laugh, with fiendish glee, at his victims' shrieks of agony, until he cast them from him, a mere mass of scorched and shrivelled flesh.

From neck to heel there ran a single vein, in which his boiling life-blood coursed; and as the Ar'gonauts drew near, Poe'as, a skilful archer, caught up the bow which Her'acles had left on board, and sent a steel-pointed arrow whizzing towards the brazen sentinel.

It struck the fatal vein, and forth there gushed a stream of liquid fire, that fell upon the water with a smoking hiss. Ta'los reeled and staggered, made a desperate but unsuccessful effort to keep his feet, then fell, with hideous clang, upon the loud-resounding shore.1

Having landed and obtained supplies, the Ar'gonauts again pressed forward; for now that they were nearing home, it seemed as if they could not wait a single instant, but must voyage night and day.

But a thick darkness fell about them, and they wandered from their course; for either Lyn'ceus's eyes were dim with long watching, and with weeping for Mop'sus' fate, or the

1 Appendix, Note 49,

darkness was a supernatural one, sent by some hostile divinity to destroy them, or by some friendly one to try their faith.

Then Apollo pitied them, and took his stand on the Melan'tian Rocks, and shot an arrow, which flashed forth with such a vivid light it could be seen a hundred miles away. The lost mariners then saw, near at hand, an island, on which they landed; and because it came to them so suddenly from the darkness, they called it An'aphe (appeared); and by the name of Anʼaphi it is known to-day.

Next morning they erected an an altar to Apollo Ægle'tes, the Lightener, and offered sacrifices. Then they went to the island of Ægi'na, and took a fresh supply of water, thence between Euboe'a and Lo'cris to the Pagase'an bay, and HOME!

There was great rejoicing in Iol'cos on that day, for the adventurers had been gone so long that all their friends believed them dead.

But amid the general gladness there was one heart heavy with rage and disappointment.

It beat in the false bosom of the wicked Pe'lias.

CHAPTER XX.

LIFE AND DEATH.

Ja'son Eson'ides1 afflictive toils achieved
(Which Pelias, mighty monarch, bold in wrong,
Unrighteous, violent of deed, imposed:)

And much enduring reached th' Iol'chian coast.

HESIOD. - Translated by Elton.2

ELL, my young friends, the story of the Ar'go is nearly done. Some of you have

gone with me, in spirit, through the whole eventful voyage. And as fellowtravellers on board an ocean steamer, when the port is reached at which they are to separate, bid each other good-by with a lingering

hand-clasp, and with hopes of other meetings in

the days to come

1 Son of E'son.

so now as I leave you with

2 Appendix, Note 50.

reluctance, I have hopes that some time hereafter we may together tread the mythologic fields again.

If I were to tell you all the various accounts of Ja'son and Mede'a after they landed at Iol'cos, you would be utterly confused. So I shall not even hint at many of them, but from the curious mass of myths I shall select those that are most consistent with the tale, and, at the same time, those to which you will find allusions in the poems and sketches of our best authors.

Thus, among the works of Campbell, there is a translation from another poet, the Greek Eurip'ides, which begins:

66

Oh, haggard queen! to Athens dost thou guide
Thy glowing chariot, steeped in kindred gore."

Now, I have grave doubts whether the best of you can explain that allusion; but when this tale is ended, I hope you will understand that, and be ready for something harder.

There was great feasting when the Greeks returned to Thes'saly, as you might suppose ; but our hero, Ja'son, did not find perfect enjoyHis poor old mother was dead; and

ment.

some hinted that she had been so cruelly treated by Pelias that she had died by her own hand.

'son himself was in his dotage, hardly recognized his son, and could take no active part in his welcome home.

Pe'lias was old too; but as his father was a god, he did not mind his age so much as his halfbrother, though 'son was several years his junior. And he still refused to give up the kingdom. As usual, he found some excuse for his refusal he was very fertile in reasons most rascals are.

He claimed that Ja'son had not fulfilled the conditions on which he was to have the crown. He had not brought back the Golden Fleece.1 Ja'son was quite downcast at first, and it is uncertain what he would have done had it not been for Mede'a. She encouraged him to rouse up from his melancholy, promising to make 'son young again, and to obtain the kingdom of Iol'cos for himself.

It is not surprising that Ja'son should have had a great deal of confidence in his wife's

1 See p. 158.