Now the other princes of the Achaeans
slept soundly the whole night through, but
Agamemnon son of Atreus was troubled, so
that he could get no rest. As when fair
Juno's lord flashes his lightning in token
of great rain or hail or snow when the
snow-flakes whiten the ground, or again as
a sign that he will open the wide jaws of
hungry war, even so did Agamemnon heave
many a heavy sigh, for his soul trembled
within him. When he looked upon the plain
of Troy he marvelled at the many watchfires
burning in front of Ilius, and at the
sound of pipes and flutes and of the hum of men, but
when presently he turned towards the ships
and hosts of the Achaeans, he tore his hair
by handfuls before Jove on high, and
groaned aloud for the very disquietness of his soul.
In the end he deemed it best to go at once
to Nestor son of Neleus, and see if between
them they could find any way of the
Achaeans from destruction. He therefore rose, put
on his shirt, bound his sandals about his
comely feet, flung the skin of a huge tawny lion
over his shoulders- a skin that reached
his feet- and took his spear in his hand.
Neither could Menelaus sleep, for he, too,
boded ill for the Argives who for his sake
had sailed from far over the seas to fight
the Trojans. He covered his broad back with
the skin of a spotted panther, put a
casque of bronze upon his head, and took his spear
in his brawny hand. Then he went to rouse
his brother, who was by far the most
powerful of the Achaeans, and was honoured
by the people as though he were a god.
He found him by the stern of his ship
already putting his goodly array about his
shoulders, and right glad was he that his
brother had come.
Menelaus spoke first. "Why," said he, "my
dear brother, are you thus arming? Are you
going to send any of our comrades to
exploit the Trojans? I greatly fear that no one will
do you this service, and spy upon the
enemy alone in the dead of night. It will be a deed
of great daring."
And King Agamemnon answered, "Menelaus, we
both of us need shrewd counsel to
save the Argives and our ships, for Jove
has changed his mind, and inclines towards
Hector's sacrifices rather than ours. I
never saw nor heard tell of any man as having
wrought such ruin in one day as Hector has
now wrought against the sons of the
Achaeans- and that too of his own unaided
self, for he is son neither to god nor
goddess. The Argives will rue it long and
deeply. Run, therefore, with all speed by the
line of the ships, and call Ajax and
Idomeneus. Meanwhile I will go to Nestor, and bid
him rise and go about among the companies
of our sentinels to give them their
instructions; they will listen to him
sooner than to any man, for his own son, and
Meriones brother in arms to Idomeneus, are
captains over them. It was to them more
particularly that we gave this
charge."
Menelaus replied, "How do I take your
meaning? Am I to stay with them and wait your
coming, or shall I return here as soon as
I have given your orders?" "Wait," answered
King Agamemnon, "for there are so many
paths about the camp that we might miss one
another. Call every man on your way, and
bid him be stirring; name him by his lineage
and by his father's name, give each all
titular observance, and stand not too much upon
your own dignity; we must take our full
share of toil, for at our birth Jove laid this heavy
burden upon us."
With these instructions he sent his
brother on his way, and went on to Nestor shepherd
of his people. He found him sleeping in
his tent hard by his own ship; his goodly armour
lay beside him- his shield, his two spears
and his helmet; beside him also lay the
gleaming girdle with which the old man
girded himself when he armed to lead his people
into battle- for his age stayed him not.
He raised himself on his elbow and looked up at
Agamemnon. "Who is it," said he, "that
goes thus about the host and the ships alone and
in the dead of night, when men are
sleeping? Are you looking for one of your mules or
for some comrade? Do not stand there and
say nothing, but speak. What is your
business?"
And Agamemnon answered, "Nestor, son of
Neleus, honour to the Achaean name, it is
I, Agamemnon son of Atreus, on whom Jove
has laid labour and sorrow so long as
there is breath in my body and my limbs
carry me. I am thus abroad because sleep sits
not upon my eyelids, but my heart is big
with war and with the jeopardy of the
Achaeans. I am in great fear for the
Danaans. I am at sea, and without sure counsel; my
heart beats as though it would leap out of
my body, and my limbs fail me. If then you
can do anything- for you too cannot sleep-
let us go the round of the watch, and see
whether they are drowsy with toil and
sleeping to the neglect of their duty. The enemy is
encamped hard and we know not but he may
attack us by night."
