They heard him say this with great delight, for they perceived by his manner that Periander was willing to return to his so oft begun and never ended story, which in fact he did, as follows. [Illustration] CHAPTER XXI. _He relates what happened with the Horse that Cratilius valued so highly, and which was so far famed._ "The size, beauty, and spirit of the horse I have before described, made Cratilius value him very highly, and as desirous of having him tamed as I was to seize the opportunity of doing him a service; I thought that this was a fair means sent by Providence, through which I might make myself useful and agreeable in the eyes of him who was now my Master, and in some degree show that I deserved the praise bestowed on me by Sulpicia; and so, with more haste than prudence I went up to the horse, and leapt upon his back, without placing my foot in the stirrup, for there was none to use. He started off with me without any power in the rein to direct or restrain him, and made his way towards a rock that overhung the sea; urging him on with my feet much against his wish, I made him leap off the rock into the sea below.[K] "In the midst of our flight, it occurred to me that the sea was frozen, and therefore we should in all probability be dashed to pieces with the shock, so I considered my death and his as certain; but it was not so;--providence, that for its own good reasons watches over and preserves me, was my guard. The limbs of the powerful animal withstood the fall without any other damage than shaking me off, and rolling along the slippery surface for a considerable space. There was not a single person among the spectators on the shore who did not fully believe and think that I must be killed; but when they saw me rise up, although they thought the event a miracle, yet they considered my daring act to have been downright madness."