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MERSINA 339
but the tall Swiss lady took every obstacle boldly
and readily, and never failed in her leap, though
sometimes confronted by a good three yards of mud
and water. And she well made good her claim, for
she reached Mersina in only a few minutes beyond the
four hours,—somewhat hot, to be sure, but fresh and
strong, and capable of going farther at the same
round pace.
Mersina was a piece of barren sandy foreshore till
Ibrahim Pasha recognised it as a spot where he could
land troops and stores. Now it has about 25,000
inhabitants, and is a port with considerable trade.
Not only is it the port of the Cilician Plain, but
because of the Cilician Pass is port of a wide region
of Asia Minor behind the mountains. Most of the
camels I saw in the Cilician Pass were from Tarsus
and Mersina ; so also were caravans met near
Kaisariyeh. As the port nearest to the pass Mersina
has been made by caravan traffic ; at a later stage
the Adana-Mersina Pailway has brought it all the
trade of the plain. And yet one thinks the future of
Mersina exceedingly doubtful. It is tucked away
in the extreme western nook of the plain, nearly
fifty miles from Adana, and is much too far to the
west to be the chief port of the Bagdad Railway.
For the great areas which the Bagdad Railway will
make dependent upon a Cilician port Mersina is
unfortunately placed. In spite of these disadvantages,
however, it might have some hope did it but
possess a fine natural harbour. But it has no harbour
at all. It is an open roadstead, under the shelter
of Cyprus eighty miles away, with water so shallow
that steamers have to lie two or three miles out and
handle cargo by means of small lighters. The weather
of this coast, however, is kind ; for in a sterner climate
Mersina would do no shipping business at all.
In spite of the rawness and newness of the place, in
spite, too, of fierce heat and alleged unhealthiness,
Mersina has a pleasant side for those willing to be
pleased. So at least I thought ; and during a stay