find the safest place in its rocky bed where she might make the first
step. But Jason by this time had grown ashamed of his reluctance to help
her. He felt that he could never forgive himself if this poor feeble
creature should come to any harm in attempting to wrestle against the
headlong current. The good Chiron, whether half horse or no, had taught
him that the noblest use of his strength was to assist the weak; and
also that he must treat every young woman as if she were his sister and
every old one like a mother. Remembering these maxims, the vigorous and
beautiful young man knelt down and requested the good dame to mount upon
his back.

"The passage seems to me not very safe," he remarked, "but as your
business is so urgent I will try to carry you across. If the river
sweeps you away it shall take me, too."

"That, no doubt, will be a great comfort to both of us," quoth the old
woman. "But never fear! We shall get safely across."

So she threw her arms around Jason's neck; and, lifting her from the
ground, he stepped boldly into the raging and foamy current, and began
to stagger away from the shore. As for the peacock, it alighted on the
old dame's shoulder. Jason's two spears, one in each hand, kept him from
stumbling and enabled him to feel his way among the hidden rocks;
although every instant he expected that his companion and himself would
go down the stream together with the driftwood of shattered trees and
the carcasses of the sheep and cow. Down came the cold, snowy torrent
from the steep side of Olympus, raging and thundering as if it had a
real spite against Jason or, at all events, were determined to snatch
off his living burden from his shoulders. When he was half way across
the uprooted tree (which I have already told you about) broke loose from
among the rocks and bore down upon him with all its splintered branches
sticking out like the hundred arms of the giant Briareus. It rushed
past, however, without touching him. But the next moment his foot was
caught in a crevice between two rocks and stuck there so fast that in
the effort to get free he lost one of his golden-stringed sandals.

At this accident Jason could not help uttering a cry of vexation.

"What is the matter, Jason?" asked the old woman.

"Matter enough," said the young man. "I have lost a sandal here among
the rocks. And what sort of a figure shall I cut at the court of King
Pelias with a golden-stringed sandal on one foot and the