Nestor replied, "Most noble son of Atreus,
king of men, Agamemnon, Jove will not do
all for Hector that Hector thinks he will;
he will have troubles yet in plenty if Achilles will
lay aside his anger. I will go with you,
and we will rouse others, either the son of
Tydeus, or Ulysses, or fleet Ajax and the
valiant son of Phyleus. Some one had also
better go and call Ajax and King
Idomeneus, for their ships are not near at hand but the
farthest of all. I cannot however refrain
from blaming Menelaus, much as I love him and
respect him- and I will say so plainly,
even at the risk of offending you- for sleeping and
leaving all this trouble to yourself. He
ought to be going about imploring aid from all the
princes of the Achaeans, for we are in
extreme danger."
And Agamemnon answered, "Sir, you may
sometimes blame him justly, for he is often
remiss and unwilling to exert himself- not
indeed from sloth, nor yet heedlessness, but
because he looks to me and expects me to
take the lead. On this occasion, however, he
was awake before I was, and came to me of
his own accord. I have already sent him to
call the very men whom you have named. And
now let us be going. We shall find them
with the watch outside the gates, for it
was there I said that we would meet them."
"In that case," answered Nestor, "the
Argives will not blame him nor disobey his orders
when he urges them to fight or gives them
instructions."
With this he put on his shirt, and bound
his sandals about his comely feet. He buckled
on his purple coat, of two thicknesses,
large, and of a rough shaggy texture, grasped his
redoubtable bronze-shod spear, and wended
his way along the line of the Achaean
ships. First he called loudly to Ulysses
peer of gods in counsel and woke him, for he
was soon roused by the sound of the
battle-cry. He came outside his tent and said,
"Why do you go thus alone about the host,
and along the line of the ships in the stillness
of the night? What is it that you find so
urgent?" And Nestor knight of Gerene
answered, "Ulysses, noble son of Laertes,
take it not amiss, for the Achaeans are in
great straits. Come with me and let us
wake some other, who may advise well with us
whether we shall fight or fly."
On this Ulysses went at once into his
tent, put his shield about his shoulders and came
out with them. First they went to Diomed
son of Tydeus, and found him outside his tent
clad in his armour with his comrades
sleeping round him and using their shields as
pillows; as for their spears, they stood
upright on the spikes of their butts that were
driven into the ground, and the burnished
bronze flashed afar like the lightning of father
Jove. The hero was sleeping upon the skin
of an ox, with a piece of fine carpet under
his head; Nestor went up to him and
stirred him with his heel to rouse him, upbraiding
him and urging him to bestir himself.
"Wake up," he exclaimed, "son of Tydeus. How
can you sleep on in this way? Can you not
see that the Trojans are encamped on the
brow of the plain hard by our ships, with
but a little space between us and them?"
On these words Diomed leaped up instantly
and said, "Old man, your heart is of iron;
you rest not one moment from your labours.
Are there no younger men among the
Achaeans who could go about to rouse the
princes? There is no tiring you."
And Nestor knight of Gerene made answer,
"My son, all that you have said is true. I
have good sons, and also much people who
might call the chieftains, but the Achaeans
are in the gravest danger; life and death
are balanced as it were on the edge of a razor.
Go then, for you are younger than I, and
of your courtesy rouse Ajax and the fleet son
of Phyleus."
Diomed threw the skin of a great tawny
lion about his shoulders- a skin that reached his
feet- and grasped his spear. When he had
roused the heroes, he brought them back
with him; they then went the round of
those who were on guard, and found the captains
not sleeping at their posts but wakeful
and sitting with their arms about them. As sheep
dogs that watch their flocks when they are
yarded, and hear a wild beast coming
through the mountain forest towards them-
forthwith there is a hue and cry of dogs and
men, and slumber is broken- even so was
sleep chased from the eyes of the Achaeans
as they kept the watches of the wicked
night, for they turned constantly towards the
plain whenever they heard any stir among
the Trojans. The old man was glad bade them
be of good cheer. "Watch on, my children,"
said he, "and let not sleep get hold upon
you, lest our enemies triumph over
us."
