228 
ON SAFARI 
within the first week. After half-a-dozen shots, I 
noticed that the attachment of the telescope to the rib 
was no longer rigid ; there was a distinct lateral move¬ 
ment—in itself a fatal flaw. A few days later, on firing, 
the whole telescope flew bodily back in my face, laying 
open my cheek and cutting eyebrow and the bridge of 
the nose, which still bears the mark. The fault was due 
to defective mechanism; for the whole jar of recoil, as 
communicated to the telescope, was received by a tiny 
screw that held barely an eighth of an inch into the 
rib. 
Being thus crippled, I rode into Athi River station 
and took train to Nairobi, on the off-chance that such 
complex repairs could be effected in Central Africa. By 
the kindness of Mr. Gallagher, the Chief Mechanical 
Engineer of the U.R., the attachment was made secure ; 
but alas, the precise adjustment of alignment between 
barrel and telescope was too much to expect in the very 
best “ railway shops,” and for the rest of the trip this 
most important rifle was no more use than so much old 
metal. 
Fortunately, I found a friend in need in Mr. F. J. 
Jackson, C.B., H.M.’s Deputy-Commissioner (now 
Lieut.-Governor of British East Africa), who most 
kindly lent me a ‘303 telescope-sighted rifle, with which 
I was enabled to do excellent work. 
Returning to the Athi River two days later, I 
received at the station the following note from my 
brother :—“ You needn’t worry about those wildebeest. 
Ive found out how to get them—on their way to water, 
night and morning. I shot four yesterday in two right- 
and-lefts, and one ‘ lone bull J this morning. A snake 
of sorts jabbed at me among the grass coming back to 
camp. I let drive and luckily blew his neck off. He 
was 5 ft. 4 ins., with a sort of hood on his head.” 
[This was a hooded cobra.] “ Indians from the Landi 
assert there are two lions in the tinga-tinga—we must 
try them on Tuesday, with all hands and backsheesh. 
Am sending a dozen porters and c Goldfinch ’ to meet 
