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

1\IEN OF MUSCLE. by 15ft. with the hammer and 6ft. with the 56lb. weight. Nothing daunted, Johnston continued to practice ; but for the next three years he disappeared from the Scottish ath– letic arena. Although scarcely anyone knew at the time what had become of the promising young athlete, many are now acquainted with the fact that George accepted an engagement as a keeper in the Garaland Asylum, at Carlisle. This incident in Johnston's career did him much good as an athlete, as in Carlisle he had ample opportunity for the exercise and practice of Cumberland wrestling of which he was not slow to avail himself. Although paying much attention to wrestling, George never neglected to practise his own national sports, the hammer, ball, and caber, in all of which his fellow-keepers and the youth of the district generally could make but a sorry show. The caber proved a particularly ticklish object to the Sassenach, who generally stood and gaped with amazement when Johnston tossed it. The Newcastle Exhibition was held in 1887 and great Highland games were advertised to take place in the grounds. All the champions flocked to Newcastle, and among them came Davidson, from Aberdeen, and Johnston. Those two had never met since the summer of 1883 in far– off Aberdeenshire, when Davidson had defeated the lad by five yards, and very likely thought nothing more about it. Not so Johnston; he had continually longed for the time when he could reverse that throw, but the time had not yet come. True, at the exhibition he did defeat Davidson by two feet, but Johnston yearned for a more decisive victory than that. However, Johnston was now well satisfied of his ability to win prizes against all comers, and accordingly he now became a regular professional athlete and com– menced to follow the Highland gatherings, and has con– tinued to do so ever since. At Aboyne (1888) he defeated Davidson, and, in short, during the whole of the season,