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and then when he had swept the wall away he spread a great beach of
sand over the place where it had been. This done he turned the rivers
back into their old courses.
This was what Neptune and Apollo were to do in after time; but as
yet battle and turmoil were still raging round the wall till its timbers
rang under the blows that rained upon them. The Argives, cowed by
the scourge of Jove, were hemmed in at their ships in fear of Hector
the mighty minister of Rout, who as heretofore fought with the force
and fury of a whirlwind. As a lion or wild boar turns fiercely on
the dogs and men that attack him, while these form solid wall and
shower their javelins as they face him-­‐ his courage is all undaunted,
but his high spirit will be the death of him; many a time does he
charge at his pursuers to scatter them, and they fall back as often
as he does so-­‐ even so did Hector go about among the host exhorting
his men, and cheering them on to cross the trench.
But the horses dared not do so, and stood neighing upon its brink,
for the width frightened them. They could neither jump it nor cross
it, for it had overhanging banks all round upon either side, above
which there were the sharp stakes that the sons of the Achaeans had
planted so close and strong as a defence against all who would assail
it; a horse, therefore, could not get into it and draw his chariot
after him, but those who were on foot kept trying their very utmost.
Then Polydamas went up to Hector and said, "Hector, and you other
captains of the Trojans and allies, it is madness for us to try and
drive our horses across the trench; it will be very hard to cross,
for it is full of sharp stakes, and beyond these there is the wall.