Thasus was the son of a seafaring person in the neighborhood ; he had been brought up with the young princes , and was their intimate friend , and loved Europa very much ; so they consented that he should accompany them . The whole party , therefore , set forth together . Cadmus , Phoenix , Cilix , and Thasus clustered round Queen Telephassa , grasping her skirts , and begging her to lean upon their shoulders whenever she felt weary . In this manner they went down the palace steps , and began a journey , which turned out to be a great deal longer than they dreamed of . The last that they saw of King Agenor , he came to the door , with a servant holding a torch beside him , and called after them into the gathering darkness : `` Remember ! Never ascend these steps again without the child ! '' `` Never ! '' sobbed Queen Telephassa ; and the three brothers and Thasus answered , `` Never ! Never ! Never ! Never ! '' And they kept their word . Year after year , King Agenor sat in the solitude of his beautiful palace , listening in vain for their returning footsteps , hoping to hear the familiar voice of the queen , and the cheerful talk of his sons and their playfellow Thasus , entering the door together , and the sweet , childish accents of little Europa in the midst of them . But so long a time went by , that , at last , if they had really come , the king would not have known that this was the voice of Telephassa , and these the younger voices that used to make such joyful echoes , when the children were playing about the palace . We must now leave King Agenor to sit on his throne , and must go along with Queen Telephassa , and her four youthful companions . They went on and on , and traveled a long way , and passed over mountains and rivers , and sailed over seas . Here , and there , and everywhere , they made continual inquiry if any person could tell them what had become of Europa . The rustic people , of whom they asked this question , paused a little while from their labors in the field , and looked very much surprised . They thought it strange to behold a woman in the garb of a queen -LRB- for Telephassa in her haste had forgotten to take off her crown and her royal robes -RRB- , roaming about the country , with four lads around her , on such an errand as this seemed to be . But nobody could give them any tidings of Europa ; nobody had seen a little girl dressed like a princess , and mounted on a snow-white bull , which galloped as swiftly as the wind .
I can not tell you how long Queen Telephassa , and Cadmus , Phoenix , and XXXXX , her three sons , and Thasus , their playfellow , went wandering along the highways and bypaths , or through the pathless wildernesses of the earth , in this manner .
Agenor Cadmus Cilix Europa Phoenix Telephassa Thasus people seas year