But at a distance where the river's floodhad scattered rolling boulders and torn treesuprooted from the shore, young Pallas spiedth' Arcadian band, unused to fight on foot,in full retreat, the Latins following close—who also for the roughness of the groundwere all unmounted: he (the last resourceof men in straits) to wild entreaty turnedand taunts, enkindling their faint hearts anew:“Whither, my men! O, by your own brave deeds,O, by our lord Evander's happy wars,the proud hopes I had to make my namea rival glory,—think not ye can fly!Your swords alone can carve ye the safe waystraight through your foes. Where yonder warrior-throngis fiercest, thickest, there and only thereyour Country's honor calls for men like you,and for your captain Pallas. Nay, no godsagainst us fight; we are but mortal menpressed by a mortal foe. Not more than oursthe number of their lives or swords. Behold,the barrier of yonder spreading seaemprisons us, and for a craven flightyon lands are all too small. Ha! Shall we steeracross the sea to Troy?” He said, and sprangfull in the centre of his gathered foes.

First in his path was Lagus, thither ledby evil stars; whom, as he tried to lifta heavy stone, the shaft of Pallas piercedwhere ribs and spine divide: backward he drewthe clinging spear; But Hisbo from abovesurprised him not, though meaning it; for while(In anger blind for friend unpitying slain)at Pallas' face he flew:—he, standing firm,plunged deep into that swelling breast the sword.Then Sthenius he slew; and next Anchemolusof Rhoetus' ancient line, who dared defilehis step-dame's bridal bed. And also ye,fair Thymber and Larides, Daucus' twins,fell on that Rutule field; so like were ye,your own kin scarce discerned, and parents proudsmiled at the dear deceit; but now in deathcruel unlikeness Pallas wrought; thy headfell, hapless Thymber, by Evander's sword;and thy right hand, Larides, shorn away,seemed feeling for its Iord; the fingers coldclutched, trembling, at the sword. Now all the troopof Arcady, their chief's great action seen,and by his warning roused, made at their foes,spurred on by grief and shame. Next Pallas piercedthe flying Rhoetus in his car; this gainedfor Ilus respite and delay, for himthe stout spear aimed at; but its flight was stoppedby Rhoetus, as in swift retreat he rode,by the two high-born brothers close pursued,Teuthras and Tyres: from his car he rolled,making deep furrows with his lifeless heelsalong the Rutule plain. Oft when the windsof summer, long awaited, rise and blow,a shepherd fires the forest, and the blazedevours the dense grove, while o'er the fields,in that one moment, swift and sudden spreadgrim Vulcan's serried flames; from some high seaton distant hill, the shepherd peering downsees, glad at heart, his own victorious fires:so now fierce valor spreads, uniting allin one confederate rage, 'neath Pallas' eyes.But the fierce warrior Halaesus nextled on the charge, behind his skilful shieldclose-crouching. Ladon and Demodocusand Pheres he struck down; his glittering bladecut Strymon's hand, which to his neck was raised,sheer off; with one great stone he crushed the browsof Thoas, scattering wide the broken skull,bones, brains, and gore. Halaesus' prophet-sire,foreseeing doom, had hid him in dark groves;but when the old man's fading eyes declinedin death, the hand of Fate reached forth and doomedthe young life to Evander's sword; him nowPallas assailed, first offering this prayer:“O Father Tiber, give my poising shaftthrough stout Halaesus' heart its lucky way!The spoil and trophy of the hero slainon thine own oak shall hang.” The god receivedthe vow, and while Halaesus held his shieldover Imaon, his ill-fated breastlay naked to th' Arcadian's hungry spear.

