"Just above the Virgin, in the west, you can see some stars that look
like a sickle," said Mary.
[Illustration: LEO, THE LION.]
Harry looked in the direction pointed out by his sister, and there he
saw the sickle plainly outlined by a few bright stars.
"Is there a story about it, sister?" he asked.
"Yes," replied his sister; "or rather there is a story not about the
sickle, but about the group of stars to which it belongs, known as the
constellation of the Lion.
"You remember how jealous Juno was, and she was even displeased with
a brave man named Hercules, because he was afraid of nothing. She told
her cousin to command Hercules to bring him the skin of a fierce lion
that roamed at large through the forests. Hercules was not afraid, and
attacked the lion. Finding he could not kill it with his club and arrows,
he strangled the animal with his hands. He returned home carrying the
dead lion on his shoulders, but Juno's cousin was so frightened at the
sight of it and at this proof of the great strength of the hero that
he ordered him to tell the story of his brave deeds in future at a safe
distance outside the town."
"What a coward Juno's cousin must have been!" said Harry disdainfully.
"I suppose Hercules laughed at him."
"Of course he did," said Mary. "But he was not the only brave man Juno
disliked. Orion, the mighty hunter, also aroused her anger because he
boasted that nothing could harm him. She sent a scorpion out of the earth,
and it stung him, causing his death. See the heart of the scorpion,
marked by a bright red star named Antares. Above it is the serpent and
the serpent-holder."
[Illustration: THE SCORPION.]