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diff --git a/41935-8.txt b/41935-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3e3f546..0000000 --- a/41935-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3373 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Adventures of Ulysses the Wanderer, by -Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Adventures of Ulysses the Wanderer - -Author: Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull - -Illustrator: W. G. Mein - -Release Date: January 28, 2013 [EBook #41935] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ADVENTURES OF ULYSSES *** - - - - -Produced by Mark C. Orton, Sam W. and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - THE - ADVENTURES OF ULYSSES - _THE WANDERER_ - - - An Old Story Retold by - C. RANGER-GULL - - AUTHOR OF - "THE HYPOCRITE," "FROM THE BOOK - BEAUTIFUL," "BACK TO LILAC LAND," - ETC. - - - Illustrated - BY - W. G. MEIN - - - London - GREENING AND COMPANY, LTD. - 20 CECIL COURT, CHARING CROSS ROAD - 1902 - - - - - BY THE SAME AUTHOR - - THE HYPOCRITE. - Seventh Edition. 2s. 6d. - - BACK TO LILAC LAND. - Second Edition. 6s. - - MISS MALEVOLENT. - Second Edition. 3s. 6d. - - THE CIGARETTE SMOKER. - Second Edition. 2s. 6d. - - FROM THE BOOK BEAUTIFUL. - Being Old Lights Re-lit. 3s. 6d. - - - IN PREPARATION. - - THE SERF. A Tale of the Times of - King Stephen. - - HIS GRACE'S GRACE. A Story - of Oxford Life. - - - - - [Illustration: HE STARED STEADILY AT THEM WITH HIS SINGLE EYE - FOR A FULL MINUTE. - _Page 32._ - _Frontispiece._] - - - - - TO - - HERBERT BEERBOHM TREE - - IN APPRECIATION OF HIS SCHOLARSHIP - IN ADMIRATION OF HIS ART - TO ONE OF THE FEW GREAT ARTISTS - WHO HAS NEVER BEEN UNTRUE - TO THE HIGHEST IDEALS OF HIS CALLING - AND IN SPECIAL MEMORY - OF THE FIRST NIGHT OF "HAMLET" - AT MANCHESTER - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - Foreword 9 - - Brief Account of Principal Characters - in the Odyssey 13 - - The First Episode--How They blinded the - Son of Poseidon 21 - - The Second Episode--The Adventure of - the Palace in the Wood 39 - - The Third Episode--How Ulysses walked - in Hell, and of the Adventure of - the Sirens and Scylla 48 - - The Fourth Episode--How Ulysses lost - his Merry Men and came a Waif to - Calypso with the Shining Hair 63 - - The Last Episode--How the King came - Home again after the Long Years 80 - - A Note on Homer and Ulysses 98 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - HE STARED STEADILY AT THEM WITH HIS - SINGLE EYE FOR A FULL MINUTE _Frontispiece_ - - THEN HE CAME SWIFTLY UPON THE - GLEAMING PALACE _facing page_ 45 - - THEN HE WAS, IN AN INSTANT MOMENT, - AWARE OF A MORE THAN MORTAL PRESENCE " 49 - - THEY CAME TO THE BRINK OF THE RIVER " 52 - - "WHO AM I THAT I CAN COMBAT THE - WILL OF ZEUS OR THE HARDNESS OF - YOUR HEART?" " 78 - - "NAY, IF YOU LOVE ME," HE SAID, "NONE - OF THAT, MY FRIEND" " 83 - - - - -FOREWORD - - -Seven fair and illustrious cities of the dim, ancient world, Argos, -Athenĉ, Chios, Colophon, Salamis, Rhodos, Smyrna, fought a war of -words over HOMER'S birthplace. - -Each claimed the honour. - -And if, indeed, such an accident of chance confers an honour upon a -town, then the birthplace of the Greatest Poet of all time should be a -place of pilgrimage. - -For, among the weavers of Epos, Drama, and Romance, he who was called -Melesegenes is first of all and wears an imperishable crown. - -For 3000 years his fame has streamed down the ages. - -The world has changed. Great empires have risen, flowered and passed. -Christianity came, flooding mankind with light, at a time when, though -Homer was a dim tradition, his work was a living force in the world. -When Christ was born, Homerus was dead 900 years. - -A man with such immensity of glory ceases to be a man. He becomes a -Force. - -Of the two imperishable monuments Homer has left us, the decision of -critical scholarship has placed the _Iliad_ first. It has been said -that the _Iliad_ is like the midday, the _Odyssey_ like the setting -sun. Both are of equal splendour, though the latter has lost its -noonday heat. - -But I would take that adroit simile and draw another meaning from it. - -When deferred, expected night at last approaches, when the sun paints -the weary west with faëry pictures of glowing seas, of golden islands -hanging in the sky, of lonely magic waterways unsailed by mortal -keels; then, indeed, there comes into the heart and brain another -warmth,--the mysterious quickening of Romance. - -For I think that the ringing sound of arms, the vibrant thriddings of -bows, the clash of heroes, are far less wonderful than the long, -lonely wanderings of Ulysses. - -Through all the _Odyssey_ the winds are blowing, the seas moaning, and -the estranged sad spectres of the night flit noiselessly across the -printed page. - -Through new lands, among new peoples--friends and foes--touching at -green islands set like emeralds in wine-coloured seas, the immortal -mariner moves to the music of his creator's verse. The Sirens' voices, -the Fairy's enchanted wine, the Twin Monsters of the Strait pass and -are forgotten. - -His wife's tears bid him ever towards home. - -I sometimes have wondered if Vergil thought of Ulysses when he made -his own lesser wanderer say:-- - - "Per varios casus per tot discrimina rerum, - Tendimus in Latium, sedes ubi fata quietas - Ostendunt." - -And now, since we are to have, on that so magical a stage, a concrete -picture: since we are to take away another storied memory from beneath -the copper dome, I feel that the story of Ulysses may once more be -told in English. - -A fine poet, a great player, are to give us an Ulysses who must -perforce be not only full of the spirit of his own age of myth, but -instinct with the spirit of this. - -That is as inevitable as it is interesting. - -The "Gentle Elia" (how one wishes one could find a better name for -him--but custom makes cowards of us all) has written his own version -of the _Odyssey_. I cannot emulate that. But I think I can at least be -useful. - -There are three stages of knowing Homer: the time when one dog's ears -and dogrells him at school, the time when one loves him, a literary -love! at Oxford, and the time when the _va et vient_ of life in great -capitals wakes the dormant Ulysses in the heart of every artist, and -he begins to understand. - - "The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep - Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends, - 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world. - Push off, and sitting well in order smite - The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds - To sail beyond the sunset----" - - _C. RANGER-GULL._ - - - - -A BRIEF ACCOUNT - -OF THE - -PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS IN THE WANDERINGS OF ULYSSES, ACCORDING TO THE -ANCIENT WRITERS AND LEGENDS. - - -ULYSSES. The hero of Homer's great poem was known to the Greeks under -the name of Odysseus. He was king of the pastoral islands of Ithaca -and Dulichium. Most of the petty Greek chieftains became suitors for -the hand of the beautiful Helen, and Ulysses was among the number, but -withdrew when he realised the smallness of his chances. He then -married Penelope, the daughter of Icarius, and at the same time joined -with the other unsuccessful lovers of Helen in a sworn league for her -future protection should she ever stand in need of it. He then -returned to Ithaca with his bride. The rape of Helen soon compelled -him to leave Penelope and join the other Grecian princes in the great -war against Troy. He endeavoured to avoid the summons by pretending -madness. Yoking a horse and a bull together, he began to plough the -sands of the sea shore. The messenger who was sent to him took -Telemachus, the infant son of Ulysses, and placed the child in the -direct course of the plough, in this way circumventing his design. -Ulysses was one of the most prominent figures during the Trojan war, -his valour, and still more his cunning, making him of supreme -importance in the councils of the princes. After the Trojan war -Ulysses set sail for home, and at this period of his career the story -of the _Odyssey_ begins. He was driven by malevolent winds on to the -shores of Africa, where he and his mariners were captured by the -one-eyed giant, Polyphemus, who ate five of the band. Ulysses escaped -by thrusting a stake into the giant's eye and then leaving the cave in -which he was confined by crawling under the bellies of the sheep when -the Cyclops led them to pasture. He next arrives at Ĉolia, and Ĉolus -gave him, imprisoned in bags, all the evil winds which were likely to -obstruct his safe return homewards. The sailors, curious to know what -the bags contained, opened them, and the imprisoned winds, rushing out -with fearful violence, destroyed the whole fleet save only the vessel -which bore Ulysses. The ship was thrown on the shores of the Goddess -Circe's enchanted island, and the companions of Ulysses were changed -into swine by the enchantress. Ulysses escaped the like fate by means -of a magic herb he had received from Mercury, and forced the goddess -to bring his friends to their original shape. He then yielded to her -solicitations and made her the mother of Telegonus. The next stage of -his adventures brings him to Hades, where he goes to consult the shade -of the wise Tiresias as to the means of reaching home in safety. He -passes the terrible coasts of the Sirens unhurt, and escaped the -monsters Scylla and Charybdis by a series of narrow chances. In Sicily -his sailors, urged by extreme hunger, killed some of Apollo's cattle, -and the Sun-God in revenge destroyed all his companions and also his -ship. Ulysses alone escaped on a raft and swam to the shores of an -island belonging to Calypso, with whom he lived a lotos life as -husband for seven years. The gods eventually interfered, and Ulysses, -once more properly equipped, set out on his travels again. However, -Neptune (Poseidon), the lord of the sea, still remembered the injury -done to his son, the giant Polyphemus, and wrecked this ship also. -Ulysses was cast up on the island of the Phoeacians, where he was -hospitably received by King Alcinous and his daughter the Princess -Nausicaa, and at last sent home in safety to his own kingdom after an -absence of more than twenty years. The Goddess Athene befriended him, -and informed him that his palace was crowded with debauched and -insolent suitors for the hand of Queen Penelope, but that his wife was -still faithful and unceasingly mourned his loss. Adopting the advice -of the goddess, he disguised himself in rags to see for himself the -state of his home. He then slew the suitors and lived quietly at home -for the remaining sixteen years of his adventurous life. Tradition -says that he at last met his death at the hands of his illegitimate -son Telegonus. - - -PENELOPE. A famous Grĉcian princess, wife of Ulysses. She married at -about the same time that Helen wedded King Menelaus, and returned home -to Ithaca with her husband against the wishes of her father Icarius of -Sparta. During the long absence of Ulysses she was besieged by suitors -for her hand, who established themselves in the palace. She became -practically their prisoner, and was compelled to dissimulate and put -them off by various excuses. She managed to keep her importunate -guests in some sort of good humour by giving out that she would make a -choice among them as soon as she had completed a piece of tapestry on -which she was engaged. Each night she undid the stitches she had -worked in the daytime. On the return of Ulysses she was, of course, -freed from the suitors by her husband. According to some ancient -writers, after the death of Ulysses she married Telegonus, Ulysses' -son by the Goddess Circe. Her name Penelope sprung from some -river-birds who were called "Penelopes." - - -TELEMACHUS. The son of Ulysses and Penelope. When his father left for -the Trojan war Telemachus was but an infant, but at the close of the -campaign he went to seek him and to obtain what information he could -about his father's absence. When Ulysses returned home in disguise -Athene brought son and parent together, and the two concerted means to -rid the palace of the suitors. After the death of Ulysses, Telemachus -is said to have gone to the island of Circe and married the -enchantress, formerly his father's mistress. A son called Latinus -sprung from this union. - - -ATHENE (Minerva). The Goddess of Wisdom was born from Zeus' brain -without a mother. She sprang from his head in full armour. She was the -most powerful of the goddesses and the friend of mankind. She was the -patroness of Ulysses, and it was believed she first invented ships. -Her chastity was inviolable. Her worship was universal. - - -ZEUS (Jupiter). Chief of all the gods. His attitude towards Ulysses -was friendly owing to the persuasion of his daughter Athene. - - -POSEIDON (Neptune) was the Sea God and next in power to Zeus. He was -the father of the giant Polyphemus whom Ulysses blinded, and is the -consistent enemy of Ulysses throughout the whole _Odyssey_. Neptune -was the brother of Zeus. - - -HERMES (Mercury) was the messenger of the gods and a son of Zeus. He -was especially the patron of travellers and well disposed to Ulysses. - - -TIRESIAS was in life a celebrated soothsayer and philosopher of -Thebes. His wisdom was universal. Having inadvertently seen the -Goddess Athene bathing in the fountain of Hippocrene, he was blinded. -Ulysses visited his spirit in Hades, in order to obtain his advice as -to the journey homewards to Ithaca. - - -CIRCE. An enchantress celebrated for her knowledge of the magic -properties of herbs. She was of extreme personal beauty. In girlhood -she married the prince of Colchis, whom she murdered to obtain his -kingdom. She was thereon banished to the fairy island of Ĉĉa. When -Ulysses visited her shores she changed his companions into swine, but -Ulysses was protected by the magic virtues of a herb called _moly_. -Ulysses spent a year in the arms of Circe, and she gave birth to a son -called Telegonus. - - -CALYPSO. One of the daughters of Atlas, was known as the -"bright-haired Goddess of Silence," and was queen of the lost island -of Ogygia. Ulysses spent seven years with her, and she bore him two -sons. By order of Zeus, Hermes was sent to the island ordering Ulysses -to leave his voluptuous sloth, and Calypso, who was inconsolable at -his loss, was forced to allow him to depart. The legend runs that the -goddess offered him the gift of immortality if he would remain with -her. - - -SCYLLA and CHARYBDIS. Scylla was a terrible female monster who -devoured six of Ulysses' crew, though the hero himself escaped her. -Below the waist she was composed of creatures like dogs who never -ceased barking. She was supported by twelve feet and had six different -heads. The monster dwelt in a cave under the sea on one side of a -narrow strait off the coast of Sicily. On the other side of the strait -was the great whirlpool CHARYBDIS. It was invested with a personality -by Homer, and Charybdis was said to be a giantess who sucked down -ships as they passed. - - -THE SIRENS. Monsters with sweet alluring voices who inhabited a small -island near Sicily. They had bodies like great birds, according to -some writers, with the heads of beautiful women. Whosoever heard their -magic song must go to them and remain with them for ever. Ulysses -escaped the enchantment by causing himself to be bound to the ship's -mast. - - -POLYPHEMUS. The son of Poseidon. He was the giant king of the -Cyclopes who were workers in the forge of Vulcan and made armour for -the gods. Ulysses and his companions blinded him in order to escape -from the cavern where he had imprisoned them. - - -ANTINOUS. A native gentleman of Ithaca, one of Penelope's most -persistent suitors. When Ulysses came home disguised as a beggar -Antinous struck him. He was the first to fall by Ulysses' bow. - - -EURYCLEA. The nurse of Ulysses in his infancy, and one of the first to -recognise him on his return from his wanderings. She was in her youth -the lovely daughter of Ops of Ithaca. - - -EUMĈUS. The herdsman and steward of Ulysses who knew his master on his -return after an absence of twenty years. He was the king's right-hand -man in the plot against, and fight with, the suitors of