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"Let fly, then," says I, "in the name of God!" and with that, I fired again among the amazed wretches, and so did Friday; and as our pieces were now loaden with what I called swan-shot, or small pistol-bullets, we found only two drop, but so many were wounded, that they ran about yelling and screaming like mad creatures, all bloody, and most of them miserably wounded, whereof three more fell quickly after, though not quite dead.
Buck-shot easily satisfied soldiers, who not unfrequently advanced to the combat with nothing but swan-shot in their fowling-pieces. While Horry proceeded towards Georgetown, Marion marched to the upper Santee. On this march he was advised of the defeat of Gates; but, fearing its effect upon his men, without communicating it, he proceeded immediately toward Nelson's Ferry.
Here I placed my two muskets, each of which was loaded with a brace of slugs, and four or five smaller bullets about the size of pistol bullets; the fowling-piece was charged with near a handful of the largest swan-shot, and in every pistol were about four bullets.
The Somal hate the "Gurgur", because he kills the dying and devours the dead on the battle-field: a bullet put through the bird's body caused a cry of wonder, and some ran after the lead as it span whistling over the ridge. Then loading with swan-shot, which these Bedouins had never seen, I knocked over a second vulture flying.
On the queen being helped, Sir Harry, who had forgotten when green peas were in season, observed to Her Majesty, "These peas have been in bottle a whole year." "So I did think," answered the queen, pressing one of them with her fork, and sending it flying out of her plate and hitting His Majesty on the nose. They were almost as hard as swan-shot.
I fired and I heered a squeal. Ice wouldn't bear for me to go and see." "Come along, Tom," cried Dick; and they skated away once more, to curve here and there in all directions, till a hail from the island took them back. "Can't you find 'em?" "No." "Then they must have got away; but they've took some swan-shot wi' 'em, whoever they be." "But, Dave, were there two?" "Don't know, lad.
Norman sat near the bow, in order to attend to his torch of pine-knots. Francois was next to him, holding his double-barrel, loaded with buck-shot, which is the same size as that used for swans, and in England is even known as "swan-shot." Next came Basil with his rifle. He sat near Francois, just by the middle of the little vessel.
The two elderly gentlemen alone entered upon the scene without any more deadly weapons than their heavy riding-whips. Young Harry Somerville, who had been strongly advised not to take a gun, lest he should shoot himself or his horse or his companions, was content to take the field with a small pocket-pistol, which he crammed to the muzzle with a compound of ball and swan-shot.
When he drank it, I made him take the two fowling-pieces, which we always carried, and loaded them with large swan-shot, as big as small pistol-bullets; then I took four muskets, and loaded them with two slugs, and five small bullets each; and my two pistols I loaded with a brace of bullets each; I hung my great sword, as usual, naked by my side, and gave Friday his hatchet.
The Queen made no reply till she had eaten a few, and sent several flying off from the prongs of her fork. Then, nodding with a smile, she quietly said, "So I did tink." To the end of his days, Sir Harry used to laugh over the story, adding, "Sure enough, they were very green; but as hard as swan-shot."
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