growl of impatience, he clapped the fore-finger of his left hand over
it, holding it in place, and pulled it through the guide thus formed.
A light flashed upon his brooding intelligence. Slightly crooking his
finger, so that the shaft could move freely, he drew the string
backward and forward, with deep deliberation, over and over again. To
his delight, he found that the shaft was no longer eccentrically
rebellious, but as docile as he could wish. At last, lifting the bow
above his head, he drew it strongly, and shot the shaft into the air.
He shouted as it slipped smoothly through the guiding crook of his
finger and went soaring skyward as if it would never stop. The eyes of
the spectators followed its flight with awe, and A-ya, suddenly
comprehending, caught her breath and snatched the boy to her heart in
a transport. Her alert mind had grasped, though dimly, the wonder of
her man's achievement.

Now, though Grom had pointed his shaft skyward, he had taken no
thought whatever as to its direction, or the distance it might travel.
As a matter of fact, he had shot towards the Caves. He had shot
strongly; and that first bow was a stiff one. Most of the folk who
squatted before the Caves were watching; but there were some who were
too indifferent or too stupid to take an interest in anything less
arresting than a thump on the head. Among these was a fat old woman,
who, with her back to all the excitement, was bending herself double
to grub in the litter of sticks and bones for some tit-bit which she
had dropped. Grom's shaft, turning gracefully against the blue came
darting downward on a long slope, and buried its point in that
upturned fat and grimy thigh. With a yell the old woman whipped round,
tore out the shaft, dashed it upon the ground, stared at it in horror
as if she thought it some kind of snake, and waddled, wildly
jabbering, into the nearest cave.

An outburst of startled cries arose from all the spectators, but it
hushed itself almost in the same breath. It was Grom who had done this
singular thing, smiting unawares from very far off. The old woman must
have done something to make Grom angry. They were all afraid; and
several, whose consciences were not quite at ease, followed the old
woman's example and slipped into the Caves.

As for Grom, his feelings were a mixture of embarrassment and elation.
He was sorry to have hurt the old woman. He had a ridiculous dislike
of hurting any one unnecessarily; and w