The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-06-07

was later considered the proper fashion
| toward the east. The Christian period
was, Of course succeeded by a Moham-
medan period, some of the remains of
which, including several Arabic inscrip-
tons, are very interesting. But to the
world at large doubtless the most i'm
portant feature CT this expedition VIII
be the fact that it has made clear the
plan of the old temples. and that it has
restored some portions of the magnificent
ruins notably the arch over the lesser
temple. the keystone of which was just
on the point Of falling. an incident which
would have brought about inevitably the
collapse of the whole structure. This
expedition has also explored, in the gen.
eral neighborhood OF Baalbek. several
Pboenician or Canaanite temples hitherto
unknown. and has visited and examined,
with some slight excavations, Palmyra,
various places in the Hauran. Gerash, the
ancient Gerasa. Amman and Mesheytta.
Another point at which excellent work
in the way of exploration is being done
is Eiyasouk. the ancient Ephesus. In my
former visits to Smyrna, which have been
rather numerous. l had not made the at
the immediate enighborhood. Indeed, once
or twice the neighborhood Of Symrna
was extremely dangerous by reason OF
brigands. Smyrna IS less like Turkish
and more like Il Greek city than any place
within the Turkish empire IL is possible
now. with little difficulty. TO make trips
to Ephesus, TO Asses. to Pergamon, and
TO the seven cities of Asia. ThiTty-odd
years ago Wood. an Englishman, under
took excavations at Ephesus, but excavat--
ed only the great tentle Of Diana. The
right to excavate on that site still be-
longs TO the English. and ] believe they
are negotiating for resumption of work.
The rest of Ephesus has been appropriate
ed yam Austrian expedition which has
done more and is doing admirable work
in the excavation of the theatre the for
UNI, and the great street leading from the
theatre to the old port. The results Of
their work have not yet been published.
There Is a queer but fairly comfortable
little hotel at Eiyaseluk, kept by a gentle
man whose girth about the middle Is
somewhat greater than his height, and
who in the presence Of Americans glories
much over the fact that his picture was
exhibited at the Chicago exposition. 1t is
an easy trip and well repays the pains
Moreover. the railroad journey itself is
singularly picturesque.
1t was my intention to have gone di-
rectly from Symrna to Crete, but this
proved inpracticable. such ships as pro-
fessed 10 make the trip charging an ex-
orbitant price, affording wretched accom-
modations. and having no certain time
at which they would agree to deliver the
traveller at his destination II was, there
fore. necessary 10 take a regular steamer
to Athens, and l had the singular good
fortune to sail on the last steamer before
the plague broke out in Symrna, and
quarantine was declared against II. The
port of Crete to which l wished especially
" to journey was Gambia.
Heracleion. or Gambia, the former being
the ancient name which the Greeks are
trying to restore. lies on the north side of
the island Of Crete, at about the middle
point of the island 1t is some twenty
hours from Pyraeus by the faster steam
ors Italian. French, Austrian. or Rus
sian. 1t took me. however, forty-two
hours to make the voyage. The Austrian
LLOYD steamer on which ] was to have
sailed was caught in the quarantine,
owing to the appearance Of case OF
plague at Symrna, her last port of de-
parture before Pyraeus. The news of her
detention in quarantine reached me short
~ before eleven A. NJ. with the further
word that by driving from Athens to
Pyraeus. / could catch a Graeco-Turkish
steamer. sailing at noon. BY much stimu-
Iating of my driver and his horses and
great expense of nervous energy l reached
Pyraeus about noon. but, after the fashion
of Greek and Turkish steamers, this one
continued to receive passengers and car
go in a desultory sort of way until nine
o'clock that night. repeating the process
at Khanla and Retymo in Crete, SO that
we finally reached Gambia fourteen hours
behind our schedule time.
But Gambia would be well worthy of d
visit. even if one were compelled to spend
a much longer time on the journey. There
is q comfortable and very reasonable hotel
in the town: the people have not been
spoiled by tourists; they do not poster
You at every move you make. nor do they
make a special point of cheating you. This
Of the ancient reputation Of the Cretans
in classical literature as also in the New
Testament as liars. slow bellies, cheats.
a turbulent folk. etc Most of them seem
cd to have affairs of their own TO attend
to. and I was able to parade the streets
in any garb without being followed by
crowd: but on the other hand, if l wanted
anything no one seemed too busy = stop
and assist me 10 struggle Wit hthe Ian
guage or the situation.
The town is surrounded by old walls
erected by the Nenetians. and the lion Of
St-AIArk and Venetian escutcheons still
adorn gates bastions. and forts. The
walls on the land side are two hundred
feet or more in thickness. Of earth faced
with stone. and the gateways are veri-
table tunnels. There are no towera but
at intervals rounded basticns project IT
an angle. 50 that there is no long stretch
Of wall hut can be commanded by side
fire The gates lie behind these bastions.
which command the entrances at very
close range. The whole arrangement was
TO me a new and unusual one. In front
OF the walls Is a very deep and wide
trench. the earth from which was utiiiz ii
in the construction OF the walls. \ small
English garrison Of about so soldiers. as
signed TO Gambia by the joint occupation.
is lodged in barracks built on the land
walls. and there 8 stilI abundant space
Tor carriage drive and promenade by the
side IF the barracks On the water side
there. is walled port the seaward safe
OF which is defended by a FORT adorned by