THE FIFTH LABOR--HERAKLES CLEANS THE AUGEIAN STABLES
We have already read about Elis, a plain in the southwestern part of
Greece, where all the people used to worship Zeus and where they built
a wonderful temple in his honor. They built a temple to Hera, his
wife, also, and many other temples which were filled with statues.
What a fine time you would have if you could only go and see this
beautiful land. Perhaps you will some time.
The temples are in ruins now, and they cover enough ground for a small
town. The huge blocks of marble lie on the ground just as they fell,
and there are the marble floors as people used to see them two
thousand years ago. There is a high hill close to the ruins. It is
called the mountain of Kronos, "Old Father Time." Kronos is said to
have been one of the early kings of Elis and he was the father of
Zeus. He swallowed up his children when they were babes, if we care
to believe what is said of him, and the story could easily be true,
for Time swallows everything if he is only long enough about it.
The strong men and the boys used to come to Elis to have athletic
games in honor of Zeus. They ran races, they boxed, they shot arrows
and did all sorts of things to show how strong they were. There are
two rivers at the foot of Mount Kronos, and beyond the rivers are many
low hills where people used to sit and watch the games.
There was at one time a king of Elis, Augeias, who was so rich in
cattle that he hardly knew what to do with them and consequently he
built a stable miles long and drove his cows into it. He did this year
after year and the herds kept growing larger. He could not get men
enough to take care of his stables and the cows could hardly get into
them on account of the filth; or if they did get in they were never
sure of getting out again because the dirt was piled so high.
Eurystheus thought he had found a disagreeable and impossible task for
Herakles, and so he ordered him to clean out the stables in one day.
Herakles told Augeias that he must clean the barns and promised to do
it in one day if he would give him one-tenth of all his cows. The
king thought Herakles would never be able to do it in one day and
readily promised him in the presence of his son one-tenth of the cows.
The king's stables were close to the two rivers, near Mount Kronos.
Herakles cut channels and sent the rivers running into the stables.
They rushed along and carried the dirt out so quickly that the king
was astonished. He did not intend to pay the promised reward and
pretended that he never made any such promise.
And he said he would have the matter come before a court and the
judges should decide it. Then Herakles called the little prince as a
witness before the judges, and the boy told the truth about it, which
caused the king to fall into such a rage that he sent both his son and
Herakles out of the country. Herakles left the land of Elis and went
back to Mykenæ. But his heart was filled with contempt for the
faithless king.