She did not show herself as yet, and still the vessel steered closer by
her rock, as it sought to shun that other more dreaded; for they saw how
horribly Charybdis' black throat drew into her all the whirling deep,
which she disgorged again, that all about her boiled like a kettle, and
the rock roared with troubled waters; which when she supped in again, all
the bottom turned up, and disclosed far under shore the swart sands naked,
whose whole stern sight frayed the startled blood from their faces, and
made Ulysses turn to view the wonder of whirlpools. Which when Scylla saw,
from out her black den she darted out her six long necks, and swooped up
as many of his friends: whose cries Ulysses heard, and saw them too late,
with their heels turned up, and their hands thrown to him for succour, who
had been their help in all extremities, but could not deliver them now;
and he heard them shriek out, as she tore them, and to the last they
continued to throw their hands out to him for sweet life. In all his
sufferings he never had beheld a sight so full of miseries.
Escaped from Scylla and Charybdis, but with a diminished crew, Ulysses and
the sad remains of his followers reached the Trinacrian shore. Here
landing, he beheld oxen grazing of such surpassing size and beauty that,
both from them and from the shape of the Island (having three promontories
jutting into the sea), he judged rightly that he was come to the
Triangular island and the oxen of the Sun, of which Tiresias had
forewarned him.
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