© the opposite shore. " Helisalehtly « nati ; and seei ng} er geou "eg those pioneers | f civil- 5 tie their. lives in- , penetrate savage. penton in 'the interests of com-, - mnerce, to cpr vey and open up. the land. ie These words, once uttered by the _ late Mr. Cecil Rhodes, are recalled | ~ by the es, ses ob: Caw! Wilfred Howell, Volunteer pert le who, in 1897, left England for the West. Coast of to make a survey for the | construction of a new railway, says so: 'Tit-Bits. ATTACKED BY "WAR-BOYS."' - Three months later he reached 'Sierra Leone, and found himself the Kwai people in the 7 aeigh rhood of Songo Town, which is about thirty miles up- country. At that time the Kwais were showing signs of rebellion, and long tos Fees Howell reached their territory he had been warn- not to enter. But, accompanied a few native boys and only one et eo man, he fearlessly proceeded with his survey. Night after night he was attacked by small bands of natives, or '""war-boys," but he still continued with his work, being anx- fous to finish it if possible wthout havng to apply for military assist- ance. 'One day, however, a native schoolmaster rushed wildly into Howell's camp and urged him to fly for his life. It appeared that | only a few hours previously five American missionaries had murdered at a village only ten miles distant, and the band of reb- els who had committed the out- rage were then hastening towards, Howell's camp. 'A PERILOUS POSITION. Hastily concealing underground | his theodolites and other instruments, the captain and his followers made their way across the River Ribbi and in due course! reached Waterloo, the second larg-| est town in the Colony, after warn-}| ing the people in Songo Town and Freetown of the outbreak. At Wat- erloo Captain Howell raised a body of eighty volunteers, and by means | ue' 4 ; b |} ment toward feminine emancipation | ef forced marches they quickly reached Songo Town; but no soon- er had they arrived there than au- thentic information was received to the effect that Mrs. Kane, wife of one of the missionaries, been massacred with the rest of the victims, as she was at first sup- posed to have been, but had es- caped from her assailants and fled into the bush. To rescue the un- fortunate lady from her perilous position at all costs was the deter- mination of the volunteers. Towards the end of a long and tiring march they sighted the glis- tening surface of the River Ribbi, and presently came alongside it at a point where its breadth exceeds lov yards and its depth 300 feet. Hardly had they arrived there when a rattle of rifles between 200- | yds, and 300 yds. beyond the posite bank, followed almost mediately by a whistling shower of bullets over their heads, warned them that the enemy had opened fire; and almost at the same mom- ent they discovered that all boats canoés; and rafts upon their side op- of the stream had been destroyed) or cut adrift. ATTACKED BY A CROCODILE. There was only one way in which the little band could be landed up- on the opposite bank in order that it might pursue and disperse the enemy, and ultimately rescue ' the unfortunate lady missionary, Some man must swim the treacherous riv- er--full of whirlpools and concealed | currents, and, worse than all, fair- ly swarming with erocodiles--and bring back at least one of the boats which could be seen moored along esting himself of all clothing, Cap- tain Howell sprang into the water and began to swim out into the "stream, The natives discovered the tac- tics and began to fire at the swim- mer, but fortunately they were bad marksmen, Slowly and_ steadily Captain Howe. swam, in spite of the bullets which kept dropping about him. He had covered fully two-thirds of the distance when his companions, who were watching} him through their glasses, were _ horrified to notice the slimy snout of a fully-grown crocodile travel- ling swiftly along the surface of the water barely five yards behind the swimmer. But Howell had seen _ the danger, and as the crocodile 2 beacon so he dived, _ BEATEN OFF. : 'deiae the crocodile returned to the attack, and the captain's com- panions "had given him up for lost - when they saw him emerge from the water and limb feebly up the ap- posite bank. It afterwards tran- spired that he had only managed to ia the Crocodile off after his teeth had cut deeply into his right thigh' only, just pepo, an aYdy, the Glamorgan | | been | valuable | had not, im- { Quickly div- | ft that no good was to be done by his remaining where he was, he once more faced the horrors of the riv- er by swimming slowly back, this time, fortunately, without being at- tacked. -- That night the entire expedition 'returned to Songo Town for rein- -forcements, and thither Howell and other wounded men were conveyed by bearers. At first it was feared that Howell's leg would have to come off, as in eight cases out often | the bite. of a crocodile brings on blood-poisoning, but