CHAPTER X. FRIENDS AND ENEMIES. Though various perils your attempt oppose, IDMON'S PROPHECY.1- Translated by Fawkes. RADUALLY the shores of Lem'nos became like a cloud upon the far horizon, to the eyes of the Ar'gonauts, and at length were lost to view. The heroes plied the oars with willing hands, although they soon. found their muscles had grown flabby from lack of exercise, and they could not maintain the rate of speed at which they first set out. But at last they reached the island 1 Appendix, Note 22. Samothra'ce, and paused to rest and offer sacrifices to the gods. Then they resumed their seats and rowed until they reached the Hel'lespont, whose name has a significance that you will all remember. Passing through this narrow strait they entered the modern Sea of Mar'mora. The ancients called it the Propon'tis, because it lay before the sea that stretched its inhospitable1 length from Bithyn'ia and Thrace, to distant Col'chis and the unknown North. On the shores of the Propon'tis lay the territory of King Cyz'icus, where the Argonauts tarried for a time, as they were received and entertained with great kindness. But just off the shore, there lay an island on which was situated a small mountain called Bears' 2 Hill; and when our heroes were putting out to sea again, they beheld a great number of canoes starting from this island, while down the side of Bears' Hill came what seemed at first a crowd of animated windmills. Lyn'ceus, who served as telescope for the Ar'go, was called to the lookout, and soon determined that these 1 Appendix, Note 23, 2 Appendix, Note 24. curious objects were giants, with six arms apiece. The canoes put out to intercept the Ar'gonauts, but there was only a brisk little skirmish, for the Ar'go ran over and sunk a number of the puny crafts that came to meet them, and a rapid fire of arrows from Her'acles, Cly'tius, Iph'itus, and other Grecian archers, quickly put the rest to flight. So they rowed and sailed without opposition till night fell, when a frightful wind arose that drove them from their course and drowned the whispers of the Talking Oak. They wandered for a long time, they knew not whither, till they found themselves near a certain shore and thought it best to land. So they ran the ship aground and disembarked. But scarcely had they done so when the natives fell upon them in the darkness, and a battle ensued that was worthy of the name. They fought, and fought, and it was doubtful how the tide would turn, until at last Ja'son himself came to a hand-to-hand encounter with the chief. Their struggle was brief and bloody, for the Argonau'tic hero with a mighty sweep of his sword |