第4章

HereMr。RupertSentLegerreadthememorandummarked"B，"whichistobereadasclause10oftheWill。Heisevidentlyamanofconsiderablenerve，forhisfacewasquiteimpassiveashereadthedocument，whichconveyedtohim（subjecttotheconditionslaiddown）

afortunewhichhasnoequalinamountinEurope，even，sofarasI

know，amongstthecrownedheads。Whenhehadreaditoverasecondtimehestoodupandsaid：

"IwishIhadknownmyunclebetter。Hemusthavehadtheheartofaking。Ineverheardofsuchgenerosityashehasshownme。Mr。

Trent，Isee，fromtheconditionsofthismemorandum，orcodicil，orwhateveritis，thatIamtodeclarewithinaweekastowhetherI

accepttheconditionsimposedonme。Now，Iwantyoutotellmethis：mustIwaitaweektodeclare？"Inanswer，Itoldhimthatthetestator’sintentionwasmanifestlytoseethathehadfulltimetoconsiderfullyeverypointbeforemakingformaldecisionanddeclaration。But，inanswertothespecificquestion，Icouldanswerthathemightmakedeclarationwhenhewould，provideditwasWITHIN，orrathernotafter，theweeknamed。Iadded：

"ButIstronglyadviseyounottoacthurriedly。Soenormousasumisinvolvedthatyoumaybesurethatallpossibleeffortswillbemadebysomeoneorothertodispossessyouofyourinheritance，anditwillbewellthateverythingshallbedone，notonlyinperfectorder，butwithsuchmanifestcareanddeliberationthattherecanbenoquestionastoyourintention。"

"Thankyou，sir，"heanswered；"Ishalldoasyoushallkindlyadvisemeinthisasinotherthings。ButImaytellyounow——andyou，too，mydearSirColin——thatInotonlyacceptmyUncleRoger’sconditionsinthis，butthatwhenthetimecomesintheothermattersIshallaccepteveryconditionthathehadinhismind——andthatImayknowof——ineverything。"Helookedexceedinglyinearnest，anditgavememuchpleasuretoseeandhearhim。Itwasjustwhatayoungmanshoulddowhohadseensogenerouslytreated。Asthetimehadnowcome，Igavehimthebulkyletteraddressedtohim，marked"D"whichIhadinmysafe。AsIfulfilledmyobligationinthematter，I

said：

"Youneednotreadtheletterhere。Youcantakeitawaywithyou，andreaditbyyourselfatleisure。Itisyourownproperty，withoutanyobligationwhateverattachedtoit。Bytheway，perhapsitwouldbewellifyouknew。Ihaveacopysealedupinanenvelope，andendorsed，’Tobeopenedifoccasionshouldarise，’butnototherwise。

Willyouseemeto—morrow，or，betterstill，dinewithmealonehereto—night？Ishouldliketohaveatalkwithyou，andyoumaywishtoaskmesomequestions。"Heansweredmecordially。Iactuallyfelttouchedbythewayhesaidgood—byebeforehewentaway。SirColinMacKelpiewentwithhim，asSentLegerwastodrophimattheReform。

LetterfromRogerMeltontoRupertSentLeger，endorsed"D。reRupertSentLeger。TobegiventohimbyEdwardBinghamTrentifandassoonashehasdeclared（formallyorinformally）hisintentionofacceptingtheconditionsnamedinLetterB。，formingClause10inmyWill。R。M。，1/1/’07。

"Mem。——Copy（sealed）leftincustodyofE。B。Trent，tobeopenedifnecessary，asdirected。"

June11，1906。

MYDEARNEPHEW，When（ifever）youreceivethisyouwillknowthat（withtheexceptionofsomedefinitebequests）Ihavelefttoyou，undercertainconditions，theentirebulkofmyfortune——afortunesogreatthatbyitsaidasahelp，amanofcourageandabilitymaycarveoutforhimselfanameandplaceinhistory。ThespecificconditionscontainedinClause10ofmyWillhavetobeobserved，forsuchI

