176 HUNTING IN THE SOTIK [ch. viii 



work well, and I was pleased to have killed the huge 

 brute with the little sharp-pointed bullets of the Spring- 

 field, I was confirmed in my judgment that for me 

 personally the big Holland rifle was the best weapon for 

 heavy game, although I did not care as much for it 

 against lighter-bodied beasts like lions. In all we 

 galloped four miles after this wounded rhino bull. 



We sent a porter to bring out Heller, and an ox- 

 waggon on which to take the skin to camp. While 

 waiting for them I killed a topi bull, at tw^o hundred and 

 sixty yards, with one bullet, and a wildebeest bull with 

 a dozen. I crippled him with my first shot at three 

 hundred and sixty yards, and then walked and trotted 

 after him a couple of miles, getting running and stand- 

 ing shots at from three hundred to five hundred yards. 

 I hit him several times. As with everything else I shot, 

 the topi and wildebeest were preserved as specimens for 

 the Museum, and their flesh used for food. Our porters 

 had much to do, and they did it well, partly because 

 they were fed well. We killed no game of which we 

 did not make the fullest use. It would be hard to 

 convey to those who have not seen it on the ground an 

 accurate idea of its abundance. When I was walking 

 up to this rliino, there were in sight two giraffes, several 

 Mildebeest bulls, and herds of hartebeest, topi, zebra, 

 and the big and little gazelles. 



In addition to being a mighty hunter, and an adept 

 in the by no means easy work of handling a large safari 

 in the wilderness, Cuninghame M'as also a good field 

 naturalist and taxidermist, and at this camp we got so 

 many specimens that he was obliged to spend most of 

 his time helping Heller ; and they pressed into the work 

 at times even Tarlton. Accordingly, Kermit and I 

 generally went off by ourselves, either together or 



