nd suppliants.
But he answered me saying, "We Cyclopes pay no heed to Zeus, nor to any
of thy gods. In our strength and our power we deem that we are mightier
than they. I will not spare thee, neither will I give thee aught for the
sake of Zeus, but only as my own spirit bids me. And first I would have
thee tell me how you came to our laud."'

'I knew it would be better not to let the Cyclops know that my ship and
my companions were at the harbour of the island. Therefore I spoke to
him guilefully, telling him that my ship had been broken on the rocks,
and that I and the men with me were the only ones who had escaped utter
doom.'

'I begged again that he would deal with us as just men deal with
strangers and suppliants, but he, without saying a word, laid hands upon
two of my men, and swinging them by the legs, dashed their brains out on
the earth. He cut them to pieces and ate them before our very eyes. We
wept and we prayed to Zeus as we witnessed a deed so terrible.'

'Next the Cyclops stretched himself amongst his sheep and went to sleep
beside the fire. Then I debated whether I should take my sharp sword in
my hand, and feeling where his heart was, stab him there. But second
thoughts held me back from doing this. I might be able to kill him as he
slept, but not even with my companions could I roll away the great stone
that closed the mouth of the cave.'

'Dawn came, and the Cyclops awakened, kindled his fire and milked his
flocks. Then he seized two others of my men and made ready for his
mid-day meal. And now he rolled away the great stone and drove his
flocks out of the cave.'

[Illustration]

'I had pondered on a way of escape, and I had thought of something that
might be done to baffle the Cyclops. I had with me a great skin of
sweet wine, and I thought that if I could make him drunken with wine I
and my companions might be able for him. But there were other
preparations to be made first. On the floor of the cave there was a
great beam of olive wood which the Cyclops had cut to make a club when
the wood should be seasoned. It was yet green. I and my companions went
and cut off a fathom's length of the wood, and sharpened it to a point
and took it to the fire and hardened it in the glow. Then I hid the beam
in a recess of the cave.'

'The Cyclops came back in the evening, and opening up the cave drove in
his flocks. Then he closed the cave again with the stone and went and
milked his ewes and his goats.