sound, like the lowing of kine, came from the meat on the spits, and
the hides of the slaughtered beasts crawled and writhed.

In spite of these dreadful omens they continued for six days to feast
upon the herds of Helios. On the seventh day the wind blew fair, and
they launched their vessel and continued their voyage. The last
vestige of the island had hardly been lost to view when the sky became
black with clouds, and a violent squall struck the ship, snapping her
mast, which fell upon the helmsman, and dashed out his brains. A
moment after, a deafening peal of thunder broke overhead, and the
avenging bolt of Zeus fell upon the ship, scattering her timbers, and
strewing the charred carcasses of the crew upon the waves.

Odysseus alone escaped with his life from that tremendous stroke, and
clinging to a spar floated all day, until he came in sight of the
strait between Scylla and Charybdis. By the favour of heaven he was
once more preserved from this great peril, and on the tenth day after
the loss of his vessel he was thrown ashore by the waves on the island
of Calypso.




Odysseus lands in Ithaca

I

The last farewell has been spoken, the good ship is loosed from her
moorings, and Alcinous is standing on the quay, surrounded by the
nobles of Phæacia, to bid his illustrious guest god-speed. The picked