THE GORGON’S HEAD. 43

they knew not what. But when the Gorgons saw the
scaly carcass of Medusa, headless, and her golden wings
all ruffled, and half spread out on tlie sand, it was really
awful to hear what yells and screeches they set up. And
then the snakes! They sent forth a hundred-fold hiss,
with one consent, and Medusa’s snakes answered them
out of the magic wallet.

No sooner were the Gorgons broad awake, than they
hurtled upward into the air, brandishing their brass tal-
ous, gnashing their horrible tusks, and flapping their huge
wings so wildly, that some of the golden feathers were
shaken out, and floated down upon the shore. And there,
perhaps, those very feathers lie scattered, till this day.
Up rose the Gorgons, as I tell you, staring horribly
about, in hopes of turning somebody to stone. Had
Perseus looked them in the face, or had he fallen into
their clutches, his poor mother would never have kissed
her boy again! But he took good care to turn his eyes
another way; and, as he wore the helmet of invisibility,
the Gorgons knew not in what direction to follow him;
nor did he fail to make the best use of the winged slip-
pers, by soaring upward a perpendicular mile or so. At
that height, when the screams of those abominable crea-
tures sounded faintly beneath him, he made a straight
course for the island of Seriphus, in order to carry Me-
dusa’s head to King Polydectes.

I have no time to tell you of several marvellous things
that befell Perseus, on his way homeward; such as his
killing a hideous sea-monster, just as it was on the point
of devouring a beautiful maiden; nor how he changed an