29. 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 mighty wind roaring among the branches, it was also like a deep bass voice speakings 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."
30. Then the voice melted again into the indistinct murmur of the rustling leaves and died gradually away.
On inquiry among the people of Iolchos, he found that there was really a man in the city, by the name of Argus, who was a very skillful builder of vessels. At Jason's request, Argus readily consented to build him a galley so big that it should require fifty strong men to row it; although no vessel of such a size and burden had heretofore been seen in the world.
The new ship, which was called the Argo, was soon made quite ready for sea. Jason visited the Talking Oak again, and, standing beside its huge, rough trunk, inquired what he should do next.
31. This time there was no such quivering of the leaves throughout the whole tree as there had been before. But after a while Jason observed that the foliage of a great branch which stretched above his head had begun to rustle, as if the wind were stirring that old bough, while all the other boughs of the oak were at rest.
"Cut me off," said the branch, as soon as it could speak distinctly; "cut me off, cut me off, and carve me into a figure-head for your galley."
32. Accordingly, Jason took the branch at its word, and lopped it off the tree. A carver in the neighborhood engaged to make the figure-head. When the work was finished, it turned out to be the figure of a beautiful woman with a helmet on her head, from beneath which the long ringlets fell down upon her shoulders. On the left arm was a shield, and the right arm was extended as if pointing onward.
33. Jason was delighted with the oaken image, and gave the carver no rest until it was completed and set up where a figure-head has always stood from that time to this, in the vessel's prow.
"And now," cried he, as he stood gazing at the calm, majestic face of the statue, "I must go to the Talking Oak and inquire what next to do."