than his words; for the Minotaur's horns were
sharper than his wits, and of a great deal more
service to him than his tongue. But probably
this wa? the sense of what he uttered: --

"Ah, wretch of a human being! I'll stick my
horns through you, and toss you fifty feet high,
and eat you up the moment you come down."

"Come on, then, and try it!" was all that
Theseus deigned to reply; for he was far too
magnanimous to assault his enemy with inso-
lent lansruasre.

Without more words on either side, there en-
sued the most awful fight between Theseus and
the Minotaur that ever happened beneath the
sun or moon. I really know not how it might
have turned out, if the monster, in his first head-
long rush against Theseus, had not missed him,
by a hair's breadth, and broken one of his horns
short off against the stone wall. On this mis-
hap, he bellowed so intolerably that a part of
the labyrinth tumbled down, and all the in-
habitants of Crete mistook the noise for an
uncommonly heavy thunder storm. Smarting
with the pain, he galloped around the open
space in so ridiculous a way that Theseus

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