Island of Thrinacia. There the Cattle of
the Sun graze with immortal nymphs to guard them. If them comest to
that Island, do no hurt to those herds. If thou doest hurt to them I
foresee ruin for thy ship and thy men, even though thou thyself shouldst
escape."'

'So Circe spoke to me, and having told me such things she took her way
up the island. Then I went to the ship and roused my men. Speedily they
went aboard, and, having taken their seats upon the benches, struck the
water with their oars. Then the sails were hoisted and a breeze came and
we sailed away from the Isle of Circe, the Enchantress.'

'I told my companions what Circe had told me about the Sirens in their
field of flowers. I took a great piece of wax and broke it and kneaded
it until it was soft. Then I covered the ears of my men, and they bound
me upright to the mast of the ship. The wind dropped and the sea became
calm as though a god had stilled the waters. My company took their oars
and pulled away. When the ship was within a man's shout from the land we
had come near the Sirens espied us and raised their song.'

'"Come hither, come hither, O Odysseus," the Sirens sang, "stay thy bark
and listen to our song. None hath ever gone this way in his ship until
he hath heard from our own lips the voice sweet as a honeycomb, and hath
joy of it, and gone on his way a wiser man. We know all things--all the
travail the Greeks had in the war of Troy, and we know all that
hereafter shall be upon the earth. Odysseus, Odysseus, come to our field
of flowers, and hear the song that we shall sing to thee."'

[Illustration]

'My heart was mad to listen to the Sirens. I nodded my head to the
company commanding them to unloose me, but they bound me the tighter,
and bent to their oars and rowed on. When we had gone past the place of
the Sirens the men took the wax from off their ears and loosed me from
the mast.'

But no sooner had we passed the Island than I saw smoke arising and
heard the roaring of the sea. My company threw down their oars in
terror. I went amongst them to hearten them, and I made them remember
how, by my device, we had escaped from the Cave of the Cyclops.

I told them nothing of the monster Scylla, lest the fear of her should
break their hearts. And now we began to drive through that narrow
strait. On one side was Scylla and on the other Charybdis. Fear gripped
the men when they saw Charybdis gulping down the sea. But as we drove
by, the mons