The Richard Burton Diaries (220 page)

Monday 22nd
Sunned. Read.

Tuesday 23rd, Gstaad-Céligny
Left for Céligny with Brook and bike in exchange for Troy-Liza bike at school. Did it all in one fell swoop.

Wednesday 24th, Céligny
Flew Geneve – Zurich. Zurich – Johannesburg. 14 hours.

Thursday 25th, Johannesburg
Arrived Johannesburg. Many people at airport. Thousands I suppose.

Friday 26th
Went to ‘club’ downstairs with creepy Peter Lawford.
⁶⁴
[...] Terrible food danced with unknown girl. Press took pics. Also said I was drunk. Cheek. [...] Went to tennis. Pres and wife.
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Usual agonizing boredom stiff with protocol.

Saturday 27th
Tennis. Ugh! [...] Ringo out of his skull.
⁶⁶
Very unhappy man.

Sunday 28th
Went to ‘Grand Bal’. Auctioned ‘Hiz’ and ‘Liz’ for 2000 Rand. Much the biggest buy of the evening. Went to bed at 6am.

Monday 29th, Johannesburg – Chobe
Jet (Lear) to Chobe.
⁶⁷
1 hour 45 minutes. Landed on grass strip. Very bumpy. Saw elephants, baboons, buffaloes? Other people had terrible journey. [...] Married Elizabeth Zulu fashion.

Tuesday 30th, Chobe
Went up river with Fritz and Daniel (Black).
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Fascinating encounter with bee-eating-birds troglodytes. Saw 30–40 elephants? Also fascinating. About 5–15 baboons surrounded our suite. We thought it normal but discovered that it was a phenomenon never seen before. It would of course occur when E was here. Hereforth to be known as Elizabeth's baboons. Strange. Richard Barrett (3 Degrees man) pestered us all evening.
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Quite scary.

OCTOBER

Wednesday 1st, Chobe – Kruger
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Land-Rovered through real bush. Non-tourist route to lose press. E took snap after snap of you name it she took it. Result – no film in the camera and eleven bruises around her body where she banged herself against the turret of Rover. She did it again!

Thursday 2nd, Kruger – Johannesburg
Helicoptered over Kruger Park. Stampeded elephants and buffalo. Saw our second sable antelope – a very rare creature we're told. Eliz had immediate mutual love affair with cheetah – yclept Targa. Hope the pictures come out this time. Never seen E so happy but our hearts belong to Chobe. [...]

Friday 3rd, Johannesburg
Jetted to J'burg. E was in agony to the point of tears which she hid from me but I am now unfoolable. I scratched her back and held her hand. Land-Rovered again with Targa or perhaps Tagra? Latter refused to hunt impala came back to Land Rover and E every time. Like Ferdinand the bull.
⁷¹
Though he
has
hunted and killed, his owner assured us. E went for X-ray of ribs. No cracks but two spots on lung. We must make them go away.

Saturday 4th
The most agonizing hour of my life ended at approx 1pm. Yesterday I mean. I had spent the previous hours back to approx 4pm Thursday in the most terrible fear for Elizabeth's and my life. Sleep was no palliative. I am still suffering from delayed shock and will in a lesser form, I think, continue to suffer for the rest of my life. E was incomparably brave. I love her mindlessly and hopelessly.
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Sunday 5th
We leave for Chobe tomorrow and will be in our small portion of the barren earth, paste and cover to our bones, for some days.
⁷³
I am leaving the 10,000 rand I earned on Saturday morning for our return trips. And there shall be no mucking about at Kruger or the Cape. Chobe belongs to E and me. We love each other. It's very simple. [...]

Monday 6th
E in splendid form and a trifle tiddly but sweetly so when we went to Sol's house for a late (very late!) lunch. Then E with what seems like aid and abettance from Adele (P.R.O. for Sunshine Hotels) that E and I should get married in Chobe this week I thought they were joking and said so.
⁷⁴
But E and E turned out to be serious. Result the latter half of the day a series of
¹
/
₂
joking
¹
/
₂
bitter invective from E. I told her that I was afraid! Literally
afraid
, at the moment, that marriage might horrifyingly end in divorce. We will of course get married again if E so wishes but until I get over my fear and since I am, at least, deliriously happy at the moment why spoil it!

