THE WINGED HORSE OF THE MUSES 57 



any progress with him, leaped to the ground and 

 renewed his journey on foot. But the horse, who 

 seemed to have taken a great Hking to the young 

 man, followed him, frisking hither and thither 

 like a frolicsome dog, not afraid of him in the 

 least, but very timid of all other travelers on the 

 road. Late in the afternoon, when they had left 

 the pleasant farm-lands of Lycia behind them 

 and had come to the border of a wild, deserted 

 region, an old man, with a long white beard and 

 bright glittering eyes, met them and stopped, as 

 many others had already done, to admire the 

 beautiful animal. 



" Who are you, young man," he inquired, " and 

 what are you doing with so handsome a steed 

 here in this lonely place ? " 



" My name is Bellerophon," answered the 

 young man, " and I am going by order of King 

 lobates to the country beyond the northern 

 mountains, where I expect to slay the Chimaera, 

 which lives there. But as for this horse, all I 

 know is that he has followed me since early 

 morning. Whose he is and from whence he came 

 I cannot tell." 



The old man was silent for a few moments as 

 if in deep thought, while Bellerophon, very weary 



