e often it was the Phoenicians who took advantage of
the friendliness or the weakness of their hosts.

[Illustration: 286.jpg Page Image]

They would turn treacherously upon the unarmed crowd when absorbed in
the interest of buying and selling; robbing and killing the old men,
they would make prisoners of the young and strong, the women and
children, carrying them off to sell them in those markets where slaves
were known to fetch the highest price. This was a recognised trade, but
it exposed the Phoenicians to the danger of reprisals, and made them
objects of an undying hatred. When on these distant expeditions
they were subject to trivial disasters which might lead to serious
consequences. A mast might break, an oar might damage a portion of the
bulwarks, a storm might force them to throw overboard part of their
cargo or their provisions; in such predicaments they had no means of
repairing the damage, and, unable to obtain help in any of the places
they might visit, their prospects were of a desperate character. They
soon, therefore, learned the necessity of establishing cities of refuge
at various points in the countries with which they traded--stations
where they could go to refit and revictual their vessels, to fill up the
complement of their crews, to take in new freight, and, if necessary,
pass the winter or wait for fair weather before continuing their voyage.
For this purpose they chose by preference islands lying within easy
distance of the mainland, like their native cities of Tyre and Arvad,
but possessing a good harbour or roadstead. If an island were not
available, they selected a peninsula with a narrow isthmus, or a rock
standing at the extremity of a promontory, which a handful of men could
defend against any attack, and which could be seen from a considerable
distance by their pilots. Most of their stations thus happily situated
became at length important towns. They were frequented by the natives
from the interior, who allied themselves with the new-comers, and
furnished them not only with objects of trade, but with soldiers,
sailors, and recruits for their army; and such was the rapid spread of
these colonies, that before long the Mediterranean was surrounded by an
almost unbroken chain of Phoenician strongholds and trading stations.

[Illustration: 288.jpg AN EGYPTIAN TRADING VESSEL OF THE FIRST HALF OF
THE XVIIIth DYNASTY]

Drawn by Boudier, from a photograph by Beato.

All the towns of th