Victor Gaunt is an agent of the British Secret Service.
The area of the world that Gaunt operates in is the countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. In fact the first recorded adventure of this agent who was already well known for his exploits takes place in the most famous connection between the two lands, the fabled Khyber Pass.
From the limited information that is given about Gaunt, the man has spent a good number of years working in that region and has acquired the ability to disguise himself physically and accurately play the part of a native in either country. The skill that Gaunt has with mimicry lefts him assume different roles in his play-acting with a beggar being one of his better avatars.
Another of Gaunt's impressive set of skills is his fast draw of his revolver which he at times keeps secured by the sash around his waist; "the speed of his draw baffled the eye to follow it". This is very handy on several occasions but even more beneficial is his willingness to forego the handgun and bring out his sword with which he is possibly even better: "there were few better swordsmen in the world that the wild hillmen of the Khyber Pass but Gaunt was now proving to be one of that few". When he puts together those two abilities, he is frightening as in one scene where he is sword-fighting several men and still manages, when he notices a sniper about to fire, to pull his revolver and eliminate the threat.
Gaunt is described as slightly taller than most men, in superb athletic build, and possessing piercing eyes. From the images we are given of him, Gaunt has a wide, solid chin, a slightly hawkish nose, and the description of his eyes is clearly shown to be accurate.