"We soon reached his cave, but he
was out shepherding, so we went inside and took stock of all that we
could see. His cheese-racks were loaded with cheeses, and he had more
lambs and kids than his pens could hold. They were kept in separate
flocks; first there were the hoggets, then the oldest of the younger
lambs and lastly the very young ones all kept apart from one another;
as for his dairy, all the vessels, bowls, and milk pails into which
he milked, were swimming with whey. When they saw all this, my men
begged me to let them first steal some cheeses, and make off with
them to the ship; they would then return, drive down the lambs and
kids, put them on board and sail away with them. It would have been
indeed better if we had done so but I would not listen to them, for I
wanted to see the owner himself, in the hope that he might give me a
present. When, however, we saw him my poor men found him ill to deal
with.
"We lit a fire, offered some of
the cheeses in sacrifice, ate others of them, and then sat waiting
till the Cyclops should come in with his sheep. When he came, he
brought in with him a huge load of dry firewood to light the fire for
his supper, and this he flung with such a noise on to the floor of
his cave that we hid ourselves for fear at the far end of the cavern.
Meanwhile he drove all the ewes inside, as well as the she-goats that
he was going to milk, leaving the males, both rams and he-goats,
outside in the yards. Then he rolled a huge stone to the mouth of the
cave - so huge that two and twenty strong four-wheeled wagons would
not be enough to draw it from its place against the doorway. When he
had so done he sat down and milked his ewes and goats, all in due
course, and then let each of them have her own young. He curdled half
the milk and set it aside in wicker strainers, but the other half he
poured into bowls that he might drink it for his supper. When he had
got through with all his work, he lit the fire, and then caught sight
of us, whereon he said:
"‘Strangers, who are you?
Where do sail from? Are you traders, or do you sail the sea as
rovers, with your hands against every man, and every man's hand
against you?’
"We were frightened out of our
senses by his loud voice and monstrous form, but I managed to say,
‘We are Achaeans on our way home from Troy, but by the will of
Zeus, and stress of weather, we have been driven far out of our
course. We are the people of Agamemnon, son of Atreus, who has won
infinite kleos throughout the whole world, by sacking so great
a city and killing so many people. We therefore humbly pray you to
show us some hospitality, and otherwise make us such presents as
visitors may reasonably expect. May your excellency give reverence
[aidôs] to the gods, for we are your suppliants,
and Zeus takes all respectable travelers under his protection, for he
is the avenger of all suppliants and foreigners in
distress.’
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