As the ships of Aeneas sailed across the
sea, they looked back to shore and saw great flames rising up into the
sky. What this meant they did not know; but they were sure that Dido
was very angry and they feared she might do something terrible.
Before long, there were signs of a great storm. The chief pilot, Palinurus,
saw how dark the sky had grown and said to Aeneas, "What do these
clouds mean? What is Father Neptune going to do next? We cannot get
to Italy while the wind blows like this. Let us clear the decks and
have the men put out their oars. We can shift the sails and enter the
harbors of Sicily."
"You say well," Aeneas replied. "My dear father, Anchises
is buried there. We will stop in Sicily."
Now Acestes, the king of Sicily, was the son of a Trojan
woman. He had entertained Aeneas before, and his people were very kind.
When he saw the Trojan ships coming toward the land, he made haste to
meet them. He came to shore wearing a lion's skin about his shoulders,
and carrying a spear in his hand. He greeted them with many words of
kindness, and sent a supply of food and drink to the ships.
In honor of his father, Aeneas decreed
that great games be held. They held ship races, running, javelin throwing,
archery, and boxing. People came from all over the island to compete.
While the Trojans were busy with the games, Juno was busy doing mischief.
She looked down from Mt. Olympus and saw the women who had come with
the Trojans sitting near the ships, crying. "Surely," one
young maiden wailed, "we have traveled enough. Shouldn't we just
settle here in Sicily?"
"Surely," Beroe said as she approached the women by the ships, "it would have been better for us to have been killed by the Greeks when they took Troy. Seven summers have come and gone since we left our native country, and we are still wandering over sea and land. We seek this land of Italy, but it seems to be always flying before us. Here we have friends and kinfolk. Why don't we burn these accursed ships? I saw the prophetess, Cassandra, in a dream last night. She seemed to say, 'Here is your Troy; here in Sicily. ' And she put a torch in my hand. See now, my sisters, there are altars here with fire upon them. " She took a torch from one of the altars and threw it at the ships.
The women thought about what Iris (whom they thought was Beroe) said. Then. they also grabbed torches from the altars and tossed them at the ships. In a moment, the flames ran over the benches, the oars and the stems of pine.
Someone ran at once to the Trojans as they sat watching
the games. They looked up and saw a great cloud of smoke coming up from
the sea. Ascanius, Aeneas' son, heard of the matter and immediately galloped
down to the shore.
When Ascanius got to the ships, he cried out, "What are you doing?
This is not the camp of the Greeks you are burning. You are burning your
own hopes! See, I am your own Ascanius." He took off his helmet and
jumped off of his horse.
Soon after, Aeneas and the other Trojans
came. When the women thought about what they had done, they were much
ashamed. Aeneas tore his robe and cried out, "O Jupiter, if you care
for us at all, save our ships! If you are angry with me for some reason,
if I have done something wrong, then slay me with your thunderbolts. But
save my people."
While he was still speaking, a great storm came up from the south, with
thunder and lightning and a great rain. So the fire was put out. Nevertheless,
four of the ships were burned entirely.
Aeneas was much troubled. Should he stay
in Sicily, where he had friends? Even though the Fates had called him
to Italy, there was always something to hinder his going. Then a certain
priest, a wise man, one who knew better than all others the mind of
the gods, said to him, "Surely we must go to the place that the
gods call us. However, see now we have four ships burned. There are
too many people here to take all of us to Italy. However, some do not
want to go. There are old men and women who are weary of the sea. There
are some who are weak, and some whose courage fails them. Let King Acestes,
if he will, take these for himself. He can build a city for them and
call it Acesta, after his own name."
Aeneas went to sleep, thinking about what the priest had said. During
the night his father appeared to him saying, "My son, Jupiter has
sent me to you. Take the advice which has been given you. Choose out
the best and strongest of your people to go with you, for you will face
a strong and fierce people in this land of Italy. But first come and
see me in the place where I dwell below the earth. The Sibyl,
whose abode is in Cumae in Italy, will show you
the way. There you shall hear all that shall come to you and to your
children after you. And now I must go, for the morning is coming."
Aeneas took counsel with the chief of the Trojans
and with King Acestes. And so it was decided that some Trojans stayed
in Sicily, and the rest sailed with Aeneas for Italy.