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Now Orontes fought alone quicknee against Bromios, and he a mortal, challenging with human voice a god. Both advanced together to the encounter, one with a spear, one with a pointed thyrsus. Orontes proud of his armament struck Bacchos on the top of his head, but wounded him not he grazed the sharp horn of Bromios all for nothing. For Lord Dionysos wore on that invulnerable head nothing like the shape of the bullfaced moon ^ which can be cut by the devastating steel of the slaughterer's axe, as they sing of horned Acheloos,** when Heracles cut off his horn and took it to adorn his wedding.

The Pans madly made battle skipping with light foot over the peaks. One of them gript an enemy's neck tight in encircUng hands, and ript him with his goat's-hooves, tearing through flank and strong corselet together. Another caught a fugitive Indian and ran him through his middle where he stood, then lifting him on the curved points of his two longbranching antlers, sent him flying high through the airy ways, rolling over himself like a tumbler. Another waved in his hand the strawcutting sickle of sheafbearing Deo, and reaped the enemy crops with clawcurved blade, like cornears of conflict, like gavels of the battleriver.

Then she besought Cronides and Artemis to fill the Naiads' grottoes with dust and thirsty soil. Often she strained her eye over the mountains, if anywhere she might find an unsteady footstep of unseen Dionysos, that she might shoot him with her arrows, a woman shoot a god that she might vanquish the deity of the grapes yet more she desired to destroy \\'ith blazing fire all that marriage- vine. Often, when she saw tracks of * ' ! ; ! ; 29 NONNOS rjcplag t6^€V€V ourrtvouaa BvdXXa^' TToXXaKi 8* ^YX^^ d€ip€, Kcu €49 aKowi¥ ^miem Ivfify 6pa hcfiag ttAtJ^ ctcv avourqrov AiomSvov* ovk irvxtijo^ Avaiov.