAn irresponsible .piece of lead, coated with nickel, and fitted into a brass cartride case. "Every bullet has its billet," but some are "unfortunate foundlings, cast loose upon a cold and unsympathetic world, and billeted nowhere." AVell-behaved bullets bore holes in bull's-eyes, but this is a wicked world, and bullets are easily tempted from the straight and narrow path that leads to "possibles." Marksman.—An individual who possesses every quality which goes to make a distinguished rifle-shot, but who is so persistently victimised by " fish-tails," " corkscrews," fraudulent windgauges, "shot-out" barrels, changing lights, " oil-colour" spasms, and other contrary circumstances that his endeavours to establish a reputation are, in all but a few cases, frustrated. Still there are many, very many marksmen. Unfortunately, there is only one championship. . Marker.—An unhappy being who stands in a trench, and stares up at tho target until he gets a "crick" in the neck, watching for bullets to perforate the sheet. His function is to signal ■ the value of tho hits, which he does by going through various manoeuvres with a. long pole. Hβ is generally supposed to cherish some ill-will towards tho marksmen, who keep him down all day like a mole in a burrow. Challenge.—A polite, but at times inadequate, expression of a marksman's opinion concerning the marker's ability. It is transmitted to the trench officer per medium of the telephone, which frequently breaks down under the strain. Electricians know that when the current is too much for the wire, the wire fuses. The strong current of "Challenge! Challenge! Challenge!" has fused quite a number of wires. Wind-gauge.—An adventitious attachment to the rifle, used ostensibly for assisting a marksman to make an automatic allowance for the strength of the wind, but really used as a scape-goat for bad luck—a species of safety-valve, in fact, for use in periods of sxasperation. Bull's-eye.—A black disc in the centre of the target, which frequently presets the unscientific spectacle of a fixed object performing evasive tactics. Its existence is somewhat precarious, though it has been known to experience intervals of comparative freedom from molestation, a circumstance usually coincident with i tho presence in its vicinity of inferior marksmen. Inner.—First cousin to the bull's-eye, but of inferior rank. It frequently appropriates things intended for the bull's-eye, much to the annoyance of tho sender. Outer—The outsido ring of the target, much frequented by bullets of low caste. Spotter.—A small, but libellous disc, which is shown over the perforation made by the bullet on the target, in order to impress marksmen with a fitting sense of their limitations. Ricochet.—A bullet ivhich behaves in an unseemly manner. Fish-tail.—An impudent breeze which waggles from side to side like a politician, or the fingers of a street Arab. Corkscrew.—A degenerate breeze, exhibiting symptons, gyrations in character, and seemingly indicated that the clerk of the weather has been to a wedding. Orthoptic—A device for concentrating the vision upon the rifle sights, and possessing advantages of a visionary character.

RICOCHETS. Among tho visitors to the range on Sunday were the Very Rev. "Father Koogh, Rector of St. Patrick's College, Surgeon-Major J. It. Purdy, medical staff officer for the camp, and Mrs. i G. AVilson, wife of a prominent marksman. Ono of the extra matches which has l-ecn included in the programme ivas a long-range event—at 1000 yds. This was fired yesterday afternoon. "The long-rango distance was odded to the list," said Colonel Collins, "so that marksmen could lit themselves for tho fght for 'Tho King's Prize,' tho last of tho soiies, on Friday afternoon next." Colonel Collins has announced that those marksmen who wish to figure in the service aggrogato must complete their firing at the " running-man " by Thursday next at 1 o'clock, otherwise they will not be considered. Addressing the marksmen yesterday morning, Colonel Collins apologised for the fact that there had been no provision made for bull'seyes in some of the service matches. The result was that possibles had to bo accepted without counting u'hat may have been bull'seyo hits. Tho omission was caused by some official negligence, and no doubt an injustico had been done to some marksmen, but tho colonel said that ho was prepared to shoulder all the blame—(applause)—and he asked tho gathering to accept his ecologies,

Tho Riflo Association's official programme sets down as 300 yds. tho distance at which firing takes place at the "runniug-ruan." Marksmen generally have viewed this legend with extreme suspicion, and on Sunday a number of well-known shots stepped tho area, which they stated to bo about 330 yds. It was thought somo timo ago that Rifleman W. J. Alilroy, of Nelson, had almost outlived his usefulness as a champion shot, owing to a defective right eye. Ililroy, however, is a man of considerable grit. Ho did not caro to give tho game best, so he tried shooting with his left eye, and did so well that he won the Nelson championship this season. Except for his "craok-iip" at the 500 yards in the Wellington Match yesterday, Rifleman Milroy is shooting so well at tho present meeting that it appears as if ho had regained tho form which won him tho New Zealand championship in 1005. A WARNING TO "POINTERS." NO COACHING ALLOWED. "There have teen several complaints to the Executive Committee concerning the prevalence of coaching on the mounds," said Colonel Collins, Commandant at the Trentham Rifle Camp, when the men paraded at the squadding posts after dinner. "I have been informed that the practice which has been adopted is for tho man next in order of firing to lie down beside the man who is down to shoot, and coach him about the strength of the wind, and so on. This practice must bo stopped," continued tho Colonel, with emphasis. The range officers, ho went on to say, had been strictly enjoined to watch for offences of this nature, which were distinctly unfair to those who did not stoop to such practices. (Hear, jhear.) Any man detected in the act of coaching in future would have his score and that of the man whom he coached, disallowed for that match.