deemtobeofservicetoyourownfortune；buthereinIgivemyadvice，whichyouareatlibertytofollowornotasyouwill，andmywishes，whichIshalltrytoexplainfullyandclearly，sothatyoumaybeinpossessionofmyviewsincaseyoushoulddesiretocarrythemout，or，atleast，tosoendeavourthattheresultsIhopeformaybeultimatelyachieved。Firstletmeexplain——foryourunderstandingandyourguidance——thatthepower，orperhapsithadbetterbecalledthepressure，behindtheaccumulationofmyfortunehasbeenambition。Inobediencetoitscompulsion，ItoiledearlyandlateuntilIhadsoarrangedmattersthat，subjecttobroadsupervision，myideascouldbecarriedoutbymenwhomIhadselectedandtested，andnotfoundwanting。Thiswasforyearstothesatisfaction，andultimatelytotheaccumulationbythesemenoffortunecommensurateinsomemeasuretotheirownworthandtheirimportancetomydesigns。ThusIhadaccumulated，whilststillayoungman，aconsiderablefortune。ThisIhaveforoverfortyyearsusedsparinglyasregardsmypersonalneeds，daringlywithregardtospeculativeinvestments。WiththelatterItooksuchverygreatcare，studyingtheconditionssurroundingthemsothoroughly，thatevennowmyscheduleofbaddebtsorunsuccessfulinvestmentsisalmostablank。Perhapsbysuchmeansthingsflourishedwithme，andwealthpiledinsofastthatattimesIcouldhardlyuseittoadvantage。Thiswasalldoneastheforerunnerofambition，butI

wasoverfiftyyearsofagewhenthehorizonofambitionitselfopeneduptome。Ispeakthusfreely，mydearRupert，aswhenyoureaditIshallhavepassedaway，andnotambitionnorthefearofmisunderstanding，norevenofscorncantouchme。MyventuresincommerceandfinancecoverednotonlytheFarEast，buteveryfootofthewaytoit，sothattheMediterraneanandallitsopeningseaswerefamiliartome。InmyjourneyingsupanddowntheAdriaticI

wasalwaysstruckbythegreatbeautyandseemingrichness——nativerichness——oftheLandoftheBlueMountains。AtlastChancetookmeintothatdelectableregion。Whenthe"BalkanStruggle"of’90wason，oneofthegreatVoivodescametomeinsecrettoarrangealargeloanfornationalpurposes。ItwasknowninfinancialcirclesofbothEuropeandAsiathatItookanactivepartinthehautepolitiqueofnationaltreasuries，andtheVoivodeVissarioncametomeastooneableandwillingtocarryouthiswishes。Afterconfidentialpour—parlers，heexplainedtomethathisnationwasinthethroesofagreatcrisis。Asyouperhapsknow，thegallantlittleNationintheLandoftheBlueMountainshashadastrangehistory。Formorethanathousandyears——eversinceitssettlementafterthedisasterofRossoro——ithadmaintaineditsnationalindependenceunderseveralformsofGovernment。AtfirstithadaKingwhosesuccessorsbecamesodespoticthattheyweredethroned。

ThenitwasgovernedbyitsVoivodes，withthecombininginfluenceofaVladikasomewhatsimilarinpowerandfunctiontothePrince—

BishopsofMontenegro；afterwardsbyaPrince；or，asatpresent，byanirregularelectiveCouncil，influencedinamodifiedformbytheVladika，whowasthensupposedtoexerciseapurelyspiritualfunction。SuchaCouncilinasmall，poornationdidnothavesufficientfundsforarmaments，whichwerenotimmediatelyandimperativelynecessary；andthereforetheVoivodeVissarion，whohadvastestatesinhisownpossession，andwhowasthepresentrepresentativeafamilywhichofoldhadbeenleadersintheland，founditadutytodoonhisownaccountthatwhichtheStatecouldnotdo。Forsecurityastotheloanwhichhewishedtoget，andwhichwasindeedavastone，heofferedtosellmehiswholeestateifIwouldsecuretohimarighttorepurchaseitwithinagiventime（atimewhichImaysayhassometimeagoexpired）。Hemadeitaconditionthatthesaleandagreementshouldremainastrictsecretbetweenus，asawidespreadknowledgethathisestatehadchangedhandswouldinallprobabilityresultinmydeathandhisownatthehandsofthemountaineers，whoarebeyondeverythingloyal，andwerejealoustothelastdegree。AnattackbyTurkeywasfeared，andnewarmamentswererequired；andthepatrioticVoivodewassacrificinghisowngreatfortuneforthepublicgood。Whatasacrificethiswashewellknew，forinalldiscussionsregardingapossiblechangeintheConstitutionoftheBlueMountainsitwasalwaystakenforgrantedthatiftheprinciplesoftheConstitutionshouldchangetoamorepersonalrule，hisownfamilyshouldberegardedastheMostNoble。Ithadeverbeenonthesideoffreedominoldentime；beforetheestablishmentoftheCouncil，orevenduringtheruleoftheVoivodes，theVissarionhadeverynowandagainstoodoutagainsttheKingorchallengedthePrincedom。Theverynamestoodforfreedom，fornationality，againstforeignoppression；andtheboldmountaineersweredevotedtoit，asinotherfreecountriesmenfollowtheflag。

