30 ,THE WONDER-BOOK OF HORSES 



And the wild steeds, urged thus by lash and 

 speech, flew through the air, as it were, and 

 climbed up, up, up the steep slopes of Etna, and 

 paused not till they stood on the edge of the great 

 black cup and the flue whence smoke and blue 

 flames came up from the dim depths of Aido- 

 neus's realm. Poor Persephone shrieked, and 

 tried to leap out of the car ; but the stern old King 

 soothed her fears with kind words, and told her 

 that so long as she would stay with him she 

 should be safe from harm. Then a sheet of 

 flame shot up and shut out the light of day, 

 and the steeds, the car, the King, and the 

 maid went down, down, down, and were seen 

 no more. 



When the news was brought to good Dame 

 Demeter that her child was lost, she did not faint 

 nor cry out in her great grief and fear, for she 

 was too brave and wise for that. But she went out 

 at once in search of the maid, and vowed that she 

 would find her or come back no more. With a 

 black veil wound round her head, and with a 

 torch in her hand, she crossed the seas, and went 

 from land to land, and asked all that dwelt on 

 the earth if they had seen her child. For a whole 

 year she searched in vain. Then she thought 



