40 THE FIRST DIVERS 



entific viewpoint: There is no suggestion that the hero 

 was even once considered temporarily insane, and yet he 

 risked his life with the sole object of watching a few un- 

 hookable fish swimming about in the ocean. Decidedly 

 an ultra-modern attitude. And think of the potential 

 value to zoology of a devoted field-worker so enthralled 

 by his observations that eighty-odd days seemed only four! 

 The Greek version of the dive differs from the Ethiopic 

 in most of the details. As might be expected, it lacks much 

 of the Oriental flavor of grandiloquent exaggeration and 

 with true European pragmatism speaks of ways and means 

 and measures. According to this account, Alexander even 

 had the exceedingly practical primary purpose of pearl- 

 fishing. We are told that there was a small trap door in the 

 bottom of the glass vessel, making it into a true diving- 

 bell, through which the "Two-horned" might pluck treas- 

 ures from the ocean bed. The vessel was enclosed in a 

 framework of iron, and was let down by a chain two 

 hundred cubits (three hundred feet) long. Alexander ar- 

 ranged a signal whereby he was to be drawn up only if the 

 chain vibrated. Wlien the hero reached one hundred and 

 twenty cubits a large fish bumped hard against the glass, 

 jarring it considerably, and the sailors accordingly hauled 

 up with all their might. The same thing happened a sec- 

 ond time. The third time, however, when Alexander was 

 dangling at three hundred feet, and seeing "many fishes," 

 a mighty fish came along, seized the vessel in its mouth 

 and carried it to shore a mile away, towing along in its 



