THE WINGED HORSE OF THE MUSES 



I. THE FOUNTAIN OF THE HORSE 



PEOPLE said that the gods sent him to the 

 earth. Of course it was very desirable to 

 account in some way for the appearance of so 

 wonderful a creature, and there was no easier 

 way to do it. But to this day nobody knows any- 

 thing about his origin. When first seen he was 

 simply a beautiful horse with wings like a great 

 bird's, and he could travel with equal ease in the 

 air and on the ground. 



A good many years ago — so many that we 

 shall not bother about the date — this wonderful 

 animal, after a long and wearisome flight above 

 the clouds, alighted at a pleasant spot near the 

 foot of Mount Helicon, in Boeotia. He was hot 

 and thirsty, and having seen some reeds growing 

 at that spot, he hoped that he would find there 

 a stream of water, or at least a small pool, from 

 which he could drink. But to his disappointment 



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