3 The wise old man

Chapter 3 The wise old man As the Argonauts sailed on, a wild and scary storm blew up. It whipped up the waves and swept the Argo onto a rocky island.

But the Argonauts were lucky. When the storm was over, they found that no one was hurt. The ship was fine, too. "Let's explore the island," said Jason. He set off with two men from his crew. After a while, they found an old, spooky house.

They peeked around the door. Inside, it was dark and gloomy. Mice scuttled away from them, with squeaks of fear. "Hello?" they called. "Is anyone home?" A blind man appeared at the top of the stairs. "Who's there?" he asked. He sounded tired.

Jason knew the old man at once. It was Phineas*, who could see into the future. "Jason, with some friends," he called. "We're on a long journey. Can you tell us what dangers we will meet?" One good turn deserves another... "Only if you get rid of the Harpies," said Phineas. "They steal all my food."

"OK," said Jason. "The sons of the North Wind can help." As Phineas laid out some food, the Harpies came swooping down. They were no match for the swift twins. Soon, all the Harpies were dead.

"At last!" cried Phineas in relief. "Thank you. Now, your greatest danger is the clashing rocks." They might clash together and crush you. "Take this dove. Let it go when you reach the rocks. If it flies through safely, you will be safe, too."