266 MY SOMALI BOOK 



do all with a single loader that a man could do with a 

 double, and do it better ; the reason given being that 

 under the circumstances of an inaccurate aim through 

 imperfect adjustment of the rifle, the sportsman cannot 

 adjust his aim unless he moves the gun from his shoulder 

 deliberately, and takes an entirely fresh aim. . . . 

 During the time it takes a man to remove his single 

 rifle from his shoulder, he has also the time to open 

 the breech and insert another cartridge." 



The fallacy that underlies the first part of this 

 argument is the assumption that the need for an 

 immediate second shot would only occur by reason of 

 an inaccurate aim in the first shot. The aim may be 

 true enough, yet the bullet fail for one of various 

 reasons to produce the effect required. It will conse- 

 quently not always, nor even usually, be necessary to 

 remove the weapon from the shoulder to ensure a 

 correct aim in the second shot. 



And the final statement in the quotation is simply 

 not true if it means that the fresh aim can be taken as 

 quickly with the reloaded rifle as with the other, on 

 which various motions of reloading have not had to be 

 performed. If it is meant that the difference in time 

 is of no account, this must depend upon individual 

 circumstances, and would not generally be the case : 

 even for the man who has not seen the lightning charge 

 of a panther it should not be difficult to reahse that a 

 fraction of a second's delay may cause disaster, especi- 

 ally as, with the necessity for loading in a hurry in 

 the face of a charge, it is not unlikely to be a case of 

 the more haste the less speed. 



It is no argument to urge that in the hands of many 



