Page 482 - the-iliad

helmet and the lot of Teucer fell first. He let fly with his
arrow forthwith, but he did not promise hecatombs of first-
ling lambs to King Apollo, and missed his bird, for Apollo
foiled his aim; but he hit the string with which the bird was
tied, near its foot; the arrow cut the string clean through so
that it hung down towards the ground, while the bird flew
up into the sky, and the Achaeans shouted applause. Mer-
iones, who had his arrow ready while Teucer was aiming,
snatched the bow out of his hand, and at once promised
that he would sacrifice a hecatomb of firstling lambs to
Apollo lord of the bow; then espying the pigeon high up
under the clouds, he hit her in the middle of the wing as
she was circling upwards; the arrow went clean through the
wing and fixed itself in the ground at Meriones’ feet, but the
bird perched on the ship’s mast hanging her head and with
all her feathers drooping; the life went out of her, and she
fell heavily from the mast. Meriones, therefore, took all ten
double-edged axes, while Teucer bore off the single-edged
ones to his ships.
Then the son of Peleus brought in a spear and a caul-
dron that had never been on the fire; it was worth an ox, and
was chased with a pattern of flowers; and those that throw
the javelin stood up—to wit the son of Atreus, king of men
Agamemnon, and Meriones, stalwart squire of Idomeneus.
But Achilles spoke saying, ‘Son of Atreus, we know how far
you excel all others both in power and in throwing the jav-
elin; take the cauldron back with you to your ships, but if it
so please you, let us give the spear to Meriones; this at least
is what I should myself wish.’

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