happen to-morrow, or the next day, or a hundred
years hence, but were generally quite uncon-
scious of what was passing at the moment.

Jason appointed Tiphys to be helmsman, be-
cause he was a star-gazer, and knew the points
of the compass. Lynceus, on account of his
sharp sight, was stationed as a lookout in the
prow, where he saw a whole day's sail ahead,
but was rather apt to overlook things that lay
directly under his nose. If the sea only hap-
pened to be deep enough, however, Lynceus
could tell you exactly what kind of rocks or
sands were at the bottom of it; and he often
cried out to his companions, that they were
sailing over heaps of sunken treasure, which
yet he was none the richer for beholding. To
confess the truth, few people believed him when
he said it.

Well! But when the Argonauts, as these
fifty brave adventurers were called, had prepared
every thing for the voyage, an unforeseen diffi-
culty threatened to end it before it was begun.
The vesssl, you must understand, was so long,
and broad, and ponderous, that the united force
of all the fifty was insufficient to shove her into

[[299]]

p298 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p299w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p300

v?