ey carry swords.'

The voice and the eyes of Theseus daunted the herald, and he with his
men turned and followed behind, humbly, as if they were captives and
Theseus were conqueror.

VI

THESEUS IN CRETE

After many days' sailing, now through the straits under the beautiful
peaks of the mountains that crowned the islands, and now across the wide
sea far from sight of land, they beheld the crest of Mount Ida of Crete,
and ran into the harbour, where a hundred ships lay at anchor, and a
great crowd was gathered. Theseus marvelled at the ships, so many and so
strong, and at the harbour with its huge walls, while he and his
company landed. A hundred of the guardsmen of Minos, with large shields,
and breastplates made of ribs of bronze, and helmets of bronze with
horns on them, were drawn up on the pier. They surrounded the little
company of Athenians, and they all marched to the town of Cnossos, and
the palace of the king.

If Theseus marvelled at the harbour he wondered yet more at the town. It
was so great that it seemed endless, and round it went a high wall, and
at every forty yards was a square tower with small square windows high
up. These towers were exactly like those which you may see among the
hills and beside the burns in the Border country, the south of Scotland
and the north of England; towers built when England and Scotland were at
war. But when they had passed through the gateway in the chief tower,
the town seemed more wonderful than the walls, for in all things it was
quite unlike the cities of Greece. The street, paved with flat paving
stones, wound between houses like our own, with a ground floor (in this
there were no windows) and with two or three stories above, in which
there were windows, with sashes, and with so many panes to each window,
the panes were coloured red. Each window opened on a balcony, and the
balconies were crowded with ladies in gay dresses like those which are
now worn. Under their hats their hair fell in long plaits over their
shoulders: they had very fine white blouses, short jackets, embroidered
in bright coloured silk, and skirts with flounces. Laughing merrily they
looked down at the little troop of prisoners, chatting, and some saying
they were sorry for the Athenian girls. Others, seeing Theseus marching
first, a head taller than the tallest guardsman, threw flowers that
fell at his feet, and cried, 'Go on, brave Prince!' for they could not
believe that he was on