It brings a blush into my face to reckon up , in my own mind , what mountains of meat and pudding , and what gallons of wine , these two and twenty guzzlers and gormandizers ate and drank . They forgot all about their homes , and their wives and children , and all about Ulysses , and everything else , except this banquet , at which they wanted to keep feasting forever . But at length they began to give over , from mere incapacity to hold any more . `` That last bit of fat is too much for me , '' said one . `` And I have not room for another morsel , '' said his next neighbor , heaving a sigh . `` What a pity ! My appetite is as sharp as ever . '' In short , they all left off eating , and leaned back on their thrones , with such a stupid and helpless aspect as made them ridiculous to behold . When their hostess saw this , she laughed aloud ; so did her four damsels ; so did the two and twenty serving men that bore the dishes , and their two and twenty fellows that poured out the wine . And the louder they all laughed , the more stupid and helpless did the two and twenty gormandizers look . Then the beautiful woman took her stand in the middle of the saloon , and stretching out a slender rod -LRB- it had been all the while in her hand , although they never noticed it till this moment -RRB- , she turned it from one guest to another , until each had felt it pointed at himself . Beautiful as her face was , and though there was a smile on it , it looked just as wicked and mischievous as the ugliest serpent that ever was seen ; and fat-witted as the voyagers had made themselves , they began to suspect that they had fallen into the power of an evil-minded enchantress . `` Wretches , '' cried she , `` you have abused a lady 's hospitality ; and in this princely saloon your behavior has been suited to a hog-pen . You are already swine in everything but the human form , which you disgrace , and which I myself should be ashamed to keep a moment longer , were you to share it with me . But it will require only the slightest exercise of magic to make the exterior conform to the hoggish disposition . Assume your proper shapes , gormandizers , and begone to the sty ! '' Uttering these last words , she waved her wand ; and stamping her foot imperiously , each of the guests was struck aghast at beholding , instead of his comrades in human shape , one and twenty hogs sitting on the same number of golden thrones . Each man -LRB- as he still supposed himself to be -RRB- essayed to give a cry of surprise , but found that he could merely grunt , and that , in a word , he was just such another beast as his companions . It looked so intolerably absurd to see hogs on cushioned thrones , that they made haste to wallow down upon all fours , like other swine . They tried to groan and beg for mercy , but forthwith emitted the most awful grunting and squealing that ever came out of swinish throats .
They would have wrung their hands in despair , but , attempting to do so , grew all the more desperate for seeing themselves squatted XXXXX their hams , and pawing the air with their fore trotters .
In although as for on that though to until with