When the old dame and her peacock were out of sight, Jason set forward on his journey.After traveling a pretty long distance, he came to a town situated at the foot of a mountain, and not a great way from the shore of the sea.On the outside of the town there was an immense crowd of people, not only men and women, but children too, all in their best clothes, and evidently enjoying a holiday.The crowd was thickest towards the sea-shore; and in that direction, over the people's heads, Jason saw a wreath of smoke curling upward to the blue sky.He inquired of one of the multitude what town it was near by, and why so many persons were here assembled together.
"This is the kingdom of Iolchos," answered the man, "and we are the subjects of King Pelias.Our monarch has summoned us together, that we may see him sacrifice a black bull to Neptune, who, they say, is his majesty's father.Yonder is the king, where you see the smoke going up from the altar."While the man spoke he eyed Jason with great curiosity; for his garb was quite unlike that of the Iolchians, and it looked very odd to see a youth with a leopard's skin over his shoulders, and each hand grasping a spear.Jason perceived, too, that the man stared particularly at his feet, one of which, you remember, was bare, while the other was decorated with his father's golden-stringed sandal.
"Look at him! only look at him!" said the man to his next neighbor."Do you see? He wears but one sandal!"Upon this, first one person, and then another, began to stare at Jason, and everybody seemed to be greatly struck with something in his aspect; though they turned their eyes much oftener towards his feet than to any other part of his figure.
Besides, he could hear them whispering to one another.
"One sandal! One sandal!" they kept saying."The man with one sandal! Here he is at last! Whence has he come? What does he mean to do? What will the king say to the one-sandaled man?"Poor Jason was greatly abashed, and made up his mind that the people of Iolchos were exceedingly ill-bred, to take such public notice of an accidental deficiency in his dress.
Meanwhile, whether it were that they hustled him forward, or that Jason, of his own accord, thrust a passage through the crowd, it so happened that he soon found himself close to the smoking altar, where King Pelias was sacrificing the black bull.The murmur and hum of the multitude, in their surprise at the spectacle of Jason with his one bare foot, grew so loud that it disturbed the ceremonies; and the king, holding the great knife with which he was just going to cut the bull's throat, turned angrily about, and fixed his eyes on Jason.The people had now withdrawn from around him, so that the youth stood in an open space, near the smoking altar, front to front with the angry King Pelias.
"Who are you?" cried the king, with a terrible frown."And how dare you make this disturbance, while I am sacrificing a black bull to my father Neptune?""It is no fault of mine," answered Jason."Your majesty must blame the rudeness of your subjects, who have raised all this tumult because one of my feet happens to be bare."When Jason said this, the king gave a quick startled glance down at his feet.
"Ha!" muttered he, "here is the one-sandaled fellow, sure enough! What can I do with him?"And he clutched more closely the great knife in his hand, as if he were half a mind to slay Jason, instead of the black bull.
The people round about caught up the king's words, indistinctly as they were uttered; and first there was a murmur amongst them, and then a loud shout.
"The one-sandaled man has come! The prophecy must be fulfilled!"For you are to know, that, many years before, King Pelias had been told by the Speaking Oak of Dodona, that a man with one sandal should cast him down from his throne.On this account, he had given strict orders that nobody should ever come into his presence, unless both sandals were securely tied upon his feet; and he kept an officer in his palace, whose sole business it was to examine people's sandals, and to supply them with a new pair, at the expense of the royal treasury, as soon as the old ones began to wear out.In the whole course of the king's reign, he had never been thrown into such a fright and agitation as by the spectacle of poor Jason's bare foot.But, as he was naturally a bold and hard-hearted man, he soon took courage, and began to consider in what way he might rid himself of this terrible one-sandaled stranger.
"My good young man," said King Pelias, taking the softest tone imaginable, in order to throw Jason off his guard, "you are excessively welcome to my kingdom.Judging by your dress, you must have traveled a long distance, for it is not the fashion to wear leopard skins in this part of the world.Pray what may I call your name? and where did you receive your education?""My name is Jason," answered the young stranger."Ever since my infancy, I have dwelt in the cave of Chiron the Centaur.He was my instructor, and taught me music, and horsemanship, and how to cure wounds, and likewise how to inflict wounds with my weapons!""I have heard of Chiron the schoolmaster," replied King Pelias, "and how that there is an immense deal of learning and wisdom in his head, although it happens to be set on a horse's body.
It gives me great delight to see one of his scholars at my court.But to test how much you have profited under so excellent a teacher, will you allow me to ask you a single question?""I do not pretend to be very wise," said Jason."But ask me what you please, and I will answer to the best of my ability."Now King Pelias meant cunningly to entrap the young man, and to make him say something that should be the cause of mischief and distraction to himself.So, with a crafty and evil smile upon his face, he spoke as follows:
