THE WINGED HORSE OF THE MUSES 65 



knowing that no man ever fought with that 

 monster and lived. For she is a more terrible 

 beast than you would believe. All the region 

 beyond the mountains has been laid waste by her, 

 hundreds of people have been slain by her fiery 

 breath alone, and a whole army that was lately 

 sent out against her was routed and put to flight. 

 The king knows very well that she will kill you." 



" But what kind of a beast is this Chimaera? " 

 asked Bellerophon. 



" She is a strange kind of monster," was the 

 answer. " Her head and shoulders are those of 

 a lion, her body is that of a goat, and her hinder 

 parts are those of a dragon. She fights with her 

 hot breath and her long tail, and she stays on the 

 mountains by night, and goes down into the val- 

 leys by day." 



" If I had only a shield, and my bow and ar- 

 rows, and could ride the good winged horse 

 whithersoever I wished him to go, I would not 

 be afraid of all the Chimaeras in the world," said 

 Bellerophon. 



" Let me tell you something," said the old man. 

 " Do you go out to the little temple in the grove 

 before us and lie down to sleep at the foot of the 

 shrine. Everybody knows that to people who are 



