young men as they sat
therein, and stealing back to his fellows, said, "See ye not them that
sit yonder. Surely they are gods;" for they were exceeding tall and fair
to look upon. And some began to pray to them, thinking that they might
be the Twin Brethren or of the sons of Nereus. But another laughed and
said, "Not so; these are shipwrecked men who hide themselves, knowing
that it is our custom to sacrifice strangers to our gods." To him the
others gave consent and said that they should take the men prisoners
that they might be sacrificed to the gods.

But while they delayed, Orestes ran forth from the cave, for the madness
was come upon him, crying out, "Pylades, seest thou not that dragon from
hell; and that who would kill me with the serpents of her mouth, and
this again that breatheth out fire, holding my mother in her arms to
cast her upon me?" And first he bellowed as a bull and then howled as a
dog, for the Furies, he said, did so. But the herdsmen, when they saw
this, gathered together in great fear and sat down. But when Orestes
drew his sword and leapt, as a lion might leap, into the midst of the
herd, slaying the beasts (for he thought in his madness that he was
contending with the Furies), then the herdsmen, blowing on shells,
called to the people of the land; for they feared the young men, so
strong they seemed and valiant. And when no small number was gathered
together, they began to cast stones and javelins at the two. And now the
madness of Orestes began to abate, and Pylades tended him carefully,
wiping away the foam from his mouth and holding his garments before him
that he should not be wounded by the stones. But when Orestes came to
himself and beheld in what straits they were, he groaned aloud and
cried, "We must die, O Pylades, only let us die as befitteth brave men.
Draw thy sword and follow me." And the people of the land dared not to
stand before them; yet while some fled, others would cast stones at
them. For all that no man wounded them. But at the last, coming about
them with a great multitude, they smote the swords out of their hands
with stones, and so bound them and took them to King Thoas. And the king
commanded that they should be taken to the temple, that the priestess
might deal with them according to the custom of the place.

So they brought the young men bound to the temple. Now the name of the
one they knew, for they had heard his companion call to him, but the
name of the other