Into the camp. His look was stern as night;
And terribly the brazen armor gleamed
That swathed him. With two spears in hand he
came,
And none except the gods -- when once his foot
Was on the ground -- could stand before his might.
His eyes shot fire, and, turning to his men,
He bade them mount the wall; and they obeyed:
Someo'er the wall, some through the sculptured gate,
Poured in. The Achaians to their roomy ships
Fled, and a fearful uproar filled the air.

[After a furious conflict the Greeks succeed in driving
the Trojans back to the trenches. Hector is wounded by
Ajax, but, unknown to the Greeks, is healed by
Apollo. They
flee once more for refuge to their ships when they see him
again leading the van in rapid march. The Trojans press on
to the fleet. There is a fierce struggle around the ships.
Hector orders his men to bring brands to set fire to

". . . a stanch galley, beautiful and swift
In which Protesilaüs came to Troy."

But Ajax

"beat back
With thrusts of his long spear whoever brought
The firebrand."

And thus he

"slew
In close encounter twelve before the fleet."

These events are recounted in Books XIII-XV, here omitted.]

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