Page 305 - the-iliad

to get home by land? Can you not hear him cheering on
his whole host to fire our fleet, and bidding them remember
that they are not at a dance but in battle? Our only course is
to fight them with might and main; we had better chance it,
life or death, once for all, than fight long and without issue
hemmed in at our ships by worse men than ourselves.’
With these words he put life and soul into them all. Hec-
tor then killed Schedius son of Perimedes, leader of the
Phoceans, and Ajax killed Laodamas captain of foot sol-
diers and son to Antenor. Polydamas killed Otus of Cyllene
a comrade of the son of Phyleus and chief of the proud
Epeans. When Meges saw this he sprang upon him, but
Polydamas crouched down, and he missed him, for Apollo
would not suffer the son of Panthous to fall in battle; but
the spear hit Croesmus in the middle of his chest, where-
on he fell heavily to the ground, and Meges stripped him
of his armour. At that moment the valiant soldier Dolops
son of Lampus sprang upon Lampus was son of Laomedon
and for his valour, while his son Dolops was versed in all
the ways of war. He then struck the middle of the son of
Phyleus’ shield with his spear, setting on him at close quar-
ters, but his good corslet made with plates of metal saved
him; Phyleus had brought it from Ephyra and the river Sell-
eis, where his host, King Euphetes, had given it him to wear
in battle and protect him. It now served to save the life of
his son. Then Meges struck the topmost crest of Dolops’s
bronze helmet with his spear and tore away its plume of
horse-hair, so that all newly dyed with scarlet as it was it
tumbled down into the dust. While he was still fighting and

0 The Iliad