ftadia or three miles and three quarters from Nyfa. The inha«
bitants of this city, and all around it, held there a general af*
fembly. There, they faid, was the Allan meadow of Homer }
and in it was Ihown the heroum or monument of Alius, and
allb of Cayfter, with the Iburee of the river : and not far from
it was the mouth of a cave facred to Pluto and Proferpine, and
fuppofed to communicate with that at Characa: and, belides thefe
objedts of enquiry, the traveller may, it is likely, difcover a
caftle in this trad; for we read that the grand Duke Roger,'
after defeating the Turks, condemned the governor of the fort
o f Ali on the Masander for deferting it.
A t feven in the morning we purfued our journey eaftward,
the mountains now projedting, and the plain getting narrower.
A t half after ten we pulhed on to a colfee-lhed by the road-lidej
a fudden gull of wind, from black clouds in the weft, driving before
it a thick dull, which was followed by a furious Ihower in
eur backs. The brooks fwelled, and in the afternoon ran down
with noife to the Maeander. We tarried near three hours j and
arrived, in three hours and a half more, at a ferry. The current
was ftrong and muddy, the float old and heavy, but we crofted
in a minute and a quarter.
W e now approached the fite of Caroura, the boundary of
Caria toward Phrygia. It was a village with khans or inns for
travellers, in one of which a large company, while revelling,
had been fwallowed up by an earthquake. It was remarkable
for furges or eruptions of hot waters, in the river, or on its
margin \ Caroura lignifies a place of lire, and, it has been
fuppofed, was fettled by fome of the Egyptian race *.
X See Pauianias. p. 241.
1 See the very learned and ingenious Mr. Bryant. Obfervations and Enquiries.
P* 175* 179-
R id ing
T R A V E L S i n A S I A M I N O R . 221
R id in g along the bank of the river, we difcovered the ruin
of an antient bridge. The remnant was on the farther lide, and
con lifts of half o f the central arch, with one fmaller arch entire.
This bridge was probably broken before the year 1244 ; when an
interview being agreed on between the emperor of Nice and the
Turkilh Sultan, the latter palled the river in his way to Tripolis
on a temporary bridge made of rafts for the occalion.
T he exiftence of Caroura, it is likely, was determined by
the lols of the paflage. We faw no traces of that place; but
going near the ruin, one of our horles turned Ihort, which led
us to oblerve a vein of hot water boiling up out of the ground,
like a jette, fome inches perpendicular, and forming a fmall
quagmire.
C H A P . LXVI.
''Journey continued — temple of Menes — Denifli — 'The Turks
uncivilized — Arrive at Laodicea — Our tent befet— Our Janizary
feized*-—Behaviour of an alga— Thieves— The weather•
A F T E R we had palled the river, the plain widened again,
and was cultivated, but not inclofed, as before. Meffogis was
now of a chalky afped; and the mountain on our right green
with trees. We faw a few fcattered booths of Turcomans. At
four our courfe inclined to eaft-fouth-eaft. We obferved many
jays, and upupas, and a beautiful bird, like a hawk, with blue
glofly plumage. We had travelled eight hours and three quarters,
when we pitched our tent by a village under a fummit covered
with fnow.
T he following day we arrived at Denifli in four hours, our
courfe' as before, the river not in view. The fun Ihone very
comfortably, and the melted fnow ran in dirty rills down the
Hopes. On the way fome Hones and veftiges of a building occurred,