And what should Hercules espy there , but an old man , fast asleep ! But was it really and truly an old man ? Certainly , at first sight , it looked very like one ; but , on closer inspection , it rather seemed to be some kind of a creature that lived in the sea . For , on his legs and arms there were scales , such as fishes have ; he was web-footed and web-fingered , after the fashion of a duck ; and his long beard , being of a greenish tinge , had more the appearance of a tuft of sea-weed than of an ordinary beard . Have you never seen a stick of timber , that has been long tossed about by the waves , and has got all overgrown with barnacles , and , at last drifting ashore , seems to have been thrown up from the very deepest bottom of the sea ? Well , the old man would have put you in mind of just such a wave-tost spar ! But Hercules , the instant he set eyes on this strange figure , was convinced that it could be no other than the Old One , who was to direct him on his way . Yes ; it was the selfsame Old Man of the Sea , whom the hospitable maidens had talked to him about . Thanking his stars for the lucky accident of finding the old fellow asleep , Hercules stole on tiptoe towards him , and caught him by the arm and leg . `` Tell me , '' cried he , before the Old One was well awake , `` which is the way to the garden of the Hesperides ? '' As you may easily imagine , the Old Man of the Sea awoke in a fright . But his astonishment could hardly have been greater than was that of Hercules , the next moment . For , all of a sudden , the Old One seemed to disappear out of his grasp , and he found himself holding a stag by the fore and hind leg ! But still he kept fast hold . Then the stag disappeared , and in its stead there was a sea-bird , fluttering and screaming , while Hercules clutched it by the wing and claw ! But the bird could not get away . Immediately afterwards , there was an ugly three-headed dog , which growled and barked at Hercules , and snapped fiercely at the hands by which he held him ! But Hercules would not let him go . In another minute , instead of the three-headed dog , what should appear but Geryon , the six-legged man-monster , kicking at Hercules with five of his legs , in order to get the remaining one at liberty ! But Hercules held on .
By and XXXXX , no Geryou was there , but a huge snake , like one of those which Hercules had strangled in his babyhood , only a hundred times as big , and it twisted and twined about the hero 's neck and body , and threw its tail high into the air , and opened its deadly jaws as if to devour him outright ; so that it was really a very terrible spectacle !
As In after before by from on that to while