Part One
Every man desires to live long;
but no man would be old.
-Jonathan Swift
ne afternoon some years ago, I was sitting in the
park reading the afternoon paper, when an elderly
gentleman walked up and seated himself alongside me.
Appearing to be in his late sixties, he was gray and
balding, his shoulders drooped, and he leaned on a cane
as he walked. Little did I know that from that moment,
the whole course of my life would change forever.
It wasn’t long before the two of us were engaged in a
fascinating conversation. It turned out that the old man
was a retired British Army officer, who had also served
in the diplomatic corps for the Crown. As a result, he had
traveled at one time or another to virtually every corner
of the globe. And Colonel Bradford, as I shall call himthough
it is not his real name-held me spellbound with
highly entertaining stories of his adventures.
When we parted, we agreed to meet again, and before
long, a close friendship had developed between us. Frequently,
we got together at his place or mine for discussions
and conversation that lasted late into the night.
On one of these occasions, it became clear to me that………..