Penelope. - - - - -THE ADVENTURES OF ULYSSES - - - - -THE FIRST EPISODE - -HOW THEY BLINDED THE SON OF POSEIDON - - -A warm mild wind, laden with sweet scents, blew over the sailors from -the island, which now lay far astern. - -In the weary west the charmed sunset still lingered over Lotus Land. - -A rosy flush lay on the snow-capped mountains which were yet spectral -in the last lights of the day, but looking out over the bows the sky -was dark purple changing into black, and where it met the sea there -was a white gleam of foam. - -The companions of Ulysses sat idle from the oars, for the wind filled -the belly of the sail and there was no need for rowing. A curious -silence brooded over them all. No one spoke to his fellow. The faces -of all were sad, and in the eyes of some the fire of an unutterable -regret burnt steadily. - -The heads of all were turned towards the island, which was fast -disappearing from their view. Some of the men shaded their eyes with -their hands in one last long look of farewell. - -As the curtain of the dark fell upon the sea, the warm offshore wind -died away. A colder breeze, full of the sea-smell itself, came down -over the port bow; it moaned through the cordage, and little waves -began to hiss under the cutwater. - -Every now and again the wind freshened rapidly. The mournful whistling -became a sudden snarling of trumpets. The ship and crew seemed to have -passed over the limits of a tableau. Not only was it a quick elemental -change of scene, but the change had its influence with the spectators. - -The sad fire--if the glow of regret is indeed a fire--died out of -heavy eyes half veiled by weary lids. The sea-light dawned once more -upon the faces of the mariners, the bright warm blood moved swiftly in -their veins. - -One man ran to the steering oar to give an aid to the helmsman as the -ship went about on the starboard tack, three more stood by the sheet, -a hum of talk rose from the waist of the boat. Ulysses stood in the -bows looking forward into the night. His tall, lean figure was bent -forward, and his arm was thrown round the gilded boss of the prow. His -eyes were deep set in his head, and his brow was furrowed with the -innumerable wrinkles which come to the man who lives a life of -hardship and striving. - -Yet the long years of battle and wandering, a life of shocks! had only -intensified the alertness of his pose. He seemed, as he looked out -into the night, a personification of "readiness." A crisp dark beard -grew round his throat, and the veins on his bare brown arms were like -blue enamel round a column of bronze. - -When the ship went about again he came down into the body of the ship -and helped to pull upon the brace. Though he was no taller than many -of his men, and leaner than most, in physical strength as well as in -intellect he was first and chief. The mighty muscles leapt up on his -arms as he strained on the taut rope. - -The ship slanted away down the wind into the night. The men gathered -round their captain. "Comrades," he said to them in a singularly sweet -and musical voice, "once more we adventure the deep, and no man knows -what shall befall us. To our island home in the west, to dear Ithaca! -if the gods so will it. Our wives weep for us on our deserted -hearthstone. Our little ones are noble youths ere now, and may Zeus -bring us safe home at last. Yet much it misdoubts me that there are -other perils in store for us ere we hear the long breakers beat upon -the shores of Ithaca and see the morning sun run down the wooded sides -of Neriton. Be that as the Fates will it, let us keep always courage, -gaiety, and the quiet mind." - -"We are well away from there," said one of the men, nodding vaguely -towards the stern. - -"That are we," said another; "that cursed fruit is honeysweet in my -mouth still. It stole away our brains and made us as women, we! the -men who fought in Troyland." - -"Of what profit is it to look to the past, Phocion?" said Ulysses. "We -did eat and sleep and forget, but it is over. The sea wind is salt -once more upon our faces. Let us eat the night meal, and then I will -choose a watch and the rest may sleep. Hand me the cup--To to-morrow's -dawn!" - -Then one of the sailors took dried goat's flesh and fruit from a -locker in the stern, and by the light of a torch of sawn sandal wood -they fell to eating. Great bunches of purple grapes lay before each -sailor, but they had brought none of the magic lotus fruit with them -to steal away their vigour and thicken their blood. - -Then they lay down to sleep under coverings of skins. Two men went to -the great steering oar, three men watched amidship by the braces, and -Ulysses himself wrapped a woollen cloak round him and went once more -into the bows. - -Alone there with the wind his thoughts once more went back to his far -distant home. He thought with longing of his old father Laertes, of -the child Telemachus playing in the marble courtyard of the sunny -palace on the hill. A deep sigh shuddered out from his lips as his -thoughts fell upon the lonely Queen Penelope. "Wife of mine," he -thought, "shall I ever lie beside you more? Is there silver in your -bright hair now? Are your thoughts to mewards as mine to you? -Perchance another rules in my palace and sits at my seat. Are your -lips another's now? The great tears are blinding me. Courage!" - -Bending his head upon his breast, Ulysses prayed long and earnestly to -his awful patroness, the Goddess Athene, that she would still keep -ward over his fortunes and guide him safely home. - -The night wore on and became very silent. The ship seemed to be -moving swiftly and surely, though the wind had dropped and the voice -of the waves was hushed. It seemed to the watcher in the bows that the -ship was moving in the path of some strong current. - -A curious white mist suddenly rolled over the still surface of the -sea, thick and ghostly. The mast and sail, which was now drooping and -lifeless, swayed through it like giant spectres. Ulysses could see -none of his companions, but when he hailed the watch the voice of -Phocion came back to him through the ghostly curtain, curiously thick -and muffled. - -"The mist thickens, my captain," said the sailor. "Can you see aught -ahead?" - -"I can see nothing, Phocion," shouted Ulysses; "the mist is like wool. -But I think it is a land mist come out to meet us. There should be -land ahead." - -"I hear no surf or the rolling of waves," said Phocion. "May Zeus -guide the boat, for mortal men are of no avail to-night." - -The ship moved on swiftly as if guided by invisible hands towards some -goal, and still the expectant mariners heard no sound. - -Quite suddenly, and without the slightest warning, a vivid -copper-coloured flash of lightning illuminated the ship. For an -instant in the hard lurid light Ulysses saw the whole of the vessel in -a distinct picture. - -Every detail was manifest--the mast, the cordage, the sleeping -sailors below, the watching group by the shrouds, and, right away -astern, the startled helmsmen motionless as statues of bronze. - -Then with a long grinding noise the ship seemed suddenly lifted up in -the water, jerked forward, and then dropped again. She began to heel -over a little out of the perpendicular, and then remained still, -stranded upon an unknown and mysterious shore, where the waves were -all asleep. Still the white mist circled round them. - -"Comrades," said Ulysses, "we are brought here by no chance of wind -and waves. Some god has done this thing, but whether for weal or woe I -cannot tell. Let us land upon the beach and lie down with our weapons -within sound of the sea till dawn. At sunrise we shall know where the -god has brought us." - -They landed at the order, and with the supreme indifference of the -adventurer lay upon the shore and slept out the remainder of the -night. But Ulysses had a prescience of harm, and was full of sinister -forebodings. He did not sleep, but paced through the mist all night in -a little beaten track among the boulders. He prayed long and earnestly -to Athene. - -When the first faint hintings of dawn brightened through the mist a -little breeze arose, and before the sky was more than faintly flushed -with day the night fog was blown away like thistledown. - -As the sun climbed up the sky the companions found that they had been -carried to a scene of singular beauty. They were on an island, a -small, rich place at the mouth of a great bay. Rich level grass -meadows, green as bright enamel and brilliant with flowers, sloped -gently down to the violet sea. Behind was a thickly-wooded hill, at -the foot of which was a sparkling spring surrounded by a tall grove of -poplar trees. - -In the leafy wood the wild goats leapt under the wild vine trees like -Pan at play, as fearless of the intruders as if they had never seen -men before. All the bright morning the sailors made the wood ring with -happy laughter as they speared the goats for a feast. All trouble -passed from their minds, and as the spears flashed swiftly through the -green wood the shrill, jocund voices of the hunters made all the -island musical. Ulysses plunged into a translucent pool at the foot of -the spring, and the cool water flashed like diamonds over his strong -brown arms, and he looked indeed as if he were some river-god and this -his fairy home. - -All day long they feasted and drank wine which they had brought in -skins from Lotus Land. When night was falling, very still and gentle, -they saw the blue smoke of fires over the bay, on the mainland, about -a mile away, and the bleating of many sheep and the lowing of herds -came to them over the wine-coloured sea. - -Ever and again voices could be heard--strange resonant voices. "That -must be the country of some strange gods," the sailors said to each -other. "Those are no mortal voices. We are come into some great -peril." Before they slept they sacrificed a goat on the seashore to -Zeus, that he might guard them from any coming harm. - -In the morning the king prepared for action. It was necessary to find -upon what shores they had arrived, to get direction of Ithaca, and if -treasure was to be won by force or guile, to take the opportunity -which chance or the gods had sent. - -Ulysses chose twelve of his men, tried veterans with nerves of steel, -old comrades who had fought with him for Helen on the windy plains of -Troy. With these old never-strikes he embarked on the ship. He left -Phocion as leader of the remainder of the crew, and taking Elpenor -with him as second in command, they got out six sweeps, three on each -side of the ship, and rowed slowly over the glassy bay. - -The mainland, on the shore where they landed, was a wild rocky place, -and there was a broad road winding away up to the higher pasture -lands. The road was made of great rocks beaten into smoothness, and -fresh spoor of cattle showed that not long since a great herd had -passed to the upland feeding grounds. - -Directly in front of them as they landed was a high cave. It was -fringed with laurel bushes, which grew on ledges in the cliff side. - -Before the cave a great wall had been built in a square, forming a -courtyard. The wall was built with enormous masses of rock, and fenced -with a palisade of pine trunks and massive boles of oak. There was no -sign of any living thing. Slowly and cautiously the party crept up to -the wall. Their weapons were in readiness as they stole through the -gateway. Within the square formed by the wall they could see that it -was a vast cattle pen. "This must be the dwelling of some giant," said -Elpenor; "men do not build like this. On what strange place have we -chanced?" He looked inquiringly at Ulysses when he had spoken, and a -ring of eager faces turned towards him whose wisdom was never at -fault, the favourite of Athene. - -"I think, comrades," said Ulysses, "that we have been driven to the -shores of the Cyclopes. They are mighty giants, who work in the forge -of Vulcan making armour for the gods. Now this cave must be the -dwelling of one of them, and I like not where we are. Let us but go -within for a short time and take what we can find, and then hasten -back to the island. The Cyclopes have no boats and cannot follow us. -But it would go hard with us were we found, for they are crafty and -cruel monsters." - -With hasty, curious footsteps they crossed the echoing flags of the -courtyard and entered the cave. As the shadow of the entrance fell -upon them and the chill of the air inside struck on their faces, more -than one would have gladly stayed in the warm outside sunshine. It was -an ill-omened, sinister place this lair of giants. - -A pungent ammoniacal smell made them cough and shudder as they crossed -the threshold. Ulysses turned with a grim smile to his followers. -"Thank the gods we are seamen and sons of the fresh wind. This Cyclops -lives like a swine in a stye." The large entrance to the cave gave a -fair light within, and their eyes soon became accustomed to it. Along -one side of the cave were folds of fat lambs and kids who bleated -lustily at them. At the end of the cave was a great couch of skins by -the ashes of a pine fire. Bones and scraps of flesh were piled round, -relics of some great orgy, and a sickly stench of decay came from the -_débris_. - -Piles of wicker baskets were loaded with huge yellow cheeses, and -there were many copper milk pails and bowls brimful of whey. - -The sailors rejoiced at such an abundance of good cheer, and they -killed one of the fattest of the lambs and lit a fire to roast it. - -"The giant will not return till even," said Elpenor, "and by then we -shall be far away. We will make a good meal now, and then load the -ship with cheeses and drive off the best of the lambs. Our comrades -will welcome us home this night, for we shall be full-handed!" - -So, careless of danger, they sat them down in that perilous place and -made merry on the giant's cheer. They had brought skins of wine with -them, and they drank in mockery to their absent host. - -In the middle of the feast one of the men suddenly laid down his cup. -"Hearken," he said uneasily, "do you hear anything, friends?" - -"I hear nothing," said Ulysses. "What sound did you hear?" - -"A distant sound, I thought," answered the man, "as if the earth -shook." - -"There is nothing," said a third at length; but a certain constraint -fell upon them all, and anxiety clouded their faces. - -"Let us begone," said Ulysses at length. "There is what I do not like -in the air. I fear evil." - -He had but hardly made an end of speaking when all of them there were -struck rigid with apprehension. A distant but rapidly-nearing sound -assailed their ears, a heavy crunching sound like the blows of a great -hammer upon the earth, save that each succeeding blow was louder than -the last. They stood irresolute for one fatal moment, and then started -to run towards the mouth of the cave. - -The noise filled all the air, which hummed and trembled with it. They -reached the entrance, but too late. Even as the first man came out -into the afternoon sunlight, a great herd of cattle came pouring into -the courtyard. Behind them, towering over the wall, as tall as the -tallest pine on the slopes of Hymettus, strode Polyphemus, the giant -king of the Cyclopes, son of the God Poseidon. - -The giant was naked to the waist, where he wore a girdle of skins. One -great eye burned in the centre of his forehead, and a row of sharp, -white teeth were framed by thick dribbling lips, like the lips of a -cow. - -Under his arm Polyphemus carried a bundle of young sapling trees, -which he had brought for faggots for his fire. He threw them on the -floor of the courtyard by the mouth of the cave with a great crash. -The adventurers crouched away at the back of the cave in the darkness -as the giant entered. - -He drove all the ewes of his flock before him, leaving the rams -outside in the court. Then he took a great hole of rock, which scarce -twenty teams of horses could have moved, and closed the mouth of the -cave. - -With a great sigh of weariness, which echoed like a hissing wind and -blew the silent bats which hung to the roof this way and that in a -frightened eddy of wings, he sank down upon his couch of skins. The -giant had brought some of the firewood into the cave with him and he -threw it into the embers. - -A resinous piece of wood suddenly caught the flame and