llen by the spear of Idomeneus the
noble son of Deucalion. He had driven towards the left wing of the
ships, by which way the Achaeans used to return with their chariots and
horses from the plain. Hither he drove and found the gates with their
doors opened wide, and the great bar down--for the gatemen kept them
open so as to let those of their comrades enter who might be flying
towards the ships. Hither of set purpose did he direct his horses, and
his men followed him with a loud cry, for they felt sure that the
Achaeans would not hold out longer, and that they should now fall upon
the ships. Little did they know that at the gates they should find two
of the bravest chieftains, proud sons of the fighting Lapithae--the
one, Polypoetes, mighty son of Pirithous, and the other Leonteus, peer
of murderous Mars. These stood before the gates like two high oak trees
upon the mountains, that tower from their wide-spreading roots, and
year after year battle with wind and rain--even so did these two men
await the onset of great Asius confidently and without flinching. The
Trojans led by him and by Iamenus, Orestes, Adamas the son of Asius,
Thoon and Oenomaus, raised a loud cry of battle and made straight for
the wall, holding their shields of dry ox-hide above their heads; for a
while the two defenders remained inside and cheered the Achaeans on to
stand firm in the defence of their ships; when, however, they saw that
the Trojans were attacking the wall, while the Danaans were crying out
for help and being routed, they rushed outside and fought in front of
the gates like two wild boars upon the mountains that abide the attack
of men and dogs, and charging on either side break down the wood all
round them tearing it up by the roots, and one can hear the clattering
of their tusks, till some one hits them and makes an end of them--even
so did the gleaming bronze rattle about their breasts, as the weapons
fell upon them; for they fought with great fury, trusting to their own
prowess and to those who were on the wall above them. These threw great
stones at their assailants in defence of themselves their tents and
their ships. The stones fell thick as the flakes of snow which some
fierce blast drives from the dark clouds and showers down in sheets
upon the earth--even so fell the weapons from the hands alike of
Trojans and Achaeans. Helmet and shield rang out as the great stones
rained upon them, and Asius, the son of Hyrtacus, in his dis