Matheson Collection > Togail na Tebe

THE THEBAID
from string directed through the hosts till it passed to Polites,
so that there were signs of wounding after it, and through him,
till it pierced the soldier Mopsus, and starkly slew the three
Thebans next him, to wit, a Phocaean, Cydon, and a Tanagraean,
and through those men without pause, till it struck in the head
of the veteran Eryx, so that the rivets of the spear were sown
among his teeth and in his brains. Thus they were six good heroes
that Hippomedon slew at the one cast. And thereafter Leonteus
arose to shield the host, and made a vain and hidden cast at
Hippomedon, and he came thereafter secretly, and dragged
Tydeus away. Though huge was the stress of valour in which
Hippomedon was, he saw the Theban dragging Tydeus, and
dealt him a sword-stroke, and smote off his arm at the shoulder,
and this is what he said : " Tydeus," quoth he, " has struck thy
hand off thee." Nay, thrice did the Thebans take unto them
the body of Tydeus, and thrice did the Greeks take it from
them by dint of fighting, prowess, and mutual wounding.
But there is one thing more. All the strong soldiers of the
Thebans were unable to move Hippomedon from Tydeus' body,
and though front-attacking battering rams whereby hills and
cities are cleft, were hurled against him, they could not weary
him from it, till the horrible infernal Fury, to wit, Tisiphone,
•came. And horror seized both the battalions at the loathsome-
ness of that witch, though they <*«£ not see her. It was then
«he assumed the form of a Greek, to wit, Halys, and she came
stealthily and quietly to Hippomedon and spoke to him. And
Hippomedon wondered at the fear and the terror that he con-
ceived at the voice of the war-goddess, she being in the form of
heroic Halys. For this is what she said to him, she being in
sorrow : " What thou doest is vain," said she, " to defend Greek
soldiers' entrails ; and it were harder for thee to fetch Adrastus,
the high-king, from Thebans out of the battle than his fellow, and
he is first calling thee beyond everyone to aid and help him.
And I regret how I saw his shining tresses in the hands of the
hero-folk as they verily dragged him. And he is not far from
thee at all, to wit, where thou seest the very great mass of dust,
and the exceeding thick, mist over the heads of the host." Now
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