HOW TROY WAS TAKEN. 15

his troops, the Myrmidons, to the field. Patroclus
was himself a gallant and famous warrior, and his
aid turned the next day’s battle against the Trojans,
who were driven back with great slaughter. But,
unfortunately for this hero of the fight, a greater than
he was in the field. Hector met him in the full tide
of his success, engaged him in battle, killed him, and
captured from his body the armor of Achilles.

The slaughter of his friend at length aroused
the sullen Achilles to action. Rage against the
Trojans succeeded his anger against Agamemnon.
His lost armor was replaced by new armor forged
for him by Vulcan, the celestial smith,—who fash-
ioned him the most wonderful of shields and most
formidable of spears. Thus armed, he mounted his
chariot and drove at the head of his Myrmidons to
the field, where he made such frightful slaughter of
the Trojans that the river Scamander was choked
with their corpses; and, indignant at being thus
treated, sought to drown the hero for his offence.
Finally he met Hector, engaged him in battle, and
killed him with a thrust of his mighty spear. Then,
fastening the corpse of the Trojan hero to his chariot,
he dragged it furiously over the blood-soaked plain
and around the city walls. Homer’s story ends with
the funeral obsequies of the slain Patroclus and the
burial by the Trojans of Hector’s recovered body.

Other writers tell us how the war went on. Hector
was replaced by Penthesileia, the beautiful and war-
like queen of the Amazons, who came to the aid of
the Trojans, and drove the Greeks from the field.
But, alas! she too was slain by the invincible