CHAPTER XXVIII 



AT THE TRAPS 



Cleaning up 100,000 Francs — Laying and Backing — Various Good Shots 



I HAD the taste for firearms even when a very young 

 boy. I used to fire off a gun, a small single-barrelled 

 muzzle-loader, when I was about ten years old, and 

 then, proceeding by easy stages, shooting at rabbits, 

 squirrels, and birds, until when I was about thirteen 

 I managed to get hold of a great purchase, a very tiny 

 double-barrelled breech-loader which nevertheless did 

 quite good work. My eye became trained and I began 

 to think that eventually something much greater could 

 be done. But I knew little or nothing about pigeon- 

 shooting, never even having seen a picture of it. 



Going along from year to year there was always 

 plenty of sport to be had especially during the winters 

 out in California, but it wasn't until the winter of 1900 

 that I had my first go at the traps. All things con- 

 sidered the result was quite good, and I acquired the 

 taste. It has never been shaken off since. I had 

 other chances of practice but my big pigeon-shooting 

 season was to be in those early days of 1903 in that trip 

 to Monte Carlo. I won the Grand Prix du Littoral of 

 ten thousand francs, and a big gold medal, killing 

 thirteen birds out of thirteen. 



It was rather curious how I got into that prize. 

 I went down to make my entry and things having 

 gone badly at the tables I discovered I hadn't got 

 twenty francs in my pocket. I met Crittenden 



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