With this he passed the trench, and with
him the other chiefs of the Achaeans who had
been called to the council. Meriones and
the brave son of Nestor went also, for the
princes bade them. When they were beyond
the trench that was dug round the wall they
held their meeting on the open ground
where there was a space clear of corpses, for it
was here that when night fell Hector had
turned back from his onslaught on the Argives.
They sat down, therefore, and held debate
with one another.
Nestor spoke first. "My friends," said he,
"is there any man bold enough to venture the
Trojans, and cut off some straggler, or us
news of what the enemy mean to do whether
they will stay here by the ships away from
the city, or whether, now that they have
worsted the Achaeans, they will retire
within their walls. If he could learn all this and
come back safely here, his fame would be
high as heaven in the mouths of all men, and
he would be rewarded richly; for the
chiefs from all our ships would each of them give
him a black ewe with her lamb- which is a
present of surpassing value- and he would be
asked as a guest to all feasts and
clan-gatherings."
They all held their peace, but Diomed of
the loud war-cry spoke saying, "Nestor, gladly
will I visit the host of the Trojans over
against us, but if another will go with me I shall
do so in greater confidence and comfort.
When two men are together, one of them may
see some opportunity which the other has
not caught sight of; if a man is alone he is less
full of resource, and his wit is
weaker."
On this several offered to go with Diomed.
The two Ajaxes, servants of Mars,
Meriones, and the son of Nestor all wanted
to go, so did Menelaus son of Atreus;
Ulysses also wished to go among the host
of the Trojans, for he was ever full of daring,
and thereon Agamemnon king of men spoke
thus: "Diomed," said he, "son of Tydeus,
man after my own heart, choose your
comrade for yourself- take the best man of those
that have offered, for many would now go
with you. Do not through delicacy reject the
better man, and take the worst out of
respect for his lineage, because he is of more
royal blood."
He said this because he feared for
Menelaus. Diomed answered, "If you bid me take
the man of my own choice, how in that case
can I fail to think of Ulysses, than whom
there is no man more eager to face all
kinds of danger- and Pallas Minerva loves him
well? If he were to go with me we should
pass safely through fire itself, for he is quick
to see and understand."
"Son of Tydeus," replied Ulysses, "say
neither good nor ill about me, for you are among
Argives who know me well. Let us be going,
for the night wanes and dawn is at hand.
The stars have gone forward, two-thirds of
the night are already spent, and the third is
alone left us."
They then put on their armour. Brave
Thrasymedes provided the son of Tydeus with a
sword and a shield (for he had left his
own at his ship) and on his head he set a helmet
of bull's hide without either peak or
crest; it is called a skull-cap and is a common
headgear. Meriones found a bow and quiver
for Ulysses, and on his head he set a
leathern helmet that was lined with a
strong plaiting of leathern thongs, while on the
outside it was thickly studded with boar's
teeth, well and skilfully set into it; next the
head there was an inner lining of felt.
This helmet had been stolen by Autolycus out of
Eleon when he broke into the house of
Amyntor son of Ormenus. He gave it to
Amphidamas of Cythera to take to Scandea,
and Amphidamas gave it as a guest-gift to
Molus, who gave it to his son Meriones;
and now it was set upon the head of Ulysses.
When the pair had armed, they set out, and
left the other chieftains behind them. Pallas
Minerva sent them a heron by the wayside
upon their right hands; they could not see it
for the darkness, but they heard its cry.
Ulysses was glad when he heard it and prayed
to Minerva: "Hear me," he cried, "daughter
of aegis-bearing Jove, you who spy out all
my ways and who are with me in all my
hardships; befriend me in this mine hour, and
grant that we may return to the ships
covered with glory after having achieved some
mighty exploit that shall bring sorrow to
the Trojans."
Then Diomed of the loud war-cry also
prayed: "Hear me too," said he, "daughter of
Jove, unweariable; be with me even as you
were with my noble father Tydeus when he
went to Thebes as envoy sent by the
Achaeans. He left the Achaeans by the banks of
the river Aesopus, and went to the city
bearing a message of peace to the Cadmeians;
on his return thence, with your help,
goddess, he did great deeds of daring, for you
were his ready helper. Even so guide me
and guard me now, and in return I will offer
you in sacrifice a broad-browed heifer of
a year old, unbroken, and never yet brought
by man under the yoke. I will gild her
horns and will offer her up to you in sacrifice."
