that the Trojans suffered
so severely at his hands that they took shelter behind their walls,
whence they never again emerged to meet the Greeks in the field.

But Troy was safe from capture while the Palladium, a statue which
Jupiter himself had given to Dardanus, the ancestor of the Trojans,
remained in the citadel of that city. Ulysses overcame this difficulty.
He entered Troy in the disguise of a wounded and ragged fugitive, and
managed to steal the Palladium from the citadel. Then, as the walls of
Troy still defied their assailants, a further and extraordinary
stratagem was employed to gain access to the city. It seems a ridiculous
one to us, but was accepted as satisfactory by the writers of Greece.
This stratagem was the following:

A great hollow wooden horse, large enough to contain one hundred armed
men, was constructed, and in its interior the leading Grecian heroes
concealed themselves. Then the army set fire to its tents, took to its
ships, and sailed away to the island of Tenedos, as if it had abandoned
the siege. Only the great horse was left on the long-contested
battle-field.

The Trojans, filled with joy at the sight of their departing foes, came
streaming out into the plain, women as well as warriors, and gazed with
astonishment at the strange monster which their enemies had left. Many
of them wanted to take it into the city, and dedicate it to the gods as
a mark of gratitude for their deliverance. The more cautious ones
doubted if it was wise to accept an enemy's gift. Laocoon, the priest of
Neptune, struck the side of the horse with his spear. A hollow sound
came from its interior, but this did not suffice to warn the indiscreet
Trojans. And a terrible spectacle now filled them with superstitious
dread. Two great serpents appeared far out at sea and came swimming
inward over the waves. Reaching the shore, they glided over the land to
where stood the unfortunate Laocoon, whose body they encircled with
their folds. His son, who came to his rescue, was caught in the same
dreadful coils, and the two perished miserably before the eyes of their
dismayed countrymen.

There was no longer any talk of rejecting the fatal gift. The gods had
given their decision. A breach was made in the walls of Troy, and the
great horse was dragged with exultation within the stronghold that for
ten long years had defied its foe.

Riotous joy and festivity followed in Troy. It extended into the night.
While this went on