across his pathway, with specks of white foam
among its black eddies, hurrying tmnultuously
onward, and roaring angrily as it went. Though
not a very broad river in the dry seasons of the
year, it was now swollen by heavy rains and by
the melting of the snow on the sides of Mount
Olympus; and it thundered so loudly, and looked
so wild and dangerous, that Jason, bold as he
was, thought it prudent to pause upon the brink.
The bed of the stream seemed to be strewn with
sharp and rugged rocks, some of which thrust
themselves above the water. By and by, an up-
rooted tree, with shattered branches, came drift-
ing along the current, and got entangled among
the rocks. Now and then, a drowned sheep, and
once the carcass of a cow, floated past.

In short, the swollen river had already done a
great deal of mischief. It was evidently too
deep for Jason to wade, and too boisterous for
him to swim; he could see no bridge; and as
for a boat, had there been any, the rocks would
have broken it to pieces in an instant.

"See the poor lad," said a cracked voice close
to his side. "He must have had but a poor ed-
ucation, since he does not know how to cross a

[[276]]

p275 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p276w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p277

v?