in the end the operation was not performed. Mrs. Kane, the American missionary's wife, was never heard of again. Had it not been for Howell's prompt action in the first instance, however, every white man in_ his own camp, in Songo Town, in Wat- erloo, and most likely also in Free- town, would have been massacred, 'so sudden and so totally unexpect- ed was the prising. pe Mp octinclge a THE CHINESE GIRL. Revolt of the New Woman Against Compulsory Marriage. One of the most curious incidents of what E. von Rubstrat, Greuzbottn (Leipzig, Germany), calls the "modernizinz of China,"' is the revalt against enforced mar- riage, organized by an 'association which styles itself the Society . of Sisters. The young girls, its mem- bers, : | ese marriage." This law makes the girl the slave of her father before} marriage, the slave of her husband | after marria ow, the slave of her son at the house of her husband's par ents. They can force him to div- orce her, even though he loves her, tor to retain her at their bidding, even if she has incurred his hat- | red. If she has no children her ge, and SI he lives 'husband is permitted to take an-| other woman to his house, whose offspring the wife is expect- led to treat as her own. The result has been strike," says Louis Laloy "Grande Revue" (Paris), "9 marriage in the a move- spreading far and wide from Can- ton througuout the whole province of Kwang-tung. The course "Sisters" take, ed has been named, this writer thus recounts :-- "To refuse the husband with the severest penalty in the Chinese code. Ihe future self, but in three days after the wedding returns to the | home to adieu. From that home it is her resolve never again to depart. It is a sacred asylum from which it is not permitted even to the husband | himself to drag her away." Further particulars are furnish- i the "Sin Cheu Ki' ("The Age,'" Canton), an organ of the Re- formists :-- 'During the three days she spends under her husband's roof the 'Sister' neither eats nor drinks, and refuses to come near him. If ' she breaks this rule the other 'Sis- ters' expel her from their associa- tion and never again pronounce her name. Some escape from their dis- grace by suicide."' These young women are many of them well educated in the new schools of China or are, at any rate skilful enough to earn their own living "They work in silk, and many of them earn more than is sufficient for their wants. This en- ables them to live apart from their husbands. Sometimes they even lend him a helping hand so that he may set up another household, This is the very pity of contempt." Lib- erty is what they crave--liberty from the tyranny of the man--we are told, and their action is one of the most hopeful signs of reform in China. poms aeons, eastern es THE FLYING CRAZE. "Where's Harry?" inquired the 'visitor of the youngest member of the Bronson household. "Tn the attic upstairs building an aeroplane." "Where's Fred?' "In the cellar, making a bi- plane." 'Where's Albert?' "In the dining-room designing a monoplane."' "Where's Willie?' ea the garden testing his fiying- cycle." "Where's your father?' "In bed. His airship went wrong last night when he was flying it!" i "The things we don't have to do always look the easiest. in the} ; ene Employed in the: Mines Are Not Treated as Bad as Reported. The ae oe we have read of Sib- eria--of long lines of prisoners chained together, and marching wearily along for about eighteen months at a "stretch; the dying goaded on by Cossack whips, and the dead left where they fell in the snow; and then years of cruelty and incessant toil in the mines-- have left an impression far from pleasant in the minds of freedom- loving Englishmen. But this is not the Siberia of to- day, according to Mr. 8. Turner, whose book on Siberia shows us that country as oné of the limitless possibilities, being gradually set- tled, much as Canada is being set- tled, and promising as fair a fut- ure, perhaps, as Canada itself, bao: London Answers. CORRECTED PREJUDICES. Mr. Turner, as a member of a leading firm of provision importers, went to Siberia on business, but he found time to correct many of the prejudices he had previously held in common with other people in Britain, and to do some exploration and mount aineering at the same time. This is what he has to say about convict labor in the mines: | It is generally believed in Eng- land that the criminals thus em- ployed in the mimes are treated with barbarous cruelty ; are, in fact, frequently compelled bind themselves to refuse sub- | mission to "the harsh laws of Chin-| if left a wid- | « the | when their intend- | their | parents choose would be to rise in| rebellion against paternal author- | ity, a crime which is punishable| bride, | therefore, pretends to submit her- | parental | take the customary final | ed by a Chinese writer who says, in| New | to work while in a dying condition, or heavily fettered, and that