carried with him his infant daughter Camilla. Coming to the bank of a
river and still pursued by his enemies, he bound the child fast to his
javelin, and holding the weapon in his hands, he prayed to Di-a'na,
goddess of hunters and hunting, and dedicated his daughter to her
saying, "To thee, goddess of the woods, I devote this child to be thy
handmaid, and committing her to the wind, I implore thee to receive
her as thine own." Then he hurled the spear across the river, and
plunging into the water swam to the other side, where he found the
javelin fixed in the bank, and the infant uninjured.

After this achievement Metabus retired to the mountains, where he led
the life of a shepherd. As soon as the child was able to hold a weapon
in her hand, he trained her to the use of javelins and arrows and she
grew up to be a brave and skillful warrior. In course of time she
returned to the kingdom from which her father had been expelled, and
became celebrated as a runner of wondrous speed.




VII. ALLIANCE WITH EVANDER--VULCAN MAKES ARMS FOR AENEAS--THE FAMOUS
SHIELD.


Meanwhile AEneas was considering how to defend himself and his people
against the enemy who was thus marshalling such mighty forces against
him. He thought of many plans without being able to decide upon any.

This way, and that, he turns his anxious mind;
Thinks, and rejects the counsels he designed;