f their own existence.

There have been many other armies in the world that seemed to possess
the same fierce nature with the one which had now sprouted from the
dragon's teeth; but these in the moonlit field were the more excusable,
because they never had women for their mothers. And now it would have
rejoiced any great captain who was bent on conquering the world, like
Alexander or Napoleon, to raise a crop of armed soldiers as easily as
Jason did!

For awhile the warriors stood flourishing their weapons, clashing their
swords against their shields and boiling over with the red-hot thirst
for battle. Then they began to shout, "Show us the enemy! Lead us to the
charge! Death or victory! Come on, brave comrades! Conquer or die!" and
a hundred other outcries, such as men always bellow forth on a
battle-field and which these dragon people seemed to have at their
tongues' ends. At last the front rank caught sight of Jason, who,
beholding the flash of so many weapons in the moonlight, had thought it
best to draw his sword. In a moment all the sons of the dragon's teeth
appeared to take Jason for an enemy; and crying with one voice, "Guard
the Golden Fleece!" they ran at him with uplifted swords and protruded
spears. Jason knew that it would be impossible to withstand this
blood-thirsty battalion with his single arm, but determined, since there
was nothing better to be done, to die as valiantly as if he himself had
sprung from a dragon's tooth.

Medea, however, bade him snatch up a stone from the ground.

"Throw it among them quickly!" cried she. "It is the only way to save
yourself."

The armed men were now so nigh that Jason could discern the fire
flashing out of their enraged eyes, when he let fly the stone and saw it
strike the helmet of a tall warrior who was rushing upon him with his
blade aloft. The stone glanced from this man's helmet to the shield of
his nearest comrade, and thence flew right into the angry face of
another, hitting him smartly between the eyes. Each of the three who had
been struck by the stone took it for granted that his next neighbor had
given him a blow; and instead of running any further toward Jason, they
began to fight among themselves. The confusion spread through the host,
so that it seemed scarcely a moment before they were all hacking,
hewing and stabbing at one another, lopping off arms, heads and legs and
doing such memorable deeds that Jason was filled with immense
admiration; al