down, and tore them with nis great tusks, so that they died. So Hercules went to Erymanthus, and he thought the wild boar would come and attack him as it did all other hunters, and then he could catch it; but the boar was afraid of him, and ran away. Hercules ran after it, and the boar, in its fright, jumped into a deep chasm full of snow; for the deep snow always lies on the mountains of Arcadia as it does on the Alps. Then Hercules made a noose of strong rope, and threw it round the wild boar's legs and drew it up, and threw it over his shoulders and carried it to Tiryns. The boar lay on its back with its legs in the air, and grunted, and kicked, and struggled, but could not get away. This was the fourth labour.

Then Eurystheus ordered him to cleanse the stable of Augeas in a single day. Now Augeas was king of Elis, and had three thousand oxen, which were driven every evening into a huge court surrounded by a wall and rows of vaulted stalls; but the servants of King Augeas were lazy, and let the dung lie till it was so deep that the cattle could no longer get into the stalls, and it would have taken a whole year of constant work to dig it up and cart it away. So Hercules dug a deep ditch up to the wall of the courtyard, and broke a large hole in the wall; then he led the water of two mountain torrents into the ditch, so that it all ran into the court; next he broke another hole in the wall opposite the ditch, and through that all the water ran out again, and by the end of the day the whole court was quite clean. Now this was the fifth labour.

Eurystheus next bade him drive away the birds out of the marsh Stymphalus. Now these birds had beaks and claws of iron like the harpies, and they tore men and beasts to pieces, and when they had eaten them they flew back into the marsh. This marsh looked like a great lake, only

that many large trees grew in it: no one could go on it in a boat, because, instead of water, it was all thick mud; neither could anybody walk there, because the mud was so deep that they would have sunk in it. So you see even Hercules could not have driven away the wicked birds if the good Vulcan had not helped him, and made a brazen rattle and given it to him. Hercules took the rattle and went and stood on a hill by the marsh, and turned it, and it made such a terrible noise that the birds were frightened, and all flew away. Hercules took his bow and arrows and killed several of them, and the rest flew far beyond the sea, and never came back again. And this was the sixth labour.

Eurystheus then commanded him to bring the savage bull from Crete. So Hercules went in a ship to Crete, and asked Minos, the king of the island, for leave to catch the bull, which Minos gave him willingly enough, for the bull devastated the country, and no one dared to attack it. But Hercules seized it by the horns and dragged it on board the ship, and sailed back to the Peloponnesus, and took the bull to Tiryns. This was the seventh labour.

The king then commanded Hercules to bring the savage bull from Crete. So he went in a ship to Crete, and asked Minos, the king of the island, for leave to catch the bull, which Minos gave him willingly enough, for the bull devastated the country, and no one dared to attack it. But Hercules seized it by the horns, and dragged it on board the ship, and sailed back to the Peloponnesus, and took the bull to Tiryns. This was the seventh labour.

THE LABOURS OF HERCULES.

PART II.

AFTER this Eurystheus ordered him to fetch the horses of Diomedes, king of Thrace. So Hercules again embarked in a ship and sailed to Thrace. Now these horses were very savage, and ate men; and King Diomedes was so wicked and cruel that he threw all strangers that came to his country to his horses, who tore them to pieces and ate. them up like tigers or fierce wolves. Hercules demanded the horses of King Diomedes, and, as he would not give them up, he killed him and gave him to his own horses to eat. He then took the horses to Tiryns in his ship, and Eurystheus let them go, and they ran into the woods, and were killed and eaten by the wild beasts. And this was the eighth labour.

The Amazons were a people only of women, who all rode on horseback, and fought battles, and were as brave as heroes. They had a queen called Hippolyte, who possessed

precious girdle all of gold and precious stones, which had been given her by Mars. Now Eurystheus had heard of this girdle, and he wanted to have it for his daughter, and ordered Hercules to go and get it. So Hercules had it proclaimed throughout Greece that he was going to make war upon the Amazons, and that brave men might go with him. He then went on board a ship with all those who had come to join him. As soon as Hercules reached the land of the Amazons, he sent word to the Queen Hippolyte what Eurystheus had ordered him to fetch. Now Hippolyte knew that Hercules was forced to obey Eurystheus, because Apollo had commanded him to do so, and would have given him the girdle, but the Amazons would not suffer it, and they attacked Hercules and his companions.

Upon this a great battle was fought: the Amazons fought on horseback and Hercules and his companions on foot, and if it had not been for Hercules the Amazons would have been victorious; but he put them to flight, and took Hippolyte prisoner. However, he did her no harm, and set her free as soon as he had got the girdle. Then he sailed to Tiryns and gave the girdle to Eurystheus. This was the ninth labour.

On the coast of Spain, where the city of Cadiz now stands, is an island which was then called Erytheia; and at that time there was no city, but fine rich pastures, on which grazed the cattle of King Geryon. Now these cattle were most beautiful, and all red; and they were guarded by a dog called Orthrus, who had two heads, and was so strong that he could fight and kill two wolves at once. King Geryon seemed like three great giants joined together into one: he had three heads, six arms, and six legs. So you see it was not easy to take his cattle from him, even if the dog was killed; and Eurystheus thought Hercules must meet his death there; so he ordered him to fetch Geryon's cattle. Hercules went by himself, and took his club and his bow and arrows. Hercules landed on the island of Erytheia, and killed the dog Orthrus and then the herdsman, who richly deserved it, for he gave his kinemen to eat, as King Diomedes did to his horses. Then he drove away the cattle. King Geryon heard this, and came to fight with Hercules; but he had better have staid at home, for Hercules shot him dead.

Hercules drove the cattle over the Alps, and made a road for them through the ice and snow. After that he came to the banks of the Tiber, where Rome now stands, but there was no city then; and in a cave under Mount Aventine lived a wicked giant, called Cacus, who breathed flames out

of his mouth and nostrils, and tormented all the people in the neighbourhood. Cacus went at night and stole some of the finest bullocks, and took them to his cave; and in order that Hercules might not find out where they were gone he dragged them in by their tails, so that the footmarks looked like those of cattle that had gone out of the cave.

Hercules sought everywhere for his lost cattle, and as he could not find them he went on his way with what were left. But as he was driving them along under Mount Aventine, one of them lowed; and when those that were shut up in the cave heard their companion they answered him. Now Cacus had blocked up the mouth of the cave with great masses of rock, but Hercules pulled them down, and Cacus, not being able to run away, blew flames against him; but that did not frighten Hercules, who fell upon him and killed him. The wicked Eurystheus got the beautiful herds of kine. This was the tenth labour, and hard work Hercules found it.

Eurystheus next bade Hercules fetch him the golden apples of the Hesperides. So many people tried to steal these apples that the Hesperides were forced to guard them themselves, with the help of a great dragon that had a hundred heads. Hercules did not even know where the garden was, and had to wander about for many days inquiring for it.

On his way he met Antæus, a son of Gaia, or the Earth, who was prodigiously strong, and wrestled with all he met and killed them; for even if any one was strong enough to throw him down, he jumped up again directly, and was stronger than ever, because his mother, the Earth, gave him fresh vigour every time he touched her. But if, on the other hand, he threw down his adversary, he killed him easily. As soon as Hercules perceived that Antæus gained