gh to meet great Hector."

The wise old man's reproaches filled the Achaian chiefs with shame; and
nine of them rose up, ready to fight; namely, Agamemnon, king of men; and
the stalwart Diomedes; and Idomeneus, and his brother in arms, Meriones,
equal in fight to murderous Mars; and Eurypylus, and Thaus, and the wily
Ulysses, and two others. Then Nestor spake again. "Now cast lots for him
that shall be champion." Then each man marked his lot, and threw it into
Agamemnon's helmet; and all men prayed that the lot might fall on Ajax or
Diomedes, or the king of rich Mycenae. Then Nestor shook the helmet, and
the lot of Ajax leapt out; and the herald placed it in the hand of mighty
Ajax, and he was glad; for he said, "I think that I shall vanquish goodly
Hector." And they all prayed to the Son of Cronos, to give victory to
Ajax, or to grant unto each of them equal glory and renown.

Then huge Ajax donned his bright armor of bronze, and came forth like the
war-god Mars when he goeth to battle. The Achaians were glad, but the
Trojans trembled; and even the brave Hector felt his heart beat quicker in
his breast. But he would not shrink from the combat, seeing that he had
himself challenged all the Achaians. And Ajax came on, bearing a mighty
shield, like a tower, which Tychius, the cunning leather-worker, had made
for him, of sevenfold hides of lusty bulls, all overlaid with bronze. And
he stood near godlike Hector, and spake: "Now shalt thou see what manner
of men the Greeks have among them, even now when Achilles, the
lion-hearted, hath left us in his wrath. But do thou begin the fight!"

And Hector answered him, "Great Ajax, son of Telamon, sprung from Zeus!
speak not to me as if I were a poor weak boy, or a woman! for I too have
knowledge of war and slaughter. I know how to charge into the midst of the
chariots, or, at close quarters, to join in the wild dance of Mars." He
said, and hurled his long-shafted spear, and struck the sevenfold shield
of Ajax; it passed through six folds, but was stopped by the seventh.

Then Ajax, sprung from Zeus, threw his ponderous lance at the shield of
mighty Priam's son. It passed right through the bright shield, and through
the well-wrought corselet, and rent his tunic; but he swerved aside, and
escaped gloomy death. Then the two fell upon each other, like ravening
lions or wild boars; and Hector smote the shield of Ajax with his spear,
but the sharp point was turned by the stout buckler.