flared up, -filling the cavern with red light. One of the sailors dropped his -spear with a loud clatter as the flames made plain the figure of the -monster. - -Polyphemus turned his head and saw them. - -He stared steadily at them with his single eye for full a minute. A -cruel smile played on his face. - -"Who are you, strangers?" he said at length, in a thick, low voice -like the swell of a great organ. "Merchants, are you? Pirates? And -whence come you along the paths of the sea?" - -Then Ulysses spoke in a smooth voice of conciliation. "We are Greeks, -oh lord, soldiers of Agamemnon's army, bound for home over the seas -from Troy. Bad weather has driven us out of our course, and so we have -come to you and beg you to be our honoured host. Oh, great lord, have -reverence for the gods, for Zeus himself is the god of hospitality." - -Then the giant smiled cunningly. "You are a man of little wit, -stranger," he said, "or else you have indeed come from the very end of -the world. I pay no heed to Zeus, for I am stronger than he. But now, -tell me, where is your ship?" - -But Ulysses, the wary one, saw the snare and answered humbly, "The -great Poseidon, god of the deep, wrecked our ship upon the rocks, and -we alone survive of all our company." - -The giant looked fixedly at the trembling band for a moment. Then, -with a sudden movement, he snatched among the mariners and grasped two -of them in his mighty hand. - -The swift horror remained with them in all their after life. He -stripped the clothes from each like a man strips the scales from a -prawn with one quick twirl of his fingers. - -Then he dashed the quivering bodies upon the ground so that the yellow -paste of the brains smeared the stone--save for the horrid crunching -of bone and flesh, and the liquid gurgle of the monster's throat as he -made his frightful meal, there was no sound in the cave. - -Then he fell into a foul sleep. - -Three times during the long night did Ulysses draw his sword to -plunge it into the monster's heart, three times did he sheathe it -again. For in his wisdom he knew that if he killed Polyphemus no one -could ever move away the great stone which shut them from the outside -world. - -In the morning Elpenor and one other died, and the giant drove his -flocks to pasture and closed up the heroes in the cave. - -Then Ulysses comforted the dying hearts of his men, and as Polyphemus -strode away over the hills whistling to his cattle, he made a plan for -one last bid for freedom. - -Leaning against the wall of the cave was a great club of hard wood -which the monster had put there to dry. It was an olive-tree trunk as -big as the great spar of a ship. - -This they took and sharpened with their swords, and hardened it in the -flame of the fire and hid it carefully away. Then very sadly the -sailors cast lots as to who should be the four to help the captain. -All day long they sat in the foetid cave and prayed to the gods for an -alms of aid. And their hearts were leaden for love of their valiant -comrades. - -At eventime two more heroes died. - -Then Ulysses rose, and though his knees were weak and his face -blanched with agony, he spoke in a smooth voice. "My Lord Cyclops," he -said, "I have filled this bowl with wine which we brought with us. I -pray you drink, and perchance your heart may be touched and you will -let us go." - -So the giant took the bowl from the king, and as Ulysses went near -him his breath reeked of carrion and blood. He drank the wine, which -was a sweet and drowsy vintage from the Lotus Island. "Give me more," -he cried thickly, "and say how you are named, for I will grant you a -favour." - -Ulysses filled the bowl for him three times. "Oh, my lord," he said, -"my friends and parents call me Noman, for that is my name. Now, great -lord, your boon." - -The giant leered at the hero with drunken cunning. "Noman, since that -is your name Noman, you shall die last of all, and the others first. -That is your boon!" - -And once more he sank into his sleep, gorged with blood and wine. - -The hours wore on and the flames of the fire sank into a bright red -glow. The loud stertorous breathing of the monster became more deep -and regular. Very silently the five rose from among the rest and stole -towards the fire with the great stake. They pressed it into the heart -of the white hot embers and sat watching it change from black to -crimson, while little sparks ran up and down the sides like flies upon -the wall. - -When the spar was just about to burst into flame they drew it out, and -with quick, nervous footsteps carried it to where Polyphemus lay -sleeping. The glow from the hot hard wood played upon that vast -blood-smeared countenance and the yellow wrinkled lid which veiled the -cruel eye. - -Ulysses directed the point to the exact centre of the foul skin, and -then with their old battle cry of "Helen!" the five heroes pressed it -home through the hissing, steaming eyeball, turning it round and round -until everything was burned away. - -They had just time to leap aside when the giant rose in horrid agony. -His cries of rage and pain were like the cries of a thousand tortured -beasts, and the din was so great that pieces of rock began to fall -from the roof of the cave. He spun round in his torture, beating upon -the walls with his arms and head until they were a raw and bleeding -wound. - -At this awful sound mighty footsteps were heard outside the cave as -the other giants rushed down from the hills. There came great and -terrible voices shouting together, and it was as though a great storm -was racing through the world. - -"What ails you, brother, that you call us from sleep in the night?" -cried the giants. - -"Help! help! brothers. Noman is murdering me. I die!" - -A chorus of thunderous laughter came rolling back. "If Noman harms -thee, then how should we aid thee, brother? 'Tis the gods who have -sent thee a sickness which thou must endure." - -And now, through an aperture high up in the cave, the light began to -whiten, and showed day was at hand. The footsteps of the Cyclopes grew -faint and ceased, but Polyphemus lay moaning by the great stone which -closed the entrance. - -The morning light grew stronger, and a breeze stole in, fresh and -clean, and played upon the faces of the prisoners. - -The ewes began to bleat, for their milking time was at hand, and the -rams cried out for freedom and the green pastures of the hill. - -The giant moved aside the stone to let them go and in the morning -sunlight the sailors could see that he felt over them with his hands -so that no men should mingle with them and so escape. - -First the ewes went out and then the young rams, and last of all the -great old rams, patriarchs of the flock, began to move slowly towards -the door. - -Then courage came back to Ulysses, and with it all his cunning. -Stooping low under the belly of a great beast, he motioned to his -friends to do likewise, and, slowly, in this way, holding to the -fleece of the rams, they moved out of the cave. They could feel the -rams tremble when the giant's hands ranged over the wool of their -backs, but nevertheless they came safely out into the light, and stole -down to where their ship yet lay at anchor. - -The air of the morning was like wine to them, and the face of the -water as dear as the face of a well-beloved wife as they ran over the -bright yellow sand. - -Then from the stern of the boat Ulysses cried out in a great voice of -triumph. At that sound the monster came stumbling from his cave, -reeling like a drunken man, and calling on his father Poseidon, Lord -of the Sea, to avenge him on his enemies. He took up the stone that -had barred the cave and threw it far out into the water, but it -overshot the boat and did not harm the heroes, though the wave of its -descent flung the ship from side to side as if it were a piece of -driftwood. The mariners bent to the oars, and the vessels moved away -from that accursed shore, slowly at first but more swiftly as their -tired arms grew strong with the chance of safety, and the wine of hope -flowed in their veins once more. - -They saw the sightless face of Polyphemus working horribly, his mouth -opening and shutting like a dying fish as he looked heavenwards and -implored his mighty father's aid. - -And after a space of mourning for the brave dead the heroes set out -again over the sad grey seas, seeking Ithaca. - -But the heart of King Ulysses was sick and weary, for he dreaded the -wrath to come, and most of all he longed for home. - - - - -THE SECOND EPISODE - -THE ADVENTURE OF THE PALACE IN THE WOOD - - -Ulysses slowly mounted the wooded hill. The path which rose towards -the summit wound in and out through thick undergrowth, and his feet -made no sound upon the green moss of the track. - -He had his spear ready for any game that he might chance on, but for -half a day he saw no living thing save a few mailed lizards that lay -open-eyed upon a stone. - -No birds twittered in the forest on the mountainside, only the wild -bees sang in the stillness like jewels with voices. - -How beautiful the wood was! and how mysterious also. Ulysses felt a -quickening of the pulses which did not come from fear, and a strange -excitement possessed him which arose from he knew not what cause. - -The trees in the forest were very old and grew thickly together. The -trunks were painted delicate greens, greys and browns by lichens, and -the foliage overhead met and made a roof of bright leaves. Beneath -this canopy there was a sort of twilight like the gloom in the temple -of Zeus at Sparta. - -Ulysses toiled on and up. After a time the trees began to open out -and grow less thickly. The moss-carpet began to be rocky and uneasy to -walk upon, so that Ulysses knew that he must be nearing the top. - -At last he climbed a few worn boulders and stood alone upon the peak. -From that great height he could discern the sea on all sides of the -island. Beyond the thick woodlands below, the yellow sands of the -shore went out to meet the water, and the king could see the ship -riding at anchor and a small boat plying from it to a tiny group of -black dots upon the beach. - -Ulysses sent his gaze circling slowly over the unbroken green of the -woods. When his roving glance fell upon the very centre of the island -he started suddenly and shaded his eyes from the sunlight with both -hands. A thick column of blue smoke was rising from among the trees, -and looking more intently than before he could see the gleam of white -marble here and there through the greenwood, and catch the sunlight -glinting upon copper. - -He had learned what he came to know; there was life upon the island. -But of what kind? Did some fearful monster lurk yonder, three miles -away in the forest. Another Cyclops, perchance, or some angry god -wroth at a disturbance of his privacy. - -The still smoke rose into the soft air and a great calm seemed to -brood over the place. No birds flew about the roofs. - -He began to retrace his steps down towards his comrades on the shore -to tell them what he had seen. - -The wood was as still as before, but when he came to the meadow lands -below he dropped quickly behind a clump of fern, for his keen eyes had -seen a smooth brown flank not far away. A great stag was drinking at a -little stream which sang its way down from the mountain to the sea. -They had touched at the island with very little food left, and the -king had promised that he would return with spoils from hunting. - -Just as the beast raised his head from the water the spear flashed -like a gleam of light from the clump of fern, and the quarry stumbled, -clattering among the stones with a sob. - -Then Ulysses made a rope of willow twigs and tied the stag's feet -together and brought him to the ship. - -Only half the crew were upon the shore, for the rest had gone to -explore the inward parts of the island with Eurylochus as their -leader. - -They skinned the stag and made a fire, and roasted the sweet flesh -upon their spear points. While they sat eating, a man with a white -face came running over the shore towards them, and as they saw him -come they rose with their arms in fear, for they knew that once more -they had come to some dangerous and evil place, and that a deadly -peril lurked in the forest. - -They saw he who ran was Eurylochus, and that he ran in terror. - -But none followed him in pursuit, nor did any arrow come singing like -a bee from the shelter of the neighbouring trees. - -Eurylochus rushed up to them and sank exhausted by the fire. Ulysses -gave him wine, and motioned the others to ask no questions but to let -the man tell his tale in his own way. For he knew it would be more -vivid so. - -"More evil, comrades!" he sobbed out at last, "and good men and true -lost to us for ever. Know you where we have landed? This accursed -place is Ĉĉa, the home of the Goddess Circe, and I have seen her face -to face." - -Ulysses started violently, and despair crept into his eyes as he -motioned Eurylochus to proceed. - -"We went up through the valleys," said the lieutenant, "and entered -the wood. After we had walked long, and were thirsty and weary, we -came to an open glade in which stood the house of Circe. It was built -of polished marble with copper roofs, and the trees made a thick wall -on all sides of the glade. A very strange, silent place! All round the -house were lions and mountain wolves playing with each other. We -turned to fly in fear, but the beasts fawned upon us with gentle paws -and waving tails, and we saw their eyes were sad and tame, and they -were all unlike the beasts of the field. They were as dogs at supper -begging for food from their masters. But it was an awful sight -nevertheless. - -"Now, as we stood waiting in the porch, we heard a sweet low song -inside the palace, sweeter than any mortal song, like the flutes and -harps of the gods. Then we looked in, and we saw the goddess weaving -at a golden loom, and going up and down before it as she sang. And -Polites--oh, dear Polites!