2 After Big Game in Central Africa 



Africa where I counted upon finding elephants, I 

 took one of two 8 - bore double - barrelled rifled 

 guns which I possessed and 200 cartridges. My 

 principal weapons were two express double-barrelled 

 rifles of 577-bore. One of them had been made 

 specially for me by M. Galand, the well - known 

 gunsmith, who had already armed me several times, 

 and according to my own indications. I had asked 

 for an exceedingly small reduction of the bore at 

 the top part of the barrel ; a small increase in the 

 thickness of the barrels, without respect to weight ; 

 shortening of the barrels ; a large pea-sight ; a treble 

 lock, top-lever, and a solidity equal to the severest 

 test. This rifle, which I call my express No. 1, is 

 so well made that after three and a half years' shoot- 

 ing, tribulations, jolts, and handling, after having 

 fired 600 or 700 cartridges it only required cleaning 

 upon my return. As to its penetration, that will 

 be seen in reading the chapters which follow, and 

 more especially the tenth chapter. Express No. 1 

 weighs 11 Ibs. 1 oz. No. 2 is the weapon already 

 known to my readers. It also was made in the work- 

 shops of M. Galand, and with it I killed more than 

 300 animals during my hunting expeditions from 

 1891 to 1893. The barrels are a little longer, the 

 two sights are diamond ones, and its weight is a 

 little less, 10|- Ibs. only. I took with me on trial, 

 and not without a little mistrust, a double-barrelled 

 English rifle of 303-bore that is, a little smaller than 

 the Lebel. This weapon, which had the appearance 

 of an express rifle very small for its bore, was one of 



