1. Years ago, in a far-off country, there lived a great man named Odysseus. He did so many wonderful deeds that this book might be filled with stories about him. I will tell you one of them now. Some day you will read others.
　　2. Odysseus fought bravely in a long war. When the war was over, he took his men in his ship and started home.
　　3. But one thing after another kept him back, and he was ten years on the way. In this time he went to many strange lands and saw many queer things and people.
　　4. At one time he came to the island where ?olus, the king of the winds, lived. olus kept all the winds shut up, and only let them out, one at a time, when he wished a wind to blow.
　　5. He ruled the north wind with its snow and ice, and the south wind with its flowers; the east wind, which brings rain for the plants, and the west wind, which blows the leaves from the trees.
　　6. King olus was glad to see Odysseus and to hear about his great deeds.
　　7. When Odysseus sailed away in his ship, the king gave him a queer present. It was a great bag tied with a silver string.
　　8. You could never guess what was in it, so I shall have to tell you. All the winds but one were shut up in this bag. That one was the east wind, which would take the ship home.
　　9. "Do not open the bag while you are on the ship," said the king. "If you do, the winds will rush out and drive you far away over the seas. It will be a long time before you reach your home."
　　10. You may be sure that Odysseus took great care of the bag. He told his men not to touch it.
　　11. The men would look at it and wonder what was in it.
　　They thought it must hold a great treasure.
　　12. The east wind blew for nine days and nights. The ship dashed through the waves on its way home.
　　13. All this time Odysseus did not dare sleep, for fear something might happen to the ship.
　　……