For , from the abundance of this smoke , it was reasonable to conclude that there was a good fire in the kitchen , and that , at dinner-time , a plentiful banquet would be served up to the inhabitants of the palace , and to whatever guests might happen to drop in . With so agreeable a prospect before him , Ulysses fancied that he could not do better than go straight to the palace gate , and tell the master of it that there was a crew of poor shipwrecked mariners , not far off , who had eaten nothing for a day or two , save a few clams and oysters , and would therefore be thankful for a little food . And the prince or nobleman must be a very stingy curmudgeon , to be sure , if , at least , when his own dinner was over , he would not bid them welcome to the broken victuals from the table . Pleasing himself with this idea , King Ulysses had made a few steps in the direction of the palace , when there was a great twittering and chirping from the branch of a neighboring tree . A moment afterwards , a bird came flying towards him , and hovered in the air , so as almost to brush his face with its wings . It was a very pretty little bird , with purple wings and body , and yellow legs , and a circle of golden feathers round its neck , and on its head a golden tuft , which looked like a king 's crown in miniature . Ulysses tried to catch the bird . But it fluttered nimbly out of his reach , still chirping in a piteous tone , as if it could have told a lamentable story , had it only been gifted with human language . And when he attempted to drive it away , the bird flew no farther than the bough of the next tree , and again came fluttering about his head , with its doleful chirp , as soon as he showed a purpose of going forward . `` Have you anything to tell me , little bird ? '' asked Ulysses . And he was ready to listen attentively to whatever the bird might communicate ; for , at the siege of Troy , and elsewhere , he had known such odd things to happen , that he would not have considered it much out of the common run had this little feathered creature talked as plainly as himself . `` Peep ! '' said the bird , `` peep , peep , pe -- weep ! '' And nothing else would it say , but only , `` Peep , peep , pe -- weep ! '' in a melancholy cadence , and over and over and over again . As often as Ulysses moved forward , however , the bird showed the greatest alarm , and did its best to drive him back , with the anxious flutter of its purple wings . Its unaccountable behavior made him conclude , at last , that the bird knew of some danger that awaited him , and which must needs be very terrible , beyond all question , since it moved even a little fowl to feel compassion for a human being . So he resolved , for the present , to return to the vessel , and tell his companions what he had seen . This appeared to satisfy the bird .
As soon as XXXXX turned back , it ran up the trunk of a tree , and began to pick insects out of the bark with its long , sharp bill ; for it was a kind of woodpecker , you must know , and had to get its living in the same manner as other birds of that species .
Ulysses chirp curmudgeon day dinner-time fire mariners prospect tone tuft