The Life of Captain Sir Richard F. Burton, volume 2 (of 2): By His Wife, Isabel BurtonBurton, Isabel, Lady
History
The Life of Captain Sir Richard F. Burton, volume 2 (of 2): By His Wife, Isabel Burton
Burton, Isabel, Lady
Burton, Richard Francis, Sir, 1821-1890; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Scholars -- Great Britain -- Biography
On the 20th of November, 1885, he went round to pay his farewell
visits, and lastly to my father. Now, although my father was paralyzed,
and confined to his room, he was comparatively in no danger of death,
and the doctors had assured me, that if we went away, and returned as
we intended the following June, that they believed we should find my
father alive, and no worse, if not better, than at present; but when
Richard went to wish him good-bye, something seemed to come over them,
and Richard knelt down and asked his blessing, and asked him to pray
for him. My father put his hand upon his head with great emotion, and
blessed him fervently, and Richard left the room with the tears running
down his cheeks. My father died shortly after, and his last prayer was
for Richard and for me--he never spoke after that.
[Sidenote: _Goes to Marocco_.]
On the 21st of November Richard started for Marocco in Forwood's
steamer _Mequinez_, from St. Katherine's Wharf. I accompanied him
on board. He was advised to go, and to leave me to bring out some
volumes of the "Arabian Nights." I brought out up to No. 7, which
were corrected ready for press, and joined him in January. He had for
fellow-passengers the Perdicaris family of Tangier, and Mrs. Leared,
wife of a former friend, Dr. Leared, Fakhri Bey, and others. It seems
to have been squally. They were eight days getting to Gibraltar.
At Gibraltar he saw Mr. Melford Campbell, who was full of the lost
treasure in Vigo Bay. He thought he alone knew the secret of where the
lost treasure was, and he was too jealous to combine with Richard in
raising the means of finding it. Seeing that, Richard drew back, and
whatever secret there was on his side, perished with him, as he died
some time after. On the 30th Richard arrived at Tangier.
It was now the election-time, and my father, who was paralyzed, and
who was a strong Conservative, went nearly out of his mind, because he
could not go down to the polling-place and vote. He ordered himself
to be dressed, and a brougham to be sent for, though the doctor said
it would kill him, and I was only able to quiet him by assuring him
that a _statement_ would be received in _his_ case; and I drew it up,
and he signed it. A pious fiction, which served to prolong his life
for a little bit. Then I paid visits to Garswood (the Gerards') and
to Knowsley. During this time I was getting the four volumes of the
"Nights" out, which I was left for. I was dreadfully spied upon by
those who wished to get Richard into trouble about it, and once an
unaccountable person came and took some rooms in the same lodgings with
me after Richard left, but I settled with the landlord that either I
should leave, or that person should not have the rooms; and of course
he did not hesitate between the two, so I took the whole of his rooms
for the remainder of my stay.
WHAT THE WORLD SAID ABOUT MAROCCO.
_Pictorial World_, March 13th.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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