HINTS ON EQUIPMENT, ETC. 359 



rifle, the other being an ordinary smooth-bore gun. I 

 insist on this point, as my new weapon is adapted 

 for no less than three different kinds of cartridges 

 (i) shot, (2) the "Express" (in which the charge 

 and bullet are so regulated that they will not blow a 

 roe-deer or " rock-skipper" to pieces, as many Express 

 rifles do), and (3) the " smasher," with a heavy, solid 

 bullet warranted to stop an aurochs if necessary. 



Here let me strongly insist on the desirability 

 of having one's gun fitted, and also of having all one's 

 weapons stocked alike. Good shooting with the rifle 

 can only be made by the man whose weapon " comes 

 up " exactly in the same way as the gun he has 

 carried for years among his native stubbles or heather. 

 To those whom distance from England or economy 

 makes the somewhat] expensive process of restocking 

 impossible, I may remark that a rifle stock can be 

 advantageously lengthened by an an ti- recoil heel pad. 

 A stock can be shortened anywhere, but rifles are 

 more generally too short than too long. Finally, a 

 clever carpenter can alter the " cast-off" of the 

 weapon considerably by hollowing out the inner side 

 of the stock where the shooter's cheek comes ; or the 

 opposite effect can be produced with leather or 

 rubber pads. In these cases I assume the sportsman 

 to be in possession of a properly fitted gun to serve as 

 a model. 



The battery for the tropics is a subject requiring 

 more consideration, and the first question to be asked 

 is this : Is it an expedition to one place in quest of 

 certain game, or is it a case of prolonged residence in 



