12 HISTORICAL TALES.

the favor of the gods, an interview with the divine
Helen herself.

This is about all we know of the doings of the
first nine years of the war. What the Greeks were
at during that long time neither history nor legend
tells, The only other event of importance was the
death of Palamedes, one of the ablest Grecian chiefs.
It was he who had detected the feigned madness of
Ulysses, and tradition relates that he owed his death
to the revengeful anger of that cunning schemer, who
had not forgiven him for being made to take part in
this endless and useless war.

Thus nine years of warfare passed, and Troy re-
mained untaken and seemingly unshaken. How the
two hosts managed to live in the mean time the tellers
of the story do not say. Thucydides, the historian,
thinks it likely that the Greeks had to farm the
neighboring lands for food. How the Trojans and
their allies contrived to survive so long within their
walls we are left to surmise, unless they farmed
their streets. And thus we reach the opening of the
tenth year and of Homer’s “ Iliad.”

Homer's story is too long for us to tell in detail,
and too full of war and bloodshed for modern taste.
We can only give it in epitome.

Agamemnon, the leader of the Greeks, robs Achil-
les of his beautiful captive Briseis, and the invul-
nerable hero, furious at the insult, retires in sullen
rage to his ships, forbids his troops to take part in
the war, and sulks in anger while battle after battle
is fought. Deprived of his mighty aid, the Greeks