Page 167 - the-odyssey

and find out more, but in the end I deemed it best to go back
to the ship, give the men their dinners, and send some of
them instead of going myself.
‘When I had nearly got back to the ship some god took
pity upon my solitude, and sent a fine antlered stag right
into the middle of my path. He was coming down his pas-
ture in the forest to drink of the river, for the heat of the sun
drove him, and as he passed I struck him in the middle of
the back; the bronze point of the spear went clean through
him, and he lay groaning in the dust until the life went out
of him. Then I set my foot upon him, drew my spear from
the wound, and laid it down; I also gathered rough grass and
rushes and twisted them into a fathom or so of good stout
rope, with which I bound the four feet of the noble crea-
ture together; having so done I hung him round my neck
and walked back to the ship leaning upon my spear, for the
stag was much too big for me to be able to carry him on
my shoulder, steadying him with one hand. As I threw him
down in front of the ship, I called the men and spoke cheer-
ingly man by man to each of them. ‘Look here my friends,’
said I, ‘we are not going to die so much before our time after
all, and at any rate we will not starve so long as we have got
something to eat and drink on board.’ On this they uncov-
ered their heads upon the sea shore and admired the stag,
for he was indeed a splendid fellow. Then, when they had
feasted their eyes upon him sufficiently, they washed their
hands and began to cook him for dinner.
‘Thus through the livelong day to the going down of the
sun we stayed there eating and drinking our fill, but when

1 The Odyssey