"There was no use," he said, "in getting a lot of failures, with old-crusted ways of their own importance.

We must have young men for our purpose--that is, men not old, but with some experience--men, of course, who know how to behave themselves, or else, from what little I have seen of the Blue Mountaineers, they wouldn't last long here if they went on as some of them do elsewhere.

I shall start things here as you wish me to, for I am here, my dear boy, to stay with you and Janet, and we shall, if it be given to us by the Almighty, help to build up together a new 'nation'-- an ally of Britain, who will stand at least as an outpost of our own nation, and a guardian of our eastern road.

When things are organized here on the military side, and are going strong, I shall, if you can spare me, run back to London for a few weeks.

Whilst I am there I shall pick up a lot of the sort of officers we want.