TOD SLOAN 



simultaneous ; you would see one puff follow the other 

 in a flash and would hardly realise what space of a 

 second there was between the first and second. Yet 

 there were two separate aims calculated in a way that 

 would have made him a prize gunner on any warship. 

 He was an impressive figure and my recollection of him 

 is as fresh to-day as it was then. 



Mention of Prince Poniatowski reminds me that his 

 son in California showed me the greatest kindness 

 when I was out there in January 1901. There was a 

 lot of talk to the effect that I hadn't yet got back my 

 licence in England, but he paid little attention to it : 

 " I am president of the Ingleside track and Sloan can 

 ride here— that's all." And I did, but I did not ride 

 at Oaklands, also in California, that season nor after- 

 wards. 



I have mentioned in an earlier chapter that Butiaio 

 Bill had spoken to me when I was a little child. I 

 met him very frequently in after years and he would 

 always encourage any ambition of mine in the way of 

 shooting, recommending me to take up trick shooting. 

 But to me there never seemed any money in that kind 

 of work, at all events at my age. Colonel Cody can be 

 ranked as one of the greatest trick shots who ever lived. 

 I never met nor saw the great Captain Bogardus, who 

 was remarkable in his time, and there were plenty of 

 others I did not come across either. A lot of men 

 have sprung up in the pigeon - shooting world who 

 were in reality professionals, boosters for powder 

 companies who paid all their expenses. There was no 

 status of the amateur about them. But shooting has 

 been a semi-profession with so many that it is not 

 advisable to go too deeply into the matter. I do not 

 want to offend anyone. 



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