The sun., 1903-06-21
I .hins. .pp..l. ,rresistibly to tho British

things appeals irresistibly to the British
temperament.
sEe is unique" said high official Of the
| British Guiana Government. there's only
one MacTurk, thank goodness! Life would
be too strenuous II there werc many like
him. But such as he 10, we would not be
without him for worlds"
Once work is not oongenial TO this enter
prising man. He does not care to stay At
home at the head station OF his district
writing dispatches, collecting taxes, and
tying all the odds and ends of red tape that
fall to the lot OF District Commissioner.
After a week or two Of that business he
takes his rife and knapsaok and walks on
into the Jungle, leaving the district to be
run by an assistant. Nobody knows for
weeks, perhaps, where he-has gone; but he
always comes back with something interest
ing to report. He has found new rubber
forest or a new diamond field, climbed a
hitherto unexplored mountain or enjoyed
another brush with the Brazilians.
Any other official who left his work in
that casual manner would find his services
dispensed with. but everybody recognizes
that Il IL absurd to try to tie MacTurk down
to an ONCE chair. .t.
kIS OOPS lOt WdlI IoI tuC AANioA' u"AS'
his rule to bring their quarrels to him TO
judge in the manner prescribed by law.
He goes into the forest or the native village.
sees things for himself, and decides them
on the spot His is rough -and-ready justice
like that Of an Eastern Cadi.
Sometimes he travels among the Indians
disguised as one Of themselves or AZ a
Venezuelan peon As lie speaks their
language perfectly and is good actor. he
Is never detected. And when. later on,
some of the Indians come before him in his
capacity Of magistrate he surprises them
by showing an intimate knowledge OF their
affairs and detecting their cleverly con-
structed periurles.
Why did you acquit that MANI MacTurk
was once asked. at the conclusion OF
trial for stealing a gun. "A dozen WIT
nesses swore that they saw him take the
gun. Your judgment was In direct con-
tradiction TO the evidence.
$50 1t was," said MacTurk. but then,
you see, / was sitting around camp fire
with. those dozen witnesses when they
concocted that evidence and rehearsed
one another in 1t until they were all word
perfect They did not know ME again.
but knew them"
MacTurk's last big exploit in the ,anne1a-
ton business happened about two years
ago. The authorities at Rio de Janeiro
we're alarmed by a report from the from
tier Of IAN armed invasion from British
Guiana"
On inquiry it appeared that the invading
force consisted Of Mr.. MacTurk. with a
shotgun and a servant. He claimed
large stretch Of Brazilian territory, adorned
1t with British flags. and sat down quietly
to await developments. ..'
The Brazilian Government despatched
soldiers TO arrest him and the Governor
of British Guiana sent peremptory COM
lnand to him to recross the border Mac
Turk did not hurry to obey the command.
He waited two or three weeks for the SOL
diers, intending to submit his claims for
mally to their colnmandante for transmis-
sion to Rio, and hoping to enjoy little
physical argument on the subject.
But those soldiers knew MacTurk. They
took care to make the slowest journey on
record, and whom they reached the dis
trict he had grown tired OF waiting for
them and had gone back to British Guiana.
He sent an Indian runner to tell them
where he was and invite them to come
and take him, but the commandante re-
piled with dignity that he could not dream
Of violating the British border.
MacTurk's physical strength 10 ss re-
markable as his political strenuousness.
He was travelling on a mail steamer once
from England to Barbados. and the
usual athletic sports were got up by the
officers.
What's the good OF edle-threading
competitions and egg-and-spoon races7"
asked MacTurk "They suit the women,
but we men ought to have something more
vigorous weight-lfting and that sort Of
thing
As the speaker was very small and very
thin man people naturally laughed. But
when they organized the strenuous con-
tests he desired, they soon found out their
mistake
MacTurk won everything. The brawn-
lest sailor aboard could not vie with him in
weight-lifting; nobody could stand the
grip Of his snewy right hand; and in boxing
and fencin1 he WAS unriyalled