There was hardly a hope , or a possibility , that any young man who should undertake this voyage would either succeed in obtaining the Golden Fleece , or would survive to return home , and tell of the perils he had run . The eyes of King Pelias sparkled with joy , therefore , when he heard Jason 's reply . `` Well said , wise man with the one sandal ! '' cried he . `` Go , then , and at the peril of your life , bring me back the Golden Fleece . '' `` I go , '' answered Jason , composedly . `` If I fail , you need not fear that I will ever come back to trouble you again . But if I return to Iolchos with the prize , then , King Pelias , you must hasten down from your lofty throne , and give me your crown and sceptre . '' `` That I will , '' said the king , with a sneer . `` Meantime , I will keep them very safely for you . '' The first thing that Jason thought of doing , after he left the king 's presence , was to go to Dodona , and inquire of the Talking Oak what course it was best to pursue . This wonderful tree stood in the center of an ancient wood . Its stately trunk rose up a hundred feet into the air , and threw a broad and dense shadow over more than an acre of ground . Standing beneath it , Jason looked up among the knotted branches and green leaves , and into the mysterious heart of the old tree , and spoke aloud , as if he were addressing some person who was hidden in the depths of the foliage . `` What shall I do , '' said he , `` in order to win the Golden Fleece ? '' At first there was a deep silence , not only within the shadow of the Talking Oak , but all through the solitary wood . In a moment or two , however , the leaves of the oak began to stir and rustle , as if a gentle breeze were wandering amongst them , although the other trees of the wood were perfectly still . The sound grew louder , and became like the roar of a high wind . By and by , Jason imagined that he could distinguish words , but very confusedly , because each separate leaf of the tree seemed to be a tongue , and the whole myriad of tongues were babbling at once . But the noise waxed broader and deeper , until it resembled a tornado sweeping through the oak , and making one great utterance out of the thousand and thousand of little murmurs which each leafy tongue had caused by its rustling .
And now , though it still had the tone of a mighty wind roaring XXXXX the branches , it was also like a deep bass voice , speaking as distinctly as a tree could be expected to speak , the following words : `` Go to Argus , the shipbuilder , and bid him build a galley with fifty oars . ''
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