Chapter 28 28

Odysseus conveyed Achilles' words, and Agamemnon and the other princes were silent after hearing it.All night, Agamemnon and his brothers didn't close their eyes, and they got up restlessly before dawn.Menelaus woke up the heroes one by one from the camp and encouraged them to cheer up; Agamemnon came to Nestor's residence, and he saw the old man still lying on the bed.The old man woke up from his sleep. He asked Atreus' son, "Who are you? How did you sneak into my camp in the middle of the night? Are you looking for a friend or a lost animal? Tell me, what are you doing here?" "

"It is I, Nestor," answered the King in a low voice, "I am Agamemnon, and Zeus has brought me torment. I can't sleep for a moment, I worry about the fate of the Dane'a people.Let's go see the sentries outside to see if they're all awake. Because maybe the enemy will sneak attack us in the dark. Nestor hastily put on his woolen doublet, put on his coat of purple and gold, grabbed his spear, and followed the king around the ship. They woke Odysseus first, and he immediately put on his shield and followed them. . Nestor came again to Diomedes' tent and woke him up. "You tireless old man, don't you ever sleep?" he said sleepily. "Aren't there many people younger than you who can keep watch in the middle of the night and wake everyone up for you?"

"You are right," replied Nestor, "I have enough men, and sons, to do these things for me. But we are in a difficult position, so I cannot but come out myself. It is a matter of life and death , you better get up, and help us wake up Ajax and Meges!" Diomedes got up immediately, put on a lion skin, and called the two heroes.They checked the sentry post together, and saw that none of the sentries were asleep, and they were all armed and ready to fight at any time. Almost all the princes were awakened from their sleep, and everyone had a meeting together again.Nestor was the first to speak: "Friends, I have a suggestion: If a brave man sneaks into the Trojan camp, eavesdrops on their meeting, or takes a prisoner, find out whether they stay here to prepare for battle, or go back to the camp. Wouldn’t that be very helpful to us? Of course such a brave hero should be rewarded!” Diomedes immediately stood up and volunteered to carry out the task, but he hoped that someone would accompany him.Many were willing to go, the two Ajax, Myrionas, Antilochus, Menelaus and Odysseus.Diomedes said: "If I were allowed to choose, I would like Odysseus to go. If he goes with me, I believe we will return safely, because he is a very wise man!" " Don't mock me too much or praise me." Odysseus said, "Let us go, for the stars above tell us that there is only a third of the night left."

The two of them tightened their armor and put on makeup.Diomedes left his sword and shield in the camp, and borrowed from the hero Trasmedes his double-edged sword, ox-hide shield, and helmet without plume or mane.Myrianus gave Odysseus his strong bow, quiver, sword, and leather helmet with boar's teeth.They were leaving the Greek camp when they heard a heron flying overhead to the right.The two rejoiced at the auspicious omen sent by Pallas Athena, and they begged the goddess to protect them for a successful reconnaissance tonight. When the Greek hero planned to spy on the Trojan army, Hector also convened a meeting and made the same decision.He promised a chariot and two of the most expensive horses, trophies taken from the Greeks, to whoever had the courage to spy on the enemy.Among the Trojans was a man named Doron, who was the son of the famous messenger Eumedes and was quite respected.