Thus they prayed, and Pallas Minerva heard
their prayer. When they had done praying
to the daughter of great Jove, they went
their way like two lions prowling by night amid
the armour and blood-stained bodies of
them that had fallen.
Neither again did Hector let the Trojans
sleep; for he too called the princes and
councillors of the Trojans that he might
set his counsel before them. "Is there one," said
he, "who for a great reward will do me the
service of which I will tell you? He shall be
well paid if he will. I will give him a
chariot and a couple of horses, the fleetest that can
be found at the ships of the Achaeans, if
he will dare this thing; and he will win infinite
honour to boot; he must go to the ships
and find out whether they are still guarded as
heretofore, or whether now that we have
beaten them the Achaeans design to fly, and
through sheer exhaustion are neglecting to
keep their watches."
They all held their peace; but there was
among the Trojans a certain man named Dolon,
son of Eumedes, the famous herald- a man
rich in gold and bronze. He was ill-favoured,
but a good runner, and was an only son
among five sisters. He it was that now
addressed the Trojans. "I, Hector," said
he, "Will to the ships and will exploit them. But
first hold up your sceptre and swear that
you will give me the chariot, bedight with
bronze, and the horses that now carry the
noble son of Peleus. I will make you a good
scout, and will not fail you. I will go
through the host from one end to the other till I
come to the ship of Agamemnon, where I
take it the princes of the Achaeans are now
consulting whether they shall fight or
fly."
When he had done speaking Hector held up
his sceptre, and swore him his oath saying,
"May Jove the thundering husband of Juno
bear witness that no other Trojan but
yourself shall mount those steeds, and
that you shall have your will with them for ever."
The oath he swore was bootless, but it
made Dolon more keen on going. He hung his
bow over his shoulder, and as an overall
he wore the skin of a grey wolf, while on his
head he set a cap of ferret skin. Then he
took a pointed javelin, and left the camp for
the ships, but he was not to return with
any news for Hector. When he had left the
horses and the troops behind him, he made
all speed on his way, but Ulysses perceived
his coming and said to Diomed, "Diomed,
here is some one from the camp; I am not
sure whether he is a spy, or whether it is
some thief who would plunder the bodies of
the dead; let him get a little past us, we
can then spring upon him and take him. If,
however, he is too quick for us, go after
him with your spear and hem him in towards
the ships away from the Trojan camp, to
prevent his getting back to the town."
With this they turned out of their way and
lay down among the corpses. Dolon
suspected nothing and soon passed them,
but when he had got about as far as the
distance by which a mule-plowed furrow
exceeds one that has been ploughed by oxen
(for mules can plow fallow land quicker
than oxen) they ran after him, and when he
heard their footsteps he stood still, for
he made sure they were friends from the Trojan
camp come by Hector's orders to bid him
return; when, however, they were only a
spear's cast, or less away form him, he
saw that they were enemies as fast as his legs
could take him. The others gave chase at
once, and as a couple of well-trained hounds
press forward after a doe or hare that
runs screaming in front of them, even so did the
son of Tydeus and Ulysses pursue Dolon and
cut him off from his own people. But
when he had fled so far towards the ships
that he would soon have fallen in with the
outposts, Minerva infused fresh strength
into the son of Tydeus for fear some other of
the Achaeans might have the glory of being
first to hit him, and he might himself be only
second; he therefore sprang forward with
his spear and said, "Stand, or I shall throw
my spear, and in that case I shall soon
make an end of you."
He threw as he spoke, but missed his aim
on purpose. The dart flew over the man's
right shoulder, and then stuck in the
ground. He stood stock still, trembling and in great
fear; his teeth chattered, and he turned
pale with fear. The two came breathless up to
him and seized his hands, whereon he began
to weep and said, "Take me alive; I will
ransom myself; we have great store of
gold, bronze, and wrought iron, and from this my
father will satisfy you with a very large
ransom, should he hear of my being alive at the
ships of the Achaeans."
"Fear not," replied Ulysses, "let no
thought of death be in your mind; but tell me, and tell
me true, why are you thus going about
alone in the dead of night away from your camp
and towards the ships, while other men are
sleeping? Is it to plunder the bodies of the
slain, or did Hector send you to spy out
what was going on at the ships? Or did you
come here of your own mere notion?"
