友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
合租小说网 返回本书目录 加入书签 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 『收藏到我的浏览器』

the house of pride and other tales of hawaii-第6部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!



and were ripping it apart as a woman rips apart a sheet of cotton 

cloth。  But it was such an immense ripping; growing swiftly nearer。  

Koolau glanced up apprehensively; as if expecting to see the thing。  

Then high up on the cliff overhead the shell burst in a fountain of 

black smoke。  The rock was shattered; the fragments falling to the 

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 

the shells were moaning; whining; screaming by; and the valley was 

rumbling and reverberating with the explosions。  As he came in sight 

of the caves; he saw the two idiots cavorting about; clutching each 

other's hands with their stumps of fingers。  Even as he ran; Koolau 

saw a spout of black smoke rise from the ground; near to the idiots。  

They were flung apart bodily by the explosion。  One lay motionless; 

but the other was dragging himself by his hands toward the cave。  

His legs trailed out helplessly behind him; while the blood was 

pouring from his body。  He seemed bathed in blood; and as he crawled 

he cried like a little dog。  The rest of the lepers; with the 

exception of Kapahei; had fled into the caves。



〃Seventeen;〃 said Kapahei。  〃Eighteen;〃 he added。



This last shell had fairly entered into one of the caves。  The 

explosion caused the caves to empty。  But from the particular cave 

no one emerged。  Koolau crept in through the pungent; acrid smoke。  

Four bodies; frightfully mangled; lay about。  One of them was the 

sightless woman whose tears till now had never ceased。



Outside; Koolau found his people in a panic and already beginning to 

climb the goat…trail that led out of the gorge and on among the 

jumbled heights and chasms。  The wounded idiot; whining feebly and 

dragging himself along on the ground by his hands; was trying to 

follow。  But at the first pitch of the wall his helplessness 

overcame him and he fell back。



〃It would be better to kill him;〃 said Koolau to Kapahei; who still 

sat in the same place。



〃Twenty…two;〃 Kapahei answered。  〃Yes; it would be a wise thing to 

kill him。  Twenty…threetwenty…four。〃



The idiot whined sharply when he saw the rifle levelled at him。  

Koolau hesitated; then lowered the gun。



〃It is a hard thing to do;〃 he said。



〃You are a fool; twenty…six; twenty…seven;〃 said Kapahei。  〃Let me 

show you。〃



He arose; and with a heavy fragment of rock in his hand; approached 

the wounded thing。  As he lifted his arm to strike; a shell burst 

full upon him; relieving him of the necessity of the act and at the 

same time putting an end to his count。



Koolau was alone in the gorge。  He watched the last of his people 

drag their crippled bodies over the brow of the height and 

disappear。  Then he turned and went down to the thicket where the 

maid had keen killed。  The shell…fire still continued; but he 

remained; for far below he could see the soldiers climbing up。  A 

shell burst twenty feet away。  Flattening himself into the earth; he 

heard the rush of the fragments above his body。  A shower of hau 

blossoms rained upon him。  He lifted his head to peer down the 

trail; and sighed。  He was very much afraid。  Bullets from rifles 

would not have worried him; but this shell…fire was abominable。  

Each time a shell shrieked by he shivered and crouched; but each 

time he lifted his head again to watch the trail。



At last the shells ceased。  This; he reasoned; was because the 

soldiers were drawing near。  They crept along the trail in single 

file; and he tried to count them until he lost track。  At any rate; 

there were a hundred or so of themall come after Koolau the leper。  

He felt a fleeting prod of pride。  With war guns and rifles; police 

and soldiers; they came for him; and he was only one man; a crippled 

wreck of a man at that。  They offered a thousand dollars for him; 

dead or alive。  In all his life he had never possessed that much 

money。  The thought was a bitter one。  Kapahei had been right。  He; 

