He had seen so much of the grim six in the last day that the contrast startled him.

They were men, hardened to life and filled with knowledge of it.

They were books written full.

But he?
He was a blank page with a scribbled word here and there.

Nevertheless, he was chosen and he must go.
Having reached that decision he closed his mind on what would happen.
There was a vague fear that when he faced McGurk he would be frozen with fear; that his spirit would be broken and he would become a thing too despicable for a man to kill.
One thing was certain: if he was to act a man's part and die a man's death he must not stand long before McGurk.