seemed to be mounting the car of Eumelus, and with their
hot breath covered his back and shoulders. Then Tydides would either have
gained a victory, or it would have been at least a dead heat; but Phoebus
Apollo was angry with him, and dashed his shining whip from his hand. He
shed hot tears of fury, when he saw that the mares of Eumelus were still
at their utmost speed, while his own horses slackened their speed, no
longer feeling the lash. But, luckily for Diomedes, his constant friend
Athene marked the trick of Apollo; and, speeding after Diomedes, she gave
him back the scourge, and put fresh mettle into his steeds. She then
pursued Eumelus, and brake the yoke of his horses; they bolted from the
course, and he was hurled off his car into the dust. Meanwhile, Tydides
rushed on before the others, for Athene was shedding glory on his head.

Next to him ran the horses of Menelaus, son of Atreus. Then came
Antilochus, son of Nestor, who spake thus to his father's Pylian horses:
"I do not ask you to contend with Tydides, whose horses Athene herself is
speeding; but I pray you to catch up the chariot of Atrides; and be not
beaten by Aithe, lest she, who is only a mare, pour ridicule upon you."
Thus spake Antilochus, and his horses were afraid, and sped on more
swiftly. But Antilochus noted a narrow gully, where the rain had collected
and had carried away a part of the course. There Menelaus was driving,
when Antilochus turned his horses out of the way, and followed him at one
side. Then Menelaus, fearing a collision, shouted loudly to the son of
Nestor: "Antilochus, hold in thy horses! and drive not so recklessly!
close ahead there is a wider space, where we can pass one another!" But
Antilochus, as if he heard him not, drove on more madly than ever and
plied the lash; and the golden-haired son of Atreus called again to him,
reproving him: "Antilochus, there is no man more spiteful than thou; away
with thee! wrongly have we called thee _wise_!" Then he called on his
horses, and they increased their speed, fearing the anger of their lord,
and quickly overtook the others.

Now the Argive chiefs sat together, watching the race as the chariots flew
along the course. The first to see them coming was Idomeneus, the Cretan
prince, the son of Deucalion; he was sitting apart from the rest on the
highest place, and he could distinguish the voices of the drivers. He
noticed a chestnut horse, with a white star on his forehead, round lik