about every one of his expeditions in anticipation of mineral wealth,
the thought forces itself upon us that it was adventure rather than
gold, sulphur, diamonds and silver that he really wanted. And of the
lack of that he never had reason to complain.

An exhibition of the specimens, both mineralogical and archaeological,
was held at the Hippodrome, and all Cairo flocked to see "La
Collection," as the announcement expressed it, "rapportee par le
Capitaine Burton." [309] The Khedive opened the exhibition in person,
and walked round to look at the graffiti, the maps, the sketches of
ruins and the twenty-five tons of rock, as nobody had more right; and
Burton and M. Marie the engineer accompanied him.

"Are you sure," enquired the Khedive, pointing to some of the rocks,
"that this and this contain gold?"

"Midian," replied M. Marie, blandly, "is a fine mining country."

And that information was all the return his Highness got for his little
outlay of one thousand nine hundred and seventy one pounds twelve
shillings and sixpence.

94. Letter to Sir Henry Gordon, 4th July 1878.

Returned to Trieste, Burton once more settled down to his old dull life.
The most interesting letter of this period that has come to our hands
is one written to Sir Henry Gordon, [310] brother of Colonel, afterwards
General Gordon.

It runs: "Dear Sir, I am truly grateful to you for your kind note of
June 30th and for the obliging expressions which it contains. Your
highly distinguished brother, who met my wife at Suez, has also written
me a long and interesting account of Harar. As you may imagine, the
subject concerns me very nearly, and the more so as I have yet hopes of
revisiting that part of Africa. It is not a little curious that although
I have been in communication with Colonel Gordon for years, we have
never yet managed to meet. Last spring the event seemed inevitable, and
yet when I reached Suez, he had steamed south. However, he writes to me
regularly, scolding me a little at times, but that is no matter. I hope
to be luckier next winter. I expect to leave Trieste in a few days
[311] and to make Liverpool via long sea. Both Mrs. Burton and I want
a medicine of rest and roast beef as opposed to rosbif. Nothing would
please me more than to meet you and talk over your brother's plans. My
direction is Athenaeum Club, and Woolwich is not so difficult to explore
as Harar was. Are we likely to meet at the British Association?"