Home is the Hunter (20 page)

Well—did you find Eryx? And the others?

FIRST MAN

Not a sign. Their horses are here, but they’ve vanished.

MELAS

(Grimly)

We’ll find them...

(To
ULYSSES
)

You seem to have sense. Keep them quiet! When we return, I want to see this Hall blazing with light, the food and wine set out, and Penelope—there! At my right hand.

(His sword points to the head of the table.
MELAS
and his friends leave abruptly,
ULYSSES
has risen to his feet, his hands clenched.
MELAS
’
voice shouts a command to
CLIA
.)

Get inside!

(
CLIA
stumbles forward into the Hall as if she had been roughly pushed.)

ATHENA

Even I am surprised by so much restraint, Ulysses. Congratulations!

(
ULYSSES
unclenches his fists, walks slowly over to the hearth. He looks at no one. They all look at him, accusingly,
CLIA
is totally bewildered as she moves to the table, and stands there, helpless.
EUMAEUS
crosses quickly to the steps where
TELEMACHUS
is trying to help
PHILETIUS
.)

TELEMACHUS

(Forgetting that
ULYSSES
is playing the beggar for
HOMER
’s benefit)

You could have stopped him. Why didn’t you—

(He remembers, and stops.)

HOMER

(Rising, avoiding
ULYSSES
)

Why?—Would a man be a beggar, if he had any courage?

(He sighs and looks around.)

Now what?—I have a small knife in my room, somewhere or other. But quite useless, I’m afraid.

(He sighs again, and moves very markedly away from
ULYSSES
,
toward the table.
ULYSSES
signs to
CLIA
to get the old boy out of the Hall.)

CLIA

(To
HOMER
)

What you need right now is a drink.

(She pours him some wine.)

HOMER

No... No, thanks...

CLIA

Just one sip. You’ll feel much better.

(She hands him the cup of wine.)

HOMER

Look after Philetius: he needs your attention more than I do.

(But he takes the cup and drinks eagerly.)

CLIA

I don’t think he does, somehow. You’re an
awful
responsibility, Homer. What are the people of Greece going to say about us, when they hear we got you killed?

(She goes over to one of the chests, opens it, takes out a piece of linen, and starts tearing it into strips.)

HOMER

Well, if I can face death with a little of the courage I’ve always praised—at least they can write on my tombstone: Here lies a poet who practised what he preached.

(He shudders, and then tries to laugh. He drains the cup and sets it down on the table.
CLIA
watches him as she prepares the bandages.)

I think I’ll go and search for that little knife of mine, such as it is.

CLIA

And why not rest?

HOMER

(Now almost reaching the door to the men’s quarters)

Call me. Call me when I’m needed. Suddenly—I feel very tired.

(The door closes behind him.)

ULYSSES

(Rising quickly, throwing away his cloak, moving swiftly toward
PHILETIUS
)

How bad is it, eh?

(He examines the wound.)

Better come over here, where there’s some light.

(Puts his arm around
PHILETIUS
’
shoulders and draws him toward the hearth, where the torches have been lit. The rest of the Hall is shadowed, now, and the yard outside is quite dark.
ULYSSES
gives a brief order to
EUMAEUS
.)

You stay near the door. Keep your eyes and ears open. Clia, where’s that bandage?

(To
PHILETIUS
,
with a grin)

Did success go to your head—coming in here, without scouting around first? Mission accomplished, I take it.

(
PHILETIUS
nods.)

TELEMACHUS

(Hovering around anxiously)

Oh Jupiter!—If you could only give him back his tongue!

ULYSSES

(Kneeling beside
PHILETIUS
,
who is now sitting on the stool beside the hearth, examining the arm under the torchlight, taking the bandage from
CLIA
)

He doesn’t need a tongue. The knives did all the talking necessary. He took two with him. He brought one back.

(
PHILETIUS
nods.
ULYSSES
waves
CLIA
away.)

I’ve learned how to do this, Clia. Go to Penelope. Stay with her. Keep her quiet. And don’t let her come down into this Hall.

CLIA

But—

ATHENA

(Moving away from downstage right, where she has been standing quite motionless, walking obliquely across the Hall toward the steps to the dais, passing close to
CLIA
,
who stands hesitating in the centre of the stage)

He’s right, Clia. You know Penelope—she’s getting restless. She’ll be down here any minute, to see what is going on.

CLIA

(To
ULYSSES
)

She’ll ask questions.

ULYSSES

Then answer them.

