Tales of Troy: Ulysses, the Sacker of CitiesLang, Andrew
General
Tales of Troy: Ulysses, the Sacker of Cities
Lang, Andrew
Mythology, Greek -- Juvenile literature; Trojan War -- Juvenile literature
At last the fleet came to the Isle of Scyros, where they suspected that
Achilles was concealed. King Lycomedes received the chiefs kindly, and
they saw all his beautiful daughters dancing and playing at ball, but
Achilles was still so young and slim and so beautiful that they did not
know him among the others. There was a prophecy that they could not take
Troy without him, and yet they could not find him out. Then Ulysses had
a plan. He blackened his eyebrows and beard and put on the dress of a
Phoenician merchant. The Phoenicians were a people who lived near the
Jews, and were of the same race, and spoke much the same language, but,
unlike the Jews, who, at that time were farmers in Palestine, tilling the
ground, and keeping flocks and herds, the Phoenicians were the greatest
of traders and sailors, and stealers of slaves. They carried cargoes of
beautiful cloths, and embroideries, and jewels of gold, and necklaces of
amber, and sold these everywhere about the shores of Greece and the
islands.
Ulysses then dressed himself like a Phoenician pedlar, with his pack on
his back: he only took a stick in his hand, his long hair was turned up,
and hidden under a red sailor's cap, and in this figure he came, stooping
beneath his pack, into the courtyard of King Lycomedes. The girls heard
that a pedlar had come, and out they all ran, Achilles with the rest to
watch the pedlar undo his pack. Each chose what she liked best: one took
a wreath of gold; another a necklace of gold and amber; another earrings;
a fourth a set of brooches, another a dress of embroidered scarlet cloth;
another a veil; another a pair of bracelets; but at the bottom of the
pack lay a great sword of bronze, the hilt studded with golden nails.
Achilles seized the sword. "This is for me!" he said, and drew the sword
from the gilded sheath, and made it whistle round his head.
"You are Achilles, Peleus' son!" said Ulysses; "and you are to be the
chief warrior of the Achaeans," for the Greeks then called themselves
Achaeans. Achilles was only too glad to hear these words, for he was
quite tired of living among maidens. Ulysses led him into the hall where
the chiefs were sitting at their wine, and Achilles was blushing like any
girl.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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