Suchloyaltywasapowerandahelpintheland，foritknewdangerineveryform；andanythingwhichaidedthecohesionofitsintegerswasanaturalasset。Oneverysideotherpowers，greatandsmall，pressedtheland，anxioustoacquireitssuzeraintybyanymeans——

fraudorforce。Greece，Turkey，Austria，Russia，Italy，France，hadalltriedinvain。Russia，oftenhurledback，waswaitinganopportunitytoattack。AustriaandGreece，althoughunitedbynocommonpurposeordesign，werereadytothrowintheirforceswithwhomsoevermightseemmostlikelytobevictor。OtherBalkanStates，too，werenotlackingindesiretoaddthelittleterritoryoftheBlueMountainstotheirmoreamplepossessions。Albania，Dalmatia，Herzegovina，Servia，Bulgaria，lookedwithlustfuleyesontheland，whichwasinitselfavastnaturalfortress，havingcloseunderitsshelterperhapsthefinestharbourbetweenGibraltarandtheDardanelles。

Butthefierce，hardymountaineerswereunconquerable。Forcenturiestheyhadfought，withafervourandfurythatnothingcouldwithstandorabate，attacksontheirindependence。Timeaftertime，centuryaftercentury，theyhadopposedwithdauntlessfrontinvadingarmiessentagainstthem。Thisunquenchablefireoffreedomhadhaditseffect。Oneandall，thegreatPowersknewthattoconquerthatlittlenationwouldbenomeantask，butratherthatofatirelessgiant。Overandoveragainhadtheyfoughtwithunitsagainsthundreds，neverceasinguntiltheyhadeitherwipedouttheirfoesentirelyorseenthemretreatacrossthefrontierindiminishednumbers。

Formanyyearspast，however，theLandoftheBlueMountainshadremainedunassailable，forallthePowersandStateshadfearedlesttheothersshoulduniteagainsttheonewhoshouldbegintheattack。

AtthetimeIspeakoftherewasafeelingthroughouttheBlueMountains——and，indeed，elsewhere——thatTurkeywaspreparingforawarofoffence。Theobjectiveofherattackwasnotknownanywhere，butheretherewasevidencethattheTurkish"BureauofSpies"wasinactiveexercisetowardstheirsturdylittleneighbour。Toprepareforthis，theVoivodePeterVissarionapproachedmeinordertoobtainthenecessary"sinewsofwar。"

ThesituationwascomplicatedbythefactthattheElectiveCouncilwasatpresentlargelyheldtogetherbytheoldGreekChurch，whichwasthereligionofthepeople，andwhichhadhadsincethebeginningitsdestinieslinkedinalargedegreewiththeirs。Thusitwaspossiblethatifawarshouldbreakout，itmighteasilybecome——

whatevermighthavebeenitscauseorbeginnings——awarofcreeds。

ThisintheBalkansmustbelargelyoneofraces，theendofwhichnomindcoulddiagnoseorevenguessat。

Ihadnowforsometimehadknowledgeofthecountryanditspeople，andhadcometolovethemboth。ThenobilityofVissarion’sself—

sacrificeatonceappealedtome，andIfeltthatI，too，shouldliketohaveahandintheupholdingofsuchalandandsuchapeople。

Theybothdeservedfreedom。WhenVissarionhandedmethecompleteddeedofsaleIwasgoingtotearitup；buthesomehowrecognizedmyintention，andforestalledit。Hehelduphishandarrestinglyashesaid：

