THE THREE GOLDEN APFLES., 135

Thanking the Old Man of the Sea, and begging his
pardon for having squeezed him so rougliy, the hero
resumed his journey. He met with a great many strange
adventures, which would be well worth your hearing,
if I had leisure to narrate them as minutely as they
deserve.

It was in this journey, if I mistake not, that he
encountered a prodigious giant, who was so wonderfully
contrived by nature, that, every time he touched the
earth, he became ten times as strong as ever he had been
before. His name was Anteus. You may see, plainly
enough, that it was a very difficult business to fight with
such a fellow; for, as often as he got a knock-down
blow, up he started again, stronger, fiercer, and abler to
use his weapons, than if his enemy had let him alone.
Thus, the harder Hercules pounded the giant with his
club, the further he seemed from winning the victory. I
have sometimes argued with such people, but never
fought with one. The only way in which Hereulcs
found it possible to finish the battle, was by lifting
Anteus off his feet into the air, and squeezing, and
Squeezing, and squeezing him, until, finally, the strength
was quite squeezed out of his enormous body.

When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his
travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was
taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he
had not slain the king of the country, and made his
escape. Passing through the deserts of Africa, and
going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore
of the great ocean. And here, unless he could walk on