--called out to her, and the song ceased, -and Circe came out to us, and bade us enter, and her beauty was like -moonlight. Then the men went in, but I remained, mindful of the -Cyclops and fearing harm. So I sat down in the wood, and the beasts -played round me, and the lions licked my hands with their hard rough -tongues. But I could see what was toward in the palace hall. - -"The goddess led them to rich couches and chairs, and she prepared a -drink for them of golden honey and purple wine, white fresh cheese, -and meal of corn. But she poured a brew of magic herbs into the drink, -and when they had passed the bowl from hand to hand and drunk she -waved a wand of cedar wood over them." - -He stopped, choking with emotion and shaking with horror at what he -had seen. He covered his face with his hands. - -Ulysses placed a firm hand upon his shoulder, and he took up his tale -once more. "And when she waved her wand behold a horror! For suddenly -my comrades dwindled, and were changed to swine. The bristles of swine -grew out upon them, and they grunted like swine, but still the souls -of men shone out of their eyes. And she drove them away into a pen, -and threw them beech nuts, laughing most musically. And I, the -unhappy one, fled and am come hither with my tale." - -Ulysses rose with a pale set face, and stern hard lines flashed out -round his lips. For a moment he prayed in silence to Athene. Then he -slung his strung bow upon his shoulder, and loosened the arrows in the -quiver, testing each one for a flaw in the shaft. He took his great -silver-studded sword and buckled it round his waist. "I alone, my -comrades, must go to the palace of the enchantress," he said. "I have -no choice but to go and strive. May the gods preserve you, friends." - -He was preparing to move away when they all entreated him to remain -with them, but he would not listen, and as he moved away and was lost -to their sight they broke out into loud praises of him among -themselves. - -It was ever thus. Their father and captain was first in wisdom and -courage, and had always seemed to them more god than man. - -Ulysses passed over the meadows with slow sure step, thinking deeply. -The forest closed about him, dark and lonely, and his walk changed. He -became alert, walking warily and softly. His keen eyes roved over the -untrodden paths, seeking to pierce the mystery of the greenwood. - -He had halted by a brook for a moment, debating which path he should -venture, when help came to him. - -There was a crash in the tree tops above him, a glittering ball of -light fell through the green, and a wind rushed among the leaves, -suddenly rousing all the voices of the wood. - - [Illustration: THEN HE CAME SWIFTLY UPON THE GLEAMING PALACE. - _Page 45._] - -A young and beautiful man, holding a golden rod, with a slight down -upon his lip, came towards him. - -Ulysses knew that the God Hermes had flashed down from heaven to be -his counsellor. He fell upon his knees before the divine messenger. - -"The great Athene has sent me to you, king," said the god, "for she -heard your prayer upon the shore, and will deliver you from the forest -danger. Here is a sprig of the magic herb moly. Take it in your hand -for a safeguard against the wiles of Circe. - -"When you go into the palace she will mix you her enchanted potion, -and strike you with her wand. Do you draw your sword, and make as -though to slay her. Then she will fear greatly and swear to do you no -harm." - -Ulysses took the white flowered talisman, and Hermes vanished among -the trees. - -Then he came swiftly upon the gleaming palace, and going up to the -marble porch struck upon it with his sword hilt, and called to the -goddess. - -She glimmered towards him. Her hair was like a young horse-chestnut -fresh from the pod. Her eyes were like pools of violet water, her neck -was a tower of ivory, and her lips were red as sunset. - -The flower of evil, the goddess of strange sins! - -She smiled at the hero, and led him by the hand to a table on which -was a golden cup, proffering it to him in welcome. - -Ulysses bowed low before her loveliness, and as he drank there was a -strange smile in his eyes. - -The enchantress looked at him steadily. For a single moment a ripple -of doubt crossed her face, but suddenly she seized her cedarn rod and -smote his side, crying, "Get you to the stye, and lie there in filth -with your companions." - -Ulysses drew his great sword, and held it over her with menacing eyes. -She drooped to him, a very woman! and clung round him, weeping, and he -could feel her warm heart beating, beating close to his. Her lovely -hair fell around her in a golden cloud, and tears streamed down her -cheeks as she swore by the gods on the Holy Hill never to harm him. - -And looking on her sinful loveliness the brain of Ulysses burned for -her, and he took her lithe body in his strong arms and pressed the -blossom of her lips to his. Her arms stole round him, and she called -him lord and king. - -Then with a soft smile she led him to the courtyard where the swine -lay sleeping in the sun. When the foul beasts saw Ulysses they set up -a horrid chorus of grunting, and he raged to see his valiant friends -so degraded. But clinging to him, the goddess raised her hand, and the -swine vanished, and the goodly mariners stood up among the straw, more -straight and tall than before, with all the marks of hardship and -travel smoothed from their faces. - -That night the other mariners came up from the shore, guided by -Ulysses. And the amber lamps flared in the hall, and all night till -daybreak they made a great feast. They sang in praise of love and -wine, and Circe sat at the right hand of the King of Ithaca. - -When the rosy dawn rushed up the sky, the goddess rose. - -The lamps paled in the fresh new light, and the feast was over. - -The mariners lay in sleep about the board, and the purple wine was -spilt about them. - -Only the Goddess and the Hero were awake. - -Then she said, "Lord and love, the night is over. The sun climbs the -sky, the woodlands awake. But let us go into my scented chamber, my -purple chamber where the day never comes. There will we lie in love -and sleep and forget the day." - -She led him by the hand over the cool marble floor. The purple -curtains fell behind them with a soft noise of falling. All sound was -hushed in the courts of the palace, and the whole house was still. - - - - -THE THIRD EPISODE - -HOW ULYSSES WALKED IN HELL, AND OF THE ADVENTURE OF THE SIRENS AND -SCYLLA - - -The King of Ithaca stood all alone on a gloomy barren shore, spear in -hand. The sky lowered black overhead, and from the vast yawning hole -in the terrible cliff which rose up before him he seemed to hear -strange wailings and faint cries coming, so it seemed, from a great -distance. - -Had he at last broken away from the loving arms of Circe for this -horror? Stung once more by the latent manhood in his blood, he had -roused his energies and left the enchanted island to set out once more -upon the weary quest for home. He had bade the goddess farewell and -sailed away from the island of sweet lust to seek a ghostly counsellor -and to drink deep at that fountain of wisdom which was once the glory -of Thebes. - -When Circe had bade him, if he would indeed get back to Ithaca and -leave her arms, seek the dead Tiresias in the place of the dead it had -seemed an easy thing. - -What were pale ghosts to a warrior of Troyland and the vanquisher of -Polyphemus? If the old seer alone could tell him how to conquer the -wrath of Poseidon and win to his wife's arms once more, should he not -go with a will? - - [Illustration: THEN HE WAS, IN AN INSTANT MOMENT, AWARE OF A - MORE THAN MORTAL PRESENCE. - _Page 49._] - -And he had set out with his crew, and the magic wind which Circe gave -them had brought them hither over grey sad seas, while they had -touched nor oars nor helm. - -And now Ulysses went slowly up to the fissure in the rock, but a long -solitary cry made him reel back trembling as his brave heart had never -done before. - -Then he was, in an instant moment, aware of a more than mortal -presence. Into that dread place came the awful majesty of the Queen of -Heaven, and he fell to the ground before Athene. - -The full flowing river of her speech came down upon him. - -"If thou wouldst hold thy wife once more, Ulysses, and see thy rocky -western home, then must thou dare this peril. None can help thee now -save thou thyself. So it is decreed by the gods. If so be it that thy -courage fails thee now then wilt thou be a wanderer for ever." - -"Lady of Heaven," he said, "I dare not go. Oh, anything but that." - -"Penelope!" she murmured sweetly. - -"I cannot face the dead." - -"Ithaca." - -"Oh, listen to those wailings in the abyss!" - -"Thy father Laertes weeps yet for the wanderer." - -"The dead! The dead are waiting there!" - -"Men call thee Ulysses!" said the goddess, and at that word something -moved within him and his limbs began to stiffen, and once more the -hero felt the spear-shank hard and cold within his grasp. - -He raised his face, and there was once more the old proud light upon -it. Athene had gone, and big with his new resolve he stepped towards -the blackness. - -A voice came to him, thin, and far down. - -"Ulysses! Ulysses! son of Laertes, I wait to guide thee. Hermes, son -of Zeus, is with thee. Take courage in both hands and come." - -The king moved forward, and the dark swallowed him up. He stumbled -along a descending rock-strewn pathway. In the increasing gloom it -seemed to him that he was on the side of a steep hill. A moaning wind -encircled him. Now and again a slight gleam was visible from the -golden helmet of the god. - -Far far down he saw the leaden livid river of death, and on the sullen -tide floated the stately funeral barge of Charon, the ferryman of the -dead. - -The wind grew even more mournful and sad as they trod the meadows of -asphodel and the grey lilies of the underworld towards the marge of -Styx. - -Then the god called out aloud to the ferryman. As his voice echoed -over the water, the dusky night became full of the sound of wings, and -dark shapes filled the air. The spirits of the dead flapped round them -in continual movement. - -The ghosts began to call and cry to the living hero. Some had little -squeaky voices like bats, others made a louder and more hollow sound. - -The howlings of the formless increased all round Ulysses. - -The inarticulate found utterance in the indefinite. - -The waves of weird and hopeless voices rose, fell, undulated, now loud -and shrill, now sobbing into silence. Little eager whispers filled the -hero's ear. - -And to the terror of these great murmurs were added the sight of -superhuman outlines, which melted away in the gloom almost as they -appeared. Alecto and Tisiphone, the Furies, circled round Ulysses, and -Megeara flew through the dark to her sisters. - -A cold hand seemed placed upon the hero's soul. Cries from precipice -to precipice, from air to water, went on unceasingly--the melancholy -vociferations of the lost! - -The loquacity of Hell! - -And in deadly fear, but resolute still, Ulysses struggled on through -this great twilight world, open on all sides. As he walked on, the -flying outlaws of the tomb seemed to be swarming over him and pressing -him to the ground. He struggled beneath the weight of lost souls, but -his whirling arms struck nothing but the empty air. - -Fresh clouds of spirits pricked the twilight, increased in size, -amalgamated, thickened, and hurried towards him, crying. - -They came to the brink of the river. Before them, as they looked out -over the water, was no horizon, but an opaque lividity like a wan, -moving precipice, a cliff of the night. - -Then the old man Charon bowed to the commands of the gods and embarked -them on his barge. He gazed on Ulysses with his keen wicked eyes, and -his long white beard wagged in hideous mockery at this mortal among -the dead. - -The thin pole dipped in and out of the water, and the drops which fell -from it were the colour of leaden bullets, for there is no life in the -water of Styx. - -Ulysses knelt in the bottom of the boat and shut out Hell from his -eyes with his hand. He prayed to Athene for help to endure, and that -he might have an answer from the old Seer Tiresias that would lead him -safely home at last. - -And now the other bank of the river began to loom up before them and -the air began to be silent. - -On the bank, as it seemed to welcome them, stood a tall old man with a -golden sceptre in his hand. His face was full of an unutterable -sadness, and his eyes were horny and dim with blindness. But his magic -staff conducted him safely to the river brink, and in a high shivering -voice he hailed Ulysses. - -"Why hast thou come here, O wise one, leaving the happy daylight for -this cheerless shore? Noble son of Laertes, I know thy quest, and thus -make answer. Father Zeus gave me power, which still remains, and I, -an old blind ghost, can see into the future even on the shores of -Styx. Thou seekest to know if thou wilt ever catch thy wife in thy -strong arms once more, and tread the well-beloved fields of Ithaca. -The mighty god of the sea, Poseidon, is wroth with thee and a -malevolent god. For even now his son Polyphemus stumbles a bruised and -sightless way among his native hills. But yet you may return after -long woes and heavy toil. But one thing bear well in mind, O king, -else wilt thou suffer unbelievable things. When thy ship touches at -the Island Thrinacia, great herds of cattle will be feeding there on -the fresh sweet grass which grows in the goodly upper world. These be -the beeves and steers of the divine Helios, the Sun-God, and must be -inviolate to men. But if one sacred beast is slain, then thy ship and -all thy company will perish. - -"Perchance thou thyself may win Ithaca forlorn, and to find others in -thy place, but that I know not. I have spoken." - - [Illustration: THEY CAME TO THE BRINK OF THE RIVER. - _Page 52._] - -Then with a long melancholy cry the figure vanished into the dark. - -But in its place came a shadowy form which made the heart of the hero -leap and beat, so it seemed all Hades was filled with the tumult. - -His mother Anticlea stood before him. - -Stretching out her cold, thin hands she spoke. - -"My boy that I suckled, why hast thou come into Hades not yet being -dead, for I see that the flesh is still warm upon thee for which I -drank to Zeus?" - -"Mother of mine, I sought Tiresias the Theban prophet. I have not -even yet won Ithaca nor seen the dear ones there. A god is against me. -So I came through the spirits of the unburied, and over the dark river -to seek counsel of the seer. Knowest thou in this beyond-earth if the -beloved Penelope still holds me in her heart? or is she perhaps here -with thee, lost to the sunlight?" - -The mother of Ulysses answered, "Penelope is as faithful and true as -on thy wedding day, but she is in a peril, so haste ye home. And now -farewell." Where Ulysses had seen his mother, was but a little grey -vapour which swayed and vanished. - -Then the hero called roughly to Charon, and bade him take the pole and -urge the barge back to the starting-place. This time, though the -multitude of the dead circled over him with cries, begging his help to -take them out of Hades, he felt no fear, for his mind was burning with -other thoughts. - -He mounted the long cliff side, and at last in the distance saw a -faint gleam of light stealing down towards him. In the pale gleam the -figure of Hermes was manifest for a moment flitting up to the day -before him. - -The cries grew fainter and more faint. The light changed from grey to -primrose, from primrose to yellow. The little star which was the mouth -of the cave became a sun and then a world, and the yellow turned into -the white hot sunshine as Hell faded utterly away. - -On the beach the little blue waves sang on the yellow sand. The black -divers rose lazily on the swell, and the shields round the prow of the -ship shone like white fire. - - * * * * * - -Once more the vessel of heroes swam over the seas. And now there was -another quality in the wind for them, and the world was a new world. - -Their leader had told them that if they obeyed his commands they would -win home once more. The news he had brought back from Hades made them -sturdy and strong of heart, and they vowed that in all things they -would trust in the king who had dared the perils of the underworld. - -Their thoughts turned with a lover's thirst to images of their native -land, tranquil skies, the old-remembered meadows, cool brooks, and -eternal peace after their long wandering. - -Hope beat high in the heart of Ulysses also. The grey nightmare of -Hell was over and in the past, one more memory when in his own halls -he would weave his saga. - -He had been near to the awful thing Death. - -He had found that after all it was only Death. - -The ship with a fair wind ran up a lane of light into the setting sun, -and when at length the moon had risen and silvered all the sea, -Ulysses called the men round him. - -"Comrades," he said, "with the dawn, if I have kept the reckoning -aright, we shall come to the island where the Sirens dwell. Now the -Lady Circe warned me against the Sirens, the singers who charm all men -with their song. He who listens to Parthenope, Ligeia and Leucosia -must stay with them for ever, listening spellbound to the song until -he dies. And the island is covered with the bones of dead men. To -listen is to die. But I wish to hear the voices and to escape the -enchantment, and so obey my commands. When we near the island do you -all close your ears with wax so that no sound can reach your brains. -And take a stout rope and bind me to the mast so that I can in no wise -loose myself. And howsoever I may order or entreat you to let me go to -the Sirens, if their magic song enchants me, take no heed, but row -steadily onwards until the island is far astern. Then only may you set -me free." - -As dawn came, a faint grey line upon the horizon showed itself on the -starboard bow. At the sight, with some laughter, for it was difficult -to believe in the perils of sweet music!