still flowing from
his wound, and Menelaus stripping him of his armour. On this he made
his way to the front like a flame of fire, clad in his gleaming armour,
and crying with a loud voice. When the son of Atreus heard him, he said
to himself in his dismay, "Alas! what shall I do? I may not let the
Trojans take the armour of Patroclus who has fallen fighting on my
behalf, lest some Danaan who sees me should cry shame upon me. Still if
for my honour's sake I fight Hector and the Trojans single-handed, they
will prove too many for me, for Hector is bringing them up in force.
Why, however, should I thus hesitate? When a man fights in despite of
heaven with one whom a god befriends, he will soon rue it. Let no
Danaan think ill of me if I give place to Hector, for the hand of
heaven is with him. Yet, if I could find Ajax, the two of us would
fight Hector and heaven too, if we might only save the body of
Patroclus for Achilles son of Peleus. This, of many evils would be the
least."

While he was thus in two minds, the Trojans came up to him with Hector
at their head; he therefore drew back and left the body, turning about
like some bearded lion who is being chased by dogs and men from a
stockyard with spears and hue and cry, whereon he is daunted and slinks
sulkily off--even so did Menelaus son of Atreus turn and leave the body
of Patroclus. When among the body of his men, he looked around for
mighty Ajax son of Telamon, and presently saw him on the extreme left
of the fight, cheering on his men and exhorting them to keep on
fighting, for Phoebus Apollo had spread a great panic among them. He
ran up to him and said, "Ajax, my good friend, come with me at once to
dead Patroclus, if so be that we may take the body to Achilles--as for
his armour, Hector already has it."

These words stirred the heart of Ajax, and he made his way among the
front ranks, Menelaus going with him. Hector had stripped Patroclus of
his armour, and was dragging him away to cut off his head and take the
body to fling before the dogs of Troy. But Ajax came up with his shield
like wall before him, on which Hector withdrew under shelter of his
men, and sprang on to his chariot, giving the armour over to the
Trojans to take to the city, as a great trophy for himself; Ajax,
therefore, covered the body of Patroclus with his broad shield and
bestrode him; as a lion stands over his whelps if hunters have come
upon him in a forest when he is with his little on