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y crouching under bush or thicket, <strong>for</strong> he will swoop down upon it<br />

and make an end of it-­‐ even so, O Menelaus, did your keen eyes range<br />

round the mighty host of your followers to see if you could find the<br />

son of Nestor still alive. Presently Menelaus saw him on the extreme<br />

left of the battle cheering on his men and exhorting them to fight<br />

boldly. Menelaus went up to him and said, "Antilochus, come here and<br />

listen to sad news, which I would indeed were untrue. You must see<br />

with your own eyes that heaven is heaping calamity upon the Danaans,<br />

and giving victory to the Trojans. Patroclus has fallen, who was the<br />

bravest of the Achaeans, and sorely will the Danaans miss him. Run<br />

instantly to the ships and tell Achilles, that he may come to rescue<br />

the body and bear it to the ships. As <strong>for</strong> the armour, Hector already<br />

has it."<br />

Antilochus was struck with horror. For a long time he was speechless;<br />

his eyes filled with tears and he could find no utterance, but he<br />

did as Menelaus had said, and set off running as soon as he had given<br />

his armour to a comrade, Laodocus, who was wheeling his horses round,<br />

close beside him.<br />

Thus, then, did he run weeping from the field, to carry the bad news<br />

to Achilles son of Peleus. Nor were you, O Menelaus, minded to succour<br />

his harassed comrades, when Antilochus had left the Pylians-­‐ and greatly<br />

did they miss him-­‐ but he sent them noble Thrasymedes, and himself<br />

went back to Patroclus. He came running up to the two Ajaxes and said,<br />

"I have sent Antilochus to the ships to tell Achilles, but rage against<br />

Hector as he may, he cannot come, <strong>for</strong> he cannot fight without armour.<br />

What then will be our best plan both as regards rescuing the dead,

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