the giant had closed up the door was far beyond their power to remove, and they would therefore be in hopeless imprisonment.  Next morning the giant seized two more of the Greeks, and despatched them in the same manner as their companions, feasting on their flesh till no fragment was left.  He then moved away the rock from the door, drove out his flocks, and went out, carefully replacing the barrier after him.  When he was gone Ulysses planned how he might take vengeance for his murdered friends, and effect his escape with his surviving companions.  He made his men prepare a massive bar of wood cut by the Cyclops for a staff, which they found in the cave.  They sharpened the end of it, and seasoned it in the fire, and hid it under the straw on the cavern floor.  Then four of the boldest were selected, with whom Ulysses joined himself as a fifth.  The Cyclops came home at evening, rolled away the stone and drove in his flock as usual.  After milking them and making his arrangements as before, he seized two more of Ulysses’ companions and dashed their brains out, and made his evening meal upon them as he had on the others.  After he had supped, Ulysses approaching him handed him a bowl of wine, saying, “Cyclops, this is wine; taste and drink after thy meal of men’s flesh.”  He took and drank it, and was hugely delighted with it, and called for more.  Ulysses supplied him once again, which pleased the giant so much that he promised him as a favor that he should be the last of the party devoured.  He asked his name, to which Ulysses replied, “My name is Noman.”

After his supper the giant lay down to repose, and was soon sound asleep.  Then Ulysses with his four select friends thrust the end of the stake into the fire till it was all one burning coal, then poising it exactly above the giant’s only eye, they buried it deeply into the socket, twirling it round as a carpenter does his auger.  The howling monster with his outcry filled the cavern, and Ulysses with his aids nimbly got out of his way and concealed themselves in the cave.  He, bellowing, called aloud on all the Cyclopes dwelling in the caves around him, far and near.  They on his cry flocked round the den, and inquired what grievous hurt had caused him to sound such an alarm and break their slumbers.  He replied, “O friends, I die, and Noman gives the blow.”  They answered, “If no man hurts thee it is the stroke of Jove, and thou must bear it.”  So saying, they left him groaning.

Next morning the Cyclops rolled away the stone to let his flock out to pasture, but planted himself in the door of the cave to feel of all as they went out, that Ulysses and his men should not escape with them.  But Ulysses had made his men harness the rams of the flock three abreast, with osiers which they found on the floor of the cave.  To the middle ram of the three one of the Greeks suspended himself, so protected by the exterior rams on either side.  As they passed, the giant felt of the animals’