CLIA

(Going toward the steps where
ATHENA
waits for her)

But what shall I tell her?

ULYSSES

Tell her I’ve been practising. She needn’t worry about the contest. Everything is under control. I hope.

CLIA

Is that all I can tell her?

(She has now reached the dais.)

ULYSSES

The less she knows, the less she’ll worry.

CLIA

(Hesitating at the door to the women’s quarters)

I’d rather face Melas than this.

(She goes out.
ATHENA
almost follows her, looks back at
ULYSSES
,
pauses, and then compromises by standing on the dais in front of
PENELOPE
’s door.)

ULYSSES

(To
EUMAEUS
,
who is still standing very close to one side of the big doorway)

Anyone out there?

EUMAEUS

The courtyard’s clear. They are searching the barns now.

ULYSSES

(To
TELEMACHUS
)

Get out the swords.

(He finishes bandaging the arm.)

What took you so long to get back here? You had me worried.

(
PHILETIUS
makes quick signs with his left hand, pointing eastward to the fireplace wall.)

You came home by the shore?

(
PHILETIUS
nods.)

You scouted round the Bay?

(
PHILETIUS
nods.)

Did you see any signs of Eryx? How many men with him?

(
PHILETIUS
nods, holds up four fingers.)

Were they setting sail?

(
PHILETIUS
shakes his head.)

Still waiting?... For what? He must know something has happened to his scout by this time...

(
ULYSSES
rises quickly, paces worriedly. To
PHILETIUS
again)

You made sure the man was dead?

(
PHILETIUS
draws a finger across his throat.)

ATHENA

(Calling gently over to
ULYSSES
,
as he paces to the table, pauses there, turns)

You dangled a carrot in front of Eryx’s nose; why not try a stick, now?

ULYSSES

(Staring thoughtfully at the ground)

An added incentive—that’s what is needed.

(He snaps his fingers, looks up at
PHILETIUS
again.)

Your arm is useless, but how are your legs?

(
ULYSSES
begins to smile, as he meets
PHILETIUS
in the centre of the Hall.
TELEMACHUS
has already opened the chest concealing the weapons, and sorted them out on the floor.)

Slip outside. Let Melas and his men get a glimpse of you. Then run! Run like hell—to the Bay. Make sure they follow, like a pack of hounds in full cry. Just let Eryx hear them, coming toward the boat, and he’ll set sail in a hurry.

(As
ULYSSES
speaks, he gives
PHILETIUS
a farewell clap on his back, and crosses to the hearth to light two tapers.
PHILETIUS
only stops to lift a knife from
TELEMACHUS
’
hand, and slips round the side of the door into the darkness of the yard.)

TELEMACHUS

(Picking up a sword, following
PHILETIUS
)

I’ll go with him. I want to be there when that boat—

ULYSSES

(Sharply, and yet not loudly, so that his voice will not carry outside)

Stay here! You can start lighting the torches. You, too, Eumaeus!

(He goes toward the door, hands them each a taper.)

We’ll give Melas that one wish, at least.

TELEMACHUS

But—

ULYSSES

(Already pushing stools nearer the walls, shoving benches closer to the table but leaving the head chair angled out to face the Hall)

I said I needed you here!

(
EUMAEUS
is already lighting the torches on one wall.
TELEMACHUS
begins on another wall.)

TELEMACHUS

I only wanted to see—

ULYSSES

(Still clearing the floor space)

You’ll see plenty, out in that courtyard with Eumaeus. That’s where I want you to wait. Keep in the shadows. Stay hidden. When Melas and his men return—

TELEMACHUS

We’ll trap them!

ULYSSES

(Very sharply, yet not loudly)

No! Let them pass into the Hall.

TELEMACHUS

But we could ambush them, out there.

ULYSSES

And scatter them? In this darkness, we’d never round them up.

(He has moved over to the fallen bow, picks it up, looks at it sadly.)

No, I want them
here,
all of them.

(He throws the bow, like a spear, angrily, at the quiver with its four meagre arrows lying beside the opened chest.)

Your job is to cut off any retreat from the Hall. Got that?

(There is a shout, outside, as
PHILETIUS
has let himself be seen, and a sudden clatter of running feet, going farther and farther away.)

Quick! Get in position—now!

(
EUMAEUS
picks up a sword and moves to the door, waits for
TELEMACHUS
.)

Out!

(Suddenly, in a roar of command)

Jump to it!

(
TELEMACHUS
moves to the door, grips his sword, and enters the yard.)