Part 3 (1/2)

VIII

They cast the hills, and they stayed the chariot outside the gate of the King's dwelling Now upon that day Menelaus was sending his daughter into Phthia, with horses and chariots, as a bride for Achilles' son And for Megapenthes, his own son, a bride was being brought into the house Because of these twoin the palace and kins to the guests and two tuh hall to divert theh hall came Eteoneus, the steward 'Renowned Menelaus,' said Eteoneus, 'there are two strangers outside, men with the looks of heroes What would you havethem enter the Palace, or shall I let the?'

'Why do you ask such a question, Eteoneus?' said Menelaus in anger

'Have we not eaten the bread of other s, and have we not rested ourselves in other ht to ask whether you should bid strangers enter or let the Go now and bid them enter and feast with us'

Then Eteoneus went from the hall, and while he had servants unyoke the horses from their chariot he led Teleht to the bath, and when they had coiven new cloaks and mantles When they had dressed theh hall They seated theolden ewer and poured it over their hands into a silver basin Then a polished table was put beside them, and the housedaht eat

Menelaus came to where they sat and said to Telemachus and Peisistratus, 'By your looks I know you to be of the line of Kings Eat now, and when you have refreshed yourselves I will ask who you are and from what place you come'

But before they had finished theirthem the treasures that were near, the lady Helen cas and Princes of Greece had gone to war Her maids ith her, and they set a chair for her near where Menelaus was and they put a rug of soft wool under her feet Then one brought to her a silver basket filled with colored yarn And Helen sat in her high chair and took the distaff in her hands and worked the yarn

She questioned Menelaus about the things that had happened during the day, and as she did she watched Telemachus

Then the lady Helen left the distaff down and said, 'Menelaus, I aers is No one was ever reat-hearted Odysseus I know that he is no other than Telemachus, whoan their war against Troy'

Then said Menelaus, 'I too lance of his eye, remind me of Odysseus But can it indeed be that Telemachus has come into my house?'

'Renowned Menelaus,' said Peisistratus, 'this is indeed the son of Odysseus And I avow myself to be the son of another comrade of yours, of Nestor, ith you at the war of Troy I have been sent with Teleuide to your house'

Menelaus rose up and clasped the hand of Telemachus 'Never did there come to my house,' said he, 'a youth more welcome For my sake did Odysseus endure much toil and iven hi would have parted us, one from the other But Odysseus, I know, has not returned to his own land of Ithaka'

Then Teleh the world, wept Helen, too, shed tears, re upon Odysseus and on all his toils, was silent and sad; and sad and silent too was Peisistratus, thinking upon Antilochos, his brother, who had perished in the war of Troy

But Helen, wishi+ng to turn theirthat lulled pain and brought forgetfulness--a drug which had been given to her in Egypt by Polyda Theon And when they had drunk the wine their sorrowful memories went froretfulness Thereafter King Menelaus told of his adventure with the Ancient One of the Sea--the adventure that had brought to his of Odysseus

IX

Said Menelaus, 'Over against the river that flows out of Egypt there is an Island that men call Pharos, and to that island I caht at Troy, were separated one from the other There I was held, day after day, by the will of the Gods Our provision of corn was spent and er Then one day while et fish out of the sea, I ht

'She was an ihter of the Ancient One of the Sea I craved of her to tell et away from that place, and she counselled me to take by an ambush her father, the Ancient One of the Sea, who is also called Proteus, ”You can s, what you et away from this island of Pharos Moreover, he can declare to you what happened to the heroes you have been separated from, and what has taken place in your own hall”

'Then said I to that kind nymph Eidothee, ”Show me how I may take by an ambush your immortal father, the Ancient One of the Sea”'

'Said Eidothee, ”My father, Proteus, cohest in the heavens Then would he lie down to sleep in the caves that are along the shore But before he goes to sleep he counts, as a shepherd counts his flock, the seals that come up out of the ocean and lie round where he lies If there be one too o to sleep in the cave But I will show you how you and certain of your co aware of your presence Take three of your men--the three you trust above all the others--and as soon as it is dawn to- the nyed into the sea and I went from that place anxious, but with hope in my heart

'Now as soon as the dawn had come I walked by the sea-shore and with me cahter of the Ancient One of the Sea, Eidothee, came to us In her arms she had the skins of seals newly-slain, one for each of us And at the cave where the seals lay she scooped holes in the sand and bade us lie there, covering ourselves with the skins Then she spoke to me and said: