GENERAL HINTS. 63 



With a magazine rifle, when expecting elephant or rhino, and yet not wishing to 

 miss a chance at buck, it will be found useful to have the magazine full of solids, and 

 an expanding bullet in the chamber to fire at any buck. 



If a second shot is wanted the cut-off can be closed and the rifle loaded by 

 hand. This applies mainly to the '303, as the Mannlicher and Mauser do not have 

 cut-offs. 



If an elephant or rhino is met with it will only be necessary to draw the bolt 

 back, and press it home again to be ready for him. 



The presence of waterbuck, impala, puku, reedbuck, and doves denote the 

 neighbourhood of water. 



When it is intended to camp for several days in one place it will be advisable to 

 get your men to erect a grass roof on upright poles outside your tent to feed 

 under. This may be closed on the windward side, but in the hot weather it will 

 be found that one wants it as open as possible, and the roof is all that is necessary, 

 so as to get its shade. 



When out in the bush, all holes in trees or anthills may be observed for bees' 

 nests. If honey can be got it affords a pleasant change of diet. 



Honey Uchi. Bee Njuchi. 



In the harvest season vegetables can be obtained from villages. They are : — 



Maize Chlmanga. Pleasant eating when green. 



Cucumber Chipweti. The best eating. 



„ Chinkalowi. Rather hard. 



„ . . , . . Mankhaka. 



Pumpkin Dzungu. Cooked or made into jam. 



Ground Nut .... Ntedza. Roasted. 



Tomato Timati. 



Sweet Potato .... Mbatata. Roasted in embers. 



Beans Nyemba. 



,, Kayera. 



Maize flour made into dough (nsima) will be found to be a substitute for bread 

 when flour gives out, and it is very sustaining. 



The cucumbers can be cooked, and are then like vegetable marrow. 



The tomatoes are generally called by the plural, Matimati. 



At the beginning of the rains, December to January, numerous mushrooms and 

 fungi springup. They have no separate names, but are known as Boa (Zulu — Ngowani). 



