Nights containing the Arabic
originals of 'Zayn Al-Asnam' and 'Alaeddin,' and Burton, thanks to the
courtesy of Zotenberg, was able to make use of it."

150. Dr. Leslie and Dr. Baker: Anecdotes. April 1887.

From June 19th to 22nd there were rejoicings at Trieste on account of
Queen Victoria's Jubilee. At the banquet, which took place at the Jager,
Sir Richard occupied the chair, and he and the Rev. C. F. Thorndike,
the chaplain, made speeches. During the summer Sir Richard's health
continued to cause grave anxiety, but he was well enough by July 15th
to set out for the usual summer holiday. Accompanied by Lady Burton, Dr.
Leslie and Lisa, he first visited Adelsburg, and then Sauerbrunn, where
he got relief by drinking daily a cup of very hot water. In a letter to
Mr. Ellis written from Sauerbrunn, 14th September 1887, Burton refers
to Professor Blumhardt's contribution to his Supplementary Nights, and
finishes: "Salute for me Mr. Bendall and tell him how happy I shall be
to see him at Trieste if he pass through that very foul part."

After the Burtons' return to Trieste (at the end of September) Dr.
Leslie obtained another post, and Dr. Baker was invited to take his
place.

Dr. Baker consented to do so, only on the condition that Sir Richard
would not dispute his medical orders. This, Dr. Baker explained to me,
was a very necessary stipulation, for Sir Richard now looked upon the
time spent over his meals as so many half-hours wasted. He never ate his
food properly, but used to raven it up like an animal in order to get
back quickly to his books. So a treaty was made, and Dr. Baker remained
a member of the household the rest of Burton's life.

To this period belong the following unpublished anecdotes. Of Burton's
interest in Ancient Etruria and especially in the archaeological
discoveries at Bologna [547] we have already spoken. Once when he and
Dr. Baker were visiting Bologna they took a long walk outside the town
and quite lost their bearings. Noticing a working man seated on the
roadside, Burton asked him in French the way back. In reply the man
"only made a stupid noise in his throat." Burton next tried him with the
Bolognese [548] dialect, upon which the man blurted out, "Je don't know
savez." Sir Richard then spoke in English, and the man finding there was
no further necessity for Parisian, explained in his own tongue that he
was an English sailor who had somehow got stranded in that part.

To Burto