--even for men who had seen -the wonders that they had seen--the men began to press yellow wax from -the honeycomb into each other's ears. - -Then when no one among them could hear the flapping of the sail or the -voice of the sea, nor could tell the meaning of his neighbour's voice, -they went up to Ulysses, and with many light-hearted jests bound him -to the mast, and because his strength was well known to them they -reeved the rope with a treble hitch. No living man could have escaped -from such bonds. - -As sailors will, they treated the whole thing as a huge jest, making a -mock mutiny of it as they bound the captain. Ulysses could not help -smiling at their mirth. - -After such wise precaution he had no fear, and in his heart of hearts -he did not believe that the song of the Sirens would affect him much, -though he followed the advice of Circe and made himself a prisoner. - -But a fierce curiosity possessed him. He cursed the slowness of the -wind, for, as they bound him, the island was still a low line without -colour on the water, and called out to the men to row faster, -forgetting that they could not hear him. - -Slowly the grey island became purple, then brown, and at last showed -itself a green, low, pleasant land, a place of meadows. - -The wind was behind them, and until they came quite close under the -lee of the island Ulysses could hear no voices but those of the wind -and waves. Then faintly at first, but rapidly becoming more sonorous -and sweet, he heard the magic voices which were to ring in his ears in -all his after life. - -No words of his at any time could express the loveliness of those -voices, of the unutterable sweetness of it, nothing. - -The strains floated over the still sea like harps of heaven. - -All that man had known or desired in life, all the emotions which had -stirred the human heart, were blended in those magic voices. The world -had nothing more to give; here, here at last, was the absolute -fulfilment of beauty. - -Louder and more piercingly sweet, as the unconscious sailors bent to -the oars in earnest, and the sweat ran down their bare brown backs. - - "Whither away, whither away, whither away? Fly no more. - Whither away from the high green field, and the happy - blossoming shore? - Day and night to the billow the fountain calls: - Down shower the gambolling waterfalls - From wandering over the lea." - -The face of Ulysses grew wan and grey as the ship passed a projecting -point of rock. On the smooth green turf the three singers were -standing. In face and form they were sweet and lovely girls. - -Naked to the waist, they wore long flowing draperies below, and as -they sung the rosy bosoms rose and fell with the music, and the lucid -throats rippled with song. - - "Mariner, mariner, furl your sails, - For here are blissful downs and dales, - And merrily, merrily carol the gales, - And the spangle dances in bight and bay, - And the rainbow forms and flies on the land - Over the islands free; - And the rainbow lives in the curve of the sand; - Hither, come hither and see." - -And still the ship went on, but more slowly, as it were some force -were at work deadening the arms of the rowers. - -Then the shrill loveliness fired the hero's blood, and he knew that he -must go to the three lovely singers on the strand. Earth held nothing -better than this--to lie for ever with that music in his ears. - - "Whither away? listen and stay: mariner, mariner, fly no more."[1] - - [1] These few lines of the Sirens' song have been taken from - Lord Tennyson's beautiful poem "The Sea Fairies." - -Then, as if drawn by the long cadenced notes as by cords, Ulysses -gathered up his mighty strength and strove with his bonds. - -But the sailors had done their work too well, and the rope only cut -deeply into the flesh. - -The white arms were stretched out to him in supplication, the song -grew more full of unearthly beauty than before--and the ship was -slowly passing by. - -Ulysses called out to the crew in an agony of command and entreaty. - -One of the men happened to look up and saw his face. He grinned, -nudged his companion, and turned away. - -The song grew fainter, the three tall figures dwindled. The face of -Ulysses grew ashen, and when at length they came to him and cut the -ropes he said no word. - -He went alone to the prow of the vessel and looked out over the fair -sun-bathed sea, and there were tears in his eyes, and his mouth was -softer and more tremulous than it was wont to be. - -So they came away from Parthenope, Ligeia and Leucosia, the Sirens. - - * * * * * - -The next day Ulysses called the crew together as before and told them -of the new peril that awaited them. For the wise Circe had warned him -that after the island of the Sirens he must needs encounter the -terrible Scylla, for the ship must pass by her lair on its passage -towards Home. - -But Ulysses knew that it was impossible to fight the monster, and that -some of the crew were fated to die, but in his wisdom he did not tell -them that. - -He finished his speech as follows:--"And so, my friends, the gods -ordain that we must face Scylla, and the whirlpool Charybdis. There is -no other way. But courage! always have courage. I who brought you safe -from out of the cave of the Cyclops will bring you safe from this -also. And so onward and have stout hearts." - -It was a misty day, and everything was shadowy and faint, but the ship -moved slowly along a sheer wall of black cliff which towered up above -them for a thousand feet or more. The top was lost in the mist. It was -a lowering, frightful place. - -One of the sailors gave a shout which echoed back to them in mournful -mockery through the mist. - -They rowed on steadily, hugging the cliff. Ulysses stood in the prow -of the boat. He had put on armour and took two spears in his hand. - -His eyes searched the face of the cliff till they ached from the -minute scrutiny. - -This waiting for the inevitable was terribly unnerving. Ulysses -himself, knowing that some must die, was heavy and sad at heart as -they glided along the side of the cliff. - -To the left the great whirlpool seethed and boiled, its outermost -convolution scarce a bow-shot away. When it threw up the water the -spray dashed up a hundred feet and fell in showers over the sailors, -and as the water ran back in the ebb Ulysses could see, far down the -black and spinning sides, to where the old witch Charybdis dwelt on -the dark sand of the sea bottom. - -Suddenly the end came. A loud barking and howling startled them all so -that each man paused on his oar. A pack of hounds were unkenneled, so -it seemed, somewhere on the cliff face in the mist. - -Then a sickly musky smell enveloped them, so foul and stale that they -coughed and spat even as their blood ran cold with fear. - -Through the curtain of mist, which had suddenly grown very thick, six -objects loomed right over the boat. - -Six long tentacles swayed and quivered over the sailors, and at the -end of each was a grinning head set with cruel fangs and a little red -eager tongue that flickered in and out. - -For a moment the heads hung poised, and then each sought and found its -victim. - -Six sailors were slowly drawn out of the boat, shrieking the name of -Ulysses for the last time in their death agony. And all the time the -barking of the hounds in the obscene womb of the monster went on -unceasingly. - -Then the fury of flight came upon them. With bursting brains and red -fire before their eyes they laboured at the great oars until the wood -bent and shook and the ship leaped forward like a driven horse. - -And they left the strait of death and came out of the mist into a wide -sunlit sea. But still a sound of distant barking came down the wind. - -So Scylla took her horrid toll of heroes. - -But Ulysses called them to prayer and lamentation for the dead. - - - - -THE FOURTH EPISODE - -HOW ULYSSES LOST HIS MERRY MEN AND CAME A WAIF TO CALYPSO WITH THE -SHINING HAIR - - -The crew sat round a fire of driftwood. - -There was shelter where they sat, in a natural alcove of rock, but -outside the great winds thundered and the wrack flew before the storm -and a mighty unceasing roar filled the air. - -The faces of all the sailors wore a sullen look. Hunger had begun to -suck the colour from their cheeks, their eyes were prominent and -strained, their movements without energy or vigour. - -A rude shelter of sailcloth and various _débris_ that was scattered -about seemed to show that for some time, at least, they had made their -home in this place where the winds did not come. - -Ulysses was not among them. They were talking in low, discontented -tones among themselves. - -"A whole month," said Eurylochus, "a whole month have we been sea -bound in this accursed island. I am sick of islands!" - -"Never have we put to shore without some evil thing befalling," said -another. "Oh, for Ithaca!" - -"I doubt we shall ever see Ithaca again," said a third. "We will be -wanderers till we die; that is what I think. And this place is like to -be the grave of all of us. I never knew a wind so furious to blow so -long. We should sink in an hour did we but put out." - -"There is only food for one day more, and that sparse," said -Eurylochus. "For my part, my limbs are heavy as brass and the strength -is all gone from me. I could not move an oar now. Man needs meat and -wine or the fires of hunger burn the sinews and dry the blood. Brown -meat and red wine! I could fill my belly till the skin cracked!" - -"The rich brown meat, mate! Dost mind the soft kids on Circe's island? -By Zeus, I can taste them now!" - -"Ay and the fat cows, roast till the blood ran out of them like liquid -life." - -"I can even smell the smell of the roasting meat now. A welcome smell -to a hungry man." - -"Would that we had never left Circe. 'Twas a kind queen, meet for our -master! but her girls were kindly in love also." - -"To Hades with the girls!" said Eurylochus. "Thy talk of meat makes me -heave with desire." - -He looked round cautiously before he continued. - -"Friends," he said in a low, rapid whisper, "tell me, are ye purposing -to starve in the midst of plenty? Saw ye ever such fat oxen and cows -as graze in the pastures above?" - -"Never did I see such cattle," answered another hungry wight. "Gods! -they would make a feast for kings." - -"And yet pain and sickness is all over us, and we lust for food till -we know not what we do!" - -"Captain's orders!" - -"Ulysses has lost his cunning for sure, and hunger has turned his -brain. He is no more the brave leader of old. He goes wandering alone -among the rocks and sleeps all day. And his eye is clouded and courage -has left his voice. Friends, shall we die thus? No man of ye loveth -Ulysses better than I love him. Is he not my kinsman indeed? He -brought us from the Cyclops' cave and dared the perils of Hell. All -this I know and say before you now. But the king is distraught and -moody. He does not know what he is doing. He would be the first to -join us with the merry and grateful word were he to come back and find -the good red beef roasting on the fire and smell the savoury smoke." - -"Ay, captain was never one set against a feast! He loves good cheer, -as becomes a proper fighting man." - -"My mind doubts me, comrades," said another. "Should we not rather -trust the king even unto this last thing? Have we ever found him -wanting yet? Did he not make us promise? Zeus knows if the thought of -hot meat does not tickle my belly as well as thine--more, friend, for -thou hast a paunch yet and none have I--but I for one trust in the -captain. He knows." - -Then Eurylochus took up his spear as if he had decided and the -discussion was over. - -"Listen, men," he said. "In all shapes death is a terrible thing. But -I would rather die quickly at Scylla's hands than fade into Hades -through famine. Hunger is the worst death of all. Come with me and -bring your spears. We will choose the best of the herd and sacrifice -to the gods. When we reach home again, can we not build a great temple -to Helios, and fill it with rich gifts? The Sun-God, who gives light -to all the world, will not grudge us a cow or two. Not he. 'Tis a more -genial god than that. Ay, and though we indeed anger the god and he -wreck us in the deep! I put ye this question--Would ye not rather -swallow the cold salt water for a moment and so die, than die for days -among the rocks?" - -His pale face worked with the force of his words. His eyes glistened -with a terrible eagerness. As he spoke in a high, quivering nervous -tenor, shaking his spear at them, the eagerness crept into their eyes -also. - -Famine strangely transforms the human face. They became men with -brute's eyes. - -Eurylochus marched away out of the shelter towards the pasture lands, -and the others followed him. New strength seemed to come to them as -they walked towards the herd, which could be seen, a red brown mass, -grazing on a plain some half-mile away. - -The full force of the wind struck and retarded them as they emerged -into the open, but it brought the lowing of the cattle to their ears -and they pressed on. - -Ulysses lay sleeping about a quarter of a mile from the cove. - -He had wandered away from his companions in great despondency. For -four long weeks the gale had roared past the island away to the north. -The rain had fallen like spears, the thunder stammered its awful -message, the green and white lightning snapped like whips of light. In -all this the king saw the finger of evil. He knew that the mighty -Poseidon still watched his fortunes with cruel, angry eyes. For this -storm was no chance warring of the elements, but came, he knew, -directed against him and his fated crew. - -Food had got lower and lower, the men began to grumble, and black -looks of reproach met his eyes on every side. - -And all the time the fat cattle of Apollo cropped the tender shoots of -the grass, the full udder dropped with creamy milk, and the shining -flanks of the great beasts sent an alluring message to the starving -men. - -Often Ulysses withdrew into some lonely place and prayed to Athene, -but she seemed asleep or weary of his woes, for there came no -answering sign. - -On this day hope seemed to have utterly departed from him. There was -no break in the leaden clouds of the future. - -He had wandered away along the seashore, and fallen asleep from -languor and grief, lulled by the great singing of the gale overhead. - -In his sleep he dreamed vividly. He saw the interior of the island. -Suddenly, from among a clump of trees, a bright beam of golden light -shot up heavenwards. He knew that one of the shepherd nymphs of Apollo -went with some message for the god, and he shivered and moaned in his -slumber. - -Then it seemed that he was in a great place of cloud, an immense -formless world of mist. And through the mist came a terrible voice -which turned him to stone. It was the voice of Apollo crying in anger. - -"Oh, Father Zeus, and all ye gods who dwell upon the hill above the -thunder! punish the comrades of Ulysses for their crime. They have -speared my beautiful cows that were my joy and of which I had great -pleasure. Whenever I turned my face and shone upon the world I watched -them feeding in my island. And now these whelps have slain the finest -of all my herd. Vengeance! Bitter vengeance, or will I go far down -into Hell and leave the world in gloom and shine no more upon it. I -will make Hades a place of warmth and laughter, and the world all grey -and full of death." - -In the midst Ulysses awoke with that angry cry still ringing in his -ears. With a sick apprehension he hurried along the slippery boulders -to the shelter place where he had left the crew. - -Within a hundred yards of the place he knew the worst. The wind blew -a savoury smoke towards him, and his stomach yearned while his brain -trembled in fear. - -The men were in high glee when he came round the corner of rock among -them, great joints turned upon rough spits, skins and horns encumbered -the ground, and the rich fat dropped hissing into the fire. - -A sudden silence fell upon their merriment as the captain came. He -spread out his hands with a gesture of despair. - -"Comrades," he said sorrowfully, "ye have chosen to do this thing -against my advice, and now it is done we must abide by the deed. I -cannot reproach you. Still, I know that we must pay heavily for this -sin against the Sun-God. Farewell, Ithaca! And now it is over let us -eat of our unhallowed spoil. It may be that this is our last meal -together, comrades." - -As he had finished speaking a strange and ominous thing happened. The -blood-stained skins began to creep about like live things upon the -ground. - -The red meat over the fire withered and moaned as if in pain. The air -was filled with a lowing as of cows. - -Then in mad fear and riotous despair they fell upon the horrid meal -with eager, tremulous hands. Ulysses was taken with the madness like -the rest, and until