24 After Big Game in Central Africa 



exercises near to the target from ten to forty yards 

 distant so as to familiarise them with the weapons, 

 and to avoid certain errors which they had committed 

 formerly, such as firing without bringing the gun to 

 the shoulder, or trying to open a rifle unprovided with 

 self-rebounding locks without first of all putting the 

 hammers at half-cock, etc. precautions which may 

 seem unimportant, but were to bear fruit in the 

 heat of the fight. All of them, however, were very 

 careful in the handling of weapons, and had a veritable 

 veneration for these engines of destruction. 



Each gun had its appointed bearer : Msiambiri 

 carried the Express No. 1, Tambarika the Express No. 

 2, Kambombe the 303, Rodzani the 12-bore Win- 

 chester, and Tchigallo the 8 -bore. In addition, each 

 bearer had ammunition proper for his gun, as well as 

 a few small objects such as telescope, pouches, etc. 

 Msiambiri was charged specially with the cleaning of 

 the guns, which were carefully greased every evening 

 without exception, and everywhere we happened 

 to be. 



Quite apart from hunting, each of my men had 

 other special duties. Msiambiri arid Kambombe acted, 

 as I have said, as my servants ; Rodzani was captain 

 of the camp (that is, he was to look after the men, to 

 cut up and to apportion out the meat, etc.); Tambarika 

 managed what I call the research brigade (his mission 

 was to survey the hunting zones, prepare the hiding- 

 places, visit the pools, report traces of animals in a 

 word, to do in advance everything which was necessary 

 to permit us to work with certainty, or at least with 



