In the morning they found that they had been driven to the landward
shore of a long island, which formed a natural breakwater to a
spacious bay, with a narrow entrance at either end. The island was
thickly covered with woods, giving shelter to a multitude of wild
goats, its only inhabitants. For the Cyclopes have no ships, so that
the goats were left in undisturbed possession, though the place was
well suited for human habitation, with a deep, rich soil, and
plentiful springs of water.

The first care of Odysseus was to supply the crews of his vessels,
which were twelve in number, with fresh meat. Armed with bows and
spears, he and a picked body of men scoured the woods in search of
game. They soon obtained a plentiful booty, and nine goats were
assigned to each vessel, with ten for that of Odysseus. So all that
day till the setting of the sun they sat and feasted on fat venison
and drank of the wine which they had taken in their raid on the
Thracians.

Early next morning Odysseus manned his own galley, and set forth to
explore the mainland, leaving the rest of the crews to await his
return on the island. As they drew near the opposite shore of the bay,
the mariners came in view of a gigantic cavern overshadowed by
laurel-trees. Round the front of the cavern was a wide court-yard
rudely fenced with huge blocks of stone and unhewn trunks of trees.

Having moored his vessel in a sheltered place, Odysseus chose twelve
of his men to accompany him on his perilous adventure, and charging
the others to keep close, and not stir from the ship, he prepared for
his visit to the Cyclops, who dwelt apart from his brethren in the