ARTHUR NEUMANN 149 



little difference to one's appreciation of the process 

 of being mashed into pulp. But I am more 

 cautious than I used to be, all the same, and try 

 not to run into unnecessary danger. I often think 

 now of the rash way in which I have often behaved 

 in times gone by, and wonder that I was not killed 

 over and over again. 



" My Rigby -450 is wonderful.^ If you should 

 be in town, look in and tell Rigby that really I feel 

 there is no credit left for me with it. All one has 

 to do is to carry the rifle up to the elephants and 

 pull the trigger; they are bound to go down before 

 it. I wish I had ordered a pair. I would give 

 anything to have a second; it would be invaluable 

 in many ways. I find, for one thing, that mine 

 gets so hot after two double shots in quick suc- 

 cession that if one were not obliged to do so in 

 self-defence one could not hold it. I got my left 

 hand unpleasantly burnt that day, and it unsteadies 

 one. I mean to use a glove now, but I doubt if 

 even that will be protection enough. It really 

 ought to have more wood, though, of course, it 

 would look unsightly. But two would be the 

 right thing; then one's gun-bearer would act as 

 loader, and one might often score an extra elephant 

 or two by the gain of time, and even be safer in an 

 emergency. But the gun is perfect as a weapon 

 for my poaching purposes. It is just what I 

 have always felt I wanted for the work. I never 

 waste a cartridge on any other game; my Mann- 

 licher is good enough for such trash as rhinos, etc. 



1 Prior to this Neumann used a '577 by Gibbs and a double 

 10-bore by Holland and Holland. He then used a '303 Lee- 

 Metford, which used to jamb badly. 



