A friend of mine sent me this link. Seems Louis and Clark had an air rifle with them on their exploration of the West. It was a real dose of smoke and mirrors for keeping the Indians wondering ......without the smoke.....if you believe this guys story. Maybe it was the "star wars" of it's day and kept the small expedition from losing their lives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pqFyKh- ... dded#at=20
Ok... found a two part video of guys who actually made one as a reproduction. Here is part 2 which shows them firing it and how they pumped it up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbo8arkKXTg&NR=1