Chapter I: Preface

The following pages pretend to no original or scientific research. It is their object to present, in a popular form, a picture of the world as it was a thousand years before the Christian Era, and to exhibit, mainly for the young, a summary of that varied information which is contained in books, many of which by their high price and exclusively technical character are generally unattainable.

* * * * *

It would only have encumbered the fictitious narrative, which is the vehicle for conveying the instruction that is designed, to crowd every page with references; but it may be alleged, once for all, that for every statement which relates to the history of the period, and especially to the history of the Phœnicians, ample authority might be quoted from some one or other of the valuable books which have been consulted.

Of the most important of these a list is here appended:--

1. F. C. MOVERS. Das Phönizische Alterthum.

2. RENAN. Mission en Phénicie.

3. DAUX. Recherches sur les Emporia phéniciens dans le Zeugis
et le Byzacium.

4. NATHAN DAVIS. Carthage and her Remains.

5. WILKINSON. Manners and Customs of Ancient Egyptians.

6. HŒCKH. Kreta.

7. GROTE. History of Greece.

8. MOMMSEN. Geschichte der Römischen Republik (Introduction and
Chap. I.).

9. BOURGUIGNAT. Monuments mégalithiques du nord de l'Afrique.

10. FERGUSSON. Rude Stone Monuments.

11. BROCA and A. BERTRAND. Celtes, Gaulois et Francs.

12. ABBÉ BARGÈS. Interprétation d'une inscription phénicienne
trouvée à Marseille.

13. LAYARD. Nineveh and its Remains.

14. BOTTA. Fouilles de Babylone.

15. REUSS. New translation of the Bible, in course of
publication.

A few foot-notes are subjoined by way of illustration of what might have been carried on throughout the volume; and an Appendix will be found at the end, containing some explanation of topics which the continuity of the fiction necessarily left somewhat obscure.

CONTENTS.

CHAP. PAGE

I.--WHY BODMILCAR, THE TYRIAN SAILOR, HATES HANNO,
THE SIDONIAN SCRIBE 1

II.--THE SACRIFICE TO ASHTORETH 19

III.--CHAMAI RECOGNISED BY THE ATTENDANT OF THE
SLAVE 44

IV.--KING DAVID 61

V.--PHARAOH ARRIVES TOO LATE 76

VI.--CRETE AND THE CRETANS 98

VII.--CHRYSEIS PREFERS HANNO TO A KING 112

VIII.--AN AFFAIR WITH THE PHOCIANS 132

IX.--THE LAND OF OXEN 148

X.--GISGO THE EARLESS RECOVERS HIS EARS 166

XI.--OUR HEADS ARE IN PERIL 175

XII.--I CONSULT THE ORACLE 196

XIII.--THE SILVER MINES OF TARSHISH 207

XIV.--AN AMBUSCADE 219

XV.--JUDGE GEBAL DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF 234

XVI.--PERILS OF THE OCEAN 243

XVII.--JONO, THE GOD OF THE SUOMI 260

XVIII.--JONAH WAXES AMBITIOUS 277

XIX.--BODMILCAR AGAIN 287

XX.--THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN 295

XXI.--THE QUEEN OF SHEBA 307

XXII.--BELESYS FINDS BICHRI SOMEWHAT HEAVY 314

XXIII.--WE SETTLE OUR ACCOUNTS WITH BODMILCAR 327

LIST OF FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

THE QUEEN OF SHEBA Frontispiece & 309

HANNO PROCEEDED TO DRAW UP THE ARTICLES 8

HANNO CAUGHT UP A LARGE PITCHER 11

MY SALUTE 45

THE IONIAN COMMENCED ONE OF THE SONGS OF HER
NATIVE LAND 52

SHORTLY BEFORE SUNSET WE REACHED JERUSALEM 63

WAITING FOR THE KING TO SPEAK 67

"DOWN, YOU PHŒNICIAN THIEVES!" 85

THE SOLDIERS RAPIDLY CROSSED THEIR LANCES 86

PLEASED WITH HIS MORNING'S WORK 99

"THE MELKARTH!" 106

BORNE TO ITS RESTING-PLACE 121

HOMER 129

UNAWARES IN AN AMBUSH 132

HANNO AND CHRYSEIS BESPEAK THEIR ATTENTION 140

"IF YOU ADVANCE ONE STEP BEYOND THIS LANCE" 152

CLOSE TO ETNA 163

UTICA 187

A HUGE ELEPHANT WAS BEING LED PAST 191

I PROSTRATED MYSELF THREE TIMES 202

AN AVALANCHE OF STONES 220

NO QUARTER 222

ON THE VERY POINT OF SLAYING THE CHILD 228

THE DESPICABLE SYRIAN 229

I DID WHAT I COULD TO CONSOLE HASDRUBAL 247

JUDGE GEBAL 248

BICHRI AND DIONYSOS BROUGHT THEM BOTH DOWN 258

HE DASHED IT TO THE GROUND 262

SEVERAL OF THE SAVAGES ENTERED THE HUT 267

THE GOD JONO 275

BLOWING HIS TRUMPET 284

THE CHILD HAD FOUND THE LEAK 293

IT SNAPPED A PIKE-STAFF IN TWO 301

IN HONOUR OF THEIR GENERAL 322

WE WERE COMMANDED TO HALT 324

HIMILCO AND GISGO IN ANIMATED CONVERSATION WITH
THE CHALDEAN SOLDIERS 327

MY ACCOUNT WAS SETTLED WITH BODMILCAR 335

_And Thirty-six smaller Text Illustrations._

THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MAGO