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196 from thy fellows? Hath trouble come upon thee?"

Hector made reply in a feeble voice: "Who art thou among the gods that speakest to me? Knowest thou not that Ajax smote me with a mighty stone and stayed me from the battle? Verily I thought that I had gone down this day to the dwellings of the dead." But Apollo said: "Be of good cheer, for Zeus hath sent me, who am Apollo of the Golden Sword, to stand by thee and to succour thee. Come, now, and bid thy people advance toward the ships, and I will go before thee, and make the way easy for thy horses."

So Hector rose up in his might, and entered into the battle, even as men that chase a stag or a wild goat, and lo! a lion crosseth their path, so were the Greeks afraid when they saw Hector, the son of Priam. And Thoas the Ætolian spake, saying:— "Surely this is a great marvel that I see with mine eyes. For we thought that Hector had been slain by the hand of Ajax, son of Telamon, and now, behold! he is come back to the battle. Many Greeks have fallen before him,