86 Wild Life in Central Africa. 



the size of the skull and the mass of surrounding bone, ana 

 it means shooting at an object not larger than I2in. by 6in.; 

 and, moreover, when one considers that this mark is com- 

 pletely hidden in the centre of the head, it shows how 

 experienced a man must be to make good work with the 

 brain shot. 



An elephant's heart is about the length of an ordinary- 

 sized cushion, so it is not hard to hit. It lies half-way up, 

 or down, the body, whichever way one looks at it that is, 

 it is fairly central in the cavity of the chest, and it lies 

 right between the two shoulders. 



If a man is standing slightly to the rear, then the shot 

 should be placed behind the shoulder ; if broadside on, then 

 the bullet should be aimed right through the shoulder. Of 

 course, solid bullets should always be used, as penetration 

 is the great object to be desired. 



I have heard of no man who has suffered such narrow 

 escapes from wild beasts as has Captain C. H. Stigand, for 

 while in Nyasaland he was nearly killed by a black rhino- 

 ceros, which gored him in the chest. If the wound had 

 penetrated a little deeper it would have reached his heart. 

 This rhino charged him unawares, which is an unusual 

 thing for a rhino to do, as they do not always charge even 

 when wounded, except in parts of British East Africa, 

 where the rhinos, I have read, often charge when they see 

 a human being, without waiting to be shot at. 



Then, soon after the goring from the rhino, the same 

 gentleman went to British East Africa and was badly 

 mauled by a lion. He sat up for lions close to Simba rail- 

 way station, on the Uganda railw r ay, and he shot three of 

 them. One was only wounded, and he got down from 

 the platform and approached it. A charge immediately 

 followed, and Captain Stigand, although he hit the lion in 

 the chest with his '256 Mannlicher, failed to stop or turn it. 

 It seized him by the left wrist, and he fell with the lion on 

 the top of him. His rifle was now useless, and with his 

 right hand he could not reach a sheath knife he had on his 

 belt, so he did the next best thing and began to punch its 



