," said old King
OEneus. "Wouldn't you like to put away your arrows and your spear, and
go and play with them?"

Atalanta shook her head and lifted her chin as if in disdain.

"Perhaps you would rather stay with the queen, and look at the women
spin and weave," said OEneus.

"No," answered Atalanta, "I am going with the warriors to hunt the wild
boar in the forest!"

How all the men opened their eyes! They had never heard of such a thing
as a girl going out with heroes to hunt wild boars.

"If she goes, then I will not," said one.

"Nor I, either," said another.

"Nor I," said a third. "Why, the whole world would laugh at us, and we
should never hear the end of it."

Several threatened to go home at once; and two brothers of Queen Althea,
rude, unmannerly fellows, loudly declared that the hunt was for heroes
and not for puny girls.

But Atalanta only grasped her spear more firmly and stood up, tall and
straight, in the gateway of the palace. Just then a handsome young man
came forward. It was Meleager.

"What's this?" he cried. "Who says that Atalanta shall not go to the
hunt? You are afraid that she'll be braver than you--that is all. Pretty
heroes you are! Let all such cowards go home at once."

But nobody went, and it was settled then and there that the maiden
should have her own way. And yet the brothers of Queen Althea kept on
muttering and complaining.

For nine days the heroes and huntsmen feasted in the halls of King
OEneus, and early on the tenth they set out for the forest. Soon the
great beast was found, and he came charging out upon his foes. The
heroes hid behind the trees or climbed up among the branches, for they
had not expected to see so terrible a creature. He stood in the middle
of a little open space, tearing up the ground with his tusks. The white
foam rolled from his mouth, his eyes glistened red like fire, and he
grunted so fiercely that the woods and hills echoed with fearful sounds.

[Illustration: YOU OUGHT TO HAVE SEEN THE TALL HUNTRESS MAIDEN THEN]

Then one of the bravest of the men threw his spear. But that only made
the beast fiercer than ever; he charged upon the warrior, caught him
before he could save himself, and tore him in pieces with his tusks.
Another man ventured too far from his hiding-place and was also
overtaken and killed. One of the oldest and noblest of the heroes
leveled his spear and threw it with all his force; but it only grazed
the boar's tough skin an