“Then the king waxed terrible in his wrath, and he cast a curse upon his sister, and prayed that from the waist downward she might be turned into a fish, and live always in the open sea far from all land and habitation of man. And the gods granted his prayer, so it happens that to this day those who sail over the open sea in ships often see Alexander’s sister, half a woman and half a fish, tossing in the waves.
“Strange to say, she does not hate Alexander, and when a ship passes close to her she cries out:—
“ ‘Does Alexander live?’
“And should the captain, not knowing who it is that speaks, answer, ‘He is dead,’ then the maid in her great grief tosses her white arms and her long golden hair wildly about, and troubles the water, and sinks the ship.
“But if, when the question comes up with the voice of the wind, ‘Does Alexander live?’ the captain answers at once, ‘He lives and reigns,’ then the maid’s heart is joyful, and she sings sweet songs till the ship is out of sight.
“And this is how sailors learn new love songs, and sing them when they return to land.”
When the old man ceased speaking Aleko waited a moment and then said slowly,—
“That is not true—but I like it.”
“Do you know, my lad,” said Kyr Themistocli, “that with a name such as yours you ought to grow up a great man.”