Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton

704 Pages·1990·21.371 MB·English

by  Edward Rice

C A P T A I N
S I R R I C H A R D
F R A N C I S
B U R T O N
The Secret Agent Who
Made the Pilgrimage to Mecca,
Discovered the Sutra,
and Brought the Arabian
Nights to the West
E D W A R D R I C E
*A
DA CAPO PRESS
Copyright © 1990 by Edward Rice
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo­
copying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America.
Cataloging-in-Publication data for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
First Da Capo Press edition 2001
Reprinted by arrangement with Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
ISBN 0-306-81028-X
Published by Da Capo Press
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
http:/ / www.dacapopress.com
Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the U.S. by
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10—05 04 03 02 01
To Susanna
r
Contents
Acknowledgments xiii
A Note on Sources xv
Alphabets and Currencies xix
Introduction 1
l The Gypsy Child 9
Dark and Sooty England, Sunny France 17
3 Among the Grocers 25
4 The Great Game 37
5 The Griff 45
6 The Black Wife 55
7 The Snake Priests 69
8 Young Egypt 89
vii
viii Contents
9 The Assassins 113
10 The Royal Court 121
11 The Smell of Death 129
12 The Secret Path 163
13 Searching for Camoes 173
14 The Mystical Rose 197
15 Daisy 213
16 The Road to Mecca 231
17 The Prophet’s Tomb 255
18 The Holiest City 263
19 “City of Evil Fame” 291
20 “Rotten Heads” 341
21 The Great Safari 353
22 “M} Earthly God and King” 409
23 Victoria’s Lake 439
24 Santa Isabel 449
25 The Evil Nights 481
26 Brazil 495
27 The Emperor and Empress of Damascus 505
Contents ix
28 Trieste, Sadness 541
29 Arabian Nights 557
30 Perfumed Gardens 595
3I The Widow's Burning 6
Notes and Major Sources 621
Bibliography 629
Index 643

Contents ix
28 Trieste, Sadness 541
29 Arabian Nights 557
30 Perfumed Gardens 595
31 The Widow’s Burning 6
Notes and Major Sources 621
Bibliography 629
Index 643