sundown they gorged the dripping meat till they -could eat no more, and their faces were bloated and their eyes were -strained. - -As the sun sank into the sea with a red and angry face the wind -dropped and ceased. A great calm spread over the waters. When the moon -rose the ocean was like a sheet of still silver. - -Very hurriedly, whispering among themselves, as though they were -afraid of their own voices, they launched the ship and rowed out into -the moonlight, racing away from the accursed isle. - -And now the last scene of all came very quickly. - -Ulysses was wont to say that of all the things he had witnessed in his -life this was the saddest and most terrible. - -A sudden crackle of thunder pealed over the sky. A fantastic network -of lightning played round the ship like lace. - -A dark cloud formed itself directly over the boat, not two mast's -lengths above, and all the waves below became like ink in the shadow. -For a time it hung there motionless, and then suddenly a mighty wind -swooped down on them like a hawk drops out of the sky. The mast -snapped like a pipe-stem and crashed upon the deck, braining the -helmsman in its fall. A smooth green wave, just slightly bubbling with -froth on the crest, but like a hill of oil, rose and swept over the -ship. - -Ulysses clung to a stanchion with all his mighty strength, and was -just able to battle against the flood. When it passed over him he saw -that every man of the crew was in the water. For a few moments they -floated round him with sad cries of farewell, and then one by one they -were swept into the Ultimate. - -The timbers of the ship broke away and she fell to pieces. With a loud -cry to Athene, Ulysses launched himself on the waves clinging to a -great log which had formed part of the keel. A swift current urged him -along far away from the scene of the wreck. - -The purpose of the god was accomplished, and the waves fell, and the -moonlight shone out clear and still once more. - -On all the waste of waters no sail, no cape nor headland broke the -silver monotone. - -Loneliness descended upon the hero like a cloak; an utter abandonment -such as he had never known before in life. - -The water began to grow very cold. - -An awful silence lay over the sea. The terrible jubilant silence of a -god revenged! - -"And so all those well-known, long-tried voices were still! Never -again would Eurylochus drain the full tankard in a kindly health." - -Ulysses bowed his head, and bitter tears welled up into his eyes. - -"Never again would grey old Diphilos stand at the helm of the good -ship, sending his keen eyes out over the sounding wastes. How the last -mournful cry of Jamenos had echoed through the storm. Young, straight -Jamenos who had approached the Cyclops with him, beautiful young -Jamenos, with the bold eyes and curling hair! And there was old -Perdix too, old Perdix with his grin and chuckle and his tales. Never -would Perdix sit by the fire and make merry yarns any more. The little -twinkling rat-like eyes were stark and glazed now. Perdix stood beside -the livid river among the rushing spirits. He would have no jests -now." - -He saw them all together, in peril, storm, and quiet weather. His -trusty men! His dear comrades! - -And now he alone was left, alone, alone, alone. - -Perhaps Athene herself was still with him and had not even yet -forgotten her wanderer. As the thought struck along his brain a faint -blush of hope began to flush his pallid cheek. - -He floated on and on. Dawn came, waxed strong, waned. Tremulous -evening came like a shy novice about to take the veil of night. Night -blazed in moonlit splendour once more. - -And at the hour when night stands still and dawn is not yet, the -waves, kindlier than before, carried him to the island of Ogygia, -where he heard the sea nymphs on the shore singing him a fairy -welcome. - -Soft hands drew him from the deep, soft voices welcomed him; it seemed -as if one queenly presence, a tall woman with golden hair which shone, -towered among the rest, and he fell into a gentle swoon, a soft -surrender to sleep. - - * * * * * - - "We watch the fleeting isles of shade - That float upon the sea - When 'neath the sun some cloud hath spread - His purple canopy. - The woodbine odours scent the air, - The cypress' leaves are wet - From meadow springs that rise among - Parsley and violet. - Here shall the Wanderer remain; - The land of Love's Delight; - Shall here forget the past, the old - Sad spectres of the night." - -Soft and low the sea-maidens sang while Ulysses lay sleeping--even as -they had sung nine long years ago when the sea cast him up on the -shores of Calypso's kingdom. - -It was bright sunlight, a great fire of cedar wood burnt on an altar -before the cave of the goddess who loved the hero, and the smoke -scented all the island. - -Among the grove of stately trees which bordered the smooth pneumatic -lawn in front of the cave Ulysses lay sleeping on a bed of fresh-born -violets. A purple mantle shot with gold, woven by Calypso, was spread -over him. - -The poplars and fragrant cypresses were full of sweet-voiced birds. - -Over the mouth of the cave grew a great vine, and the black grapes -drooped and fell from it in their abundance. - -From the centre of the short emerald grass four springs of clear water -came up in thin whips and flowed away in flashing rivulets. - -This was the home and kingdom of the Goddess Calypso, and was so -beautiful a place that the fame of it had even reached Olympus, and -the gods knew of the island. - -And nine long years had passed! It was nine years ago that the pale -gaunt waif of the sea--a sad jetsam!--had swooned upon the yellow -sand, while the bright-haired lady of Ogygia had gazed in wonder upon -him. - -Circe had enthralled Ulysses for a year in her palace of wine and -sorcery and lust. That was a time of fierce sinful pleasures, of wild -deliriums. - -The fire had blazed, burnt, and died away in that still marble house -in the wood. - -But how different these nine dreamy years! The mild-eyed, loving -goddess lay in the hero's arms each night in tender love and sleep. -She was no Circe, but a lady of quieter delights. Her spell was upon -him, he was chained to her kind side by a magic influence, but she -loved him, and was no Circe. - -Nine long years! - -Those old valiant mariners from the plains of Troyland were only white -bones now, part of the sea-bed. They were far-off, remote, sweet sad -memories. - -Calypso was the slow and gracious music to which his life moved now. -Often he doubted all the past. They were phantoms all those old -half-forgotten people. - -So he lay sleeping among the violets. The scented wind gave a myriad -whispers to the poplars. The four springs sang a thin jocund song as -they burst from the dark rich earth into the sunshine, and within her -cave the goddess threw the golden shuttle and made a low crooning -music as she thought of her stately warrior hard by, and sent him -dreams of her white neck and wealth of golden hair. - -She knew he would never leave her now. Her spells were too strong. Her -love too great. - -During the first years he had been wont to wander away to a lonely -part of the shore. He would sit gazing with haunted eyes out over the -sea, and his thoughts went to Penelope, and he shed a tear for old -King Laertes and whispered to little Telemachus. - -But that also was over for him now. Ithaca was but a misty cloud, and -the dear ones there but dreams in this island of dreams. - -The face of Ulysses was changed. The hard lines of endeavour, the -brown painting of the wind, had gone from it. Noble and beautiful -still, but even in sleep it could be seen to have lost its force. - -Suddenly, in the dim recesses of the grove, there was a silence. The -birds stopped singing, and the murmur of the insects droned, swelled -louder, and died away. - -Nothing was heard for a moment but the trickle of the streams, and -then this also faded from sound. - -By the side of the sleeping hero stood the tall white figure of -Athene. At her feet yellow flowers broke out like little flames, and -her deep, grave eyes were bent full upon Ulysses. - -Perhaps he felt that unearthly majesty above him, for he turned and -moaned in his sleep. - -The goddess, like a statue of white marble, stood looking down at him -for several moments. Then with a little sigh she stooped and touched -his forehead with her long slender fingers. - -The birds began a full-throated ecstasy of song, which filled the wood -with a sound as of a myriad tiny flutes. The furry bees went swinging -through the sunlit grove with deep organ music, the shrill tinkle of -the streams sent its cool message once more into the hot swooning air. - -Where the goddess had stood there was nothing but a clump of yellow -crocus and some violets more vivid than the rest. - -Ulysses awoke with sudden stammerings like a frightened child. He -looked round him with strange troubled eyes. - -Then slowly he rose up and walked through the wood towards the cave of -Calypso. - -Forgotten fingers were upon the latch of his brain, old scenes began -to move through it in swift familiar panorama, he was as a man who -wakened from a sleep of years. - -One word burst from his lips--"Penelope!" His face cleared as though a -mist had suddenly dispersed before it, and his walk quickened into a -firm, long stride as he came out on to the lawn. - -He stopped short as he saw the mouth of the cave. Calypso was pacing -up and down with her sinuous graceful step, and at her side walked a -tall young man with a golden wand in his hand and winged sandals upon -his feet. - -And Ulysses knew him for the God Hermes who had given him the sacred -herb in Circe's island and who had led him down the gloomy ways of -Hades. - -They turned and came towards him. - -"He will never wish to go, Hermes," he heard Calypso say as they drew -near. - -"King," said the god, "I am come to you with a message from Father -Zeus. He hath seen you lying in this island with the goddess, and bids -me tell you of Ithaca and home once more, that your heart may beat -strong within you and you may adventure forth and find your wife -Penelope in your ancestral house. And the father promises you divine -protection. Your long wanderings shall be at an end, and you shall -come safely to the land of your heart's desire. Is it your will to go -and leave the lady?" - -The goddess laughed a little musical laugh of certain triumph. - -"Go!" she cried. "Ah, he will not go, Hermes. Could he not have left -me any time these nine long years of love? Go! No, my mariner loves -too well the soft couches of Ogygia, and these weak arms can yet hold -his wisdom captive. How will you answer, my heart's love?" - -"To Ithaca?" said Ulysses. - -"Yes, to Penelope thy wife, who sorroweth for thee and is in peril," -answered the god. - -A bright light flashed into Ulysses' eyes and his cheek was flushed -with hope. - -"Now have I tarried too long in this place," he cried. "I know not -why, but never before has my heart burned within me as now. Yes, to -Ithaca! back to my father and my wife and the old hills of home! Zeus -be praised, for I who was asleep waken this day, and manhood is mine -once more." - -Then Calypso drooped her lovely head like a tired flower as the God -Hermes flashed up into the sky like a beam of light. - -"I see something of which I know not has come over you, lord of my -heart," she said sadly. "I have no more power, save only the power of -my deep love for you which you have forgotten. Who am I that I can -combat the will of Zeus or the hardness of your heart? I have loved -you well and cherished you, and shall I love you less now? No, I am no -cruel goddess. Go, and my heart be with you; and what power is mine to -aid you that shall you have. I doubt," she said, with a sudden burst -of anger, "I doubt you have some greater goddess than I at your side, -some lovelier lady, else how could my spell be broken? But now come -within and make a farewell feast with me. My heart is sick and I would -die. But one thing I can give you if you will not go. Would you be -immortal? Stay with your lover and that gift is yours. Never shall -death touch you or age. I am a goddess and can never die. Am I less -beautiful than Penelope, or less kind?" - -Ulysses answered her pleadings slowly and painfully. - - [Illustration: "WHO AM I THAT I CAN COMBAT THE WILL OF ZEUS - OR THE HARDNESS OF YOUR HEART?" - _Page 78._] - -"My queen and goddess, I know indeed that Penelope can never compare -with such immortal loveliness as yours. Yes, she will grow old and -wrinkled, and must die. Yet night and day all my heart must go out to -her, and I would endure a thousand storms and sorrows to see home once -more." - -"Because of my great love for you, go, and may all the gods shower -blessings on you and protect you," she said in a low voice, and her -eyes were all blind with tears. - - * * * * * - -On a red evening Calypso stood alone on a rock that jutted out into -the sea. - -A black speck against the setting sun showed clear and far away. - -Then the night fell, and she wandered weeping through her scented -avenues. - -But her heart was away on the moaning sea, away with Ulysses the -departed. - - - - -THE LAST EPISODE - -HOW THE KING CAME HOME AGAIN AFTER THE LONG YEARS - - -With the tears blinding his eyes, with shaking hands, speechless with -the happy thoughts surging in his brain, Ulysses knelt and kissed the -dear, dear shores of his own country. - -The same rocky coasts, the same great mountain in the centre of the -island raising its head into the clouds, everywhere eternally the -same, and how beloved! was it not all mist and dreams--the long past? -How he heard the Sirens sing, seen the swaying arms of the foul -Scylla, and dwelt in love and slumber with Calypso? - -And by his side once more stood the goddess, serene and beautiful in -her benevolent but awful calm. From her lips he had heard that here, -even here in his own land, in the fields of his inheritance, one more -supreme effort awaited him. He had learnt how his palace was full of -riotous princes, who wooed his wife, the Queen Penelope. He knew how -his son, the goodly Prince Telemachus, was least in his own house, and -how wild revel and wantonness ate up his substance. The queen in -peril! Penelope all but given up to the desires of lust and greed. All -his great heart burnt with anger and hate against the suitors, and -yet, with a strange dual emotion, beat high with pride for his dear -and stainless lady, who still mourned for her husband, and longed -against hope for his return. - -He kissed the kindly home-ground, and at that sacred contact a sense -of strength and power came to him, a god-like power, that in all his -long toils and wanderings he had never known before. - -He became conscious that Athene was speaking to him. "And remember -ever, my Ulysses, that now thou hast need of all thy wit and cunning. -In all the chances of thy life before never hadst thou need to walk as -warily as now. For mere strength and valour unallied to wisdom and -cunning will avail one nothing against the hundred. But at the hour of -need I will be once more with thee if thou doest well and wisely. -Courage! son of Laertes! 