As he passed onward , the clouds gathered over the moon , and the labyrinth grew so dusky that Theseus could no longer discern the bewilderment through which he was passing . He would have left quite lost , and utterly hopeless of ever again walking in a straight path , if , every little while , he had not been conscious of a gentle twitch at the silken cord . Then he knew that the tender-hearted Ariadne was still holding the other end , and that she was fearing for him , and hoping for him , and giving him just as much of her sympathy as if she were close by his side . O , indeed , I can assure you , there was a vast deal of human sympathy running along that slender thread of silk . But still he followed the dreadful roar of the Minotaur , which now grew louder and louder , and finally so very loud that Theseus fully expected to come close upon him , at every new zizgag and wriggle of the path . And at last , in an open space , at the very center of the labyrinth , he did discern the hideous creature . Sure enough , what an ugly monster it was ! Only his horned head belonged to a bull ; and yet , somehow or other , he looked like a bull all over , preposterously waddling on his hind legs ; or , if you happened to view him in another way , he seemed wholly a man , and all the more monstrous for being so . And there he was , the wretched thing , with no society , no companion , no kind of a mate , living only to do mischief , and incapable of knowing what affection means . Theseus hated him , and shuddered at him , and yet could not but be sensible of some sort of pity ; and all the more , the uglier and more detestable the creature was . For he kept striding to and fro , in a solitary frenzy of rage , continually emitting a hoarse roar , which was oddly mixed up with half-shaped words ; and , after listening a while , Theseus understood that the Minotaur was saying to himself how miserable he was , and how hungry , and how he hated everybody , and how he longed to eat up the human race alive . Ah ! the bull-headed villain ! And O , my good little people , you will perhaps see , one of these days , as I do now , that every human being who suffers any thing evil to get into his nature , or to remain there , is a kind of Minotaur , an enemy of his fellow-creatures , and separated from all good companionship , as this poor monster was . Was Theseus afraid ? By no means , my dear auditors . What ! a hero like Theseus afraid , Not had the Minotaur had twenty bull-heads instead of one . Bold as he was , however , I rather fancy that it strengthened his valiant heart , just at this crisis , to feel a tremulous twitch at the silken cord , which he was still holding in his left hand . It was as if Ariadne were giving him all her might and courage ; and much as he already had , and little as she had to give , it made his own seem twice as much .
And to confess the honest truth , he needed the whole ; for now the Minotaur , turning suddenly about , caught sight of Theseus , and instantly lowered his horribly sharp horns , exactly XXXXX a mad bull does when he means to rush against an enemy .
By For after as in like on through upon with