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The Gun Club
Theirmilitaryweaponsattainedcolossalproportions,andtheirprojectiles,exceedingtheprescribedlimits,unfortunatelyoccasionallycutintwosomeunoffendingpedestrians.Theseinventions,infact,leftfarintherearthetimidinstrumentsofEuropeanartillery.
ItisbutfairtoaddthattheseYankees,braveastheyhaveeverprovedthemselvestobe,didnotconfinethemselvestotheoriesandformulae,butthattheypaidheavily,inpropriapersona,fortheirinventions.Amongthemweretobecountedofficersofallranks,fromlieutenantstogenerals;militarymenofeveryage,fromthosewhowerejustmakingtheirdebutintheprofessionofarmsuptothosewhohadgrownoldinthegun-carriage.Manyhadfoundtheirrestonthefieldofbattlewhosenamesfiguredinthe"BookofHonor"oftheGunClub;andofthosewhomadegoodtheirreturnthegreaterproportionborethemarksoftheirindisputablevalor.Crutches,woodenlegs,artificialarms,steelhooks,caoutchoucjaws,silvercraniums,platinumnoses,werealltobefoundinthecollection;anditwascalculatedbythegreatstatisticianPitcairnthatthroughouttheGunClubtherewasnotquiteonearmbetweenfourpersonsandtwolegsbetweensix.
Nevertheless,thesevaliantartilleriststooknoparticularaccountoftheselittlefacts,andfeltjustlyproudwhenthedespatchesofabattlereturnedthenumberofvictimsatten-foldthequantityofprojectilesexpended.
