SHOT-GUN SHELLS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXI, Issue IX, 27 August 1898, Page 287

SHOT-GUN SHELLS.

A correspondent gives a story of a practical joke which was played by an ex-Confederate officer. Colonel Aylett, upon some of his old companions in arms. He had a company of friends at. his country place, near Richmond, and one evening a display of fireworks was announced. Towards the close of the evening Colonel Aylett called me ami two or three other young fellows to him, and said: ‘1 want you to help me to fool some of the old soldiers, if you will.’ Of course we jumped at the chanee, and asked for orders. ‘What I mean to do,’ he said, ‘is to make these veterans believe that 1 am shooting bombshells from my shotgun. Here are some giant firecrackers. Each of you take two of them, go down into the field yonder, spread yourselves out in a line about a hundred yards apart, and listen for tiie bugle. I shall aim nt you in rotation, and as soon as you see the flash of the gun. the one whose turn it is must throw a cracker into the air as high as possible, so that it will explode before reaching the ground.’ We slipped away in the darkness, and the guests were invited out upon the lawn to see the Colonel shoot some small bombshells from his gun. The signal was given, and the gun was fired. In a few seconds a bright flash was seen in the air, and u loud explosion followed. The shots were repeated until six had been fired. We could hear the exclamations that followed each discharge, and in a few minutes were back again mingling' with the crowd, and listening- to the comments of the veterans. ‘lt reminded them of the war,’ they said. Some of them could ‘distinctly trace the Hight of the shell from Hie instant it left the gun till it exploded.' We begged Colonel Aylett not to undeceive them, but he declared that it would be wrong to leave them under a. false impression. The whole afl'air showed what strange pranks imagination will sometimes play with sober reason.