Koolau; had done no wrong。  Because the haoles wanted labour with 

which to work the stolen land; they had brought in the Chinese 

coolies; and with them had come the sickness。  And now; because he 

had caught the sickness; he was worth a thousand dollarsbut not to 

himself。  It was his worthless carcass; rotten with disease or dead 

from a bursting shell; that was worth all that money。



When the soldiers reached the knife…edged passage; he was prompted 

to warn them。  But his gaze fell upon the body of the murdered maid; 

and he kept silent。  When six had ventured on the knife…edge; he 

opened fire。  Nor did he cease when the knife…edge was bare。  He 

emptied his magazine; reloaded; and emptied it again。  He kept on 

shooting。  All his wrongs were blazing in his brain; and he was in a 

fury of vengeance。  All down the goat…trail the soldiers were 

firing; and though they lay flat and sought to shelter themselves in 

the shallow inequalities of the surface; they were exposed marks to 

him。  Bullets whistled and thudded about him; and an occasional 

ricochet sang sharply through the air。  One bullet ploughed a crease 

through his scalp; and a second burned across his shoulder…blade 

without breaking the skin。



It was a massacre; in which one man did the killing。  The soldiers 

began to retreat; helping along their wounded。  As Koolau picked 

them off he became aware of the smell of burnt meat。  He glanced 

about him at first; and then discovered that it was his own hands。  

The heat of the rifle was doing it。  The leprosy had destroyed most 

of the nerves in his hands。  Though his flesh burned and he smelled 

it; there was no sensation。



He lay in the thicket; smiling; until he remembered the war guns。  

Without doubt they would open upon him again; and this time upon the 

very thicket from which he had inflicted the danger。  Scarcely had 

he changed his position to a nook behind a small shoulder of the 

wall where he had noted that no shells fell; than the bombardment 

recommenced。  He counted the shells。  Sixty more were thrown into 

the gorge before the war…guns ceased。  The tiny area was pitted with 

their explosions; until it seemed impossible that any creature could 

have survived。  So the soldiers thought; for; under the burning 

afternoon sun; they climbed the goat…trail again。  And again the 

knife…edged passage was disputed; and again they fell back to the 

beach。



For two days longer Koolau held the passage; though the soldiers 

contented themselves with flinging shells into his retreat。  Then 

Pahau; a leper boy; came to the top of the wall at the back of the 

gorge and shouted down to him that Kiloliana; hunting goats that 

they might eat; had been killed by a fall; and that the women were 

frightened and knew not what to do。  Koolau called the boy down and 

left him with a spare gun with which to guard the passage。  Koolau 

found his people disheartened。  The majority of them were too 

helpless to forage food for themselves under such forbidding 

circumstances; and all were starving。  He selected two women and a 

man who were not too far gone with the disease; and sent them back 

to the gorge to bring up food and mats。  The rest he cheered and 

consoled until even the weakest took a hand in building rough 

shelters for themselves。



But those he had dispatched for food did not return; and he started 

back for the gorge。  As he came out on the brow of the wall; half a 

dozen rifles cracked。  A bullet tore through the fleshy part of his 

shoulder; and his cheek was cut by a sliver of rock where a second 

bullet smashed against the cliff。  In the moment that this happened; 

and he leaped back; he saw that the gorge was alive with soldiers。  

His own people had betrayed him。  The shell…fire had been too 

terrible; and they had preferred the prison of Molokai。



Koolau dropped back and unslung one of his heavy cartridge…belts。  

Lying among the rocks; he allowed the head and shoulders of the 

first soldier to rise clearly into view before pulling trigger。  

Twice this happened; and then; after some delay; in place of a head 

and shoulders a white flag was thrust above the edge of the wall。



〃What do you want?〃 be demanded。



〃I want you; if you are Koolau the leper;〃 came the answer。



Koolau forgot where he was; forgot everything; as he lay and 

marvelled at the strange persistence of these haoles who would have 

their will though the sky fell in。  Aye; they would have their will
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!