Gatherer

One who collects. Gathering, n. The act of collecting or a embling. - A collection; a crowd; an a embly. - A collection of pus; an absce . ( Printing .) The making up the sheets, after they are printed, into a complete set ready for the bookbinder. Gat in a is, (ga'te-nai,) an old division of France, now subdivided into the departments Loire, Seine-et-Marne, Nièvre, and Yonne. Gatineau (gat-e-no'), a river of Quebec, rises between Lat. 48° and 50' N., and about 75° 30′ W., and, flowing S., enters the Ottawa river opposite Ottawa. Length , about 300 miles. Gat'to, Ga'to, or AGAT'TON, a town of W. Africa. See BENIN. Gauge, (gage,) v. a. [Fr. jauger , a word of uncertain etymology; po ibly from Lat. qualificare .] To measure or ascertain the contents of a cask or ve el. - To me as- ure in respect to proportion, capacity, or power; to est i- mate; to measure. -n. [0. Fr. gauge; Fr.jauge , the instrument with which a cask is measured.) An instrument or apparatus for measuring any special force or dimension; thus we have pre ure -G., wind -G. (see ANEMOMETER), rain-G. (q. v.), wire-G., button-G., . The simplest form of gauge of dimensions is the common wire - G ., by which the diam- eter of wire is measured. It is simply an oblong plate of steel, with notches of different widths cut upon the edge; these are numbered, and the size of the wire is determined by trying it in the different notches until the one is found which it exactly fits. The thickne of sheet-metal is tried by the same G. A very elegant and delicate G. has recently come into use for measuring watch-gla es, and is applicable to many other purposes. On an oblong piece of sheet- metal, two straight metal ridges are fixed in such a manner that they shall be inclined at a given angle to each other, as a banded (Fig. 1131). Now, let us suppose the angle to be such that the distance between a and cis 2 inches, and that be- tween b and dis 1 inch, while the lengths ab and ed are 10 inches. It is evident od Co IMG:content-0334.png:[blocks in formation] IMG:content-0335.png:[blocks in formation] Gauche, ( gōsh .) a. [Fr., left-handed.] Unskilful; awkward; unhandy; diffident; ignorant of the rules of good breeding and society; as, a gauche manner. Gaucherie, (gōsh'er-ee,) n. An act so awkwardly done as to be ridiculous. Gauchos are scattered tribes of Indians, who have intermarried among the Spanish descendants, and who, mixed in religion as in blood and manners, may be regarded as the wild sovereigns of those vast plains called the Pampas , extending from the Paraguay to the fron tiers of the Gran Chaco. These native G. are po e ed of vast herds of wild horses and horned cattle, and roam over the country in a semi-savage independence. They are the most expert horsemen in the world, and keep their hold of the animal in any position, whether under his counter, along his flank, or hanging by the bent knee from their courser's neck. The arms of the G. are a lance, and the bolas , and la o , with a knife stuck into the girdle. In the use of the bolas and la o they are dexterous to a degree of accuracy perfectly surprising; with the former-which is a weapon composed of two balls of heavy wood, attached, like chain-shot, by a long thong of leather-they capture the largest animal and the smallest bird, which they effect by throwing it in such a manner that it shall in volve either the two fore or hind legs, and thus throwing the animal down, keep him captive till the hunter has time to reach and dispatch his conquest. With birds, the bolas, twining round the body, firmly bind the wings to the side, and brings the captive powerle to the ground. In woods and where there is not space to cast the la o, the bolas is singularly serviceable, and can be used as effectually against an enemy as against beasts of prey, or in the chase. As an arm in their wars, the bolas is very formidable for swinging through the air with immense momentum and speed; no agility can escape it, and, encircling the neck of the victim in three or four rapid and tight ligatures, it produces strangulation long before the captive can raise a hand to free himself from the deadly garrote. Where torture is intended, it is so thrown as only to prostrate or Dinion the prisoner. Their dwellings are constructed of wicker-work, with a hole in the roof for the escape of the smoke; a pound or enclosure for cattle, called a corral, adjoins the hut, and the whole is surrounded by a fence of impenetrable cactus.