THESEUS AND ARIADNE. 37

were led into the depths of the Labyrinth and there
left to their fate. But the guards had failed to ob-
serve that Theseus had fastened his thread at the en-
trance and was unwinding the ballas he went. And
now, in this dire den, for hours the hapless victims
awaited their destiny. Mid-day came, and with it a
distant roar from the monster reverberated fright-
fully through the long passages. Nearer came the
blood-thirsty brute, his bellowing growing louder as
he scented human beings. The trembling victims
waited with but a single hope, and that was in the
sword of their valiant prince. At length the creat-
ure appeared, in form a man of giant stature, but
with the horned head and huge mouth of a bull.

Battle at once began between the prince and the
brute. Itsoon ended. Springing agilely behind the
ravening monster, Theseus, with a swinging stroke
of his blade, cut off one of its Jegs at the knee. As
the man-brute fell prone, and lay bellowing with
pain, a thrust through the back reached its heart,
and all peril from the Minotaur was at an end.

This victory gained, the task of Theseus was easy.
The thread led back to the entrance. By aid of
this clue the door of escape was quickly gained.
Waiting until night, the hostages left the dreaded
Labyrinth under cover of the darkness. Ariadne
was in waiting, the ship was secretly gained, and the
rescued Athenians with their fair companion sailed
away, unknown to the king,

But Theseus proved false to the maiden to whom
he owed his life. Stopping at the island of Naxos,
which was sacred to Dionysus (or Bacchus), the god

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