WE SETTLE OUR ACCOUNTS WITH BODMILCAR.
It was quite late in the evening before we reached the bar of the
river, and as I was fearful of crossing it in the dark, I gave orders
to lay to for the night. A small Chaldean camp was within sight, but
I took every precaution to guard against any act of treachery on the
part of Belesys.
A number of booths made of branches of trees had been erected on
the shore, and some Phœnician dealers were purchasing plunder
from the soldiers, and supplying them with wine in return. Himilco,
Gisgo, and several others expressed a great wish to go ashore, and
although I knew that they would only be drinking and bragging of
their adventures, I could not find it in my heart to refuse them. I
only stipulated that they should not go out of hearing. A couple of
hours later, being curious to know what was going on in the little
mart that looked so bright with its many lamps, I took Bichri and
Jonah, and rowed to land. Just as I stepped on shore, I observed two
galleys pass down stream, as if about to anchor below us; they were
followed by a gaoul, which kept very close to the opposite bank;
but as the river was very wide, and it was quite dusk, I could not
distinguish its form. Knowing, moreover, that there was a great deal
of slave-trafficking going on with the Assyrians, I did not give the
circumstance more than a casual attention.
[Illustration: HIMILCO AND GISGO IN ANIMATED CONVERSATION WITH
THE CHALDEAN SOLDIERS.
_To face page 327._]
I found Himilco and Gisgo in animated conversation with the Chaldean
soldiers, who evidently regarded all their tales about enormous
stags, stinking fish-oil, and the sun shining on the wrong side, as
mere romances, if not downright lies. One of them avowed that no
power on earth would ever make him believe that any people could
accept Jonah for their god, a mere human being like themselves. To
this Bichri replied, somewhat contemptuously, that he could not see
but that Jonah was every whit as good as Nisroch; and Gisgo added
that he could believe anything after seeing how the Assyrians allowed
themselves to be bullied by Belochus and his general Belesys.
[Illustration]
Furious at the insults offered alike to his god and to his
rulers, the Chaldean threatened to break every bone in Gisgo's
skin; whereupon Gisgo replied that he was quite ready to accept a
challenge, and that he would fight it out in any way he pleased; like
the people of Prydhayn or Ar-Mor, if he chose.
"You had better not be fighting with us," said Himilco; "we conquer
wherever we go; Sicilians, Garamantines, Suomi, Germani, we have
thrashed them all. We have been to the river Illiturgis, and to the
Pyrenees, and to the Chariot of the Gods, and to the Fortunate
Islands, where we got as much gold as we liked. Everything succeeds
with us; and the best thing you can do is to leave us alone."
The man looked aghast at the string of names which Himilco repeated
out so volubly, and, in a half-apologetic tone, replied:
"You Sidonians are wonderful travellers. I am a Kardook, and thought
I had done something marvellous in coming here from my far-off
mountains. The world is much larger than I reckoned."
Another Chaldean now put in his word, and said that though he had not
been to Tarshish, he had just seen a man of Tarshish.
"Just seen one! where?" asked Himilco.
"In the royal camp. He was along with the Phœnician captain who
has taken service under King Belochus."
A thrill ran through me. In an instant I recollected the gaoul and
the two galleys, and the truth flashed upon my mind.
"His name?" I cried. "Tell me his name, and I will give you a shekel."
"Make it two, and I will tell you."
I threw him the money, which he picked up and put in his purse. He
was walking off, saying that he did not see why he need tell me the
captain's name now that he was already paid. In my rage at the cool
effrontery of the rascal I was about to knock him down, when one of
the Phœnician dealers interposed:
"Never mind that fellow's nonsense, I will tell you what you want.
The captain's name is Bodmilcar; he is a Tyrian."
The very sound of the name was enough. My men caught it, and in an
instant we were all on our way back to the ships. Once on board, I
held a consultation with the officers, and put them in possession
of the fact that Bodmilcar was lying in wait a few cables' length
below us; that he was in connection with the army; and that it
was extremely likely that Belesys would attack us in the rear. How
melancholy would it be, I urged, if our enterprise, hitherto so
successful, should be marred by our hateful foe at last!
Animated by a general enthusiasm, my people declared that not a
moment should be lost, the hour for action was come, and the attack
must be made at once.
Chamai and Hanno began to contend for the right to kill Bodmilcar.
"Let me only get within reach of him!" cried Chamai.
"No, no," said Hanno, flushing with excitement; "he is my rival, and
by my hand must he fall."
