The shock produced by a pointed projectile is nothing
compared to that of the old belted ball, unless it is on the
principle of Purday's high velocity expanding bullet, which,
although perfection for deer-shooting, would be useless against
thick-skinned animals, such as buffalo and rhinoceros. In Africa,
the variety of game is such, that it is impossible to tell, when
loading, at what animal the bullet will be fired; therefore, it
is necessary to be armed with a rifle suitable for all comers. My
little Fletcher was the Enfield bore, No. 24, and, although a
most trusty weapon, the bullets generally failed to penetrate the
skull of hippopotami, except in places where the bone was thin,
such as behind the ear, and beneath the eyes. Although I killed
great numbers of animals with the Enfield bullet, the success was
due to tolerably correct shooting, as I generally lost the larger
antelopes if wounded by that projectile in any place but the
neck, head, or shoulder; the wound did not bleed freely,
therefore it was next to impossible to follow up the blood-track;
thus a large proportion of wounded animals escaped.
I saw, and shot, thirteen varieties of antelopes while in Africa.
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