When the darkness fell from the eyes of Achilles he looked round about
him, and saw his spear lying at his feet, but sought in vain for Æneas.
"What wonder is this?" he said to himself; "the spear is returned to
me, but mine enemy is vanished. Surely the gods love him also, though
I deemed that he boasted idly. Let him go! It will be long before he
desires to face me again."
Then, shouting to the Greeks to support him, he fell upon the main body
of the Trojans, seeking everywhere for Hector; and finding him not (for
Apollo as yet withheld the Trojan patriot from his eyes) he began to
deal out indiscriminate slaughter wherever he went. A brave Lycian,
the son of a mountain nymph, who rushed to attack him, was his first
victim; with one blow of that tremendous spear his head was shattered
as with a battering-ram, and he fell beneath the feet of the horses,
and the wheels of the car passed over his body.
Among the many who went to swell the list of the slain that day was
Polydorus, a favourite son of Priam, who loved him as his youngest
born, and who had forbidden him to go into battle. But he, trusting in
the speed of his feet, had come to the field the day before, and now
appeared in the van of the Trojans, a graceful and agile youth, lovely
and pleasant to behold. But as he pursued his gay career a javelin
from the hand of Achilles pierced his armour at the waist, and he fell,
torn in the midst by a hideous wound.
Hector saw his brother fall, and full of rage and grief sprang forward
to avenge his death. When Achilles saw his great enemy at last within
his reach he leapt towards him with a loud and exultant cry: "Draw
near, and pay the price of my comrade, whom thou hast slain!" "Proud
man, I fear thee not," answered Hector, undismayed: "I know that thou
art far mightier than I, but nevertheless I defy thee, and trust that
heaven will lend keenness to my spear."
But the end was not yet. Apollo intervened to save the gallant Trojan,
and bore him away wrapped in a cloud of darkness. Three times Achilles
struck, and three times his spear smote idly on the empty air. "Thou
dog!" he cried at last, finding his efforts unavailing, "Thou hast
avoided me now, but I will destroy thee yet, for I have friends among
the gods as well as thou. Till then, let my vengeance fall upon thy
countrymen."
And as a fire rages in a forest on a mountainside, licking up the
underwood, and thrusting out its red fangs to devour the tall trees, so
raged Pelides in the fury of slaughter, and the earth ran red with
blood. And as two broad-browed steers move to and fro on a
threshing-floor, treading out the corn, so trampled the steeds of
Achilles on corpses and shields and broken armour, as he passed on,
raining wounds and death on every side.