they are often obliged to sleep. while at- tached by chains to heavy _wheel- DAPTOWS 5-8 4 As a matter of fact, however, each convict has his own quarters, to Which he can. ret after his day's work 1s done, no miner is ever ke at nig Women the other hand, are only employed | above the surface, in much | Same way women work in inection with the eoal-mines in Eng land. THE CONVICT'S | Deducting holidays, the convict | works, for eight months in the year, his hours of labor being | o'clock in the morning to midday, and from two o'clock in the after- noon to seven during the summer, | and from seven o'clock in the morn- ing to four o'clock in the afternoon during the winter. There are more i severe conditions of labor than these to be met with in England. . It is possible for a prisoner, by good conduct, to become "a free command"--that is to say, he is obliged to wear the convict dress, but is only under police supervision | and is at liberty to make any mon} ey he can by practising a trade or | engaging in business. He may mar- ry, and, if he has any private mon- ey, he is entitled to retain it. He is also at liberty to receive his friends. Escapes are more than frequent, it appears, about a third ef oll the criminal exiles succeeding in throw- ing off all control. And then they roam the country in bands, mur- dering and robbing. BRING YOUR OWN PILLOW. Here is what Mr. Turner says of these pleasant fellows: Armed with a stick, to which -- is attached a strong piece of cord or catgut, they will approach the un- wary traveller from behind, throw- the cord round his neck, and quiet- ly strangle him by twisting the stick, to rob him at their leisure of whatever he may possess, or to se- cure hs passport in order to make their escape from the country. And, of course, it is up to the traveller to protect_ himself. But it is only fair to note that the political exile is of a very dif- ferent type from the criminal ex- ile. Of course, the conditions of life in Siberia are very primitive, from the pont of view of our own civiliz- ation, even in the cities. Mr. Tur- ner's remarks about hotels are par- ticularly interesting. For instance: The hotel at Omsk is a very good one; but, as in all Siberian hotels, the 'proprietor stared at me when IT asked for pillows and bedclothes, it being customary for travellers in Siberia to carry: these articles ab- out with them. -The forces of law and order, tao, are not the most up-to-date, as 'Mr. Turner found at Kainsk: ' The arst thing that attracted my attention was the noise of -the watchman's rattle. I examined the instrument. It is a hollow block of wood, not unlike a pulley block in shape, having a round piece of wood attached by string, which, when shaken, strikes ise sides, pro- ducing a most unearthly noise, cal- culated to give the thief or burglar warning fully a mile away. From his (the watchman's) replies to some questions we put to him, he led us to understand that he would have been highly offended with any burglar who failed to com- plete his little job before he eame on 1 the scene! ; # and round prisoners, on pt u ht. as LOT. that they j the | from six | er's plan at one eS the-wor n words explain :" c difficulty being 'practically famsemauntehle, I en-| deavored to allay any suspicions which might be lurking in some re- cess of their unsophisticated intel- ligences by adroitly balancing a pa- per funnel on my nose, and apply- ing a lighted match to it. pressed them very much. They said they had never seen anything like it before. The eight recumbent forms assumed an_ erect. position and a general expansive grin. The Russian has a way of his own of taking his bath, and the author gives his observations on the first Russian bath he had an opportunity of inspecting: EXHILARATING! This was a small hut erected at some distance from the dwelling- house. It contains a roughly con- structed stove, in which wood is burnt until the stones of which it is composed are nearly red hot. Water is then thrown on the stones, the steam thus generated fiiling the The method of using the bath is to raise some soap suds in a bucket of hot water. A bundle of birch twigs with the leaves still on, called a "veynik," is dipped in the hot soap-and-water, and _ the body soundly thrashed with it. The heat of the "'polka" (a raised plat- form in the hottest corner of the bath hut) is so intense that the Rus- sian peasant frequently thinks no- thing of coming outside "in nudi- bus" and rolling in the snow. And very exhilarating, too, would imagine! one a POWER OF HUMAN VISION. The Simple Eye of Man and the Compound Eye of the Fly. A specialis st has claimed that he y-thousandth of an! Conte has lim- the eye to dis- one only one fi" inch apart, but Le ited the power of uished lines a h of an inch. To show how immensely super- to it. on the least sensitive parts of the body will be felt as a single prick. With the aid of the microscope the human