THE BLACK STEEDS OF AIDONEUS 29 



Some girls who lived near the foot of Mount 

 Etna had gone out to spend the day in the fields, 

 and with them was a fair young maid named 

 Persephone, the child of Dame Demeter. The 

 sun was warm, the sky was fair, the grass was 

 soft. The girls, free as the wild birds of the 

 wood, ran here and there, and dreamed of no 

 harm. At length Persephone, tired of play, sat 

 down on a stone to rest ; but the others went on, 

 and were soon out of sight. Then all at once she 

 heard a strange sound as of huge wheels and the 

 tramp of hoofs, and ere she had time to run home 

 to the safe arms of Dame Demeter, a black car 

 drawn by four coal-black steeds was at her side. 

 In the car stood a tall, sad-faced man, who wore 

 a crown of gold on his head. Persephone 

 screamed and stood still — it was all that she 

 could do. Then she was caught ^p in the strong 

 arms of Aidoneus, who, swinging his long whip 

 in the air, cried out to his steeds: 



" On, Eton, thou who art swift as birds on the 

 wing! On, Nonios, thou whom no flash of light 

 can outspeed! On, Abatos; no storm is so fleet 

 as thou, no thought can run so fast ! On, Abastor ; 

 race thou with the stars that shoot through the 

 sky ! Speed ye all ! Speed ye all ! " 



