chap. ii. RHINOCEROS. Ill 



left any wounded behind, and on reaching the spot I 

 found a cow dead, shot through the brain by one of my 

 last shots, while the two first, though neither were fired 

 at over three yards' distance, had made good their escape. 

 Nothing more worthy of note occurred that night. Some 

 hyenas discovered the dead buffalo, and, as their teeth were 

 able to penetrate the softer portions of its hide, and they 

 would soon have destroyed it, I crept up and fired at 

 them, killing one. Towards morning a herd of water- 

 antelopes came to drink, and the one at which I fired, 

 though it made off at the time, was found dead by the 

 men I sent to skin the buffaloes, and to cut off the rhino- 

 ceroses' horns. 



In all large game shooting, but perhaps especially 

 with rhinoceros, the weight and the hardness of the bullet 

 used is of the last importance, and much more depends 

 upon it than would be thought, even by those who have 

 had some experience, unless they have paid special 

 attention to the proportions used, and have made it a 

 practice to cut their bullets out, and notice what the 

 effect of the concussion has been, both on the projectile 

 itself, and also on the bones with which it has come in 

 contact. 



There are two compositions in general use for harden- 

 ing balls in those countries where the game is of sufficient 

 size to render it necessary, namely, lead and pewter, and 

 lead and tin, to which may be added the occasional use of 

 quicksilver. Formerly, lead and pewter was invariably 

 used, in the proportion of about four of lead to one of 

 pewter ; but of late years tin has almost entirely taken 

 the place of that compound. A bullet is generally con- 



