Such were his thoughts as he waited. And Achilleus came close on him like Enyalios the god of war, the warrior with the flashing helmet, shaking his terrible spear of Pelian ash over his right shoulder: and the bronze on his body shone, like the light of a blazing fire or the sun when it rises. And trembling took hold of Hektor when he saw him. Now he no longer had the courage to stand his ground where he was, but he left the gates behind him and ran in terror: and the son of Peleus leapt after him, confident in the speed of his legs. As a hawk in the mountains, quickest of all flying things, swoops after a trembling dove with ease: she flies in terror before him, but he keeps close behind her, screaming loud, and lunging for her time after time as his heart urges him to kill. So Achilleus flew straight for Hektor in full fury, and Hektor fled away from him under the walls of Troy, setting his legs running fast. They sped past the look-out place and the wind-tossed fig-tree, keeping all the time to the wagon-track a little way out from the wall, and came to the two well-heads of lovely water: here the twin springs of swirling Skamandros shoot up from the ground. One spring runs with warm water, and steam rises all round it as if a fire were burning there. But the other even in summer flows out cold as hail, or frozen snow, or water turned to ice. There close beside these springs are the fine broad washing-troughs made of stone, where the Trojans’ wives and their lovely daughters used to wash their bright clothes, in earlier times, in peace, before the sons of the Achaians came. The two men ran past here, one in flight, the other chasing him. A brave man was running in front, but a far greater one was in pursuit, and they ran at speed, since it was no sacrificial beast or ox-hide shield they were competing for – such as are the usual prizes that men win in the foot-race – but they were running for the life of Hektor the tamer of horses. As when champion strong-footed horses wheel round the turning-posts running at full stretch, when a great prize is there to be won, a tripod or a woman, in the funeral games for a man who has died: so those two raced round the city of Priam, circling it three times with all the speed of their legs, and all the gods looked on. The father of men and gods was the first of them to speak: ‘Oh, I love this man who is being pursued around the wall under the gaze of my eyes. My heart is saddened for Hektor, who has burned the thigh-bones of many oxen to me on the peaks of valleyed Ida, and again on the city’s height. But now godlike Achilleus on his swift feet is chasing him round the city of Priam. Well then, give thought to it, gods, and consider whether we shall save him from death, or bring him down now, for all his bravery, at the hands of Achilleus son of Peleus.’