220 THE WONDER-BOOK OF HORSES 



fortunates; they had crushed them to death in 

 their terrible embrace. The people who saw this 

 awful tragedy from a distance were spellbound 

 with horror, nor did they know who might be the 

 next victim. But the serpents, when they had 

 done their deadly work, glided quietly away and 

 hid themselves beneath an altar which the Greeks 

 had erected to Athena. 



" Behold the vengeance of the goddess ! " cried 

 some of the people. 



" She has punished Laocoon for his wicked- 

 ness in smiting the great horse with his spear ! " 

 cried others. 



" Such be the fate of all who would try to 

 thwart the will of the ever-living powers ! " cried 

 the priests. " Let us hasten to appease Athena 

 by drawing her horse into the city and giving it 

 the shelter which it ought to have." 



IV: THE SUCCESS OF THE STRATAGEMS 



By this time the men who had been sent after 

 ropes had returned, bringing also stout wheels to 

 be placed underneath the platform whereon the 

 horse stood. With infinite trouble a slip-knot was 

 thrown over the huge wooden head, and long 



