Over the sea came the great embassy of ships, sped hither safely by the god Neptune; and the heroes made their camp on the plain before Troy.  First of all Ulysses and King Menelaus himself went into the city and demanded that Fair Helen should be given back to her rightful husband.  This the Trojans refused, and so began the siege of Troy.

THE QUARREL BETWEEN AGAMEMNON AND ACHILLES

By Alfred J. Church

The Greeks sacked the city of Chryse, where was a temple of Apollo, and a priest that served the temple.  And when they divided the spoil, they gave to King Agamemnon with other gifts, the priest’s daughter, Chryseis.  Thereupon there came to the camp Chryses, the priest, wishing to ransom his daughter.  Much gold he brought with him, and on his staff of gold he carried the holy garland, that men might reverence him the more.  He went to all the chiefs, and to the sons of Atreus first of all, saying,—­ “Loose, I pray you, my dear daughter, and take the ransom for her; so may the gods that dwell in Olympus grant you to take the city of Troy, and to have safe return to your homes.”

Then all the others spake him fair, and would have done what he wished.  Only Agamemnon would not have it so.

“Get thee out, graybeard!” he cried in great wrath.  “Let me not find thee lingering now by the ships, neither coming hither again, or it shall be the worse for thee, for all thy priesthood.  And as for thy daughter, I shall carry her away to Argos, when I shall have taken this city of Troy.”

Then the old man went out hastily in great fear and trouble.  And he walked in his sorrow by the shore of the sounding sea, and prayed to his god Apollo.

“Hear me, god of the silver bow!  If I have built thee a temple, and offered thee fat of many bullocks and rams, hear me, and avenge my tears on the Greeks with thine arrows!”

And Apollo heard him.  Wroth was he that men had so dishonored his priest, and he came down from the top of Olympus, where he dwelt.  Dreadful was the rattle of his arrows as he went, and his coming was as the night when it cometh over the sky.  Then he shot the arrows of death, first on the dogs and the mules, and then on the men; and soon all along the shore rolled the black smoke from the piles of wood on which they burnt the bodies of the dead.

For nine days the shafts of the god went throughout the host; but on the tenth day Achilles called the people to an assembly.  So Juno bade him, for she loved the Greeks, and grieved to see them die.  When they were gathered together he stood up among them, and spake to Agamemnon:—­

“Surely it were better to return home, than that we should all perish here by war or plague.  But come, let us ask some prophet or priest or dreamer of dreams why it is that Apollo is so wroth with us.”

Then stood up Calchas, best of seers, who knew what had been, and what was, and what was to come, and spake:—­