Part 23 (2/2)
APPENDIX I
Most people are very ets in such tropics as we traversed Unfortunately it is very difficult to tell them
Temperature tables have very little to do with the etti at lower reaches of the Guaso Nyero I have seen it above 110 degrees It was hot, to be sure, but not exhaustingly so On the other hand, at 90 or 95 degrees the low coast belt I have had the sweat run from me literally in streams; so that a hlands, hts were often extreht temperatures as low as 40 at 7000 feet of elevation; and noon temperatures as low 65
Of more importance than the actual or sensible temperature of the air is the power of the sun's rays At all times of year this is practically constant; for the orb rees north and south of the equator, and the extres is not more than twenty minutes This power is also practically constant whatever the teerous even on a cloudy day, when the heat waves are effectually screened off, but when the actinic rays are as active as ever For this reason the protection of helmet and spine pad should never be omitted, no matter what the condition of the weather, between nine o'clock and four A very brief exposure is likely to prove fatal It should be added that some people stand these actinic rays better than others
Such being the case, eneral reader I append a few statistics, selected from many, and illustrative of the different conditions
Locality Elevation 6am noon 8pm Apparent conditions Coast --- 80 90 76 Very hot and sticky Isiola River 2900 65 94 84 Hot but not exhausting Tans River 3350 68 98 79 Hot but not exhausting Near Meru 5450 62 80 70 Very pleasant Serengetti Plains 2200 78 106 86 Hot and humid Narossara River 5450 54 89 69 Very pleasant Narossara Mts 7400 42 80 50 Chilly Narossara Mts 6450 40 62 52 Cold
APPENDIX II
GAME ANIMALS COLLECTED
Lion Bush pig Grant's gazelle Serval cat Baboon Thoazelle Black-backed jackal Hippopotamus coke's hartebeests Silver jackal Rhinoceros Jackson's hartebeests Striped hyena Crocodile Neuman's hartebeests Spotted hyena Python Chandler's reedbuck Fennec fox Ward's zebra Bohur reedbuck Honey badger Grevy's zebra Beisa ox Aardewolf Notata gazelle Fringe-eared oryx Wart-hog Roberts' gazelle Duiker Waterbuck Klipspringer Harvey's duiker Sing-sing Dik-dik Greater kudu Oribi (3 varieties) Wildebeeste Lesser kudu Eland Roosevelt's wildebeests Sable antelope Roan antelope Buffalo Bushbuck Topi
Total, fifty-four kinds
GAME BIRDS COLLECTED
Marabout Gadwall Lesser bustard Egret European stork Guinea fowl Glossy ibis Quail Giant guinea fowl Egyptian goose Sand grouse Green pigeon White goose Francolin Blue pigeon English snipe Spur fowl Dove (2 species) Mallard duck Greater bustard
Total, twenty-two kinds
APPENDIX III
For the benefit of the sportsun crank ant plain facts and no flapdoodle, the following statistics are offered To the lay reader this inclusion will be incoun crank as I afield,the Spitzer sharp point bullet Stocked to suit old bead front sight and Ly, as the trajectory was re power remarkable Tried out both the old-fashi+oned soft point bullets and the sharp Spitzer bullets, but find the latter far the iven by the Spitzer is almost beyond belief African anifield dropped nearly half the animals dead with one shot; a nize The bullets seehtly at the base, the point ree off at an angle This action of course depended on the high velocity The requisite velocity, however seeoni I killed at 638 paces (measured), and another at 566 paces both exhibited this action of the bullet I es because I have seen the state velocity beyond 350 yards would not be sufficient in this arh cleanly I should also hasten to add that I do not habitually shoot at gaes; but did so in these two instances for the precise purpose of testing the arh I had been led to expect trouble fro hot that the heat of the barrel dried it When occasionally flakes ofbecah of it It was my habit to s theazine This was not as much of a nuisance as it sounds A small tin box about the size of a pill box lasted me the whole trip; and only once did I coazine at one tihly for accuracy In spite of careful cleaning the barrel was in several places slightly corroded For this the clis, however, did not seem in any way to have affected the accuracy, as the rifle shot the following groups: 3-1/2 inches at 200 yards; 7-1/4 inches at 300 yards; and 11-1/2 inches at 500 yards
It shot one five-shot 1-2/3 inch group at 200 yds, and several others at all distances less than the figures given, but I aely accidental
These groups were not made from a machine rest, however; as none was available The complete record with this ares fired, representing 185 head of ga was for meat and represented also all sorts of ”varhted like the Springfield, and was constantly in the field as un For lions it could not be beaten; as it was very accurate, delivered a hard blow, and held five cartridges Beyond 125 to 150 yards one had to begin to guess at distance, so for ordinary shooting I preferred the Springfield In thick brush country, however, where one was likely to come suddenly on rhinoceroes, but where one wanted to be ready always for desirable s It was short, handy, and reliable One experience with a zebra 300-350 yards has es the re blunt nosed bullet is not seriously reduced; but as to that I have not enough data for a final conclusion I have no doubt, however, that at such ranges, and beyond, the little Springfield has es the Winchester is by far the more powerful I killed one rhinoceros with the 405, one buffalo and one hippo; but should consider it too light for an eerous animals, such as buffalo and rhinoceros If one has time for extre; but I refer now to close quarters in a hurry I had no trouble whatever with the mechanism of this arm; nor have I ever had trouble with any of the lever actions, although I have used theards speed of fire the controversy between the lever and bolt action advocates seems to me foolish in the extreme Either action can be fired faster than it should be fired in the presence of game It is my belief that any man, no matter how practised or how cool, can sta out his shots too rapidly This is especially true in the face of charging dangerous gaenerally take the rifle from my shoulder between each shot Even aireat value as compared with better aimed slower fire The first bullet delivers to an animal's nervous system about all the shock it can absorb If the beast is not thereby knocked down and held down, subsequent shots can acco a vital spot or by tearing tissue
As an exaht instance a waterbuck into which I saw my companion empty five heavy 465 and double 500 bullets froets to its feet after the first shock, it is true that the hunter will often empty into it six or seven more bullets without apparent result, unless he aims carefully for a centrally vital point It follows that therefore a second shot aih care to land it in that point is worth a lot more than a half dozen delivered in three or four seconds with only the accuracy necessary to group decently at very short range, even if all of them hit the beast I am perfectly aware that this vieill probably be disputed; but it is the result of considerable experience, close observation and real interest in the game The whole record of the Winchester was 56 hits out of 70 cartridges fired; representing 27 head of game
The 465 Holland & Holland double cordite rifle This beautiful weapon, built and balanced like a fine hahts It was of course essentially a close range eun, but was capable of accurate work at a distance I killed one buffalo dead with it, across a wide canyon, with the 300-yard leaf up on the back sight Its game list however was limited to rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, buffaloes and crocodiles The recoil in spite of its weight of twelve and one half pounds, was tre at any of these brutes Its total record was 31 cartridges fired with 29 hits representing 13 head of gaainst marksmanshi+p are often severe Hard work in the tropics is not the ime in the world, and outside a hts, and the effects of the es, too, are rather long I took the trouble to pace out about every kill, and find that antelope in the plains averaged 245 yards; with a ed 148 yards, with a maximum of 311