"‘Can you show me,’
said I, ‘some strategy by means of which I may catch this old
god without his suspecting it and finding me out? For a
daimôn is not easily caught - not by a mortal
man.’
"‘Stranger,’ said she,
‘I will make it all quite clear to you. About the time when the
sun shall have reached mid heaven, the old man of the sea comes up
from under the waves, heralded by the West wind that furs the water
over his head. As soon as he has come up he lies down, and goes to
sleep in a great sea cave, where the seals - (Halosydne's
chickens as they call them) - come up also from the gray sea, and go
to sleep in shoals all round him; and a very strong and fish-like
smell do they bring with them. Early tomorrow morning I will take you
to this place and will lay you in ambush. Pick out
[krînô], therefore, the three best men you
have in your fleet, and I will tell you all the tricks that the old
man will play you.
"‘First he will look over
all his seals, and count them; then, when he has seen them and
tallied them on his five fingers, he will go to sleep among them, as
a shepherd among his sheep. The moment you see that he is asleep
seize him; put forth all your strength [biê] and
hold him fast, for he will do his very utmost to get away from you.
He will turn himself into every kind of creature that goes upon the
earth, and will become also both fire and water; but you must hold
him fast and grip him tighter and tighter, till he begins to talk to
you and comes back to what he was when you saw him go to sleep; then
you may slacken your hold [biê] and let him go;
and you can ask him which of the gods it is that is angry with you,
and what you must do to reach your home [nostos] over
the fishy sea.’
"Having so said she dived under
the waves, whereon I turned back to the place where my ships were
ranged upon the shore; and my heart was clouded with care as I went
along. When I reached my ship we got supper ready, for night was
falling, and camped down upon the beach.
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