Persia in the Great Game: Sir Percy Sykes: Explorer, Consul, Soldier, Spy

Percy Sykes was sent to Persia by Army Intelligence in the 1890s, first as an explorer and spy, then to open consulates along Persia's eastern borders. His job was to deter Russian expansion towards India. Unpaid, he rode through thousands of miles of the harshest desert, marsh and mountain, often with his indomitable sister, who kept house for him until he married.