Show fc 4 MUST confess that of all the picturesque figures it has been my happy lot to meet during the course of my 12 years of world wan dering none stands so prominently in my decol sections as maj C J ross member of the british army and companion of the distinguished order and now an assistant game warden in british east africa I 1 first saw the major in south at alca and I 1 got to know him as few other men know him while we were both serving the british east african government this friendship between us Is one for my own part which years can not lessen what a history the man has back of his forty odd years what a name he has won tor himself on the field of battle and in police duties I 1 it seems almost impossible to tell all he has seen accomplished and endured perhaps one day come one will venture to record in book form the many deeds of daring this frail looking aus has to bis credit it would be a mighty task but the result should be worthy of the effort for I 1 know of no man who has more material to draw upon vivid true to alfe happen ings in a varied career of excitement ross was bom in australia way back in the seventies or may be the sixties emigrating to america when still a boy he held first one post and then another until finally he drifted to canada and enlisted in the world famous canadian mounted police sometimes it you can get him into a talkative mood h will tell you of riding many miles to capture dangerous criminals single handed ross tells with a smile that he was never known to fall on one of these hazardous un if you look at his face you can understand why this Is so it is not easy to get him to talk but fortunately his record is so well known that it Is not a difficult matter to gather material on his life I 1 remember one day when we went in camp together in east africa keeping law and order in a new dla mond field rush which turned out a fizzle ross began to talk after din ner of some of his adventures with the gun men and illicit liquor men in the northwest of canada he told us of one day capturing a band of four bandits who were noto rious for the number of men they had killed ROBS was sent out with a trooper to capture them alive it pos elble ye godal think of it two men to capture the tour worst men in canada 1 the two men rode across the plains for several days until they finally came upon the camp of the bandits we got cm ended ross being pressed tor further particulars be reluctantly told us a few details of the capture our arrival was a surprise he continued I 1 walked into their camp accompanied by my trooper neither of us had drawn a gun bandits or no bandits they all know they cant tool the N W M police one darn ed tool drew a gun but im mighty quick with my pea shooter and winged him the others submitted and we brought cm back to the chief it was cure some soft snap that the poor fellow I 1 had shot was buried where he tell by his comrades they like doing it but six shooter covering you makes a man do what hes ordered leastwise it always has in my experiences it Is only by looking into his eyes and catching the lines of his mouth hidden partially by aa sheavy mus tache that one can read that behind this hardened exterior lurks a heart full of kindness tor a comrade in als tress strange to relate he Is a pow er with women all women like him and he himself loves the society of the gentler aex in the summer of 1910 ross was happily married in lon don and has taken his wife back to east africa with him many a fair ladys heart will be jealous of the woman who has become mrs ross one day when riding together across the aahl plains ross told me that he bad spent some years in utah I 1 asked him if he was a mormon sure thing young feller I 1 m a bishop in the church he laughed and the merry twinkle in his eye warned me that a little coaxing might bring out a good story and presently he told me about his stay in salt lake city I 1 gotten run out of there I 1 mis remember what for the mormon re llalon is sure some fine thing all your wives eave up all the yeller leg ged chickens to try and coax you to favor them I 1 don t believe in no suf fragette mormon ladles for mine say I 1 guess you better join that out fit all you gotta do Is to stand up one day in the tabernacle and an bounce that youve had a revelation for sister jane and she becomes a number five or whatever number is next vacant in your catalogue I 1 sure bad some mighty fine revelations in salt lake city say young feller I 1 II 11 appoint you a deacon in the church but somehow I 1 I 1 was being joshed foe the twinkle in ROBS eyes belled his words dut ever after he called me deacon I 1 often wonder whether be told his bride about his mormon proclivities I 1 rather fancy he would tor he was not a man to hide a joke nor to hide a truth after leaving the northwest mounted police ross came back to the states and enlisted after ing for bome indian campaign he also fought through the red river war his career was varied to a marked degree until the south aart can war broke out ROBS joined the canadian mounted rifles and went out to south africa with them as a trooper he saw con sid erable service with them but event bally got into trouble through an ex cealie fondness for looting he was dropped from the force and im mediately went to pretoria and joined another