eye can discern objects whose diameter is only about one one-hundred-and - eg} of an inch. It has been said that the eye of a fly can distinguish an object one five-millionth of an inch in diameter. What we designate as the eye of a fly is really a compound eye made up of numerous lenses. Of these like four thousand in the two eyes. The structures of these lenses are well known, the optical part of each consisting of two lenses, which combined, form a double convex lens. That each lens acts as a separ- ate eye can be easily proved by de- taching the whole of the front of the compound eye and by manipu- lation with a microscope it is not difieult to examine a photograph or other object through it. When this is done a distinct image is seen in each lens. Carpenter has shown that each} the 4,000. lensés of the fly to pro-}| duce the same effect as that seen by the one human eye. tical the fly. Scientists who haye given consid- erable attention to the investiga- tion of compound eyes have formed no opinion that would lead to whe conclusion that their power of vis- ion with respect to small objects exceeds that of the simple eyes of the higher animals: The images of objects formed in the separate lens- es composing the compound eye are proportionately small, and. the question whether insects can see smaller objects than animals fur- nished with single eyes is not a question of optics, but of the sen- sitiveness of the optic nerve and consequently a matter of mere con- jecture. ~~ TOOT! TOOT! ~KE1 She was a German gir, and Mrs. Bing-Smith: had engaged her as'a servant. "Where did you go last Sunday, Gretchen?' said her mistress soon after she engaged her. a "T went for ein walk with mine tootsie," replied Gretchen. "What 7? ried Mrs. Bing-Smith. "T wen't for ein walk with mine tootsie," repeated Gretchen. "Gretchen, - Gretchen," said speak of your 'sweetheart in that way. It is not dignified." "But he is a tootsie,'"' declared Gretchen. "He plays der trumpet in der German band!" -- This im-| ior is the sense of sight in defin-|. : ould ing single taings one can try the | impossible far such a state of things sense of touch in comparison with | The two points of a 'pair of || : : thi f ol val compasses placed three inches apart | Meese to nothing of chemica 1é-thousandth | bean aia: | In the case of Dr. the common house fly has something | instrument than the eye off can with the unaided eye distingu- Pebecs. that will ish lines ruled in glass that are| the poisoning era in Italy, although | | the secret poisoner was held in such | i that an act was passed declaring | FES | ailment--and take occasional exer- i/o) PEOPLE UsKD 10. RE: -|place, and how 'admirably it suc- = "A '|eéeded his uf : 'MOVE THEIR 'FRIENDS. sa + ss A Waye = Seoret ae Passed co the World in the 17th » Century. -- eo No rt another poisoning case?' exclaims Mr. Grundy over. his morning paper. -- And, indeed, the number of pois- oning crimes that have occurred lately in various countries almost suggests that a wave of secret pois- oning is passing over the world, just as it did in the 17th century. Then the art of the poisoner': be- came a recognized branch of educa- tion with those who professed _as- trology and a knowledge of the oc- cult sciences, says London Ans- wers. _ There is the instance mentioned in the memoirs of Henry, Duke of Guise, of a soldier who when re- quested to get rid of an enemy of the Duke, shrank with horror at the mere idea of killing him with a dag- ger, but administered poison with quite an easy mind. It was some tme after this occur- rence that poisoning became so fre- quent in Rome that the clergy broke. the obligation of secrecy at- tached to the confessional, and in- formed Pope Alexander VII. of the state of things. GUARANTEED TO KILL. It was found that numerous young widows, who had recently "'lost" husbands, assembled at the house of a reputed witch and for- tune teller of the period, who made it her business to supply them with a clear, slow, and insidious poison. This was guaranteed to kill in any given time, according to the pur- chaser's wishes. The. witch and thirteen companions were tried and hanged. In England they have never had compare with terror in the reign of Henry VIII. the crime high treason, and. ordain- ing that those-who were found guil-| | ty should be boiled to death. lens reflects but a small portion! out that if of the image looked at and that | which for obvious reasons shall be it requires the combined action of | nameless, were mixed with arsenic | The human ' cordingly, eye is therefore a more perfect op-|thrown by the accidental presence | At the present time it would be as obtained in the 17th century-to occur again. For at that time they Now science has advanc- ed to such an extent that there is ho poison, however obscure, that the skilled pathologist cannot de- tect. Science has, however, sometimes with curious results. Smethurst, who