and out of stones and sods of earth she fashioned three battalions , and one of the battalions she placed at one side of the house , and the other at the further side beyond it , and one encircling the rest southward along the hollow windings of the glen . and thus were these battalions , one of them all made of men stark - naked and their colour blue , and the second with heads of goats with shaggy beards and horned ; but the third , more terrible than they , for these were headless men , fighting like human beings , yet finished at the neck ; and the sound of heavy shouting as of hosts and multitudes came from the first and the second battalion , but from the third no sound save only that they waved their arms and struck their weapons together , and smote the ground with their feet impatiently . and though terrible was the shout of the blue men and the bleating of the goats with human limbs , more horrible yet was the stamping and the rage of those headless men , finished at the neck .
these were headless men , fighting like human beings , yet finished at the neck .
why was the third battalion the most terrible ?
why was the third battalion the most terrible ?