Richard Christian was my American client, much older than me. I was a young man then, employed by Zambia Safaris as a professional hunter. Richard arrived on a scheduled Saturday early morning flight, and landed in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital. His hunt was due to begin on the Sunday in the Luangwa Valley. He had shipped his rifles, a Winchester .458 and Russian Mosin Nagant .30-06 ahead of time to be cleared before his arrival. After a member of our staff greeted him, Richard was shocked to be told the customs office was closed for the long public holiday until the Tuesday, and his rifles had not been cleared due to our staff’s negligence. And only once cleared would they be permitted to be sent on to camp. Meanwhile his charter plane was on the runway ready to take off! Our staff had borrowed a .458 and a .30-06 for him and said he could borrow my Holland & Holland .375.
Disappointed, Richard recalled the times on the range at home practising with his own rifles, the familiar butts on his shoulder, squinting over the iron sights,
