and Calchas, the seer, drawing a sharp sword from its scabbard laid it in a basket of beaten gold, and crowned the maiden’s head. Then the son of Peleus, taking the basket and with it lustral water in his hand, ran round the altar of the goddessuttering these words: O Artemis, you child of Zeus, slayer of wild beasts, that wheel your dazzling light amid the gloom, accept this sacrifice which we, the army of the Achaeans and Agamemnon with us, offer to you, pure blood from a beautiful maiden’s neck;and grant us safe sailing for our ships and the sack of Troy’s towers by our spears.Meanwhile the sons of Atreus and all the army stood looking on the ground.[But the priest, seizing his knife, offered up a prayer and was closely scanning the maiden’s throat to see where he should strike.