Dolon answered, his limbs trembling
beneath him: "Hector, with his vain flattering
promises, lured me from my better
judgement. He said he would give me the horses of
the noble son of Peleus and his
bronze-bedizened chariot; he bade me go through the
darkness of the flying night, get close to
the enemy, and find out whether the ships are
still guarded as heretofore, or whether,
now that we have beaten them, the Achaeans
design to fly, and through sheer
exhaustion are neglecting to keep their watches."
Ulysses smiled at him and answered, "You
had indeed set your heart upon a great
reward, but the horses of the descendant
of Aeacus are hardly to be kept in hand or
driven by any other mortal man than
Achilles himself, whose mother was an immortal.
But tell me, and tell me true, where did
you leave Hector when you started? Where lies
his armour and his horses? How, too, are
the watches and sleeping-ground of the
Trojans ordered? What are their plans?
Will they stay here by the ships and away from
the city, or now that they have worsted
the Achaeans, will they retire within their walls?"
And Dolon answered, "I will tell you truly
all. Hector and the other councillors are now
holding conference by the monument of
great Ilus, away from the general tumult; as for
the guards about which you ask me, there
is no chosen watch to keep guard over the
host. The Trojans have their watchfires,
for they are bound to have them; they,
therefore, are awake and keep each other
to their duty as sentinels; but the allies who
have come from other places are asleep and
leave it to the Trojans to keep guard, for
their wives and children are not
here."
Ulysses then said, "Now tell me; are they
sleeping among the Trojan troops, or do they
lie apart? Explain this that I may
understand it."
"I will tell you truly all," replied
Dolon. "To the seaward lie the Carians, the Paeonian
bowmen, the Leleges, the Cauconians, and
the noble Pelasgi. The Lysians and proud
Mysians, with the Phrygians and Meonians,
have their place on the side towards
Thymbra; but why ask about an this? If you
want to find your way into the host of the
Trojans, there are the Thracians, who have
lately come here and lie apart from the
others at the far end of the camp; and
they have Rhesus son of Eioneus for their king.
His horses are the finest and strongest
that I have ever seen, they are whiter than snow
and fleeter than any wind that blows. His
chariot is bedight with silver and gold, and he
has brought his marvellous golden armour,
of the rarest workmanship- too splendid for
any mortal man to carry, and meet only for
the gods. Now, therefore, take me to the
ships or bind me securely here, until you
come back and have proved my words
whether they be false or true."
Diomed looked sternly at him and answered,
"Think not, Dolon, for all the good
information you have given us, that you
shall escape now you are in our hands, for if we
ransom you or let you go, you will come
some second time to the ships of the Achaeans
either as a spy or as an open enemy, but
if I kill you and an end of you, you will give no
more trouble."
On this Dolon would have caught him by the
beard to beseech him further, but Diomed
struck him in the middle of his neck with
his sword and cut through both sinews so that
his head fell rolling in the dust while he
was yet speaking. They took the ferret-skin cap
from his head, and also the wolf-skin, the
bow, and his long spear. Ulysses hung them
up aloft in honour of Minerva the goddess
of plunder, and prayed saying, "Accept
these, goddess, for we give them to you in
preference to all the gods in Olympus:
therefore speed us still further towards
the horses and sleeping-ground of the
Thracians."
With these words he took the spoils and
set them upon a tamarisk tree, and they
marked the place by pulling up reeds and
gathering boughs of tamarisk that they might
not miss it as they came back through the'
flying hours of darkness. The two then went
onwards amid the fallen armour and the
blood, and came presently to the company of
Thracian soldiers, who were sleeping,
tired out with their day's toil; their goodly armour
was lying on the ground beside them all
orderly in three rows, and each man had his
yoke of horses beside him. Rhesus was
sleeping in the middle, and hard by him his
horses were made fast to the topmost rim
of his chariot. Ulysses from some way off
saw him and said, "This, Diomed, is the
man, and these are the horses about which
Dolon whom we killed told us. Do your very
utmost; dally not about your armour, but
loose the horses at once- or else kill the
men yourself, while I see to the horses."
