my
rightful place among the sons of Zeus."

He had already displayed great skill in carving, and the little grotto
of Thetis was like a piece of wonderland, fitted and furnished with all
manner of curious ornaments made by the lame boy, Hephaestus.

As he grew older he resolved to turn his talents to account, so he made
friends with the Old Man of the Sea, an elderly gentleman of uncertain
temper, who spent his time in sailing over the ocean in an enormous
shell drawn by sea-horses.

To him Hephaestus brought a trident, hoping that the gift would induce
him to offer the young exile his assistance in making peace with the
Queen.

Now this trident was a magical three-pronged spear, with which the owner
could still the waves in their wildest fury. It was therefore almost
invaluable to the old sailor; but although he accepted the gift, and
praised the workmanship, he forgot to thank the workman, and sailed
grandly away.

It was not long after this that the lame Prince, walking one day through
the woods, fell in with a band of wandering musicians.

Some were dancing; others were singing; and as he examined them more
closely, he saw that they had legs and hoofs and even long ears like
goats.

While he stood looking with wondering eyes at these fantastic beings,
the leader of the band suddenly approached him, and said,

"What aileth thee, my brother? Tell me thy trouble, that I may make thee
glad again, for I can not abide a sorrowful countenance."

"I am called Hephaestus," replied the Prince; "but I know not who you may
be, to call me brother."

"You will be wiser when you are older," laughed his new friend. "It is
enough for you to know now that I am a son of Zeus. But I like not the
solemn grandeur of the court, so I live in the woods, keeping holiday
all the year. These fauns and satyrs are my friends; and if you will
join our company, I can promise you a merry life and a long one."

But Hephaestus shook his head.

"I can never be happy," he said, "until I have won the love of the
Queen-mother. To do that I must show her that I have gifts quite as
valuable as beauty; but I have no one to plead my cause, and I, alas! do
not know the way to Olympus."

"If that is all your trouble," answered the merry man of the woods, "set
your heart at rest, for I myself will present you at court."

With these words, the good-natured Bacchus threw the skin of a wild
beast over his shoulders, and the two travellers became