Short Stories
ers of the first soldier to rise clearly into view before pulling trig-
ger. 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?" he 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 over all men and all things, even though they died in getting
it. He could not but admire them, too, what of that will in them
that was stronger than life and that bent all things to their bid-
ding. He was convinced of the hopelessness of his struggle.
There was no gainsaying that terrible will of the haoles. Though
he killed a thousand, yet would they rise like the sands of the sea
and come upon him, ever more and more. They never knew
when they were beaten. That was their fault and their virtue. It
was where his own kind lacked. He could see, now, how the
handful of the preachers of God and the preachers of Rum had
conquered the land. It was because they did'nt know how to give
up.
"Well, what have you got to say? Will you come with me?"
It was he voice of the invisible man under the white flag. There
he was, like any haole, driving straight toward the end deter-
mined.
"Let us talk," said Koolau.
The man's head and shoulders arose, then his whole body.
He was a smooth-faced, blue-eyed youngster of twenty-five,
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