till they came to the very end of the great
Peloponnesian land, where Cape Malea looks out upon the southern sea.
But contrary currents baffled them, so that they could not round it,
and the north wind blew so strongly that they must fain drive before
it. And on the tenth day they came to the land where the lotus
grows--a wondrous fruit, of which whosoever eats cares not to see
country or wife or children again. Now the Lotus eaters, for so they
call the people of the land, were a kindly folk and gave of the fruit
to some of the sailors, not meaning them any harm, but thinking it to
be the best that they had to give. These, when they had eaten, said
that they would not sail any more over the sea; which, when the wise
Ulysses heard, he bade their comrades bind them and carry them, sadly
complaining, to the ships.

Then, the wind having abated, they took to their oars and rowed for
many days till they came to the country where the Cyclopes dwell. Now,
a mile or so from the shore there was an island, very fair and
fertile, but no man dwells there or tills the soil, and in the island
a harbor where a ship may be safe from all winds, and at the head of
the harbor a stream falling from the rock, and whispering alders all
about it. Into this the ships passed safely and were hauled up on the
beach, and the crews slept by them, waiting for the morning. And the
next day they hunted the wild goats, of which there was great store on
the island, and feasted right merrily on what they caught, with
draughts of red wine which they had carried off from the town of the
Ciconians.

But on the morrow, Ulysses, for he was ever fond of adventure and
would know of every land to which he came what manner of men they were
that dwelt there, took one of his twelve ships and bade row to the
land. There was a great hill sloping to the shore, and there rose up
here and there a smoke from the caves where the Cyclopes dwelt apart,
holding no converse with each other, for they were a rude and savage
folk, but ruled each his own household, not caring for others. Now
very close to the shore was one of these caves, very huge and deep,
with laurels round about the mouth, and in front a fold with walls
built of rough stone and shaded by tall oaks and pines. So Ulysses
chose out of the crew the twelve bravest, and bade the rest guard the
ship, and went to see what manner of dwelling this was and who abode
there. He had his sword by his side, and on his sh