28 HISTORICAL TALES.

warned of their danger, made ready to fly. But
not without the golden fleece. This was guarded
by a dragon, but Medea prepared a potion that
put this perilous sentinel to sleep, seized the fleece,
and accompanied Jason in his flight, taking with
her on the Argo Absyrtus, her youthful brother.

The Argonauts, seizing their oars, rowed with all
haste from the dreaded locality. Metes, on awaken-
ing, learned with fury of the loss of the ficece and
his children, hastily collected an armed force, and
pursued with such energy that the flying vessel was
soon nearly overtaken. The safety of the adven-
turers was again due to Medea, who secured it by a
terrible stratagem. This was, to kill her young
brother, cut his body to pieces, and fling the bleed-
ing fragments into the sea. Metes, on reaching the
scene of this tragedy, recognized these as the remains
of his murdered son, and sorrowfully stopped to col-
lect them for interment. While he was thus engaged
the Argonauts escaped.

But such a wicked deed was not suffered to go un-
punished. Jupiter beheld it with deep indignation,
and in requital condemned the Argonauts to a long
and perilous voyage, full of hardship and adventure.
They were forced to sail over all the watery world
of waters, so far as then known. Up the river
Phasis they rowed until it entered the ocean which
flows round the earth. This vast sea or stream was
then followed to the source of the Nile, down which
great river they made their way into the land of

Egypt.
Here, for some reason unknown, they did not fol-