As the ships from opposing sides got nearer and nearer, down below the decks, the oarsmen continued to sing loud chorus like chants, appearing wholly unconcerned about the imminent collision.
They only moved their thick muscular arms while bursting songs such as the following from their manly voices,
"Heyyyy oh sailors, race over the deep blue sea,
Oh heyyy oh over the long stretches of the salty seas
We who row through the sweetwater,
Heyyy oh sailors oh heyyy oh"
The careless nature of their song seemed almost surreal, especially given how they were driving themselves straight onto an inevitably doomed collision course with such a surprising nonchalance.
It did not need to be said that if the ships were to be rammed, the most likely casualties would not be the men on the decks, but these men here, men who were placed right inside the belly of the hull.