ambition. Seizing these men, Ulysses conveyed them bound to his ship,
and, without allowing the rest to land, sailed hastily away from those
pernicious shores.

Before long he came to the land of the Cyclops, and disembarked on a
small neighboring island to renew his stock of food and water. Then,
unwilling to depart without having at least visited the Cyclops, he
took twelve of his bravest men, a skin-bottle full of delicious wine,
and set out to find Polyphemus, chief of the Cyclops. On entering the
huge cave where this giant pursued his avocation of dairyman, Ulysses
and his companions built a fire, around which they sat awaiting their
host's return. Before long a huge one-eyed monster drove in his
flocks, and, after closing the opening of his cave with a rock which
no one else could move, proceeded to milk his ewes and make cheese.

It was only while at supper that he noticed Ulysses and his men, who
humbly approached him as suppliants. After shrewdly questioning them
to ascertain whether they were alone, believing Ulysses' tale that
they were shipwrecked men, he seized and devoured two of them before
he lay down to rest. Although sorely tempted to slay him while he was
thus at their mercy, Ulysses refrained, knowing he and his companions
would never be able to move the rock.

At dawn the giant again milked his flock, and devoured--as a relish
for his breakfast--two more Greeks. Then he easily rolled aside the
rock, which he replaced when he and his flock had gone out for the
day, thus imprisoning Ulysses and his eight surviving men. During
that long day Ulysses sharpened to a point a young pine, and, after
hardening this weapon in the fire, secured by lot the helpers he
needed to execute his plan. That evening Polyphemus, having finished