"Don't be simpletons, young men!" I interposed; "there is something
better than wrangling for you to do now. Look to your duties. We will
make for the sea."
Using every possible caution, we proceeded towards the river-mouth.
The _Ashtoreth_ took the middle of the channel, with the _Adonibal_
on her right, and the _Cabiros_ on her left. Every light had been
extinguished, and it was with throbbing pulses that the men on board
stood, ready armed, peering out into the darkness. Bichri had spread
out his arrows within reach upon the deck, and was crouching down,
his bow full strung; he was between Dionysos and Jonah. The trumpeter
was armed with a huge hatchet in his girdle, and the little Phocian
was provided with his bow and arrow ready for immediate use. Himilco,
holding his cutlass and shield, took his post at the stern, directing
the helmsman; Hannibal and Chamai placed themselves at the head of
their own companies, and stood almost on tiptoe in their eagerness to
get the first glimpse of the enemy.
Before the hour of sunrise we could hear the rushing of the water at
the river-bar, and in the faint dawn could make out Bodmilcar's three
ships blockading our exit The _Melkarth_ was in the middle; the decks
of all three being perfectly thronged by men in helmets. The shore
was quite deserted.
"The stream is in our favour," I observed; "let us commence action
with the fire-ships."
A number of planks loaded with combustibles was soon set afloat.
I did not wait long before ordering Jonah to sound the signal for
attack: it was answered promptly by a challenge from the enemy; a
volley of lances fell upon our deck; we discharged another volley in
reply; and the battle had fairly commenced.
As I had myself superintended the construction of the _Melkarth_, I
was well aware that her flanks were far too substantial to be injured
by any blow from our prows; I knew, moreover, that her height was
so great that it gave her an immense advantage in overwhelming us
with missiles, and rendered every thought of boarding her untenable.
But I also knew her weak points. I had myself experienced that her
enormous weight made her difficult to move; and I resolved in my own
mind that, if possible, I would take advantage of this defect. After
ascertaining from Himilco, who knew enough of the channel to form a
reliable opinion, that the _Melkarth_ drew too much water to be able
to move a cable's length to the right of where she was, I ordered our
boats to be laden with all the combustibles they could carry. I next
signalled to the _Cabiros_ to come alongside, and telling Himilco to
follow me, I went on board her, Hamilcar being left in charge of the
_Ashtoreth_. All this time the arrows from the enemy's ships were
falling fast about us, and Bodmilcar, evidently expecting assistance
from Belesys behind us, was fighting as if sure of victory.
Gisgo joined Himilco at the helm of the _Cabiros_, and I stood
between them to give my orders. Never, I can confidently say, was a
vessel more skilfully piloted. After taking the two boats in tow, and
effectually setting light to their cargo of combustibles, we bore
straight down upon the _Melkarth_; and when we were within half a
bowshot, we were descried by Bodmilcar, who began to jeer us.
"All hail, Mago! you are right welcome; there are some old scores
to settle between us,--that little affair in Egypt, and that other
matter in Tarshish, and that piece of business in the Straits of
Gades; we may as well wipe them all off to-day. I hope to have the
pleasure of seeing you swing from that yard-arm before night. Most
happy to meet you now."
An arrow struck him as he finished speaking; he started back.
"Hit! he's hit!" shouted Bichri, in a voice that rang out high above
the general tumult.
"No!" roared Bodmilcar, "my cuirass is arrow-proof."
"Let us see whether your ship is fire-proof!" I bellowed in reply.
The _Cabiros_ now dashed between the _Melkarth_ and the galley on
her right, and in endeavouring to avoid us, the gaoul became wedged
between the burning boats. In the midst of a shower of arrows, one of
which wounded my cheek, I cut asunder the towing-ropes; the flames
broke forth, and a long jet of smoke rose high into the air. Gisgo
was wounded in the thigh, and could not stand, but he continued
bravely to steer upon his knees. So rapidly had we darted by, that
the volley of missiles intended for our deck went splashing and
crashing down upon the water in our wake; and as we retraced our
course on the other side just as rapidly, I called out to Bodmilcar
that I meant to serve his ship as I had served the Egyptian galley at
Tanis. Himilco, too, did not spare him some cutting jokes upon his
dilemma.
