Cleaning the Stables

Of course, King Eurystheus was very angry at Hercules, because he had once again been embarrassed in front of his men. Because of this, Eurystheus thought of the dirtiest and most awful job he could. "Hercules," said the king, "King Augeas has ten-thousand cows which he cares for very much. The king keeps his cows in stables near his castle. Of course, the stables are very large. Because of their size, no one has been able to clean them in many years. Your next task is to clean them so that they look like new."

Hercules thought that this was a very awful task indeed, but he did not want to let his cousin see that he was upset. Therefore he put a smile on his face and said, "Why, Cousin, this is an easy task. I will return to you in a few days!"

When Hercules arrived in the land of King Augeas, he first went to introduce himself. "I am Hercules. My cousin has sent me here to clean your great stables."

"I know who you are, Hercules, for your fame is known everywhere. You are welcome to stay in my land as long as you want," the king said.

The next day, Hercules went out to the stables to think of how to clean them. Truly, they were so dirty that they could not be cleaned by one man, or even many hundred. He noticed that the stables were at the bottom of a large hill and that a river ran along the top of the hill. This gave him an idea.

The next day he went to see King Augeas and told him, "Great king, I can clean your stables for you in just one day, but you must first take all of your cows out into the fields."

Of course, Augeas did not believe that Hercules could complete his task in just one day, but he wanted his stables cleaned so much that he ordered his men to take all of the cows out into the fields. When this was done, Hercules climbed up the hill above the stables and found a sharp rock. He used this rock to dig a hole leading from the river into the stables. As the river water flowed through the stables, all the dirt inside was cleaned away. When the stables were clean, Hercules again filled the hole with dirt and allowed the river to continue with its natural flow.

Hercules then returned to see his cousin. When he arrived, King Eurystheus could not believe that Hercules had completed his task so quickly. Only three days had passed since Hercules had left him! But later that day, a messenger arrived from King Augeas thanking Hercules for his great deed. When he heard the news, King Eurystheus was very angry.

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