Home is the Hunter (17 page)

TELEMACHUS

Aren’t you going to deal with Eryx?

(He looks at the door and then at his unsheathed knife. But
PHILETIUS
,
at a sign from
ULYSSES
,
puts his arm around the boy’s shoulder, and shakes his head.
TELEMACHUS
walks over to the table, disconsolately, and sits on its edge.
PHILETIUS
,
at another quick sign from
ULYSSES
,
sits on one of the steps leading to the dais and begins to whittle.
CLIA
is preparing some food for a soup pot, and she is using her largest knife. All watch the door.)

EUMAEUS

(Bowing to the yard with a deep flourish and speaking mockingly)

Welcome, my lord, welcome!

(
ERYX
enters, hurriedly. He takes in the Hall with a glance, and seems reassured.)

You had a fast ride. I think you’ve ruined your horse.

ERYX

(To
CLIA
)

Get a blanket and a couple of poles.

(To the others)

Take them up the mountain. Help is needed. Get a move on, there!

ULYSSES

A stretcher case? Now, isn’t that too bad? I hope it isn’t Melas.

ERYX

A rock fell on a couple of men. One of them is badly hurt.

ULYSSES

But not Melas. How disappointing for you.

ERYX

(Shouting)

Get a move on, I tell you!

(But no one moves.
ERYX
notices the knife in
PHILETIUS
’
hand, still whittling; and the knife in
CLIA
’s hand, now chopping vegetables with determination; and the knife that telemachus is using to carve an initial in the corner of the table.
ERYX
’s hand goes to the sword at his waist, and he backs to the door, keeping an eye on all these knives.)

ULYSSES

You’d like us all to clear out so that you could have this Hall to yourself, would you? If you were thinking of trying out the Great Bow, then go ahead. Who’s stopping you? Melas is still up on the mountain with the injured man, isn’t he?

ERYX

(Pulling his sword)

Who are you?

ULYSSES

(Rising, standing astride on the hearth, but still keeping his cloak around him)

Yes, it all makes a pretty picture. A hunting party scattered on a mountainside. A crag suddenly plunges down. It misses Melas, but gets two of his friends who were standing beside him. Up comes Eryx, the ever-useful. “I’ll ride for help,” he says. Obliging fellow. And before the others have gathered their wits, such as they are, Eryx is halfway down the mountain. He keeps his word, too: tries to get us all out of here, carrying first aid up the mountain. Most touching. But we are not going, Eryx.

ERYX

(Taking a stand, raising his sword, but watching the knives around him which now have stopped whittling, chopping, and carving)

Who are you
?

ULYSSES

Just a man who wants to see you smuggle a shot or two with that bow, so that you can win tonight. That’s your idea, isn’t it?...

(He laughs.)

You’re a clever lad, Eryx; and like all clever lads, you’d be none the worse of a hanging.

(His voice changes.)

Put up that sword! If we had wanted to, we could have slit your throat by this time and dropped you, tied to an anchor, into the Bay.

ERYX

Then why don’t you?

ULYSSES

Why take the trouble? You’ll be killed together, all eleven of you.

ERYX

(Pretending to be amused, but watchful)

Will we? You know... I kind of admire your impudence. Who are you, anyway?

(
EUMAEUS
gives a warning whistle, and
ERYX
notices that
TELEMACHUS
,
PHILETIUS
,
and
CLIA
look anxiously toward the door.)

Yes, listen to that warning. There’s your reason for not slitting my throat. You are afraid of my friends who are now riding down from the mountain.

EUMAEUS

Not all of them, Eryx. There’s only a small band coming down. And they’re riding in a normal way—just a slow easy trot.

(The information is more for
ULYSSES
than for
ERYX
.
The others look to
ULYSSES
for his command, and
ERYX
notices this. He speaks worriedly.)

ERYX

WHO ARE YOU?

ULYSSES

You are inclined to repeat yourself, aren’t you?

(He throws aside the cloak, over his shoulders.)

All right. I was sent here by Ulysses. I’m a captain in his forces. We landed last night, on the north shore of the island. Forty-three men, and Ulysses himself.

ERYX

Ulysses?

ULYSSES

He entered the village this morning. The people have decided they are on our side, after all. And so have some of your servants—the few who survived.

(He is grinning broadly, speaking confidently.)

So we’ve got the whole of the island, except for this southern corner. And Ulysses is tightening the net around it, minute by minute.

ERYX

(Trying to regain his own confidence)

A likely story!

ULYSSES

Tell that to Ulysses when you see him. Just after sunset, in fact. Won’t be long, now.

ERYX

(Sneering, but taking a step backward)

Ulysses sent you, his captain, to walk in here and be cut down by eleven men!

ULYSSES

(Equably)

I walked in here to tell Penelope that help is coming. I’m staying here to guard this Hall. It’s defensible. That’s the way Ulysses built it.

(He moves quickly to the steps, and stands in front of them, dagger drawn.
PHILETIUS
rises, his knife ready.
TELEMACHUS
circles round to join them.)

