nd washed our ship back to the
shore. And if he hear thee now, he may crush our ship and us, for the
man throws a mighty bolt and throws it far."

But Ulysses would not be persuaded, but stood up and said, "Hear,
Cyclops! If any man ask who blinded thee, say that it was the warrior
Ulysses, son of Laertes, dwelling in Ithaca."

And the Cyclops answered with a groan, "Of a truth, the old oracles are
fulfilled, for long ago there came to this land one Telemus, a prophet,
and dwelt among us even to old age. This man foretold me that one
Ulysses would rob me of my sight. But I looked for a great man and a
strong, who should subdue me by force, and now a weakling has done the
deed, having cheated me with wine. But come thou hither, Ulysses, and I
will be a host indeed to thee. Or, at least, may Poseidon give thee such
a voyage to thy home as I would wish thee to have. For know that
Poseidon is my sire. May be that he may heal me of my grievous wound."

And Ulysses said, "Would to God, I could send thee down to the abode of
the dead, where thou wouldst be past all healing, even from Poseidon's
self."

Then Cyclops lifted up his hands to Poseidon and prayed:

"Hear me, Poseidon, if I am indeed thy son and thou my father. May this
Ulysses never reach his home! or, if the Fates have ordered that he
should reach it, may he come alone, all his comrades lost, and come to
find sore trouble in his house!"

And as he ended he hurled another mighty rock, which almost lighted on
the rudder's end, yet missed it as if by a hair's breadth. So Ulysses
and his comrades escaped and came to the island of the wild goats, where
they found their comrades, who indeed had waited long for them, in sore
fear lest they had perished. Then Ulysses divided among his company all
the sheep which they had taken from the Cyclops. And all, with one
consent, gave him for his share the great ram which had carried him out
of the cave, and he sacrificed it to Zeus. And all that day they feasted
right merrily on the flesh of sheep and on sweet wine, and when the
night was come, they lay down upon the shore and slept.

OEDIPUS AND THE SPHINX

It befell in times past that the gods, being angry with the inhabitants
of Thebes, sent into their land a very troublesome beast which men
called the Sphinx. Now this beast had the face and breast of a fair
woman, but the feet and claws of a lion; and it was wont to ask a riddle
of such as encountered it, and