ce of Neleus, who had passed
Menelaus by a trick and not by the fleetness of his horses; but even so
Menelaus came in as close behind him as the wheel is to the horse that
draws both the chariot and its master. The end hairs of a horse's tail
touch the tyre of the wheel, and there is never much space between
wheel and horse when the chariot is going; Menelaus was no further than
this behind Antilochus, though at first he had been a full disc's throw
behind him. He had soon caught him up again, for Agamemnon's mare Aethe
kept pulling stronger and stronger, so that if the course had been
longer he would have passed him, and there would not even have been a
dead heat. Idomeneus's brave squire Meriones was about a spear's cast
behind Menelaus. His horses were slowest of all, and he was the worst
driver. Last of them all came the son of Admetus, dragging his chariot
and driving his horses on in front. When Achilles saw him he was sorry,
and stood up among the Argives saying, "The best man is coming in last.
Let us give him a prize for it is reasonable. He shall have the second,
but the first must go to the son of Tydeus."

Thus did he speak and the others all of them applauded his saying, and
were for doing as he had said, but Nestor's son Antilochus stood up and
claimed his rights from the son of Peleus. "Achilles," said he, "I
shall take it much amiss if you do this thing; you would rob me of my
prize, because you think Eumelus's chariot and horses were thrown out,
and himself too, good man that he is. He should have prayed duly to the
immortals; he would not have come in last if he had done so. If you are
sorry for him and so choose, you have much gold in your tents, with
bronze, sheep, cattle and horses. Take something from this store if you
would have the Achaeans speak well of you, and give him a better prize
even than that which you have now offered; but I will not give up the
mare, and he that will fight me for her, let him come on."

Achilles smiled as he heard this, and was pleased with Antilochus, who
was one of his dearest comrades. So he said--

"Antilochus, if you would have me find Eumelus another prize, I will
give him the bronze breastplate with a rim of tin running all round it
which I took from Asteropaeus. It will be worth much money to him."

He bade his comrade Automedon bring the breastplate from his tent, and
he did so. Achilles then gave it over to Eumelus, who received it
gladly.

But Menelaus