There Were Two Days' Shooting, One Day's Stag Hunting, An
Expedition To Pierrefonds, And A Couple Of Days Spent In
Riding And Skating.
The shooting was very much after the
fashion of that already described at Prince Esterhazy's,
though of a much more Imperial character.
As in Hungary, the
game had been driven into coverts cut down to the height of
the waist, with paths thirty to forty yards apart, for the
guns.
The weather was cold, with snow on the ground, but it was a
beautifully sunny day. This was the party: the two
ambassadors, the Prince de la Moskowa, Persigny, Walewski -
Bonaparte's natural son, and the image of his father - the
Marquis de Toulongeon, Master of the Horse, and we three
Englishmen. We met punctually at eleven in the grand saloon.
Here the Emperor joined us, with his cigarette in his mouth,
shook hands with each, and bade us take our places in the
char-a-bancs. Four splendid Normandy greys, with postilions
in the picturesque old costume, glazed hats and huge jack-
boots, took us through the forest at full gallop, and in half
an hour we were at the covert side. The Emperor was very
cheery all the way. He cautioned me not to shoot back for
the beaters' sakes, and asked me how many guns I had brought.
'Two only? that's not enough, I will lend you some of mine.'
Arrived at our beat - 'Tire de Royallieu,' we found a
squadron of dismounted cavalry drawn up in line, ready to
commence operations. They were in stable dress, with canvas
trousers and spurs to their boots. Several officers were
galloping about giving orders, the whole being under the
command of a mounted chief in green uniform and cocked hat!
The place of each shooter had been settled by M. de
Toulongeon. I, being the only Nobody of the lot, was put on
the extreme outside. The Emperor was in the middle; and
although, as I noticed, he made some beautiful shots at
rocketers, he was engaged much of the time in talking to
ministers who walked behind, or beside, him.
Our servants were already in the places allotted to their
masters, and each of us had two keepers to carry spare guns
(the Emperor had not forgotten to send me two of his, which I
could not shoot with, and never used), and a sergeant with a
large card to prick off each head of game, not as it fell to
the gun, but only after it was picked up. This conscientious
scoring amused me greatly; for, as it chanced, my bag was a
heavy one, and the Emperor's marker sent constant messages to
mine to compare notes, and so arrange, as it transpired, to
keep His Majesty at the top of the score.
About half-past one we reached a clearing where DEJEUNER was
awaiting us. The scene presented was striking. Around a
tent in which every delicacy was spread out were numbers of
little charcoal fires, where a still greater number of cooks
in white caps and jackets were preparing dainty dishes; while
the Imperial footmen bustling about brightened the picture
with colour.
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