And at last the ship struck on a shoal, amid low isles of mud and sand, and the waves rolled over her and through her, and the heroes lost all hope of life.
Then Jason cried to Hera, 'Fair queen, who hast befriended us till now, why hast thou left us in our misery, to die here among unknown seas?
It is hard to lose the honour which we have won with such toil and danger, and hard never to see Hellas again, and the pleasant bay of Pagasai.' Then out and spoke the magic bough which stood upon the _Argo's_ beak, 'Because Father Zeus is angry, all this has fallen on you; for a cruel crime has been done on board, and the sacred ship is foul with blood.' At that some of the heroes cried, 'Medeia is the murderess.

Let the witch-woman bear her sin, and die!' And they seized Medeia, to hurl her into the sea, and atone for the young boy's death; but the magic bough spoke again, 'Let her live till her crimes are full.

Vengeance waits for her, slow and sure; but she must live, for you need her still.

She must show you the way to her sister Circe, who lives among the islands of the West.

To her you must sail, a weary way, and she shall cleanse you from your guilt.' Then all the heroes wept aloud when they heard the sentence of the oak; for they knew that a dark journey lay before them, and years of bitter toil.