THE CHIMAERA. — = 205

Once or twice, Pegasus stopped, and snuffed the air,
pricking up his ears, tossing his head, and turning it on
all sides, as if he partly suspected some mischief or
other. Seeing nothing, however, and hearing no sound,
he soon began his antics again.

At length, — not that he was weary, but only idle
and luxurious, — Pegasus folded. his wings, and lay
down on the soft green turf. But, being too full of
aerial life to remain quiet for many moments together,
he soon rolled over on his back, with his four slender
legs in the air. It was beautiful to see him, this one
solitary creature, whose mate had never been created,
but who needed no companion, and, living a great many
hundred years, was as happy as the centuries were long.
The more he did such things as mortal horses are accus-
tomed to do, the less earthly and the more wonderful he
seemed. Bellerophon and the child almost held their
breath, partly from a delightful awe, but still more be-
cause they dreaded lest the slightest stir or murmur
should send him up, with the speed of an arrow-flight,
into the farthest blue of the sky.

Finally, when he had had enough of rolling over and
over, Pegasus turned himself about, and, indolently, like
any other horse, put out his fore legs, in order to rise
from the ground; and Bellerophon, who ‘had guessed
that he would do so, darted suddenly from the thicket,
and leaped astride of his back.

Yes, there he sat, on the back of the winged horse!

But what a bound did Pegasus make, when, for the
first time, he felt the weight of a mortal man upon his