on striving continually either to enshroud some Trojan in the
darkness of death, or himself to fall while warding off the evil day
from the Achaeans. Then fell Alcathous son of noble Aesyetes; he was
son-in-law to Anchises, having married his eldest daughter Hippodameia,
who was the darling of her father and mother, and excelled all her
generation in beauty, accomplishments, and understanding, wherefore the
bravest man in all Troy had taken her to wife--him did Neptune lay low
by the hand of Idomeneus, blinding his bright eyes and binding his
strong limbs in fetters so that he could neither go back nor to one
side, but stood stock still like pillar or lofty tree when Idomeneus
struck him with a spear in the middle of his chest. The coat of mail
that had hitherto protected his body was now broken, and rang harshly
as the spear tore through it. He fell heavily to the ground, and the
spear stuck in his heart, which still beat, and made the butt-end of
the spear quiver till dread Mars put an end to his life. Idomeneus
vaunted over him and cried with a loud voice saying, "Deiphobus, since
you are in a mood to vaunt, shall we cry quits now that we have killed
three men to your one? Nay, sir, stand in fight with me yourself, that
you may learn what manner of Jove-begotten man am I that have come
hither. Jove first begot Minos, chief ruler in Crete, and Minos in his
turn begot a son, noble Deucalion. Deucalion begot me to be a ruler
over many men in Crete, and my ships have now brought me hither, to be
the bane of yourself, your father, and the Trojans."

Thus did he speak, and Deiphobus was in two minds, whether to go back
and fetch some other Trojan to help him, or to take up the challenge
single-handed. In the end, he deemed it best to go and fetch Aeneas,
whom he found standing in the rear, for he had long been aggrieved with
Priam because in spite of his brave deeds he did not give him his due
share of honour. Deiphobus went up to him and said, "Aeneas, prince
among the Trojans, if you know any ties of kinship, help me now to
defend the body of your sister's husband; come with me to the rescue of
Alcathous, who being husband to your sister brought you up when you
were a child in his house, and now Idomeneus has slain him."

With these words he moved the heart of Aeneas, and he went in pursuit
of Idomeneus, big with great deeds of valour; but Idomeneus was not to
be thus daunted as though he were a mere child; he held his