132 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 
friendly stump—pulled off. To my great satisfac- 
tion the barrel stood the test perfectly. More than 
that, on trying the penetrative effect of my bullets, I 
found that they would smash through a steel plate 
an eighth of an inch thick at thirty yards’ range. 
This was quite good enough for my purpose, and 
gave me great confidence in the weapon. All the 
same, I had a very narrow escape one day while 
manufacturing some of this ammunition. My plan 
was to remove the shot from the cartridge, put in 
the additional powder, and ram this well in before 
replacing the wad and putting in the bullet. I had 
clamped my refilling machine to my rough-hewn 
table, and was stamping the double charge of 
powder well down into the cartridge, when suddenly, 
for some unknown reason, the whole charge ex- 
ploded right into my face. Everything became 
pitch dark to me, and I groped my way about the 
little hut in agony of mind as well as of body, for I 
thought I had been blinded. I am thankful to say, 
however, that gleams of light soon began to return 
to my eyes, and in a few hours’ time I was almost 
all right again and able to go on with my cartridge 
making. 
All my preparations having been made, I set out 
for the Sabaki, taking with me my Indian gun- 
bearer Mahina, my cook Mabruki, a d/zs¢z (water- 
carrier), and a couple of natives to carry our odds 
