sunk. The ground was broken, for the winter's rain had gathered and had
worn the road so that the whole place was deepened. Menelaus was making
towards it so as to get there first, for fear of a foul, but Antilochus
turned his horses out of the way, and followed him a little on one
side. The son of Atreus was afraid and shouted out, "Antilochus, you
are driving recklessly; rein in your horses; the road is too narrow
here, it will be wider soon, and you can pass me then; if you foul my
chariot you may bring both of us to a mischief."

But Antilochus plied his whip, and drove faster, as though he had not
heard him. They went side by side for about as far as a young man can
hurl a disc from his shoulder when he is trying his strength, and then
Menelaus's mares drew behind, for he left off driving for fear the
horses should foul one another and upset the chariots; thus, while
pressing on in quest of victory, they might both come headlong to the
ground. Menelaus then upbraided Antilochus and said, "There is no
greater trickster living than you are; go, and bad luck go with you;
the Achaeans say not well that you have understanding, and come what
may you shall not bear away the prize without sworn protest on my part."

Then he called on his horses and said to them, "Keep your pace, and
slacken not; the limbs of the other horses will weary sooner than
yours, for they are neither of them young."

The horses feared the rebuke of their master, and went faster, so that
they were soon nearly up with the others.

Meanwhile the Achaeans from their seats were watching how the horses
went, as they scoured the plain amid clouds of their own dust.
Idomeneus captain of the Cretans was first to make out the running, for
he was not in the thick of the crowd, but stood on the most commanding
part of the ground. The driver was a long way off, but Idomeneus could
hear him shouting, and could see the foremost horse quite plainly--a
chestnut with a round white star, like the moon, on its forehead. He
stood up and said among the Argives, "My friends, princes and
counsellors of the Argives, can you see the running as well as I can?
There seems to be another pair in front now, and another driver; those
that led off at the start must have been disabled out on the plain. I
saw them at first making their way round the doubling-post, but now,
though I search the plain of Troy, I cannot find them. Perhaps the
reins fell from the driver's hand so th