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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..162f19d --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #53851 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53851) diff --git a/old/53851-0.txt b/old/53851-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 32dbf4f..0000000 --- a/old/53851-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12777 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Deborah, by James M. Ludlow - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Deborah - A tale of the times of Judas Maccabaeus - -Author: James M. Ludlow - -Release Date: December 31, 2016 [EBook #53851] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEBORAH *** - - - - -Produced by Christopher Wright and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -DEBORAH - - - - -By James M. Ludlow - - - _Along the Friendly Way._ Reminiscences and impressions. Illustrated, - $2.00. - - - _Avanti!_ _Garibaldi's Battle Cry._ A Tale of the Resurrection of - Sicily--1860. 12mo, cloth, net $1.25. - - Sicily, the picturesque in the time of Garibaldi, is the scene of this - stirring romance. - - - _Sir Raoul._ A Story of the Theft of an Empire. Illustrated. 12mo, - cloth, net $1.50. - - "Adventure succeeds adventure with breathless rapidity."--_New York - Sun._ - - - _Deborah._ A Tale of the Times of Judas Maccabæus. Illustrated, net - $1.50. - - "Nothing in the class of fiction to which 'Deborah' belongs, exceeds - it in vividness and rapidity of action."--_The Outlook._ - - - _Judge West's Opinion._ Cloth, net $1.00. - - - _Jesse ben David._ A Shepherd of Bethlehem. Illustrated, cloth, boxed, - net $1.00. - - - _Incentives for Life._ _Personal and Public._ Cloth, $1.25. - - - _The Baritone's Parish._ Illustrated, .35. - - - _The Discovery of Self._ Paper-board, net .50. - -[Illustration] - - - - - DEBORAH - - A TALE OF THE TIMES - - _of_ - - JUDAS MACCABAEUS - - _by_ - - JAMES M. LUDLOW - - _AUTHOR OF - THE CAPTAIN OF THE JANIZARIES_ - - _ETC_ - - [Illustration] - - NEW YORK CHICAGO TORONTO - - FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY - - - - - Copyright, 1901, by - FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY - - - New York: 158 Fifth Avenue - Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. - London: 21 Paternoster Square - Edinburgh: 75 Princes Street - - - - -TABLE OF CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I.--THE CITY OF PRIDE, 11 - - II.--THE CITY OF DESOLATION, 22 - - III.--THE LITTLE BLIND SEER, 32 - - IV.--THE DISCUS THROW, 39 - - V.--A FLOWER IN A TORRENT, 46 - - VI.--A JEWISH CUPID, 54 - - VII.--IN THE TOILS OF APOLLONIUS, 63 - - VIII.--DEBORAH DISCOVERS HERSELF, 71 - - IX.--THE NASI'S TRIUMPH, 79 - - X.--JUDAS MACCABÆUS, 91 - - XI.--THE PRIEST'S KNIFE, 106 - - XII.--THE FORT OF THE ROCKS, 111 - - XIII.--THE DAUGHTER OF THE VOICE, 120 - - XIV.--THE SPY, 130 - - XV.--THE BATTLE OF THE WADY, 140 - - XVI.--THE BATTLEFIELD OF A HEART, 146 - - XVII.--A FAIR WASHERWOMAN, 160 - - XVIII.--HIGH PRIEST! HIGH DEVIL! 171 - - XIX.--THE RENEGADE, 179 - - XX.--A FEMALE SYMPOSIUM, 185 - - XXI.--BATTLE OF BETHHORON, 193 - - XXII.--A PRELUDE WITHOUT THE PLAY, 200 - - XXIII.--THE GREED OF GLAUCON, 205 - - XXIV.--LESSONS IN DIPLOMACY, 209 - - XXV.--A JEWESS TAKES NO ORDERS FROM THE ENEMY, 215 - - XXVI.--TO UNMASK THE PRINCESS, 221 - - XXVII.--THE QUEEN OF THE GROVE, 227 - - XXVIII.--A PRISONER, 234 - - XXIX.--A RAID, 243 - - XXX.--FOILED, 250 - - XXXI.--THE SHEIKHS, 258 - - XXXII.--THE CASTLE OF MASADA, 266 - - XXXIII.--WITH BEN AARON, 276 - - XXXIV.--QUICK LOVE: QUICK HATE! 282 - - XXXV.--WORSHIP BEFORE BATTLE, 289 - - XXXVI.--THE TEMPTRESS, 298 - - XXXVII.--"IF I WERE A JEW," 304 - - XXXVIII.--THE POISONER, 309 - - XXXIX.--BATTLE OF EMMAUS, 313 - - XL.--"A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM," 321 - - XLI.--A STRANGE VISITOR, 327 - - XLII.--A CLOSE CALL FOR DION, 332 - - XLIII.--BATTLE OF BETHZUR, 339 - - XLIV.--A WIFE? 346 - - XLV.--THE TRIAL, 354 - - XLVI.--DISENTANGLED THREADS, 363 - - XLVII.--A QUEEN OF ISRAEL? 367 - - XLVIII.--A BROKEN SENTENCE FINISHED, 377 - - XLIX.--THE HIDDEN HAND, 386 - - L.--THE VENGEANCE OF JUDAS, 392 - - LI.--A KING, INDEED, 401 - - AUTHOR'S NOTE, 407 - - - - -DEBORAH - - -I - -THE CITY OF PRIDE - -King Antiochus, self-styled Epiphanes, the Glorious, was in a humor -that ill-suited that title. He cursed his scribe who had just read to -him a letter, kicked away the cushions where his royal and gouty feet -had been resting, and strode about the chamber declaring that, by all -the gods! he would make such a show in Antioch that the whole world -would be agog with amazement. - -The letter which exploded the temper of his majesty was from Philippi, -in Macedonia, and told how the Romans, those insolent republicans of -the West, had made a magnificent fête to commemorate their conquest of -the country of Perseus, the last of the kings of Greece. - -Epiphanes was a compound of pusillanimity and conceit. He could forget -the insult offered by a Roman officer who drew about "The Glorious" a -circle in the sand, and threatened to thrash the kingship out of him -if he did not at once desist from a certain attempt upon Egypt; but he -could not endure that another should outshine him in the pomp for which -Antioch was famous. This Eagle of Syria, as he liked to be called, -would rather have his talons cut than lose any of his plumage. - -Hence that great oath of the king. So loud and ominous was it that -the pet jackanapes sprang to the shoulder of the statue of the Syrian -Venus, and clung with his hairy arms about her marble neck. The giant -guardsmen in the adjacent court, who, half asleep, stood leaning upon -their pikes, were startled into spasmodic motion, and shouldered their -weapons, before their contemptuous glances showed that they understood -the words that rang out to them. - -"By all the gods! if Rome has the power, and Alexandria the commerce, -Antioch shall be queen in splendor, though it takes all the gold of all -the provinces to dress her." - -The scribe smiled blandly and bowed his appreciation of this new-coming -glory of his master. The jackanapes took heart, and, after annihilating -some of his own personal enemies with vigorous scratching of his -haunches, leaped from the statue to the arm of the King's chair. So the -grand pageant was ordered. - -All the world was invited to the Syrian capital. For an entire -month such splendors and sports were seen at Daphne, the famous -pleasure-grounds near to Antioch, that ever after the capital was -called Epidaphne, the City by the Grove. The heights of Silpius, on -whose lower slope Antioch lay like a jewel in the lap of a queen, -blazed by day with a thousand banners, and at night with fires whose -reflection turned the Orontes that flowed below the city into a stream -of molten gold. - -One day was devoted to military display. There were fifty thousand -soldiers of many nations, from the perfectly formed Greek of the -Peloponnesus to the Persian, who made up for his lack of muscle by the -superior glitter of his spear, and the lithe and swarthy Arabs from -all the deserts between the Ægean and the Euphrates. Plumes of gold -nodded above shields of bronze and silver. Hundreds of chariots glowed -like rainbows in their parti-colored enamel, and were drawn by horses -buckled and bossed with precious gems. Droves of elephants armored in -dazzling steel carried upon their backs howdahs like thrones. - -A stalwart young Greek stood looking at this martial display. He wore -the chiton, or under-garment, cut short above the knees, and belted -at the loins, where hung a stout sword indicating that he too was a -soldier. - -"What think you, Dion?" asked a comrade. - -"Why, that the body-guard of our King Perseus, though numbering but -three thousand, could have annihilated this whole mongrel horde as -readily as Alexander did the million when he won this land for his -degenerate successors. But I must not criticise the service I am -enrolled to enter." - -Following the soldiery in the procession came a thousand young men, -each wearing a crown of seeming gold, clad in glistening white silk, -and holding aloft a huge tusk of ivory. These symboled the trade wealth -of Syria. - -But the army having passed by, the Greek was soon wearied with the rest -of the display; and, bidding his companion farewell, with a few sage -suggestions about the temptations of the Grove at night, such as one -young fellow might give another, went into the city. - -The second day's festivities were of a less valiant, though not less -fascinating sort. It was the Day of Beauty. Hundreds of fair women, -in balconies that overhung the narrow streets of the city, or grouped -upon platforms here and there throughout the Grove, flung into the air -the dust of sandalwood and other spiceries, or sprinkled the crowds -with drops of aromatic ointments. At the crossing of the paths were -great vessels of nard and cinnamon and oils, scented with marjoram and -lily, that even the paupers might delight themselves with the perfume -of princes. Tanks of wine and tables spread with viands were as free as -they were costly. - -But the King himself was the most extravagant provision of the show. -In him the dignity of a king was less than the vanity of the man: his -coxcomb more than his crown. It cut him to the quick that a courtier -should outdress him, a charioteer better manage his steeds, or a -fakir set the mouths of the crowd more widely gaping. In the military -procession yesterday he had sat between the tusks of an enormous -elephant, and pricked the brute's trunk with a golden prod. He had also -ridden a famous stallion,--tightly curbed, it is true, and flanked by -six athletic grooms. - -His majesty's originality was especially shown on the Day of Beauty by -his riding beside Clarissa, the famous dancer, in the chariot where -she reclined as Queen of the Grove, an apparition of Astarte herself. -The extemporized divinity of love wore a moon-shaped tiara of silver, -the symbol of the Queen of Heaven; Epiphanes put on an aureole of gold -to represent the glory of the Sun. A score of women whose forms were -familiar to all the frequenters of the dancing gardens of Daphne lay at -their feet. - -Dion was an onlooker. He had caught so much of the spirit of the day as -to curl his locks and drape a purple himation or outer cloak from his -left shoulder. - -"That's the Macedonian," said one of Clarissa's satellites, as from her -float she spied the graceful form in the crowd. - -"A perfect Apollo!" was the critical response, which drew a jealous -glance from even The Glorious, who made the unkingly comment: - -"No. His nose isn't true. Has the snout of a Jew." - -His Majesty deserved to hear, though he did not, the comment the Greek -was at the same moment making to his comrade: - -"Humph! Epiphanes, the Glorious! Well do the people call him Epimanes, -the Fool." - -Captain Dion, notwithstanding the contemptuous sentiments thus far -awakened by the great show, was an observer the day following; for the -spectacular greatness of the affair would have drawn a Diogenes into -the crowd. - -This was All-Gods Day. The various deities of the nations which -Epiphanes' fathers had conquered for him, and those of lands which the -ambitious monarch claimed, though he had not yet subdued them,--these -were represented by their statues, or by living personages who were -apparelled in celestial hues; that is, so far as the King's costumers -were acquainted with the fashions of the world beyond the clouds. - -One float bore a tableau in which Mount Olympus appeared, peopled with -divinities, among whom Jupiter sat with uplifted hand holding a sheaf -of golden spears for lightning bolts, which the shaking of the float -made to menace the spectators with celestial ire. A bull-headed Moloch -of brass was contributed by the adjacent PhÅ“nician city of Sidon; this -was followed by a stone Winged Bull from Babylon. - -Lesser divinities held their court before the gaping crowds, as if -heaven were trailing its banners beneath the greater glory of the -earthly monarch. Indeed, the vanity of Epiphanes did not hesitate -to make this monstrous pretension. He was magnificently enthroned, -his head canopied by a device in which a golden sun and silvery -planets were made to float through fleecy azure. At his feet on a -lower platform were priests representing every religion in his wide -domain--those of the PhÅ“nician Baal in white robes with fluted skirts -slashed diagonally with violet scarfs, their heads covered with -close-fitting caps of knitted hair-work, as if of a piece with their -black beards; Greek priests with gloomy brows inspecting the entrails -of the sacrifice; and naked Bacchantes, crowned with the leaves of the -vine. - -Among these sacred officials was Menelaos, the High Priest of the Jews, -clad in the beauty of the ancient pontificate; his white tunic partly -covered with the blue robe; his head surmounted with the flower-shaped -turban. Menelaos was not the rightful High Priest of his people. His -brother, the sainted Onias, had held that office, until, after long -captivity in the prison of Daphne, he was murdered by Menelaos' order, -not far from the spot the fratricide was now passing. - -As on the previous days, Dion, the Macedonian, had his station as a -spectator on the raised platform by the splendid gate of Daphne. By -his side was a young man. He was of decided Jewish countenance, of -slight form, head uncovered except for the silver band which held his -artificially curled hair close down upon his forehead--the fashion -of Antiochian fops of the time; from his shoulders a yellow himation -buckled with an enormous jewel and cornered with purple devices. - -"I take it, Glaucon," said Dion, "that you are in feather with the High -Priest of your people. If I mistook it not, you gave him a knowing nod, -which he would have returned had not his pose at the feet of the King -prevented." - -"Yes," replied the Jew, "Menelaos and I are good friends. And well we -may be, for, next to his own, my family is the noblest in Jerusalem. -Menelaos has great influence with the King, and has brought me into -much favor in Antioch." - -"Such favor you will doubtless need, if reports be true," replied Dion. -"They say that General Apollonius has made your city of Jerusalem a -butcher's pen. That surely might have been avoided, since Menelaos, and -your house--the house of----" - -"The house of Elkiah, the Nasi," quickly interjected Glaucon. - -The Greek continued: "Since such great families as yours have been -induced to accept the lordship of Antioch, why not all others? I fear -that Apollonius is given to the wearing of the bones on the outside of -his hand." - -"Well he may be," replied Glaucon, "for my people are -obdurate,--stupidly so. Many of them are crazed with their religious -bigotry. For the precept of some dead Rabbi they would live in -the tombs. They would cut off their flesh rather than part with a -traditional hem of the garment. They are so proud that one of them -would not marry Astarte herself. But a few of us are wiser. We are -going to introduce the Greek customs which are so beautiful and joyous; -learn your philosophy; adorn our Temple with your art. Young Jewry -hears the call of the Greek civilization, as does all the rest of the -world. Old Jewry is soured with its traditions, as milk is from too -long standing." - -"I am glad that I am not a Jew," replied Dion. "I fear that my love of -fight would make me a rebel." - -"Not you, Captain Dion," said the Jew, looking with admiration into the -Greek's handsome face and his blue eyes, that were as full of frolic as -of fire. "You, Dion, could fight for a woman, if she were beautiful; -but not for a gray-walled temple, and a lot of psalm-snoring priests." - -"Well," replied Dion, "I shall soon have a chance to study your strange -people; for I am ordered by the King to join Apollonius. I sail -to-morrow on the _Eros_, from the harbor of Seleucia to Joppa." - -"Then I am in high luck," replied the Jew enthusiastically, "since -I will have you for a fellow-passenger. One night more in Daphne! I -assure you that I shall play the true Greek, and fill myself with the -best that is left in Antioch, since to-morrow I pay tribute to Neptune. -You will join me at sunset, Captain? Celanus' wines are excellent." - -"Impossible," replied Dion. "I must keep my legs steady under me, -and my brain-pan level, for to-morrow I shall have to take charge of -a hundred of the most villainous wretches that the King ever got -together. And he calls them 'Greek soldiers,' though there isn't a man -of them that can tell his race two generations back. A lot of pirates, -robbers, mine-slaves, and old wine-skins on legs! Greek soldiers! When -Mars turns chambermaid to a stable we Greeks will be such soldiers. But -they may be good enough for the work that Apollonius has for them in -Jerusalem. Farewell! To-morrow at noon on deck!" - - * * * * * - -Even a king must sometimes work. So Antiochus, the Glorious, laid aside -the trappings of divinity and attended to business. A vast empire, -such as he had inherited through several generations from Alexander -the Great, needed care. So far as possible the King