For example, while the idea behind usin’ these targets was interestin’ and maybe even admirable, in all my years with the Mob I have never seen an opponent who would do you the favor of standin’ rock-still, in the open, upright, with his shoulders square to you while he was tryin’ to shoot you. They are more inclined to be crouched or flattened behind cover and movin’ around whilst sendin’ you the message, specifically to minimize the chances of your cancelin’ their stamp before they reach the final salutation. In light of this, thinkin’ you can shoot because you can pump arrows or quarrels into a straw dummy of any shape struck me as a dangerous case of overconfidence and not to be encouraged. I kept quiet about this, though, figurin’ that this was only the first round to familiarize everybody with their weapons, and that the serious trainin’ would be covered at a later date.
Soon, the crew is scattered along the firin’ line, takin’ turns sprayin’ quarrels downrange whilst the sergeant and corporal prowl back and forth behind them, qualifyin’ some and hollerin’ at the slow learners. This is one managerial style I have noticed the army and the Mob have in common, which is to say the belief that if you shout loud enough at someone who is doin’ somethin’ wrong, they will respond by doin’ it right,
Nunzio and me hang back from the first bunch of shooters, as we have little fear of passin’ this particular test. We focus instead on how the rest of the crew is doin’ so’s we can help out the ones what is havin’ trouble.