Two days' safe, though tedious, navigation brought us to the mouth of the Achelous, a stream which from the colour of its water is known to our sailors as the White River. We passed between the fertile and indented shore of the mainland, and the islands of Cythera, Zacynthus, and Cephallenia. In these navigable waters, where land is never out of sight, we perpetually came across Hellenic vessels of every size, engaged in a brisk trade not only in their own native productions, but also in the manufactures of the Phœnicians.
The sea was calm when we reached the mouth of the Achelous, but a fresh breeze sprung up from the north-east, which was just what we wanted to carry us to the Sicilian straits. It is usual, in order to break the length of the sea-passage, to follow the Hellenic coast as far as the island of Corcyra, but under the present favourable circumstances this would have been merely to waste time. We had an ample supply both of provisions and of fresh water; I therefore quite abandoned all thought of visiting the metropolis of the Hellenes, and determined to make with the wind across the open sea direct for the southern point of Italy. As we were passing along the channel that divides Cephallenia from the little island of Ithaca we fell in with a Sidonian galley and a couple of gaouls, and hailing them, we found that they were on their way home from the mouth of the Eridanus on the Iapygian Sea. Bodachmon, the captain of the galley, proposed that we should lay-to off Ithaca, so that we might send any commissions by him to Sidon. I availed myself of his offer, and went at once on board one of his gaouls. His cargo consisted of a small supply of gold, both in dust and nuggets, but principally of rock-crystal, which the people on the banks of the Eridanus obtain from those who reside on the mountains near its source. Bodachmon agreed to take some of my heavier merchandise for a part of his light freight, and to do anything he could to assist me after the loss we had sustained of our own gaoul through Bodmilcar's treachery. His indignation at Bodmilcar's conduct knew no bounds. Such an act of faithlessness, he said, had never happened within his experience; and he would take good care that not only should it come to King Hiram's ears, but that Bodmilcar should be denounced throughout Phœnicia, so that if the traitor should attempt to land anywhere either in Phœnicia, or in Chittim, or any other of her colonies, he should be visited with the punishment he so justly merited.
"But now," said Bodachmon, "let us proceed to business. What commodities have you to offer?"
I answered that I had just obtained goods in Crete, for which he would be sure to find a ready market either in Egypt or at home—copper, ox-hides, woollen cloth, and enormous goats' horns; I told him, moreover, that if he would visit Crete for himself, he would be able to purchase any number of young female slaves at the most reasonable rate.
He said that he thought he should act upon my advice, and that he was sure we should be able to make exchanges between ourselves which would satisfy us both. He proceeded to inquire whether I could let him have any wine, as his own supply had been exhausted six months ago, and that in his intercourse with the Iapyges and Umbrians he had had no opportunity of replenishing it.
Our own ships were well provisioned, and I was pleased to have the opportunity of inviting him with his two mates and pilots to come on board the Ashtoreth, and to partake of our fresh meat, onions, dried figs, cheese and wine. They all admired the completeness of our arrangements; and Bodachmon made an inspection of the goods that I proposed to barter, telling me that he should be able to pay a good price, if I would accept his rock-crystal.
All of a sudden Bodachmon exclaimed: "By Ashtoreth! I think I can give you a treat in return for your hospitality. In Corcyra I took up one of the Hellenes, whom I promised if I could that I would land in Crete. He is an old man and nearly blind, but he seems to know the history of all the world; neither Sanchoniathon, nor Elhanan the Israelite, could know it better. He sings the exploits of his country's gods and heroes, accompanying his singing on his lute; he has no other means of paying his passage. You shall hear him."
To face [page 129].