Jason by Henry Treece

Author:Henry Treece [Treece, Henry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Ancient, Egypt, General, Greece, Rome
ISBN: 9781789123234
Google: Dl2LDwAAQBAJ
Amazon: 1258117436
Publisher: Muriwai Books
Published: 2019-01-12T23:00:00+00:00

25—Procession

ONCE I thought Iolcos was a city of dreams and wealth, but I had not seen Colchis then. Later, having lived in Colchis, I went to Corinth, and then to ruined Cnossus....They were only big villages. Gold it is that makes great a city, and Colchis had its fingers clasped about the world’s gold in those days.

We came in at nightfall, a sea-mile before the harbour, and beached Argo up a little stream, having to pull hard against the water which came rushing down from a mountain. We dragged her into a place where the rock overhung and all was dark; then we covered her with dead boughs and brown bracken, until nothing was to be seen of our ship.

I divided the crew into three parties; Acastus led one, Admetus another, and myself the third. Among my men I took Castor and Polydeuces, Phanus and Orpheus, Calais and Zetes—all good fellows who had proved themselves. We left Ancaeus, Tiphys and old Butes behind in the Argo. They were joined, at their own choice, by Argus, who had not the heart to desert the vessel of his devising, and Lynceus, the look-out man. This raised a problem, because Idas then wanted to stay with his brother, Lynceus, but I had him in my party since he was an expert fighter with the short dirk. He came reluctantly, although I assured him that Lynceus would come to no harm, and indeed those left behind were really the most fortunate, as they had good supplies of food and drink, whereas we who were entering the city might not see the day out.

At the last moment Atalanta, though still angry with me for pushing her away, fell before my feet and clasped my ankles.

‘I beg you, master,’ she said in a newly humble tone, which I should have suspected had I been an older, more wily man, ‘take me with you. I am a priestess and can bring good fortune or the reverse to your venture.’

I slapped her on the backside, trying to seem good-humoured, like an old wagon-chief, though I was far from feeling hardy at that moment, and replied, ‘Come and welcome, as long as you bring your bed-mate with you to keep you occupied. I have things to do that need no interruption.’

So she and Meleager joined my company, though he came with a face like thunder because of what I had said. That has often been my undoing—that I could not resist making a jest which I did not really mean, but which came into my mind at the last moment. That is what made me so different from the Spartans I loved; they always stopped speaking when they had said enough—but it must have been the Cretan in me that kept me talking on, running my neck further and further into the noose. At least, that is how I always excused myself.

We wore our full armour, but hidden under our thick wool cloaks. Our helmets we hung between our legs so as not to be seen.

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