She then went quickly on, and Telemachus followed in her steps till they reached the place where the guilds of the Pylian people were assembled.  There they found Nestor sitting with his sons, while his company round him were busy getting dinner ready, and putting pieces of meat on to the spits {26} while other pieces were cooking.  When they saw the strangers they crowded round them, took them by the hand and bade them take their places.  Nestor’s son Pisistratus at once offered his hand to each of them, and seated them on some soft sheepskins that were lying on the sands near his father and his brother Thrasymedes.  Then he gave them their portions of the inward meats and poured wine for them into a golden cup, handing it to Minerva first, and saluting her at the same time.

“Offer a prayer, sir,” said he, “to King Neptune, for it is his feast that you are joining; when you have duly prayed and made your drink offering, pass the cup to your friend that he may do so also.  I doubt not that he too lifts his hands in prayer, for man cannot live without God in the world.  Still he is younger than you are, and is much of an age with myself, so I will give you the precedence.”

As he spoke he handed her the cup.  Minerva thought it very right and proper of him to have given it to herself first; {27} she accordingly began praying heartily to Neptune.  “O thou,” she cried, “that encirclest the earth, vouchsafe to grant the prayers of thy servants that call upon thee.  More especially we pray thee send down thy grace on Nestor and on his sons; thereafter also make the rest of the Pylian people some handsome return for the goodly hecatomb they are offering you.  Lastly, grant Telemachus and myself a happy issue, in respect of the matter that has brought us in our ship to Pylos.”

When she had thus made an end of praying, she handed the cup to Telemachus and he prayed likewise.  By and by, when the outer meats were roasted and had been taken off the spits, the carvers gave every man his portion and they all made an excellent dinner.  As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, Nestor, knight of Gerene, began to speak.

“Now,” said he, “that our guests have done their dinner, it will be best to ask them who they are.  Who, then, sir strangers, are you, and from what port have you sailed?  Are you traders? or do you sail the seas as rovers with your hand against every man, and every man’s hand against you?”

Telemachus answered boldly, for Minerva had given him courage to ask about his father and get himself a good name.

“Nestor,” said he, “son of Neleus, honour to the Achaean name, you ask whence we come, and I will tell you.  We come from Ithaca under Neritum, {28} and the matter about which I would speak is of private not public import.  I seek news of my unhappy father Ulysses, who is said to have sacked the town of Troy in company with yourself.  We know what fate befell each one of the other heroes