rded by a terrible dragon. In vain did the slayer of Medusa ask the
king for food and shelter. Fearful of losing his golden treasure, Atlas
refused the wanderer entertainment in his palace. Upon this Perseus
became enraged, and taking the head of Medusa from his pouch, held it
toward the huge king, who was suddenly turned to stone. His hair and
beard changed to forests, his shoulders, hands and bones became rocks,
and his head grew up into a lofty mountain-peak. Mount Atlas, in Africa,
was believed by the ancients to be the mountain into which the giant was
transformed.

Perseus then rose into the air again, continued his journey, and came to
Ethiopia, where he beheld a maiden chained to a rock that jutted out
into the sea. He was so enchanted with her loveliness that he almost
forgot to poise himself in the air with his wings. At last, taking off
his helmet so that he and his politeness might be perceived, he said:
"Pray tell me, beauteous maiden, what is thy country, what thy name, and
why thou art here in bonds?"

The weeping maiden blushed at sight of the handsome stranger, and
replied:

"I am Andromeda, daughter of Cepheus, king of this country. My mother
boasted to the nymphs, daughters of Nereus, that she was far more
beautiful than they. This roused their anger, and they persuaded
Neptune, their friend, to make the sea overflow our shores and send a
monster to destroy us. Then an oracle proclaimed that we never should be
rid of these evils until the queen's daughter should be given for the
monster's prey. The people forced my parents to make the sacrifice, and
I was chained to this rock."

As she ceased speaking the waves surged and boiled, and a fearful
monster rose to the surface. The maiden shrieked in terror, just as her
parents came hastening to her in hopeless anguish, for they could do
nothing but weep and moan.

Then Perseus told them who he was, and boldly proposed to rescue the
maiden if they would promise to give her to him as his wife.

The king and queen, eager to save Andromeda, at once agreed to this, and
said they would give him not only their daughter, but also their own
kingdom as her dowry.

Meanwhile, the monster had come within a stone's throw of the shore, so
Perseus flew up into the air, put on his helmet, pounced down upon the
creature, and killed it, after a fierce struggle. He then sprang ashore
and loosed the bonds of Andromeda, who greeted him with words of thanks
and looks o