his ankle, and could not possibly go a step farther.

"After a few days, to be sure," said he, mournfully, "I might
make shift to hobble along with a stick. But that would only
delay you, and perhaps hinder you from finding dear little
Europa, after all your pains and trouble. Do you go forward,
therefore, my beloved companions, and leave me to follow as I
may."

"Thou hast been a true friend, dear Thasus," said Queen
Telephassa, kissing his forehead. "Being neither my son, nor
the brother of our lost Europa, thou hast shown thyself truer
to me and her than Phoenix and Cilix did, whom we have left
behind us. Without thy loving help, and that of my son Cadmus,
my limbs could not have borne me half so far as this. Now, take
thy rest, and be at peace. For--and it is the first time I have
owned it to myself--I begin to question whether we shall ever
find my beloved daughter in this world."

Saying this, the poor queen shed tears, because it was a
grievous trial to the mother's heart to confess that her hopes
were growing faint. From that day forward, Cadmus noticed that
she never traveled with the same alacrity of spirit that had
heretofore supported her. Her weight was heavier upon his arm.

Before setting out, Cadmus helped Thasus build a bower; while
Telephassa, being too infirm to give any great assistance,
advised them how to fit it up and furnish it, so that it might
be as comfortable as a hut of branches could. Thasus, however,
did not spend all his days in this green bower. For it happened