Evening star., 1928-03-11
Abyd Are Not Forgoten Can Sn and VENT
Word"-Ghoss of Heroes in the Scaean Tow

done In the name Of love. Shortly
after nightfall Leander. having learned
this, and ready TO face any obstacle
for one caress of his mistress. plunged
into the Hellcspont. He had hoped
Hero would guide him by means OF a
| light from her tower window--nor was
! he disappointed. A spark from her
small oil lamp cast a faint path across
| the water Thus directed he Stcered his
course to Sestos. Hero, tearing the
cover of her couch into strips. made a
rope by which he could pull himself up
! to her apartment.
+ Again the next night, undiScouraged,
unsubdued by the sinister rivers power,
Leander swan his way back to Heros
armS-and then to AbydoS again--and
many nights that followed
| And then one dawn. after night OF
| furious storm. there on the Seething
rocks below her window the strong.
white body of her lover lay. tossed at
her feet by some pitying water sod. In
| despair she plunged from her window
| into the Swirling waters.
| And so today, because a man died for
maid. and maid for a man. Sestos
and Abydos sre not forgotten as were
their great cot.,npo~e"les Time an
initiates all things but romance. I do
not doubt that ii SoC4e distant time.
when our modern world is dust, the
story of Hero and Leander still will stir
mankind.
Three thousand years later Lord BY
ron. deeply moved by the story of Lean
der. decided being swimming enthu-
siast, 10 try to swim the Hellespont
himself
Where Byron Won Glory.
In 1918, accompanied by a friend,
he undertook the crossing. 1t was the
Sd Of May when his second attempt
was made after the icy chillineSs OF
the water had forced them to abandon
an earlier start. and although. as
Byron wrote in one Of his note books;
the water was still extremely cold
from the melting Of the mountain
SHOWS. We swan from Sestos to
Abydos" He continued: THE Eng
lish consul at Dardanelles could not
remember the straits ever having been
swum before, and tried to dissuade me
from the attempt"
The morning that I attempted my
swim We rowed to a point 2 miles
above SeStos. anchored our craft and
waded ashore for rest. Up to this
moment we had been much too busy
TO think about meal. Now with our
first object attained, we turned raven
ously to our provision basket 1t was
absolutely empty. During the night
the two Turkish boatmen had con-
sumed every vestige of our food. Not
so much as crumb of bread was left.
No, not quite as bad as that-a small
can of Norwegian sardines they had
been unable to open. 1t was this or
nothing. Roderic. realizing I had TO
make the swim. magnanimously in
sisted I consume the entire available
supply of fuel; SO / did.
This Is the HeIlespont!"
At 2 o'clock I removed my clothing,
and. my heart pounding with excite
ment, stood at the waters edge. pray
ing to the water gods to deliver me
safely on the other side. The Sum-
ner sunshine hlaZed from a cloudless
sky upon the sinister sapphire stream
that Tapped invitingly at my feet
With nerves keyed up to the highest
pitch. yet held back in fear lest
I fail. Despite the fact that Xerxes
had scourged the Hellespont with
chains in punishment for having de-
stroyed his bridge of boats, knew its
beautiful. villainous waters had not
been humbled.
Here was my Siren Dream, beckon-
ing to me. This was the Great
Hour. recalled a similar moment,
in Japan. when on a zero January
morning I faced the iceberg Of Fuji-
yama at the timber line. ready TO
plunge up the CLASSY slopes to the
blizzard-swept summit. Again. and