Ulysses quickly arose. Girding up his rags he threw the arrows to the ground before him and sprang to the doorway, drawing the bow. “Now I will choose a different mark,” he cried. “Let us see whether Apollo will now grant me his favor!” With this the death shaft sped through Antinous’ neck, just as he had taken up the golden cup to drink. The blood gushed from his mouth as he fell convulsed to the ground, overturning the table with the food and wine. Immediately the hall was in an uproar. The suitors vainly sought their weapons, crying: “Woe to thee, madman! Now thine hour is come and vultures shall feast upon thy flesh!”
The fools! They supposed that the hero had hit Antinous by chance. But he soon undeceived them, crying in thunder tones which caused their hearts and knees to tremble: “Ha! ye dogs! Ye thought that I should ne’er return and therefore have ye squandered my substance, maltreated my servants, and insulted my poor wife for these long years with unprecedented insolence. Ye have feared neither the punishment of the gods nor the disapproval of mankind, but now the day of reckoning has come!”
Horror seized the suitors, while Ulysses again raised the bow and pierced the breast of Eurymachus with his shaft ere he could draw his sword and rush upon him. Telemachus with his spear stood by his father’s side to protect him, while he sent arrow after arrow into the crowd and one after another was struck down into the dust.
Telemachus fetched helmets, shields, and spears for both the herdsmen, and they quickly armed themselves. Melantheus, the goatherd, who had more presence of mind than the rest, managed to slip out of the side door unobserved and bring down some of the weapons which Ulysses and Telemachus had wisely hidden in the upper chambers. Ulysses suddenly discovered that half of the front row of men were armed and spears began to hurtle past him.
“What is this?” he cried in dismay to Telemachus. “One of the maids or Melantheus must have brought them weapons. See how they defend themselves.”
“Ye gods, it is all my fault,” said Telemachus. “I left the door of the armory ajar and the crafty goatherd has taken advantage of it.”
“See, there he is sneaking out to fetch another spear,” cried Ulysses. “Eumæus! Philœtius! Follow him! Bind him! Hang him up, while my son and I fight on!”
When the suitors saw that Ulysses and Telemachus were left alone they took fresh courage, and it would have gone hard with the two against the combined onset of their foes, had not Athene in Mentor’s form entered at the critical moment armed from head to foot and thrown back the nearest ones with a powerful blow of her shield.
“Mentor, cursed old man,” screamed all the suitors, “do not dare to help these two men, for when we shall have conquered them, then woe to thee and thy house! Flee, while there is yet time!”
This angered Pallas Athene, and she spurred Ulysses on with encouraging words. He felt the presence of the goddess and renewed his superhuman efforts. The two herdsmen now returned with a fresh supply of lances, and Mentor saw that the rest of the task could be left to the brave men.