151Gyas shoots out ahead of the others and glides away first over the waves amid the throng and the uproar; 152Cloanthus follows him next, better in oarsmen, but his ship, slow with its weight, holds him back. 154Behind these, at an equal distance, Pristis and Centaur strive to win the leading place; 156and now Pristis has it, now huge Centaur overtakes and passes her, now both are borne along together with their prows level, and plough the salt sea with their long keels. 159And now they were nearing the rock and reaching the turning post, when Gyas, leading and winning at the midpoint of the course, calls out to Menoetes, the steersman of his ship: 'Why are you going so far to the right?
162Steer your course here; 163hug the shore, and let the oar-blade graze the rocks on the left; 164let others keep to the deep.' 164He spoke; 164but Menoetes, fearing hidden rocks, turns the prow away towards the waves of the open sea. 166'Where are you going so far off course? 166Make for the rocks again, Menoetes!' 167Gyas was shouting, calling him back; 167and look, he sees Cloanthus pressing behind him and holding the nearer line. 169Cloanthus, on the inside, scrapes a path on the left between Gyas' ship and the roaring rocks, and suddenly passes the leader, and, leaving the post behind, reaches safe water. 172Then indeed a great anguish blazed up in the young man's bones, nor were his cheeks free of tears, and forgetting both his own dignity and the safety of his crew, he hurls sluggish Menoetes headlong from the high stern into the sea; 176he himself takes over the helm as steersman, himself as captain, urges on the men, and turns the tiller towards the shore.
178But Menoetes, heavy, when at last he had barely been returned from the bottom of the sea, an older man now and streaming in his drenched clothes, makes for the top of the rock and sat down on the dry crag. 181The Trojans laughed at him as he fell and as he swam, and laugh as he vomits salt waves from his chest.