The Argo Goes West

32, Siren's Hills, part 3

Company K, 4th Cavalry, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Tyree, prepared carefully for the assault on Melody Hills The most important thing was not to listen to curse songs that would drive the listener to suicide. It wasn't until seven years later that Wax Ear Plugs were developed in Germany. Soldiers stuffed their ears with cloth or paper and reinforced them by covering their heads with scarf, as they do for the pain of cavities. In addition, it was decided to accompany the military band. A band played loudly to cancel out the singing.

First, an advance party accompanied by a trumpeter entered the town in order to locate the enemy.

The town was devastated as if it had been burned down. A large number of corpses were lying on the street. When they entered the large mansion to see if there were any survivors, several people were hanging from the railings on the second floor. Each corpse had an eerie smile on its face and looked like a Mexican day of the dead doll.

The members had already decided on signs to convey orders. There were only two. Sticking out the index finger meant "go" and spreading out the hand meant "stop". Everything else was to be done in writing.

They had their ears covered, so they had to rely on guesswork as to where the enemy was. they headed upwind. Luckily, The commander's intuition was spot on. The troops eventually found several enemies on a hill overlooking the city.

After receiving the report, the main unit departed. The song played by the military band is the Scottish folk song "Auld Lang Syne". The 7th Cavalry always played the Irish folk song "Gary Owen", but the 4th had no such tune. The louder the sound, the better. Those who knew the lyrics, as well as those who did not, were instructed to raise their voices and sing.

Military band flutist Michael Eastman was impatient while playing. He wondered if the performance was in harmony. The superior told the band members not to force them to match, but Eastman wanted to play properly as a musician. He looked around. The infantry were in rhythm with their pace. However, the movements of the mouths of the officers on horseback were inconsistent. Eastman felt nauseous.

The enemies were standing on the hill. Sirens. Eastman thought it looked just like Amalie Materna, who had played Brunhild in Bayreuth in 1876. A body that draws plump lines on a divine face reminiscent of an ancient Roman marble statue. They differed from humans because they had large wings on their backs. The three sirens, like the three goddesses at Judgment of Paris, lined up on top of the hill and stared down at the cavalry with a blank expression.