“‘Woe is me!’ roared the Cyclops. ‘Nobody has craftily throttled me. Nobody has attacked me.’
“‘Well, if nobody is attacking thee we are of no use. We can do naught against inward pains; for those thou must call on thy father Poseidon.’ Speaking thus they went away.
“How my heart laughed for joy that my false name had fooled them. But the greatest danger lay still before us. We might escape the fingers of the blind giant in the recesses of the cave, but he now seated himself before the entrance, rolled back the stone halfway, and stretched out his hands to catch us should we try to steal out among the sheep and goats.
“However, I conceived a plan to outwit him in this also. Among the goats were powerful animals, with very thick wool. I put three of them side by side and bound them together with withes. The middle one carried one of my companions under his body bound securely, while the other two protected him on either side. A great woolly one, king of all, I kept back for myself. Thus prepared, we awaited the morning.
THE BLINDING OF POLYPHEMUS
“At last the flock set out and crowded past their waiting master, who carefully felt of each woolly back to see if one of us should not be riding on it. It never occurred to him that we might be hanging underneath. At length the first three came up, carrying their man successfully past, then the second, and so on. I was last. I crawled underneath, nestling into the thick wool as deeply as I could with hands and feet. Then the animal struggled forward as fast as he was able with his unaccustomed burden, while I held on desperately by his curly wool. The Cyclops recognized his favorite at once in caressing him, and spoke sadly to him. ‘Dear little one, art thou the last to-day to leave the cave? Thou, who art always the first to trot so gayly at the head of all the others. Art perchance sad also, and dost feel sorry for thy master’s eye, which the villain Nobody has put out? But only wait, he shall not escape his deserts. If thou couldst but speak, my little one, thou wouldst tell me at once where the wretch is hiding. Then shouldst thou see how his blood and marrow would splash about the cave. That would be revenge sweet to my heart.’
“Thus spake the Cyclops and released the goat. I let him carry me but a short distance, then let go, jumped up, and released my companions, of whom, alas! but six alone were left. Our rescuers we quietly drove before us, taking them as a thank offering. The Cyclops carefully closed his door again and whistled for his flock. We laughed in our hearts, and slunk quickly away with the stolen animals to our ship and put off. We rowed as fast as we could, and when the boat was as far from land as a man’s voice will carry, it occurred to me to shout a mocking farewell to the monster.
“‘Ho, Cyclops! Take notice that thou hast entertained no ordinary mortal. In truth thou hast not eaten my friends for nothing. Thou art repaid at last for thine inhuman crimes.’
“How enraged he was. He tore off a piece of rock and cast it in the direction from which the voice had come. He aimed well, for it fell into the water close beside our vessel, so that we rocked in the trough of the sea. The waves nearly beat us back to shore again, but I urged on my men and they regained the high seas.