246 THE LAND. OF THE LION 
both of them. If I must go up to a lion that is wounded, 
when the cover is thick (something I sincerely hope no one 
who reads this account of my wanderings will ever be induced 
to do) I’d rather go with such a weapon in my hand than 
with any rifle that was ever built. You can shoot with it 
quicker and truer than with anything else. 
Speaking of rifles and their use, I would venture to give 
a piece of advice to those who are buying a battery. Make 
sure that your trigger pulls are alike. Many men never 
seem to pay any attention to this most important detail. 
Especially is it needful to see to this if you are using guns 
which you change constantly in a day’s sport. If one, 
let us say your every day gun, has a light pull (four Ibs.) 
or a sharp pull, and your heavier rifle has a heavier or drag- 
ging pull, you are likely to be exceedingly annoyed by the 
bad shooting that you make on just those occasions when 
you would wish to do well. Yet no man could do good 
shooting under the circumstances. Our American Win- 
chesters have two very strong points in their favour: their 
breech action is much quicker and easier than that of any 
“bolt gun” (all the European magazine rifles are of this 
make), and the pull off is to my mind perfect. “The insuper- 
able objection to them is, the action cannot stand the 
heavy powder charge that a heavy bullet requires, and their 
ammunition cannot be obtained here, when fresh ammuni- 
tion is desirable. 
It takes quite a time for one accustomed to the Winches- 
ter to familiarize himself with the sliding bolt of Mannlichers 
or Mausers. And I cannot too strongly urge on all who 
intend using these weapons, to constantly practise, first 
with empty magazine and then with full, the manipulation 
of the gun they are going to work with. The slightest 
downward jerk of the Winchester lever throws the full or 
empty shell over the shoulder. In the bolt rifle the latter 
has to be drawn right back to the full length of its slide, 
