With Flashlio-ht :iiul Rifle ^ 



o 



a wait of about three-quarters of an hour, however, they 

 moved suddenly and gave me my opportunity, and I 

 brought down one of them with a shot between ear and 

 eye. and the other, just as he made for me, with two 

 shots through the shoulder intc* the heart. 



I found afterwards that this herd, which consisted 

 of about a dozen elephants, had soiight refuge in the 

 thicket on the mountain, having been startled by my shot 

 at the tlirush, and that they had been keeping very quiet 

 uj) there, making no noise whatever beyond what was 

 caused by the munching of quite small twigs. Thus, 

 waiting one's chance in the neighbourhood ot a herd of 

 elephants, the sportsman lives in a continual state ot sus- 

 pense. One needs to remain absolutely quiet and to 

 exercise the utmost patience in such circumstances, ready 

 always to act promptly and with energy when the moment 

 comes. 



Generally speaking I am in favour of small-calibre 

 rifles, on account of their precision and penetrating force ; 

 but for elephants and rhinceroses I would recommend the 

 English "377 express calibre with steel bullets, or else 

 an 8- or 4-calibre elephant-rifle when the shooting will be 

 at close range, as is likely in thickly wooded regions. 

 In this I agrcM- with most experienced sportsmen, and 1 

 would rexommend the new-comer esjjecially to use a hc^avy 

 and safe gun, although they have some grc-at disacKan- 

 tau^es, such as their weight and unwieldiness ami their 

 uncertainty of aim except at (|Mili- short range, especially 

 in the case of th(; last-mentioned large-calibre rifles. 

 Moreover they kick so heaxily that onl\ a strong man 



I 92 



