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 bhisti (water- 

 carrier), and a couple of natives to carry our odds 



