Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-11-26
EDITOR'SBO0 TABLE
euRToNs ADVENTURES At MECCA
AND AMONG THE MoRMoNS.
staniey's ozark Companions and Their
Strange sstories," and Other Re-
cent Publications.


To those who enjoy memoirs and auto
Biographies. much entertainment and
Measure are offered IN many OF the re-
cent publications. Beyond the reading OF
the hooks. Il is an interesting study. and
at times amusing. TO note how the differ-
ent authors present the subjects OF their
memoirs. Sometimes the subject IL al
most lost sight OF In the vanity and con-
ceit OF the compiler. as IN the case OF
"Slr Morren Mackenzie. Physician and
Operator." by the Rev. Mr.. Harreis.
Again. the autobiographer gives too much
20 the public, becomes too personal ana
his executor IS criticised and fageilated,
az In william Ben SCOTS "Autobiograph-
ical Notes" &c; and in sharp contrast
10 this. where many personal recoiiec-
lions are given, and yet no such disturb
anca has been made, are William George
Ward and the Catholic Revival" by Will
frid Ward. and the life of Captain sir
Richard Burton" by his wife. Isabel
Lady Burton's aim and intentions are
well defined In Ne opening sentences OF
her "Consecration,' az she calls 1t, In
stead Of the usual delegation. 1t runs:
"ro My Earthly Master, v~So IS Walt
ing for Me on Heavens Frontiers
Whilst Whiting to rejon you, leave az
a message to the world we Inhabited the
record Of the life into which both our
lives were fused. Would that i could
write as well az I can love. and DO you
that Justice. that honor which you de-
soryc 7 will do my best and then 1 will
leave IL 10 more brilliant pens whose
ylelders will feel less and write better
Meet me soon, / wait the signal!
'TSABEr. BURTON"
In spcaking OF the labor Of sorting
Sir Richards books and the dif1culties
before her, she says: Il have no leisure
10 think Of style or OF polish, or 20 select
the hest English. the best language-no
time TO shine as on authoress. l must
lust think aloud, 20 rs not 10 keep the
nubIlc waiting" In this also, how much
she means. Her life she cOnsecrates to
tho vlndication of her husband. whom
she shows was not treated Justly by the
English government, and feeling that her
Ufe might be cut off. az che Is an in
valid. she concludes, evidently TO tfink
aloud" as she says, and give out these
thoughts with all their errors, even then
careIcssness, rather than gume ana
polish. and thus run the risk or not
living 10 seq the recognition by the
public OF the value and greatness OF
Sir Richard Burton-this husband whom
she loved almost to idoatry. AFTER such
a confession as quoted above, IT would
almost seem unlJnd TO crticise Lazy
Burton's methods and style Of compila-
tlon This may be the reason :he critics
deal 80 gently with her. The life ccN-
prjses two ponderOus volumes. ana
though these are a mine OF interesting
and delightful matter they might have
been easily condensed one half. Win al
her faults IN editing, she wins US by
her frankness and her tender devotion
10 her husband Though she dlscaims
being an authoTeSs. she has published
two books-One called "The sixth Sense
which she seems 20 think rather Gcod,
Sometimes the disparity between her
husbands writing and hers il 50 marked
one asks how IL could be that she ga
not imbibe some Of his strength, me-
IRE, his richness of language she 'dited
and copied for him by the hour and day
for Years in the whole two volumes
there are only two occasions when she
rises above the commonplace level-one
IS when she writes 10 her mother an
nouncing her intention Of marrying Cap
tain Burton, and giving In f0rceful, we'll
chosen language her reasons; the other
is after her husbands death, when she
burning his manuscript OF 1.-THE Scented
Garden" As 1 have limited, the book is
fascinating. because IL tells Of the daily
life of the great explorer. 1.-The history
OF the world IL the biography of its
great men," 80 says Carlyle, and the
measure Of Sir Richards greatness IL
not only full but overflOwing. His pile
grimage TO Mecca was accomplished ut
great risk Of life. To compass this Cap
tain Burton disguised himself as
Dcrvlsh. studied tho minutest forms Of
Mah)mmcGan worship, acquired the see
cred passwords and boldly joiuod the
great procession OF prilgrims to the
shrine, when the slightest look or
gesture might have betrayed him 90
hundred Khanjars. who were
ready TO lance a discovered enemy. Be
sides this celebrated journey, which was
IN Itself enough to immortaliZe the hero
made explorations IN IIarar and Soma
Hand, where no European had ever been
before This expedition was as adventu-
rous and dangerous as that to Mecca,
hut is not so well known. The excerpts
from Sir Richards journal of his travels
are written with fire and nervous
energy which hold the reader fascinated.
Later he organized n body OF irregular
cavalry in the Crlmea. and afterwards,
accompanied by Spoke. he pushed into
Eastern Africa from Zanzibar and dis
covered Lake Tanganyika, which Is now
conceded 10 be the source OF the Nile.
The African travellers fitness for the
task Of exploration" says Sir Richard,
depends more upon his faculty OF chatting
under delays and kicking against the
pricks than upon his power of displaying
the patience of "A Griselda or a job"
After beautiful description Of African
scenery, In which country extremes often
meet and where grace and beauty are
seldom seen without a sudden change To
eroSesuuoncss" Sir Richard Igoes on:
Next day our path was slippery as mud
and man and beast were rendered wild
hy the cruel stinss Of a small, red ant
and Il huge black pismire. These are long
headed, they cannot spring, but show
great qulckness In fastening themselves
TO the foot or ankle as II brushes over
them. The pismire is a horse-ant about
an iuoh in length, whose bulldog head
and powerful mandibles enable IT to de-
stroy rats and mice. lizards and snakes
its bite burns Ike the pinch Of red
hot needle. When 1t sets TO work twist
ing Itself round, IL may be pulled In two
without relaxing its hold. AS the people
stopped 10 drink they Were seized by
these dreadful creatures, and suddenly
begun 10 dance and shout like madmen.
pulling off their clothes and frantically
snatching at their lower limbs" This is
only one out OF hundreds OF annoyances
and inconvenience to which Sir Richard
and party were subjected, and they not
only had climate. mutiny, and Illness to
contend with. but evil reports from the
half-caste Arabs, who said the explorers
each had one eye and four arms, that
they were fun OF magic. that they caused
rain 20 fall as they advanced. and left
q drought behind them. that they cooked
watermelons and threw away the seeds,
thus generating smallpox, and that they
heated and hardened milk, thus breeding
u murrain amongst the cattle, These and
many other lies We're circulated which
were easily credited by the savages
There can be no doubt that the twenty
one fevers from which Sir Richard suf-
fered at various times undermined his
otherwise robust constitution His &C
count OF the severest that attacked him
IN Africa Is as follows: About in the
afternoon l was forced To lay aside my
writing by an unusual sensation OF ner-
vons irritahility which was followed by
general shudder. as In cold paroxysms
OF feyerS Presently my axtrs,aiskac ha