Young Folks Treasury, Volume 2 (of 12)

the dark-prowed ships of Odysseu

fields yet gave them rich harvests of wheat and of barley, and vines with heavy clusters of grapes. In deep caves,

hunters went there, for the Cycl?pes owned neither ships nor boats, so that m

on to the beach. At the head of the harbor was a well of clear water flowing out of a cave, and with poplars growing around it. Thither Odysseus directed his ships. It w

y explored the island and slew with their bows an

hence they could hear the sound of men's voices and the bleating of sheep and goats. When darkness fell, they lay down to sleep on the sea-beach, and when morning dawned Odysseus called his men together

e they saw a great cave by the sea. It was roofed in with green laurel boughs and seemed to be meant for a fold to shelter

elt a huge and hideous one-eyed giant. Polyphemus was

ship and sallied forth to the giant's cave. With him he carried a goat-skin fu

the green meadows, leaving behind him in the cave folds full of lambs and kids. The walls of the c

arry them to the ships. Then let us return and drive all the kids and lambs from their

ke a thief and take away the giant's goods without first seeing whether Polyphemus might not treat

d on some of the cheeses, and sa

s men fled in fear and hid themselves in the darkest corners of the cave. When he had driven his sheep inside, Polyphemus lifted from the ground a rock so huge that two-and-twenty four-wh

alf he left in great pails to drink when he should have supper. When all this was done, he kin

sail ye over the watery ways? Are ye merchants? or are ye sea-robbers who

de answer: "From Troy we come, seeking our home, but driven hither by winds and waves. Men of Agamemnon, the r

nothing but cruelty in hi

ee or thy company. But tell me where thou didst leave thy go

on the men who stayed by the ship, and so he answered: "My ship was broken in pieces by th

hen he cut them up, and made ready his supper, eating the two men, bones and all, as if he had been a starving lion, and taking great dr

t Odysseus thought it might be best to take his sharp sword and stab Polyphemus in the breast. But then he knew that even were he thus to slay the gi

nd milked his flocks, and gave each ewe her lamb. When this work was done he snatched yet other two men, dashed their brains out, and made of them his morning meal. After the meal, he lifted the stone from the door, drove the flocks out, and set th

of a great merchant vessel. From this club Odysseus cut a large piece and gave it to his men to fine down and make even. While they did this, Odysseus himself sharpened it to a point and hardened the point in the fire. When it was ready, they hid i

he lifted the great doorstone and blocked the doorway, milked the ewes and goats, and gave each lamb and kid

ow stepped forward, bearing in his hand

esh," said Odysseus, "and see what mann

d down the strong wine, and smacke

may give thee a gift. Mighty clusters of grapes do the vines of ou

ne, and yet again, until the strong wine we

ay that thou wouldst give me a gift. Noman is my name, and

art: "I will eat thy fellows first, Noman, and

at he sank backwards with his great

ey whirled the fiery pike, as a man bores a hole in a plank, until the blood gushed out, and the eye frizzled and hissed, and the flames singed and burned the eyelids, and the eye was burned out. With a great and terrible cry the giant sprang to his feet, and Odysseus and the others fled from before him. From

aloud in the night and awake us from our sleep? Surely no one

eat stone moaned Polyphemus:

hen indeed it must be a sickness that makes thee cry

that blocked the door, lifted it away, and sat himself down in the mouth of the cave, with his arms stretched out, hoping to catch Odysseus and hi

together, and under the middle ram of each three he bound one of his men. For himself he kept the best ram of the flock, young and strong, and with a fleece wonderfully thick and

Odysseus clung, moving slowly, for his fleece was heavy, and Odysseus whom he bore was heavier still. On the ram's back Polyphemus laid his great hands. "Dear ram," said he, "once wert thou the very first to lead the flocks from the cave, the first to nibble the tender buds of the pasture, the first to find out the ru

t go his hold and to stand up. Quickly he loosened the bonds of the others, and swiftly then they drove the rams down to the shore where their ship lay. Often they looked round, expecting to see

us, and he made his men hasten on board

ea-water was rushing off their oars, as the

land, the bold Odysseus lifted up h

ery sure to find thee out. Thou hast been punished because thou h

waves, and reached Polyphemus as he

k of a great hill and cast it into the sea, wher

hat the sea heaved up and the backwash of

tioned to the men to row hard, and save themselves and their ship from the angry g

at he could crush their heads and the timbers of their ship with

sk thee who blinded thee, tell

aned th

r I looked for the coming of a great and gallant hero, and now there hath come a

reat him kindly, and told him that he knew that his own f

sight," mocked Odysseus; "thy

g up with his sightless eye to the starry sky, called

te and in an evil case, with all his own company lost, and in th

don, but the god of the s

than the first. It all but struck the end of the rudder, but the huge waves

feared that the giants had killed Odysseus and his company. Gladly they drove the ra

d to his men to get into their ships and loose the hawsers. Soon they

lost six gallant men of their company, ye