me close up and
hurled his spear, hitting Amphius the son of Selagus, a man of great
wealth who lived in Paesus and owned much corn-growing land, but his
lot had led him to come to the aid of Priam and his sons. Ajax struck
him in the belt; the spear pierced the lower part of his belly, and he
fell heavily to the ground. Then Ajax ran towards him to strip him of
his armour, but the Trojans rained spears upon him, many of which fell
upon his shield. He planted his heel upon the body and drew out his
spear, but the darts pressed so heavily upon him that he could not
strip the goodly armour from his shoulders. The Trojan chieftains,
moreover, many and valiant, came about him with their spears, so that
he dared not stay; great, brave and valiant though he was, they drove
him from them and he was beaten back.

Thus, then, did the battle rage between them. Presently the strong hand
of fate impelled Tlepolemus, the son of Hercules, a man both brave and
of great stature, to fight Sarpedon; so the two, son and grandson of
great Jove, drew near to one another, and Tlepolemus spoke first.
"Sarpedon," said he, "councillor of the Lycians, why should you come
skulking here you who are a man of peace? They lie who call you son of
aegis-bearing Jove, for you are little like those who were of old his
children. Far other was Hercules, my own brave and lion-hearted father,
who came here for the horses of Laomedon, and though he had six ships
only, and few men to follow him, sacked the city of Ilius and made a
wilderness of her highways. You are a coward, and your people are
falling from you. For all your strength, and all your coming from
Lycia, you will be no help to the Trojans but will pass the gates of
Hades vanquished by my hand."

And Sarpedon, captain of the Lycians, answered, "Tlepolemus, your
father overthrew Ilius by reason of Laomedon's folly in refusing
payment to one who had served him well. He would not give your father
the horses which he had come so far to fetch. As for yourself, you
shall meet death by my spear. You shall yield glory to myself, and your
soul to Hades of the noble steeds."

Thus spoke Sarpedon, and Tlepolemus upraised his spear. They threw at
the same moment, and Sarpedon struck his foe in the middle of his
throat; the spear went right through, and the darkness of death fell
upon his eyes. Tlepolemus's spear struck Sarpedon on the left thigh
with such force that it tore through the flesh and grazed the