em
on the coast and asked them whither they went.

"We go as far as the sun goes
As far as the sea rolls, as far as the stars
Shine still in sky. To find for mighty Pharaoh what his world
Holds hidden."

South and ever south they sailed, "day after day and night succeeding
night, close clinging to the shore." New stars appeared, lower and
lower sank the sun, moons rose and waned, and still the coast stretched
southwards till they reached a "Cape of Storms" and found the coast
was turning north. And now occurred that strange phenomenon mentioned
by Herodotus, that while sailing westwards the sun was on their right
hand. "No man had seen that thing in Syria or in Egypt."

A year and a half had now passed away since they left home, but onward
to the north they now made their way, past the mouth of the golden
waters (Orange River), past the Congo, past the Niger, past the island
of Gorillas described by Hanno, who explored the west coast under Neco
either before or after this time, until at last the little Phoenician
ships sailed peacefully into the Mediterranean Sea.

"Here is the Ocean-Gate. Here is the Strait
Twice before seen, where goes the Middle Sea
Unto the Setting Sun and the Unknown--
No more unknown, Ithobal's ships have sailed
Around all Africa. Our task is done.
These are the Pillars, this the Midland Sea.
The road to Tyre is yonder. Every wave
Is homely. Yonder, sure, Old Nilus pours
Into this Sea, the Waters of the World,
Whose secret is his own and thine and mine."

It will ever remain one of the many disputed points in early geography
whether or not Africa was circumnavigated at this early date. If the
Phoenicians did accomplish such a feat they kept their experiences
a secret as usual, and the early maps gave a very wrong idea of South
Africa. On the other hand, we know they had good seaworthy ships in
advance of their neighbours.

[Illustration: THE PILLARS OF HERCULES, AS SHOWN IN THE ANGLO-SAXON
MAP OF THE WORLD, TENTH CENTURY.]

"I remember," says Xenophon, "I once went aboard a Phoenician ship,
where I observed the best example of good order that I ever met with;
and especially it was surprising to observe the vast numbers of
implements which were necessary for the management of such a small
vessel. What numbers of oars, stretchers, ship-hooks, and spikes were
there for bringing the ship in and out of the harbour! Wha