is the city of the Cicons. There I sacked the town and put thepeople to the sword. We took their wives and also much booty, which wedivided equitably amongst us, so that none might have reason tocomplain. I then said that we had better make off at once, but mymen very foolishly would not obey me, so they stayed there drinkingmuch wine and killing great numbers of sheep and oxen on the seashore. Meanwhile the Cicons cried out for help to other Cicons wholived inland. These were more in number, and stronger, and they weremore skilled in the art of war, for they could fight, either fromchariots or on foot as the occasion served; in the morning, therefore,they came as thick as leaves and bloom in summer, and the hand ofheaven was against us, so that we were hard pressed. They set thebattle in array near the ships, and the hosts aimed theirbronze-shod spears at one another. So long as the day waxed and it wasstill morning, we held our own against them, though they were morein number than we; but as the sun went down, towards the time when menloose their oxen, the Cicons got the better of us, and we lost halfa dozen men from every ship we had; so we got away with those thatwere left."Thence we sailed onward with sorrow in our hearts, but glad to haveescaped death though we had lost our comrades, nor did we leave tillwe had thrice invoked each one of the poor fellows who had perished bythe hands of the Cicons. Then Jove raised the North wind against ustill it blew a hurricane, so that land and sky were hidden in thickclouds, and night sprang forth out of the heavens. We let the shipsrun before the gale, but the force of the wind tore our sails totatters, so we took them down for fear of shipwreck, and rowed ourhardest towards the land. There we lay two days and two nightssuffering much alike from toil and distress of mind, but on themorning of the third day we again raised our masts, set sail, and tookour places, letting the wind and steersmen direct our ship. I shouldhave got home at that time unharmed had not the North wind and thecurrents been against me as I was doubling Cape Malea, and set meoff my course hard by the island of Cythera."I was driven thence by foul winds for a space of nine days upon thesea, but on the tenth day we reached the land of the Lotus-eater,who live on a food that comes from a kind of flower. Here we landed totake in fresh water, and our crews got their mid-day meal on the shorenear the ships. When they had eaten and drunk I sent two of my companyto see what manner of men the people of the place might be, and theyhad a third man under them. They started at once, and went about amongthe Lotus-eaters, who did them no hurt, but gave them to eat of thelotus, which was so delicious that those who ate of it left off caringabout home, and did not even want to go back and say what had happenedto them, but were for staying and munching lotus with theLotus-eater without thinking further of their return; nevertheless,though they wept bitterly I forced them back to the ships and madethem fast under the benches. Then I told the rest to go on board atonce, lest any of them should taste of the lotus and leave off wantingto get home, so they took their places and smote the grey sea withtheir oars."We sailed hence, always in much distress, till we came to theland of the lawless and inhuman Cyclopes. Now the Cyclopes neitherplant nor plough, but trust in providence, and live on such wheat,barley, and grapes as grow wild without any kind of tillage, and theirwild grapes yield them wine as the sun and the rain may grow them.They have no laws nor assemblies of the people, but live in caves onthe tops of high mountains; each is lord and master in his family, andthey take no account of their neighbours."Now off their harbour there lies a wooded and fertile island notquite close to the land of the Cyclopes, but still not far. It isoverrun with wild goats, that breed there in great numbers and arenever disturbed by foot of man; for sportsmen- who as a rule willsuffer so much hardship in forest or among mountain precipices- do notgo there, nor yet again is it ever ploughed or fed down, but it lies awilderness untilled and unsown from year to year, and has no livingthing upon it but only goats. For the Cyclopes have no ships, noryet shipwrights who could make ships for them; they cannot thereforego from city to city, or sail over the sea to one another's country aspeople who have ships can do; if they had had these they would havecolonized the island, for it is a very good one, and would yieldeverything in due season. There are meadows that in some places comeright down to the sea shore, well watered and full of lusciousgrass; grapes would do there excellently; there is level land forploughing, and it would always yield heavily at harvest time, forthe soil is deep. There is a good harbour where no cables arewanted, nor yet anchors, nor need a ship be moored, but all one has todo is to beach one's vessel and stay there till the wind becomesfair for putting out to sea again. At the head of the harbour there isa spring of clear water coming out of a cave, and there are poplarsgrowing all round it."Here we entered, but so dark was the night that some god musthave brought us in, for there was nothing whatever to be seen. A thickmist hung all round our ships; the moon was hidden behind a mass ofclouds so that no one could have seen the island if he had lookedfor it, nor were there any breakers to tell us we were close inshore before we found ourselves upon the land itself; when, however,we had beached the ships, we took down the sails, went ashore andcamped upon the beach till daybreak."When the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared, we admiredthe island and wandered all over it, while the nymphs Jove's daughtersroused the wild goats that we might get some meat for our dinner. Onthis we fetched our spears and bows and arrows from the ships, anddividing ourselves into three bands began to shoot the goats. Heavensent us excellent sport; I had twelve ships with me, and each ship gotnine goats, while my own ship had ten; thus