But Lausus, seeing such a hero slain,bade his troop have no fear, for he himselfwas no small strength in war; and first he slewAbas, who fought hard, and had ever seemedhimself the sticking-point and tug of war.Down went Arcadia's warriors, and slainetruscans fell, with many a Trojan bravethe Greek had spared. Troop charges upon troopwell-matched in might, with chiefs of like renown;the last rank crowds the first;—so fierce the pressscarce hand or sword can stir. Here Pallas stands,and pushes back the foe; before him loomsLausus, his youthful peer, conspicuous bothin beauty; but no star will them restoreto home and native land. Yet would the Kingof high Olympus suffer not the pairto close in battle, but each hero founda later doom at hands of mightier foes.

Now Turnus' goddess-sister bids him hasteto Lausus' help. So he, in wheeling car,cut through the lines; and when his friends he saw,“Let the fight stop! “ he cried, “for none but Imay strike at Pallas; unto me alonethe prize of Pallas falls. I would his sirestood by to see.” He spake: his troop withdrewa fitting space. But as they made him room,the young prince, wondering at the scornful words,looked upon Turnus, glancing up and downthat giant frame, and with fierce-frowning browsscanned him from far, hurling defiant wordsin answer to the King's. “My honor nowshall have the royal trophy of this war,or glorious death. For either fortune fairmy sire is ready. Threaten me no more!”So saying, to the midmost space he strode,and in Arcadian hearts the blood stood still.Swift from his chariot Turnus leaped, and ranto closer fight. As when some lion seesfrom his far mountain-lair a raging bullthat sniffs the battle from the grassy field,and down the steep he flies—such picture showedgrim Turnus as he came. But when he seemedwithin a spear's cast, Pallas opened fight,expecting Fortune's favor to the bravein such unequal match; and thus he prayed:“O, by my hospitable father's roof,where thou didst enter as a stranger-guest,hear me, Alcides, and give aid divineto this great deed. Let Turnus see these handsstrip from his half-dead breast the bloody spoil!and let his eyes in death endure to seehis conqueror!” Alcides heard the youth:but prisoned in his heart a deep-drawn sigh,and shed vain tears; for Jove, the King and Sire, .spoke with benignant accents to his son:“To each his day is given. Beyond recallman's little time runs by: but to prolonglife's glory by great deeds is virtue's power.Beneath the lofty walls of fallen Troy fell many a son of Heaven. Yea, there was slainSarpedon, my own offspring. Turnus toois summoned to his doom, and nears the boundsof his appointed span.” So speaking, Joveturned from Rutulia's war his eyes away.But Pallas hurled his lance with might and main,and from its hollow scabbard flashed his sword.The flying shaft touched where the plated steelover the shoulders rose, and worked its waythrough the shield's rim—then falling, glanced asidefrom Turnus' giant body. Turnus thenpoised, without haste, his iron-pointed spear,and, launching it on Pallas, cried, “Look nowwill not this shaft a good bit deeper drive?”He said: and through the mid-boss of the shield,steel scales and brass with bull's-hide folded round,the quivering spear-point crashed resistlessly,and through the corselet's broken barrierpierced Pallas' heart. The youth plucked out in vainthe hot shaft from the wound; his life and bloodtogether ebbed away, as sinking proneon his rent side he fell; above him ranghis armor; and from lips with blood defiledhe breathed his last upon his foeman's ground.Over him Turnus stood: “Arcadians all,”He cried, “take tidings of this feat of armsto King Evander. With a warrior's wagehis Pallas I restore, and freely grantwhat glory in a hero's tomb may lie,or comfort in a grave. They dearly paywho bid Aeneas welcome at their board.”So saying, with his left foot he held downthe lifeless form, and raised the heavy weightof graven belt, which pictured forth that crimeof youthful company by treason slain,all on their wedding night, in bridal bowersto horrid murder given,—which Clonus, sonof Eurytus, had wrought in lavish gold;this Turnus in his triumph bore away,exulting in the spoil. O heart of man,not knowing doom, nor of events to be!Nor, being lifted up, to keep thy boundsin prosperous days! To Turnus comes the hourwhen he would fain a prince's ransom givehad Pallas passed unscathed, and will bewailcuch spoil of victory. With weeping nowand lamentations Ioud his comrades layyoung Pallas on his shield, and thronging closecarry him homeward with a mournful song:alas! the sorrow and the glorious gainthy sire shall have in thee. For one brief daybore thee to battle and now bears away;yet leavest thou full tale of foemen slain.

