’The sun sank and all the ways were darkened.  But the Phoenician woman went down to the harbour and came to the ship and went aboard it.  And when the sailor who had gone to my father’s house came back, they raised the mast and sails, and took the oars in their hands, and drew the ship away from our land.  We sailed away and I was left stricken at heart.  For six days we sailed over the sea, and on the seventh day the woman died and her body was cast into the deep.  The wind and the waves bore us to Ithaka, and there the merchants sold me to Laertes, the father of Odysseus.’

’The wife of Laertes reared me kindly, and I grew up with the youngest of her daughters, the lovely Ctimene.  But Ctimene went to Same, and was married to one of the princes of that island.  Afterwards Laertes’ lady sent me to work in the fields.  But always she treated me kindly.  Now Laertes’ lady is dead, she wasted away from grief when she heard no tidings of her only son, Odysseus.  Laertes yet lives, but since the death of his noble wife he never leaves his house.  All day he sits by his fire, they say, and thinks upon his son’s doom, and how his son’s substance is being wasted, and how his son’s son will have but little to inherit.’

So Odysseus passed part of the night, Eumaeus telling him of his wanderings and his sorrows.  And while they were speaking, Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, came to Ithaka in his good ship.  Antinous had lain in wait for him, and had posted sentinels to watch for his ship; nevertheless Telemachus had passed by without being seen by his enemies.  And having come to Ithaka, he bade one of his comrades bring the ship into the wharf of the city while he himself went to another place.  Leaving the ship he came to the dwelling of the servant he most trusted—­to the dwelling of Eumaeus, the swineherd.

IX

On the morning of his fourth day in Ithaka, as he and the swineherd were eating a meal together, Odysseus heard the sound of footsteps approaching the hut.  The fierce dogs were outside and he expected to hear them yelping against the stranger’s approach.  No sound came from them.  Then he saw a young man come to the entrance of the courtyard, the swineherd’s dogs fawning upon him.

When Eumaeus saw this young man he let fall the vessels he was carrying, and running to him, kissed his head and his eyes and his hands.  While he was kissing and weeping over him, Odysseus heard the swineherd saying: 

’Telemachus, art thou come back to us?  Like a light in the darkness thou hast appeared!  I thought that never again should we see thee when I heard that thou hadst taken a ship to Pylos!  Come in, dear son, come in, that I may see thee once again in mine house.’

Odysseus raised his head and looked at his son.  As a lion might look over his cub so he looked over Telemachus.  But neither the swineherd nor Telemachus was aware of Odysseus’ gaze.