The Lindsays, Volume III by John K. Leys

A tall bearded man walked slowly up the side of a steep ravine, leading a tired horse by the bridle. His hands were plunged deep in his trousers-pockets, and his brows were knitted in deep thought. He wore the regulation Australian costume -- flannel shirt and silk scarf, straw hat, rough trousers, and enormous boots.

It was Alec Lindsay. Two years of the dry bracing air of Australia had done wonders for him. His cheeks and hands were brown as a nut, his muscles strong and springy as when he used to run up the sides of the Highland hills; not a trace of weakness was left in his frame.