At the ford of full-flowing Xanthus, whom Zeus begot — Scamander, men also call him — Achilles cut the Trojans in two.
One half he chased toward the city by the path of yesterday's Achaean flight; Hera sent mist ahead to hold them. The other half fell into the silver-eddying stream with a great uproar. Waters and banks rang as they swam among the eddies.
As locusts huddle into a river before a grass fire, so Xanthus filled with men and horses struggling before Achilles.
He left his spear against a tamarisk and plunged in with sword alone, hewing on every side until the river ran red. As fish scatter before a dolphin, the Trojans cowered under the banks.
When his arms grew weary he drew twelve youths alive like dazed fawns, bound them with their own girdles for sacrifice over Patroclus, and sent them to the ships. Then he sprang back into the river thirsting for more blood.
There he found Lycaon son of Priam escaping the water — the same man he had taken in the vineyard by night cutting fig shoots for a chariot's wicker sides, sold to Lemnos, freed by Eetion of Imbros, and only twelve days home.
Unarmed, stripped by flight, Lycaon met Achilles again. Achilles wondered aloud: if this man returns from Lemnos, shall the dead rise too? Let him taste the spear and see whether earth can hold him.
Lycaon ran crouching to clasp his knees; the spear passed over his back into the ground. He clutched spear and knees together and begged mercy as a suppliant who had broken bread in Achilles's tents, suffered thrice the ransom to go free, and was not from Hector's womb.
Achilles answered sternly: until Patroclus fell he had given quarter and sold captives; now none heaven delivers before Ilios shall live, least of all Priam's sons. Patroclus was the better man, and death hangs over Achilles too, fair and great though he is, son of a goddess. There will be a dawn when spear or arrow takes him.
Lycaon's heart sank. Achilles struck by the collar-bone to the hilt; dark blood soaked the earth. He caught the foot and flung the body downstream, vaunting that fishes would lick the wound.
Scamander himself would not protect the Trojans who had sacrificed bulls and horses into his pools. They would die until they paid for Patroclus and the Achaeans slain by the ships while Achilles held aloof.