The Marines Have Landed

air stirred the stubby grass and scrubby bushes which covered abrupt little

ts of salt, the heat-waves rose, bubbling and boiling, a snare to the unwary or unknowing riflemen, who, from various ranges and positions, were s

led over the vast plain, all intent on watching the bobbing rectangles of brownish paper with bl

against the right shoulder, bending the head and squinting over the sights at small round black pasters an inch in diameter stuck to a bulkhead or wall and finally snapping the trigger, seemed the height of folly. When, however, the sighting drills progressed to their making tiny triangles by getting points on a piece of

ooting. A celebrated coach, member of many winning teams in the National Rifle meets, holder of the coveted Distinguis

e not required to fire again during their current enlistment and for that time received each month the extra pay which is a reward for their merit. Naturally all hands were anxious to make the score necessary to acquire t

first take up the 'creep,' and by now every one of you should know just when that little additional pressure will be sufficient to release the firing-pin. We've a perfect day for shooting, and if you don't make good scores it's your own fault. As we go back to the longer ranges the wind will come up, but it will blow steadily from the left or nine o'clock,[#] if I know anything about th

firing point; three, to the right, and nine, to the left. The direction of the wind is easily designated by reference to any hou

ro on th

on record practise, Sergeant?" inquire

g when your target comes up. Each shot will be marked. If you fail to hit the target a red flag will be waved across its face, indicating a miss; the white disk placed over the shot hole means a bull's-eye, or five; the red disk, four; the black and white disk a three and the black a two

e targets and signal t

an of the guard, but also the one always spotlessly clean, which reputation h

strings of five shots each from the standing position, then we shall move back to 300 yards, and fire the same number of shots from ei

e the crack of rifles all along the l

ng the bayous of the Mississippi, had spent many happy hours with dog and shotgun. Practise with the high-powered military rifle was a decidedly different propositio

atience to "get the shot off." In case he failed to bring his sights in perfect alignment on the bull's eye with a steady hand, he would fall back on

t moment. Remember my caution--take your time and squeeze the trigger. Good work, Drummer Comstock; you

bly; "all three of my shots have gone in the same place--twos

rifleman's term for a bull's-eye jus

een bulls, every one. You have almost three points of right wind on, and you shouldn't have any. Apply your quart

said Jones smugly. "My shots are about two feet from the cent

elve quarters altogether for your three points. Each quarter point moves you two inches, making twenty-four

sight, and the next shot on his

wn the firing line, offering the adv

dred points necessary to qualify the men as marksmen, and this they would have to get in order to be permitted to shoot the sharpshooter's course. The firing at 200 yards was the hardest in Dick's estimation, and though he had started off with a bull's-eye, or five, as

igh score at that stage--forty-seven points, all bulls but three, which fell close

osition. I expect every man to average up his score at the 500-yard range, for the bull looks as big as a barn-door, and you can't miss it. You know we change the size of the targets now and use the mid-range or B-target, and the bull's-eye

two goose eggs, would the latter count against you?" asked Henry, as he rea

them around to suit yourself; they've got to be the first two fired. The mirage is no longer boiling straight up,[#] but it's moving off to the

ling on the range, and the best guide for windage, as it is the actual air through which the bullet travels. When there is no movement to left or ri

as well under the rifle, bearing against the lower swivel, which held one end of the sling. The butt of the rifle was placed, with the aid of his right hand, against the right shoulder, both elbows on the ground, the right hand grasping the small of the stock with the forefinger

ir way to the butts, as Dick and the man

aim, his pull, were all perfect. The shot must have gone through the black paper in th

-telephone relayed the message to the butts. A second or two later "number three" was "sashed," or pu

eeze throw him off the target altogether. He had one more sighting shot, and unless he found the target with that one he would have no "dope" for his ten record shots that were to follow. Already he had a quarter-point of left wind on hi

gh against his better judgment, when the m

n the bull on Num

ad fired his first shot not at his own

Battiste, who was standing back, enjoying the lad's perplexity. "Let it be a lesson to you--always take a squint through your peep sight at the

t of left wind,

, go ahead and m

lowing shots hitting the bull's-eye for a perfect score, and to the

n is one of the most interesting ranges. With forty-three points here and the fi

" asked Dick while they r

o far; but do you know who has

hundred in time to look over th

is up they will be hailing you as the Military Champeen of the Wo

* *

om Dick's

OM DICK'S

Score Book, which he inked

cord shots were low, therefore he raised his sight 25 yards. The bull's eye of this tar

range gives change on the target equal to the number of inches in

sight again and kept in the bull. The mirage h

* *

hese crack shots make a string of bulls as long as your arm a

practise, as you have done, Dick; and Battiste says you have a nat

Henry, but I'm rotten in rapid fire, especially

m perfectly at home in

erefore I don't fear the skirmish runs. How many more

id fire at 200 and 300 yards are fifty each, but I don't reckon we will get anything like that. Besides, y

this kind, and because the thing appears easy is all the more reason we should try for the highest score we possibly can get. Then there is another reason; your marksman's score is added to w

nk you for the tip, or I might have

lowest qualification. Below this men are

had fired, and out of twenty aspirants for the honor all had qualified as marksmen and would shoot the following day. Of the twenty, the top notch shot was none other than Dick,

warded to H

board having finished the Sharpshooter's[#] Course, he was s

800 yards, same at 1,000 yards, and ten shots rapid

fellow needs a lot more practise than I've had to be able to find and hold the bull at that distance, especially if there is a 'fish tail'[#] wind bl

with the flight of the bullet:--the course the bull

ing it bobbed up above the butts for five seconds and might show up at any point, with five-second intervals between appearances. Next, two strings of five shots each at the "ducks," or Target F, the silhouette of a man lying, are fired at 500 yards. These "ducks" are supposed to fall

Riflema

is awarded with years engraved thereon and suspended between the crossed rifl

showing on the two previous days, Dick barely scraped through with the exact number of hits to win out. But he had won, and two months later when the little silver emblems were rec

nd four marksmen was the final result of

he had pinned to his khaki coat preparatory to Saturday morning inspection, "that I'll ev

e new sharpshooter's badge he held in his hand, "but what appeals more t