Men of Muscle, and the Highland Games of Scotland, etc.

68 MEN OF MUSCLE. during the summer months. Those ladies and gr'1tlemen were so much amused by the keenness of M'Lean and his companions in their sport, that they repeatedly gave prizes for competitions among the lads, amounting from a few coppers to a gold piece. It was seldom indeed that young M'Lean did not carry off the cash. From those little be– ginnings sprang the desire to become a professional athlete. As the lad waxed stronger, putting the stone-an exercise dear to the heart of every Highlander-came as a matter of course, and at this branch M'Lean soon discovered that he he could surpass his contemporaries easier than at any other. Passing over his early victories in the confined competi– tions, we next find him at t~e Inverness gathering in 1893, when he won a place in the professional putting competition. Next year, at Fort-\Villiam, M'Lean reached the goal of hi. ambition by defeating all comers, Owen Duffy and G. H. Johnston being second and third respectively. There is a thorn in every rose, however, and although M'Lean had d,.Jeated Duffy, the greatest putter at that time, by 18 inches, the missile used was a stone, and Charlie well knew that I >uffy's favourite was an iron ball. At Edinburgh next year {'Lean met Duffy again with the latter's best bower 1 the lnll, and M'Lean lost, on the tape as it were, the distances being 41ft. 6in. by Duffy, and 41ft. 5in. by M'Lean. Two weeks later, at Lanark, M'Lean was rather late in arriving at the games. the first round being past ere he appeared. He was allowed to compete, and just managed to tie with Duffy's best throw, 34ft. Sin., this was the heavy ball of course. I nstcad of dividing first and second prizes the men agreed to "putt" off the tie, when M'Lean made 37ft. 5in., and Duffy 35ft. 3in. In fairness to the latter, it must O·.:! stated that at this time he was beginning to enter what Jacques in "As You Like It" would term the fifth age. Duffy's youth was long past as also the time-if there ever