farmed out the -government of the provinces to those who would return the largest -revenue, and trouble him least about the method of their gathering it. -Yet something was left for even the King to do. - -First in the royal interest, after he had returned to his palace, -was the report of the chief of the city spies--old Briareus, he -fondly called him, since he was as one that had a hundred arms, and -a thousand fingers on them, which were in all the private affairs of -the inhabitants of the capital. Having satisfied himself with his -chief's account, and feeling confident that the royal throat was in -no immediate danger of being cut by any of the multitude he was daily -outraging, the King turned to less interesting matters, such as the -whereabouts of his many armies, their victories and defeats. - -"Your tablets, Timon." - -The scribe read: - -"Apollonius reports all quiet at Jerusalem. Executed two hundred -yesterday." - -"Good!" said the King. "Bid him leave not so much as a ghost of a Jew -above Hades; and then let him hasten the work in the country to the -north. The Jewish peasants are unsubdued. It is not safe for a single -company of our troops to go over land to Judea. I have had to send the -detachment tomorrow by water down the coast." - -"There is the matter of Glaucon, son of the Nasi. You recall your -Majesty's promise to spare his property. It was a part of the bargain -with Menelaos, the Priest." - -"To Hades with the Priest!" cried the King. - -"Would it be wise to break with Menelaos?" timidly suggested the scribe. - -"You are right, Timon. The High Priest will be convenient in -Jerusalem,--like the handle to a blade. Has Menelaos paid up all he -promised?" - -"Yes; the nine hundred talents are safe." - -"Nine hundred talents! That rascal must have robbed the Temple." - -"Well, if he did, it will save your Majesty the trouble of finding the -hidden coffers. They say that the old King Solomon put his gold into -wells as deep as the earth, and that only the High Priest knows where -they are." - -"A good thought!" said the Glorious, thumping the bald head of the -scribe with the royal seal. "Your skull, Timon, is as full of wisdom -as a beggar's is of fleas. When Menelaos has gobbled down all the gold -there is in Jerusalem, we will open his crop and let out the shekels, -as they do corn grains from a turkey's gullet. A good thought! But -enough of these things. They tire me. Business is for slaves, not for -kings. Did you note to-day how the people looked as I appeared in the -procession?" - -"Your Majesty's glory can but grow upon the multitude. It is like that -of a mountain,--of a sunset--of--of the Great Sea when the glowing orb -of day with rays like the dishevelled hair----" - -"Stop, good Timon; no flattery. You know I never could abide flattery." - -"No words could flatter your Majesty." The scribe bowed upon the marble -floor, and kissed the feet of his master. - -"Now begone," said the King. "Let everything be ready for to-night. -Clarissa, the Queen of the Grove, comes with a troop of her dancers." - -With a wave of the royal hand the scribe vanished, and instead came the -King's costumers and physician; for the body of the Glorious must be -re-apparelled, and his stomach put in order for feasting. - - - - -II - -THE CITY OF DESOLATION - - -The streets of Jerusalem in every age have been thronged with the same -motley multitude: cool-looking, white-shirted market venders from -the stalls; no shirted sweat-hot artisans from the cellar workshops; -dyers, designated by their badges of bright-colored threads; tailors, -in heraldry of ornamented needles; carpenters, wearing their symbol -of square and compass--of which they were as proud as the scribe was -of the pen stuck behind his ear; fishermen from Galilee and the coast -jostling the fruiterers with great baskets on their heads; bare-legged, -dirt-tanned laborers from the fields; half-naked children of either -sex, playing with equal carelessness whether they knocked over the -piles of fruit and black bread that stood upon the stone pavement, -or were themselves knocked over by the sharp hoofs of asses or the -spongy feet of camels. These exponents of common, toiling humanity -made way for the gay tunic-clad aristocrats of the Upper City of Sion, -white-robed priests from the Temple Mount, gray-sheeted women from the -Cheesemakers Street, and ladies in black silken garments and caps of -coins, who were borne in palanquins from the more fashionable Street of -David. - -But in the year 167 before our Era all these had disappeared,--as -suddenly and completely as the sea-mullets and blackfish are driven -out of the shallows in the bay of Joppa by an invasion of sharks. - -The costumes and speech of the new crowd on the streets were foreign, -chiefly those of Greek and Syrian soldiers, with broad-brimmed hats, -loose-knit, iron-linked corsage, tight leather leggings, and short, -stout cleaver-like swords hanging from their girdles. Here and there -one stood stock still, sentinelling his corner of the street, with the -point of his sarissa or long spear gleaming ten cubits above his head, -while his broad circular shield held abreast made an eddy in the living -current as it swept around him. These were the soldiers of Antiochus -Epiphanes. - -Mingled with them were many foreign civilians, as their dress -indicated; merchants whose belts were well filled with gold to purchase -what the soldiers might steal; colonists to resettle the lands from -which the conquered people were expelled; and hordes of hucksters and -harlots who followed the armies of the time as dust clouds come after -chariots. - -Nor were there wanting in the crowd those whose curved noses -contradicted the disguise of their newly cropped hair, and proclaimed -them to be renegade Jews: men who preferred to retain their ancestral -property by denying the faith of their fathers. - -One afternoon the crowd in the Street of David became suddenly -congested. Through it a man, venerable with age, was vainly trying to -make his way. His long white locks, which curled downward in front of -his ears and mingled with the snowy beard upon his bosom, betokened his -Jewish race; while the broad fringes of white and hyacinth upon his -outer garment designated him as one of the Chasidim or Purists, who -preferred to part with their blood rather than with their religion. The -old patriot made no retort to the jostling and gibes of the crowd, but -his deep-set eyes flashed hatred from beneath their shaggy brows, and -told of the tragedy in his soul even more eloquently than if his lips -had poured forth fiery speech. - -"You can't swim up this stream, old man," said a soldier, giving the -frail form a twirl that made it face the other way. - -"It is the Nasi himself, Chief of the Rabbis," whispered a young Jew in -Greek cloak to a soldier. "Herakles club me, if you haven't caught the -biggest rat left in the hole. But Apollonius has given protection to -the Nasi's house. Be careful." - -"Protection to his house! Why then did he come out of it? Fetch him -along. Strip him naked, and warm his toad's blood in the new gymnasium." - -With this insult the soldier tore the outer garment from the old man's -back. The Jew was dazed for the instant by the Greek's audacity, and -mumbled within his sunken lips the words of the Prophet: "I gave my -back to the smiters, and my cheek to them that plucked off the hair." - -He then raised his eyes heavenward, apparently unconscious of a -staggering blow between his shoulders from the flat of a sword. He -stood a moment until he had completed the sacred sentence: "For the -Lord God shall help me; therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore -have I set my face like a flint." - -"'Face like a flint,' does he say? Let's see if it will strike fire -like a flint," shouted one, smiting the old patriot on the mouth with -the palm of his hand. - -This dastardly deed drew blood which stained his white beard. But it -brought a quick retaliation from an unexpected direction; for a blow -like that of a catapult fell upon the assailant's head. - -"By the thunderbolt of Zeus! that made you see fire," cried a comrade, -as the coward reeled into his arms. "Captain Dion's fist is as heavy -as the hammer of Hephæstus, the blacksmith of the gods, and makes the -sparks fly as well. I'll wager, Ajax, that you saw the sky full of -stars, or else your head is harder than an anvil." - -By the side of the venerable Jew now stood a young Greek officer. If -Hephæstus had need of an assistant blacksmith the shoulders of Dion -would have attracted his notice; yet it is doubtful if the goddesses -of Olympus would have allowed so graceful a man to be consigned to -the celestial workshop. His face, too, was peculiarly attractive. -Topped with a brush of light hair and lighted by his blue eyes, it was -beautiful, but without a trace of femininity; a blending of dignity, -intelligence, courage, and kindly feeling, though the latter quality -was just then outglowed by rage. - -On his well-curled head was a chaplet of myrtle, for he was returning -as victor in the day's sports at the new gymnasium which, as an -intended insult to the religious prejudices of the people, the -Governor, Apollonius, had recently built against the southern wall of -the Temple plaza. - -"Bravo, Dion! If you had hit the Theban boxer yesterday like that, they -wouldn't have called for another round." - -Dion faced the crowd, and with utmost detestation in his voice, -exclaimed: "If I had been here yesterday, this crew of cowardly knaves -had not hanged the babes to their mothers' necks, and thrown them from -the walls. Let one of you garlic chewers dare confess any part in that -beastly business, and I will heave him over the walls into Gehenna, -where other carcasses rot. Who touched those women?" - -As Dion looked from face to face his blue eyes flashed like the -sword-point of a fencer feeling for an exposed spot in the breast of -his antagonist. The challenge was not taken, one venturing to say: - -"It was done at the Governor's orders." - -"I pronounce that a lie. Who repeats it?" cried Captain Dion. - -A fellow-officer suggested that it might have been ordered by -Apollonius, since the women had plainly broken the new law and had -circumcised their brats. - -"Shame on you, comrade!" said Dion. "They were women and mothers, and I -would say as much to the King's face." - -The old Jew, hearing the reference to the scene which he himself had -been compelled the day before to witness, turned boldly to the crowd of -Greeks, and, with uplifted hands, repeated this imprecation from one of -the Psalms of his people: - -"Let your children be fatherless and your wives be widows! Let your -children be vagabonds and----" - -But Dion's hand was firmly laid upon the speaker's mouth. - -"Nay, hold your breath, old man. If you give us much of it that way, -this crowd will take the rest of it with the hangman's rope." - -Dion gently took the Jew's arm. "You must go back to your house. Come, -I will see you safely within doors, if you will stay there." - -"No, I will go to the house of the Lord, and worship, for it is the -ninth hour," replied the determined man. - -"That you cannot do," said Dion, kindly. "Don't you see that the Temple -gate is burned, and that soldiers are guarding the opening? Your -worship is no longer permitted there. Your sort of priests are all -gone." - -"Then," said the patriot, "I will be my own priest. Surely the Lord -will accept an old man's last worship on earth before he goes hence." - -"Nay, my good man, but the priests of the new religion are at the -Temple. To-morrow they celebrate the feast of Bacchus. If you go there, -they will crown you with ivy, and make you drunk in honor of the god. -You must go home, and stay within doors." - -"Then let me go--to my own house! My God! Why was it not my sepulchre -ere I saw what the Prophet foretold?" - -Captain Dion led him safely along the Street of David, the crowd giving -way as it gazed upon the two and remarked the contrast between the -half-mummied saint and the strong-limbed, festive-crowned youth. - -"Old Elkiah is about the last of this damnable race left in Jerusalem. -It is a wonder that Apollonius has given him tether so long." - -"Perhaps Dion knows the Jew," responded some one. "The captain is as -good a Greek as ever drew sword or loved a woman, but his nose isn't -straight on a line with his forehead. See, it has a Jewish twist." - -"A fine observation," laughed another, "for one always follows his -nose, and that may account for Dion's kindness to some of these rebels." - -"Don't insult Captain Dion!" said one. "He's close in with Apollonius. -Besides, he's a good fellow. He always gives a weaker man his handicap -in the arena without having it ordered." - -"True, or you would not have won yesterday. But I wish he wouldn't -interfere with the sport of the men. I know that it is cruel, but the -sooner the bigots are exterminated the sooner it will cease. Were it -not for Dion's friendship for that Glaucon--as Elkiah's fool of a son -now calls himself--we would soon find out what the old Jew's house has -for us. They say his cellar is as good as a gold-mine." - -"Better kill off Glaucon, and let the old man die himself. You saw that -his life is about burned out, and his old body only like a heap of -ashes with a spark in it," was the humane response. - -Dion paused by the oaken door in the wall of the Jew's house. He -took from a little pouch at his belt a pinch of aromatic sawdust of -sandalwood, and dropped it upon a small square altar whose brazier -emitted a thin curl of white smoke, clouding the entrance. This was an -altar to Zeus which the Governor had commanded to be placed at all the -houses which were still occupied by the Jews. Just above the altar the -lintel had been torn by the destruction of the Mezuzah or wooden box -which, according to the Hebrew custom, contained the sacred sentences -from the Law, and through the small apertures in which a visitor to any -Jewish home could see the word "Shaddai," the Almighty One, and thus -make the common salutation, "Peace be to this house," into a prayer. -Dion's worship at the little altar by the gate was marred by a muttered -curse upon Apollonius for the needless insult perpetrated by this act -of sacrilege. - -The Greek had scarcely time to knock at the outer entrance when the -door flew open, and with the cry "Father!" a young girl's arms were -about the old man. - -She drew him inside, and stood with her left arm supporting, while she -raised her right hand as if it were a shield to protect him. - -Captain Dion was familiar with the finest statuary in Athens and -Antioch, but thought he had never seen anything to match this,--the -white head and beard of age shielded by the raven locks of youth and -beauty. He would tell Laertes, his sculptor friend, of this pose. - -The girl was apparently about seventeen years of age, tall and lithe, -with sufficient muscle to give that exquisite grace which only -accompanies strength. Her hair, bound about the temples with a single -fillet of silver, fell in wavy profusion of jet black upon a white -linen chiton. This was gathered at the shoulders, and left fully -exposed a neck which might have illuminated a copy of Solomon's Song. -Beneath the breasts the garment was girdled with a rope of golden -threads, and thence fell below the knees. Her ankles were wound with -long white sandal lacings, which were in harmony with the silver band -that bound her brow. Her arms were bare. In her haste she had not put -on her outer garment, and thus stood revealed in a more exquisite -modelling of nature than she would have chosen had she known that she -was to be beneath so critical an eye. Yet she could not have been more -charming had she practised for hours before her mirror of polished -brass, and passed her proud old nurse Huldah's inspection before she -made her début at the gate. - -Dion noted that the girl's features were perfect, but strictly on the -Semitic model. Her face might be a hard one, for it well fitted the -tragic feeling of the moment; or it might be sweet as any he had loved -to dream about, for it also fitted the intensity of filial affection -and solicitude she now displayed. The Greek seemed transfixed by her -eyes. These were enlarged by her surprise, and their pupils gleamed -from their deep black irises with the fire of excitement. - -"A Jewish Athena!" thought Dion, as in a brief sentence or two he -begged the girl to be more prudent in the care of her father. Surely -there was no scorn of the Jewish race in the profound bow with which he -took his departure, nor in the hasty glance he stole as the door was -closing. - -He plucked a leaf from his myrtle crown and dropped it upon the altar. -As he went away he sighed a prayer for the maiden, and grumbled another -curse upon the King's cruelty. Then he whistled a sort of musical -accompaniment to his thought, which ran something like this: - -"That girl is Glaucon's sister. He never told me that he had one." -He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, in that he was wise, since he only -knows me for a Greek adventurer, and thinks my honor like his own, a -spur on the heel, to be used or not according to one's