164 A Sportsman at Large 



the nerve of some of those who would wager a year's army 

 pay on a single shot. I remember one occasion at Monte 

 Carlo, when Sir John (" Johnny ") Willoughby took it into 

 his head to " slam " the takers of odds. He was a smallish, 

 slim young man at the time, with an utterly imperturbable 

 disposition. 



He was a good, but by no means brilliant shot. As he 

 strolled up to his mark with a big cigar between his lips 

 during an ordinary pool, one of the leviathans of the Ring 

 Besnard by name called out : 



" Want to back yourself, Sir John ? " 



" Yes ! What'll you take ? " 



" Take you 70 to 40, Sir John." 



" Yes ! Twice, if you like ! " 



"You're on!" (A pause.) "Look here, Sir John," 

 challenged the bookie, probably out of bravado. ' Tell you 

 what I'll do with you. I'll take you 600 to 400, */ you don't 

 put your cigar down ! ' ' 



Johnny's face was impassive ; not a muscle moved. 



" Right ! " he said quietly. " And as much again, if you 

 like." 



The bookie was " snail-shy," and drew in his horns. 



"No. thank you, Sir John," he muttered. "I'm full 

 up ! " 



The shooter raised his gun and drawled out : 



" Are you ready ? " followed by the orthodox " Pull ! " 

 Over came Number 3 trap and down came the bird, to the 

 young baronet's first, as dead as a stone. He turned quietly 

 on his heel, produced a match and applied it to his cigar, 

 remarking to the now thoroughly disgruntled taker of odds : 

 " You didn't make any stipulation as to my keeping my weed 

 alight, did you, Besnard ? " 



If Johnny Willoughby had kept such a cool head when, 

 with " Dr. Jim " and others, he was planning a coup d'etat 

 at the expense of " Oom Paul," the course of history might 

 have been considerably deflected. 



Incidentally, I might mention that on one of my salmon- 

 fishing excursions to Norway, on the good old Wilson liner 

 Salmo, this same "Dr. Jim " and his " chief of staff," Major 



