290 Mr. E. W. Gudger on the 



far distant echo of the Zanzibar stories ; but Livingstone 

 shows very conclusively that the inhabitants of the upper 

 Zambesi in his day had no communication whatever with 

 the coast. Such communication may have existed at an 

 earlier day, and at that time the story may have been 

 brought inland, or it may have arisen spontaneously. At 

 any rate, it is very curious and is worth repeating in this 

 connection. 



The Myth explained. 



First Explanation : Foul Bottoms. 



In giving the explanations of the Myth of the Ship-holder, 

 it seems best to take them up chronologically, for, as might 

 be expected, even in ancient days there were men whose 

 minds sought a rational explanation. 



The first person who attempted to clear up this matter 

 seems, so far as can be found, to have been Plutarch 

 (46 a.d.). On page 277 his account of the statement of 

 Chseremonianus the Thrallian has been given, and it will be 

 recalled that the latter was laughed at for believing such an 

 extraordinary thing. However, Plutarch, entering into the 

 conversation, said : — 



" Therefore as those things mentioned are but conse- 

 quences to the effect, though proceeding from one and the 

 same cause, so one and the same cause stops the ship, and 

 joins the Echeneis to it ; for the ship continuing dry, not 

 yet made heavy by the moisture soaking into the wood it is 

 probably that it glides lightly, and as long as it is clean, 

 easily cuts the waves ; hut when it is thoroughly soaked, 

 when weeds, ooze, and filth stick to its sides, the stroke of 

 the ship is obtuse and weak; and the water coming upon 

 this clammy matter, doth not so easily part from it; and 

 this is the reason why they usually scrape the sides of their 

 ships. Now it is likely that the Echeneis in this case, 

 sticking upon the clammy matter, is not thought an acci- 

 dental consequence to this cause, but the very cause itself." 



Now it must be conceded that this is a reasonable explana- 

 tion, and we will rind that until the middle of the sixteenth 

 century it was repeated as explanatory of ship-retardation. 



Gesner (1558) quotes Plutarch at length, insists on the 

 retarding effect of mosses and algse (" multa alga & musco 

 innascete "), and plainly shows that he regards these 

 (among which the Echeneis is found) as an efficient cause 

 in the slowing up of the speed of ships rather than the action 



