"It means 'Cow-ford,'" replied Professor Giroud, whom the Captain asked to make the explanation. "Perhaps 'Heifer-ford' would be the better name, for it comes from mythology. Io was the daughter of Inachus, king of Argos, Peloponnesus (now called the Morea), which we saw day before yesterday, Cape Matapan being its most southern point. She was a very pretty young lady, and Jupiter, as he was very apt to do in such cases, fell in love with her." "We haven't much time for long yarns just now, Professor," laughed the commander. "I will finish in a moment. Juno, who was the wife of Jupiter, properly enough under such circumstances, was jealous of Io, and turned her into a white heifer. She then caused a gad-fly to torment Io, and sent her wandering all over the earth. In the course of her travels she swam over this Strait. 'Bos' is the Latin for ox or cow. It is also said that the name was given because the Strait was so narrow that a cow could swim across it. That is all, Captain." "Thank you, Professor, for the explanation. I did not wish to hurry you, but I desire to point out some of the localities here. The land on our left is occupied by the site of the ancient city of Byzantium. We are now off the Seraglio, where you see the palaces. It is an enclosure three miles in circumference; but we shall visit it in due time." "Is that Constantinople also on our right?" asked Uncle Moses. "That is Scutari," replied the commander. "There is a lighthouse near the shore," added Miss Blanche. "It is not a lighthouse, Miss Woolridge. It is sometimes called Leander's Tower, and the Turks call it Kiz Kullehsi, which means Maiden's Tower. I suppose you have heard of a young gentleman by the name of Leander," added the captain, turning to Miss Blanche. "He swam the Hellespont to see Hero. Then this is the Hellespont of ancient times," replied the young lady. "It is not; and there is no reason to call that tower after Leander. The Dardanelles was the Hellespont over which he swam; and it was no great thing, for Lord Byron did it for the fun of it. Now we are off Seraglio Point, and entering the waters of the Golden Horn, which is simply an arm of the Bosporus, of which there are several others, extending about five miles inland. The water in it is very deep, and there is room enough for more than a thousand large ships to lie at anchor in its quiet waters. "Now you will leave the Bosporus on your right," continued the commander, as the steamer turned into the Golden Horn, closely followed by the Maud. "In front of you is the modern city, and the part nearest to us is Galata, the commercial section. On the hill is Pera, where the hotels are situated, and where all the foreign ministers reside. Farther up the Strait is Tophana, where the Sultan lives at the present time in a magnificent palace."