an mainland, they
passed along in sight of the mouth of Rhyndaeus and the great cairn of
Aegaeon, a little way from Phrygia, then Heracles, as he ploughed up
the furrows of the roughened surge, broke his oar in the middle. And one
half he held in both his hands as he fell sideways, the other the sea
swept away with its receding wave. And he sat up in silence glaring
round; for his hands were unaccustomed to be idle.

(ll. 1172-1186) Now at the hour when from the field some delver or
ploughman goes gladly home to his hut, longing for his evening meal, and
there on the threshold, all squalid with dust, bows his wearied knees,
and, beholding his hands worn with toil, with many a curse reviles his
belly; at that hour the heroes reached the homes of the Cianian land
near the Arganthonian mount and the outfall of Cius. Them as they came
in friendliness, the Mysians, inhabitants of that land, hospitably
welcomed, and gave them in their need provisions and sheep and abundant
wine. Hereupon some brought dried wood, others from the meadows leaves
for beds which they gathered in abundance for strewing, whilst others
were twirling sticks to get fire; others again were mixing wine in
the bowl and making ready the feast, after sacrificing at nightfall to
Apollo Ecbasius.

(ll. 1187-1206) But the son of Zeus having duly enjoined on his comrades
to prepare the feast took his way into a wood, that he might first
fashion for himself an oar to fit his hand. Wandering about he found a
pine not burdened with many branches, nor too full of leaves, but
like to the shaft of a tall poplar; so great was it both in length
and thickness to look at. And quickly he laid on the ground his
arrow-holding quiver together with his bow, and took off his lion's
skin. And he loosened the pine from the ground with his bronze-tipped
club and grasped the trunk with both hands at the bottom, relying on his
strength; and he pressed it against his broad shoulder with legs wide
apart; and clinging close he raised it from the ground deep-rooted
though it was, together with clods of earth. And as when unexpectedly,
just at the time of the stormy setting of baleful Orion, a swift gust of
wind strikes down from above, and wrenches a ship's mast from its stays,
wedges and all; so did Heracles lift the pine. And at the same time he
took up his bow and arrows, his lion skin and club, and started on his
return.

(ll. 1207-1239) Meantime Hylas with pitcher of bronze in