'tis but a little while till the end. Let not -thy love and hate master thee until the appointed hour. And now, that -thou mayest walk in thy palace and groves unknown for who thou art, I -give thee a disguise. And so farewell until the hour of triumph." - -She stretched out her spear over the kneeling king. The firm flesh -dried and wrinkled upon his arms and legs. His hair shrivelled up into -grey sparseness and his eyes dimmed. He wore a tattered cloak, a thing -of shreds and patches, and an old beggar's staff of ilex was in his -hand. - -But beneath this seeming age and weakness was hidden the true hero as -strong and cunning as before. - -The goddess turned into light and was no more, and with slow, tottering -footsteps Ulysses took a lonely way among the well-remembered paths of -his native hills. - -After an hour's travelling he came out on a smooth pasture land, with -a little homestead nestling among a clump of trees. His heart beat -eagerly within him, for if perchance after these long years farmer -Eumĉus still lived, here he might gain news of his palace and perhaps -a friend. - -Eumĉus was once the steward of the estates and a very faithful servant -of his master. Ulysses approached the house. In front was a large -courtyard, made by a fence of oak and hawthorn boughs, and within were -twelve great pens for swine. - -And in the porch sat old Eumĉus himself making himself a pair of -sandals, hardly changed in a single feature, though perhaps his eyes -were not so bright as in the old times. - -Hearing footsteps, the four fierce dogs which herded the swine rushed -out of the yard and leapt angrily at the newcomer. He might have fared -badly, for the great beasts were lean and evil-tempered, had not the -swineherd ran out to his help and drew them off with curses. - - [Illustration: "NAY, IF YOU LOVE ME," HE SAID, "NONE OF THAT, - MY FRIEND."] - -He turned to Ulysses. "Thank the gods, old fellow," he cried, "that I -was near by. A little more and you would have been torn to pieces, -and then you would be in an evil plight but I a worse! Dead would you -be and past caring, but I should be disgraced. Heaven knows, I have -enough trouble to bear. Here's my lawful master gone in foreign parts -these long years--dead as like as not--and I sit here feeding swine -for them that are but little better themselves. But come in, come in, -old shrew. There's a bite of food for you within, which you need I -make no doubt, and then you can tell me your story, for I am a lonely -man now and like a crack of talk as well as most." - -The garrulous old fellow pushed him in with busy geniality and sat him -down on the goatskin, which was his bed. Then he fetched what meat and -wine he could furnish, and they sat down to a frugal meal. - -"What, then, about this lord of yours?" said Ulysses. "I myself have -wandered far these last years. Perhaps I may have met with him, and -can give you news." - -The swineherd chuckled. - -"Nay, if you love me," he said, "none of that, my friend. Why, every -dirty old man as comes along this way has some such tale to tell. And -then my poor lady up in the palace--the gods save her!--she takes them -in and gives them a new cloak or what not, and believes all they say -until the next one comes along. No! my dear lord is dead and never -shall I look upon the like of him again. By Zeus! but he was a man if -you like!" - -"Well, my host, we shall see in the future," said Ulysses, in so -significant a tone that the swineherd was startled for a moment. - -The wind had arisen and it was a black stormy night so they went to -rest early, and Eumĉus slept soundly till dawn. But all through the -silent hours the brain of Ulysses worked like a shuttle in a loom. - -At breakfast-time, while the swineherd was preparing the meal, the -dogs began to bark loudly outside, but in a welcome manner, saluting -one whom they knew. - -Footsteps were heard crossing the yard, and a tall young man with the -first down of manhood on his lip stood in the doorway. - -Eumĉus dropped the bowls in which he had been mixing the wine with a -sudden clatter and ran towards the stranger. - -"My young lord," he cried, "oh, my young lord, the sight of you is a -welcome one to weary eyes. Come within my poor place. This is but a -poor old man who shelters with me for a day or two. Don't mind him, my -lord." - -It was Telemachus the son of Ulysses. - -The king rose humbly and offered his seat to his son. - -"Keep your place, old man," said the prince. "The swineherd will find -me another. And who may you be, and what do you in Ithaca?" - -Then Ulysses told him a long story. He said that he was a Cretan, and -had fought at Troy and was now destitute and a wanderer. - -"Could you not take him to the palace, my lord?" said Eumĉus. -"Perhaps he might find some work there." - -"I will clothe him, and arm him with a sword, and give him a little to -help him on his way," said Telemachus, "and that most gladly. But I -cannot take him to the palace. The suitors would ill-use him because -of his age, perhaps they would kill him for sport. I cannot restrain -them; I am young; and what is one against so many? Moreover, so great -is the hate they bear towards me, they would surely slay any guest of -mine." - -Then Ulysses rose from his seat and bowed. "Lord," he said, "if I may -dare to speak and you will hear, I say foul wrong is wrought against -you in your palace, and my blood rages when I think of it." - -"Old fellow, you are right enough," said the boy, sadly. "Oh, for my -dead sire! to sweep these dogs from Ithaca!" - -"Yes, the king!" said Eumĉus, with a deep sigh. - -Suddenly Ulysses saw the tall figure of Athene was standing by his -side. - -The other two were looking towards him, but could see nothing of her -presence. The goddess looked at him with kindly eyes and touched him -with her spear. - -Telemachus and Eumĉus crouched trembling and speechless against the -furthest side of the hut. - -The bronze came back to the face of the king, his hair fell from his -head in all its old luxuriance, his figure filled out, and he stood -before them in his full stature and all the glory of his manhood. - -Eumĉus fell upon his knees and covered his eyes with his hand. - -"A god! a god!" he cried, "a god has come to us! Hail, oh Immortal -One, guest of my poor homestead!" - -Telemachus knelt also. "Oh, Divine stranger, a boon! Tell me of my -dear father, if indeed he lives and knows of the peril of his house. -And will he ever come back to sit in his own chair and rule?" - -Then Ulysses stepped to his son and caught him in his arms and kissed -him. - -"Telemachus! Telemachus!" he said, "no god am I, but your own dear -father come home at last, and I am come with doom and death for the -insolent ones about my board!" - -And when they had all three mingled their happy tears, Telemachus -said, "Father, I know how great a warrior you are, and all the world -rings with the wisdom and valour of your deeds. But we two can never -fight against so many. In all, the princes number a hundred and a -score of men; and they are all trained fighting men, the best from -Ithaca and all the neighbouring islands. We must have other aid." - -"Comfort yourself, son," said Ulysses. "Aid we have, and the mightiest -of all. Athene herself watches over my fortunes and will come in the -hour of need. She has brought me hither and given me this disguise, -and in all the coming contest her voice will help and her arm be for -us. Should we need more aid than that?" - -"Truly, my father," said the boy, "we are well favoured, and my heart -leaps within me at what is to come." - -As he finished speaking, once more the manhood of Ulysses left him and -only a poor old beggar man stood before the swineherd and the prince. - -"Now will we go to the palace," said Ulysses. "I shall seem but a poor -old beggar man, and however the princes may ill-use me I shall do -nothing till the time has come and we are ready, and I charge you, my -son, and my good friend Eumĉus, that you do nothing to protect me -however I am treated. You may check them by words if you can, but no -more. And not even the queen herself must know that the king has come -home again. - -"And now let us go. The judge is set, the doom begun; none shall stay -it!" - -And the three went out from the hut over the mountain paths towards -the palace. - - * * * * * - -The revel was at its height in the courtyard of the palace. Stone -seats ran round the wall which enclosed the buildings. Over a low -colonnade the orchard trees drooped into the court, and a huge vine -trailed its weight of fruit over the marble. - -The hot afternoon sun sent a vivid colour over everything. Beyond the -palace the blue mountains towered into a sky of deeper blue. Purple -shadows from the buildings lay upon the white marble, and the long -light glittered on a great table piled with golden cups and bowls, -holding the _débris_ of the feast. - -A wild uproar and shouting filled the air. - -The court was filled with whirling figures of men and girls half drunk -with wine and excitement as they moved in the figures of a lascivious -dance. - -All the household girls were there with the suitors joining in the -feast, and peals of laughter shivered through the sunny air. - -Telemachus sat on a seat apart watching the revel with keen eyes. -There was a repressed excitement in his face and an eager regard. One -of the girls noticed it as she strolled past. She was a slight, fair -wanton creature with a mocking smile. - -"How, Lord Telemachus?" she said, laughing lightly, "are you not going -to join us in the fun? You make a sorry host indeed! Is not this your -palace, and do you leave us without your countenance. Oh, shame upon -you for a laggard youth when wine and kisses wait you." - -She made an impudent grimace at him and flitted past. But a short time -back he would have raged at this impudent salutation from a pretty -slave girl who drew a confident strength from the protection of his -enemies. But now he hardly heard her, but leant forward again in the -attitude of one who watches and waits. - -Outside the palace gate, on the hot white road, two old men were -approaching. One was the swineherd Eumĉus and the other a wandering -beggar man. - -Just by the threshold of the courtyard an old lean dog, very grey and -feeble, lay upon a heap of dung in the sunlight. The mailed -horse-flies hovered round him in swarms, but he seemed too weak to -drive them away. As the beggar approached he threw his muzzle up into -the air with a quick movement. His sightless eyes turned towards the -advancing footsteps. With a great effort he scrambled to his feet. The -lean tail wagged in tremulous joy, the scarred ears were pricked in -welcome. - -He stumbled to the feet of Ulysses. When he touched him the old dog -lay down in the dust and with a long sigh he died. - -And this was the first welcome the king had to his palace, and as he -went in through the gates his eyes were wet with tears. - -When Telemachus saw the steward he beckoned him to the table and sat -beside him while he ate. But Ulysses crouched down by the threshold. -Telemachus gave bread and meat to the swineherd. - -"Go, Eumĉus," he said aloud, "give these broken meats to that poor old -beggar man by the gate, and tell him from me that if he lacks he -should be bold and go to the princes and ask them for alms. By Zeus! -he will never grow fat if he crouches by the door there!" - -Ulysses took the food with a low bow and packed it away in his -wallet. - -He rose up grasping his staff, and went tottering among the suitors. -His lean arms and furrowed, wrinkled face were so piteous, his whining -appeal full of such misery, that many of the princes tossed him -something. - -At the head of the table a tall and splendid young man was sitting. He -was richly dressed in a showy, ostentatious manner. His florid, -handsome face wore a perpetual and evil sneer. His grey eyes were -ill-tempered and quarrelsome. - -"By the gods, my friends," he cried, with a sneer, "how tender-hearted -and compassionate you are grown! With what lavishness do you bestow -the wealth of Ulysses, or rather of the queen, upon this old -scarecrow. Such old beasts are no use in this world. Get you gone, you -old dog!" - -With that he hurled a three-legged stool at Ulysses. The stool struck -him a heavy blow on his side. - -For a moment the black turmoil in the hero's heart was almost -irrepressible. But with an enormous effort of will he overcame it. He -stood quite still, with his head sunk upon his breast in humility. - -Now came the girls from out of the house carrying great jars of fresh -wine, and copper bowls of water for the mixing, which they put upon -the table. - -Here was better sport than an old beggar and his woes, and Ulysses -moved aside and was forgotten. - -But one of the girls touched him on the shoulder. "Wanderer," said -she, "the Queen Penelope has seen how Antinous used you from her room -within the hall, and she sends me to summon you to her, for she would -speak to you." - -Then, with beating heart and footsteps which trembled with no -simulated age, the king followed the girl over the threshold of his -own palace. - -As he was walking towards the chamber of the queen an old woman came -towards them, a very old woman with a lined brown face and little, -brilliant twinkling eyes. - -"Poor old man," she said, "it is a shame that they should use your -grey hairs so, and abuse the hospitality which is the sacred right of -strangers. My lady Penelope sends me to you, and bids me wash your -feet in this bowl of water, so that we may purge our house of the -stain the prince without has cast upon it. Sit on this stool and I -will lave ye." - -So the old nurse Euryclea bathed the feet of her master whom she had -dandled in her arms as a child. Suddenly Ulysses made as though he -would draw away his foot. He remembered that on his leg he bore a -strange-shaped scar made by a savage boar when he was a boy, and he -feared the wise old woman would know him by that mark. - -But as she passed her hand along his ankle she touched the mark and -turned his foot towards the light and saw it. She dropped his foot -quickly, and the basin was overturned and the water ran away over the -marble floor. She looked up into the king's face and knew him for all -his disguise. - -In a fierce, hurried whisper he bade her be silent for her life and -his and the queen's safety. As she vowed, trembling, by Zeus and the -gods, to do his bidding, a trumpet snarled suddenly outside on the -steps of the palace. - -The riot without died into silence. - -The clear cold voice of a herald began to speak. - -Thus says the Queen Penelope: "To-morrow will I make an end of all. In -the forenoon I will choose from among the princes whom I will wed. Too -long have ye rioted within the palace and eaten up the substance of -myself and my son. I am aweary. And since there is no other way, -to-morrow I will choose. Ye shall take the great bow of the King -Ulysses from its cover. And he who can shoot an arrow through twelve -axes in a row--even as Ulysses was wont to do--him will I wed." - -"Nurse!" whispered Ulysses, "the king will be here before any can bend -that bow. Now go into the queen and tell her that the old man is sick -and begs leave to wait upon her another time. And comfort her with an -omen that you have seen, but tell her nothing. And now farewell. There -is much to do ere dawn." - - * * * * * - -There was a silence of consternation in the great banqueting hall of -the palace. - -Penelope from her seat upon the raised steps beneath the -richly-decorated wall at the end smiled faintly to herself. - -The twelve axes stood in a row, driven into sockets in the pavement. -The suitors stood in two long rows on either side. - -Antinous, the strongest of them all, held a great polished bow. His -face blazed with anger and was red with shame. - -All eyes were centred on him. No one saw old Eumĉus steal out into the -porch and silently lower the heavy bars of the door and lash them -tight with cords. - -"Ah!" cried Antinous, "I know now why neither any of you nor I myself -can bend this bow. It is not the great strength of Ulysses, for I am -stronger than he ever was. This is Apollo's festival, the Archer-God, -and it is useless to strive to bend this bow to-day. Let us sacrifice -to Helios to-day, and then to-morrow come again to the trial." - -Then the old beggar man came forward. - -"My lords," he said, "I pray you give me the bow, since you have done -your trial for to-day. I was once strong in my youth. Let me have this -honour." - -Antinous scowled at him, and stepped toward him to strike such -insolence, but the clear voice of Penelope called sharply down the -lane of men,-- - -"Who insults even the meanest in my palace? Have more regard, sir, for -I am still queen here. Give the old man the bow since that is his -whim." - -Antinous was cowed, but still murmured, when Telemachus stepped -quickly up to him. The boy seemed taller, his eyes shone with a cold, -fierce light they had never seen in them before. His voice rang with a -new authority. - -"Be silent, sir!" he said in a keen, threatening voice. "The bow is -mine, and mine alone, to give or refuse as I decide. Mother, the trial -is over for to-day. Go with your maidens into your own chamber. I will -see to this old man, and I am master here and will be so." - -With a frightened pride and wonder the queen withdrew. - -The suitors began to whisper to each other, wondering what this might -mean. Their confidence seemed to be slipping away from them. Each and -all felt uneasy. There was some strange influence in the air which -sapped their courage and silenced the loud insolent words which were -ever on their lips. - -The shadow of death was creeping into the hall. - -The great marble room suddenly grew cold. The old beggar came up to -the splendid Antinous and took the bow from his unresisting hand. - -As he plucked the string the gods spake at last. A crash of thunder -pealed among them. There was a moment's silence, and then the -bow-string rang beneath the hero's touch as clear as the note of a -swallow. - -And in a strange light, which glowed out from the walls and great -pillars of bronze, the princes saw no beggar, but a noble form with -bronzed face and flashing eyes, and they knew the king had come home -again. - -Ulysses motioned to his son, and Telemachus drew his sword and with a -great shout rushed up the hall after his father. - -They turned and stood on the steps. - -An arrow sang like a flying wasp, and Antinous lay dying on the floor. - -Then the princes rushed to the walls where their armour and swords -were wont to hang, but all the pegs were bare. - -Only above the steps where Ulysses stood were three spears and three -shields, and as they gazed in cold fear Eumĉus leapt upon the steps -and the three girded on the armour. - -Again the great bow sang, and Amphinomus lay dead. - -Then Telemachus with a great shout drove his spear through the fat -Ctessipus, and he fell gurgling his life away. - -But one of the suitors, Melanthius, climbed up a pillar through one of -the lanterns of the hall and clambered over the roofs to the armoury -unseen by Ulysses. - -And while the deadly arrows sped with bitter mocking words towards the -cowering throng, he gathered a great sheaf of spears and flung them -down among his comrades. - -They seized upon the spears with a fierce cry of joy, and Ulysses' -heart failed him where he stood for there were still many living. - -They began to run up the hall towards the steps. - -Then at last Athene saw that her time had come, and she lifted her -terrible war shield which brings death to the sons of men. - -And the flight of spears all went far wide of the mark, and some fell -with a rattle upon the floor. - -With one cry of triumph the king leapt like light among the crowd. -Hither and there flashed the three swords like swooping vultures, and -Athene took all power from the princes, and one by one they screamed -and met their doom. - -And soon the din of battle died away, and save for a faint moaning the -hall was silent. - -And the princes, the pride of the islands, lay fallen in dust and -blood, heaped one on the other, like a great catch of fishes turned -out from a fisherman's nets upon the shore. - -Eumĉus went to the door of the hall and cut the lashings, and raised -the bars so that the sunlight came slanting in great beams. The dust -danced in the light rays like a powder of tiny lives. - -Then Ulysses called the servants and bade them carry the bodies away. -And he ordered Euryclea to wash the blood-stained floors, and to bring -sulphur and torches that the place might be purified. - -And that night great beacons flared on the hills, and far out to sea -the fishermen saw them and said, "Surely the king has come home -again." - -And while the music rang though the lighted palace and the people -passed before the gates shouting for joy, old Euryclea spread the -marriage bed of the king by the light of flaming torches. - -And when all was prepared, the old nurse went to Ulysses and Penelope -and led them to the door of the marriage chamber, as she had led them -twenty years before. - -Then the music ceased in the palace halls and silence fell over all -the house. - - - - -A NOTE ON HOMER AND ULYSSES - - -The uncertainty which prevails as to the actual birthplace of Homer -also extends to the exact period at which he flourished. Doubts have -been expressed by some modern scholars as to whether the poet ever -existed as a personality. The view that the _Iliad_ and _Odyssey_ were -not the work of an individual, but merely a collection of old folklore -verse welded into a whole by many hands, made compact by ages, a -self-born epic rising from crystallised tradition, is, however, not a -tenable one, and need not be discussed here. - -As far as we are able to place the poet in his period correctly, we -can say with some certainty that he flourished at a time between 800 -and 900 years before the birth of Christ. - -The Arundelian marbles fix his era at 907 years before the dawn of -Christianity. About the life of the most ancient of all poets nothing -whatever is known. There is a tradition that he had a school of -followers in the Island of Chios, and we have early records of -celebrations held there in his honour every few years. But no proof -whatever exists of the truth of the supposition, though up to quite -modern times the islanders maintained and believed in it. - -In the same way must be treated the story of Homer's blindness. It is -a legend which cannot be proved or disproved. Yet at a time when -literature must have been almost purely oral, his blindness need have -been no bar to the exercise of his talent. It has been said, and the -theory is at least an interesting one, that the music and sonance of -Homer's lines came from the fact that they were composed to be -_spoken_ rather than _read_. That the blindness of Milton did not in -any way detract from the grandeur of his verse is an undoubted fact, -and yet Milton had to _speak_ every line before he could have it -recorded by others. - -We can deduce something of Homer from his work. That he must have been -a travelled man seems indubitable. To this day the modern Ulysses or -Menelaus, standing on the bridge of his tramp steamer, can see the -headlands, islands, and capes, unchanged from 3000 years ago. That -Homer was a man of deep feeling, was possessed of the "artistic -temperament" in a very marked degree, seems equally clear. Nothing can -be more delicate and touching than his handling of Penelope. Other -ancient writers have represented the wife of Ulysses as an abandoned -harlot, and said that her husband repudiated her for incontinence -during his absence. Homer, with a far surer, finer touch, made her a -model for wives to emulate and husbands to desire. The whole of the -home-coming scenes in the _Odyssey_ could only have been written by a -man who was no mere materialist. - -When Homer wrote, human nature was much less profound a thing than it -has since become. And yet, though men's motives were entirely -different, men's actions sprang from less subtle causes than now. -Homer was a psychologist of the first class. He knew his fellow-men. -In all Romance no one can point to a finer and more consistent -character-study than that of Ulysses. Shakespeare has drawn no more -vivid picture of a single temperament. Homer must have mixed with -mankind, observed them closely, been an acute and untiring observer. - -The absolutely original temper of his mind is extraordinary. For we -must remember that Homer could hardly have had any models to inform -his choice of subjects or direct his style. Yet none of his -imitators, and there have been many, were able, even in their -happiest moments, even to approach him. As he was the first poet, so -he was the greatest, and we may well conclude he will remain so until -men themselves are things of the past. - -In the ancient world, when we get into the actual periods of recorded -history, we find a worship of Homer universally existing. His works -reposed under the pillow of Alexander together with the sword which -had made him great. The conqueror enshrined the _Iliad_ in the richest -casket of the vanquished Persian king. Altars smoked in Homer's honour -all over Greece, he was venerated as a god. But speculations about -Homer have, after all, but little value. We know nothing, and we shall -never now know anything about him. - -He remains a glorious and mysterious fact. We have the priceless -legacy of this Being, and that is enough. - - -ULYSSES - -Even Euclid, the inventor of concrete logical processes, is forced to -begin with axioms and definitions that are absurd. Once allow them, -and everything proceeds to a brilliant triumph of mentality; but in -order to build a basis in a vacuum, one has to swallow a dose of -nonsense first. - -It must be confessed that in order to estimate the character-drawing -employed by Homer to create Ulysses, we must swallow the supernatural -influences which surrounded him. Put them out of the question and the -hero lacks perspective and becomes a doll. Let it be granted that -Minerva stood beside the wanderer. "Her clear and bared limbs -o'erthwarted with the brazen-headed spear." Let us but believe with -Homer that the careless Gods lie beside their nectar on the hill, and -hurl their bolts far below into the valleys of men, then the man -Ulysses shines out clear and full of colour, an absolute achievement -in Art. - -An ancient Norse pick-axe has been discovered, bearing the following -inscription:-- - - "_Either I will find a way or make one_," - -and a broken helmet was once found in Battle Abbey, engraved with this -crest:-- - - "_L'espoir est ma force._" - -The Master Mariner might have owned them both. The first quality which -we marvel at in our analysis of Ulysses' character is the -extraordinary _resource_ which he displays throughout all his -wanderings. His qualities of passive endurance, his enormous courage, -his mental agility--the very cream of cunning, are all component parts -of his unfailing readiness to take sudden advantage of his -opportunity. For him all tides were at flood to lead on to fortune. - -Charybdis sucks down his stout ship into the womb of the sea, he makes -a raft of the restored keel. - -He estimates the brain power of the stupid Cyclops at its exact value, -and escapes the vengeance of his companions by a pun. And there is a -well-defined touch of fatalism in Ulysses also. When the irreparable -blunder has been committed by his sailors, and Apollo's sacred beeves -are smoking on the spit, he knows that he and all his men must pay -heavily for their disregard of Circe's warning. It is inevitable. -Nothing can turn aside the coming anger of the Sun-God. So Ulysses, -being hungry, though innocent of the initial sacrilege, makes his -unhallowed meal with the rest. He must endure the pain, so plucks the -pelf also. To enlarge upon his courage and endurance were unnecessary. -The _Odyssey_ is one long pĉan of them both. His sagacity is manifest -so vividly in all his actions that even Zeus, father of Heaven, says -to Athene, "_No, daughter, I could never forget Ulysses, the wisest -worldling of them all_." But what of Ulysses as a Sybarite? The hero -"Mulierose," to borrow from the _Cloister and the Hearth_, the lover -of ladies, "propt on beds of amaranth and moly," while white enchanted -arms hold him a willing captive? I have heard it remarked that here -the Ionian father of poets has gone astray. People have said to me -that Ulysses loved his wife too well to dwell contented on the spicy -downs of Lotos Land, that he was too taut and hardy a man. But Homer -did not err in his study of temperament. - -How can one judge the man of 3000 years ago by the standards of -to-day? In the ages when hosts joined in battle for the fair body of -Helen men looked on women with other eyes than ours. Heaven and hell -were very material places, pleasure was a very material, tangible, -understandable thing and a lovely woman a gift from the Gods. - -Ulysses strove for Ithaca through storm and wrack, and when Fortune -sent him to Calypso, or beached his ship on Circe's fairy isle, he was -content to rest a little while. He yielded, like others of the wise. -Socrates studied under Aspasia, and Aspasia ruled the world under the -name of Pericles. - -It is in trying to fit the temperament of an ancient to a modern that -the majority of people must always fail to understand a great piece of -contemporary literature. One may sift the instances of modern -temperament and comment on them, but one should not try to mould the -residue into a like form. The Bible story paints King David, for -example, as a truculent, bloodthirsty, canting monster--a complete -portrait. The immorality and stupidity lies in trying to reconcile his -Old Testament enormities with the revelations of the New. - -So with Ulysses, Circe, Calypso, Nausicaa, and even in later years the -legendary Erippe, all fall truly, artistically and naturally into the -mosaic of the hero's life. - -One interesting point in the pleasure-loving side of Ulysses' nature -should by no means be disregarded. Not only did he take eagerly such -joys as the Fates apportioned, but he was a true and discriminating -Sybarite. - -We find him taking stringent precautions against disaster from the -Sirens, yet determined to enjoy the luxury of their song. It is a -pleasure not to be missed and not to be paid for. In after years we -may imagine him relating his unique and delicious experience to his -friends with an undoubted complacency. - -In the commendable and ancient virtues of filial love, a cardinal -virtue in the old world, a forgotten duty to-day, Ulysses was -singularly strong. His tenderest inquiries in Hades, the most -passionate expressions of affection, are protested to the shade of -Anticlea, his mother. One of the most touching scenes in the _Odyssey_ -is the meeting between Ulysses and Laertes, his father, after the long -wanderings are over. "_He flung his arms around his father and cried -out, 'Oh, my father, I am here indeed once more. I have come back to -you at last! Dry your tears, for mine is the victory.'_" - -A many-sided man. Hard as a diamond and as bright, with every facet in -his many-sided nature cut and polished by the hand of a master. - - C. R. G. - - -THE END - -_Colston & Coy, Limited, Printers, Edinburgh_ - - - - - _ADVERTISEMENT_ - - - BY SPECIAL APPOINTMENT - - [Decoration] - - TO HIS MAJESTY THE KING - - - W. CLARKSON - - THEATRICAL COSTUMIER AND PERRUQUIER - - WIGS, COSTUMES, MASKS, LIMELIGHT - SCENERY AND PROPERTIES - - Amateur Theatricals and Tableaux Vivants attended in - town or country on most reasonable terms - - Thoroughly competent men sent with every - Requisite - - [Decoration] - - [Decoration] Clarkson's Lillie Powder [Decoration] - - In Three Shades--BLANCHE, NATURELLE, RACHEL - 1s. per box; 1s. 3d. post free - - Used by Mrs Langtry and all the leading - ladies of the theatrical profession - - [Decoration] - - W. CLARKSON - 45 & 44 WELLINGTON ST., STRAND - [Decoration] LONDON, W.C. - - - - -Transcriber's Note - -The author's surname is hyphenated throughout this book, although the -Library of Congress lists his name without the hyphen. - -The author varies slightly from _The Odyssey_ in places--for instance, -the number of years Ulysses remains with Calypso. These variations are -preserved as written. - -There is no page number reference on the illustration facing page 83. - -The author uses some variant spelling which is preserved as printed. -This includes Phoeacians, Vergil, Melesegenes, dogrells, both Grĉcian -and Grecian, and both lotos and lotus. These latter two variations -appear in different sections of the book, so may well be deliberate on -the part of the author. - -Minor punctuation errors have been repaired. The following amendments -have also been made: - - Page 10--discrimena amended to discrimina--Per varios casus - per tot discrimina rerum ... - - Page 32--smiled amended to smile--A cruel smile played on his - face. - - Page 74--ago years amended to years ago--It was nine years ago - that the pale gaunt waif of the sea ... - - Page 94--iufluence amended to influence--There was some - strange influence in the air ... - -The frontispiece illustration has been moved to follow the title page. -Other illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are -not in the middle of a paragraph. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Adventures of Ulysses the Wanderer, by -Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ADVENTURES OF ULYSSES *** - -***** This file should be named 41935-8.txt or 41935-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/9/3/41935/ - -Produced by Mark C. 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