Ramsay, William Mitchell: Impressions of Turkey during twelve years' wanderings (London, 1897)

I. THE WAY OUT 51

railway terminus at Serai-Keui I went to Smyrna
for a day, to see my wife off in the Messageries
steamer, leaving my men to await my return. On
the third day, when the train arrived, two Turkish
servants with three horses were standing ready.
We got off at once, and rode away over the valley,
crossing the narrow Lycos river, a muddy and
apparently deep stream, flowing between steep
banks about ten feet high or more, like a big
ditch. It is easily bridged, even by Turks, with a
few pine trunks and cross planks ; but, narrow
though it be, it is quite unfordable. The Crusaders
under King Louis could ford the broad Mseander,
not far away ; but I doubt if they could have
crossed the Lycos, insignificant though it be, with-
out a bridge ; those steep high banks, and the soft
mud of the channel, seem a hopeless obstacle.

It is difficult, and it would be unfair to a most
" gallant feat of arms," to go across the Maaander
or Lycos valley without thinking of that New
Year's Day in 1148, when the French army 1 had
the deep Meander in front of them, with a Turkish
army drawn up on the opposite bank. The Maean-

1 Nicetas describes this brilliant action as performed by Conrad
and his army; in that case the crossing would have been in the
Lycos valley. But he is wrong (see my Cities and Bishoprics of
Pkrygia, p. 162), having confused the two allied armies. Conrad
turned back before reaching the Ma;ander. Louis crossed lower
down the river.