Then Eumaios said, "You have
perceived aright, as indeed you generally do; but let us think what
will be our best course. Will you go inside first and join the
suitors, leaving me here behind you, or will you wait here and let me
go in first? But do not wait long, or some one may you loitering
about outside, and throw something at you. Consider this matter I
pray you."
And Odysseus answered, "I
understand and heed. Go in first and leave me here where I am. I am
quite used to being beaten and having things thrown at me. I have
been so much buffeted about in war and by sea that I am
case-hardened, and this too may go with the rest. But a man cannot
hide away the cravings of a hungry belly; this is an enemy which
gives much trouble to all men; it is because of this that ships are
fitted out to sail the seas, and to make war upon other
people."
As they were thus talking, a dog
that had been lying asleep raised his head and pricked up his ears.
This was Argos, whom Odysseus had bred before setting out for Troy,
but he had never had any work out of him. In the old days he used to
be taken out by the young men when they went hunting wild goats, or
deer, or hares, but now that his master was gone he was lying
neglected on the heaps of mule and cow dung that lay in front of the
stable doors till the men should come and draw it away to manure the
great field; and he was full of fleas. As soon as he saw Odysseus
standing there, he dropped his ears and wagged his tail, but he could
not get close up to his master. When Odysseus saw the dog on the
other side of the yard, dashed a tear from his eyes without Eumaios
seeing it, and said:
"Eumaios, what a noble hound that
is over yonder on the manure heap: his build is splendid; is he as
fine a fellow as he looks, or is he only one of those dogs that come
begging about a table, and are kept merely for show?"
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