the conclusion that they rather resembled the
latter. Finally, there stood the twenty-two comrades of Ulysses, looking
pretty much the same as when they left the vessel.

You must not imagine, however, that the swinish quality had entirely gone
out of them. When once it fastens itself into a person's character, it is
very difficult getting rid of it. This was proved by the hamadryad, who,
being exceedingly fond of mischief, threw another handful of acorns before
the twenty-two newly restored people; whereupon down they wallowed, in a
moment, and gobbled them up in a very shameful way. Then, recollecting
themselves, they scrambled to their feet, and looked more than commonly
foolish.

"Thanks, noble Ulysses!" they cried. "From brute beasts you have restored
us to the condition of men again."

"Do not put yourselves to the trouble of thanking me," said the wise king.
"I fear I have done but little for you."

To say the truth, there was a suspicious kind of a grunt in their voices,
and for a long time afterwards they spoke gruffly, and were apt to set up
a squeal.

"It must depend on your own future behavior," added Ulysses, "whether you
do not find your way back to the sty."

At this moment, the note of a bird sounded from the branch of a
neighboring tree.

"Peep, peep, pe--wee--ep!"

It was the purple bird, who, all this while, had been sitting over their
heads, watching what was going forward, and hoping that Ulysses would
remember how he had done his utmost to keep him and his followers out of
harm's way. Ulysses ordered Circe instantly to make a king of this good
little fowl, and leave him exactly as she found him. Hardly were the words
spoken, and before the bird had time to utter another "Pe--weep," King
Picus leaped down from the bough of the tree, as majestic a sovereign as
any in the world, dressed in a long purple robe and gorgeous yellow
stockings, with a splendidly wrought collar about his neck, and a golden
crown upon his head. He and King Ulysses exchanged with one another the
courtesies which belonged to their elevated rank. But from that time
forth, King Picus was no longer proud of his crown and his trappings of
royalty, nor of the fact of his being a king; he felt himself merely the
upper servant of his people, and that it must be his lifelong labor to
make them better and happier.

As for the lions, tigers, and wolves (though Circe would have restored
them to their former shapes at his slight