150 Language Through Nature 



Lesson 97 



VULCAN THE SMITH 



AGES ago people dwelt at the foot of Mount 

 Olympus in the beautiful land of Greece. At 

 times strange clanging sounds came ringing down 

 the mountain side and a ruddy glow lit up the 

 midnight sky. Then the people whispered to each 

 other, saying, "Vulcan the Smith is at work." 

 Sometimes a shepherd, leading up his flock of sheep 

 or goats to eat the sweet mountain' grass, caught 

 a glimpse of Vulcan at his anvil, and returning 

 would tell his neighbors of the mysterious smith 

 whose forge was hidden among the rocks. "Vul- 

 can is terrible to look upon," so the shepherd would 

 say to his wondering friends. "He is very ugly 

 and misshapen and lame, but he is strong, and his 

 mighty arm swings- the big hammer as if it were a 

 toy, and as for the things that he makes, they are 

 too curious and beautiful to be described." 



The people listened and longed to know more of 

 Vulcan and his work, but feared him too much to 

 climb the mountain to see him at his forge. 



Vulcan was ugly and misshapen and lame, just 



