[The Heroes by Charles Kingsley]@TWC D-Link book
The Heroes

PART II
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And when he woke, they begged him to stay; but he would not.

'I have a great work to do,' he said; 'I must be away toward the Isthmus, that I may go to Athens.' But the shepherds said, 'Will you go alone toward Athens?
None travel that way now, except in armed troops.' 'As for arms, I have enough, as you see.

And as for troops, an honest man is good enough company for himself.

Why should I not go alone toward Athens ?' 'If you do, you must look warily about you on the Isthmus, lest you meet Sinis the robber, whom men call Pituocamptes the pine-bender; for he bends down two pine-trees, and binds all travellers hand and foot between them, and when he lets the trees go again their bodies are torn in sunder.' 'And after that,' said another, 'you must go inland, and not dare to pass over the cliffs of Sciron; for on the left hand are the mountains, and on the right the sea, so that you have no escape, but must needs meet Sciron the robber, who will make you wash his feet; and while you are washing them he will kick you over the cliff, to the tortoise who lives below, and feeds upon the bodies of the dead.' And before Theseus could answer, another cried, 'And after that is a worse danger still, unless you go inland always, and leave Eleusis far on your right.

For in Eleusis rules Kerkuon the cruel king, the terror of all mortals, who killed his own daughter Alope in prison.


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