"Irecognizeyourpurpose，and，believeme，Ihonouryouforitfromtheverydepthsofmysoul。But，myfriend，itmustnotbe。Ourmountaineersareproudbeyondbelief。Thoughtheywouldallowme——

whoamoneofthemselves，andwhosefathershavebeeninsomewayleadersandspokesmenamongstthemformanycenturies——todoallthatisinmypowertodo——andwhat，eachandall，theywouldbegladtodowerethecalltothem——theywouldnotacceptaidfromoneoutsidethemselves。Mygoodfriend，theywouldresentit，andmightshowtoyou，whowishusallsowell，activehostility，whichmightendindanger，orevendeath。Thatwaswhy，myfriend，Iaskedtoputaclauseinouragreement，thatImighthaverighttorepurchasemyestate，regardingwhichyouwouldfainactsogenerously。"

Thusitis，mydearnephewRupert，onlysonofmydearsister，thatI

herebychargeyousolemnlyasyouvalueme——asyouvalueyourself——asyouvaluehonour，that，shoulditeverbecomeknownthatthatnobleVoivode，PeterVissarion，imperilledhimselfforhiscountry’sgood，andifitbeofdangerorevilreputetohimthatevenforsuchapurposehesoldhisheritage，youshallatonceandtotheknowledgeofthemountaineers——thoughnotnecessarilytoothers——reconveytohimorhisheirsthefreeholdthathewaswillingtopartwith——andthathehasdefactopartedwithbytheeffluxionofthetimeduringwhichhisrightofrepurchaseexisted。Thisisasecrettrustanddutywhichisbetweentheeandmealoneinthefirstinstance；adutywhichIhaveundertakenonbehalfofmyheirs，andwhichmustbecarriedout，atwhatsoevercostmayensue。YoumustnottakeitthatitisfromanymistrustofyouorbeliefthatyouwillfailthatI

havetakenanothermeasuretoinsurethatthismycherishedideaisborneout。Indeed，itisthatthelawmay，incaseofneed——fornomancanknowwhatmayhappenafterhisownhandbetakenfromtheplough——becompliedwith，thatIhaveinanotherletterwrittenfortheguidanceofothers，directedthatincaseofanyfailuretocarryoutthistrust——deathorother——thedirectionbecomeaclauseorcodiciltomyWill。ButinthemeantimeIwishthatthisbekeptasecretbetweenustwo。Toshowyouthefullextentofmyconfidence，letmeheretellyouthattheletteralludedtoaboveismarked"C，"

anddirectedtomysolicitorandco—executor，EdwardBinghamTrent，whichisfinallytoberegardedasclauseelevenofmyWill。Towhichendhehasmyinstructionsandalsoacopyofthisletter，whichis，incaseofneed，andthatonly，tobeopened，andistobeaguidetomywishesastothecarryingoutbyyouoftheconditionsonwhichyouinherit。

Andnow，mydearnephew，letmechangetoanothersubjectmoredeartome——yourself。WhenyoureadthisIshallhavepassedaway，sothatIneednotbehamperednowbythatreservewhichIfeelhasgrownuponmethroughalongandself—containedlife。Yourmotherwasverydeartome。Asyouknow，shewastwentyyearsyoungerthanheryoungestbrother，whowastwoyearsyoungerthanme。Sowewereallyoungmenwhenshewasababy，and，Ineednotsay，apetamongstus——almostlikeourownchildtoeachofus，aswellasoursister。

Youknewhersweetnessandhighquality，soIneedsaynothingofthese；butIshouldlikeyoutounderstandthatshewasverydeartome。WhensheandyourfathercametoknowandloveeachotherIwasfaraway，openingupanewbranchofbusinessintheinteriorofChina，anditwasnotforseveralmonthsthatIgothomenews。WhenIfirstheardofhimtheyhadalreadybeenmarried。Iwasdelightedtofindthattheywereveryhappy。TheyneedednothingthatIcouldgive。WhenhediedsosuddenlyItriedtocomforther，andallIhadwasatherdisposal，didshewantit。Shewasaproudwoman——thoughnotwithme。Shehadcometounderstandthat，thoughIseemedcoldandhard（andperhapswassogenerally），Iwasnotsotoher。Butshewouldnothavehelpofanykind。WhenIpressedher，shetoldmethatshehadenoughforyourkeepandeducationandherownsustenanceforthetimeshemuststilllive；thatyourfatherandshehadagreedthatyoushouldbebroughtuptoahealthyandstrenuousliferatherthantooneofluxury；andshethoughtthatitwouldbebetterforthedevelopmentofyourcharacterthatyoushouldlearntobeself—reliantandtobecontentwithwhatyourdearfatherhadleftyou。Shehadalwaysbeenawiseandthoughtfulgirl，andnowallherwisdomandthoughtwereforyou，yourfather’sandherchild。Whenshespokeofyouandyourfuture，shesaidmanythingswhichI