No doubtful rumor to Aeneas breaksthe direful news, but a sure messengertells him his followers' peril, and imploresprompt help for routed Troy. His ready swordreaped down the nearest foes, and through their lineclove furious path and broad; the valiant bladethrough oft-repeated bloodshed groped its way,proud Turnus, unto thee! His heart beholdsPallas and Sire Evander, their kind boardin welcome spread, their friendly league of peaceproffered and sealed with him, the stranger-guest.So Sulmo's sons, four warriors, and fourof Ufens sprung, he took alive—to slayas victims to the shades, and pour a streamof captives' blood upon a flaming pyre.Next from afar his hostile shaft he threwat Mago, who with wary motion bowedbeneath the quivering weapon, as it spedclean over him; then at Aeneas' kneeshe crouched and clung with supplicating cry:“O, by thy father's spirit, by thy hopein young Iulus, I implore thee, sparefor son and father's sake this life of mine.A lofty house have I, where safely hidare stores of graven silver and good weightof wrought and unwrought gold. The fate of warhangs not on me; nor can one little lifethy victory decide.” In answer spokeAeneas: “Hoard the silver and the goldfor thy own sons. Such bartering in warfinished with Turnus, when fair Pallas fell.Thus bids Anchises' shade, Iulus—thus!”He spoke: and, grasping with his mighty leftthe helmet of the vainly suppliant foe,bent back the throat and drove hilt-deep his sword.A little space removed, Haemonides,priest of Phoebus and pale Trivia, stood,whose ribboned brows a sacred fillet bound:in shining vesture he, and glittering arms.Him too the Trojan met, repelled, and toweredabove the fallen form, o'ermantling itin mortal shade; Serestus bore awaythose famous arms a trophy vowed to thee,Gradivus, Iord of war! Soon to fresh fightcame Caeculus, a child of Vulcan's line,and Umbro on the Marsic mountains bred:these met the Trojan's wrath. His sword shore offAnxur's left hand, and the whole orbed shielddropped earthward at the stroke: though Anxur's tongue had boasted mighty things, as if great wordswould make him strong, and lifting his proud heartas high as heaven, had hoped perchance to seegray hairs and length of days. Then Tarquitusstrode forth, exulting in his burnished arms(Him Dryope, the nymph, to Faunus bore),and dared oppose Aeneas' rage. But hedrew back his lance and, charging, crushed at oncecorselet and ponderous shield; then off he struckthe supplicating head, which seemed in vainpreparing speech; while o'er the reeking corpsethe victor stood, and thrusting it awayspoke thus with wrathful soul: “Now lie thou there,thou fearsome sight! No noble mother's handshall hide thee in the ground, or give those limbsto their ancestral tomb. Thou shalt be leftto birds of ravin; or go drifting faralong yon river to engulfing seas,where starving fishes on those wounds shall feed.”Antceus next and Lucas he pursues,though all in Turnus' van; and Numa boldand Camers tawny-tressed, the son and heirof Volscens the stout-hearted, whose domainsurpassed the richest of Ausonia's lords,when over hushed Amyclae he was king.Like old Aegaeon of the hundred arms,the hundred-handed, from whose mouths and breastsblazed fifty fiery blasts, as he made warwith fifty sounding shields and fifty swordsagainst Jove's thunder;—so Aeneas ragedvictorious o'er the field, when once his steelwarmed to its work. But lo, he turns him nowwhere come Niphaeus' bold-advancing wheelsand coursers four, who, when at furious speedthey faced his giant stride and dreadful cry,upreared in panic, and reversing spilledtheir captain to the ground, and bore awaythe chariot to the river's distant shore.