was tried in 1859 for the murder of a Miss Bankes, Sualicaa arsenic was ed, and what is known as Reinsch's test was applied. Briefly, this con- sists of mixing a small quantity of hydrochloric acid with the liquid to be tested, which is then dropped in- to a piece of copper-gauze, when the presence of arsenic, if it is there, is detected. In Smethurst's ease arsenic was discovered, but af- ter his conviction it was proved that this was contained in the wire gauze used for the experiment, and he was at once released by the Home Secretary. THE SEQUEL. There was, however, an exira- ordinary sequel that was not made public for many years. After Dr. Smethurst had been pardoned -- it was discovered that he had found a certain chemical, Reinsch's fail, test would completely and he had laid his plans ac- which were nearly over- of arsenic, as mentioned above, A guilty man had escaped, but the importance of the discovery far outweighed this fact, and caus- ed a new test to be devised, which the most skilful poisoner cannot circumvent. acini eae aaa, FREEZING THE HAIR ON. It is reported that Sir Ernest Shackleton recommends extreme eold as one of the best means of strengthening the hair. Almost all that went with him on his Antarctic expedition found that their hair grew thicker and stronger as they approached the pole. lt was. also found that baldheaded men were almost. never found among those who worked for a cold storage com- pany, where the men work all day in a temperature of 20 degrees of frost, and the cold seems to make the hair thicker, THE DOCTOR DID IT, Among the patients in a. certain hospital there was recently one dis- posed to take a dark view of his chances of recovery. "Cheer up, old man !" admonish- ed the youthful medico attached to the ward wherein the patient lay. "Your symptoms are identical with those of my own case four years ago. I'was just as ill as 04 are, Look at me now!" The patient ran his eyes over the physician's stalwart frame. "Yes, but what doctor did you. pares ay he Picea} asked tasers a from whom he had | : ; suspect- | brought into the right mental at- SENERGISE WIL STOP 'OE! EXPERT says 10 Iv HELPS WHEN MEDICINE FAILS, Oyerstrung People Theinselves of Irritability by Pirysical Work. Physical exercise is the greatest agency for crime prevention. So declares Miss Faith Taylor, gym- nast and. foremost graduate from the Sargent Gymnasium, Cam- bridge. Not only is it a crime preventa- 'tive, says this fair theorist, but it In ex-: is a cure for all social ills. plaining her favorite theories Miss Taylor says in the New York World: "There is no doubt that there would be much less crime if people took more physical exercise. There} ]jf are thousands of people who are endangering their'own health and happiness and that of those about}, them because they are not consci- ous that their bodies are hungry for want of exercise. There are a host of these people who have no ailment that medicine can cure. They come and go to their work, their studies or whatever they are doing, irritable with themselves and with everyone about them. IRRITABILITY AN AILMENT. 'People of this class of the more phlegmatic temperament possess more or less self-control, but those of the more hasty temperament often lose control of themselves at the slightest' provocation. _ Enyir- onment has much to do with this condition. For example, a person who lives in an overcrowded, poor- ly ventilated house, amid noise and more or less dirt, with a high strung temperament, is more apt to give way to acts than one of the same temperament who lives under quiet and better regulated conditions. "However, if these overstrung and overwrought people would re- cognize their ailment--for it is an cise, whether in walking or play- ing ball or some simple gymnastic forms. of exercises deep breaths, this condition of ir- ritability would soon be remedied. STRAIN OFTEN ENDS IN CRIME. "Many crimes occur impulsively beeause of the tremendous strain | under which people Jive and work. Too many people fail to recognize the fact that physical training be- nefits the mind as well as the body. That is, by healthful exercise, our morals are improved. We are titude toward life because of the more normal workings of our phy- sical functions. "The old idea that one who de- voted time to physical training was neglecting the mind is wrong. We have always before us the ex- ample of the Greeks, and proved the superiority of their intellectual powers as well as the perfection of their bodily prowess. SOME GOOD HINTS. "There are certain exercises, such as deep breathing, twisting and bending the body until the hands touch the floor without bend- ing the knees, and other exercises of a similar nature which every person can easily perform anu which giv:: us the necessary outlet for our anima spirits. These ex- ercises, body. go through such exercises and com-| iplain that they receive little be-| inefit