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214 against hounds and men—even so did famed Idomeneus hold his ground and budge not at the coming of Æneas. He cried aloud to his comrades looking towards Ascalaphus, Aphareus, Deïpyrus, Meriones, and Antilochus, all of them brave soldiers—"Hither my friends," he cried, "and leave me not single-handed—I go in great fear by fleet Æneas, who is coming against me, and is a redoubtable dispenser of death in battle. Moreover he is in the flower of youth when a man's strength is greatest; if I was of the same age as he is and in my present mind, either he or I should soon bear away the prize of victory."

On this, all of them as one man stood near him, shield on shoulder. Æneas on the other side called to his comrades, looking towards Deïphobus, Paris, and Agenor, who were leaders of the Trojans along with himself, and the people followed them as sheep follow the ram when they go down to drink after they have been feeding, and the heart of the shepherd is glad—even so was the heart of Æneas gladdened when he saw his people follow him.

Then they fought furiously in close combat about the body of Alcathoüs, wielding their long spears; and the bronze armour about their bodies rang fearfully as they took aim at one another in the press of the fight, while the two heroes Æneas and Idomeneus, peers of Mars, outvied every one in their desire to hack at each other with sword and spear. Æneas took aim first, but Idomeneus was on the look-out and avoided the spear, so that it sped from Æneas' strong hand in vain, and fell quivering in the ground. Idomeneus meanwhile smote Œnomaus in the middle of his belly, and broke the plate of his corslet, whereon his bowels came gushing out and he clutched the earth in the palms of his hands as he fell sprawling in the dust. Idomeneus drew his spear out of the body, but could not strip him of the rest of his armour for the rain of darts that were showered upon him: moreover his strength was now beginning to fail him so that he could no longer charge, and could neither spring forward to