MY SOMALI BOOK 259 



modern firearms, fatal accidents to hunters of big 

 game are still far from uncommon. Many of these 

 are the outcome of rashness or inexperience, or of 

 neglect to take proper precautions in foUowing up a 

 wounded beast. But a considerable proportion are 

 indisputably due to the failure of rifle or bullet to 

 do the work required of it at the critical moment, 

 \\ hen, humanly speaking, the fatality might probably 

 have been avoided by the use of a more suitable weapon. 

 The subject is therefore such an important one that I 

 feel it unnecessary to apologise for devoting a chapter 

 to it, in the hope that a consideration in some detail 

 of the characteristics of the various tj^pes of big-game 

 rifles and ammunition, and the principles upon which 

 the choice of a rifle for dangerous game should be 

 based, may be of use to those whose experience is still 

 to gain, while not entirely without mterest to the old 

 hand. 



As there may, however, be some among my readers 

 who will be alarmed at the length of the disquisition 

 that follows, I wfll commence by giving a brief summary 

 of my views and general conclusions before entering 

 into a detailed exposition of them. 



(a) As to the form of the rifle itself : it is most 

 important that it should be handy in use, and that 

 it should have the power of firing a second shot at the 

 shortest possible interval after the first discharge. 

 In these qualities the double-barrelled weapon, provided 

 it be not too heavy, excels the single or magazine form. 



(6) As to its ammunition : for dangerous game 

 " stopping-power " is of prime importance, and is best 

 obtained by the large striking surface and substantial 



