served and helped him as though they were living maids.'

'Hephaistos was lame and crooked of foot and went limping. He and Thetis
were friends from of old time, for, when his mother would have forsaken
him because of his crooked foot, Thetis and her sister reared him within
one of the Ocean's caves and it was while he was with them that he began
to work in metals. So the lame god was pleased to see Thetis in his
dwelling and he welcomed her and clasped her hand and asked of her what
she would have him do for her.'

'Then Thetis, weeping, told him of her son Achilles, how he had lost his
dear friend and how he was moved to go into the battle to fight with
Hector, and how he was without armour to protect his life, seeing that
the armour that the gods had once given his father was now in the hands
of his foe. And Thetis besought Hephaistos to make new armour for her
son that he might go into the battle.'

'She no sooner finished speaking than Hephaistos went to his work-bench
and set his bellows--twenty were there--working. And the twenty bellows
blew into the crucibles and made bright and hot fires. Then Hephaistos
threw into the fires bronze and tin and silver and gold. He set on the
anvil-stand a great anvil, and took in one hand his hammer and in the
other hand his tongs.'

[Illustration]

'For the armour of Achilles he made first a shield and then a corselet
that gleamed like fire. And he made a strong helmet to go on the head
and shining greaves to wear on the ankles. The shield was made with five
folds, one fold of metal upon the other, so that it was so strong and