And when he and Achilles were come near to each other, the noble Hector spake:  “O mighty Achilles, thrice did I flee before thee round the great city of Priam, and dared not await thy onslaught.  But now I will stand up against thee, to slay or to be slain.  But come, let us make a covenant with one another, and call the Gods, the best guardians of oaths, to witness.  If Zeus grant me to take thy life, and despoil thee of thy divine armor, then will I give back thy body to the warlike Achaians; and do thou the same by me!”

And Achilles, with a malignant scowl, replied, “Speak not to me of covenants!  There is no covenant between men and lions, or between wolves and sheep, but only eternal war.  And there can be no pledge of faith between us twain, until one of us hath sated the murderous Mars with his blood.  Therefore, show thyself a good spearman and a brave man of war!  There is no escape for thee; for Pallas Athene hath delivered thee into my hands.”

He spake, and cast his long-shafted spear at Hector.  But Hector stooped, and the strong bronze spear flew over his head; but Athene picked it up, unknown to Hector, and gave it back to Achilles.  Then Hector, rejoicing, spake to the son of Peleus:  “Thou hast missed!  Nor dost thou surely know the day of my doom, as thou pretendest.  Thou shalt not plant thy spear in my back, as I flee before thee; but in my breast, if the Gods allow it.  But now, in thy turn, avoid my spear!” So spake he, and smote the middle of Achilles’ shield with his long-shafted spear, but it bounded back from the shield.  Then Hector was dismayed, for he had no second spear to throw.  And he called aloud to his brother, Deiphobus; but no answer came, for he was far away.  Then Hector knew that he was betrayed, and that Athene had deceived him, in the likeness of his brother.  “Now,” he cried, “is Death come near me, and there is no way of escape!  This is the will of Zeus and of the Far-Darter, who once were wont to succor me.  But I will not die ingloriously, but yet perform some notable deed of arms.”

He said, and, with his sharp sword, swooped down upon Achilles.  But Achilles rushed at him, wild with fury, brandishing his spear, with evil intent against noble Hector, and eyed him over, to see where he might pierce his flesh most easily.  The rest of Hector’s body was protected by the splendid armor which he had stripped from the body of Patroclus; but there was one chink, between the collar-bone and the throat, through which Achilles thrust his spear.  Yet it cut not the windpipe; and Hector was able to speak faint words to his insulting foe, after he had fallen to the ground.

Achilles triumphed over him:  “Ah, Hector! when thou wert stripping Patroclus of my goodly armor, thou caredst nothing for me, who was far away!  I, his friend and avenger, was left among the black ships—­even I, a mightier man than he!  Thee shall the dogs and birds devour; but he shall have honorable burial.”