was to be married to Achilles, and when she came to Aulis she
found that it was only to be offered up. However, she resigned herself
bravely, and was ready to die for her father and the cause; but just as
Agamemnon had his sword ready, and had covered her face that he might not
see her pleading eyes as he was slaying her, Diana took pity, darted down
in a cloud, and in the place of the maiden a white hind lay on the altar
to be offered. Iphigenia was really carried off to serve as priestess at
Diana's temple at Tauris, but it was long before it was known what had
become of her, and Clytemnestra never forgave Agamemnon for what he had
intended to do.

At the isle of Tenedos the Greeks had to leave behind Philoctetes, the
friend of Hercules, who had his quiver of poisoned arrows, because the
poor man had a wound in his heel, which was in such a dreadful state that
no one could bear to come near him. One story was that he was bitten by
a water-snake, another that when he was just setting off he had been
over-persuaded to show where he had buried the ashes of Hercules. He did
not say one word, but stamped with his foot on the place, and an arrow
fell out at the moment and pierced his heel. At any rate, he and the
arrows were left behind, while the Greeks reached the coast of Troy.

[Picture: Greek ships]

The augurs had declared that the first man who touched the shore would be
the first to be killed. Achilles threw his shield before him, and leaped
out of the ship upon that; but Protesilaus leaped without so doing, and
was slain almost instantly by the Trojans. When his wife Laodamia heard
of his death, she grieved and pined so piteously that his spirit could
not rest, and Mercury gave him leave to come back and spend three hours
with her on earth. He came, but when she tried to embrace him she found
that he was only thin air, which could not be grasped, and when the time
was over he vanished from her sight. Then Laodamia made an image of him,
and treated it as a god; and when her father forbade her to do this, she
leaped into the fire, and thus perished.

The chief of the Greeks were Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, his brother
Menelaus of Sparta, and Achilles of AEgina, whose men were called
Myrmidons, and said to be descended from ants. His friend, to whom he
was devoted, was called Patroclus. He was the most perfect warrior in
the army, but Diomed the AEtolian came near him in daring,