irregular corps as a lieuten ant his wonderful scouting and daring earned for him the notice of lord kitchener As result of an interview with the great british gen oral ross was empowered to raise an irregular corps of cavalry he call ed the canadian mounted scouts so was born a little corps which wrote its name big in the annals of the greatest war of modern times ross gathered together a number of kindred spirits and soon had a reg ament of scouts which would be hard to equal let alone beat they were all men who had traveled the world in search of adventure men who faced death dally with unflinching eyes and who knew no hardship too difficult to endure or overcome with such ma aerial Is it to be wondered at that the canadian mounted scouts were soon heard of they fought in every part of the transvaal orange river colony and cape colony the boers trembled at the mere mention of the name of ross it would take a book to write the history of their deeds of marvel ous daring they used no kid gloves in their warfare either perhaps the most famous episode in their adventurous exploits was the shooting of 15 boer prisoners whom they had captured when wearing the british uniform this act was against all usages of modern warfare and in defiance 0 the acts of the hague and geneva the boers were liable for their breach of law to be tried by drumhead court martial with death as the penalty it found guilty ross is a man of quick action he had caught toe men in the act of crime and wearing the uniforms that was enough he dispensed with the drumhead court martial and sentenced them to death by shooting he selected three of his most trusted tol lowers to assist him in the execution of the boers then he sent in the remainder of his regiment warning them to take no notice of any shooting they might hear in abe course of the next few minutes he waited until they were out of sight and then turned to the cowering boers I 1 wish that I 1 could reproduce the story of the subsequent events with the vivid detail and quaint agy ogy used by ross when telling me the story he speaks with a drawl and pronounced american accent say you gol burned dogs ross said to them I 1 ve caught you with the goods on you and you got to ante up give you just five minutes to make your peace with your creator and then III pass you out I 1 guess abe good god won t listen to such vermin as you but im game to let you try your hand at it step lively now with them petitions to your good maker with a revolver in each hand and his three men covering the 16 prison era with their guns rosa counted out the minutes the boers had not yet realized that he was in earnest and stood watching him anxiously one more minute and out you get ross snapped at them as he finished counting ott four minutes he stepped toward the first man and held his revolver at the man s head the boer cowered back and began to beg tor mercy cut out that woman business I 1 commanded ross 1 guess the good god wont listen to you and it he wont you cant expect me to time up heres where you go to see your god it he 11 see you which I 1 doubts bang went the revolver and the man sank dead at the majors feet one atter the other he cent them on their way into the great unknown the work completed ross and his men mounted their horses and rode at a gallop atter their regiment the story leaked out and ross was sent tor by lord kitchener at pretoria no record of this meeting Is obtainable and ross will not speak if it at least bis offense did not interfere later on with ROBS being appointed a companion of the als service order which ranks next to the victoria cross another story told about major ross which I 1 happen to know to be true in every 1 that when rid ing imp to one hornli from an ex a bo r r his little column was mistaken for a party of boers by a british garrison artillery battery ot 4 7 guns in on ot the bills guarding the capital the shells fell wide and this tact irritated ross he left the column in charge ot hi second in command and rode at a gallop toward the hill from which the battery was firing oblivious to shot and shell ross rode right to the sum alt of the hill luckily arriving un swathed scathed who s the gol burned tool in corn mand of this outfit he shouted to the astonished gunners A young artillery lieutenant came forward and saluted the major the senior eyed the younger man sternly that the best practice you and your tools can make be inquired with deep disgust report you for bad shooting when I 1 get into pretoria maybe the general will let you hear from him I 1 guess you had bet ter go back to school young man for your education has been badly neglected ross wheeled his horse and clat down the bill again to rejoin his command for many a long day the lieutenant will suffer from the gibes of his brother officers and the men of the battery will probably never recover their self respect ross came out of the boer war with a remarkable record behind him and with the undying admiration and friendship of lord kitchener and oth er generals his is a name to con jure with the boers feared him to a marked degree eo much so that when large parties of them came up to east africa to settle after the war and learned that ross was an official they told the governor that they were afraid to settle in the same country with ross but they have