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forward towards Thoon, and wounded him as he was turn-
ing round. He laid open the vein that runs all the way up
the back to the neck; he cut this vein clean away throughout
its whole course, and Thoon fell in the dust face upwards,
stretching out his hands imploringly towards his comrades.
Antilochus sprang upon him and stripped the armour from
his shoulders, glaring round him fearfully as he did so. The
Trojans came about him on every side and struck his broad
and gleaming shield, but could not wound his body, for
Neptune stood guard over the son of Nestor, though the
darts fell thickly round him. He was never clear of the foe,
but was always in the thick of the fight; his spear was never
idle; he poised and aimed it in every direction, so eager was
he to hit someone from a distance or to fight him hand to
hand.
As he was thus aiming among the crowd, he was seen by
Adamas, son of Asius, who rushed towards him and struck
him with a spear in the middle of his shield, but Neptune
made its point without effect, for he grudged him the life of
Antilochus. One half, therefore, of the spear stuck fast like a
charred stake in Antilochus’s shield, while the other lay on
the ground. Adamas then sought shelter under cover of his
men, but Meriones followed after and hit him with a spear
midway between the private parts and the navel, where a
wound is particualrly painful to wretched mortals. There
did Meriones transfix him, and he writhed convulsively
about the spear as some bull whom mountain herdsmen
have bound with ropes of withes and are taking away per-
force. Even so did he move convulsively for a while, but not

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