come to beg hospitality of thee in the name of Zeus, who rewards
or punishes hosts and guests according as they be faithful the one
to the other, or no.'

"'Nay,' said the giant; 'it is but idle talk to tell me of Zeus
and the other gods. We Cyclopes take no account of gods, holding
ourselves to be much better and stronger than they. But come, tell
me where have you left your ship?'

"But I saw his thought when he asked about the ship, for he was
minded to break it, and take from us all hope of flight. Therefore
I answered him craftily:--

"Ship have we none, for that which was ours King Poseidon brake,
driving it on a jutting rock on this coast, and we whom thou seest
are all that are escaped from the waves."

"Polyphemus answered nothing, but without more ado caught up two
of the men, as a man might catch up the pups of a dog, and dashed
them on the ground, and tare them limb from limb, and devoured
them, with huge draughts of milk between, leaving not a morsel,
not even the very bones. But we that were left, when we saw the
dreadful deed, could only weep and pray to Zeus for help. And when
the giant had filled his maw with human flesh and with the milk of
the flocks, he lay down among his sheep and slept.

"Then I questioned much in my heart whether I should slay the
monster as he slept, for I doubted not that my good sword would
pierce to the giant's heart, mighty as he was. But my second
thought kept me back, for I remembered that if I should slay him,