1940-10-17 — Page 11

DONALD DUCK

TWO FEET SIK. INCHES HIGH;" AND FOUR INCHES WIDE!

STOCKS ANCIENT FORMOF PUNISHMENT

Wild Babes Berred.

Thursday,.

CITY MUSEUM

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

THERE. IT'S DONE! NOW BRINO:

HIM IN

October 17,19

By Walt Disney

[MAGAZINE

SCOTLAND'S STRANGE CASTES

We think

com-

with placency of the strange castes of India, of the odd and picturesque types of the Bal- kans or Spain, but now how many of us realise that Scot- land in her time has produced unusual coteries every whit as romantic and "by-ordinar"-- as witness the Clan Vic n'oster, "the Men of the Hide," "the Jockeys," the "Horsemen," and others whom I propose to drag from obscurity.

Indeed, I ນາ convinced that England, Ireland, and Wales com- bined could not reveni much a col- Jection of fantastic Tolk

thr

Scotland of a couple of centuries F aim omiling such лко and obvious "peculiars"

курят, tinklers, "professed pleasants," and their kin

6

11 is from Martine in his "De scription of the Western Islandia," that we catch our only glimpse of the Clan Vie n'ester, which even In his time, the early eighteenth century, had become almost ex- linct, only one of its members re- maining alive. They were to be found, he tells us, in the island of fona, and are said to have been porters,'

He derives their name from "Ostiorii," which in Latin means "Doorkeepers" or "Daorwards," zo that they may have been a sept ar family dedicated to the service of the portals of the Abby and monastery in the sacred isle. He adds that a tradition existed that St. Columba, the apostle of the Western Isles, because of some misdemeanour committed by them, inid

"Clan," curse upon the dooming them to dwindle to the number of five individuals and to reman for ever at that number.

The legend added that whenever a child was born to any of the five the whole, quintet lay under the fear of speedy extinction. "I found one only of this tribe living in this lic," says Martine,. "and both he and the natives of this and of all the Western Isles unanimously de- clare that this observation never failed; and all this Httle family is how extinct except this one poor man."

Satan in Sutherland.

"The Men of the Bide" were seemingly more numerous than the Clan Vic n'osler, they appear to have been equally elusive. Their country of origin was Sutherland and they appear to have composed the membership of a society with distinctly occuli, not to say Satanic leanings.

We are told that the Satanie majesty in person visited the shire

for the express purpose of recruli- ing them. As a travelling cloak, he wore the hide of a bull, with horus complete, and upon this skin.

on 14 parchment, he scribbled the hunter of bin adherents.

new

So numeroun were these that the entire surface of the bide was Alled with numes, 80 that the flend was compelled to jot several later entries upon the horns which served him as a heud-dress.

During his stay in Sutherland, he was encountered by the Laird of Coluchy, who found him " nice-spoken gentleman.

From this tradition the men of Melneas and district came to be known as Fir-no-Sioch, "the Men of the Hide," a soft Impeachment they were wont to resent by Astt- <st

flourished in the Highlands. The most famous of them were the gifted Mac Crimmon family, at- tached to the Macleods of Dun- vegan, and the only less celebrated MacArthurs, the hereditary pipers of the MacDonalds, The Mac Crimmons ind their headquarters nt n musical "college" in tho tenement of Boreraig, near Dunye- gan, which they held rent-free, while the MacArthurs their craft at Peingown.

pursued

The rivalry between these two 1:lbroch societies was intense, and tradition had it that either side was supported and encouraged by Iniry patrons, who were believed with enchanted to supply them reeda and even on ovenston with bagpipes.

too,

Sometimes the fairies quarrelled antung themselves about the re- spective merits of their proteges. Some of the Macphersons, received similar gifts from the elves, particularly that performet who was presentest with the black chumter of Clan Chattan by his fairy sweetheart, in the same way young John Mac Crimmon re-

There whit have Bone acquaint- ee with Higblood folklore will casily

the recognise in

"well- spoken" gentleman of the bulihkie no dreadful Satanic figure, bul hate and solitary priest of Father it the #reicht Celile rite of the toighntem, in which the seer or prophet laid himself down beside

ceived bull's

A silver chanter from n waterfall wrapped in a

fairy damsel at Boreralg in return hide to receive enlightenment from

for his inspired playing. the genius or presiding spirit of the solitary place concerning events to come, a proceeding described hy Sir Walter Scott in the notes to- his "Lady of the Lake."

The Beggarly Jockies

And who were the "Jockeys"? Well, they had no connection what- ever with the stable, if they may in sotne KOTL be assocluted with Pegasus. Fur they were a wonder- ing custo of Scottish poets T balind-inskers who appear to have survived until

the the end of seventeenth century.

in entertaining book, "The State of the Sce of St. Andrews," written in 1603. George Martine ктун

of them: To our fathers' time and ours something remained and still does of this ancient order. And they are called by others und by themselves jockies, who go about begging, and use still to re- elte the sluggornes of most of the true ancient surnames of Scotiand from old experience and observa-

Sonie tion.

of them have dis coursed, and found to have reason and discretion. One of them told me that there were not now twelve of them in the whole isle; but he remembered when they abounded, so na at one time he was one of five that usuallle met at St. An- drews."

