Odysseus’s
companions were happy too. Good fortune and the good will of Aeolus had helped
them reach Ithaca so early. It was time to celebrate and surely it would be
great to have wine. Thinking that the bag of hide handed over by Aeolus
contained wine, the men opened it. And lo! Out rushed the adverse winds that
were trapped inside. The sea turned rough and rocked the ship. The vessel moved
away from the shores of Ithaca.
The bumpy
ride jolted Odysseus from his sleep. He noticed that the sky was overcast and a
dark storm was raging. And a strong wind was carrying the ship back to the sea
at great speed. ‘How could that be?’ he wondered and rushed to look at the bag
Aeolus had given him. The bag was open. As he looked around to see who had done
it, the men trembled and cowered unable to face the wrath of Odysseus.
Soon the
winds carried them back to Aeolia. Odysseus offered profuse apologies to the
god and appealed to help him again. But the god sternly turned him away.
“Be gone. I
don’t want to incur the wrath of the gods by helping an irresponsible person
like you,” and he slammed the door on Odysseus’s face. Odysseus and his men
proceeded towards Ithaca dejectedly. The men lamented bitterly about their rash
act.
After a
week’s voyage they reached the land of the Laestrygones, ruled by King Lamus.
The land looked fertile and the skyline was dotted with majestic towers.
Finding a natural harbour ringed by cliffs along the coast, Odysseus and his
men anchored their ship and three men were sent forth to explore the land as
usual.
The scouts
found a beautiful maiden drawing water from a well. They asked her details
about the land at its ruler. She was the daughter of a local chieftain and led
them to her house cunningly. No sooner than they entered the palace happily,
did the men rush out with the fear of death writ large on their face. The
gigantic inhabitants of the palace pursued them ferociously and caught one of
them and devoured him. The poor men hadn’t known that the Laestrygones were
cannibals and never missed a chance to eat up the visitors to their land.
Now the
savages ran to their cliff tops and dropped huge boulders on the anchored fleet
of Odysseus. Then they rushed down to catch the stranded men. Luckily Odysseus
had fastened his ship at a distance. He managed to launch it before the
cannibals could reach and escaped with his remaining men.
The men
rowed their vessels in silence, woe stricken about the calamity that had
befallen them. After a long voyage they reached the shores of the island of
Aeaea.
(To be continued)
