- THE RHINOCEROS 261 
a vital shot at the shoulder. If the country is favourable and 
the beast can be approached within 35 yards or less, a shot in 
the neck, a trifle below and a few inches behind the base of 
the ear, would be instantly fatal. Although the object of this 
shot is to break the vertebre of the neck, it is better to aim 
rather low than too high, as there is always a chance of the 
bullet severing the main arteries of the neck or jugular vein 
should the vertebree be missed, whereas a shot above the 
vertebre might go clean through the neck and the beast be 
none the worse. 
Every sportsman will probably have his own ideas as to 
shooting positions, and as most shooting (except elephant 
shooting) in East Africa is done in fairly open country, he can 
please himself, and will in most cases be able to adopt the 
position most convenient, whether it be standing, kneeling, 
sitting, or lying. Personally I prefer to sit down, and always 
fire even a 4- or 8-bore in this position, provided the grass is 
not too high to obscure my view of the beast. ‘The recoil of 
such rifles—a push, rather than a kick—is too much for any 
-man, except a Hercules, in this position, and always pushes 
me back and causes my legs to go up in the air, if it does not 
send me actually on to my back. When 80 yards froma beast 
I do not mind it, but when within 40 yards or less it is better 
not to have one’s equilibrium upset in this manner, and I there- 
fore make my gun-bearer sit behind me with his hands within an 
inch or so of my back to hold meup. This isacapital plan, but 
on no account must the gun-bearer touch the sportsman’s back, 
as he might give a slight push just as the trigger is being 
pressed. I remember once coming rather to grief, and being 
in a ludicrous though not critical position, owing to my gun- 
bearer being unable to get behind me. I was out shooting 
with Dr. Mackinnon at Machako’s on March 30, 1889, and 
as he had not then killed a rhino and was anxious to do so, we 
kept together and came across two of them in a capital position. 
Followed by our gun-bearers we got up to a bush within 60 
yards of them, when the Doctor gave the iarger one, a cow, a 
