"Max" and the sawn off shotgun in the Sudan

[David R]

I have mentioned "Max" before, a very old but vigorous man I worked with on an archaeological site back in 1974?

He was a retired Empire official, and had been assistant district commissioner in the the Sudan in the 1920's. He had a fund of stories from his time there, and I was fascinated by them.......

When he received his commission to go out to the Sudan, he also got a "chitty" that gave him a gun-dealers address and identified his posting. He took this down to, I think it was Westly Richards and co, and handed over the piece of paper. The counter man went into a back room and came out with a nice polished box. In it were two custom made 12 bore shotgun pistols with accessories, illegal in the country even at the time. They were his backup weapons for when "out in country".
He was instructed that they were not to be brought back with him when he came home, and that he was to dump them overboard on the return voyage.

I am not sure if I have told this story here before, so forgive me if I have. I was reminded of this by the discussion about Doc' Holliday's guns at the OK Corral.

RIP Max, we will never see your like again.