Tuesday 7th, Johannesburg – Chobe
Grass landing. Slight brush with grim reaper. Left suspension, left wheel packed it in. Very rough landing. Guess that we were within 6–8–12 inches from kingdom come. Decided to get married here as soon as possible unless E (or I, for that matter) changes mind. Love her beyond measure and above anything. She fast asleep. Bathed and shamp in private pool. Shiver, shiver, shake shake. Can't wait for E to awaken! [...]

Wednesday 8th, Chobe
Awoke at dawn. Went up river in the afternoon. Carmine breasted bee-eater chief delight. E talks endlessly about wedding. Can't make up my mind. Might be that cancer scare has given everything an unnatural shape. Also, like being hanged, it concentrates a man's mind wonderfully. All well.

Thursday 9th
Stayed in bed all day yesterday. Read and slept. E fed me in bed lunch though had dinner in living room. Looks like marriage is on. I wonder why I am still doubtful. It doesn't seem right but I don't know why. Perhaps I'm afraid of legal responsibility. Also sex urge temporarily dormant. Very puzzling.

Friday 10th
⁷⁵
Got shamefully sloshed and despite all my idiocies – nasty too – we are as happy as children. We catch our breaths every so often and say with a kind of smiling wonder and delight ‘Hey!’ Do you realize we are actually
married?’ We must have said it scores of times. I have never been so happy in my life. E cured me with loving even lavish attention. This is far better marriage than the first despite its silly (and dangerous) beginning [...]

Saturday 11th
Woke up feeling very ill and to make sure that I would not get sloshed on ‘livener’ ETB gave me antabus which might quite easily have killed me feeling as I was.
⁷⁶
However, despite physical ill-being felt emotionally very content. Worried about E. She not aware of it but sometimes, in a few seconds she changes colour. Much as I (and she) loves this place must get her back to somewhere sophisticated for a thorough check up. Sleep on it and tell her tomorrow perhaps. Nobody else seems to notice, but I watch my love intently without making [it] obvious. Please God she's OK. I'd die without her now.

Sunday 12th
Went on picnic. Cucumber sandwiches on the marriage grounds. Cold wine, beer, champagne and cold chicken for the other. Coca-Colas and water for me. E still worrying me. So much so that I wonder if she thinks me a bit weird at times. She started talking oddly too now and again. [...] Went by Land Rover and returned by boat. Fritz (manager) Brian (white hunter) and wife.
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[...] E came back into bedroom and fell fast asleep. Is asleep now. Will finish this tomorrow.

Monday 13th
E arrived back from safari very late. [...] Black told me ‘Madam sick,’ she was too. Brian and Fritz with much difficulty, as there was no purchase at first got her out of Land Rover. Put her to bed. Undressed her. Said she was fine until she smoked cigarette then blacked out. Insisted she took shot. What is it? Nerves? Not enough exercise? Can't be lungs unless doctor an idiot. Liver? Want to take her back to England for check.

Tuesday 14th
[...] E assiduously writing journal. Writes simply and well though spelling atrocious. She felt faint again twice after cigs. What the devil is it? Read hysterical book by one Douglas Reed called
Siege of S. Africa
.
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Utterly absurd political rubbish for the most part but sometimes some truth to it. Must find out more about South Africa.

Wednesday 15th
Got up early. Drank some wine while E asleep. Felt terrible. She took one look at me and put me to bed. I said it was malaria pills. She very not amused. Slept it off in a couple of hours. She still writing. Got the bug of writing. Told her the hard part was yet to come. News of wedding has broken earlier than expected. [...]

Thursday 16th
Press all over the place, so confined to camp. [...] Gavin enjoying himself hugely though pretends to great savoir faire.
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E getting lazy again about writing. Loves Chobe (so do I) but would like to see and hear more – not animals but people of Botswana. One of them curtsied to E yesterday and she was frightened of the obsequity. They smile, she says, but hardly ever with their eyes. I must know more about them. How do they really think of white men? Of Europeans?

