ng aloft, and shooting their feathers down upon
the Argonauts. These feathers were the steel-
headed arrows that had so tormented them.
There was no possibility of making any resist-
ance; and the fifty heroic Argonauts might all
have been killed or wounded by a flock of
troublesome birds, without ever setting eyes on
the Golden Fleece, if Jason had not thought
of asking the advice of the oaken image.

So he ran to the galley as fast as his lega
would carry him.

"O, daughter of the Speaking Oak," cried he,
all out of breath, "we need your wisdom more
than ever before! We are in great peril from a
flock of birds, who are shooting us with their
steel-pointed feathers. "What can we do to
drive them away?"

"Make a clatter on your shields," said the
image.

On receiving this excellent counsel, Jason
hurried back to his companions, (who were far
more dismayed than when they fought with the
six-armed giants,) and bade them strike with
their swords upon their brazen shields. Forth-
with the fifty heroes set heartily to work, bang-

[[307]]

p306 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p307w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p308

v?