John Colvil, a Scots minister, who died in 1607, and who is re- membered by his apostasy, from Presbyterianism. remarks in his Latin funeral oration on the death of Queen Elizabeth: "When I was a boy I heard the beggarly jockics recite certain mely verses as- cribed to Thomas the Rhymer, a reputed prophet."

*

Pipers and Fairies

More Interesting are the several piper

castes

which formerly

Hollywood Has

EORGE Zucco, the Man-

Grchester-born character-

actor, recently insured himself against losing his English ac- cent.

This was one of the unusual policies, handled by the Landl- Kennel Company, Lloyd's repre- sentatives In Hollywood. They have handled many more, some of them, so unusual that they had to cable. to London for instructions.

Gréta Nissen the Norwegian star, has insured her back against - Injury mildly from sunburn.

That was an interesting chse," said Mr. Kennel. "We had to rot. nphysician to describe her back. for the purpose of the policy."

Then there was Patricia Morison. The Paramount studios wanted to advertise the fact that sho' was appearing in "Untamed

The Insurance

applied for what they called "love insurance.

*

It

This made a newspaper Rem. also made à lot of work for the. underwriters, but finally they pro- duced a policy which filled the

bill,

This promised to pay Miss Morison £250 a week, up to £8,500, should she be prevent- od from pursuing ber profession owing to matrimonial entangle. ments. The studio, paid tire premium for a short time, but MI--Morison wants the insur ance is continue it will cost her another £750.

We have not had to pay a single loss on any of this business," Mr. Lundi aald.Most of it would. scom to bo, written chiefly for publicity purposes... While we don't » apek that the premiums so far an untamed woman might conceiv-have been not prost, and we can- ably and Husband So they not couphin about that. l'exi

It occurred to, studio oficials.that

Weird Horsemen

"The Horsemen! The Hutsemen's Society How the far North stil rings with the tradition of that name. Even to-day Its mysteries are said to continue, and by many a form freside in the long winter evenings strange tales of this weird brotherhood are recounted.

Well do I remember from boy- hood days how deeply impressed by its glamour were our Rongy muldservants from the North and how "sweer" they were to speak of li.

There was a "Horseman's word." the knowledge of which conferred strange powers, but to reveal t would

entoil assuredly

const- quences the most terrible.

am

After much burrowing, I given to belleve that the Horse- man's Society was a secret brother- hood of furm servants of the ploughman class who, after finish- ing their apprenticeship, were duly Initiated into it to the accompani ment of strange rites, including telek-riding on horseback, and a good deal of what inight appro- priately be called "horse-play,"

About forty years ago a farm servant sued another In the Sherif Court at Aberdeen for the return of a pound note, which he had paid him to reveal "the horseman's word." The canny Aberdonian had pocketed the note, but refused to divulge the mystic term.

I could tell you of queer folk in the remote covers of the Western Isles, of a type utterly foreign to the inhabitants, whose business. was to gather wheils, of hereditary welts and guardians of sacred stones who still held office not many decades ago, of scere and the Inst sud ministers of decaying trades.

Strangest

Policies

Nelson Eddy, Metro-Goldwyn's baritone star, recently applied for insurance against losing his voice, and also against, any disfigurement of his face. This application, of course, is in the more serious class.

"It's like an accident policy, in which a mechanic gets £5,000 ir he loses his hands," Mr. Landi ex- plained. "He makes his living with thein. Mr. Eddy makes his with his voice and face.

...!!We'd pay, 'up if his razor. slipped one morning and made, it. Impossible for him to work before the cameras. Even if ho rota boll which laid him off A we'd par "ATRON

The mala

ala business of the agency is cast insurance, whereby a pro-” ducer insures against loss because. of lines among his betorn during the production of a

PAGE

ARMY

GOES

SALVAGING

SALVAGE at home is a thing of vital import-

ance and has at last come into its own. Botter late than never--and after all it was late in 1917, or perhaps carly in 1918, that the value of salvage on the battlefields at least was suf- ficiently realised for the Army Authorities to appoint salvage parties to go round the shell- torn torrain in France and Belgium, and so save thousands of pounds and much vital material.

These salvage parties were mostly composed of C 3.men, fellows who had been wounded or who had become unfit for the continuous strain of the

line. 1 front

have vivid memories of one day spent with such a party, having volunteered to take charge during the temporary absence of their own N.C.O.