Friday 17th
E didn't write at all yesterday. Gave her a mild row. Will not believe that she has anything to say and that she writes beautifully. Needs constant reassurance. Offers of money – quite large sums for her journal pouring in, so she may get her finger out again. [...] Press know all about wedding down to tiniest details that we worked out it can only be Ambrose (District Comiss) Masalila.
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Wedding place has name apparently – Serendella, apparently.
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Cannot blame him. Press very tenacious and insidious. Also obscure DC in obscure country doubtless enjoyed his hour upon the stage. Very unusual man if he didn't. Press searching for us everywhere. [...] Gavin beaming with long ‘talks’ on telex with J'burg. Must teach him not to get too funny with press. [...]

Saturday 18th
E beginning to turn indifferent re HW.
⁸²
Picknicked on marriage grounds. Bangers and Br and Butt.
⁸³
Delicious! Fritz, Brian with us. E went away into a copse and sat writing sitting on a rock. Utter human stillness with air thrilled by bird-calls. Only Manley Hopkins could even attempt to catch in words the magic of this place. For a time we played Beethoven and Brahms
for a time
but they were an interference. Shut them up. Fritz and Brian read, Eliz wrote and I sat and the day wore exquisitely on. I swam in the Chobe for a time. E waded in boots. Result E lost one boot. That is it split at the seams and may or may not be rescue-able. Doubt it with local craftsmen. E very squiffy for first time for ages. And I don't know how. She had little to drink. I must stop worrying about her.

Sunday 19th
American reporters here in force it seems. Therefore stayed in all day. Very hot. Our little monkeys (vemsets) didn't come to be fed yesterday.
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E very disappointed. Read book entitled
Solo
re wild dog and runt of the pack,
very moving.
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E not well at all. Don't know how to help except put her to bed and feed her. Honestly think before too late that she should go into sanatorium. [...] Wonder if booze at fault though she doesn't drink much but if liver bad even a little is bad. Love her and cross fingers.

Monday 20th
[...] Two little birds crashed into window. One merely stunned. Other looks dead. let him lie for a bit. Neck broken perhaps. Both on their feet after a while. One bird got himself up and away. Other on feet. Put food out for him. Took picture. Both OK and they flew away.

Tuesday 21st
[...] Drank enormously and cheated when E wasn't looking. Don't remember much except falling a lot and suggesting divorce. Can't control my hands so cannot write any more. One word only. Very silly.
Booze
!

Wednesday 22nd, Chobe
Having been so drunk yesterday felt terrible in morning and was desperately ill. Went quietly at 9.30 to find a double brandy. Bar closed until 10. Asked for Fritz (manager). Reluctantly he opened bar for me and suggested vodka as it wouldn't be so smelly when E had morning kiss. Drank it with very shaking hands. Have become a ‘falling down’. [...] My hand writing indication of shakes. Painful knee, bottom, right elbow, back of head, right ear in great pain. [...] E an angel and looked like one. How does she do it? Look so well I mean for she had a lot to drink too. Fed monkeys who now come about 4–5 feet into room. Starting to tame them.

Thursday 23rd
Two weeks married

Still faintly dizzy if I make any sudden movement. Awoke at 5.15. E too and went lion hunting with Brian and his wife. Brian and E had seen a great beast last evening in all his glory. E agog with excitement. We searched for two hours with no success but saw everything else. Baboons, impala, kudus, buffalo, superb birds, the absurd undertaker storks that delight me with their parody of the human species. Read for the rest of the day. Marais
My Friends the Baboons
.
⁸⁶
Powerfully and
readably
evocative. [...] Had to have helping hand to walk first few steps in any direction. Very disappointed in myself but periodically no doubt will fall into the trap.

Friday 24th
Sat and read all day history of Zulus.
Washing of the Spears
.
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Good history but sometimes hard work. Never moved out of the room. [...] E in good form and me much better though occasional wistful look at a bottle.
Shen (Buddhist) and Fritz for drinks.
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Told acting stories. They laughed a lot. Hope they enjoyed themselves. Made superb love to E in the afternoon. Gets better all the time if that's possible. Felt heavy weight of man's guilt at intervals. Very Celtic and Scandinavian. Thought about death too much. Much staring. [...]

Saturday 25th, Chobe
Read and read as usual. Went to see potential water bore. Beautiful location. Am continually surprised by ignorance of people who live here as to primitive geology, flora, fauna etc. [...] Engrossed by Zulus. What a bureaucratic logistical mess on our part thrilling with personal bravery on both sides.
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