an after
mine own heart, and therefore can I never leave thee or forsake thee
in all thy cares. Any other man would have rushed to embrace his wife,
after so many years of wandering; but thou must needs prove her and
make trial of her constancy, before thou takest her to thy heart. And
if thou wouldst know why I held aloof from thee so long, it was
because of Poseidon, my father's brother, who ever pursued thee with
his ire. Yet I knew that thou wouldst return at last, and have waited
patiently for that hour, And now I will open thine eyes, that thou
mayest know the land of thy birth."

As she spoke she touched his eyes, and a mist seemed to fall away from
them, so that he recognised every feature of the place, the slopes of
Neritus, waving with forest trees, the spreading olive-tree, the
harbour, and the cavern where he had many a time sacrificed to the
nymphs. Then Odysseus rejoiced in spirit, and kneeling down he kissed
his native soil, and put up a prayer to the guardian deities of the
place: "Greeting, lovely Naiads, maiden daughters of Zeus! Ne'er hoped
I to see your faces again, Give ear unto my prayer, and if I live and
prosper by the favour of Athene I will pay you rich offerings, as I
was wont to do."

"Doubt not my good-will," said Athene, when he had finished; "that is
assured thee. But it is time to secure these goods of thine in a safe
hiding-place. After that we will advise what is next to be done."

With that she dived into the cave, closely followed by Odysseus, and
showed him where he best might conceal his treasure. When all was
safely bestowed, she set a great stone in the mouth of the cavern, and
sat down at the foot of the olive-tree, motioning Odysseus to take his
place at her side. "Now mark my words," began Athene, "thou hast a
heavy task before thee, to purge thy house of the shameless crew who
for three years past have held the mastery there, and sought to tempt
thy wife from her loyalty to thee. All this time she has been putting
them off with promises which she has no mind to fulfil."

"Tis well," answered Odysseus, "that thou hast warned me; else had I
fallen in my own hall, even as Agamemnon fell. But come, contrive some
cunning device, whereby I may avenge me, and be thou at my side to aid
me, that my heart fail me not. Pour into me the same might and the
same valour as when we sacked Priam's royal citadel; then should I
fear nothing, though I fought single-handed against three hundre