336 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



a grantii for my larder, and a topi or two for my men whenever 

 I wanted. It was wonderful what a strengthening effect the 

 meat diet had on my lowered system, with almost magical 

 rapidity. I had tried in vain to buy a sheep or a goat from 

 our neighbours ; so little do they value the articles of commerce, 

 usually dear to savage hearts (or indeed any personal adorn- 

 ments whatever), that they could not be induced to sell one, 

 though they possess considerable numbers. 



I dared use no other rifle now than the .303, for fear of the 

 recoil of black powder — even my trusty old .450 was now 

 permanently laid aside — and I came to value the wonderful 

 powers and pleasant shooting of this minute bore so much that 

 I never wished to use any of my others again. The absence 

 of recoil and smoke is such a comfort, and the deadly effect of 

 the long, thin bullet, propelled with such tremendous velocity, 

 so all-sufficient for any animal, that I never wished to go back 

 to the noise and other unpleasant habits of the old-fashioned 

 weapons. Its one drawback is the tricky mechanism of the 

 magazine. Of course I could not carry a rifle myself, and 

 could only shoot from a sitting position ; but the trusty Juma 

 always accompanied me, and even when creeping up for a shot 

 crawled at my heels, ready to put it into my hands at the last 

 moment, after I had got within range. It is true he used to 

 try my temper severely by his unconquerable habit of handing 

 gun or glasses wrong end foremost, or left-handed, which is 

 particularly exasperating when one's eyes are riveted on the 

 buck, and hurts the more that one cannot relieve one's feelings 

 by strong names, under such circumstances ; but he was free 

 from one most annoying fault of many gun-bearers, he never 

 lagged behind. 



Another benefit I gained by being able to kill game again 

 was in the matter of light. There were one or two among the 

 members of my caravan who could, on occasion, the conditions 

 being favourable, manage to kill a sleepy, unsuspecting rhino ; 

 but wilder game, especially in the open, was seldom within 