A "Miracle"

It

in waa

Norther France, about the St Leger district, and my party rattled up in an Army lorry that sounded as if its best daya were gone and forgotten. Sn much so that, as they jumped down, Downy Pedlar, the White-

sold to chapel humorist, driver:--

the

the

she

"W'en we gils back to-night, cle cock, remind me, will yer, to put

bus the

top On salvage. If someone don't, will fest gradually Ade away-like a blinkin' ghoust, Sye cally," as another idea got hold of him "she

ruddy ain't a

ghoust naow, is she?"

MacPherson removed a disreput- able clay pipe from his mouth." "Dinna be duft, Downy," he said. "She's nuc ghost tae bring us ten inile. She's a bloomin' miracle."

The driver got down, spluttering with wrath. "Now look ere," he cried. "I'm jest about fed up with yer remawks, see? May a blinkin' bomb go off at the art ammunl. tion dump you find. Slong."

"Slong, BID," they called after him cheerfully, "n" may a wheel come off an' ditch yer five miles from 'ome."

All fashionable compliments be- ing thus disposed of, they imme- diately got busy at their job of work, spreading out so as to cover as much ground as possible.

The Burial Party

And what a day it was. Jerry's long-range guns were for ever, at most unexpected moments, search- ing the ground won from them two days back, and twenty, times we had to take shelter in 'shell holes.

men

Ono incident that the thought an excellent Joke, was when a burial party, searching the ground for the bodies of our own. men first of all, and shcitering-in a large shell-hole, were themselves buried by the explosion of a big shell,

preserved, a are colls of wire, waterproof sheets and many other valuable articles, All are duly collected and carried to a general duing beside the "dry-weather trock," as the near-by notice nd- vises.

Fokker "Eggs"

"Blind Bart," who wears large round spectacles, because, as Dusty Miller pays, "He can't believe his own eyes," and who le making painful way towards the dump, carrying a dozen blankels whlet obscure his poor sight further, and

attempt to trip him at every alternate step, suddenly disappears Into a shell-hole filled with a filthy Teen water. When he emerges,

to the accompaniment of loud do- mands for an encore from his un- feeling mates, he is dyed a

rich

дресп.

"Dyed for is bleedin' country!" exclaims Downy Pedlar, protend- ing to weep

A couple of Fokkers fly overhead and throw down ht us about a dozen small "egg-bomba"--tile things of the shape and size of duck eggs. Vicious little brutes they are, too, and intended to entch the fellown who throw themselves on the ground, for they. burst straight along that level.

Dusty Miller catches a splinter along the cheek, and his remarks are something to endeavour to for- get. MacPherson adds to his fury by suggesting that the scor really an improvement.

A Great Job

L

We, scrounge tea from an A.S.C. dump, and sit down to a lunch of bully-beef sandwiches and scalding lea, have

a smoke, and aro back, at the job in an hour.

Lurking and chaffing like

of schoolbors, ducking nically from shell and bomb, steadily increasing the dump by the roadside.. the same

Then

old bus.comes rattling along, the driver grinning a friendly, welcome, which cha to a scowl as the salvage party begin chunting:

"It's the ghost of John Jarnes

Christopher Benjamin Binns, Comes here buttering, clattering, Just like some rusty ole tins, An' the thing we want to know, is, will it last for an hour or so. Wethinic to

it should salvage Poor old Benjamin Binns

hould go... They are aboard, waving and shouting, "So-long, sarge"

пла

go clattering down the dry-wea- ther track" towards camp and dinner.

A great crowd! A great Job, salvagef

J, C. Graham.

Our salvage party rushed into Vichy Breaks With

the open and begon digging frenziedly, well knowing that, it any were left alive, every split second counted. To our joy we were able to rescue the whole bunch of Ave men.

Then the ragging began with Downy asking, "Wot's the best thing to do wiv a burial pawty, boya?" and the immediate answer, "Bury the blighters."

Holland

German Pressure

The Press service of the Dutch Government in London announces that their diplomatic relations with the Petain Government, will by` sus- pended. The Petain Government in formed the Dutch"Minister at Vichy that they felt themselves compelled to take steps to this effect,

and

Tho resurrected burial party goes off muttering to itself, and Our party resumes is scavenging, And what a rich field io work in Lack of material; there is none, rather are, we embarrmed with the wealth strewn broadcart. The trail of war is blazed in potential wealth of all kinds acting only under strong pressure

Shrapnel helmets, blood-stained tunics, tas-masks, shells, bombs, rics equipment; German hide covered packs, wire bayonets, boots shell cases and blankets. Huts are taken down and the wood, and the corrugated Iron carefully

In authoritative Dutch circles: the French decision has been, received with regret, Belations with France had remained courteous and friendly. it after the armiatics of June 15, and I felt that the Retain Government is

from Germany, which cannot tolerate the presence of Dutch Legation at Vichy enjoying the usual diplomatic privileges, including the freedom of Informing their Government by con- dental means of the situation in France

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