With the lighting of the fuse and the rumbling of the earth, the cannon ball was launched high into the air, disappearing amongst the thick clouds of the darkening sky.
The Hojo camp was relatively quiet. Most men had disappeared into their blue canvas tents for the evening. Very few people were still up and wandering around, and those that were had duties they needed to attend to. They might have been in charge of keeping the fires fuelled or they might have been responding to the commands of their own bladders.