inclination. -But, by the arm of Aphrodite! what a woman! Beautiful as a lioness, -and as brave too. Strange that the Jew could be father of both her -and Glaucon--of a lioness and a jackal! Glaucon and I must be good -friends, though I despise the fool. Why doesn't he fight for his house? -I would--especially with that woman in it." - -Dion stopped and stood a long time looking at the narrow strip of sky -visible between Elkiah's house and those which lined the opposite side -of the street. There were no angels in the blue ether; but something -prompted him to take from his bosom a piece of onyx enclosed in a -casket of gold, and to look at a sweet face cut into the stone. - -"I wonder if she was anything like Elkiah's daughter!" - -He put the intaglio back into its pocket and went away. - - - - -III - -THE LITTLE BLIND SEER. - - -The house of Elkiah was one of the most stately in Jerusalem, though -inferior to the structure which, in more ancient days, rose from the -same foundations. Whenever Elkiah told of his ancestral dignities -he was apt to show his listeners what were now the cellars and -sub-cellars of the house, the great stones of which, by the flat -indentations chiselled about the borders, proved that they were as -old as the days when Solomon built the Temple, and perhaps wrought -by the same PhÅ“nician workmen. The second story, and the battlements -which enclosed the roof, were of newer construction, and had evidently -been made of the débris of a former and more palatial edifice, for an -occasional huge and broidered stone showed upon the street in ancient -architectural pride--just as some moderately circumstanced people wear -an occasional jewel left them by their richer forebears. - -The residence of Elkiah thus maintained a relation to the other and -ordinary houses of the city not unlike that which its occupant held -to his fellow-citizens. He traced his blood to the days when another -Elkiah stood high in the court of Solomon, and thence back to the -settlement of the land by the emigrants from Egypt. This could be -attested by the official records, and was illustrated by numerous -priceless antiques now stored away in secret closets cut into the -solid walls, but which in safer times had ornamented the house from -battlement to court. - -For many years Elkiah had been the Nasi, or President of the Sanhedrin, -that combined ecclesiastical and secular court of seventy-two men who -legislated for and judged the people. Of late years the Sanhedrin -itself had become utterly debauched by the gold of Egyptian Ptolemies -and Syrian Antiochuses, in their rivalry for the possession of -Palestine. Most of the members of this sacred council had become -Hellenized, and adopted Greek philosophies and customs; and now -that the Syrian monarch had invaded the city, these renegades saved -themselves from being despoiled by becoming despoilers of their -brethren. A former High Priest, Joshua, had changed his name to the -Greek Jason, as the Greeks scornfully said, for the sake of the "Golden -Fleece." The present incumbent of the sacred office, Menelaos, had been -circumcised as Onias, and was now the chief of the traitors in the -sacrilegious extinction of the national religion. - -The crowning grief of the venerable Elkiah was the apostasy of his own -first-born son, Benjamin, who had taken the heathen name of Glaucon, -and thus shamed the house of his fathers while he protected it from the -general pillage. - -The late afternoon of the day following that of Dion's rescue of Elkiah -from the mob the old man was reclining upon the thick rug and pillows -which Deborah--for so was his fair daughter called--had spread upon the -roof. Here he loved to lie, sheltered from view by the parapets, while -his eyes followed the white clouds which flecked the deep blue of the -sky--"Jehovah's banners," he called them--or caught the gleam of the -Temple roof when he was disposed to pray. - -"Where is Caleb?" he asked. - -A lad of some ten years was lying in the upper chamber, the room which, -like a little house by itself, occupied half of the roof upon which -it opened. Hearing his father's call, the child sprang up, and in an -instant was by Elkiah's side. - -"Here am I, father!" - -With his long black hair clustering upon his white chiton, and his -large black eyes, the boy resembled his sister. One would have noted, -however, a strange look; the pupils too widely expanded, as when one -tries to see in the dark. And this the child had been doing ever since, -five years ago, his sight was destroyed by a strange malady which not -even the physician Samuel could cure, for all that this learned man was -skilled in the potencies of herbs, the baleful and blessed beams of the -stars, and even the deeper mysteries of the words of the Rabbis. - -Little Caleb was marvellously beautiful in spite of the stare of his -blind eyes and the marble pallor of his face. It was a child's face, -yet there was in it the placid sweetness of a woman's look, and at -times it seemed to glow with the intelligence of riper years--for the -boy had thought and felt more than most men had done. - -Caleb knelt down by his father's side, and kissed his forehead. The -old man's harsher features relaxed at the touch of the young lips, and -tears sprang to his eyes as he drew the lad to his breast. - -"Blessed be God, who has left me this fair image of my Miriam! Come, -Caleb, and look for me. Your blind eyes are better than mine, which my -sins have smitten. Can you see the chariots of the Lord?" - -"Nay, father, but you have taught me to trust in Him who is Himself -like 'the mountains round about Jerusalem.' What need have we for -chariots? Can He not save by His word as well as by war?" - -"True, child! Yet I myself once saw, when the impious Apollodorus -raged through our street, slaughtering all he met, and no one could -stand against him, I saw--or do I dream it?--I saw a heavenly warrior, -clad from head to foot in solid silver, waving a sword of fire, who -stood before the wicked man, and smote him to the ground. But when -they lifted the heathen there was not the sign of the stroke upon him, -though he breathed no more. Would that the Avenger might come again, -and speedily! But until He come--until He come--we must trust the word, -only the word. Bring the Roll of the Prophet. It surely tells of the -times that are now passing." - -The boy felt for his sister's hand. Taking it, he pressed it against -his blind eyes--a way he had of checking his own too violent feeling. -He whispered, as he felt her comforting touch: - -"Sister, the troubles have surely broken our father's mind. He does not -remember even yesterday." - -Then, raising his voice, "You have forgotten, father, that the soldiers -came and searched the house and took the Books away." - -Elkiah passed his hands over his forehead as if to smooth the mirror -of his memory. Recollection came, but with it a rage that shook his -decrepit form until Deborah's kiss allayed his emotion. - -"No matter for the Roll, father," said Caleb. "You know that I can -repeat what the Books say. Now that I am blind, I keep in memory all -that I hear. In that way God lets me have more, perhaps, than if I -could see even to white Hermon there in the north." - -"Bless the eyes which the Spirit of the Lord has opened!" cried the old -man. "Tell me, child, what says the Prophet of this monster who calls -himself our King--Epiphanes, the Glorious--for shame!" - -"The Prophet says," replied Caleb, quoting the words of Daniel, "that -his heart shall be against the Holy Covenant, and they shall pollute -the Sanctuary of Strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and -shall place the Abomination that maketh desolate." - -"Woe! Woe upon Jerusalem!" cried Elkiah. "Why did I not slay the -impious Apollonius, that child of Satan, when he rode into our Holy of -Holies? Alas! the breath of the Lord has withered the arm of Elkiah -that it cannot smite. But the Avenger will come. He will come yet. What -says the Prophet further, my son?" - -Caleb continued, "And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall be -corrupt with flatteries." - -"Ah!" groaned the old patriot, his voice gurgling in his throat -like the growl of a wild beast. "And my own son, the son of Miriam, -corrupted by the flatteries of the Greek! My Benjamin turned into a -Glaucon! God forgive me for having begotten a traitor!" - -Elkiah sat upright on the rug. With averted palm he swept the air, -as if he would banish from his heart its paternal instinct. He then -covered his face with his hands and cried: "O my Miriam! I thank Thee, -O God, that Thou didst take her ere she knew this. But, Lord, why didst -Thou take my Miriam, and leave me that--that--traitor? But read on, -child." - -Waiting a moment until his father's paroxysm had passed, Caleb -completed the prediction: "But the people that do know their God shall -be strong, and shall do exploits." - -"Do exploits? Be strong? That we shall," shrieked the old man. "Your -hand, Deborah! My sword! I will go and smite the Syrian." - -"Nay, father, that cannot be," said Deborah, as she laid the exhausted -form back upon the pillows. "Let the children fulfil the Prophet's -word." - -"The children! My children!" muttered the old man. "One of them a -heathen, another blind, and the other only a girl. Deborah, oh, that -thou wert a man, or could wear a sword like the Deborah of old!" - -Deborah summoned Ephraim, an old servant of the house, who with Huldah -his wife assisted in bringing Elkiah into the roof chamber; for the air -grew cold as the sun dropped behind the citadel by the Joppa gate, and -left only his golden glow on the top of Olivet eastward. - -Little Caleb stood a while leaning over the parapet, his face showing -the tremendous movement of his soul, now expressing some ineffable -longing, and now hardening under some heroic purpose. He turned toward -the Temple as if he could see the sacred precincts: but suddenly his -great blind orbs were directed southward. As his sister returned to the -roof he called to her. - -"Deborah, there is a strange noise beyond the city gate, over Ophel!" - -"Dear child, you are not yet familiar with the cries at the heathen -games. The shouts come from the gymnasium." - -"Why, sister, I know all sounds. I know by the dog's barking whether -he has the fox on the run or at bay, or has lost him in the hole. And -men cry just as the brutes do. I don't need to hear words. I sometimes -follow the games in the gymnasium off there. Now it is the hum of the -crowd before the contests begin; now the cheer for the runners; the -laugh when the wrestlers tumble; the rage of the losers; the joy of the -crowd when a favorite wins--I hear it all. But, Deborah, somebody has -been hurt over there. Can't you hear something sad in the murmur on -Ophel? It is as the fir-trees moan when a storm is coming." - -The sound which Caleb heard will be interpreted if we tell of Captain -Dion's doings that day. - - - - -IV - -THE DISCUS THROW. - - -The high plateau of Ophel swells out from the southern wall of the -Temple, and looks down upon the vales of Hinnom and Kedron, which come -together at its base, five hundred feet below. From this promontory -one can see for miles through the deep valley, which is lined near -the city with rock-hewn tombs, and in the distance with whitish-gray -cliffs, as if the Kedron had become a leper outcast from the company -of the beautiful hills and vales which elsewhere surround Jerusalem. -Down, down the valley it goes until lost to sight amid the mountains -of stone and sand that make the wilderness of Judea. There the leper -dies and is buried in the Dead Sea. Whichever way lies the wind, except -from the north, it sweeps this promontory of Ophel with refreshing -coolness. Here in the olden time the sages and saints of Israel had -been accustomed to walk, their meditations on the judgments of God -perhaps more sombre because of the gloomy grandeur of the scene; and -here the multitudes had thronged, with hearts gladdened by the contrast -of joy of their city with the distant desolation. - -But now, by the orders of Apollonius, the Governor under Antiochus, -the top of Ophel had been levelled for the stately building of the -gymnasium. - -To one looking up from the valley of the Kedron, the graceful Greek -porticos must have showed against the old gray walls of the Temple like -vines on the scarp of a mountain boulder. In front of the structure lay -the athletic field, dotted with many colored pennants which denoted the -places reserved for the various games. At one end of the field was the -stadium, the running track, some six hundred feet in length. Adjoining -this was an open court in which were practised wrestling, throwing the -discus, swinging the great hanging stone, hurling the javelin, archery, -sword play, boxing, and the like. By the side of this court were baths, -and near them great caldrons supplying the luxury of heated water. - -In shaded porches were raised platforms upon which at stated hours -rhetoricians who plumed themselves upon their eloquence discoursed -of philosophy and poetry and love. Here, too, professors of the -calisthenic art exhibited in their own persons and those of their -pupils the graces of the human form. - -Captain Dion emerged from the Street of the Cheesemakers upon the -athletic field. He saluted the banner of Apollonius, which flaunted -from its tall staff, then cast a spray of ivy at the foot of the statue -of Hermes, the god of the race. He was at once hailed by a group of -young men with whom he was evidently a favorite. - -Among these was Glaucon. A broad-brimmed hat topped his head. -Artificially curled black locks stuccoed his brow. A white chlamys, or -outer robe, of linen broadly bordered with purple was draped from his -shoulder in the latest style of the capital. - -"Ah, Glaucon, well met! How has it fared with you since we parted at -Joppa?" was Dion's greeting. "Has the sea jog gotten out of your legs -yet? If the mountains of Carmel and Cassius on the coast had been -turned to water the waves could not have tossed us more than when we -came from Antioch." - -"Jerusalem is a poor exchange for Antioch," replied Glaucon. "One day -at Daphne for a lifetime here, but for a few good fellows like you, -Captain." - -"Did you succeed in getting the order for confiscation reversed?" asked -the Greek. - -"Oh, yes, I shall hold the property; that is, if I can keep the old -man, my father, within doors, so that he doesn't bring a mob about -our ears as he did yesterday. Apollonius--Pluto take him!--mulcted -me heavily of shekels last night as a guarantee that the old bigot -would keep the peace. I wish that you would give the Governor a fair -word for me, Dion. You see, I have not come into the estate yet, and -haven't many gold feathers to drop. Apollonius seems to think that I am -moulting all my ancestral wealth." - -"I think I can get the Governor to at least pare your nails without -cutting the quick hereafter," replied his friend. - -"My thanks. I shall need your help, Captain, in all ways, for though -I have donned the King's livery, you Greeks look on me as a Jew. I am -like to fall between the upper and nether millstones. My people have -cast me off, and, by Hercules! yours do not take to me as they should." - -"Never fear, Glaucon," replied Dion. "A man who can swear 'By -Hercules!' instead of 'As the Lord liveth!' will soon have the favor of -our gods." - -"And goddesses, too, I hope," laughed Glaucon. "But I have not thanked -you, Dion, for saving my father from his crazy venture on the streets -yesterday. The shade of Anchises bless you for that!" - -"Well up in the poets, too, I see," said the Captain, slapping his -comrade on the back. "Your brain is Greek if your blood be Hebrew. But -let us hear what this blabber is saying." - -The men stood a moment listening to an orator who, with well-oiled -locks and classically arranged toga, was addressing a small group -within a portico. He was just saying: "Hear then the words of the -divine Plato, 'When a beautiful soul harmonizes with a beautiful body, -and the two are cast into the same mould, that will be the fairest of -sights to him that has an eye to contemplate the vision.' Truly the -soul is made fair by the fairness of the body. Thought glows when the -eye sparkles. Heroism is bred of conscious strength of muscle. Love -burns within the arms of beauty, and with the kisses scented with the -sweet breath of health. Think you that the gods would dwell within -the statues if the sculptors did not shape the marble and ivory to -exquisite proportions? - -"Behold, then, the stupidity of these Jews whose foul nests we are -destroying. They read their Rolls, but they gain no wisdom. They pray, -yet remain impious. It is because they know not the first of maxims, -namely, that the body is the matrix of the mind." - -"The fool!" was Dion's comment. "There are better declaimers in any -Greek village. And"--more to himself than to his comrade, as a band of -Jews, among them even some renegade priests, stripped naked, ran by -them on their way to the racing stadium--"yet see, there are bigger -fools!" - -When the two men passed into the gymnasium proper, the crowd on the -benches raised the cry of "Dion! Dion!" until