y was not allowed." [70] A little later,
however, Burton had to suffer very severely for this unfortunate
occurrence. Of course he heard regularly from home. His father was still
immersed in blow-pipes and retorts, his mother still mildly protesting.
His sister, who had won to herself for her loveliness the name of "the
Moss Rose," was married to General Sir Henry Stisted [71], his brother
Edward was practising as an army doctor; his Grandmother Baker was dead.
[72]

12. The Persian Beauty.

During one of his rambles he formed the acquaintance of a beautiful
olive, oval-faced Persian girl of high descent. We are told that her
"eyes were narcissi, her cheeks sweet basil," her personal charms
together with her siren voice and sweet disposition caused him to
fall in love with her; but he had scarcely learnt that his passion was
reciprocated before she died. We are told also that for many years he
could never think of her without pain; and that when, some time after,
he narrated the story to his sister he revealed considerable emotion.
Miss Stisted thought she could see references to this episode in
Burton's poem The Kasidah, portions of which were written some three
years later: "Mine eyes, my brain, my heart are sad--sad is the
very core of me." This may be so, but the birth of a litter of pups,
presented to him by his beloved bull terrier, seems to have taken the
edge off his grief; and his tribute to one of these pups, which received
the name of Bachhun, is really affecting.

The "Acting Commissioner" of the time was General Jacob of the Sind
Horse, who wore a helmet of silver and a sabre-tache studded with
diamonds. This, however, was not from pride or love of display, but
because he held it policy in those who have to deal with Hindus not
to neglect show and splendour. "In the eyes of Orientals," he used to
remark, and Burton endorsed the saying, "no man is great unless he is
also superbly dressed." As Jacob stuttered, one of his correspondents
thought his name was J. J. J. J. J. Jacob, and terribly offended
the testy General by writing it so. A brave and self-confident, but
rancorous old man, Jacob by his senseless regulations brought the Indian
army to the verge of ruin. This peccadillo was passed over, but a more
serious offence, his inability to play whist, was remembered against him
by his brother officers right to the day of his death. [73]

13. A Simian Dictionary.

When the Sikh war broke