The Path of the King is a 1921 novel by the Scottish author John Buchan, presented as a loosely-coupled series of short stories. In a prologue to the novel, three men discuss around a campfire the notion that the 'spark' of masterful men may be transmitted down from generation to generation, and even though it may smoulder for generations and may seem lost, will reappear and flare up when the time is right. "I...