Having returned to my own ship, I ordered the _Adonibal_ and the
_Cabiros_ to make a joint attack with me upon one of the two galleys,
and then to get right ahead of the other. We made the assault with
the very utmost of our strength; the galley made a desperate effort
to escape us, but it was too late; before she could move I had stove
in one of her sides, and driven her, by the violence of the shock,
against the _Melkarth_ and the two burning boats. In the midst of
the smoke I could see that the _Melkarth's_ men were frantically
making their way on board the _Adonibal_, which had got between
her and the other galley, and that the whole of the six ships were
thus brought together into a compact mass, at one end of which the
flames were raging furiously, and at the other hatchets, swords, and
cutlasses were being wielded with relentless desperation.
"To the _Adonibal_!" I shouted; "board her! we shall have them now!"
Simultaneously my own people and the crew of the _Cabiros_ made their
way on to her deck. Bodmilcar was already there. Hanno rushed towards
him and cried:
"Now then, Bodmilcar, come on, and show yourself a man for once!"
"Come on, young milksop! I am quite ready! As soon as I have settled
your business, I shall have time to attend to the rest."
Their swords clashed as they closed in one upon the other, but the
throng around them was so dense that they were quite lost to my view.
All at once Himilco, who had never left my side, made a dash forward,
and shouted:
"Ah! you monster, scoundrel, wretch, I have you now!"
He had recognised the man for whom he had been looking for the last
fourteen years, and had knocked him down: the two were rolling
together on the deck.
"Well done, Himilco! hold him tight!" said Bichri, who was passing,
his sword all covered with blood.
"The brute is biting my arm; cannot you help me?"
Bichri, quick as lightning, slipped a knife into the hand of Himilco,
who plunged it deep into his adversary's side: he rolled back; the
death-rattle was already in his throat.
"Revenge is sweet," sighed the pilot; "this death of a dog is too
good for you!"
Meanwhile Jonah, backed up courageously by Aminocles, was performing
feats of wonder with his cutlass; Hannibal and Chamai, with their
armour all battered in, were on the prow, pushing man after man
back overboard into the water; Hamilcar was reported to be killed;
Hasdrubal was badly wounded, but still clinging to his helm; I went
to his assistance, and by our joint effort we succeeded in bringing
the ship round so as to be out of the reach of the threatening
flames; the _Ashtoreth_ and _Cabiros_ had sheered off a little, and
were waiting my summons to come again alongside; and the other galley
of the enemy, although it escaped the fire, had gone adrift.
Such was the condition of affairs, when as I was rallying my men
for another onslaught, Hanno, his sword broken, and his clothes all
stained with blood, rushed to my side.
"He has escaped!" he gasped. "I have lost him in the crowd."
"Patience!" I answered; "he is not far off."
I now resolved to fall back myself towards my two other ships, and as
soon as I saw the opportunity, I shouted to my men:
"Back to the _Ashtoreth_!"
As we retreated, we left the prow of the _Adonibal_ in complete
possession of Bodmilcar's troops, and then by drawing up two lines of
men made an avenue for our own escape at the stern.
Bodmilcar, perfectly helpless, was thus left in a trap, on board
the _Adonibal_, which was exposed to the full fury of our arrows
and catapults; his own ship was burning like a furnace; one of the
galleys was sunk, and the other, as I have said, had gone adrift.
For more than half an hour, Bodmilcar endured our projectiles; but at
length I came to the determination of again facing him on board the
_Adonibal_. We found him standing on the bow, surrounded by a scanty
remnant of hardly more than thirty men. His face was covered with
blood.
"Shall I shoot him?" asked Bichri.
"By no means," I answered, laying my hand upon the archer's arm; "he
must die a more ignominious death than that."
Desperate, but short, was the last effort of the Tyrian's body-guard.
He was about to make a frantic rush upon myself, when Jonah seized
him with a powerful grasp.
"Here's your man, captain!"
Bodmilcar struggled to get free.
"Attempt to escape," said the trumpeter, "and I'll shake the life out
of your body!"
Foaming with suppressed rage, the captured man submitted to his fate.
[Illustration: MY ACCOUNT WAS SETTLED WITH BODMILCAR.
_To face page 335._]
He was motionless and silent. Nothing could induce him to open his
lips; sullenly he heard my questions; obstinately he refused to
reply. He was tied to a rope's-end, and was soon swinging at the end
of the yard-arm of the _Adonibal_.
My account was settled with Bodmilcar.
* * * * *
We were soon upon our homeward way.
After reporting our experiences to the Queen of Sheba, we proceeded
to Tyre along the canal of Pharaoh, stopping only to pay our devoirs
to King Solomon.
