AN EXPLOKATION IN THE FAE EAST. 451 



For dangerous game, such as tigers, there is nothing 

 better yet available for sportsmen than the large rifle 

 firing the spherical ball, or the explosive shell. This 

 should be at least twelve-gauge, and eleven pounds in 

 weight. The application of breech-loading to these 

 rifles renders it possible also to use a spherical or short 

 conical ball with the same rifle, either of which gives 

 flatter trajectory than the shell, and which are preferred 

 to it by some sportsmen. If the shooting is to be from 

 an elephant I think the spherical twelve-bore is amply 

 sufficient. This ball, or the short conical, hardened 

 with one- twelfth part of mercury or tin, with four and 

 a half or five drachms of powder, will also form an 

 excellent charge for bufi'alo or bison shooting. 



All rifles should, by preference, be double-barrelled. 

 To use a single rifle is to sacrifice many chances, while 

 it possesses no advantage whatever over a well-made 

 double. 



The rifles should be fitted in small, handy, solid 

 leather cases, unencumbered by much apparatus, or by 

 space for cartridges. The latter should be soldered up 

 in tin cases, to hold two hundred and fifty each, and 

 should be carried unloaded until about to take the 

 field. 



I have added in Appendices some information which 

 may be useful to travellers in the region I have thus 

 attempted to describe. 



