Beard at high port

      Here he ran out of words, and drew himself up, beard at high port, shaking his great head while he clasped my hand, and i meditated on the astonishing ease with which strong men of Victorian vintage could be buffaloed into incoherent embarrassment by the mere mention of feminine frailty. Something to do with public school training, I fancy.


Flashman on the March, p.278, Harper Collins, paperback edition 2005.


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Rightful place

      If life has taught me anything at all, it’s how to keep my countenance in the presence of stong, authoritative men whose rightful place is in a padded cell.


Flashman and the Mountain of Light, p.203, Fontana Paperback edition, 1991.


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Academic admiration

Like most poltroons, I have a sneaking inward regard for truly fearless, strong men, fools though they may be, and I can have an academic admiration for real skill, so long as I don’t suffer by it.

Royal Flash, p.41, Pan edition, 8th printing, 1978.

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The steel underneath

Now, as he said those words, he ceased to be a waggish madman; his voice was as gentle as ever, but there was no mistaking the steel underneath. Suddenly things became real again, and I understood that the kindly smiling man before me was strong in a way that folk like Gul Shah could never be: strong and dangerous.

Flashman, p.137, Pan edition, 12th printing, 1979.

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