"I was born with strong passions, a lively imaginative disposition and a spirit that could brook no restraint," proclaimed Thomas "Buck" Whaley (1765-1800). A member of the Irish House of Commons, a big talker and a bon vivant, Whaley accepted a lucrative bet to travel to Jerusalem and back within two years, which—for both geographical and political reasons—was an extremely difficult trip. Written in 1797 but not published until 1906, Whaley's memoirs are a colorful account of a life well lived.