ABSTRACT
Quoting out of context can be amusing. Lest we forget, however, the matter for consideration in this volume can also be – without question – deadly serious. The lines above open Walter Scott’s last novel Castle Dangerous (1831). They invoke a painful anecdote which not only situates some of my own infatuation with adventure but also hints at the real risks that lurk beneath the surface of wanderlust and the ‘wonderlustrous’. In this case, I’m thinking of how such a passage, safe or not, can equally be indicative of the many tragedies that result from sheer bad luck, neglect or overzealousness. All of these elements and more are present in the following recollection.
