He is in the very prime of life, of almost giant stature and strength, trained to the use of all arms of all countries, inured to every kind of hardship, subtle-minded and resourceful, understanding human nature from its elemental form up.
To say that he is fearless would be inadequate.

In a word, he is a man whose strength and daring fit him for any enterprise of any kind.
He would dare and do anything in the world or out of it, on the earth or under it, in the sea or--in the air, fearing nothing material or unseen, not man or ghost, nor God nor Devil." If you ever care to think of it, I carried that cutting in my pocket-book from that hour I read it till now.
Remember, again, I say, that I never interfered in the slightest way in any of your adventures.

I wanted you to "dree your own weird," as the Scotch say; and I wanted to know of it--that was all.

Now, as I hold you fully equipped for greater enterprise, I want to set your feet on the road and to provide you with the most potent weapon--beyond personal qualities--for the winning of great honour--a gain, my dear nephew, which, I am right sure, does and will appeal to you as it has ever done to me.

I have worked for it for more than fifty years; but now that the time has come when the torch is slipping from my old hands, I look to you, my dearest kinsman, to lift it and carry it on.
The little nation of the Blue Mountains has from the first appealed to me.