18. The dust was rising in clouds and the forces falling as rocks; the huge cars broken down as hills, and the flaming swords shining on all sides. 19. The rise and fall of the foot soldier’s feet flitted like the falling flowers on the ground, and the flags and umbrellas o’ertopped it as clouds; it was overflown by streams of blood, and the high-sounding elephants falling as thundering showers of rain. 20. The war was as the last doom of death ready to devour the world, and destroy the flags and banners, the umbrellas and chariots in a confused chaos. 21. The shining weapons were falling like fragments of the refulgent sun, and burning all things as a burning pain inflames the soul and mind. 22. The out-stretched bows were as rainbows, and the falling arrows as showers of rain; the flying sabres resembled the forky lightnings, and their falling fragments like the sparkling hailstones. 23. The dire massacre made a sea of blood, with the hurling stones as its shoals and rocks; while the flying arms resembled the falling stars from heaven. 24. The sky was as a sea full of the whirlpools of the groups of disks and circlets, that were hurled in the air; and there were the burning fires, that performed the funerals of the slain. 25. The missiles were as bolts of thunder, which struck the rock-like elephants dead in the field, to block the passage of men. 26. The earth and sky were obscured by a thick cloud of showering arrows, and the army below was a sea of tempestuous warfare and bloodshed. 27. The destructive weapons were flying on all sides, like huge dragons of the sea, carried aloft by gusts of wind from the stormy main. 28. The flying arms of bolts and swords, disks, pikes and lances, were blazing and breaking one another in the air with such hideous noise, that it seemed to be a second deluge, when the last tornado blew up everything on high scattering them in all directions, and crushing and smashing them with a tremendous peal. CHAPTER XXXVI. SECTION I. COLLISION OF EQUAL ARMS AND ARMIGERENTS. The heaps of arrows rising in spires above the ground, drove the cowards and the wounded afar from the field. 2. The hills of the dead bodies of men, horses and elephants, heaving in promiscuous heaps, and appearing as clouds fallen upon earth, invited the Yakshas and Rákshasas, and the carnivorous Pisáchas, to come and sport in the wide ocean of blood. 3. Now there commenced a commutual contest, betwixt men of rank and virtue, and those of good character, valour and strength on both sides; not excepting even the holy and household people, all of whom took part in the combat (that is, no condition of life, nor age nor sex, could escape the contagion of a warfare). 4. Duels were fought between these, like the clashing of one cloud with another; and like the confluence of two streams discharging their fury against each other.