The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-22

Over his glitterpg armor was hung
panther's speckled hide. Across his Shout
ders hung his bow. His sword hung neg
ligently by his side and in his hands he
held two pointed spears, which he shook
at the ranks of Greece and defied to COM
bat the bravest of the invaders. There,
too. led on the godlike Hector, sagest and
bravest of the princes of Troy.
When Menelaus. the wronged King of
Mycenae saw Paris Wanting himself be-
fore the two armies his heart 1caped at
the prospect of revenge, and, urging on
his chariot to where the shining Paris
the ground and confronted him. But Par
is saw with marks of fear the coming of
Menelaus His conscience made cow
ard of him, and swiftly he fed behind the
Trojan ranks to shun the fate he we'll
deserved to find. Hector violently up
braided the fugitive, and the ranks of
Greece sent up a shout of triumph.
Paris, aroused by the execrations and
taunts OF his brother, replied that he was
no coward and that he would put the mat
ter of this war to the test of single COM
bat. Let Menelaus fight for Greece and
he would fight for Troy. Helen and her
wealth to be the prize of the combat.
Joyfully Hector signaled that he wished
a parley and Agamemnon, ordering the
Grecian ranks to stand fast, heard the
proposals which the prince made for the
combat The conditions were agreed to,
and, the kings on either side swearing a
truce for the time being sacrifices were
offered to the immortal gods, and the
place of the combat prepared. Thus in
the presence of the two great armies on
the plain before the walls of Troy Paris
and Menelaus met face to face to decide
the fate of the war and of Helen
The Trojan was the first to throw his
javelin. The shining weapon few full
upon the ringing shield of Menelaus, but,
instead of piercing it, leaped back from
the buckler and fell blunted upon the
ground. Then the great king, offering a
prayer to Jove, sent his javelin right
through the shield of Paris. The weapon
pierced the corselet, rent the Princes
clothing and glanced downward, narrow
ly escaping his thigh. Paris bent from
the force of the blow and had scarce
recovered his equilibrium when Menelaus.
drawing his sword, struck him full upon
his gilded helmet. The crested helmet
shook, but the brittle steel of the sword,
urfaithful to the king, broke off short and
the fragments glittered on the sand. Fu-
rious at this. Menelaus seized Paris by
the crest of his helmet and began drag
cling him toward the Grecian lines. But
the embroidered chin strap gave way and
the most beautiful Of men. having no
relish for fighting with the outraged hus-
band fed behind the ranks of his coun-
trymen and thence back to Troy to the
arms Of the most beautiful of women.
While Helen and Paris forgot all but their
Illicit love and thought not of honor or
OF arms, Agamemnon claimed the victory
for the Grecian side and demanded that
Helen and her wealth be restored at once
to Menelaus. But, disregarding the sa-
cred truce, one Of the princes in the Tro-
jan ranks, Pandarus, Phrygian, drew
his bow and sent an arrow swift al
Menelaus 1t pierced his side so that
the blood gushed out, but the broad belt
OF the king had SO DETECTED the shaft
that he was not seriously wounded, and
one of the surgeons Of the Grecian host
Machaon, Fastening to his aid, the blood
was soon stanched and the wound bound
with a sovereign balm.
Meantime some Of the Trojan troops
melted by the example Of Pandarus, had
attacked the Greeks. All over the plain
now the battle Joined and Agamemnon
was everywhere encouraging by word and
example the valor Of his troops. The
aged Nestor, too, that wise old warrior
and counselor, distinguished himself by
the discipline of his Pylian bands. Ulysses
who. with his troops had been lying al
&c me distance when the truce was broken
came rushing up to the fight and the great
Tydides, with his steeds and war chariota