All we have to do is to tie you up, bar the double doors, and wait for Ulysses and his men. Telemachus, we’ll need four swords, a couple of spears, some throwing knives. Quick!

(To
ERYX
,
again)

Did you think we had no weapons at all? Now, don’t harm the boy unless you want to die in a very unpleasant fashion. Ulysses has a nasty temper, and a long memory.

(
ERYX
hesitates in attacking
TELEMACHUS
,
and the boy slips out into the yard.)

EUMAEUS

(Still watching at the door)

Yes, your friends are taking their time, Eryx. And I don’t see Melas among them.

ULYSSES

How many?

EUMAEUS

Five of them—four together, and one straggling.

ULYSSES

(To
ERYX
as he backs toward the door)

Stay here, Eryx, stay here... It wouldn’t be any good warning them. Ulysses controls the village. Even if you could fight your way to the harbour, you’d find no escape there. The ships have all been sent away. And this, let me remind you, is an island. It’s a long, long swim to the mainland.

ERYX

(Wary)

Ulysses sent the ships away? And they left, obediently?

(He begins to smile.)

That’s a big order for forty-three men to enforce. You’ve been too clever, Captain... I nearly believed your story. But that last touch!

(He begins to laugh, his sword is raised.)

You’d be none the worse of a hanging, yourself.

ULYSSES

(Smiling broadly)

The ships all left. For the mainland. Where they will pick up the booty that we brought back from the war. You’re right: forty-three men might not have been enough to empty a harbour, but seventeen years of collectors’ items roused a lot of curiosity. And it isn’t junk that’s lying over on the wharves of Ragusa, waiting for us to load it and bring it here. It isn’t a Trojan shield, or a broken sword, or an arrowhead or two. It’s a few mementos from palaces, in gold and pearls and silver; and some reminders of our visit to Circe’s island; and some gifts from Calypso; and a few odds and ends we liberated from the Cyclops’ cave. Enough—enough for all of us, and for the people who help us. You’d be surprised how quickly they volunteered to sail to Ragusa.

ERYX

(As the sound of walking horses and jingling harness at last is heard)

One move from any of you—and a shout from me will bring them at a gallop.

(He thrusts
EUMAEUS
aside, and straddles the doorway with his drawn sword.)

Try barring the door, Captain!

(He smiles in triumph.)

But, at least, we can now talk. I think we understand each other. You want to live to collect your share of the loot, and marry a pretty girl and settle down. I’ve no objection to that.

ULYSSES

(Ironically)

That’s very civil of you.

ERYX

And I’m a man who knows when to cut his losses. If the game goes against me, I stop playing.

ULYSSES

So what’s your bargain?

ERYX

I won’t kill you—

ULYSSES

Like to try?

ERYX

—and I won’t denounce you to the others. I’ll leave you to play the beggar until Ulysses gets here.

ULYSSES

And the other side of the bargain?

ERYX

You’ll let me leave this island.

ULYSSES

But Ulysses may not agree to that.

ERYX

I shan’t stay to argue with Ulysses.

ULYSSES

But there’s no escape by the harbour.

ERYX

I’ll do my own planning. Well—is the bargain made?

(He catches
EUMAEUS
suddenly, twisting the old man in front of him as a shield.)

Do I yell for the others?

(The voices of men are now heard faintly from the courtyard.)

Or do I leave you in peace—and you leave me in peace?

ULYSSES

...I agree. You’ll never slip through our line of men anyway... All right! I said I agreed. Take your sword out of his back!

ERYX

And not a word to Melas?

ULYSSES

I said I agreed.

(
TELEMACHUS
enters, carrying an armful of weapons. He has a quiver, with a few arrows, slung over his shoulder. He halts. He stares in amazement.)

Stand aside, Telemachus.

(
ERYX
lets
EUMAEUS
free, and moves quickly into the yard.)

TELEMACHUS

You let him
go
?

(
ULYSSES
raises a warning hand. They all stand silent. But there is no yell from outside.
EUMAEUS
,
rubbing his shoulder, goes to the door again.)

EUMAEUS

He’s strolling down toward the stream as cool as grass.

TELEMACHUS

That’s where the others went to water their horses. I had to wait until they couldn’t see me across the yard. And I came too late... I even brought you some arrows for the bow, all I could find that weren’t broken. There are only four of them...

(He dumps the weapons in a pile at his feet, and pushes them disgustedly with his foot.)

Why agree with Eryx? You can’t trust him.

ULYSSES

I can trust him to be himself. Philetius, slip out and take the short cut to the road into the village. Choose a couple of throwing-knives to keep you company. I want you to guard the road, just at the crest of the hill from which you can see the harbour. No one is to reach that crest. No one is to see the harbour. No one is to report back here to Eryx. Got that?

(
PHILETIUS
has moved over to the heap of weapons, and chosen two knives which he weighs for a moment in his hands and then slips into his belt.
As
ULYSSES
asks his question, he nods and picks up a third knife, to throw at the wall, where it strikes and holds.
CLIA
exclaims.
TELEMACHUS
’ mouth falls open.
PHILETIUS
pauses as he is about to leave by the door, and points across the Hall to the doorway of the men’s quarters.)