nt over their oars, and longed for rest.

Now a place of rest seemed near at hand, for in front of the ship lay a
beautiful island, and the men could hear the bleating of sheep and the
lowing of cows as they were being herded into their stalls. But Ulysses
remembered that, in the Land of the Dead, the ghost of the blind prophet
had warned him of one thing. If his men killed and ate the cattle of the
Sun, in the sacred island of Thrinacia, they would all perish. So
Ulysses told his crew of this prophecy, and bade them row past the
island. Eurylochus was angry and said that the men were tired, and could
row no further, but must land, and take supper, and sleep comfortably on
shore. On hearing Eurylochus, the whole crew shouted and said that they
would go no further that night, and Ulysses had no power to compel them.
He could only make them swear not to touch the cattle of the Sun God,
which they promised readily enough, and so went ashore, took supper, and
slept.

[Illustration: THE ADVENTURE WITH SCYLLA.]

In the night a great storm arose: the clouds and driving mist blinded
the face of the sea and sky, and for a whole month the wild south wind
hurled the waves on the coast, and no ship of these times could venture
out in the tempest. Meanwhile the crew ate up all the stores in the
ship, and finished the wine, so that they were driven to catch sea birds
and fishes, of which they took but few, the sea being so rough upon the
rocks. Ulysses went up into the island alone, to pray to the Gods, and
when he had prayed he found a sheltered place, and there he fell asleep.

Eurylochus took the occasion, while Ulysses was away, to bid the crew
seize and slay the sacred cattle of the Sun God, which no man might
touch, and this they did, so that, when Ulysses wakened, and came near
the ship, he smelled the roast meat, and knew what had been done. He
rebuked the men, but, as the cattle were dead, they kept eating them for
six days; and then the storm ceased, the wind fell, the sun shone, and
they set the sails, and away they went. But this evil deed was punished,
for when they were out of sight of land, a great thunder cloud
overshadowed them, the wind broke the mast, which crushed the head of
the helmsman, the lightning struck the ship in the centre; she reeled,
the men fell overboard, and the heads of the crew floated a moment, like
cormorants, above the waves.

But Ulysses had kept hold of a rope, and, when the vessel righte