about Phrixos and Helle, still their mother, Nephele, saw what was
going on, although they could not see her, because there was a cloud
between them; and Nephele was determined that Athamas should not hurt
Phrixos. So she sent a ram which had a golden fleece to carry her
children away, and one day, when they were sitting down on the grass
(for they were too sad and unhappy to play), they saw a beautiful ram
come into the field. And Phrixos said to Helle, "Sister, look at this
sheep that is coming to us; see, he shines all over like gold--his
horns are made of gold, and all the hair on his body is golden, too."
So the ram came nearer and nearer, and at last he lay down quite close
to them, and looked so quiet that Phrixos and Helle were not at all
afraid of him. Then they played with the sheep, and they took him by
the horns, and stroked his golden fleece, and patted him on the head,
and the ram looked so pleased that they thought they would like to
have a ride on his back. So Phrixos got up first, and put his arms
round the ram's neck, and little Helle got up behind her brother and
put her arms round his waist, and then they called to the ram to stand
up and carry them about. And the ram knew what they wanted, and began
to walk first, and then to run. By and by it rose up from the ground
and began to fly. And when it first left the earth, Phrixos and Helle
became frightened, and they begged the ram to go down again and put
them upon the ground, but the ram turned his head round, and looked so
gently at them, that they were not afraid any more. So Phrixos told
Helle to hold on tight round his waist, and he said, "Dear Helle, do
not be afraid, for I do not think the ram means to do us any harm, and
I almost fancy that he must have been sent by our dear mother,
Nephele, and that he will carry us to some better country, where the
people will be kind to us, as our mother used to be."

Now it so happened that, just as the ram began to fly away with the
two children on its back, Ino and Athamas came into the field,
thinking how they might kill Phrixos, but they could not see him
anywhere; and when they looked up, then, high up in the air over their
heads, they saw the ram flying away with the children on its back. So
they cried out and made a great noise, and threw stones up into the
air, thinking that the ram would get frightened and come down to the
earth again; but the ram did not care how much noise they made or how
many