"Go," replied the oaken image, "go, sum-
mon all the heroes of Greece."
And, in fact, considering what a great deed
was to be done, could any advice be wiser than
this which Jason received from the figure head
of his vessel? He lost no time in sending mes-
sengers to all the cities, and making known to
the whole people of Greece, that Prince Jason,
the son of King Aeson, was going in quest of
the Fleece of Gold, and that he desired the help
of forty-nine of the bravest and strongest young
men alive, to row his vessel and share his dan-
gers. And Jason himself would be the fiftieth.
At this news, the adventurous youths, all over
the country, began to bestir themselves. Some
of them had already fought with giants, and
slain dragons; and the younger ones, who had
not yet met with such good fortune, thought
it a shame to have lived so long without getting
astride of a flying serpent, or sticking their
spears into a Chimaera, or, at least, thrusting their
right arms down a monstrous lion's throat.
There was a fair prospect that they would meet
with plenty of such adventures before finding
the Golden Fleece. As soon as they could tur
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