empest on an autumn day
when Jove rains his hardest to punish men for giving crooked judgement
in their courts, and driving justice therefrom without heed to the
decrees of heaven--all the rivers run full and the torrents tear many a
new channel as they roar headlong from the mountains to the dark sea,
and it fares ill with the works of men--even such was the stress and
strain of the Trojan horses in their flight.

Patroclus now cut off the battalions that were nearest to him and drove
them back to the ships. They were doing their best to reach the city,
but he would not let them, and bore down on them between the river and
the ships and wall. Many a fallen comrade did he then avenge. First he
hit Pronous with a spear on the chest where it was exposed near the rim
of his shield, and he fell heavily to the ground. Next he sprang on
Thestor son of Enops, who was sitting all huddled up in his chariot,
for he had lost his head and the reins had been torn out of his hands.
Patroclus went up to him and drove a spear into his right jaw; he thus
hooked him by the teeth and the spear pulled him over the rim of his
car, as one who sits at the end of some jutting rock and draws a strong
fish out of the sea with a hook and a line--even so with his spear did
he pull Thestor all gaping from his chariot; he then threw him down on
his face and he died while falling. On this, as Erylaus was on coming
to attack him, he struck him full on the head with a stone, and his
brains were all battered inside his helmet, whereon he fell headlong to
the ground and the pangs of death took hold upon him. Then he laid low,
one after the other, Erymas, Amphoterus, Epaltes, Tlepolemus, Echius
son of Damastor, Pyris, Ipheus, Euippus and Polymelus son of Argeas.

Now when Sarpedon saw his comrades, men who wore ungirdled tunics,
being overcome by Patroclus son of Menoetius, he rebuked the Lycians
saying. "Shame on you, where are you flying to? Show your mettle; I
will myself meet this man in fight and learn who it is that is so
masterful; he has done us much hurt, and has stretched many a brave man
upon the ground."

He sprang from his chariot as he spoke, and Patroclus, when he saw
this, leaped on to the ground also. The two then rushed at one another
with loud cries like eagle-beaked crook-taloned vultures that scream
and tear at one another in some high mountain fastness.

The son of scheming Saturn looked down upon them in pity and said to
Juno wh