80 



HISTORY OF THE SEA. 



soon arrived at a coast edged with high mountains covered with 

 trees, the wood of which was odoriferous and variously tinted. 

 Beyond was an immense opening of the sea, bordered by 

 plains on which they saw many blazing fires. Then they 

 came to a large bay, in which was an island enclosing a salt- 

 water lake, in which, again, was another island. Entering this 

 lake in the night, they saw huge fires burning and heard the 

 sounds of musical instruments and the cries of innumerable 

 human beings. They next reached the fiery region of Thymia- 

 mata, whence torrents of flame poured down into the sea. Here 

 the heat of the earth was such that the foot could not rest 

 upon it. After four days' farther sail, they again found the 

 land at night enveloped in flames. In the midst of these fires 

 appeared one much more lofty than the rest : this, when seen by 

 daylight, proved to be a very tall mountain, called the Chariot 

 of the Gods. They soon met with a rude description of people, 

 who had rough skins, and among whom the females were much 

 more numerous than the males : the interpreters called them 

 Gorillas. They endeavored to catch some of them, but only 

 succeeded in capturing three females, who made so violent a re- 

 sistance, that they were obliged to kill them and strip off their 

 skins, which they carried back to Carthage. Being out of 

 provisions at this point, they were unable to pursue their 

 voyage, and returned home. 



This narrative, as given by Hanno himself, hardly fills two 

 octavo pages : volumes of commentaries have been written upon 

 it by geographers and antiquaries. The most probable of the 

 various hypotheses formed upon it, is, that Hanno's voyage 

 extended to Sherbro Sound, a little south of Sierra Leone. 

 The features of man and nature, as described by Hanno, are to 

 be found in Tropical Africa only : Ethiopians or negroes ; 

 Gorillge, who are clearly apes, or orang-outangs ; rivers so large 

 as to contain crocodiles and river-horses. The great conflagra- 

 tions of the grass, too, and the music and dancing prolonged 



