CHAPTER FIVE
The Formative Years of a Flagellant and how I earned the Sobriquet “Fiercest Flogger in London”
My father was an explorer and spent long periods away from home. I believe my mother simply assumed I would follow in his footsteps, perhaps literally with regard to exploring some of the same continents, and that it was her task to prepare me for the privations and hardships inherent in the way of life. Consequently I was subjected to Spartan conditions even from being a baby. My mother made me sleep with the nursery window open and with very little covering and when I was a little older she would plunge me into cold baths before drying me vigorously. She took me for long walks in the bracing country air, better described as treks, being adept at reading both compass and map, and