learned that the major in war and the major in peace are two entirely differ ent people the east african doers have long lost all fear of him and now look upon him as their friend and brother I 1 think I 1 am correct in saying that major ross Is the only naturalized american who Is a retired major of the british army a companion of the coveted distinguished service order and an acting official of the british colonial government service this alone proves in what high esteem be Is held by the british government after the boer war was over ross fought for a time in the Somal lland war of as an officer with the boer contingent of mounted infantry then he came up to east at alca and went on a trading and elephant hunting trip into german east africa his life there Is somewhat shrouded in mystery all I 1 have ever been able to ascertain about it Is that he shot a large number of elephants secured a grant of land and set up a trading store at one of the german stations bakola I 1 believe on the victoria lake however he managed to fall afoul of the german authorities and he was expelled from the territory and his land confiscated by all accounts hovas very harshly and undeservedly edly used when his royal high ness the duke of connaught was vis east africa in 1906 major ross came to meet him at on the victoria lake by the dukes special request they had a long talk and the duke promised to take up bis case against tho german colony on bis return to london shortly afterward as a result of this meeting major rosa was appoint ed assistant game warden of the east african protectorate no more fit ting work could have been found for him and he has earned a great name tor his rigid enforcement of the game protection laws woe betide the man who la bold enough to break the game regulations for he wll have to an abter to major ross and the courts of justice as sure as his name Is what it Is day after day ross rides the plains and game reserves in search of law breakers he thinks nothing of cover ing 60 miles a day he carries his food and blankets on his saddle and sleeps under a tree in a native hut or it lucky at a farmhouse he cares nothing tor tbt danger of attack from prowling beasts of the jungle or tui bulent natives or from the hardships of exposure he spells duty with a very big capital D on one occasion the story goes that he rodo by moonlight from fort hall in the benka kenka district to a distance of 61 miles when about halt way he was held up on the plains by three lions rose says that be had much difficulty in keeping his donys head on to the lions but eventually the lions tired of stalking him and turned their attentions to some zebra which rosa could hear near by it gasn wasn t a very pleasant experience but ROSS laughs at it he calls the three lions in question gol darned pesky curious critters at bis house in nairobi he kept for a long time a tame lion much to the terror of itinerant natives he saya that it was the best watch dog he ever owned and claims that when all the other bungalows in his vicinity were adored by burglars his house escaped which Is not at p all surprising under the circum stances I 1 think that few men have had more interesting and exciting experiences with big game than major ROBS yet he will not talk nebout them for ha Is very modest man totally unaware of his own sterling qualities his work carries him continually among the denizens of forest and plain and few men know the habits and traits of the wild game in natures zoo better than ROBS I 1 feel rather like telling tales out of school by narrating the following little story of roas it Is so typical ot the great big boyish heart ot tha man that I 1 can not retrain from tell ing it it BO happened that ross ered with three other americans in nairobi to celebrate independence day they had a tory lively dinner and afterward proceeded to loose off steam by firing off a number of crackers and rockets ot this tamo pastime they started in to turn nal into a wild west town by shooting out the street lamps from tha veranda of the hotel this sport soon palled and they went tor a walk down town with the object of seeking nw fields of enjoyment they happened to pass the bank and saw the window open and a parade clerk working at a ledger under a light the temptation was too strong tor ross and his three american compan ions they lit borne crackers and threw them into the bank building through the open window the clerk mistook them tor bombs and rushed out shouting murders the negro constable on the beat below blew his whistle tor help and the barracks being close at hand soon bad some 20 dusky policemen respond to the alarm call in the general mix up and to avoid arrest tor their prank ross and his companions roughly ban died the policemen and put them to flight I 1 happened to be in command of tha police at nairobi and soon came upon the scene in answer to a telephone call I 1 arrested the four practical jokers for disturbing the peace and resisting a police officer in the execution of his duty they were all released on ball and subsequently ethod their trial before the session judge and a white jury the jury in the face of the weight ot evidence brought in a verdict ol 01 not guilty and all were acquitted KOSS made an ample apology to 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