A triumphal reception awaited us. Throngs of our countrymen assembled
to welcome our return; and King Hiram, in our honour, gave a
sumptuous banquet, at which he invited me publicly to narrate the
history of our protracted and adventurous voyage.
The King munificently gave me the three vessels which I had brought
safely home, and the people unanimously elected me naval suffect at
Sidon.
I appointed Hannibal captain of my men-at-arms, and retained
Himilco, Gisgo, and Hasdrubal in my service in various posts of good
emolument. The report of Hamilcar being killed in action had proved
too true.
I have little more to tell.
All Phœnicia knows how I superintended the floating of the
cedar-wood and all the materials which King Solomon required for the
magnificent temple he was rearing at Jerusalem. Chamai is a captain
in King Solomon's army, and is invariably recognised with every
token of respect when he comes with Abigail, his wife, to visit me
at the Admiralty palace. Every one, too, knows Bichri, the rich
vine-dresser, who periodically comes to Sidon to sell his barrels
and skins of sparkling wine, always inviting Himilco to the first
taste of the produce of his vineyards; whilst every year a vessel is
sent with all due pomp to Paphos to bring Hanno, the high priest of
Ashtoreth, with the lovely Chryseis, her priestess and his wife, to
sacrifice in the temple of their great metropolis. Dionysos, who has
become a distinguished instructor of his countrymen in navigation,
and Aminocles, his proud and aged father, generally accompany them.
[Illustration]
On these occasions the _Cabiros_, adorned with embroidered hangings,
puts out to sea in honour of my guests, and brings them to my private
quay, where they are always hailed with acclamation as my former
companions in the discovery of the Cassiterides, the Amber-coast,
and the Fortunate Islands.
During the period of our festivities it is generally observed that
Himilco does not walk home particularly straight, a circumstance
that Bichri notifies by whistling some Benjamite or Cymrian air; and
when finally the guests depart, Jonah is never missing, as he always
insists on preceding them to their ship with a magnificent flourish
of his trumpet.
NOTES.
CHAPTER I.
_Phœnicians._--It is for simplicity's sake that throughout
the preceding fiction I have adopted the classical name
Phœnicians, which may be interpreted either as "the red
men" or "men of the date-lands." Amongst themselves they were
designated "Canaanites," or "people of the lowlands," in
contradistinction to "Aramites," or "people of the highlands."
It would be out of place here to enter into any critical
dissertation upon the words Khna and Aram, from which
Canaanites and Aramites derive their appellation.--_Page 1._
_Shekel._--This word (which, in the Hebrew tongue, signifies
a weight) is applied both to coined money, the use of which
originated with the Phœnicians, and to a certain standard of
ordinary weight.--_Page 2._
_Tariff of the Sacrifices._--The ritual or tariff of sacrifices
is extracted from the work of the Abbé Bargès on the
Phœnician inscription discovered at Marseilles.--_Page 5._
_Gaoul._--Originally this word signified any round hollow
object. The Phœnicians designated the island of Gozo "Gaulo
Melitta," Malta the Round, and it may easily be understood how
the term came to be applied to their circular merchant ships,
which were of a type essentially Tyrian. "_Onerariam navem
Hippus Tyrius invenit._" (Pliny, 'Nat. Hist.')
My authorities for the description of the Phœnician vessels
are:
1. Two engravings in Layard.
2. Ezekiel's prophecy against Tyre. (Chap. xxvii. 7.)
3. Xenophon's description in the 'Œconomia' of the great
Phœnician ship that came every year to the Piræus.
4. The engravings in Wilkinson.
I have likewise ventured to draw some inferences by analogy
from the accounts of Genevan, Pisan, and Venetian ships of
the thirteenth century, given by Col. Yule, in his edition of
'Marco Polo.'--_Page 8._
_Sheathed with Copper._--Although this may seem an anachronism,
it may with some degree of certainty be alleged that the
Phœnicians had an idea of using copper for this purpose.
It would seem to be implied by Vegetius ('Rei militaris,' iv.
24) and by Athenæus (v. 40). An ancient legend attributes the
invention to Melkarth, the Tyrian Hercules: _Hercules ... nave
æneâ navigavit ... navem æneam habuit_ (Servius).
The other materials employed in the building of the ships are
mentioned by the prophet Ezekiel.
Besides the gaoul, I have introduced the barque, the fast ship,
and the long ship, or fifty-oared war-galley.
