THE THREE GOLDEN APPLES
‘No,’ answered the stranger. ‘It had formerly been the sword-belt of Mars; and it can only make the wearer valiant and courageous.’
‘An old sword-belt!’ cried the damsel, tossing her head. ‘Then I should not care about having it!’
‘You are right,’ said the stranger.
Going on with his wonderful narrative, he informed the maidens that as strange an adventure as ever happened was, when he fought with Geryon, the six-legged man. This was a very odd and frightful sort of figure, as you may well believe. Any person, looking at his tracks in the sand or snow, would suppose that three sociable companions had been walking along together. On hearing his footsteps at a little distance, it was no more than reasonable to judge that several people must be coming. But it was only the strange man Geryon clattering onward, with his six legs!
Six legs, and one gigantic body! Certainly, he must have been a very queer monster to look at; and, my stars, what a waste of shoe-leather!
When the stranger had finished the story of his adventures, he looked around at the attentive faces of the maidens.
‘Perhaps you may have heard of me before,’ said he modestly. ‘My name is Hercules!’
‘We had already guessed it,’ replied the maidens; ‘for your wonderful deeds are known all over the world. We do not think it strange, any longer, that you should set out in quest of the golden apples of the Hesperides. Come, sisters, let us crown the hero with flowers!’
Then they flung beautiful wreaths over his stately head and mighty shoulders, so that the lion’s skin was almost
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