the crossbeam shook down -its dust of applause. - -The Captain gracefully acknowledged the compliment by taking from his -brow the chaplet, now well withered, and flinging it from him into the -crowd with the exclamation: "I will win it again before I wear it." - -The magnanimous challenge brought the champion another ovation. - -The chief gymnasiarch approached, and read from his tablets the names -of the day's victors in the various contests that had already taken -place. He bade Dion select an antagonist from the list. - -"I will throw the discus," said the Captain. - -"Then your competitor will be Yusef, the Lebanon giant," read the -gymnasiarch. He shouted: - -"Hear ye! Yusef of Damascus is challenged by Dion of Philippi." - -Divesting himself of his garment the Greek now stood naked among his -compeers. - -"Adonis has descended," shouted one, in a tone that might have been -taken for either admiration or contempt. - -An alipta came and rubbed Dion's arms and back with oil mingled with -dust. - -"Better rub him against the Jew. He'll get both grease and dirt at a -touch," sneered some one. - -Dion turned, and, fronting the group whence the insult came, scanned -the faces one by one; but there was no response to his mute challenge. - -As he moved away one ventured to say, loud enough to be heard by a few -about him: - -"The Jewish renegade is protected by special order of the King, or, by -the club of Herakles! I would grind his face with my fists." - -"The Captain seems to be the pimp's special body-guard just now," -was a reply; after which the knot of men talked in low tones among -themselves, casting furtive glances in the direction of Dion. - -"Yusef stands on his record of this morning," shouted the gymnasiarch. -"He need not throw again unless Dion shall pass him." - -The Greek balanced in his hand two circular pieces of bronze, in order -to select one of them. The crowd densely lined the way the missile was -to fly. There was eager rivalry for places at the goal end, where the -friends of the contestants craned their necks to see the exact spot -the discus would strike, ready to applaud or dispute it. In this group -Glaucon had secured a foremost stand, and waited, leaning with the -crowd. - -"Here's your chance to stick the pig of a Jew," whispered one to his -neighbor, who stood just behind Glaucon. - -Dion held the bright bronze in his right hand, his fingers grasping -tightly the outer rim, while the weight fell upon his open palm and -wrist. Raising his left arm the more perfectly to balance his weight, -he pivoted himself upon his left foot, then, swinging the discus -backward in almost a complete circle, and combining the muscles of arm -and trunk and leg in one tremendous return motion, he flung the metal -gleaming through the air. - -At the same instant Glaucon was thrust by those behind him headlong -into the path of the flying missile. The swift swirl of the disc -together with its weight made its impact as dangerous as that of a -sword blade. It struck the falling form of Glaucon, terribly bruising -the base of his head, and laying open a ghastly wound in his neck and -shoulder. - -Dion strode down the line. He glanced an instant at the prostrate form -of his friend, turned as quickly as a bear, seized two of the throng of -bystanders, dashed their heads together until they were half-stunned, -then flung them sprawling apart. They lay moaning and cursing on the -ground amid the derisions of the crowd until the gymnasiarch ordered -them under arrest. - -The gymnastæ, or surgeons of the field of sports, were summoned; but -the case of Glaucon was beyond the present need of their splints and -unguents. - -Dion bade them carry the apparently lifeless form to Elkiah's house, -and himself led the way. It was this sad company which the clairvoyant -mind of the blind boy detected before the searching gaze of Deborah saw -the approaching litter. - - - - -V - -A FLOWER IN A TORRENT - - -"It is Benjamin! Benjamin is hurt!" cried Caleb, leaning an instant -over the parapet. While Deborah was looking into the street he felt -his way to the steps leading down from the roof into the open court -around which the house was built. He darted across this as quickly and -silently as a flash from the brass mirror, not even waking Ephraim, -the servant, who had fallen asleep watching the ripples in the great -basin of the fountain that stood in the centre of the court. In -another instant the boy had raised the crossbar from the lintels and -was hasting down the narrow street. Extending his hands he guided -himself through the crowds, keeping always in the centre of the way as -infallibly as a stick floats in the middle of a wild rushing torrent. -In vain did Deborah, as she saw him, call him from the parapet. She -flew down the stone stairway and out into the street. - -"What haste, my black-eyed beauty?" said an impudent soldier, blocking -her way. - -By a quick movement Deborah eluded him, but only to be stopped -scarcely twenty paces beyond by another, who stretched out his arms -and seized her by the wrists. She stood as if paralyzed by her -wrath at this indignity, for never before had a rude hand touched -her; then, with sudden agility and strength which seemed beyond a -woman's, she wrenched herself from her captor. Taking time and breath -for one indignant cry, "You coward!" she ran on, while the crowd was -temporarily diverted by their jeers at the discomfited soldier. - -"The eunuchs are stronger than you, man, for they can keep the women -from running away from the harems." - -"Her fire-eyes burnt out your heart, did they? Open your corselet, and -let's see if it be charred." - -Deborah turned into the Cheesemakers Street. Here she met a company of -officers. - -"Catch the gazelle! She is my spoil!" shouted the leader. - -Her arms were instantly seized from behind. - -"Apollonius has captured the very Daughter of Jerusalem that the Jews -talk about," remarked one. - -"Apollonius?" cried Deborah, looking at one whose gorgeous plumage -indicated that he was the chief officer. - -He was a man of prepossessing appearance. His brow was broad, features -finely proportioned; a man evidently trained to think and govern. In -younger days he must have been exceedingly handsome, but middle life -showed the effects of dissipation. A furtive flicker in his eyes belied -his assumption of self-command. His lips were swollen from too frequent -communion with the spirit of the vine. - -"Apollonius!" cried Deborah. "Does Apollonius dare to break his own -orders? Is it true, then, as men say, that there is neither honor nor -mercy in a Syrian?" fixing her gaze unflinchingly upon the Governor's -face. - -"Ah! and who is my charmer? Beautiful as a leopard at bay, or Aphrodite -herself is a hag. Come, can you leap as high as my arms?" said the -Governor, amid the laughter of his attendants. - -"I am the daughter of Elkiah," said Deborah, "whose house you have -given your sworn word to spare, if you be indeed General Apollonius." - -"By all the nymphs this side of Olympus! I am sorry to hear it," -replied he. "If I had known that the old bigot had so fair a daughter, -I would have qualified my order. But let her pass, my men. We must keep -our word, of course." - -A counter commotion was heard down the street. - -"Way for the litter! Way for the litter!" shouted those coming. - -With a sharp outcry, Deborah darted from the soldiers about her and ran -to the side of the wounded man. - -"It is Benjamin!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms about the insensible -form which the bearers had for the moment put down. "Speak to me, my -brother!" - -The girl's grief at first seemed inconsolable. But suddenly she was -transformed into a Fury. She stood straight but trembling, with hands -clenched, and glared upon the bystanders. For a little her passion -prevented speech. Then she broke forth, with tone and gesture and look -which fitted her words: - -"A curse upon his murderer! Who struck this cowardly blow?" - -She raised her hand as if to smite any one who dared confess the deed. - -"It was but an accident, fair daughter of Elkiah," responded Dion, -with a manner that disarmed her rage. "Your brother is not dead. See, -he lives." - -He bent over his friend with evident joy as the Jew opened his eyes -and gazed, at first with stupidity and then curiously, at the Greek -and his sister. The glance at Dion was with the flicker of a smile; -that upon his sister brought an expression of pain. The next moment -he put his hand to his head, and, uttering a sharp cry, lapsed into -unconsciousness. - -Deborah and Dion stood one on either side of the litter. Their hands -touched as they stroked the forehead of the sufferer. They looked into -each other's faces. With her it was only the recognition of a common -sympathy. - -But Dion had other thoughts. The vision of the face he had seen at -Elkiah's doorway had not faded for an instant from his imagination. -Now his impression of her beauty was reinforced by the revelation of -her soul. What courage! what audacity! yet not beyond a woman's right! -Had he struck a wilful blow at Glaucon, he thought that her wrath -would have killed him, so just would it have been, and so imperious -was her voice and action. Yet what love this woman was capable of! She -seemed to him like some goddess weeping at her own altar which had been -despoiled; for surely Glaucon was not worthy of this outpouring of -her affection. Dion thought that he knew women. To him the most were -but as stagnant pools, with surface glistening in the sunlight, while -the depths--if there were any--were soiled. But he imagined that this -woman's soul was transparent, limpid, and infinitely deep; pouring -itself out spontaneously, with as little self-consciousness as that of -a fountain when it throws aloft its white spray. - -Yet he had injured this woman--unintentionally, it was true; but his -hand had thrown the fatal disc which cut its way into her soul, as -really as into the flesh of her brother. How could he atone for this? - -There came also to Dion a deeper anxiety. Glaucon would recover; but -what of this girl's coming life? A Jewish maiden left alone amid the -license of Antiochus' soldiers! A dove in the serpent's nest would -be as safe. Glaucon could not protect her. With Elkiah's death the -renegade son would--as he had heard frequently in the camp--quickly "be -cashed," and another estate rattle as coin in Apollonius' belt. Then -what of this girl? Dion felt as if a hand from the sky was ordaining -him her protector. Yet what power had he? - -Upon hearing the commotion about the litter Apollonius turned back. -As if to redeem his repute for the dastardly insult of a few moments -before, he now made most respectful salaam to the young woman, and, -with the semblance of kindly solicitude for Glaucon, gave orders -detailing Captain Dion to act as guard for the wounded man. Thus, -having assumed by his manner the credit for what Dion had already done, -he rejoined his suite. - -The men were about to lift the litter when Deborah startled them with -the cry: - -"But Caleb! Where is the blind boy? Surely he came this way." - -"We have seen none such. He must have passed by another street. -Doubtless he has gone home," was the Greek's response. - -"Oh, I must find him!" - -There was a maternal depth in the girl's tones. - -"Where could he have gone? Help me, good sir, and the blessing of the -Lord will be upon you." - -"We could not find him in these streets," said Dion. "Let us go first -to your home. If he is not there we will search elsewhere. And I think -that my name will open any place where he may be detained." - -"Quick, then; let us haste!" - -The girl in her eagerness led the way. Reaching the house, she opened -the outer door, which had not been fastened after her exit a little -while before, and sped across the open court. Elkiah was calling. - -"Here am I, father!" and in an instant more she was beside him on the -roof. - -"My daughter, where have you been? Have the Gentiles bewitched even my -Deborah, that she should go out of doors to gaze at them? Nay, veil -your face with shame, child. Henceforth you must abide strictly in the -house. It may be our sepulchre, but I would rather my daughter died -here, than that the same sun should greet her eyes and theirs, except -that she hated them. But for a daughter of Jerusalem to so much as look -upon their garments is to play the wanton." - -"Speak not such words, my father," cried Deborah, kneeling by his side, -and placing his hands upon her forehead in claiming his blessing. - -"It is Benjamin, father. They have brought him back to us, and----" - -"Benjamin!" cried the old man, his voice failing in utterance until -it became almost a hiss. "Benjamin! I have no son Benjamin. He has -disowned his name; I disown his blood. What does the traitor Glaucon -do in the house of Elkiah? Let him be gone! I charge thee, Deborah, if -thou be a true daughter, banish him from our house." - -"But, father----" - -"Nay, let him be gone!" - -"But, father, Benjamin is harmed; wounded; it may be he is killed." - -The venerable man raised himself on his arm, and stared about him. -Deborah laid him gently back upon the pillows. - -"Oh, father, do not curse him. It may be he will not live. Do not curse -him." - -He gazed at her, taking her face between his hands and drawing it close -to his. - -"Aye, my Miriam again! Would God, Deborah, you had been my son!" - -"But, father, pity our Benjamin. He is grievously hurt." - -A change passed over the features of Elkiah. Suddenly the tears dimmed -his sight, and he said: - -"Benjamin hurt? My boy? The child of Miriam harmed? Where is he? Help -me, that I may go to him." - -He vainly tried to rise. His hands clenched as he muttered: - -"The Lord avenge the house of Elkiah upon the heads of the heathen! The -Lord spare my child! Benjamin! Benjamin! Would God I had died for thee!" - -When she had seen the wounded man brought safely into the lower -chamber, Deborah quickly searched every part of the house, and her cry -for Caleb rang from the roof to the court. - -"He is not here. I will go again to the street." - -The strong, but kind, hand of Dion blocked the way: "Nay, good maiden, -you cannot return to the city. I will go where you could not. I swear -to search the streets and camps if you will but pledge me to abide -here." - -"A pledge to a Greek!" - -But the look of scorn passed quickly from her face, as she saw the -solicitude in his. After a little thought, in which her agitated manner -told that she could keep such a promise only with her body, and that -her whole soul would go with Dion in his search, she replied: - -"It is well. I see it is my duty to stay here, sir. But hasten! Hasten, -and I will pray for you every step. The Lord bless you, good sir!" - -"Your own blessing were enough," said Dion, as he ran down the steps. - - - - -VI - -A JEWISH CUPID - - -Dion knew that a personal search for the lad among the crowds of -soldiers, who were lodged in half the houses of the city, and in -hundreds of tents beyond the walls, would be a long, if not a useless -one, since, if any persons had captured the child, they would have -reason for concealing his whereabouts. Dion went, therefore, at once to -the headquarters of Apollonius, that he might obtain an order that none -would dare disregard. - -The house appropriated to the Governor's use was the palace on Mount -Sion. Though the finest residential structure in Jerusalem, like -Elkiah's house, it was but a sorry scion of its architectural pedigree. -For instead of the colonnades where Solomon once walked, and the golden -roof which had sheltered the harem of that pious libertine, where now -the lime whitened walls and domes of what, but for its site, might have -been taken for a caravansery. - -Captain Dion passed through the court, with its broken ancient -fountains and cheap reproductions of recent Greek statuary. He was -greeted by Apollonius at the entrance to the hall of audience. - -"Welcome, Dion! In time to sup with me to-night. After the feast we -will have a symposium that will make the dead Alexander come to life -with envy. He would risk another death by fever for the sake of a -draught of such wines as the King has sent me from Antioch." - -Dion excused himself, and stated the purpose of his visit. - -"Nay; so jovial and witty a comrade as yourself cannot be let off," -cried the roystering commandant. "Nor need you trouble yourself about -the boy. I will issue the order that he be brought here. It will be -a quicker way and more certain--that is, if the circumcised dog be -living, which we may doubt; for, since the permission given yesterday, -the men are making short work of all this Jewish spawn." - -Dion changed his tack, and urged that he must return to take care of -his friend Glaucon. - -"What care you for the traitor Glaucon?" replied the General. "If that -man betrays his own race he will not be true to you. It is enough that -such creatures as Glaucon are allowed to live, and keep their property, -which should be our common spoil. Let him die of his hurt; we shall -all be the better off, with one Jew less and houses more. But stay you -shall, Dion, or, by Herakles! I will issue orders to cut the boy's -throat when found. No