156 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



quite unconscious of the stalker's presence, even out in the 

 open where there is little covert, although exciting and often 

 rather difficult work, is rarely, if ever, dangerous ; but follow- 

 ing the blood spoor of a wounded buffalo, rhinoceros, or 

 elephant into places where there is little chance of seeing the 

 beast excepting at close quarters is quite another thing ; and it 

 is possible that a man might lose his nerve or become unsteady 

 through over-excitement when the result of a badly placed 

 small-bore bullet might end in disaster. The use of heavy rifles, 

 however, reduces to a minimum the danger of following up 

 such dangerous game into thick bush or long tangled grass. A 

 large-bore spherical bullet driven by plenty of powder, even if 

 it should not strike a vital spot (owing perhaps to the position 

 of the beast when fired at, or to the stalker being unable in the 

 thick covert to make out what part of the animal he is aiming 

 at), will inflict such a tremendous shock upon the system that 

 the creature is far less likely to charge than when hit with a 

 small bullet. A big bullet might knock the beast down, and 

 would also knock out of him any inclination he might have to 

 charge, whereas a small bullet under the same conditions 

 would have little chance of knocking him down, but would only 

 inflict further pain and increase his inclination to charge. 



The following is the battery used by myself, and it is one 

 which I have found satisfactory : 



A single 4-bore rifle, weighing 21 Ibs., sighted for 50, 100, 

 and 1 50 yards, shooting 1 2 drams of powder and a spherical 

 bullet. 



A double 8-bore rifle, weighing 15 Ibs., sighted for 100 

 and 200 yards, shooting 12 drams of powder and a spherical 

 bullet. 



A double '500 Express, sighted for 100 and 200 yards, 

 bored for long bottle-shaped cases, 'Magnum,' shooting 6 drams 

 of powder and long bullets of three kinds solid, small-hole, 

 and copper-tube. 



A T2-bore shot-gun. 



To the above were added a single -450 Express with tele- 