He is ugly, but rich.When he heard that he could get Achilles' chariot and horses, he couldn't help but be moved, and expressed his willingness to go to the enemy's camp to scout and listen to the meeting of the Daneans.Immediately he put his bow and arrows on his back, put on the gray wolf's skin, put on the snakeskin helmet, and set out with a spear in his hand.He walked in exactly the same way as the two heroes of Greece.Odysseus heard the footsteps and whispered to his companions: "Diomedes, someone is coming from the Trojan barracks. He may be a spy, or he may be someone who went to the battlefield to strip the armor of the corpse. Let him pass. , and then follow him, catch him, or send him to the big ship." The two men were lurking among the corpses on the roadside, and Doron walked past them without any doubt.After walking for a while, he stopped when he heard a noise behind him, thinking it was Hector who had sent to summon him.When the men behind were within a stone's throw of him, he suddenly recognized them as enemies.Startled, he ran as fast as a rabbit being chased by a hound. "Stop, or I'll throw my spear at you!" shouted Diomedes, throwing his spear.Diomedes deliberately missed the throw, and the point of the spear brushed the fleeing shoulder.Duolong was so frightened that his face turned pale. He stopped and stood there with his jaw trembling and his teeth chattering.When the two heroes came to catch him, he begged: "Forgive me, I am a rich man, I can give you gold, I will give you as much as you want!" "Don't be afraid," said Odysseus Said, "But you are going to tell us, what are you doing here?" Doron was frightened and said everything tremblingly.Odysseus smiled when he heard this, and said: "Your appetite is not bad, but you want the steed of the son of Peleus! Now I want you to tell me: where did you leave Hector? Where? And his weapons? Where are the other Trojans? Where are the allies living?" Doron replied: "Hector and the princes met near the great tomb of Iros; the soldiers had no special Take precautions; they are all warming themselves by the fire; some of the leaders of the allied armies, because they have no family, sleep separately from the army, and have no guards. If you enter the camp of the Trojans, you will first meet the Thracians. They The chief of them was Rhysus, the son of Aeonius. The horse of Rhysus was tall and strong, and he ran like flying horses, such a beautiful horse as I have never seen. His chariot was decorated with gold and silver, He himself wears shining gold armor, like a god descended. Well, you already know everything, now send me to your ships, or leave me here tied, while you prove it yourself I'm telling the truth."

Diomedes looked at him sullenly and said, "I can see that you want to run away. But my hand will keep you from harming the Argosians forever!" Doron trembled when he heard this. Stretching out his right hand, he stroked the hero's chin and begged, but the son of Tydeus swung his sword and chopped off his head.The two heroes stripped off his snake-skin helmet and wolf-skin, unfastened his stiff bow, and plucked his spear from his hand, and placed his armor on some heaps of reeds, as a signpost for the way home.Then they went on again to the Thracian who was sleeping.Beside each of them was a two-horse chariot, and their armor lay neatly on the ground, gleaming.Rexos slept in the middle, his horses tied by the bridle behind the chariot.

"This is the man we are looking for," Odysseus whispered to Tydeus' son, "now let us do it at once, and you untie the horse, or you kill the man and leave the horse to me. ’” Diomedes didn’t answer, but suddenly became wild, slashed left and right, and killed twelve Thracians in a short while.But the wise Odysseus immediately dragged the corpse away to make way for the horses.At this time, Diomedes killed the thirteenth man with his sword. This man was King Rexos, who was groaning in the nightmare sent by the gods.Taking advantage of the confusion, Odysseus untied the horses beside the chariot, pulled the reins, drove them out of the barracks, and then whistled quietly to his companions.Diomedes was hesitating whether to pull the king's chariot out by the shaft, or simply to carry it on his shoulders.The goddess Athena ran to warn him and told him to go away.Diomedes hastily jumped on a steed, and Odysseus galloped beside him, driving the horse with a bowed back, and galloped quickly to his camp.

Apollo, the patron god of the Trojans, was very angry when he saw Athena and Diomedes together.He descended and awakened Rhysos' close friend, Hippochon the Thracian.When he came to the place where the king tethered his horse, he found that the horse was gone, and everyone was lying in a pool of blood. He couldn't help calling his friend Rexos in grief.The Trojans hurried over and were stunned when they saw the tragic scene in front of them. The two Greek heroes have arrived at the place where Doron had just been killed.Diomedes jumped off his horse, picked up the armor from the roadside and handed it to Odysseus, then flew back on his horse.Odysseus jumped on another horse, and in a few moments they were beside the warship.Nestor was the first to hear the hoofbeats, and before he had time to listen, the two heroes dismounted, shook hands with their friends, and related their adventures.Odysseus drove his horse through the ditch, followed by a rejoicing crowd of Argives, and they all entered the barracks of Tydeus' son.They tied the captured horses to the manger where the oats were kept.Odysseus put Doron's blood-stained armor behind the ship for future Eucharistic sacrifices to Athena.The two heroes washed off their sweat and blood in the sea, then sat in a basin filled with warm water and anointed their bodies with ointment.After washing up, they filled their glasses of wine and enjoyed breakfast happily.