carouse is complete if Dion be absent," he said, -throwing his arm about him. "Come now, it's a treaty with you. I know -that your friendship is not for Glaucon, but for the black-eyed Diana, -his sister, whom I saw to-day. Drink with us you shall, or I shall be -jealous as Zeus is of his Hera, and send your Jewish goddess straight -to Antiochus as a gift. Go, then, get your ivy and head-grease, and -come back quickly; for see, the gnomon already casts shadow of six -paces--the hour the gods themselves have set for supper." - -"Then I must eat your dainty meats," said Dion, seeing the futility of -opposing the distempered will of his superior. Veiling his resentment -under a forced hilarity, he retired, and a half-hour later returned in -company with the other guests. - -These were high officers in gorgeous togas, and caps whose tasselled -tops lapped down to their shoulders. Each of these revellers was -accompanied to the palace by one or more slaves, who would wait upon -their masters at the feast, and take them home when drunk. A few -subalterns were invited who, like Dion, compensated for lack of rank by -their ready wit and their repertoire of stories and songs. - -As the guests reclined upon the cushions their shoes were unlaced and -removed by Apollonius' menials, their feet washed in scented water, and -gently rubbed with towels, while their caps were displaced by crowns -of bay leaves gemmed with the pearly berries. Then the low tables were -drawn within reach, laden with all that the distant markets of Antioch -could furnish; for the conquered land of Judea gave them not so much as -a fig or date. The Jews had left for the invaders only fish and game; -but woe to the Syrian soldier who should venture beyond his camps to -drop a line in lake or send an arrow after beast or bird! - -The viands were quickly disposed of, for, following the Greek custom, -no wine was poured until the meats and spicy condiments had created -abundant thirst. - -"A soldier's hunger is soon satisfied, but his thirst is like the river -Oceanus that runs round the earth and has no end," cried Apollonius. -"Let's to the potation. Who shall be master of the feast?" - -"Dion! Dion!" was shouted, with clapping and cheers. - -Apollonius whispered to his next neighbor: - -"The master of the feast, according to custom, must remain sober. We -must have Dion's tongue loosened with wine, or we shall not skim the -cream of his wit. Call for Kallisthenes. He is duller drunk than sober." - -"Kallisthenes! Kallisthenes!" went round the table, as the suggestion -of the host was whispered from one to another. - -"This is a deserved honor," shouted Apollonius, "for the man who fired -the gates of the Jews' Temple." - -"Aye, it was a valiant deed, for there wasn't so much as a lame Jew to -stop him," said Sotades to Dion, who reclined next to him. - -"If Apollonius is scattering heroic honors to-night, he should send for -the High Priest, Menelaos, for he stole the golden candlesticks from -the Holy Place before we could get hold of them," said another. - -"Menelaos! The Jew turned Greek! Dion says he once frightened an -Ethiopian into a white man. So Menelaos became a Greek. That Jew's lips -would poison the wine. Let him get ready for his feast with the worms -of Gehenna," grunted the Governor. - -Kallisthenes at once assumed the prerogative of Ruler of the Feast. He -put on a chaplet of ivy, and proclaimed the laws for the hour. - -"Hear ye, my subjects, the rules of the feast, which all shall obey -under penalty of the wrath of the gods. May Bacchus and Aphrodite both -desert the wretch who fails in his duty." - -"Law the first--The wine shall not be mixed with more than half water." - -"What goblets shall we use?" asked one. "If the larger ones, I vote for -one part wine to three parts water, as Hesiod recommends." - -"A frog's drink, as Pharecrates called it," replied the Ruler. "Half -and half it shall be, and he who shirks the large goblet shall drink -from the crater itself. Are we not all philosophers? And did not -Socrates drink from the wine cooler?" - -"Agreed! Agreed!" echoed round the circle. - -One ruddy-faced veteran knelt in mock adoration at the feet of the -Feast Master: - -"I humbly crave that, since I was born in distant Phrygia, we to-night -follow the custom of the barbarians, and drink no water at all. Let us -be inspired with the unadulterated soul of the god." - -"Bacchus pardon thy gluttony for the sake of thy piety," said the -Master. - -"Law the second--Whereas wine should be drunk either hot or cold, and -whereas, these Jews who are still above Hades have stopped the way to -the mountains where lies the snow to chill it, therefore it is ordained -that all drinks shall be heated with both fire and spice." - -"Agreed! Agreed!" - -"Law the third--Every goblet shall be quaffed from brim to bottom -between two breaths." - -"It is agreed!" - -"Oh! my paunch!" cried one. "Do you think me a Deucalion to stand the -deluge?" - -Servants poured the water and wine in equal quantities into the crater, -or great bowl, from which it was ladled into the large goblets, -holding half a quart each. - -"A bumper first to Bacchus." - -It was drunk with avidity. One started a song from the old poet -Anacreon: - - "Thirsty earth drinks up the rain, - Trees from earth drink that again, - Ocean drinks the air, the sun - Drinks the sea, and him the moon. - Any reason canst thou think - I should thirst while all these drink?" - -"Eros follows Bacchus," cried the Feast Master. "Now a cup to the -Syrian goddess Astarte, since we are in her land, or to Aphrodite, -Venus, or whatever name each one calls his lady-love." - -"Aye, a cup to Bathsheba! if any one has found a Jewess to his taste," -shouted Apollonius, lifting his goblet toward Dion. - -Songs and comic speeches, extemporized pantomimes, riddles and stories, -as the wine happened to stir the peculiar talent or caprice of the -guest, interspersed the drinking. - -As the hours advanced the curtains at the doorway were swung aside, and -a troop of dancing girls entered. They were of various races; the fair -Caucasian from the Euxine, the Egyptian whose hue was the reflection -of her desert sands, swarthy half-black Arabs from beyond Jordan, and -Nubians whose faces seemed cut from solid jet--slaves whom Apollonius -had captured or exchanged for other spoil of battle. These rendered -the various songs and dances of their native lands. One performed the -hazardous exploit of stepping to the throbbing of the zither between -a score of sword blades, set with points upward. Another honored -Apollonius by advancing on her hands, seizing the ladle of the wine jar -between her toes, and dexterously filling with its contents the empty -cup of the commandant. - -"Let Apollonius, the valiant conqueror of Jerusalem, show us a daughter -of Israel. He is making a harem of them, if report be true," cried one. - -"Jewish maidens will not dance on anything except the thin air. So we -had to hang a score of them yesterday," replied Apollonius. "But I will -show you a genuine Jewish Cupid." - -"A circumcised Cupid! Apollonius' wit is as sharp as his knife," cried -Kallisthenes. - -The Governor whispered to an attendant. In a few moments there was -thrust into the room a naked boy. His limbs were exquisitely moulded. -His large distended pupils shone with strange lustre in the flashing -lights of the jewelled lanterns. His outstretched hands and cautious -step showed that there was no sight in his eyes. - -"Bravo! Bravo! Cupid is blind! Well thought, Apollonius! Let us see to -whom he has brought a message from the goddess," said Sotades. - -At this moment Kallisthenes uttered a cry of surprise and horror. He -leaped to his feet and pointed to the great bowl from which the wine -was taken. - -The servant, whose attention had been unduly drawn to the revellers, -had inadvertently laid the ladle across the brim of the crater,--a -thing regarded as ominous of dire calamity to some one of the guests, -the evil to be averted only by the instant cessation of the revelry. - -The feasters looked, and echoed the consternation of the Feast Master. - -The guests unceremoniously rose, and were hastening as fast as their -uncertain legs and frightened attendants could carry them, when -Apollonius recalled them. "A curse on the slave! Let us appease our -Nemesis of the feast with the offal of the villain who has broken its -rules!" and lifting the crater he felled the unfortunate man who had -perpetrated the dire omen. - -As the guests, half sobered by the scene, stood about the prostrate -body Apollonius said: - -"Hear you, good friends, to-morrow we will treat you to something more -ominous still. We will offer another sacrifice,--a sow upon the Jews' -altar in the Temple, court. Attend me there. Farewell! Bacchus protect -his own!" - -Dion took the hand of Apollonius. - -"My thanks, General, for your aid in recovering this child, whom I will -return to his home." - -The Governor lowered his voice: - -"Serve me as well when occasion requires, Captain Dion; and if Elkiah's -daughter does not reward your service with her favor, tell her what she -owes to Apollonius, and I will cast my bait." - -The revellers dispersed to their various quarters, some to the citadel, -some to the camps outside the walls, and some to the mansions from -which they had ejected the owners. One or two of the slaves lighted -torches of resinous wood to guide the feet of their masters along the -stones, which were slippery with the sewage thrown from the doorways, -or poured over the roof parapets into the street. But most of the -servants were fully occupied in supporting the limp bodies of their -lords, and now and then lifting them out of the holes where, once -fallen, they insisted upon sitting, while they called for more wine, or -relieved themselves of what they had already taken. - - - - -VII - -IN THE TOILS OF APOLLONIUS - - -Dion hastened toward the house of Elkiah, leading the blind child by -the hand. As they threaded their way through the narrow streets, Caleb -told his story of the day's adventures. He had been seized in the -afternoon, and taken somewhere beyond the walls, among the soldiers in -the tents. He overheard his captors talking of the reward that Elkiah -would give for the return of his son, and intimating how much more -they could wring from Glaucon, when some one claimed him in the name -of Apollonius. He was led away, as he supposed, to be killed, and was -surprised at being conducted to the palace. - -Dion plied him with questions, but could elicit no further information. -The Captain knew Apollonius too well to believe that the introduction -of a Jewish Cupid at the feast, and the rescue of the lad, were all -there was to his purpose. He pondered the problem in the light of the -Governor's well-known selfishness and sensuality. Did his design reach -to the possession of Deborah? - -Coming to the house of Elkiah they were surprised to find the outer -door unfastened. Caleb ran up the stairs and heralded his coming with -many shouts. - -Elkiah was sitting beside the wounded Benjamin in the darkness. - -"The Lord be praised! His mercy endureth forever!" ejaculated the -father as Caleb flung himself into his arms. - -"But where is Deborah?" cried the lad. - -"Is not your sister with you? Then how came you hither, child?" replied -the old man, in that quick terror to which the events of recent days -had made him susceptible. - -"I brought him here, sir. I, Dion." - -"Met you not my daughter? You sent for her? No? I understand it not. -One came bringing as a token a bit of the lad's clothing, and pledged -to take her where the lost might be found. I thought the messenger had -come from you. Ere I could detain her, Deborah was gone. Was it not you -that sent? May I believe a Greek? Trifle not, I beseech you, with one -whose life-thread can endure but little more. My daughter! O give me my -daughter! If harm has come to her through thee, the curse of the Lord -rot thy bones! O my child! My child!" - -"It is the trick of the soldiers. They thought to get Deborah too," -cried Caleb. - -"Alas," said Dion, "that you were not blind, and could see to take me -to the place where they kept you before the General sent for you." - -"That I can do," said the boy. "I saw all the way." - -"Saw?" - -"Aye, with my feet and with my nostrils and with my ears, I saw -everything. Outside the walls we went down, down, down; it must have -been to cross the Kedron. Then we went up, up, up, fully halfway the -ascent toward Bethany. We went close to a cactus hedge, for I felt on -my cheeks the cool air the cactus breathes. Then over a broken wall, -for I fell among the stones. Next a house, high and of smooth mortar -walls, for I can tell such things by the echo one's footfall makes. The -tent we stopped at was near where horses, as many as threescore, were -tethered; this I knew from their neighing. It is an old camp, for the -odor of the dung was old." - -"I have the spot," said Dion. "It is the camp of Cleanthes. Let me -away! But Glaucon, your Benjamin, does well?" bending a moment over the -sleeping form. - -"So said the surgeon you brought," replied Elkiah. "But haste! O God of -Abraham, take my son if Thou wilt, but spare, oh, spare, my Deborah! -God be merciful! Thy billows are gone over me. Spare me that I may see -again the face of my child, and gather strength before I go hence, and -be no more!" - -Caleb's judgment that Deborah had been decoyed by the soldiers proved -true. Her guide led her to the palace of Apollonius. On the way she -passed the roysterers returning from the banquet. The presence of the -soldier did not shield her from the insult of their tongues so well as -did her preoccupation with anxiety for her brother. She was left alone -in the antechamber of the Governor. Now and then she inquired in vain -of the passing servants for the blind child. Growing suspicious, she -endeavored to make her escape, but found the exits fastened, as she -tried them one by one. - -At length the Governor came to her. He was flushed and unsteady from -the effects of his debauch, and accosted her with maudlin insolence. - -"Ah, my pretty Jewess!" - -"I came, sir, to claim the blind child, son of Elkiah." - -"But suppose I should first claim the daughter of Elkiah. On the street -I let you go, but since you have come to me, well--that is different. -My will must rule in my own palace." - -"Aye, the will of Apollonius, who has given his word for the safety of -the house of Elkiah," replied the girl undaunted. - -"True, my fair one, and Apollonius will keep his word. You are in -danger anywhere else than here. None are safe in Jerusalem but those -who come beneath my shadow. To-morrow the soldiers will be let loose. I -cannot hold them back any longer. Elkiah's house may go with the rest -of the damned Jews. Apollonius' friendship is better than the sword of -his soldiers, eh, is it not?" - -He put out his hands. - -This terrible threat and the hideous alternative it presented to -her were too much for the girl to take in at once. She sank at the -monster's feet. - -"Ah, my sweet one, don't do that. No slave shall you be to me; but I -will give you as many jewels as--as the fair Clarissa, the Queen of -the Grove of Daphne, wears. And I swear by your bright eyes, you shall -outshine the very goddesses of Antiochus' palace." - -He stooped and touched her. Then she quivered as if stung by a scorpion. - -"Mercy, sir! Mercy for the house of Elkiah! An old man, a blind child, -a wretched girl,--these are not enemies for the great Apollonius to -crush. Brave men would despise him for harming such." - -"Humph!" grunted the Governor, "and they would despise me more for -letting such a splendid woman as you go to another,--even to Dion." - -At this word Deborah leaped to her feet. - -Apollonius held out his arms to her, but recoiled as he saw her whole -frame the impersonation of hatred and rage. He would as soon have -ventured to grasp a sheet of flame. Then his face hardened. Fixing upon -her a pair of cold, steely eyes, he assumed the pose of a bargainer. -Had each word been a knife-cut severing a piece of her flesh for the -weighing scale, he could not have more cruelly tortured her. - -"I have heard that the daughters of Jewry are of such filial devotion -that they will give their lives for their sires. Will this one not give -Apollonius her friendship for her father's life?" - -Deborah stood like a statue. The flush faded from her face as if her -soul had fled. She forgot for the moment the scene and the man before -her. She was with her father. She saw his face so white, with blood -on his beard. She imagined him led out to death; thrust over the city -walls; prodded with spear; tortured on the rack; having the tongue torn -from his mouth,--for such things had recently been done in Jerusalem. - -The cry came from her lips: - -"Give me my father's life!" - -"Aye, and thine with it, sweet maiden," cried Apollonius, imagining -that his prey was yielding to his importunities. - -But he was quickly undeceived. Deborah's whole form seemed to expand. -In the wine-dimmed eyes of her captor she was transformed from a -helpless girl into the most queenly of women, whose dignity awed him; -then into some avenging deity; a divine apparition