thoughtmemorable。OneofthemIremembertothisday。Itwasaproposofmysayingthatthereisadangerofitsownkindinextremepoverty。Ayoungmanmightknowtoomuchwant。Sheansweredme："True！Thatisso！Butthereisadangerthatoverridesit；"

andafteratimewenton：

"Itisbetternottoknowwantsthannottoknowwant！"Itellyou，boy，thatisagreattruth，andIhopeyouwillrememberitforyourselfaswellasapartofthewisdomofyourmother。Andhereletmesaysomethingelsewhichisasortofcorollaryofthatwiseutterance：

IdaresayyouthoughtmeveryhardandunsympatheticthattimeI

wouldnot，asoneofyourtrustees，agreetoyourtransferringyourlittlefortunetoMissMacKelpie。Idaresayyoubearagrudgetowardsmeaboutituptothisday。Well，ifyouhaveanyofthatremaining，putitasidewhenyouknowthetruth。Thatrequestofyourswasanunspeakabledelighttome。Itwaslikeyourmothercomingbackfromthedead。ThatlittleletterofyoursmademewishforthefirsttimethatIhadason——andthatheshouldbelikeyou。

Ifellintoasortofreverie，thinkingifIwereyettoooldtomarry，sothatasonmightbewithmeinmydecliningyears——ifsuchweretoeverbeforme。ButIconcludedthatthismightnotbe。

TherewasnowomanwhomIkneworhadevermetwiththatIcouldloveasyourmotherlovedyourfatherandashelovedher。SoIresignedmyselftomyfate。Imustgomylonelyroadontotheend。Andthencamearayoflightintomydarkness：therewasyou。Thoughyoumightnotfeellikeasontome——Icouldnotexpectitwhenthememoryofthatsweetrelationshipwasmoreworthilyfilled。ButI

couldfeellikeafathertoyou。Nothingcouldpreventthatorinterferewithit，forIwouldkeepitasmysecretintheveryholyofholiesofmyheart，wherehadbeenforthirtyyearstheimageofasweetlittlechild——yourmother。Myboy，wheninyourfuturelifeyoushallhavehappinessandhonourandpower，Ihopeyouwillsometimesgiveathoughttothelonelyoldmanwhoselateryearsyourveryexistenceseemedtobrighten。

Thethoughtofyourmotherrecalledmetomyduty。Ihadundertakenforherasacredtask：tocarryoutherwishesregardingherson。I

knewhowshewouldhaveacted。Itmight——would——havebeentoherastruggleofinclinationandduty；anddutywouldhavewon。AndsoI

carriedoutmyduty，thoughItellyouitwasaharshandbittertasktomeatthetime。ButImaytellyouthatIhavesincebeengladwhenIthinkoftheresult。Itried，asyoumayperhapsremember，tocarryoutyourwishesinanotherway，butyourletterputthedifficultyofdoingsosoclearlybeforemethatIhadtogiveitup。

Andletmetellyouthatthatletterendearedyoutomemorethanever。

IneednottellyouthatthenceforthIfollowedyourlifeveryclosely。Whenyouranawaytosea，Iusedinsecreteverypartofthemechanismofcommercetofindoutwhathadbecomeofyou。Then，untilyouhadreachedyourmajority，Ihadaconstantwatchkeptuponyou——nottointerferewithyouinanyway，butsothatImightbeabletofindyoushouldneedarise。WheninduecourseIheardofyourfirstactoncomingofageIwassatisfied。IhadtoknowofthecarryingoutofyouroriginalintentiontowardsJanetMacKelpie，forthesecuritieshadtobetransferred。

