were being done before Argo was launched. Very grave and wise looked
Argus--Argus the builder of the ship. And wonderful to the heroes the
ship looked now that Argus, for their viewing, had set up the mast with
the sails and had even put the oars in their places. Wonderful to the
heroes Argo looked with her long oars and her high sails, with her
timbers painted red and gold and blue, and with a marvelous figure
carved upon her prow. All over the ship Jason's eyes went. He saw a
figure standing by the mast; for a moment he looked on it, and then the
figure became shadowy. But Jason knew that he had looked upon the
goddess whom he had seen in the ways of the forest and had seen
afterward by the rough Anaurus.

Then mast and sails were taken down and the oars were left in the ship,
and the Argo was launched into the water. The heroes went back to the
palace of King Pelias to feast with the king's guests before they took
their places on the ship, setting out on the voyage to far Colchis.

When they came into the palace they saw that another hero had arrived.
His shield was hung in the hall; the heroes all gathered around, amazed
at the size and the beauty of it. The shield shone all over with gold.
In its center was the figure of Fear--of Fear that stared backward with
eyes burning as with fire. The mouth was open and the teeth were shown.
And other figures were wrought around the figure of Fear--Strife and
Pursuit and Flight; Tumult and Panic and Slaughter. The figure of Fate
was there dragging a dead man by the feet; on her shoulders Fate had a
garment that was red with the blood of men.

Around these figures were heads of snakes, heads with black jaws and
glittering eyes, twelve heads such as might affright any man. And on
other parts of the shield were shown the horses of Ares, the grim god
of war. The figure of Ares himself was shown also. He held a spear in
his hand, and he was urging the warriors on.

Around the inner rim of the shield the sea was shown, wrought in white
metal. Dolphins swam in the sea, fishing for little fishes that were
shown there in bronze. Around the rim chariots were racing along with
wheels running close together; there were men fighting and women
watching from high towers. The awful figure of the Darkness of Death
was shown there, too, with mournful eyes and the dust of battles upon
her shoulders. The outer rim of the shield showed the Stream of Ocean,
the stream that encircles the world