foot of the cliff.

Koolau passed his hand across his sweaty brow. He was terribly
shaken. He had had no experience with shell-fire, and this was more
dreadful than anything he had imagined.

"One," said Kapahei, suddenly bethinking himself to keep count.

A second and a third shell flew screaming over the top of the wall,
bursting beyond view. Kapahei methodically kept the count. The
lepers crowded into the open space before the caves. At first they
were frightened, but as the shells continued their flight overhead
the leper folk became reassured and began to admire the spectacle.

The two idiots shrieked with delight, prancing wild antics as each
air-tormenting shell went by. Koolau began to recover his
confidence. No damage was being done. Evidently they could not aim
such large missiles at such long range with the precision of a
rifle.

But a change came over the situation. The shells began to fall
short. One burst below in the thicket by the knife-edge. Koolau
remembered the maid who lay there on watch, and ran down to see.
The smoke was still rising from the bushes when he crawled in. He
was astounded. The branches were splintered and broken. Where the
girl had lain was a hole in the ground. The girl herself was in
shattered fragments. The shell had burst right on her.

First peering out to make sure no soldiers were attempting the
passage, Koolau started back on the run for the caves. All the time