My father used to say that stories are part of the most precious heritage of mankind.

A man who embarks on a journey must know when to end it.

During the days I felt myself slipping into a kind of madness. Solitary confinement has an astonishing effect on the mind. The trip was to stay calm and keep myself occupied. I spent hours working out how to break free. But trying to escape would have been instant suicide.

I felt sure we could gain the upper hand by putting ourselves in the mindset of the Incas.

The first rule of an expedition is that everyone should stick together.

In some peculiar way, indeed, the rules were now beginning to seem quite logical. It was then I knew that I had been in India long enough.

The taste for glory can make ordinary men behave in extraordinary ways.