of which he must steer, if he would avoid his own destruction and the
destruction of them all.

They heard him, and like men took to the oars; but little knew what
opposite danger, in shunning that rock, they must be thrown upon. For
Ulysses had concealed from them the wounds, never to be healed, which
Scylla was to open: their terror would else have robbed them all of all
care to steer or move an oar, and have made them hide under the hatches,
for fear of seeing her, where he and they must have died an idle death.
But even then he forgot the precautions which Circe had given him to
prevent harm to his person, who had willed him not to arm, or show himself
once to Scylla; but disdaining not to venture life for his brave
companions, he could not contain, but armed in all points, and taking a
lance in either hand, he went up to the fore-deck, and looked when Scylla
would appear.

She did not show herself as yet, and still the vessel steered closer by
her rock, as it sought to shun that other more dreaded; for they saw how
horribly Charybdis' black throat drew into her all the whirling deep,
which she disgorged again, that all about her boiled like a kettle, and
the rock roared with troubled waters; which when she supped in again, all
the bottom turned up, and disclosed far under shore the swart sands naked,
whose whole stern sight frayed the startled blood from their faces, and
made Ulysses turn to view the wonder of whirlpools. Which when Scylla saw,
from out her black den she darted out her six long necks, and swooped up
as many of his friends: whose cries Ulysses heard, and saw them too late,
with their heels turned up, and their hands thrown to him for succour, who
had been their help in all extremities, but could not deliver them now;
and he heard them shriek out, as she tore them, and to the last they
continued to throw their hands out to him for sweet life. In all his