MY SOMALI BOOK 197 



low trajectoiy make the "318 a perfect weapon for 

 general shooting m Somaliland. I should not hesitate 

 to use it on lion or rhino, if need be, the latter sooner 

 than the former, but should not ordinarily choose it 

 for such a purpose, preferring a double-barrel and a 

 heavier bullet. The vexed question of the best weapon 

 for dangerous game is, however, one of such importance 

 that I shall leave it to be dealt wdth in a separate 

 chapter. 



Latterly I have always used an aperture rear-sight 

 on the stock of the '318, and found it a decided im- 

 provement, especially because it reduces to a great 

 extent the possibility of errors of elevation in aiming. 

 This is of not less importance than the increased 

 distance between back and fore sight and the lessened 

 strain on the focussing powers of the eye, which are 

 usually considered the main advantage of this form 

 of sight. 



For small animals like dik-dik and jackals, I always 

 used the little -300 Sherwood with axite cartridge, 

 while the less powerful rook-rifle cartridge which it 

 can also shoot was very useful for bustard, etc. The 

 Sherwood, taking a cartridge with a capped bullet of 

 140 grains and driven by 7 grains of cordite or axite, 

 is quite good enough in the hands of a fair shot for the 

 smaller antelopes up to a range of 150 yards or so. 

 But its limitations and those of one or two similar 

 rifles in this direction are too often lost sight of, with 

 the inevitable result of a painful proportion of wounded 

 animals escaping to suSer. 



As a mere expression of opinion is not likely to 

 convince some who have proved for themselves the 



