Then Cilix grew tired too.  “It is so many years now since Europa was carried away that she would not know me if I found her.  I shall wait here,” he said.  So Cadmus and Theseus built a hut for him too, and then said good-by.

After many long months Theseus broke his ankle, and he too had to be left behind, and once more the Queen and Cadmus wandered on to continue the search.

The poor Queen was worn and sad, and she leaned very heavily on her son’s arm.  “Cadmus,” she said one day, “I must stay and rest.”

“Why, yes, mother, of course you shall, a long, long rest you must have, and I will sit beside you and watch.”

But the Queen knew she could go no further.  “Cadmus,” she said, “you must leave me here, and, go to the wise woman at Delphi and ask her what you must do next.  Promise me you will go!”

And Cadmus promised.  The tired Queen lay down to rest, and in the morning Cadmus found that she was dead, and he must journey on alone.

He wandered for many days till he came in sight of a high mountain which the people told him was called Parnassus, and on the steep side of this mountain was the famous city of Delphi for which he was looking.  The wise woman lived far up the mountain-side, in a hut like those he had helped his brothers to build by the roadside.

When he pushed aside the branches he found himself in a low cave, with a hole in the wall through which a strong wind was blowing.  He bent down and put his mouth to the hole and said, “O sacred goddess, tell me where I must look now for my dear sister Europa, who was carried off so long ago by a bull?”

At first there was no answer.  Then a voice said softly, three times, “Seek her no more, seek her no more, seek her no more.”

“What shall I do, then?” said Cadmus.  And the answer came, in a hoarse voice, “Follow the cow, follow the cow, follow the cow.”

“But what cow,” cried Cadmus, “and where shall I follow?”

And once more the voice came, “Where the stray cow lies down, there is your home;” and then there was silence.

“Have I been dreaming?” Cadmus thought, “or did I really hear a voice?” and he went away thinking he was very little wiser for having done as the Queen had told him.

I do not know how far he had gone when just before him he saw a brindled cow.  She was lying down by the wayside, and as Cadmus came along she got up and began to move slowly along the path, stopping now and then to crop a mouthful of grass.

Cadmus wondered if this could be the cow he was to follow, and he thought he would look at her more closely, so he walked a little faster; but so did the cow.  “Stop, cow,” he cried, “hey brindle, stop,” and he began to run; and much to his surprise so did the cow, and though he ran as hard as possible, he could not overtake her.

So he gave it up.  “I do believe this may be the cow I was told about,” he thought.  “Any way, I may as well follow her and surely she will lie down somewhere.”