FromthattimeonIwatched——ofcoursethroughothereyes——yourchiefdoings。Itwouldhavebeenapleasuretometohavebeenabletohelpincarryingoutanyhopeorambitionofyours，butIrealizedthatintheyearsinterveningbetweenyourcomingofageandthepresentmomentyouwerefulfillingyourideasandambitionsinyourownway，and，asIshalltrytoexplaintoyoupresently，myambitionsalso。Youwereofsoadventurousanaturethatevenmyownwidely—spreadmachineryofacquiringinformation——whatImaycallmyprivate"intelligencedepartment"——wasinadequate。MymachinerywasfairlyadequatefortheEast——ingreatpart，atallevents。ButyouwentNorthandSouth，andWestalso，and，inaddition，youessayedrealmswherecommerceandpurelyrealaffairshavenofoothold——

worldsofthought，ofspiritualimport，ofpsychicphenomena——

speakinggenerally，ofmysteries。AsnowandagainIwasbaffledinmyinquiries，Ihadtoenlargemymechanism，andtothisendstarted—

—notinmyownname，ofcourse——somenewmagazinesdevotedtocertainbranchesofinquiryandadventure。Shouldyouevercaretoknowmoreofthesethings，Mr。Trent，inwhosenamethestockisleft，willbedelightedtogiveyoualldetails。Indeed，thesestocks，likeallelseIhave，shallbeyourswhenthetimecomes，ifyoucaretoaskforthem。BymeansofTheJournalofAdventure，TheMagazineofMystery，Occultism，BalloonandAeroplane，TheSubmarine，JungleandPampas，TheGhostWorld，TheExplorer，ForestandIsland，OceanandCreek，IwasoftenkeptinformedwhenIshouldotherwisehavebeenignorantofyourwhereaboutsanddesigns。Forinstance，whenyouhaddisappearedintotheForestoftheIncas，IgotthefirstwhisperofyourstrangeadventuresanddiscoveriesintheburiedcitiesofEudorifromacorrespondentofTheJournalofAdventurelongbeforethedetailsgiveninTheTimesoftherock—templeoftheprimevalsavages，whereonlyremainedthelittledragonserpents，whosegiantancestorswererudelysculpturedonthesacrificialaltar。IwellrememberhowIthrilledateventhatmeagreaccountofyourgoinginaloneintothatveritablehell。ItwasfromOccultismthatIlearnedhowyouhadmadeastayaloneinthehauntedcatacombsofElora，inthefarrecessesoftheHimalayas，andofthefearfulexperienceswhich，whenyoucameoutshudderingandghastly，overcametoalmostepilepticfearthosewhohadbandedthemselvestogethertogoasfarastherock—cutapproachtothehiddentemple。

AllsuchthingsIreadwithrejoicing。Youwereshapingyourselfforawiderandloftieradventure，whichwouldcrownmoreworthilyyourmaturedmanhood。WhenIreadofyouinadescriptionofMihask，inMadagascar，andthedevil—worshipthererarelyheld，IfeltIhadonlytowaitforyourhome—cominginordertobroachtheenterpriseI

hadsolongcontemplated。ThiswaswhatIread：

"Heisamantowhomnoadventureistoowildortoodaring。Hisrecklessbraveryisabywordamongstmanysavagepeoplesandamongstmanyothersnotsavages，whosefearsarenotofmaterialthings，butoftheworldofmysteriesinandbeyondthegrave。Hedaresnotonlywildanimalsandsavagemen；buthastackledAfricanmagicandIndianmysticism。ThePsychicalResearchSocietyhaslongexploitedhisdeedsofvaliance，andlookeduponhimasperhapstheirmosttrustedagentorsourceofdiscovery。Heisintheveryprimeoflife，ofalmostgiantstatureandstrength，trainedtotheuseofallarmsofallcountries，inuredtoeverykindofhardship，subtle—mindedandresourceful，understandinghumannaturefromitselementalformup。

Tosaythatheisfearlesswouldbeinadequate。Inaword，heisamanwhosestrengthanddaringfithimforanyenterpriseofanykind。

Hewoulddareanddoanythingintheworldoroutofit，ontheearthorunderit，intheseaor——intheair，fearingnothingmaterialorunseen，notmanorghost，norGodnorDevil。"

