iv THE ELEPHANT 77 



coating upon the inner surface of the barrel, and that more accurate 

 results will be obtained in target practice by the use of hardened 

 metal, the argument does not apply to sporting practice. You 

 seldom fire more than half a dozen shots from each barrel during 

 the day, and the rifle is well cleaned each evening upon your return 

 to camp. The accuracy with a pure leaden bullet is quite sufficient 

 for the comparatively short ranges necessitated by game-shooting. 

 The arguments of leading the barrel, etc., cannot be supported, and 

 the result is decidedly in favour of pure lead for all soft-skinned 

 animals. 



The elephant requires not only a special rifle, but the strongest 

 ammunition that can be used without injury to the shooter by 

 recoil. It is impossible to advocate any particular size of rifle, as 

 it must depend upon the strength of the possessor. As a rule I 

 do not approve of shells, as they are comparatively useless if of 

 medium calibre, and can be only effective when sufficiently large 

 to contain a destructive bursting charge. I have tried several 

 varieties of shells with unsatisfactory results, excepting the half- 

 pounder, which contained a bursting charge of 8 drams of the finest 

 grained powder. 



This pattern was my own invention, as I found by experience 

 that the general defect of shells was the too immediate explosion 

 upon impact. This would cause extensive damage to the surface, 

 but would fail in penetration. 



Picrate of potash was at one time supposed to combine an 

 enormous explosive power with perfect safety in carriage, as the 

 detonating shells were proof against the blow of a hammer, and 

 would only explode upon impact through the extreme velocity of 

 their discharge from a rifle-barrel. These were useless against an 

 elephant, as they had no power of penetration, and the shell 

 destroyed itself by bursting upon the hard skin. I tried these 

 shells against trees, but although the bark would be shattered over 

 an extensive area, upon every occasion the projectile failed to 

 penetrate the wood, as it had ceased to exist upon explosion on the 

 surface. 



My half-pound shell was exceedingly simple. A cast-iron 

 bottle, similar in shape to a German seltzer-water, formed the core, 

 around which the lead was cast. The neck of the iron bottle pro- 

 jected through the pointed cone of the projectile, and formed a 

 nipple to receive the percussion-cap. In external appearance the 

 shell was lead, the iron bottle being concealed within. Half an 

 ounce of the finest grained powder was inserted through the nipple 

 by means of a small funnel ; this formed the bursting charge. The 



