But again the sighing gust of air grew into
something like a hoarse voice.

"Follow the cow!" it said. "Follow the
cow! Follow the cow!"

And when these words had been repeated
until Cadmus was tired of hearing them, (es-
pecially as he could not imagine what cow it
was, or why he was to follow her,) the gusty hole
gave vent to another sentence.

"Where the stray cow lies down, there is your
home."

These words were pronounced but a single
time, and died away into a whisper before Cad-
mus was fully satisfied that he had caught the
meaning. He put other questions, but received
no answer; only the gust of wind sighed con-
tinually out of the cavity, and blew the withered
leaves rustling along the ground before it.

"Did there really come any words out of the
hole?" thought Cadmus; "or have I been
dreaming all this while?"

He turned away from the oracle, and thought
himself no wiser than when he came thither.
Caring little what might happen to him, he took
the first path that offered itself, and went along

[[138]]

p137 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p138w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p139

v?