The Wind-god sent a gust from the South, 18 For two days and two nights the boat was tossed hither and thither, 20 Often she would stand upon the walls of Troy, 34 ‘Yea, verily, thou art Odysseus,’ 68 In the earliest times, a simple foot-race was the only event, 96 Solon, the wise lawgiver of Athens, 102 They crashed into the Persian army with tremendous force, 136 Ship dashed against ship, till the Persian dead strewed the deep ‘like flowers,’ 170 He stood silent before the king, 188 The figure of the goddess was a colossal one, 196 He became a target for every arrow, 220 He drank the contents as though it were a draught of wine, 238 The multitude saluted him with loud acclamations, 258 He left the assembly, hiding his face in his cloak, 304 He ran toward the horse and seized the bridle, 310 With an effort he looked at them as they passed, 348 [Illustration] THE STORY OF GREECE CHAPTER I WONDERLAND The story of Greece began long, long ago in a strange wonderland of beauty. Woods and winds, fields and rivers, each had a pathway which led upward and onward into the beautiful land. Sometimes indeed no path was needed, for the rivers, woods, and lone hill-sides were themselves the wonderland of which I am going to tell. In the woods and winds, in the trees and rivers, dwelt the gods and goddesses whom the people of long ago worshipped. It was their presence in the world that made it so great, so wide, so wonderful. To the Hellenes, for that is the name by which the Greeks called themselves, there were eyes, living eyes in flowers, trees, and water. ‘So crowded full is the air with them,’ wrote one poet who lived in the far-off days, ‘that there is no room to put in the spike of an ear of corn without touching one.’ When the wind blew soft, the Hellenes listened to the whispering of a voice. When it blew rough, and snatched one of the children from their midst, they did not greatly grieve. The child had but gone to be the playmate of the gods. The springs sparkled clear, for in them dwelt the Naiads or freshwater nymphs, with gifts as great as the river gods, who were ofttimes seen and heard amid the churning, tossing waters. In the trees dwelt the Dryads, nymphs these of the forest, whom the Hellenes saw but seldom. Shy nymphs were the Dryads, born each one at the birth of a tree, in which she dwelt, fading away when the tree was felled, or when it withered and died.