him, and the little child lay at his feet. He waited, and then he
heard the thud-thud of great hooves. And then from between the trees he
saw coming toward him the strangest of all beings, one who was half man
and half horse; this was Chiron the centaur.

Chiron came toward the trembling slave. Greater than any horse was
Chiron, taller than any man. The hair of his head flowed back into his
horse's mane, his great beard flowed over his horse's chest; in his
man's hand he held a great spear.

Not swiftly he came, but the slave could see that in those great limbs
of his there was speed like to the wind's. The slave fell upon his
knees. And with eyes that were full of majesty and wisdom and limbs
that were full of strength and speed, the king-centaur stood above him.
"O my lord," the slave said, "I have come before thee sent by AEson, my
master, who told me where to come and what blasts to blow upon the
horn. And AEson, once King of Iolcus, bade me say to thee that if thou
dost remember his ancient friendship with thee thou wilt, perchance,
take this child and guard and foster him, and, as he grows, instruct
him with thy wisdom."

"For AEson's sake I will rear and foster this child," said Chiron the
king-centaur in a deep voice.

The child lying on the moss had been looking up at the four-footed and
two-handed centaur. Now the slave lifted him up and placed him in the
centaur's arms. He said:

"AEson bade me tell thee that the child's name is Jason. He bade me give
thee this ring with the great ruby in it that thou mayst give it to the
child when he is grown. By this ring with its ruby and the images
engraved on it AEson may know his son when they meet after many years
and many changes. And another thing AEson bade me say to thee, O my lord
Chiron: not presumptuous is he, but he knows that this child has the
regard of the immortal Goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus."

Chiron held AEson's son in his arms, and the little child put hands into
his great beard. Then the centaur said, "Let AEson know that his son
will be reared and fostered by me, and that, when they meet again,
there will be ways by which they will be known to each other."

Saying this Chiron the centaur, holding the child in his arms, went
swiftly toward the forest arches; then the slave took up the horn and
went down the side of the Mountain Pelion. He came to where a horse was
hidden, and he mounted and rode, first to a city, and then to a village
that w