re leaning back, spent with their labor, the oar
that Heracles still pulled at broke, and half of it was carried away by
the waves. Heracles sat there in ill humor, for he did not know what to
do with his unlaboring hands.

All through the night they went on with a good breeze filling their
sails, and next day they came to the mouth of the River Cius. There
they landed so that Heracles might get himself an oar. No sooner did
they set their feet upon the shore than the hero went off into the
forest, to pull up a tree that he might shape into an oar.

Where they had landed was near to the country of the Bebrycians, a rude
people whose king was named Amycus. Now while Heracles was away from
them this king came with his followers, huge, rude men, all armed with
clubs, down to where the Argonauts were lighting their fires on the
beach.

He did not greet them courteously, asking them what manner of men they
were and whither they were bound, nor did he offer them hospitality.
Instead, he shouted at them insolently:

"Listen to something that you rovers had better know. I am Amycus, and
any stranger that comes to this land has to get into a boxing bout with
me. That's the law that I have laid down. Unless you have one amongst
you who can stand up to me you won't be let go back to your ship. If
you don't heed my law, look out, for something's going to happen to
you."

So he shouted, that insolent king, and his followers raised their clubs
and growled approval of what their master said. But the Argonauts were
not dismayed at the words of Amycus. One of them stepped toward the
Bebrycians. He was Polydeuces, good at boxing.

"Offer us no violence, king," said Polydeuces. "We are ready to obey
the law that you have laid down. Willingly do I take up your challenge,
and I will box a bout with you."

The Argonauts cheered when they saw Polydeuces, the good boxer, step
forward, and when they heard what he had to say. Amycus turned and
shouted to his followers, and one of them brought up two pairs of
boxing gauntlets--of rough cowhide they were. The Argonauts feared that
Polydeuces' hands might have been made numb with pulling at the oar,
and some of them went to him, and took his hands and rubbed them to
make them supple; others took from off his shoulders his beautifully
colored mantle.

Amycus straightway put on his gauntlets and threw off his mantle; he
stood there amongst his followers with his great arms crossed,
gloweri