Menelaus heeded his words and went his way as a lion
from a stockyard—the lion is tired of attacking
the men and hounds, who keep watch the whole night
through and will not let him feast on the fat of their
herd. In his lust of meat he makes straight at
them but in vain, for darts from strong hands assail
him, and burning brands which daunt him for all his
hunger, so in the morning he slinks sulkily away—even
so did Menelaus sorely against his will leave Patroclus,
in great fear lest the Achaeans should be driven back
in rout and let him fall into the hands of the foe.
He charged Meriones and the two Ajaxes straitly saying,
“Ajaxes and Meriones, leaders of the Argives,
now indeed remember how good Patroclus was; he was
ever courteous while alive, bear it in mind now that
he is dead.”
With this Menelaus left them, looking round him as
keenly as an eagle, whose sight they say is keener
than that of any other bird—however high
he may be in the heavens, not a hare that runs can
escape him by crouching under bush or thicket, for
he will swoop down upon it and make an end of it—even
so, O Menelaus, did your keen eyes range round the
mighty host of your followers to see if you could
find the son of Nestor still alive. Presently
Menelaus saw him on the extreme left of the battle
cheering on his men and exhorting them to fight boldly.
Menelaus went up to him and said, “Antilochus,
come here and listen to sad news, which I would indeed
were untrue. You must see with your own eyes
that heaven is heaping calamity upon the Danaans, and
giving victory to the Trojans. Patroclus has
fallen, who was the bravest of the Achaeans, and sorely
will the Danaans miss him. Run instantly to the
ships and tell Achilles, that he may come to rescue
the body and bear it to the ships. As for the
armour, Hector already has it.”
Antilochus was struck with horror. For a long
time he was speechless; his eyes filled with tears
and he could find no utterance, but he did as Menelaus
had said, and set off running as soon as he had given
his armour to a comrade, Laodocus, who was wheeling
his horses round, close beside him.
Thus, then, did he run weeping from the field, to
carry the bad news to Achilles son of Peleus.
Nor were you, O Menelaus, minded to succour his harassed
comrades, when Antilochus had left the Pylians—and
greatly did they miss him—but he sent them
noble Thrasymedes, and himself went back to Patroclus.
He came running up to the two Ajaxes and said, “I
have sent Antilochus to the ships to tell Achilles,
but rage against Hector as he may, he cannot come,
for he cannot fight without armour. What then
will be our best plan both as regards rescuing the
dead, and our own escape from death amid the battle-cries
of the Trojans?”
Ajax answered, “Menelaus, you have said well:
do you, then, and Meriones stoop down, raise the body,
and bear it out of the fray, while we two behind you
keep off Hector and the Trojans, one in heart as in
name, and long used to fighting side by side with one
another.”
