While the man spoke he eyed Jason with great curiosity ; for his garb was quite unlike that of the Iolchians , and it looked very odd to see a youth with a leopard 's skin over his shoulders , and each hand grasping a spear . Jason perceived , too , that the man stared particularly at his feet , one of which , you remember , was bare , while the other was decorated with his father 's golden-stringed sandal . `` Look at him ! only look at him ! '' said the man to his next neighbor . `` Do you see ? He wears but one sandal ! '' Upon this , first one person , and then another , began to stare at Jason , and everybody seemed to be greatly struck with something in his aspect ; though they turned their eyes much oftener towards his feet than to any other part of his figure . Besides , he could hear them whispering to one another . `` One sandal ! One sandal ! '' they kept saying . `` The man with one sandal ! Here he is at last ! Whence has he come ? What does he mean to do ? What will the king say to the one-sandaled man ? '' Poor Jason was greatly abashed , and made up his mind that the people of Iolchos were exceedingly ill-bred , to take such public notice of an accidental deficiency in his dress . Meanwhile , whether it were that they hustled him forward , or that Jason , of his own accord , thrust a passage through the crowd , it so happened that he soon found himself close to the smoking altar , where King Pelias was sacrificing the black bull . The murmur and hum of the multitude , in their surprise at the spectacle of Jason with his one bare foot , grew so loud that it disturbed the ceremonies ; and the king , holding the great knife with which he was just going to cut the bull 's throat , turned angrily about , and fixed his eyes on Jason .
The people had now withdrawn from around him , so that the youth stood in an open space , near the XXXXX altar , front to front with the angry King Pelias .
Iolchians Iolchos Jason Pelias feet first leopard sandal smoking spear