through the livelong dayto the going down of the sun we ate and drank our fill,- and we hadplenty of wine left, for each one of us had taken many jars fullwhen we sacked the city of the Cicons, and this had not yet run out.While we were feasting we kept turning our eyes towards the land ofthe Cyclopes, which was hard by, and saw the smoke of their stubblefires. We could almost fancy we heard their voices and the bleating oftheir sheep and goats, but when the sun went down and it came on dark,we camped down upon the beach, and next morning I called a council."'Stay here, my brave fellows,' said I, 'all the rest of you,while I go with my ship and exploit these people myself: I want to seeif they are uncivilized savages, or a hospitable and humane race.'"I went on board, bidding my men to do so also and loose thehawsers; so they took their places and smote the grey sea with theiroars. When we got to the land, which was not far, there, on the faceof a cliff near the sea, we saw a great cave overhung with laurels. Itwas a station for a great many sheep and goats, and outside therewas a large yard, with a high wall round it made of stones builtinto the ground and of trees both pine and oak. This was the abodeof a huge monster who was then away from home shepherding hisflocks. He would have nothing to do with other people, but led thelife of an outlaw. He was a horrid creature, not like a human being atall, but resembling rather some crag that stands out boldly againstthe sky on the top of a high mountain."I told my men to draw the ship ashore, and stay where they were,all but the twelve best among them, who were to go along withmyself. I also took a goatskin of sweet black wine which had beengiven me by Maron, Apollo son of Euanthes, who was priest of Apollothe patron god of Ismarus, and lived within the wooded precincts ofthe temple. When we were sacking the city we respected him, and sparedhis life, as also his wife and child; so he made me some presents ofgreat value- seven talents of fine gold, and a bowl of silver, withtwelve jars of sweet wine, unblended, and of the most exquisiteflavour. Not a man nor maid in the house knew about it, but onlyhimself, his wife, and one housekeeper: when he drank it he mixedtwenty parts of water to one of wine, and yet the fragrance from themixing-bowl was so exquisite that it was impossible to refrain fromdrinking. I filled a large skin with this wine, and took a wallet fullof provisions with me, for my mind misgave me that I might have todeal with some savage who would be of great strength, and wouldrespect neither right nor law."We soon reached his cave, but he was out shepherding, so we wentinside and took stock of all that we could see. His cheese-rackswere loaded with cheeses, and he had more lambs and kids than his penscould hold. They were kept in separate flocks; first there were thehoggets, then the oldest of the younger lambs and lastly the veryyoung ones all kept apart from one another; as for his dairy, allthe vessels, bowls, and milk pails into which he milked, were swimmingwith whey. When they saw all this, my men begged me to let themfirst steal some cheeses, and make off with them to the ship; theywould then return, drive down the lambs and kids, put them on boardand sail away with them. It would have been indeed better if we haddone so but I would not listen to them, for I wanted to see theowner himself, in the hope that he might give me a present. When,however, we saw him my poor men found him ill to deal with."We lit a fire, offered some of the cheeses in sacrifice, ate othersof them, and then sat waiting till the Cyclops should come in with hissheep. When he came, he brought in with him a huge load of dryfirewood to light the fire for his supper, and this he flung with sucha noise on to the floor of his cave that we hid ourselves for fearat the far end of the cavern. Meanwhile he drove all the ewesinside, as well as the she-goats that he was going to milk, leavingthe males, both rams and he-goats, outside in the yards. Then herolled a huge stone to the mouth of the cave- so huge that two andtwenty strong four-wheeled waggons would not be enough to draw it fromits place against the doorway. When he had so done he sat down andmilked his ewes and goats, all in due course, and then let each ofthem have her own young. He curdled half the milk and set it asidein wicker strainers, but the other half he poured into bowls that hemight drink it for his supper. When he had got through with all hiswork, he lit the fire, and then caught sight of us, whereon he said:"'Strangers, who are you? Where do sail from? Are you traders, or doyou sail the as rovers, with your hands against every man, and everyman's hand against you?'"We were frightened out of our senses by his loud voice andmonstrous form, but I managed to say, 'We are Achaeans on our way homefrom Troy, but by the will of Jove, and stress of weather, we havebeen driven far out of our course. We are the people of Agamemnon, sonof Atreus, who has won infinite renown throughout the whole world,by sacking so great a city and killing so many people. We thereforehumbly pray you to show us some hospitality, and otherwise make ussuch presents as visitors may reasonably expect. May your excellencyfear the wrath of heaven, for we are your suppliants, and Jove takesall respectable travellers under his protection, for he is the avengerof all suppliants and foreigners in distress.'"To this he gave me but a pitiless answer, 'Stranger,' said he, 'youare a fool, or else you know nothing of this country. Talk to me,indeed, about fearing the gods or shunning their anger? We Cyclopes donot care about Jove or any of your blessed gods, for we are ever somuch stronger than they. I shall not spare either yourself or yourcompanions out of any regard for Jove, unless I am in the humour fordoing so. And now tell me where you made your ship fast when youcame on shore. Was it round the point, or is she lying straight offthe land?'"He said this to draw me out, but I was too cunning to be caughtin that way, so I answered with a lie; 'Neptune,' said I, 'sent my