Page 198 - the-iliad

Did you steal in among the Trojan forces, or did some god
meet you and give them to you? They are like sunbeams. I
am well conversant with the Trojans, for old warrior though
I am I never hold back by the ships, but I never yet saw or
heard of such horses as these are. Surely some god must
have met you and given them to you, for you are both of
you dear to Jove, and to Jove’s daughter Minerva.’
And Ulysses answered, ‘Nestor son of Neleus, honour to
the Achaean name, heaven, if it so will, can give us even
better horses than these, for the gods are far mightier than
we are. These horses, however, about which you ask me, are
freshly come from Thrace. Diomed killed their king with
the twelve bravest of his companions. Hard by the ships we
took a thirteenth man—a scout whom Hector and the other
Trojans had sent as a spy upon our ships.’
He laughed as he spoke and drove the horses over the
ditch, while the other Achaeans followed him gladly. When
they reached the strongly built quarters of the son of Tyde-
us, they tied the horses with thongs of leather to the manger,
where the steeds of Diomed stood eating their sweet corn,
but Ulysses hung the blood-stained spoils of Dolon at the
stern of his ship, that they might prepare a sacred offering
to Minerva. As for themselves, they went into the sea and
washed the sweat from their bodies, and from their necks
and thighs. When the sea-water had taken all the sweat
from off them, and had refreshed them, they went into the
baths and washed themselves. After they had so done and
had anointed themselves with oil, they sat down to table,
and drawing from a full mixing-bowl, made a drink-offer-

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