192 THE WONDER-BOOK OF HORSES 



knew that they were soon to take part in the 

 dreadful fray. And in the side-traces Automedon 

 put a third horse, a chestnut-colored steed named 

 Pedasos, which had been captured in Cilicia. 



In the meanwhile Achilles had called the Myr- 

 midons to arms, and now they came forward in 

 close-serried ranks, shield pressed against shield, 

 helm against helm, and man against man — the 

 horsehair crests on the bright helmet-ridges 

 touching each other when they nodded, so closely 

 together did they stand. And the proud war 

 horses. Swift and Old-Gold, guided by the strong 

 arms of Automedon and drawing the car in which 

 stood the fearless Patroclus, led the way into the 

 thick of battle. And in one mass the Myrmidons 

 fell upon the Trojans that were besetting the 

 ships, and the din of the conflict waxed wondrous 

 great. 



Now, when the Trojans saw the chariot drawn 

 by the world-famous steeds and in it Patro- 

 clus shining in armor, they wavered in the fight, 

 for they thought that Achilles himself had come 

 out against them. Then, as if every man sought 

 only his own safety, they turned and in dreadful 

 panic fled as best they could away from the en- 

 campment of the Greeks. And wherever they 



