Related article: away. ^
He reappeared next morning
directly the room was opened, and
pursued precisely the same plan. Buy Tadagra
For three days he made his
observations with the same elabo-
rate exactitude ; at the end he
staked as before on the " finials,"
but of a different number, 3,
which did not answer his expec-
tations ; he then tried 5, staking
on 5, 15, 25, and 35, with the
result that he won on "5," which
rewarded him by reapjiearing
three times.
It would be tedious to follow
De Soto day after day, to describe
all the game in detail, which
varied continually, but which he
caught as continually, and ever
turned to his own advantage.
His peculiar play, his patience,
his impassive demeanour, the
restraint he put upon himself
never to tempt his luck too far,
above all that luck, so unvarying,
so phenomenally in his favour,
attracted general attention. It
drew the head of the establish-
ment, M. Blanc himself, to watch
his proceedings a little anxiously
perhaps, although he gave no
sign. De Soto*s winnings were
making serious inroads into the
bank, and although the old painn
knew that the game was full of
vicissitudes, and the balance of
chances must be on his side in the
long nm, he felt that he might be
sorely pressed ; might have to
draw upon his reserves before the
turn of the tide.
This seemed the more likely
when De Soto sought to change
the conditions of the game.
Under the existing rules the
maximum paid for a single c^f
was 6,000 francs (;^24o), or 35
times a single stake of 170 francs.
De Soto wished to increase Tadagra Prof the
single stake to 15,000 francs,
whereby the maximum would be
raised to 52,500 francs for the fall
win on a single number.
To this request M. Blanc at
first demurred; it might mean
very heavy outgoings if the man's
extraordinary luck continued.
But then, why should Tadagra Professional it continue?
All his experience, and it was
now of many years, went the
other way ; he had had to deal
1899]
THE CHANCES OF THE GAME.
355
with great runs before now, when
his bank, in agony, and on the
pK>int of breaking, had been
saved only at the last moment by
some marvellous change of luck.
His resources were considerable ;
over and above the cash in his
cofTers here at Monte Carlo, he
had credits in Paris and Vienna,
where one or two capitalists were
prepared to give secret support
in the generally profitable busi-
ness of gambling. But what
probably clinched the matter was
the argument Tadagra Softgel Capsule adduced by DeSoto
that the bank would benefit
indirectly whether it lost or won.
Such high play, so far above
anything that had happened as
yet in this little-known corner of
Europe, would be certainly talked
about everywhere. Judicious com-
mimiquis to the Press, giving full
particulars, would be readily
published throughout Europe,
and the advertisement must be
excellent. ** If 1 win,'* said De
Soto, ** you will have this
consolation, that all the world
will want to try their luck at
your tables, and you will soon
recoup yourself a hundred fold.
If I lose, well, you are on
velvet, and get your reclame
besides."
In the end M. Blanc consented,
seeing his advantage, as he
thought, in the greater adventure;
he would the sooner recoup him-
self, moreover, when the luck
changed, as it inevitably must,
unless every tradition of the game
were falsified.
Yet he was doomed to bitter
disappointment, for De Soto con-
tinued to win, piling up rapidly
colossal sums, as it was generally
said, although the sum total of
his winnings did not exceed a
million francs. But the strain
upon the bank in those early days
was tremendous, and twice it was
necessary to stop play until fresh
funds could be fetched from Nice,
and even beyond.
De Soto's prediction that these
great gambling transactions would
be bruited about the world was
speedily verified ; in every great
capital deep interest was shown in
the progress of the game. Numbers
of people were stirred by his
transcendent success to try their
chances too, and the affluence of
visitors to the Casino at Monte
Carlo became more and more
considerable. There was no more
complaint amongst the croupiers
of slack times and common-place
play. Crowds two or three deep
constantly surrounded every table ;
large sums were staked, and if the
outgoings on De Soto's account
had been costly, they were more
than compensated for by the in-
comings of his less successful
imitators.
In the middle of all this De
Soto disappeared, no one knew
exactly where, although it was
certain that he had gradually
transmitted his specie to Spain
through sure channels. But his
name remained as a treasured
memory where " De Soto's Sys-
tem " was often discussed, and of
the fortune he had achieved at the
expense of the bank.
Had it forgotten him ? forgiven
him ? who shall say ? De Soto
himself always maintained that
the Bank, the Administration of
the Compagnie des Bains des
Mers de Monaco, as it was now
called, had been at great pains to
lure him back to the tables, to
which undoubtedly he returned,
as we shall see.
Some halJ^ a dozen years later,
a visitor came to that rising
watering place, San Sebastian,
and enquired his way to the Villa
Buena Suerte. It stood high
upon the cliff on the side towards
Passages, a brand new white
fronted, coquettish-looking house,
356
BAILY S MAGAZINE.
[May
with a trim garden, and all the
aspects of a rich man's residence.
It was the home of Don Manoel
De Soto, who had built it for him-
self out of his winnings, and who
lived here respected and esteemed
by the whole country side, for he
was free Tadagra Soft handed, charitable, and a
good son of the Church. In his