retorted eagerly, like a lad who did not know what fear meant, "And
why should you honour him so much, grandfather?" Then Astyages laughed
and said, "Can you not see how prettily he mixes the cup, and with
what a grace he serves the wine?" And indeed, these royal cup-bearers
are neat-handed at their task, mixing the bowl with infinite elegance,
and pouring the wine into the beakers without spilling a drop, and
when they hand the goblet they poise it deftly between thumb and
finger for the banqueter to take. [9] "Now, grandfather," said the
boy, "tell Sacas to give me the bowl, and let me pour out the wine as
prettily as he if I can, and win your favour." So the king bade the
butler hand him the bowl, and Cyrus took it and mixed the wine just as
he had seen Sacas do, and then, showing the utmost gravity and the
greatest deftness and grace, he brought the goblet to his grandfather
and offered it with such an air that his mother and Astyages, too,
laughed outright, and then Cyrus burst out laughing also, and flung
his arms round his grandfather and kissed him, crying, "Sacas, your
day is done! I shall oust you from your office, you may be sure. I
shall make just as pretty a cup-bearer as you--and not drink the wine
myself!" For it is the fact that the king's butler when he offers the
wine is bound to dip a ladle in the cup first, and pour a little in
the hollow of his hand and sip it, so that if he has mixed poison in
the bowl it will do him no good himself. [10] Accordingly, Astyages,
to carry on the jest, asked the little lad why he had forgotten to
taste the wine though he had imitated Sacas in everything else. And
the boy answered, "Truly, I was afraid there might be poison in the
bowl. For when you gave your birthday feast to your friends I could
see quite plainly that Sacas had put in poison for you all." "And how
did you discover that, my boy?" asked the king. "Because I saw how
your wits reeled and how you staggered; and you all began doing what
you will not let us children do--you talked at the top of your voices,