TOD SLOAN 



too there were little presents to " others." Two ladies 

 claimed the wings of that last pigeon between them, 

 and each wing had to be mounted on a hat to suit the 

 wearers — but that was a trifle. 



On going into the Rooms the night of winning the 

 Prix du Littoral I was given a message to go over to 

 the Trente et Quarante game to cut the cards for " an 

 eminent personage." I said I wouldn't go unless I 

 knew who it was. 



" You had better come, monsieur : it's the Grand 

 Duke Michael." 



" Wlio ? " I asked, not hearing very well, and then 

 he repeated the name and of course I went at once. 

 The Grand Duke received me very graciously and said 

 some nice things to which I hope I replied with proper 

 modesty. Here was another Royal or rather Imperial 

 personality for me to meet. 



I shall alwavs think it rather bad luck that I missed 

 a " place " in the Grand Prix du Casino that was 

 decided a few weeks before. There was a bit of a 

 wrangle over the ninth bird by Baron de Lossy. (He 

 is dead now, God bless him !) He called me down for 

 crying " No bird." But I was quite right and Lord 

 Savile came to my rescue by declaring : " Wliatever is 

 said he'll have another bird at all events." All this 

 trouble, which was quite unjustifiable, as very many 

 who shot in the event can testify to-day, made me 

 very nervous, for before it occurred I had absolute 

 confidence in myself and was shooting in great form. 

 "Wlien I had my tenth bird it was not unnatural that I 

 was a bit shaky but I just dragged it down. There 

 were very few left in and I killed the eleventh bird in 

 clean style. Then came the twelfth. I had recovered 

 my nerve by this time and was almost certain that I 

 had notched another point, but it just fell on to the 



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