`` I will set out to-morrow morning , '' answered Perseus . `` Pray do so , my gallant youth , '' rejoined the king . `` And , Perseus , in cutting off the Gorgon 's head , be careful to make a clean stroke , so as not to injure its appearance . You must bring it home in the very best condition , in order to suit the exquisite taste of the beautiful Princess Hippodamia . '' Perseus left the palace , but was scarcely out of hearing before Polydectes burst into a laugh ; being greatly amused , wicked king that he was , to find how readily the young man fell into the snare . The news quickly spread abroad , that Perseus had undertaken to cut off the head of Medusa with the snaky locks . Everybody was rejoiced ; for most of the inhabitants of the island were as wicked as the king himself , and would have liked nothing better than to see some enormous mischief happen to Danae and her son . The only good man in this unfortunate island of Seriphus appears to have been the fisherman . As Perseus walked along , therefore , the people pointed after him , and made mouths , and winked to one another , and ridiculed him as loudly as they dared . `` Ho , ho ! '' cried they ; `` Medusa 's snakes will sting him soundly ! '' Now , there were three Gorgons alive , at that period ; and they were the most strange and terrible monsters that had ever been since the world was made , or that have been seen in after days , or that are likely to be seen in all time to come . I hardly know what sort of creature or hobgoblin to call them . They were three sisters , and seem to have borne some distant resemblance to women , but were really a very frightful and mischievous species of dragon . It is , indeed , difficult to imagine what hideous beings these three sisters were . Why , instead of locks of hair , if you can believe me , they had each of them a hundred enormous snakes growing on their heads , all alive , twisting , wriggling , curling , and thrusting out their venomous ' tongues , with forked stings at the end ! The teeth of the Gorgons were terribly long tusks ; their hands were made of brass ; and their bodies were all over scales , which , if not iron , were something as hard and impenetrable . They had wings , too , and exceedingly splendid ones , I can assure you ; for every feather in them was pure , bright , glittering , burnished gold , and they looked very dazzlingly , no doubt , when the Gorgons were flying about in the sunshine . But when people happened to catch a glimpse of their glittering brightness , aloft in the air , they seldom stopped to gaze , but ran and hid themselves as speedily as they could . You will think , perhaps , that they were afraid of being stung by the serpents that served the Gorgons instead of hair , -- or of having their heads bitten off by their ugly tusks , -- or of being torn all to pieces by their brazen claws .
Well , to be sure , these were some XXXXX the dangers , but by no means the greatest , nor the most difficult to avoid .
As after at for if of over since that to