s and good wishes of everybody except the wicked
old Pelias, who stood on a promontory scowling at her and wishing that
he could blow out of his lungs the tempest of wrath that was in his
heart and so sink the galley with all on board. When they had sailed
above fifty miles over the sea Lynceus happened to cast his sharp eyes
behind, and said that there was this bad-hearted king, still perched
upon the promontory, and scowling so gloomily that it looked like a
black thunder-cloud in that quarter of the horizon.

In order to make the time pass away more pleasantly during the voyage,
the heroes talked about the Golden Fleece. It originally belonged, it
appears, to a Boeotian ram, who had taken on his back two children,
when in danger of their lives, and fled with them over land and sea as
far as Colchis. One of the children, whose name was Helle, fell into
the sea and was drowned. But the other (a little boy named Phrixus) was
brought safe ashore by the faithful ram, who, however, was so exhausted
that he immediately lay down and died. In memory of this good deed, and
as a token of his true heart, the fleece of the poor dead ram was
miraculously changed to gold and became one of the most beautiful
objects ever seen on earth. It was hung upon a tree in a sacred grove,
where it had now been kept I know not how many years, and was the envy
of mighty kings who had nothing so magnificent in any of their palaces.

If I were to tell you all the adventures of the Argonauts it would take
me till nightfall and perhaps a great deal longer. There was no lack of
wonderful events, as you may judge from what you have already heard. At
a certain island they were hospitably received by King Cyzicus, its
sovereign, who made a feast for them and treated them like brothers. But
the Argonauts saw that this good king looked downcast and very much
troubled, and they therefore inquired of him what was the matter. King
Cyzicus hereupon informed them that he and his subjects were greatly
abused and incommoded by the inhabitants of a neighboring mountain, who
made war upon them and killed many people and ravaged the country. And
while they were talking about it Cyzicus pointed to the mountain and
asked Jason and his companions what they saw there.

"I see some very tall objects," answered Jason, "but they are at such a
distance that I cannot distinctly make out what they are. To tell your
majesty the truth, they look so very strangely that I am in