on the tenth day of their journey they came to land again opposite the harbour was a wooded island in habited only by wild goats we shall stay here odysseus commanded until i find out what dangers may await us on the mainland when they had eaten odysseus and twelve of his best men crossed to the mainland here they came to an empty cave surrounded by a stone wall which held many lambs taking food and wine they went into the cave they lit a fire and helped themselves to some of the cheese that they found there towards sunset they heard the sound of sheep outside a shadow fell over the entrance to the cave odysseus saw a monster with only one enormous eye in the middle of this forehead herding his sheep into the cave no odysseus whispered to his men we have come to the land of the cyclopes they are the one-eyed sons of poseidon the sea god they are fierce people who live in mountain caves they have no sense of right or wrong the monster pulled an enormous rock across the entrance to the cave so that his sheep could not firelight the cyclops caught sight of odysseus and his men