Without entering into minute details, it may be said that the
barque is essentially Phœnician. Barek, in Hebrew, signifies
to bend or curve anything, as a plank. _Barca est quæ cuncta
navis commercia ad littus portat_ (Isidorus, Origines). In the
modern Berber dialect it is called "ibarka."
The fast ship was called ἵππος, a horse, by the Greeks, either
on account of its speed, or from the figure ordinarily found
at its prow: Strabo distinctly asserts the latter reason. The
vessel described in the text being of the type most frequently
used in the Phœnician colony of Gades, has, on that account,
been designated 'the _Gadita_.' Several Phœnician coins,
apparently current on the coast of Africa, bear the impression
of a horse's head; and the legend of a horse's head being
discovered in the foundation of Carthage, probably originated
in the national symbol affixed to the Phœnician ships.
The true Sidonian war-ship is the fifty-oared galley:
ναῦν πεντηκόντορον Σιδόνιαν.
EURIP. _Hel._ 1141.
What was the tonnage of such a vessel, or how it could be
worked by only fifty oars, or carry 400 men, are matters on
which I give no opinion; it is not my province to enter upon
any technical arguments.
If an analogy be required, it may be suggested by the huge
Chinese junks which were seen by the Arabian, Ibn Batuta,
in the fourteenth century, and which carried 600 men, and
had fifty or sixty immense oars, each oar being worked by
eight men, by means of ropes pulled in opposite directions.
Those seen by Marco Polo had four men to each oar. It is not
improbable that the Phœnician vessels were worked by some
similar method.--_Page 9._
_Purple sail._--My description of the parade-boats is not
imaginary; pictures of them are given in Wilkinson (vol. iii.),
and all the ancient writers, from Herodotus to Plutarch, enter
into details concerning them. Herodotus describes the Sidonian
vessel, from which Xerxes reviewed his fleet, as being adorned
with golden hangings, meaning Babylonian materials wrought with
gold.--_Page 16._
CHAPTER II.
_Pigeons. Ravens._--The custom of taking birds on a voyage,
to indicate by their flight the direction of land, is mentioned
repeatedly in the annals of antiquity. As an instance of more
modern time and of semi-barbarous races, it may be incidentally
quoted that the sea-king, Ingolf, or Floke Vilgedarson, in 868
took with him three ravens when he set out for the discovery of
Iceland.--_Page 23._
_Fleur-de-lys._--The tiara with this device may be seen amongst
the engravings at the end of Botta's work.--_Page 31._
CHAPTER V.
_Pharaoh._--The blank which exists in the records of Egypt at
the end of the eleventh and beginning of the tenth centuries
B.C., renders me unable to give the name of the Pharaoh
reigning at this period.
The war-chariots of the Egyptians were mounted by Libyans,
i.e., by Berbers of the Tamachek race, of which the Kabyles and
Touaregs are the modern representatives. These chariots and
cavalry, also Libyan, formed the great strength of the Egyptian
army.--_Page 79._
CHAPTER VI.
_Cydonians. Pelasgians._--Without entering upon any dissertation
on this topic, I content myself with mentioning the existence
throughout Europe of races distinct both in type and language
from the Aryan races whom they preceded. Two of these may be
especially remarked: one with round skulls of Mongolian type,
commonly called Turanians; the other with elongated skulls,
classified as Australoids. These races have everywhere left
traces alike of their presence and of their inferior civilisation.
In the island of Crete, the Greeks preserved the memory of the
Cydonians by the few words which I have introduced into the
text.--_Page 100._
CHAPTER VII.
_Homer._--My introduction of the name of Homer undoubtedly
demands an apology. I can only plead that the temptation to
uplift the veil of mystery, and to reveal the mighty poet
in connection with my fiction, was very great. Even after
Schliemann's researches, the date of the Trojan war is so
uncertain that I feel quite at liberty to regard it as an open
question.--_Page 129._
CHAPTER IX.
_Tyrrhenian Privateers._--The description of these vessels
is based upon a figure found upon a vase in the Campana
Museum.--_Page 158._
_Scylla. Charybdis._--The romances interwoven into my tale
are strictly Phœnician; and I have felt quite justified in
introducing an allusion to the way in which the Tyrian sailors
delighted to mystify strangers upon whom they could impose. I
may adduce the passage in Herodotus, where he speaks of the
young girls fishing for gold in the island of Cyraunis, and
calls it a fine Phœnician story. "Tell it to the Greeks!"
has passed into a proverb, and the Phœnician tar was only
too glad to amuse himself and to enhance the price of his wares
by giving a highly-coloured version of his adventures.--_Page
164._
_Nergal._--The superstition about the gigantic cock is borrowed
from a Rabbinical legend quoted by Movers.--_Page 164._
CHAPTER XI.