Ifyouevercaretothinkofit，Icarriedthatcuttinginmypocket—

bookfromthathourIreadittillnow。

Remember，again，Isay，thatIneverinterferedintheslightestwayinanyofyouradventures。Iwantedyouto"dreeyourownweird，"astheScotchsay；andIwantedtoknowofit——thatwasall。Now，asI

holdyoufullyequippedforgreaterenterprise，Iwanttosetyourfeetontheroadandtoprovideyouwiththemostpotentweapon——

beyondpersonalqualities——forthewinningofgreathonour——again，mydearnephew，which，Iamrightsure，doesandwillappealtoyouasithaseverdonetome。Ihaveworkedforitformorethanfiftyyears；butnowthatthetimehascomewhenthetorchisslippingfrommyoldhands，Ilooktoyou，mydearestkinsman，toliftitandcarryiton。

ThelittlenationoftheBlueMountainshasfromthefirstappealedtome。Itispoorandproudandbrave。Itspeoplearewellworthwinning，andIwouldadviseyoutothrowinyourlotwiththem。Youmayfindthemhardtowin，forwhenpeoples，likeindividuals，arepoorandproud，thesequalitiesareapttoreactoneachothertoanendlessdegree。Thesemenareuntamable，andnoonecaneversucceedwiththemunlessheiswiththeminall—in—all，andisaleaderrecognized。Butifyoucanwinthemtheyareloyaltodeath。Ifyouareambitious——andIknowyouare——theremaybeafieldforyouinsuchacountry。Withyourqualifications，fortifiedbythefortunewhichIamhappyenoughtobeabletoleaveyou，youmaydaremuchandgofar。ShouldIbealivewhenyoureturnfromyourexplorationinNorthernSouthAmerica，Imayhavethehappinessofhelpingyoutothisoranyotherambition，andIshalldeemitaprivilegetoshareitwithyou；buttimeisgoingon。Iaminmyseventy—secondyear……theyearsofmanarethree—scoreandten——Isupposeyouunderstand；Ido……Letmepointoutthis：Forambitiousprojectsthegreatnationalitiesareimpossibletoastranger——andinourownwearelimitedbyloyalty（andcommon—sense）。Itisonlyinasmallnationthatgreatambitionscanbeachieved。Ifyousharemyownviewsandwishes，theBlue。Mountainsisyourground。IhopedatonetimethatImightyetbecomeaVoivode——evenagreatone。Butagehasdulledmypersonalambitionsasithascrampedmypowers。Inolongerdreamofsuchhonourformyself，thoughIdolookonitasapossibilityforyouifyoucareforit。ThroughmyWillyouwillhaveagreatpositionandagreatestate，andthoughyoumayhavetoyieldupthelatterinaccordancewithmywish，asalreadyexpressedinthisletter，theverydoingsowillgiveyouanevengreaterholdthanthispossessionintheheartsofthemountaineers，shouldtheyevercometoknowit。ShoulditbethatatthetimeyouinheritfrommetheVoivodeVissarionshouldnotbealive，itmayserveoraidyoutoknowthatinsuchcaseyouwouldbeabsolvedfromanyconditionsofmine，thoughItrustyouwouldinthat，asinallothermatters，holdobligationenforcedbyyourownhonourastomywishes。

Thereforethematterstandsthus：IfVissarionlives，youwillrelinquishtheestates。Shouldsuchnotbethecase，youwillactasyoubelievethatIwouldwishyouto。IneithercasethemountaineersshouldnotknowfromyouinanywayofthesecretcontractsbetweenVissarionandmyself。Enlightenmentofthemanyshould（ifever）comefromothersthanyourself。Andunlesssuchtakeplace，youwouldleavetheestateswithoutanyquidproquowhatever。Thisyouneednotmind，forthefortuneyouwillinheritwillleaveyoufreeandabletopurchaseotherestatesintheBlueMountainsorelsewherethatyoumayselectintheworld。

Ifothersattack，attackthem，andquickerandharderthantheycan，ifsuchbeapossibility。ShoulditeverbethatyouinherittheCastleofVissarionontheSpearofIvan，rememberthatIhaditsecretlyfortifiedandarmedagainstattack。Therearenotonlymassivegrilles，butdoorsofchilledbronzewheresuchbeneeded。