Page 218 - the-iliad

him, with burning brands that scare him for all his fury,
and when morning comes he slinks foiled and angry away—
even so did Ajax, sorely against his will, retreat angrily
before the Trojans, fearing for the ships of the Achaeans. Or
as some lazy ass that has had many a cudgel broken about
his back, when he into a field begins eating the corn—boys
beat him but he is too many for them, and though they lay
about with their sticks they cannot hurt him; still when he
has had his fill they at last drive him from the field—even
so did the Trojans and their allies pursue great Ajax, ever
smiting the middle of his shield with their darts. Now and
again he would turn and show fight, keeping back the bat-
talions of the Trojans, and then he would again retreat; but
he prevented any of them from making his way to the ships.
Single-handed he stood midway between the Trojans and
Achaeans: the spears that sped from their hands stuck some
of them in his mighty shield, while many, though thirsting
for his blood, fell to the ground ere they could reach him to
the wounding of his fair flesh.
Now when Eurypylus the brave son of Euaemon saw that
Ajax was being overpowered by the rain of arrows, he went
up to him and hurled his spear. He struck Apisaon son of
Phausius in the liver below the midriff, and laid him low.
Eurypylus sprang upon him, and stripped the armour from
his shoulders; but when Alexandrus saw him, he aimed an
arrow at him which struck him in the right thigh; the arrow
broke, but the point that was left in the wound dragged on
the thigh; he drew back, therefore, under cover of his com-
rades to save his life, shouting as he did so to the Danaans,

1