In the joy of their success , however , and amidst the sports , dancing , and other merriment , with which these young folks wore away the time , they never once thought whether their sails were black , white , or rainbow colored , and , indeed , left it entirely to the mariners whether they had any sails at all . Thus the vessel returned , like a raven , with the same sable wings that had wafted her away . But poor King Aegeus , day after day , infirm as he was , had clambered to the summit of a cliff that overhung the sea , and there sat watching for Prince Theseus , homeward bound ; and no sooner did he behold the fatal blackness of the sails , than he concluded that his dear son , whom he loved so much , and felt so proud of , had been eaten by the Minotaur . He could not bear the thought of living any longer ; so , first flinging his crown and sceptre into the sea -LRB- useless baubles that they were to him now -RRB- , King Aegeus merely stooped forward , and fell headlong over the cliff , and was drowned , poor soul , in the waves that foamed at its base ! This was melancholy news for Prince Theseus , who , when he stepped ashore , found himself king of all the country , whether he would or no ; and such a turn of fortune was enough to make any young man feel very much out of spirits . However , he sent for his dear mother to Athens , and , by taking her advice in matters of state , became a very excellent monarch , and was greatly beloved by his people . THE PYGMIES . A great while ago , when the world was full of wonders , there lived an earth-born Giant , named Antaeus , and a million or more of curious little earth-born people , who were called Pygmies . This Giant and these Pygmies being children of the same mother -LRB- that is to say , our good old Grandmother Earth -RRB- , were all brethren , and dwelt together in a very friendly and affectionate manner , far , far off , in the middle of hot Africa . The Pygmies were so small , and there were so many sandy deserts and such high mountains between them and the rest of mankind , that nobody could get a peep at them oftener than once in a hundred years . As for the Giant , being of a very lofty stature , it was easy enough to see him , but safest to keep out of his sight . Among the Pygmies , I suppose , if one of them grew to the height of six or eight inches , he was reckoned a prodigiously tall man . It must have been very pretty to behold their little cities , with streets two or three feet wide , paved with the smallest pebbles , and bordered by habitations about as big as a squirrel 's cage . The king 's palace attained to the stupendous magnitude of Periwinkle 's baby house , and stood in the center of a spacious square , which could hardly have been covered by our hearth-rug . Their principal temple , or cathedral , was as lofty as yonder bureau , and was looked upon as a wonderfully sublime and magnificent edifice . All these structures were built neither of stone nor wood . They were neatly plastered together by the Pygmy workmen , pretty much like birds ' nests , out of straw , feathers , egg shells , and other small bits of stuff , with stiff clay instead of mortar ; and when the hot sun had dried them , they were just as snug and comfortable as a Pygmy could desire . The country round about was conveniently laid out in fields , the largest of which was nearly of the same extent as one of Sweet Fern 's flower beds . Here the Pygmies used to plant wheat and other kinds of grain , which , when it grew up and ripened , overshadowed these tiny people as the pines , and the oaks , and the walnut and chestnut trees overshadow you and me , when we walk in our own tracts of woodland . At harvest time , they were forced to go with their little axes and cut down the grain , exactly as a woodcutter makes a clearing in the forest ; and when a stalk of wheat , with its overburdened top , chanced to come crashing down upon an unfortunate Pygmy , it was apt to be a very sad affair .
If it did not smash him all to pieces , XXXXX least , I am sure , it must have made the poor little fellow 's head ache .
Among amidst as at for if in like over while