he left following the butterfly in the meadow, near his
father's palace, he had done his best to follow Europa, over
land and sea. And now, if he must give up the search, he seemed
to have no more business in the world.

But again the sighing gust of air grew into something like a
hoarse voice.

"Follow the cow!" it said. "Follow the cow! Follow the cow!"

And when these words had been repeated until Cadmus was tired
of hearing them (especially as he could not imagine what cow it
was, or why he was to follow her), the gusty hole gave vent to
another sentence.

"Where the stray cow lies down, there is your home."

These words were pronounced but a single time, and died away
into a whisper before Cadmus was fully satisfied that he had
caught the meaning. He put other questions, but received no
answer; only the gust of wind sighed continually out of the
cavity, and blew the withered leaves rustling along the ground
before it.

"Did there really come any words out of the hole?" thought
Cadmus; "or have I been dreaming all this while?"

He turned away from the oracle, and thought himself no wiser
than when he came thither. Caring little what might happen to
him, he took the first path that offered itself, and went along