THE CHIMERA. 911

ing on the upper surface of a cloud, and peeping over its
edge, Bellerophon had a pretty distinct view of the
mountamous part of Lycia, and could look into all its
shadowy vales at once. At first there appeared to be
nothing remarkable. It was a wild, savage, and rocky
tract. of ligh and precipitous hills. In the more level
part of the country, there were the ruins of houses that
-had been burnt, and, here and there, the carcasses of
dead cattle, strewn about the pastures where they had
been feeding.

“The Chimera must have done this mischief,” thought
Bellerophon. ‘“ But where can the monster be?”

As I have already said, there was nothing remarkable
to be detected, at first sight, m any of the valleys and
dells that lay among the precipitous heights of the
mountains. Nothmg at all; unless, indeed, it were
three spires of black smoke, which issued from what
seemed to be the mouth of a cavern, and clambered sul-
lenly into the atmosphere. Before reaching the moun-
tain-top, these three black smoke-wreaths mingled them-
selves into one. The cavern was almost directly beneath
the winged horse and his rider, at the distance of about
a thousand feet. The smoke, as it crept heavily upward,
had an ugly, sulphurous, stifling scent, which caused
Pegasus to snort and Bellerophon to sneeze. So dis-
agreeable was it to the marvellous steed (who was accus-
tomed to breathe only the purest air), that he waved his
wings, and shot half a mile out of the range of this
offensive vapor.

But, on looking behind lim, Bellerophon saw some-