fom them are undoubtedly not doing them correctly. "There is another form of exer- cise which is' especially beneficial to the man working under a strain, namely, deep breathing. If people will devote a few minutes. occa- sionally to taking long, deep breaths in the open air soon plain to each much of the nervous strain and irritability has been diminished. Exercise is. almost as beneficial t> the health of the individual as food and water." Se emeconnne | armen cea TO KEEP BUTTER COOL, A convenient and easy way keep butter cool is by applying the principle of evaporation, as used j in | the wet bulb of the wet and dry bulb hygrometer. The butter is | placed in a closed receptacle (but-,| ter dish with lid), and after this has been placed in a soup plate containing water a wet cloth js put over the dish with its ends in the water, Evaporation goes on at the surface of the cloth, and more w at- er is supplied to the cloth from the plate below. This keeps the cloth and dish inside at a few degrees be< low the atmogpheric temperature, : and by this means butter e an be kept 'firm in the hottest days. Sinica sss as and: no man apprée tates wasics like the chap. who Ts in troy ube, Should Rid of yiolence| and by taking'! if performed correctly, are | > : . } the first aid to health of mind and }* -eople who systematically | it will be; of them that} to} WHo ARE NOW ONESD LIVES, MEN Burglars, Coiners, and. Bi Stealers Have Seen the Error of Their Ways. -- One of the most remarkable ficial documents ever published | just been issued by the Br Prison Commissioners. It - with men who have been profes- is sional criminals, but who, after re- peated convictions, and years spent in gaol, have seen the error of their ways and have turned over.a new leat: Many of these ex-convict battled so successfully agal disadyantages imposed up by their criminal ante Ro}, pea have th 10) the trusted "eee of jewellers. He has sands of pounds' worth. o: and easily negotiable pr he has never betrayed the ence of his employers, "whe ery confidence in him, | they are, of course, well what his pact record has be Another remarkable case of an ox-forger who has several terms of penal sery aggregating altogether a eight years, and who now t in a college, where he has been ; some time. Some of the stories of succes struggles against almost o whelming odds by men who | passed the best years of their Ip in convict prisons are Surprisn as well as pathetic. In not a fe instances reformation has fo upon marriage to a respectable man, : One man who was thus- from himself has served no fe than four penal servitude sen ces for horse-stealing. He has no risen, quite appropriately, to b foreman ler Another feonvict who has similarly refor through the influence of a woman, became a porter In @ ous London shop, and has p strictly honest through a long t of years. : A man who has served, amo other sentences, eight years 'oining, made up his mind to- s\raight," and he did so, alth he was often out of work, he to be content with the worst 4 forms of casual labor. Then, last, he got a permanent job, an stuck to it. He saved money, up as an electrical engineer his own account with a workgho the rear of his house, an 1 a dealer in electrical appliattes i a large way of business. : Of course, other criminals h reformed themselves ere tis, a who excelled | in all manners of athletic sports| There is, for instance, the well- = known case of the two brot put Wakefield, both ex-convicts, made world-wide reputations themselves, the one as a general of ficer in a foreign army, and the ot er as a successful Australian sta' man and legislator. And there » ed to be in London not long sin a bank manager who had served a" term of penal servitude for glary in his younger days. 13 TIMES A CRIMINAL, - 3ut these men were not pro sional criminals. They made ©: slip, and one only. The cases de: with in the report mentioned above ? | on the other hand, all relate to m who have deliberately - embark (upon a regular career ; and, after following it more or successfully for. some time, turned from it and lived h lives for a term of years enough to stamp them as being mantently reformed characters. One man, for instance, ser |thirteen long terms of impri ment before turning over a leaf. Ano.er served seven for housebreaking, after five vious convictions for the san fenee, extending over twelve y He is now a traveller fora known firm in London. Yet another remarkable the kind is that of-a man w lowing a long career of -- walked into' a police-stati mediately on his release ) all the prisoners' hayiiie long since. given - ; and begged the -- super i there to give him a job. | quest was complied with, bhas stuck to the one situat Bi many years, going straight while. Miud--t wasn't awar knew Mr. Jones. meet him?' es Kate--"Oh, I fell" ue skating: Seer "Dia he know wllens that pretty girl to mai she is poor?" bas es} at her face value. Mt