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friends, who are now under my roof."
Patroclus did as his comrade bade him; he set the chopping-­‐block in
front of the fire, and on it he laid the loin of a sheep, the loin
also of a goat, and the chine of a fat hog. Automedon held the meat
while Achilles chopped it; he then sliced the pieces and put them
on spits while the son of Menoetius made the fire burn high. When
the flame had died down, he spread the embers, laid the spits on top
of them, lifting them up and setting them upon the spit-­‐racks; and
he sprinkled them with salt. When the meat was roasted, he set it
on platters, and handed bread round the table in fair baskets, while
Achilles dealt them their portions. Then Achilles took his seat facing
Ulysses against the opposite wall, and bade his comrade Patroclus
offer sacrifice to the gods; so he cast the offerings into the fire,
and they laid their hands upon the good things that were before them.
As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, Ajax made a sign
to Phoenix, and when he saw this, Ulysses filled his cup with wine
and pledged Achilles.
"Hail," said he, "Achilles, we have had no scant of good cheer, neither
in the tent of Agamemnon, nor yet here; there has been plenty to eat
and drink, but our thought turns upon no such matter. Sir, we are
in the face of great disaster, and without your help know not whether
we shall save our fleet or lose it. The Trojans and their allies have
camped hard by our ships and by the wall; they have lit watchfires
throughout their host and deem that nothing can now prevent them from
falling on our fleet. Jove, moreover, has sent his lightnings on their
right; Hector, in all his glory, rages like a maniac; confident that