_Adonibal._--I had already completed my fiction before I learnt
from the researches of M. Sainte-Marie that Adonibal was the
name usually borne by the naval suffects at Utica, or that it
is at least established that a long line of magistrates were so
called. It was a mere coincidence that I chose it as being the
first appropriate Phœnician name that occurred to my mind.
I may observe here that I have throughout the preceding
pages written proper names in the way in which they are
most familiar. It would be mere pedantry to put Hanna-baal
(cherished by the gods) instead of Hannibal, or Bod-melkarth
(the face of Melkarth) instead of Bodmilcar; and it will
suffice for any reader who has not studied the Semitic dialects
to know that any ancient Phœnician or Jewish name may be
dissected like most modern Arab names; for example, Hamilcar is
Abd-Melkarth (the servant of Melkarth), like Abd-Allah (the
servant of God). The student of the Semitic dialects will have
no need to come to my book for instruction.
With regard to the names of places, I have felt considerable
difficulty. My reasons for not writing them in Semitic are
threefold:--
1. They are not all known to us under this form.
2. If known, they are unfamiliar to the general reader.
3. The identity, orthography, and pronunciation could not be
substantiated without entering into minute arguments, which
would be out of place.
I have accordingly, with few exceptions, used the most familiar
forms, and have, at the risk of criticism, written Crete, for
Caphtorim; Egypt, for Mizraim; Libyans, for Mashowiah, &c.--_Page
177._
CHAPTER XII.
I have represented Mago as sacrificing in a dolmen in the
form of a covered avenue below a tumulus. The details are
drawn from Bourguignat's _Monuments mégalithiques du nord de
l'Afrique_. M. Daux also gives a description of a similar
temple. I profess, however, that I am very far from accepting
Bourguignat's theory about rude stone monuments being arranged
in the form of serpents, scorpions, and other figures; I am
altogether mistrustful of the accounts of prehistoric temples,
and am quite of Fergusson's opinion, that these monuments are
comparatively modern.--_Page 202._
_Atlantides._--To my mind there is nothing improbable in the
idea of the existence of an inland sea in Algeria which is
suggested by the text. I cannot, however, say so much for the
existence of Atlantis, but while speaking of the migrations of
the Libyans, it seemed consistent to mention all the ancient
traditions that relate to them.--_Page 203._
CHAPTER XVI.
_Ar-Mor._--I entertain considerable doubt whether at the period
of which I write the Celts had penetrated so far as the west
coast of France; but at any rate they were already in the
east, and upon the Rhone. I have ascertained the existence of
anterior races, such as the Mongoloids and Australoids, and
both here and in a subsequent chapter have referred to them. I
plead guilty to an anachronism of four whole centuries, but I
felt that to the general reader it would seem strange that I
should depict my Phœnicians landing in Gaul without meeting
with some well known Gallic people; all that I can say in
extenuation is that I have endeavoured to construct my story so
as to make the anachronism not too flagrant.--_Page 244._
CHAPTER XVII.
_Suomi._--There is no reason to doubt the existence of Finns
at this date at the mouth of the Elbe. For want of an ancient
Finnish name, I have invented an appellation from the modern
Finnish word Suomi.--_Page 261._
CHAPTER XX.
_Circumnavigation of Libya._--Some adverse criticism may
probably be aroused by my resorting to this expedient for
the prosecuting of my story. That the Phœnicians might
have accomplished it, cannot be disputed; and although
the _Periplus_ of _Hanno_ has recently been proved to be
apocryphal, and the work of some scientific Greek romance
writer, I have not hesitated to incorporate the prominent
feature of it into these imaginary adventures.--_Page 302._
CHAPTER XXI.
_Sheba. Ophir._--The identity of this locality with the
southern coast of Arabia is beyond a doubt.--_Page 309._
"_Fairer, etc._"--These verses are translated from some later
Arabian poetry. Oriental taste has altered so little, that
I may claim to be pardoned for putting into the mouth of a
Phœnician, a thousand years before the Christian era, some
poetry belonging to a period a thousand years after.--_Page
310._
End of Project Gutenberg's The Adventures of Captain Mago, by Léon Cahun