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Meanwhile Achilles sprang from the bank into mid-­‐stream, whereon the
river raised a high wave and attacked him. He swelled his stream into
a torrent, and swept away the many dead whom Achilles had slain and
left within his waters. These he cast out on to the land, bellowing
like a bull the while, but the living he saved alive, hiding them
in his mighty eddies. The great and terrible wave gathered about Achilles,
falling upon him and beating on his shield, so that he could not keep
his feet; he caught hold of a great elm-­‐tree, but it came up by the
roots, and tore away the bank, damming the stream with its thick branches
and bridging it all across; whereby Achilles struggled out of the
stream, and fled full speed over the plain, for he was afraid.
But the mighty god ceased not in his pursuit, and sprang upon him
with a dark-­‐crested wave, to stay his hands and save the Trojans from
destruction. The son of Peleus darted away a spear's throw from him;
swift as the swoop of a black hunter-­‐eagle which is the strongest
and fleetest of all birds, even so did he spring forward, and the
armour rang loudly about his breast. He fled on in front, but the
river with a loud roar came tearing after. As one who would water
his garden leads a stream from some fountain over his plants, and
all his ground-­‐spade in hand he clears away the dams to free the channels,
and the little stones run rolling round and round with the water as
it goes merrily down the bank faster than the man can follow-­‐ even
so did the river keep catching up with Achilles albeit he was a fleet
runner, for the gods are stronger than men. As often as he would strive
to stand his ground, and see whether or no all the gods in heaven
were in league against him, so often would the mighty wave come beating