n mercilessly slaying. I am in despair, therefore, O
captain of your host, trouble me no further."

Achilles answered, "So be it, Scamander, Jove-descended; but I will
never cease dealing out death among the Trojans, till I have pent them
up in their city, and made trial of Hector face to face, that I may
learn whether he is to vanquish me, or I him."

As he spoke he set upon the Trojans with a fury like that of the gods.
But the river said to Apollo, "Surely, son of Jove, lord of the silver
bow, you are not obeying the commands of Jove who charged you straitly
that you should stand by the Trojans and defend them, till twilight
fades, and darkness is over an the earth."

Meanwhile Achilles sprang from the bank into mid-stream, whereon the
river raised a high wave and attacked him. He swelled his stream into a
torrent, and swept away the many dead whom Achilles had slain and left
within his waters. These he cast out on to the land, bellowing like a
bull the while, but the living he saved alive, hiding them in his
mighty eddies. The great and terrible wave gathered about Achilles,
falling upon him and beating on his shield, so that he could not keep
his feet; he caught hold of a great elm-tree, but it came up by the
roots, and tore away the bank, damming the stream with its thick
branches and bridging it all across; whereby Achilles struggled out of
the stream, and fled full speed over the plain, for he was afraid.

But the mighty god ceased not in his pursuit, and sprang upon him with
a dark-crested wave, to stay his hands and save the Trojans from
destruction. The son of Peleus darted away a spear's throw from him;
swift as the swoop of a black hunter-eagle which is the strongest and
fleetest of all birds, even so did he spring forward, and the armour
rang loudly about his breast. He fled on in front, but the river with a
loud roar came tearing after. As one who would water his garden leads a
stream from some fountain over his plants, and all his ground--spade in
hand he clears away the dams to free the channels, and the little
stones run rolling round and round with the water as it goes merrily
down the bank faster than the man can follow--even so did the river
keep catching up with Achilles albeit he was a fleet runner, for the
gods are stronger than men. As often as he would strive to stand his
ground, and see whether or no all the gods in heaven were in league
against him, so often would the mighty wave come beat