14 Atalanta

CHAPTER 14 Atalanta Long ago, a little girl was born in the land of Arcady, in Greece. Her name was Atalanta. When she was a baby, her father brought her with him on a hunting trip. He left her alone on a wild mountainside while he went off to hunt. Night came and the baby girl grew cold and hungry. Her father did not return. She began to cry. A she-bear broke through the wild bushes and trees. The animal headed straight for the crying baby. The she-bear scooped up the little girl. Gently, she cradled the baby in her

paws and brought her back to the bear cave. The she-bear nursed the baby girl, kept her warm, and raised her as if she was her very own bear cub. Soon Atalanta was old enough to move freely on her own over the mountainside. The she-bear had raised her to be a daring and mischievous little girl. Atalanta loved to run fast and play hideand- seek with the bears. No matter where Atalanta hid, the she-bear could always find her. Early one morning, before the bears awoke, Atalanta left the bear cave. She went to search for a new hiding place. Atalanta went far away to find the perfect spot. At last she came to a deep hole in the ground. It was covered with branches and leaves. This is the perfect hiding place, she thought to herself. She-bear and the cubs

will never find me here. Atalanta giggled. Then she jumped right in. The deep, dark hole smelled of wet leaves and earth. Atalanta waited and waited. The she-bear and the cubs did not come. The sun moved across the sky. It was now the middle of the day. Atalanta began to get hungry. And still the she-bear and the cubs did not come. Suddenly Atalanta heard footsteps. She stayed very still. Then she heard a shifting of earth and the scraping of branches. A bit of sunlight fell into the dark hole. Atalanta looked up. Instead of the she- bear, Atalanta saw an unfamiliar sight. "It's not a bear cub we've been tracking at all," said a deep voice. "Why, it's a little girl," exclaimed another. Two pairs of strong arms pulled Atalanta from the deep hole. She was curious about the strange creatures.

"Here you go," said one of them. He held up a loaf of bread in one hand and a sweet honey treat in the other. Atalanta was so hungry that she ate the food quickly. The two kind men smiled at her. "A little girl like you shouldn't be in the woods by herself," one of the men said. "We'll take you home. Our families will care for you properly," said the other. The two kind men and their wives took Atalanta in. They taught her to hunt and fish. Soon she became more skilled than them. By the time Atalanta was a young woman, she could run, hunt, and wrestle better than any young man in all of Greece. One day Atalanta was walking in the woods. Two Centaurs caught sight of her. Centaurs were creatures that were half human, half horse. They had nasty tempers and often attacked humans. Atalanta saw the

two creatures running toward her at full speed. It was a terrifying sight. But Atalanta was not afraid. Did she turn and run? She did not.

Atalanta stood perfectly still. Calmly, she fitted an arrow to her bow. She pulled back the bowstring and sent the first arrow whistling through the air. Down went the first Centaur. Without a pause, Atalanta restrung her bow. She sent a second arrow through the air. Down went the second Centaur. The terrible creatures were dead. The people of the land were finally safe. One day, Atalanta learned that the king of Caledonia had sent out a call for help. All the young men in Greece got his message. His land was troubled by a great boar. Years ago, he had forgotten to make a sacrifice to Artemis in thanks for their harvest. Artemis was angry with the kingdom. She sent the boar to punish the king. Atalanta traveled to Caledonia. She wanted to see if she could help the king and his people. When Atalanta arrived, she saw