SALAS VISIT TO MONTE CARLO.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1265, 28 May 1896, Page 10

SALAS VISIT TO MONTE CARLO.

When G. A. Sala was a young man he made a determined attempt to break the bank at the Homburg gaming casino. Mr Howard Paul, in his book, “Dinners with Celebrities," writes On a certain memorable occasion at the Globe Restaurant it was good fun when the dinner was over, the cigars lit, and the port and claret circulating, to hear Mr Sala tell of how after receiving £IOO for his book, “ A. Journey Due North," that he and two friends, Yizetelly and May hew, started off to Homburg, with the hope of breaking the bank. Yizetelly, it seems, had discovered an “ infallible system," and the three put down £SO apiece and bound themselves by a solemn covenant not to play any other. The bank was to be broke by the folk wing simple means : If a colour gained twice the punters were to bet against it, doubling their stakes if they lost, and continuing to double the stakes till they won. It need scarcely be said that the expedition was an utter fiasco from a financial point of view. “ We did not," said Sala laughingly, “ break the bank, but, au contraire, the bank broke us, not swiftly, but with playful procrastination, afier the manner of Madame Puss when she toys with the mouse before killing it. For a week we adhered inflexibly to our infallible system, and won about £<oo. Then the luck changed, wo were unable to continue the reduplication of our stakes, and in the course of one night we lost £SOO. “By mutual consent," continued Mr Sals, “ we let the infallible system slide, and each of us played according to our fancy. Mayhew devoted himself to playing on‘the black,’ and the douzes demiers. Yizetelly toiled from the hour of the gambling-room, II a.m., up to dinner time, 0 p.m.—skipping his lunch at the tronte et quarante table, and I stuck to roulette, backing the numbers 35, 30, and zero. Wo bad varied fortunes, some nights wo dreamed of hatsful of gold, on other nights we borrowed from each ocher, and in about ten days we hadn’t a penny among the threo of us. From our first arrival Vizalelly, a cautious creature, said it would bo prudent to pay our hotel bill every morning, so that all we had to do when our funds were exhausted was to get a cheque for £25 cashed to pay our travelling expenses homo. Vizetelly, who had a bank account in London, stumped up, and back we came to England with a mighty poor opinion of ‘ infallible systems. The bank was to much for us."

Mr Sala, as all the world knows, was a persistent globe-trotter, and he confessed to an affection for Monte Carlo, as not only being a delightful spot, picturesque, and joyous, but because one is able there to come at close range with many odd types of humanity of varied nationalities. The old harridans who surrounded the gaming-table 3 especially amused Mr Sala. These old women adventuresses, when a number camo up, would make a grab for somebody elso’s money, and swear by all the gods it was their own stake. Many of these harpies turn dishonest pennies by this system of money-grabbing. As Mr Sala" remarked, “ it is quite a new industry." “I was one day," pursued the subject of this sketch, “ punting at Monte Carlo, and by my side was a tall, typtcal John Bull, as strong as a lion, and next to him stood a shrivelled, shabby Frenchwoman, and I was sure by her shifty eyes and thenferrety red rims that she was up .to some mischief. The Englishman stretched out his hand to receive two ‘ naps ’ for a successful coup, but beforo ho could reach them a greasy black kid glove darted forth and quick as lightning the coins •wore dropped into a mysterious bag. lie at once in a firm tone stated his rights, ■while the oil gabbler vociferated and swore away her little depraved soul, in staccato French. The croupiers endeavoured to judge between the rival claimants, and attempted to cut abort the •wraimle by proceeding with the game. Meanwhile the Englishman possessed himself of one of the croupier’s rakes, and rap pin" the old woman on the shoulder with'it" said, 4 L’lio hussy bagged it under iny veryiu.se!’ The grabber shrieked, a crowd collected, the p nverless croupier with a deprecatory shrug turned the wheel, stakes were placid on the table and play resumed. ‘ Thieving scoundrels, Prenez oh I ’ shunted .!< hn Bull m a voice that res. ui.ded like thunder through the room, and he. II mg a gold piece into the revolving cylinder. The croupier cried L> up mil ’ and the bad fell in No 10. A babel of voices arose, and a small dapper man, evidently an official, attempted to remonstrate with the aggressor. He gave him a wave ot Lhe arm, and the servant of the administration floated away as if he had been struck L a wave of the sea. The original offender, the grabber, continued to protest like a screech owl. hverybody chat, to ed out some sort of advice which no one beard distinctly in the confusion, and again the play was started, and again the fcuue Erudishman hurled into the cylinder a five f.anc piece. “Si vons no pouvez pas me payer!” be a united .1 U»l fermur la boutique.” I was struck with admiration at this bold advice to shut up shop,” and the excitement was at fever heat. Shouts of “ payez-le ro e on all sides, and with the fear of the big John Bull, whoso face was now purple with rage, a croupier thrust the money, rightfully his own, into the Englishman heavy hand. Now you can aller au diablo as quick as you please . ho said to Jjre seody old hag who had caused all thp

bother, and as ho left the table he remarked to a man he evidently knew, meanwhile mopping his brow that was perspiring copiously, “it does these fellows good now and then to assert one’s rights ! I’m not sure that these croupiers are not in league with the gambling grabbers—and my French ! Mille tonneres ! it’s the first time I’ve howled in that language since I left college, but I made them understand ! “ Yoila !’ and he strode out of the room with the conviction that he had achieved his rights, and that the power and independence of the English nation had been adequately recognised.”