Page 417 - the-iliad

er under the banks of the mighty river, and when Achilles’
arms grew weary with killing them, he drew twelve youths
alive out of the water, to sacrifice in revenge for Patroclus
son of Menoetius. He drew them out like dazed fawns,
bound their hands behind them with the girdles of their
own shirts, and gave them over to his men to take back to
the ships. Then he sprang into the river, thirsting for still
further blood.
There he found Lycaon, son of Priam seed of Dardanus,
as he was escaping out of the water; he it was whom he had
once taken prisoner when he was in his father’s vineyard,
having set upon him by night, as he was cutting young
shoots from a wild fig-tree to make the wicker sides of a
chariot. Achilles then caught him to his sorrow unawares,
and sent him by sea to Lemnos, where the son of Jason
bought him. But a guest-friend, Eetion of Imbros, freed him
with a great sum, and sent him to Arisbe, whence he had
escaped and returned to his father’s house. He had spent
eleven days happily with his friends after he had come from
Lemnos, but on the twelfth heaven again delivered him into
the hands of Achilles, who was to send him to the house
of Hades sorely against his will. He was unarmed when
Achilles caught sight of him, and had neither helmet nor
shield; nor yet had he any spear, for he had thrown all his
armour from him on to the bank, and was sweating with
his struggles to get out of the river, so that his strength was
now failing him.
Then Achilles said to himself in his surprise, ‘What
marvel do I see here? If this man can come back alive after

1 The Iliad