PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE 
9 
close range with the .475 cordite, and then perhaps 
fervently wish that we had the paradox or a balloon. 
After getting our arsenal, we then had to get 
the cartridges, all done up in tin boxes of a weight 
not exceeding sixty pounds, that being the limit of 
weight which the African porter is expected to 
carry. There were several thousand rounds of am¬ 
munition, but this did not mean that several thou¬ 
sand lions were to be killed. Allowing for a fair 
percentage of misses, we calculated, if lucky, to get 
one or two lions. 
After getting our rifles and ammunition under 
satisfactory headway, we then saw that our seventy- 
two “chop” boxes of food were sure to be ready in 
time to catch our steamer at Southampton. 
And yet these preliminary details did not half 
conclude our shopping preliminaries in London. 
There were camping rugs, blankets, cork mat¬ 
tresses, pillows and pillow cases, bed bags, tow¬ 
els, lanterns, mosquito boots, whetstones, hunt¬ 
ing and skinning knives, khaki helmets, pocket 
tapes to measure trophies, Pasteur anti-veno- 
mous serum, hypodermic syringes, chairs, tables, 
cots, puttees, sweaters, raincoats, Jaeger flannels, 
socks and pajamas, cholera belts, Burberry 
hunting clothes, and lots of other little odds and 
ends that seemed to be necessary. 
The clothes were put up in air-proof tin uniform 
cases, small enough to be easily carried by a porter 
and secure enough to keep out the millions of ants 
that were expected to seek habitation in them. 
