There was hard fighting on both sides alike ; the thirsty earth was inundated with blood and gore in the common carnage, and Lethe was choked with that great multitude of corpses brought low and scattered on every side. Hades heaved up his bar in the darkness, and opened his gates wider for the common carnage ; as they descended into the pit the banks of Charon’s river echoed the rumblings of Tartaros.
Loud indeed was the battlestirring noise, many the wounds of the falling combatants on both sides. One struck in the throat slipt from his horse, one pierced through the chest in his rounded bosom, one wounded in the belly fell from a chariot. Another hit just in the midnipple with a barbed arrow rolled himself over to meet approaching death ; one fell struck right on the waist, one through the shoulder, another left his swift horse struck, and fleeing on foot fell pierced by a lance through the spine. Another, felled before the down was on his face, mourned for his yearsmate youth. Another mortally wounded by an arrow in the liver, fell tumbling off his elephant with a thud into the dust ; his head sank on the ground, he scrabbled with his hands and clutched the bloody soil in despair.
A man stood sideways to meet a horseman ; he had filled the hollow of his shield with dust, and fixed his foot firmly awaiting the man’s onset. Pushing out the handsome shield in his bold hand, he smothered the horse’s head with sand. The horse reared wildly and threw up his head shaking the dust out of his mane, and spat out the curved ends of his jewelled bit. His champing teeth and jaw were covered with foam, he rose high, shaken, mad, and now free of the bit he rose up on his hind legs quivering and shivering his outstretched neck ; then pawing the dust with his hoof he shot his rider flying to the ground. The other man rushed fiercely upon him as he lay, with swift sword drawn, and cut the throat of the black soldier stretched on the ground.
Another horse hearing the crack of some driver’s whip hard by, took fright and bolted in retreat, trampling on his own rider, who lay wounded and dying, poor wretch, gasping in the dust.
Colletes with his huge body, immense, formidable, nine cubits high, equal to Alcyoneus, went raging through the fighting hosts of Bacchos. He wished after the battle to drag a company of Bassarids to his bed, and no brideprice paid for the forced bridals. But that was an empty hope he fought for, that mighty man : like bold Otos, who would tread the forbidden ground of heaven for lust of the holy bed of Archeress the unwedded ; like Ephialtes, whose love was for wedlock with pure Athena, when he attacked Olympos in the clouds on high. Such was Colletes, gigantic, heavenhigh, having in him the sacrilegious blood of his giant ancestor the founder of the Indian race. He was great enough to put Ares in prison like the sons of Iphimedeia. But huge as he was, a woman killed him with a sharp stone, Charopeia a leader of the Bacchic dance.
And one seeing the noble deed of the highnecked girl, spoke in trembling tones with wonder and anger mixed :
“Ares ! Ares ! Leave your bow and shield and your spear ! Ares, you are conquered ! Leave the Caucasos, for Dionysos is bringing another sort of Amazons into the field, to kill men. Shieldless they rout men-at-arms. Not from your Thermodon has he brought his women. I have seen a strange and incredible spectacle ; the Amazons of Dionysos have no shields on their shoulders, carry no valiant spear ; with strong corselets and all, the Caucasian women do not so play the heroes. The Bacchant women cast bunches of leaves from foliage-loving hands, and they need no steel. Alas for the madman Deriades, when women tear coats of mail with their fingernails !
This he said, when he marvelled at the rude missile which the Bacchant girl picked up and killed that huge highheaded man.
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