of purity which had -come to scourge him for his lifetime of lust and cruelty. - -"My life?" she cried. "Can a Greek understand this--that Elkiah would -slay his daughter with his own hand if he knew that Apollonius had -touched her?" - -The soldier who had never quailed before men was cowed by this woman. -What was left of manhood in him asserted itself in maudlin apology. He -sought to appease the righteous fury he had excited. - -But it was too late. The woman was no longer a suppliant. As a soldier -is turned by excitement of the battle into a fiend, so Deborah was -turned into a soldier, and now became her own defender. She withdrew to -the farther side of the apartment. As she did so she caught sight of -the sword of the General lying upon a table. She noted its hilt gemmed -with jewels, and its blade etched with heroic devices. She seized it, -and sprang like a tigress upon the unarmed man. As he crouched back to -avoid the stroke, Deborah stopped. - -"Stay, I will not slay you like a caged beast. Let the great Apollonius -outrage a defenseless woman--a Jewish woman would despise herself if -she harmed a defenseless Greek. The daughter of feeble Elkiah will give -the brave Apollonius a chance for his life. Unbar the door, or let it -be said that a woman slew thee. I will not ask a pledge of a Greek to -spare my father. I would not trust the word he has already broken. -Jehovah of Israel will avenge my father's house! Unbar the door!" - -Apollonius flung a quick glance around to discover a mode of escape. -Had he been fully possessed of his wits he would doubtless have found -some means of disarming his assailant. Yet the action of the woman was -so alert and resolute that most men would have been held at bay. She -poised the weapon for its lunge. Had the Jewess learned the art of -fence? Or did the quickening of her faculties by the intensity of her -purpose supply the deficiency of training? Her attitude was perfect -for the giving of the fatal blow. In the General's eyes at the moment, -if she were not Ares, the god of war, she was Athena armed,--no less -puissant. - -The baffled chieftain had no alternative but submission. Yet it was not -mere submission to the accident of her advantage. There was a sort of -voluntary homage in the way in which, half sobered by the situation, he -yielded to the inevitable. - -"The daughter of Elkiah has won her liberty," said he, with a wave of -his hand that nearly sent him sprawling. He staggered to where a bronze -plate hung, and struck it. As its signal was answered from without, he -cried: - -"Ho, Servites, let the woman pass!" - -Without losing for an instant her attitude of caution, Deborah passed -to the doorway. Putting the weapon beneath her robe, she said: - -"This will I keep as the pledge of Apollonius' honor until he shall -win it back from braver hands than his own. Our God will raise us up a -defender. The Avenger of Israel shall come." - -Pausing a moment between the curtains which Servites held back for her -passage, and fixing upon her captor a look of utter contempt, she drew -the sword again from her garment, and flung it ringing upon the marble -floor, with the exclamation: - -"But no! Let it not be said that a Hebrew girl despoiled the General of -the Greeks. Apollonius may keep his sword until the Lord Jehovah gives -us a man strong enough to take it from him." - -She passed out. - - - - -VIII - -DEBORAH DISCOVERS HERSELF - - -With the impulse of flight Deborah glided out from beneath the portal -of Apollonius' palace. For a moment she glanced backward, as if her -soul would hurl its final malediction upon her enemy. Then she was -seized with fright as she realized her danger. The lanterns which -hung about the great doorway and throughout the court, with their -transparent screens of red and yellow and blue, glared upon her like -the eyes of demons. She ran at first without thought of her direction, -driven by a wild impulse to escape. - -When she reached the open street the light of the moon, shining down -serenely between the house-tops, seemed like the white shield of some -heavenly defender to save her from the pursuing lanterns. She paused to -think. Whither should she flee? Should she flee at all? Caleb? Surely -he must be somewhere in the place she had left. With that thought her -feet became as lead. She could not desert the child. - -She would go back, demand admission to the presence of the tyrant, and -risk anything, everything, for her brother's liberation. - -Quickly she saw the futility of this project. She might not be -readmitted, and if so, Apollonius would now avenge himself by the -accomplishment of his original purpose. What should she do? If she -went to her home, would not some emissary of the enraged Governor -intercept her? Surely this proud and remorseless man would not let her -live to tell the story of his shame. - -Partly from instinctive caution, partly from the feeling that the -darkness of the night better fitted her own uncertainty of purpose, she -kept close to the houses on the shadowed side of the narrow street. -Though she walked on rapidly, her soul stood still, like a sentinel -peering through the gloom that echoes the step of some as yet unseen -danger. - -By her side at length loomed piles of fallen stone and half-standing -walls. These were the ruins of what a few weeks before had been the -elegant residence of Ben Isaac, one of the wealthiest merchants of -Jerusalem. It had been razed by order of King Antiochus, who had first -pillaged its treasures and then carried its master captive to Antioch, -and there exacted from him by torture the remnant of his riches. - -Deborah turned in amid the ghastly wreck. The wild desolation so fitted -her experience that the spot seemed restful. The moon was sinking -toward the west, and poured its full lustre against a still-standing -wall. The very sharpness of the beams cut a block of contrasted -darkness on the side toward the east. Deborah climbed over the rough -stones and hid within the shadow. - -Beneath her lay, like snowdrifts, the squat domes and flat roofs of -the houses in the lower Street of the Cheesemakers, once the homes of -honest artisans and tradespeople, now the sleeping-troughs of the vile -herd hired to trample out the life of the nation. - -Beyond, the vision broken only by the massive shape of the Temple on -Moriah, lay the vale of Jehoshaphat, the quiet slopes of Olivet, and -the long hills to the north glittering here and there as the moonlight -fell upon the hated tents of the enemy. As the rising sea pours its -tide into a narrow creek, so there came upon her a sense of her -nation's shame and woe. At first her power of definite thought seemed -destroyed by the flood. Why could she not cease also to feel? Why could -she not die and become as insensate as the stones, these other ruins -about her? - -At length she realized a strange transformation taking place within -her; she felt that she had grown suddenly to be no longer a child, but -a woman. Nor was she merely a woman of Jerusalem, but a strong avenging -spirit. She drank the bitterness of her own heart, and was intoxicated, -frenzied, with it. She, who had never felt anything but love, had now -learned to hate, and it seemed good to her. Then she became frightened -at this revelation of herself to herself. She had possessed a mastiff, -gentle, affectionate. Little blind Caleb would lie between its great -paws as in the lap of Huldah. Once the beast was stoned upon the -street. From that day his temper was changed. He became a savage brute; -doubtless his original wild nature reasserting itself. Was she herself -not some cruel, vicious spirit suddenly awakened? - -She prayed, "God save me from myself!" - -An answer came. It did not allay her excitement, but exalted her; -seemed to inspire her. - -The music of revelry in the tents beyond the walls became to her -spiritualized senses like the timbrel and song of Miriam of old, when -that woman led the hosts of Israel by the waters of the Red Sea. Was -not her own name Deborah? and did not a Deborah once lead her nation -in battle? She remembered how her father had bemoaned her being only -a girl, unless she could grow into another Deborah indeed. She heard -again the words of the ancient song, "Awake! awake, Deborah! awake! -Awake! Arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive!" - -If she could not imitate the great prophetess, why could she not -emulate the deed of Jael, who drove the nail through the head of the -sleeping Syrian general, Sisera? Why had she not slain Apollonius? A -woman, a common woman of Israel, had delivered her land; why should not -she? She murmured aloud the words of the Scripture, "Blessed above all -women shall Jael, the wife of Heber, the Kenite, be; blessed shall she -be above all women in the tent." - -Then she prayed, "Oh, God of Israel, take Thy handmaiden for what Thou -wilt--for what Thou wilt!" - -A chill, as of a wind from icy Hermon, ran through her frame, though -the night was not cold. Was this the breath of the Lord? Then her -blood became like liquid fire, and burned along the veins. Was she -in communion with the divine fury? Again her flesh felt a cooling -sensation, as if fanned and softly touched by an angel's wing. Was not -an angel with her? These experiences were repeated again and again. - -Long time she sat upon a stone amid the ruins. She hailed the moonlight -that lay beyond as some all-watchful Power; the shadow in which she -sat became like some awful Presence. Was not this a token of God's -will, approving her own thought to become an avenger of the wrongs of -her people? - -At length the moonlight faded; the shadow disappeared, for the dawn -sent its ruddy gleams along the east. That was to her the smile of the -Lord. Henceforth she was to be, not the daughter of Elkiah, but the -daughter of Jerusalem; the child of her nation; the sacrifice, if need -be, for her people. The fire had been put out on the Temple altar. Holy -priests could no longer bind the brutes for sacrifice. But the great -cause of God was itself the altar, and she--she would cling to that -altar, binding herself there by the cords of a willing consecration. -With the words of an oft-repeated psalm--words that had a meaning -infinitely deeper now than she had ever conceived before--"Lo, I come -to do Thy will, O God; bind the sacrifice to the altar," she stepped -out of the shadow of the wall into the blending light of the setting -moon and rising sun. - -In an instant she darted back into her retreat. The stalwart form of -a soldier was passing; but she was too late to escape his detection. -The man halted, put his hand above his eyes as if to brush away the -darkness, and turned in among the ruins. - - * * * * * - -Captain Dion's search for Deborah in the camp of Cleanthes beyond the -Kedron had, of course, been fruitless. As he returned to the city, what -had heretofore been a vague suspicion of the treachery of Apollonius -became a conviction, and filled him with rage. Had he questioned -himself, he would have said that his wrath was because of the personal -insult the Governor had put upon him, in tricking him in his purpose. -He even thought of the slight at the banquet when Apollonius refused -to allow him the honor of being Feast Master. Dion was not aware--for -he had no skill in introspection--that he had been driven over the -stones of Kedron and through the streets of the city like a madman, by -love for a girl; that but for such fuel to his passion his resentment -against Apollonius might have died away, or been suppressed by the -sense that it was imprudent to antagonize one so much his superior in -rank. - -Dion's mind was somewhat confused by its own effervescence when he -passed along the street in front of the house of Ben Isaac. His -attention was drawn by a figure moving amid the ruins. Was this some -strolling woman? Surely none would seek such a place at such an hour. -He was not superstitious, but might not this be some shade of the -slaughtered household of Ben Isaac? or, perhaps, one of the former -servants searching furtively for jewels and coins which were known to -have been concealed in secret nooks between the walls? His curiosity, -if not his soldierly duty, would have led him to inspect. - -With drawn sword he strode in between the fallen stones. - -"Out of this!" he cried. - -Captain Dion was a brave man, but at the moment he preferred that any -pilferer might escape rather than he himself should encounter the ghost -of a dead Jew. With the sun rising and a goodly rattle of a carnal -weapon any self-respecting wraith from Hades ought to flit back to his -appointed shades. - -He turned the angle of the standing wall. Surely that was no -apparition. Deborah stood with right hand uplifted to challenge the -intruder. It was the attitude Dion had seen within Elkiah's gateway. -He would scarcely have recognized her otherwise, so changed was she in -feature by the tragedy of the night. - -"The daughter of Elkiah! Gods! why are you in this place? What villainy -have you fled from? Tell me, and I swear that I shall not sheathe my -sword until you are avenged." - -The familiar voice recalled her. - -"The child! My Caleb!" she cried. - -"The lad! He is at home. I found him; I brought him." - -Complete as had been her transformation from a child into a spirit of -vengeance, the kindly tone and news brought by Dion made her a girl -again. She felt her weakness, her need of protection. She sat upon a -stone, and the tears which she thought had been forever dried within -her by the terrors of the night, burst forth as from a fresh fountain. - -"My dear Deborah----" - -She shrank from Dion's touch as he laid his hand upon hers, but it was -only for an instant; his interest in her was evidently too sincere for -her to resent. Jew and Greek, of races divided by eternal hatred, yet, -as beneath the deepest sea the land connects the shores, they were two -human creatures. Need and helpfulness--they are the two lobes of one -heart, and beat from common impulses. She allowed him to take her hand -in his, as even her blind brother would have done. - -She said nothing of Apollonius' insolence. Had she told that, our -story would have been different, for Dion's hot blood would surely have -anticipated the great Avenger who was to come. - -As they walked toward her home, the Greek studied furtively the face -of his companion. How changed! He assigned for it but one occasion, -her loving anxiety for her father and brother. He had known but little -of such emotions, for his own life had been from childhood among the -friends whom rank or chance had brought him; love was to him only a -closer good comradeship. But now, through Deborah's eyes he seemed to -be looking into unknown depths, fathomless places of the soul, while -heretofore in his intercourse with women and men, he had sounded only -the shallows. - -As they neared the house of Elkiah, Deborah with the frankness of a -child said: - -"The Lord reward you, sir, for your kindness to me and to my father's -house!" - -"Will not your God reward me by letting me serve still further one -whom, before all the gods, I have learned to love?" - -She surely heard his words, but did not take in their meaning. Love? -Yes, for her brother Benjamin; the love which a valiant soul has for -doing any chivalric deed; the love which is respect and sympathy for -one in distress--this was all she took from his words. How could a -Greek mean more when speaking of love to a daughter of the race he was -commissioned to destroy? - -With these thoughts--or was it with lack of real thought about the -significance of Dion's words?