of the sea, to
offer to him whatever animal should first come up out of the water, for
he declared he had no animal that was worthy for so high a sacrifice.
Therefore the god caused a very beautiful ox to rise out of the sea. But
the king was so taken with the noble appearance of the animal that he
secretly placed it among his own herds and offered another to Neptune.
Angered by this, the god had caused the animal to become mad, and it was
bringing great destruction to the island of Crete. To capture this
animal, master it, and bring it before Eurystheus, was the seventh labor
of Hercules.

When the hero came to Crete and with this intention stepped before
Minos, the king was not a little pleased over the prospect of ridding
the island of the bull, and he himself helped Hercules to capture the
raging animal. Hercules approached the dreadful monster without fear,
and so thoroughly did he master him that he rode home on the animal the
whole way to the sea.

With this work Eurystheus was pleased, and after he had regarded the
animal for a time with pleasure, set it free. No longer under Hercules'
management, the ox became wild again, wandered through all Laconia and
Arcadia, crossed over the isthmus to Marathon in Attica and devastated
the country there as formerly on the island of Crete. Later it was given
to the hero Theseus to become master over him.

THE EIGHTH LABOR

The eighth labor of Hercules was to bring the mares of the Thracian
Diomede to Mycene. Diomede was a son of Mars and ruler of the
Bistonians, a very warlike people. He had mares so wild and strong that
they had to be fastened with iron chains. Their fodder was chiefly hay;
but strangers who had the misfortune to come into the city were thrown
before them, their flesh serving the animals as food.

When Hercules arrived the first thing he did was to seize the inhuman
king himself and after he had overpowered the keepers, throw him before
his own mares. With this food the animals were satisfied and Hercules
was able to drive them to the sea.

But the Bistonians followed him with weapons, and Hercules was forced to
turn and fight them. He gave the horses into the keeping of his beloved,
companion Abderus, the son of Mercury, and while Hercules was away the
animals grew hungry again and devoured their keeper.

Hercules, returning, was greatly grieved over this loss, and later
founded a city in honor of Abderus, naming it after his lost friend. For