86 TALES OF A NOMAD. 



The ranges were long. Three hundred yards was about 

 the shortest, and, indeed, one could only get as near as 

 this by coming over a rise upon them. The commoner 

 ranges were from 400 to 700 yards. 



An express rifle was of no use at these distances, for 

 the ball is too light to overcome the resistance of the 

 atmosphere during a long flight. 



The best weapon I ever used for this work was a 

 Westley Richards capping carbine. I think it was of 

 about 420 bore. Some of these rifles were afterwards 

 constructed with falling breech-locks and solid metal 

 cartridge cases, but I never considered the locks of these 

 breech-loaders equal to the bar action hammer locks of 

 the capping carbines. The triggers generally set up a 

 drag which is fatal to good practice at game. The 

 Martini Henry rifles were open to the same objection. 

 Any sportsman will realize the truth of the saying : 

 "With a sporting rifle, more than half the secret of 

 success lies in the lock". 



The Boer farmers hunted the game continually, not 

 only for profit, but also to keep them off the land, and 

 thus save the grass for sheep and cattle. The hides 

 were loaded up by scores of thousands upon waggons 

 and were sent down to the coast for sale. 



The whole country was white with the bleaching 

 skulls and bones of game, and their complete extermina- 

 tion was only a question of time. 



Constant practice with the rifle made the Boers perfect 

 shots and judges of distance, and they were the best rifle- 

 men in the world, as we learned to our cost when it was 

 our fate to meet them in the day of battle. 



I always found them to be hospitable and kindly, and 

 though they looked upon a foreigner with suspicion, 