Thereon Minerva put courage into the heart
of Diomed, and he smote them right and
left. They made a hideous groaning as they
were being hacked about, and the earth was
red with their blood. As a lion springs
furiously upon a flock of sheep or goats when he
finds without their shepherd, so did the
son of Tydeus set upon the Thracian soldiers till
he had killed twelve. As he killed them
Ulysses came and drew them aside by their feet
one by one, that the horses might go
forward freely without being frightened as they
passed over the dead bodies, for they were
not yet used to them. When the son of
Tydeus came to the king, he killed him too
(which made thirteen), as he was breathing
hard, for by the counsel of Minerva an
evil dream, the seed of Oeneus, hovered that
night over his head. Meanwhile Ulysses
untied the horses, made them fast one to
another and drove them off, striking them
with his bow, for he had forgotten to take the
whip from the chariot. Then he whistled as
a sign to Diomed.
But Diomed stayed where he was, thinking
what other daring deed he might
accomplish. He was doubting whether to
take the chariot in which the king's armour
was lying, and draw it out by the pole, or
to lift the armour out and carry it off; or
whether again, he should not kill some
more Thracians. While he was thus hesitating
Minerva came up to him and said, "Get
back, Diomed, to the ships or you may be
driven thither, should some other god
rouse the Trojans."
Diomed knew that it was the goddess, and
at once sprang upon the horses. Ulysses
beat them with his bow and they flew
onward to the ships of the Achaeans.
But Apollo kept no blind look-out when he
saw Minerva with the son of Tydeus. He
was angry with her, and coming to the host
of the Trojans he roused Hippocoon, a
counsellor of the Thracians and a noble
kinsman of Rhesus. He started up out of his
sleep and saw that the horses were no
longer in their place, and that the men were
gasping in their death-agony; on this he
groaned aloud, and called upon his friend by
name. Then the whole Trojan camp was in an
uproar as the people kept hurrying
together, and they marvelled at the deeds
of the heroes who had now got away towards
the ships.
When they reached the place where they had
killed Hector's scout, Ulysses stayed his
horses, and the son of Tydeus, leaping to
the ground, placed the blood-stained spoils in
the hands of Ulysses and remounted: then
he lashed the horses onwards, and they flew
forward nothing loth towards the ships as
though of their own free will. Nestor was first
to hear the tramp of their feet. "My
friends," said he, "princes and counsellors of the
Argives, shall I guess right or wrong?-
but I must say what I think: there is a sound in
my ears as of the tramp of horses. I hope
it may Diomed and Ulysses driving in horses
from the Trojans, but I much fear that the
bravest of the Argives may have come to
some harm at their hands."
He had hardly done speaking when the two
men came in and dismounted, whereon the
others shook hands right gladly with them
and congratulated them. Nestor knight of
Gerene was first to question them. "Tell
me," said he, "renowned Ulysses, how did you
two come by these horses? Did you steal in
among the Trojan forces, or did some god
meet you and give them to you? They are
like sunbeams. I am well conversant with the
Trojans, for old warrior though I am I
never hold back by the ships, but I never yet saw
or heard of such horses as these are.
Surely some god must have met you and given
them to you, for you are both of dear to
Jove, and to Jove's daughter Minerva."
And Ulysses answered, "Nestor son of
Neleus, honour to the Achaean name, heaven, if
it so will, can give us even better horses
than these, for the gods are far mightier than we
are. These horses, however, about which
you ask me, are freshly come from Thrace.
Diomed killed their king with the twelve
bravest of his companions. Hard by the ships
we took a thirteenth man- a scout whom
Hector and the other Trojans had sent as a
spy upon our ships."
He laughed as he spoke and drove the
horses over the ditch, while the other Achaeans
followed him gladly. When they reached the
strongly built quarters of the son of Tydeus,
they tied the horses with thongs of
leather to the manger, where the steeds of Diomed
stood eating their sweet corn, but Ulysses
hung the blood-stained spoils of Dolon at the
stern of his ship, that they might prepare
a sacred offering to Minerva. As for
themselves, they went into the sea and
washed the sweat from their bodies, and from
their necks and thighs. When the sea-water
had taken all the sweat from off them, and
had refreshed them, they went into the
baths and washed themselves. After they had so
done and had anointed themselves with oil,
they sat down to table, and drawing from a
full mixing-bowl, made a drink-offering of
wine to Minerva.