Chapter XVIII: Book XIII

_Ulysses is taken back to Ithaca by the Phæacians_.

Thus did Ulysses speak, and Alcinous immediately proposed
that they should make him still further presents. The
expence, however, of these, he said, should be borne
by a levy or rate upon the public at large. The guests
assented, and then went home to bed.

Next morning they brought their presents of hardware down 18
to the ship, and Alcinous saw them so stowed that they
should not incommode the rowers. There was then a second
banquet at Alcinous's house, but Ulysses kept looking
at the sun all the time, longing for it to set that he
might start on his way. At last he rose and addressed the
Phæacians; after thanking them, he concluded by saying
that he hoped he should find his wife on his return
living among her friends in peace and quietness,[24] and 43
that the Phæacians would continue to give satisfaction
to their wives and children. He also bade farewell to
Arete, and wished her all happiness with her children,
her people, and with King Alcinous.

When Ulysses reached the ship, a rug and sail were spread 73
for him, on which he lay down, and immediately fell into
a deep sleep--so deep as to resemble death itself. The
ship sped on her way faster than a falcon's flight and 80
with the break of day they reached Ithaca.

Now in Ithaca there is a sheltered harbour in which a 96
ship can ride without being even moored. At the head of
this there is a large olive tree, near which there is a
cave sacred to the Naiads, where you may find their cups
and amphoræ of stone, and the stone looms whereon they
weave their robes of sea-purple--very curious. The wild
bees, too, build their nests in it. There is water in it
all the year round, and it has two entrances, one looking
North, by which mortals can go down into the cave, and
the other towards the South, but men cannot enter by
it--it is the way taken by gods.

The sailors knew this harbour, and took the ship into it. 112
They were rowing so hard that they ran half her length on
to the shore, and when they had got out of her they took
Ulysses off, still fast asleep on his rug and sail, and
laid him down on the ground. Hard by him they also laid
all the presents the Phæacians had made him; they left
them by the roots of the olive tree, a little out of the
path, that no passer by might steal them, and then went
back to Scheria.

Neptune now saw what the Phæacians had done, and went to 125
consult Jove how he should be revenged. It was arranged
that he should go to Scheria, turn the ship into stone
just as it was coming into port, and root it in the sea. 163
So he did this, and the Phæacians said, "Alack, who has
rooted the ship in the sea just as it was coming in? We
could see all of it a minute ago."

Then Alcinous told them how Neptune had long ago 171
threatened to do this to some Phæacian ship on its return
from giving an escort, and also to bury their city under
a high mountain as a punishment for giving escorts so
freely. The Phæacians, therefore, made ready great
sacrifices to Neptune, that he might have mercy upon them.

While they were thus standing round the altar of the god, 185
Ulysses woke in his own land, but he had been away so
long that he did not know it. Minerva, too, had shed a
thick mist round him so that he might remain unseen while
she told him how things were going on; for she did not
want his wife or anyone else to know of his return until
he had taken his revenge upon the suitors. Therefore she
made everything look strange to him--the long straight
paths, the harbours with their shipping, the steep
precipices, and the trees.

Ulysses now stood up and wondered where he was. He did 197
not believe he was in Ithaca and complained bitterly
of the Phæacians for having brought him wrong. Then he
counted all the tripods, cauldrons, gold, and raiment,
that they had given him, to see if he had been robbed;
but everything was there, and he was in dismay as to what
he should do with them. As he was thus in doubt Minerva
came up to him disguised as a young shepherd, so he asked
her what country he was in, and she answered that he was
in Ithaca.

Ulysses said he had heard that there was such a place; he 256
told Minerva a long lying story as to how he had come to
be where she saw him, and on this the goddess assumed the
form of a woman, fair, stately, and wise, and laughed at
him for not knowing her. Ulysses answered that she was
not an easy person to recognise for she was continually
changing her appearance. Moreover, though she had been
very good to him at Troy, she had left him in the lurch
ever since, until she had taken him into the city of the
Phæacians. "Do not," he said, "deceive me any further,
but tell me whether or no this is really Ithaca."

"You are always cunning and suspicious," replied the 329
goddess, "and that is why I cannot find it in my heart to
leave you. Any one else on returning from a long voyage
would at once have gone up to his house to see his wife
and children, but you do not seem to care about knowing
anything about them, and only think of testing your
wife's fidelity. As for my having left you in the lurch, 339
I knew all the time that you would get home safely in the
end, and I did not want to quarrel with my uncle Neptune.
I will now prove to you that you are in Ithaca--Here is
the harbour of the old merman Phorcys, with the large 345
olive tree at the head of it; near it is the cave which
is sacred to the Naiads; here, again, is the overarching 347
cavern in which you have sacrificed many a hecatomb to 349
the nymphs, and this is the wooded mountain of Neritum." 351

The goddess then dispersed the mist and let the prospect 352
be seen. Ulysses was thus convinced, and Minerva helped
him to hide the treasure which the Phæacians had given
him, by concealing it in the cave. Having done this she
bade Ulysses consider how he should kill the wicked
suitors. "They have been lording it," she said, "in your
house this three years,[25] paying court to your wife
and making her gifts of wooing, while she, poor woman, 380
though she flatters them, and holds out hopes to every
man of them by sending him messages, is really plunged in
the deepest grief on your account, and does not mean a
word of what she says."

"Great heavens," replied Ulysses, "what a narrow escape I 382
have had from meeting the fate of Agamemnon. Stand by me,
goddess, and advise me how I shall be revenged."

"I will disguise you," said Minerva, "as a miserable old 397
beggar so that no one shall know you. "When I have done
so, go to your swineherd, who has been always loyal to
you and yours. You will find him with his pigs by the
fountain Arethusa near the rock that is called Raven.
Meantime I will go to Sparta and fetch Telemachus, who is
gone thither to try and get news of you."

"But why," Ulysses answered, "did you not tell him, for 416
you knew all about it?"

"Do not be uneasy about him," she answered, "he is in the 420
midst of great abundance. I sent him, that he might get
himself a good name by having gone."

Minerva then disguised Ulysses beyond all possible 429
recognition, and the two separated--she going to Sparta,
and Ulysses to the abode of his swineherd.