--she entered her house, and the Greek -went slowly back to his camp. - - - - -IX - -THE NASI'S TRIUMPH - - -It was the twenty-fifth day of the month Chisleu, which answers to -the Roman December. Ten days before, Apollonius, by order of King -Antiochus, had erected in the Temple court an altar to Jupiter Olympus. -This day the crowning of the blasphemy was to be perpetrated by the -destruction of the ancient altar of the Jews, and the pollution of the -great rock where it stood--the rock sacred in the reverence of the -nation since Abraham had there bound his son Isaac for the sacrifice; -the loadstone of the people during the years of captivity, toward which -they prayed when they hung their harps upon the willows by the rivers -of Babylon. - -Apollonius' invitation to the revellers of the previous night to be -present in the Temple court, was honored by the attendance of all that -company with the exception of Captain Dion. These, the Governor's -guests of honor, occupied a platform near to the gate of the Holy -Place, while the soldiers from barracks in the city and camps in the -fields swarmed like bees, and settled in disorderly masses everywhere -about the Temple mount. The overlooking walls were topped with a dense -array of conical felt hats and bronze helmets, while thousands of legs, -ending in the heavy cothurn--the buskin worn with gruesome propriety by -both tragedians and soldiers--depended from the coping, and dangled -above the heads of the crowd that stood below. Warriors from the -mountains of Bithynia chaffed in unintelligible speech with those from -the Euphrates, as together they clung to cornices and capitals like -chattering bats. Wherever an elevation or projection offered a glimpse -of the Temple plaza there was a mouth full of derision for the religion -of a people that had not so much as a statue or idol to worship. - -At Apollonius' nod an enormous trumpet brayed forth the signal. Men -took down the bar that blocked the gateway, where once hung the -splendid doors--those which Kallisthenes had burned. A procession, such -as might appropriately have had its rehearsal in Pandemonium, entered -the sacred precincts. It was headed by a huge Syrian who personated -the Jewish High Priest. His gigantic proportions were magnified by -an enormous tub, which he wore on his head to burlesque the genuine -Pontiff with his flower-shaped mitre inscribed "Holiness to the Lord." -On the breast of this buffoon was a clumsy shield, painted coarsely in -panels of twelve different colors, to represent the Urim and Thummim, -from whose twelve mysterious jewels once flashed the will of the Lord. -The pomegranates, wrought in silk upon the vestments of the real -priest, and the tiny bells which interspersed them, were imitated by a -string of dried gourd shells which clattered against one another as the -mountebank strode along. - -Behind him came a herd of swine, prodded by soldiers clad as common -priests. The mock Pontiff shouted a lewd prayer to Jehovah, and drove -his short sword into the throat of a huge black boar, the signal for -the slaughter of the herd. Obscene songs and shouts mingled with -the death squeals of the victims, while the blasphemers, stripping -bare their lower limbs, danced in the blood which drenched the sacred -pavement. - -One huge sow was covered with a white blanket on which was inscribed -the four letters indicating the name of the God of Israel. This beast -was led to what remained of the foundation of the old altar, and there -disemboweled. Her broth was scattered about the Holy of Holies, and her -offal flung by the hilarious crowd into one another's faces. - -Piles of the sacred Rolls, containing the Law collected by the great -scribe Ezra, were brought from their cabinets in the Temple. These were -sprinkled with swine's filth and burned. - -There was then led in a band of captive Jews, mostly of the servant -class, since their masters had already been disposed of. These were -stripped naked amid hilarious taunts for the sign of their race. -Each was forced to hold a piece of the sow's flesh in his teeth. If -one allowed it to fall, he was stabbed to death and cast among the -carcasses of the beasts. - -The crowd grew demented with their blasphemous sport. They demanded -more and more human victims. Every Jew found in the streets was haled -with insult of tongue and the prick of spear-points to the scene -of butchery. The decree of the King granting immunity to certain -households was of little moment. While the demonized multitude did not -dare to altogether ignore the certificate of royal clemency which was -affixed to the gates and lintels of a favored few, private soldiers -themselves assumed to test the loyalty of the inmates. - -Elkiah's household was thus challenged. The old man was dragged to his -doorway and given the alternative of worshipping Jupiter or being put -to death. He took the spices which they thrust into his shaking hand, -as if he purposed to drop them upon the Greek altar at the gate. A howl -of disappointment rose from the crowd, who imagined that their victim -was thus escaping them; but it soon changed to a wild cry of cruel -gratification, for Elkiah only looked a moment upon the grains, while -his lips moved in some inaudible prayer; then he flung them into the -faces of his challengers: - -"The curse of Nadab and Abihu, who offered strange fire upon the altar, -be upon the son of Israel who this day denies his God! The worms of -hell consume you all!" - -Before he could be hindered Elkiah threw himself against the little -heathen altar. It fell crashing beneath him. The next instant he was -seized and thrown like the carcass of a beast across the shoulders of a -gigantic Greek, who carried him to the Temple. Here he was cast into a -pile of patriots, some still breathing, the most dead. - -"The old bigot is gone at last," said his bearer. - -"Then I will grease him for better frying over in Gehenna," said -another, as he forced a piece of swine's fat into Elkiah's mouth. - -The insult revived the patriot. He spat out the uncleanness. Then a -strange strength came into the venerable man. Before hands could grasp -him he had risen to his feet. His bent form became suddenly erect with -the inspiration of his passion. The crowd drew back a little as if the -dead had come to life. Elkiah's voice rose to a shrill outcry, and rang -above the howling of the multitude: - -"Say the heathen, 'The sacrifice shall cease on the altar of Jewry'? It -shall not cease. I myself will be a sacrifice. God receive my offering!" - -He raised his clenched hands above his head and stood an instant, -glaring upon the bystanders like the incarnation of a curse. Then he -strode with shaking steps to the side of the old altar, and before any -one could stop him threw himself upon the stones. His frame quivered -an instant as if a priest's knife were indeed turning in his heart. -Soldiers lifted him, and flung him back upon the pavement. - -The Jew had conquered. He had made his sacrifice to his God. Elkiah, -the Nasi, the last of the Sanhedrin, was dead. - - * * * * * - -Deborah had essayed to follow her father when his captors took him from -his house. A Greek officer seized her and forced her back. - -"By all the gods of Greek and Jew, you shall not go!" - -The speaker was Dion. - -For a little her resolution seemed to yield before the imperiousness -of her friend. But her spirit was as a Damascus blade which, suddenly -bent, springs back into shape. With a wild cry, "I will go to my -father; they shall not harm him!" she broke from Dion. His stronger -arms regained her. - -"You will not be harmed if you stay here," Dion said; "but both you and -your father will perish if you go. None but I can save you, Deborah. By -my love I entreat." - -"Your love! your love!" There was utter contempt in her tone. "You, a -hired slaughterer of our people!" - -"Nay, then by my strength you shall not go." - -He grasped her wrists. The might of her soul was imparted to her arms, -and she had nearly freed herself. It required a rough grip of even the -athlete's strong hands to detain her. His hard fingers deeply indented -her softer flesh. Her face was contorted with pain. Dion relaxed his -hold, but not enough to allow her to escape. - -So close they stood that their breaths mingled. If soul were breath, as -the one Hebrew word for both signifies, it might be that their spirits -touched and mingled also; for the fire slowly died from her eyes. - -"You are stronger than I," she said, with panting breath. - -"Forgive my use of force," replied Dion; "but I had to choose between -offending and saving you. I have seen too many cruelties to dare to let -you go from the door." - -Deborah's look searched Dion to the heart. She spoke with slow accents, -as if uncertain whether to venture the words: - -"I will trust you, though a Greek. Let no harm come to my father." - -"If man can save him, I will. But do you pledge me, Deborah, that you -will not go to the streets. A flower would be safer thrown there under -the feet of the mob than you among the soldiers. Pledge me, I beg you; -pledge me." - -"Then I will wait. But fly! oh, Dion, fly! Your word! Your sword if -need be! My father! Oh, my father!" - -Dion was gone. - -As the Greek hurried away only the arm of the old servant Huldah -prevented Deborah falling to the pavement. She moved close to the -street door, but did not open it. There she stood, not unlike the -statue of a runner whose whole attitude shows flight while the feet are -motionless. She had almost broken her pledge and gone after Dion, but -something held her back. Was it her word? She did not think of that. It -was rather the word of the Greek; for had he not said, "If man can save -him, I will"? She saw that in this man of hated race was the only hope. -If he should fail, then God had willed the worst, and she would submit. - -Submit? To what? To grief? To bereavement? Yes. To insult? Perhaps to -death, for the assailants of her father would not spare his child. - -But there was another submission she deliberately contemplated. It -was submission to the overmastering passion which had been born last -night amid the ruins of the house of Ben Isaac--to become a minister of -vengeance for her people. She seemed to hear her father's voice above -the din of the street calling her to avenge his name. The shades of the -martyrs of Israel in her excited imagination trooped from Sheol, and -stood around her as if to lay their hands upon her in ordination to a -life entirely devoted to patriotism and religion; devoted, whether with -her hands red in the blood of Israel's enemies, or white with nursing -service of Israel's distressed people, she knew not, she cared not. - -She was aroused from her reverie by the voice of Caleb. - -"Sister, shall we not flee? Death is over the house. They have slain -our father. I but now heard the passers-by say, 'Elkiah is dead.'" - -"Flee, child? Whither can we flee? The angel of destruction hovers -over us, his wings black, oh, so black! and over all the city, and over -all the land. We are safe for the moment only here. We must wait on the -Lord, and--on the Greek!" - -"Has fear driven away your memory, sister dear?" said Caleb. "There are -passages from our home into the great quarry which underlies the city." - -"True, child, but we have never learned them." - -"But I have. I go where those who can see find no way. From the cellar -of our house a way opens into the cellar of our neighbor Moses, and -from that into the cellar of Omri. They both fled that way. I heard -them beg father to escape with them, but he would not. He declared that -he would die in Jerusalem rather than flee so long as the altar of the -Lord stood on Moriah. But the altar has fallen, sister; the people in -the streets just now said that not a stone of it stood any longer. Were -our father here, he would now flee. Come! Benjamin will be safe, since -he has become as one of the Greeks, and Dion will care for him. Come! I -can guide you, and God will guide me as He always has done. Come!" - -"Nay, child, the daughter of Elkiah cannot leave her house while her -father lives. He will return--or Dion." - -"But our father will not come again," urged the child. "Did I not hear -them say, 'The Jew is dead'? Come!" - -"I will not believe it until Dion returns and tells me with his own -lips. They will not, they dare not kill my father. Besides, I have -given the Greek my word." - -"Your word to a Greek! What is there in that?" - -"True, only my word to a Greek! To a Greek! Then let us go for your -sake, child." - -She followed the blind boy as he darted across the court to the door -which opened into the servants' apartment, and thence into the cellar. -At the entrance she stopped. - -"Nay, child, I cannot go. I have given him my word." - -"Trust not the Greek," cried Caleb. "He will not come back. He dare not -if he would. They would kill him if he befriended us or our father. But -hark!" - -The blind boy stood in an attitude of listening. Then he cried -excitedly, "Aye! He comes. I hear Captain Dion's voice in the street. -He has turned the corner--now he is at the door." - -Dion stood before them. - -For a little he was speechless, as if the words he would speak were too -cruel to utter. He did not even lift his eyes to the young woman's face. - -"Do not speak, sir!" said Deborah. "I know it all. My father has been -slain by your people." - -"Nay, not slain," replied the Greek. "Your father's God has taken him. -As Zeus lives--as Jehovah lives--Elkiah died as only the greatest and -best of men can die; no hand struck the blow. On the steps of the altar -of his God he himself gave up his life. The gods take the breath of -such men with a kiss." - -Deborah bowed herself upon the pavement. - -"Aye, he was a sacrifice. Oh, my father!" Then she rose. Her eyes -seemed to see the ascended spirit as she said slowly: - -"Now I swear by thy white locks--by the altar of thy broken heart! I, -too, will be a sacrifice!" - -The Greek was paralyzed by the sense of his helplessness to say or do -anything to mitigate the woman's woe. Though he knew not what it meant, -he knew that there was a tragedy in her heart as real as the one that -had just occurred at the Temple. - -Dion lingered to offer--what? Comfort? Help? Perhaps he acted simply -from the instinct by which noble natures wait to give themselves to -others for whatever may be needed. One thing he could do. - -"Your father shall have honorable interment. I have secured from -Apollonius the order that he be buried in the sepulchre of his fathers. -With your brother's sickness and the hazard to your life and that of -Caleb, I ask your permission that I may be his mourner." - -"My thanks, good sir. And my father's God will bless you." - -Still Dion lingered, until Deborah herself said: - -"Captain Dion, you must go away. This house is no place for a Greek." - -"Nay, it is the place for such a Greek as I. Let me help you. Tell me -your desire, and it shall be done." - -Deborah did not look at her companion. Advancing to the centre of the -court where the sun gleamed fairly upon her, she raised her hand. -It was not now the attitude of defense from danger such as Dion had -seen before. It was not that of daring which had cowed the besotted -Apollonius. It was that of supreme spiritual exaltation. It seemed to -enlarge her physical form and to transfigure her countenance with the -strong glow of inner light. Dion had seen the priestesses of almost -every shrine among his own and foreign peoples, but nothing so august -as this self-ordination of the Jewish maiden to her mysterious service, -as she said in suppressed tones: - -"Now, O God of my father, I will fulfill my vow! Lead Thou whither Thou -wilt. Guide me as Thou hast all true sons and daughters of Israel. -Amen!" - -Then her eyes rested a moment upon Dion's. A faint smile, or rather the -slightest yielding of the rigidness of her alabaster features, denoted -a not unkind recognition. If her voice was softened, it lost no tone of -determination as she repeated: - -"You must go away. I shall need no further help." - -"You know not what you say," replied Dion eagerly. "You are utterly -helpless here. Your brother's name will not save you one moment from -the danger which I know will follow you. You must flee. Can you conceal -yourself for a little while? I will return with the dress of a Greek -woman, and in that disguise I can take you to a place of safety." - -"Nay, go you and bury my father," said she. - -"Promise me that you will not pass into the street." - -"I will not go--into the street." - -"The gods be praised!" cried Dion. He seized her hand, and before she -could withdraw it had pressed it to his lips. Then he hastened away. - -Caleb had been a silent auditor of all this. Now he ran to his sister's -side. - -"Not with the Greek, Deborah, with me. You said, only, 'Not into the -street'." - -"Yes, I will go with you, child. And may your blind eyes see the way of -the Lord!" - -She passed into the chamber where Benjamin lay. The leech had -pronounced his healing sure, though he was not yet recovered from his -stupor. Deborah softly imprinted a kiss upon her brother's forehead. -She glanced at the familiar objects in the apartment, most of which -were sacred with memories. At length her eyes rested upon a little -ivory shrine of the Greek Aphrodite, a token of the new religion her -brother had embraced. Then she fled from the desecrated chamber. - - - - -X - -JUDAS MACCABÆUS - - -Jerusalem crowns a massive ridge of rock. To the eye of the inhabitant -this was a projecting portion of the very foundation of the earth; to -his faith it was the symbol of the eternity of the Jewish religion. The -rock is not, however, as solid as it seems. For ages it has served as -the quarry from which the builders of walls and fortresses, pavements -and palaces, have taken their material, leaving little more than the -shell of the dome which first attracted the worshipful gaze of Abraham -as he journeyed up from the south country. The rock of Moriah may then -be taken as a symbol of the hollow formality into which the religion of -Israel has at times degenerated. In the time of our story there were, -beneath the streets and houses of the city, long labyrinthine passages -that were unlighted except by the occasional lantern of an explorer -or prowler, and vast chambers where no sound, save of some cautious -footstep, had echoed since the click of the hammer of the PhÅ“nician -stone-cutter in the days of Hiram, the royal friend of Solomon, whose -Tyrian artisans built the Temple. - -In the flight of Deborah and Caleb, the lad led the way first to the -upper cellar of the house of Elkiah. The floor of this was laid in -well-squared blocks of white marble, cornered with smaller blocks in -black, making an artistic pattern which could be discerned in the dim -light that now fell upon it. In ancient