that we
might the sooner get away from the accursed land. And when we had rowed a
hundred yards or so, so that a man's voice could yet be heard by one who
stood upon the shore, I stood up in the ship and shouted,--

"He was no coward, O Cyclops, whose comrades thou didst so foully slay in
thy den. Justly art thou punished, monster, that devourest thy guests in
thy dwelling. May the Gods make thee suffer worse things than these!"

Then the Cyclops in his wrath brake off the top of a great hill, a mighty
rock, and hurled it where he had heard the voice. Right in front of the
ship's bow it fell, and a great wave rose as it sank, and washed the ship
back to the shore. But I seized a long pole with both hands, and pushed
the ship from the land, and bade my comrades ply their oars, nodding with
my head, for I would not speak, lest the Cyclops should know where we
were. Then they rowed with all their might and main.

[Illustration: THE CYCLOPS IN HIS WRATH BRAKE OFF THE TOP OF A GREAT HILL]

And when we had gotten twice as far as before I made as if I would speak
again; but my comrades sought to hinder me, saying, "Nay, my lord, anger
not the giant any more. Surely we thought we were lost before, when he
threw the great rock, and washed our ship back to the shore. And if he
hear thee now, he may crush our ship and us, for the man throws a mighty
bolt, and throws it far."

But I would not be persuaded, but stood up and said, "Hear, Cyclops! If
any man ask who blinded thee, say that it was the warrior Ulysses, son of
Laertes, dwelling in Ithaca."

CIRCE'S PALACE

By Nathaniel Hawthorne

At one time in the course of Ulysses' weary voyage, he arrived at an
island that looked very green and pleasant, but the name of which was
unknown to him. For, only a little while before he came thither, he had
met with a terrible hurricane, or rather a great many hurricanes at once,
which drove his fleet of vessels into a strange part of the sea, where
neither himself nor any of his mariners had ever sailed. This misfortune
was entirely owing to the foolish curiosity of his shipmates, who, while
Ulysses lay asleep, had untied some very bulky leathern bags, in which
they supposed a valuable treasure to be concealed. But in each of these
stout bags, King AEolus, the ruler of the winds, had tied up a tempest, and
had given it to Ulysses to keep, in order that he might be sure of a
favorable passage homeward to Ithaca; and when the