“So you did, but you did not mention the names of the others!” He looked at me for an instant and said inquiringly as though something had struck him: “Tell me, why do you want to know?” “Because,” I answered, “I never saw any one like him. He is steel! He would go through you like a sword!” “You are right!” he said. “But I thought you knew him. That is Burton— Captain Burton who went to Mecca!” The Burtons were then paying a short visit to Lord Talbot de Malahide. After Irving went back to London, I was very busy and did not ever come across either of them. That autumn I joined Irving and went to live in London. II In January of next year, 1879, I met the Burtons again. They had come to London for a holiday. The first meeting I had then with Burton was at supper with Irving in the Green Room Club—these were occasional suppers where a sort of smoking-concert followed the removal of the dishes. I sat between Burton and James Knowles, who was also Irving’s guest. It was a great pleasure to me to meet Burton familiarly, for I had been hearing about him and his wonderful exploits as long as I could remember. He talked very freely and very frankly about all sorts of things, but that night there was nothing on the _tapis_ of an exceptionally interesting nature. That night, by the way, I heard Irving recite _The Captive_ for the first time. He also did _Gemini and Virgo_; but that I had heard him do in Trinity College, Dublin. The Burtons remained in London till the end of February, in which month we met at supper several times. The first supper was at Irving’s rooms in Grafton Street, on the night of Saturday, February 8, the other member of the party being Mr. Aubertin. The subdued light and the quietude gave me a better opportunity of studying Burton’s face; in addition to the fact that this time I sat opposite to him and not beside him. The predominant characteristics were the darkness of the face—the desert burning; the strong mouth and nose, and jaw and forehead—the latter somewhat bold—and the strong, deep, resonant voice. My first impression of the man as of steel was consolidated and enhanced. He told us, amongst other things, of the work he had in hand. Three great books were partially done. The translation of the _Arabian Nights_, the metrical translation of Camoëns, and the _Book of the Sword_. These were all works of vast magnitude and requiring endless research. But he lived to complete them all.