ith a burst of laughter they replied:
"Why, man, aren’t you ever going to stop telling
lies about our country and our river? We are
always on the water, and have worked on the
Eridanus since we were children, almost; now and


 

then we see a few swans in the marshes by the
river, and they have a very unmusical and feeble
croak; crows or daws are Sirens to them. As for
the sweet song you speak of, we never heard it or
even dreamed of it, so we wonder how these stories
about us got to your people.”