death-fires

'He settled near the ships and let loose an arrow.
Reverberation from his silver bow hung in the air.
He picked off the pack animals first, and the lean hounds,
But then aimed his needle-tipped arrows at the men
And shot until the death-fires crowded the beach.'

'the god Apollo, starting the whole sordid mess; the Iliad, by Homer, translated by Stanley Lombardo, 1997.