Bring up your ship to the wood side, and moor her there against the bank; and let Jason come up at midnight, and one brave comrade with him, and meet me beneath the wall."

Then all the heroes cried together, "I will go!" "And 5 I!" But Medea calmed them, and said, "Orpheus shall go with Jason, and bring his magic harp; for I hear of him that he is the king of all minstrels, and can charm all things on earth." And Orpheus laughed for joy, and clapped his hands, because the choice had fallen on him; 10 for in those days poets and singers were as bold warriors as the best.

So at midnight they went up the bank, and found Medea; and besides came her young brother, leading a yearling lamb. Then Medea brought them to a thicket, 15 beside the war god's gate; and there she bade Jason dig a ditch, and kill the lamb and leave it there, and strew on it magic herbs and honey from the honeycomb.

Then sprang up through the earth, with the red fire flashing before her, Brimo, the wild witch huntress, while 20 her mad hounds howled around. She had one head like a horse's, and another like a hound's, and another like a hissing snake's, and a sword in either hand. And she leapt into the ditch with her hounds, and they ate and drank their fill, while Jason and Orpheus trembled, and 25 Medea hid her eyes. And at last the witch queen vanished, and fled with her hounds into the woods; and the

bars of the gates fell down, and the brazen doors flew wide, and Medea and the heroes ran forward and hurried through the poison wood, among the dark stems of the mighty beeches, guided by the gleam of the golden fleece, until they saw it hanging on one vast tree in the midst. 5 And Jason would have sprung to seize it, but Medea held him back, and pointed shuddering to the tree foot, where the mighty serpent lay, coiled in and out among the roots, with a body like a mountain pine. His coils stretched many a fathom, spangled with bronze and gold; and half 10 of him they could see, but no more, for the rest lay in the darkness far beyond.

And when he saw them coming, he lifted up his head, and watched them with his small bright eyes, and flashed his forked tongue, and roared like the fire among the 15 woodlands, till the forest tossed and groaned. But Medea called him gently to her; and he stretched out his long spotted neck, and licked her hand, and looked up in her face, as if to ask for food. Then she made a sign to Orpheus, and he began his magic song.

And as he sung, the forest grew calm again, and the leaves on every tree hung still; and the serpent's head sank down, and his brazen coils grew limp, and his glittering eyes closed lazily, till he breathed as gently as a child.

Then Jason leapt forward warily, and stepped across that mighty snake, and tore the fleece from off the tree

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trunk; and the four rushed down the garden, to the bank

where Argo lay.

There was a silence for a moment, while Jason held the golden fleece on high. Then he cried, "Go now, good 5 Argo, swift and steady, if ever you would see home again.”

And she went, as the heroes drove her, grim and silent all, with muffled oars, till the pine-wood bent like willow in their hands, and stout Argo groaned beneath their 10 strokes.

Into the surge they rushed, and Argo leapt the breakers like a horse, till the heroes stopped all panting, each man upon his oar, as she slid into the still, broad sea.

Then Orpheus took his harp and sang a pæan, till 15 the heroes' hearts rose high again; and they rowed on stoutly and steadfastly, away into the darkness of the West.

- CHARLES KINGSLEY: The Greek Heroes.

clod, lump; sus pi'cion, mistrust; phan'tom, ghost; her'ald, in old times, one who made announcements in a loud voice; wa'ri ly, cautiously; pæ'an, song of joy.

1. Why would Eetes not harm the Greeks because they had been his guests? 2. How does Medea suffer for the help she gives Jason? What proposition does Jason make to her? 3. What is a minstrel ? How were minstrels regarded among the Greeks? 4. What other word or words could you use in place of pæan in the last sentence? 5. Tell why the Greek heroes made a wise choice in taking Jason as their leader in this expedition.

Oral Composition. - 1. Describe Jason's contest with the magic bulls. 2. Describe his contest with the warriors that rose from the furrows. 3. Describe his final adventure with the serpent.

Let one third of the class take the first topic; another third, the second; another, the third. Tell the stories as well and as fully as you can. Say your own story over to yourself several times before you tell it in class. Take a class vote as to which story was told in the most interesting way.

Word Study. — die, dye; sun, son; pale, pail; peace, piece; sowed, sewed; steel, steal; prey, pray.

Find the first word of each pair in Lesson 10. Read to yourself the sentences in which these words occur.

I. Write sentences of your own, using the first word of each pair. II. Write sentences, using the second word of each pair. III. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with either right or write.

IV. Fill in the following blanks with to, too, or two:

When he came the bridge in Concord Town..

4. Swiftly, swiftly flew the ship,

Yet she sailed softly