times this cellar floor had -been the pavement of an upper court, and opened to the full daylight; -for Jerusalem had been again and again destroyed and rebuilt upon its -own ruins. - -Passing through this cellar the fugitives struck a series of winding -stone steps which brought them to a sub-cellar. Here the darkness was -dense. Caleb stood a moment with his hands extended, as if possessing -eyes in his finger-tips. - -"I have it. The air comes this way. I can feel it as it oozes up from -the cracks about the loose trap-door, as easily as you, Deborah, could -see the light around window shutters. Here is the trap. The stone -tilts. It is hung on an iron bar. The big end of the stone rests on a -rim, and is enough heavier to prevent the other end from sinking when -one steps on it, but not heavier than you and I can lift. Uriah and I -have often opened it, and he is no stronger than I am. Your fingers -here, Deborah." - -As the stone was tilted there came up a stream of damp, chilly air, -which, Caleb said, was "the breath of the thousand toads and bats that -live in the crannies below." - -The blind boy leaped unhesitatingly into the black depths. - -"It's smooth here, sister. The old PhÅ“nicians swept up all their stone -chips before they went home. I could run barefoot here without stubbing -my toe." - -Deborah let herself cautiously down into the darkness. - -"Ah," said she, as she felt the solid level beneath her feet, "if we -could only trust God as easily as I can trust my child!" - -"But why shouldn't we, dear heart?" replied the boy. "God says, 'I will -guide thee with mine eye.' Hasn't He done so with me?" - -He took his sister's hand and led on boldly for a few paces. - -"Wait. Yes, we turn this way, for the air comes from this direction. -Stoop, sister! Uriah once bumped his head here. Now we are past it. -Uriah said the roof here was twenty cubits high, and was held up by -big pillars of the rock which hadn't been cut away. One day he lit -a lamp in here, and the bats flew about like black shooting-stars. -Listen! That's the water that comes from Solomon's Pools, down by -Bethlehem; the same that spouts up in our fountain. And that drip, -drip, drip--Uriah said it was the dying heart-beats of our nation. God -make him mistaken for once! It's nothing but leaks. And----" - -Caleb did not finish his sentence. Even Deborah exclaimed in alarm. A -sharp cry rang through the cavernous passage. At the next instant Caleb -was thrown from his feet. Something large, yet soft, brushed him. He -heard the quick snapping of teeth, then a rustling beyond them, which -suddenly ceased. - -"It's only a fox. Uriah said that one day he chased one into the big -crack in the north wall. Lots of them must live in here, or else foxes -haven't got the wit they are thought to have." - -A little further on the fugitives felt the air to be fresher and -warmer. A light flickered in the distance. It seemed to Deborah to come -through a window with shifting lattice-work. - -"That's the opening through the city wall, not far from the north -gate," said Caleb. "It is covered up with bushes on the outside. That's -the reason the soldiers haven't found it yet. The wind blows the bushes -like a curtain, Uriah says, and it makes the light blink." - -The exit from the cavern through the city wall was very narrow, a mere -crevice between the great stones which some earthquake, or possibly the -stroke of some battering-ram, had dislodged. - -"Let me look out, sister. I can see with my ears without pushing the -bushes." - -Caleb lifted himself to the aperture, and crawled into it, where he lay -for a moment as still as a lizard. He suddenly slipped down again to -his sister's side. - -"A sentinel is passing. He is a big, awkward fellow, for I hear his -feet roll on the little stones. Now he has gone. The soldiers are -afraid to come among the bushes or close to the walls, because the -cracks in the stones are full of little adders. But they never harm me." - -"The Psalm reads," said Deborah, "'Thou shalt tread upon the lion and -adder.'" - -"But," rejoined the lad, "I don't even tread on them. One day, though, -I put my hand on one, and he didn't bite me. Maybe that is what the -Lord means, too." - -"Yes," replied his sister, "for Esaias says, 'The sucking child shall -play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand in -the cockatrice's den.' But that is to be when Jerusalem is redeemed by -a new David. God grant that your safety from these reptiles may mean -that glorious days are near at hand. The Deliverer must come. He must -come. Maybe we shall see Him, Caleb." - -So they talked in whispers while the aperture grew dim with approaching -night. - -Caleb and Deborah did not venture to come out of the old city quarry -until darkness had fully fallen, and the ray of a star shot its -salutation to them through the crevice. When they emerged they stood -for a long time close to the wall, screened by the bushes. - -"How large the stars look!" whispered Deborah. "They hang as in -mid-air; the constellations like ear-rings and necklaces on the -invisible angels. They seem nearer than the camp-fires and tent -lanterns of the Greeks on the hills yonder. So let us trust Heaven's -help is nearer to us than our enemies." - -"Amen!" rejoined Caleb. - -Deborah glanced upward at the majestic march of what Caleb said were -"God's Helmets," and then along the line of the Greek encampment, as -she exclaimed, "O stars that fought in their courses against Sisera, -fight against Apollonius!" - -Caleb started, pressing his sister's hand. "Are the stars moving, -sister?" - -"No, child; it is but the night winds warring against the high walls of -the city. The stars hear no command of the Lord as yet." - -"But listen!" again interposed the excited child. - -"No, that is only the wind among the olives in the old garden of -Kedron," replied Deborah. - -"But was there not once the 'sound of a going in the tops of the -mulberry trees' that told David the Lord went before him to battle?" -quoted the child. - -"Oh, if God would be to us as thy faith, my child!" and Deborah -stooped to kiss his forehead as they hurried away. - -It was not difficult to avoid the soldiers, for, with the exception of -an occasional sentry posted along the high road, the companies kept -within their various camps. The Greeks had learned lessons in caution -during their brief occupancy of Palestine such as had not been needed -in the other countries they had subjugated. It was quite a common -thing in the neighborhood of Jerusalem for sentinels never to return -from their beats. Small companies of guards sometimes disappeared -mysteriously, as if swallowed by earthquakes which made no rumble and -closed their lips in silence. Even close to the camps men dropped in -their tracks, while a stone, the size of one's fist, went clattering -over the ground, leaving its mark in a broken skull or a mangled -face; for the Jewish herdsmen were still as expert with the sling as -they were in the days of David. Rumor attributed many of these daring -exploits to a single family, five young men, the sons of a priest in -Modin, chief of whom in this outlawry was Judas, reputed a giant. - -Deborah and Caleb were comparatively safe, for they did not attempt the -highways, nor even the beaten footpaths, but passed hastily across the -stony fields, and glided crouching between the vine-rows on cultivated -terraces. Now they paused to listen in the deeper shadows, by some -gnarled olive whose dusky branches made the night darker; again, they -hid behind the broad-bottomed cypresses if noise were heard; then, -utterly wearied, they rested quietly for a few moments under the -fig-trees. - -Their course brought the fugitives beneath the frowning palisades of -solid rock into which were cut the tombs of the Judges. These had no -terrors for Deborah. Indeed, she lingered as if to commune with those -departed spirits who might be near to the gates of Sheol listening for -tidings from the upper world. Did these heroes of old still live? Were -they unconscious of the awful fate that had fallen upon their land? -Were there no powers among them which could return to the visible -world and avenge the sorrows of those who are still forced to endure -existence in the flesh? She remembered that once she had been poisoned -by passing a noxious plant. Now she wondered if the other world had no -destroying breath with which to slay the Greeks. Would not the soul of -Elkiah, the righteous, stir up the abode of the dead by his coming, and -by the story of his wrongs? Was Jehovah dead, too? - -She condemned such thoughts as blasphemous and pushed on. - -Only the stumbling of their feet against the stones broke the night -silence. - -At length dawn began to pour over the mountains of Moab. The jagged -peaks far to the east, like prisms, unwound the white light and -twisted its threads into robes of purple and orange, and transformed -snowy points here and there into diamond and pearl. Deborah felt the -inspiration of the scene. Surely the chariots and horses of God must -charge from the sky, if Jehovah were indeed the "Lord of Hosts." - -A noble hill rose before the fugitives; this was Mizpah. Here, as -Deborah related, was where Samuel gathered the faithful to smite the -Philistines, and down these very slopes God pursued the enemies of -Israel with His thunders. Some one of these great stones might be the -very stone Samuel had set up and called "Ebenezer," to commemorate the -Lord's help. Oh, if she knew which it was, that she might kneel beside -it, and repeat aloud the vow to serve her country's God! - -On the hill gleamed the white, flat roofs of the houses of the little -city of Mizpah, just showing themselves above the brown walls. Should -she hasten onward? The fatigue of the long, excited tramp, the chill -of the night, which the warm glow in the distant east seemed to drive -deeper into their aching flesh, the human longing for companionship, -and the hope of help urged her forward. She would enter Mizpah. There -must be many there who had known Elkiah, and would protect his children. - -But what was that which the dawning light made suddenly visible against -the background of the walls? Alas! Deborah was too familiar with the -ubiquitous banner flying from the spear-head. Mizpah, like Jerusalem, -was occupied by the enemy. To go nearer was to court the very danger -from which they were fleeing. But to flee again was too much for -exhausted flesh. The shock of this discovery paralyzed her remaining -energy. She tried to cling to the side of the rock against which she -had been leaning. She fell fainting at its base. - -Then the brain, too much excited, and unchecked by will, wrought its -usual work. Memory and imagination became confused. The hill of Mizpah -appeared to her repeopled with its ancient inhabitants. Old scenes of -which she had read took the place of those she had just witnessed. -The Greek tents became those of the ancient Philistines. Who should -deliver Israel? She thought that the tall form of Saul, son of Kish, -strode again along the slope of Mizpah, looking for his father's asses. -Where was Samuel with the horn to anoint him king? - -A full flash of the sun bursting over the eastern mountains revived -her. Did it awaken her, or merely vitalize and make real her dream? She -could not tell, for though this was Caleb sleeping by her side, surely -yonder was Saul. His herdsman's dress could not disguise his kingly -bearing. It needed not the prophetic gift of Samuel to distinguish the -Lord's anointed. So stalwart was he, a head taller than most men; so -majestic of mien; so noble of countenance. The apparition came near. -It stood over her, taller than the rock, and seeming stronger. It bent -down to her, and then it spoke: - -"My children, why are you here?" - -The voice aroused Caleb. His movement and the quick grasp of his -sister's hand brought Deborah fully back from her dream. She pressed -her eyes, if possible to press out any mere illusion; but the figure of -Saul was still there. - -He repeated his question, "Why are you here, children?" - -Kindly he gave a hand to the startled girl. She grasped it, partly to -discover whether it were real or a phantom; partly because she was so -weak in flesh and will that she would have grasped any human hand that -did not strike her or wear the mail of the hated Greek. She rose to -her feet. The stranger started as if he, too, were uncertain whether -this were not an apparition; for Deborah was not a child, as her face -asleep had betokened, but now a woman. Into her youthful features the -sharp suffering of a few days had put those lines which ordinarily come -only of mature years and slow corroding care. Her black eyes had sunken -deeper into their sockets. Their gleam seemed to be a reflection from -some inner mirror of the soul, rather than a direct outlook,--that -resilience of intense introspection which martyrs have in their eyes -when they gaze upon those who have come to see them die. - -The stranger's manner became that of reverential sympathy. - -"My good woman, how came you here? And who are you? Where is your home?" - -Deborah's uncertainty as to her own identity was at that moment nearly -as great as that of her inquirer. She gazed intently into his face -until she could assure herself that she was waking. - -"My home, sir, is nowhere and everywhere. When the nest is destroyed -the birds' home is on any tree or rock, and God provides for them. Such -is our only refuge. I am a daughter of Jerusalem. We are children of -Elkiah, son of Reuben." - -"Then the news I have heard is true," exclaimed the man excitedly. "God -of Israel, avenge thy murdered saints!" - -The face of the stranger underwent a contortion that transformed it. -Had Deborah seen this aspect first she had not dared to trust the man; -so wrathful, so cruel he looked. But instantly his expression reverted -to kindliness. There came into it a wonderful benignity. His eye was as -clear a fountain of honesty and affection as the sun is of light. Every -lineament also spoke of courage that matched the tremendous strength -which his stalwart frame and protruding muscles displayed. - -Deborah briefly narrated the events of recent hours. - -"And you, sir? Who are you that dares speak kindly to one whom even God -seems to have forgotten?" - -"I am Judas, son of Mattathias, the priest of Modin. But it is enough -that I am a son of Israel and your protector," showing a stout sword -beneath his herdsman's goatskin shirt. "A few of us have given -ourselves during these dangerous times to the help of the fugitives -from the Sacred City, and I thank our Lord that He has directed me to -this spot where I may serve the house of Elkiah. But here, my children, -you cannot remain; nor can you enter the town yonder. You must go with -me. I will see you safely among those who revere your father's name, -and are brave enough to defend his children as they would their own." - -He took the lad into his strong hands, and placed him astride his -shoulder. - -Avoiding the open places, and as much as possible keeping the rocks -between them and Mizpah, he led the way down the hill, skirting its -northern base. At length they struck the bed of a brook, which, though -torn by the winter freshets, was now dry. Scarcely had they begun to -follow its water-whitened stones when they were challenged. A Greek -sentinel strode out before them. - -"The password!" - -Judas leisurely placed Caleb upon the ground. His bowed attitude was -that of a lion when he is about to spring upon his prey, and, swift -as the king of beasts, the Jew was upon the sentinel. Bending him -backward, his iron grip was about the challenger's throat. In another -instant the Greek's skull was shattered against a stone. - -Judas stood a moment, grim as a fiend, contemplating his work. Then his -lips moved: - -"Forgive me, O my God! But was not my frenzy Thine, O Avenger of -Israel?" - -Gradually his harsh features relaxed. He glanced at his helpless -charge, then at the dead body. He sat down and burst into tears. - -"Demon or angel, into whose hands have I fallen?" murmured Deborah, for -her rescuer seemed either less or more than man. - -A moment later the opening between the rocks where they stood was -shadowed. A Greek armor blocked the way. - -Deborah uttered a cry of horror. Surely they were entrapped. But -her guide advancing familiarly embraced the intruder. The stranger, -removing his broad-brimmed Greek hat, showed a head marvelously like -the other's; the same bristling red hair, broad forehead and decidedly -aquiline nose. Though not so tall as Judas, the newcomer was equally -broad-shouldered and as compactly built; his arms longer in proportion -to the body; his calves more knotty. If Judas were a lion, this man was -of a panther's build. - -"The attempt succeeded, brother Jonathan?" inquired Judas. - -"Perfectly," replied the seeming Greek. "I spent the night within the -walls of Mizpah, and learned that Apollonius has about twenty thousand -between Jerusalem and the sea." - -"So many? And we are a brood of partridges before the hawks." - -"But Elijah's God is left, brother Judas." - -"Aye, but there is no Elijah." - -"Say not so. Elijah was not Elijah until God called him, and made him -feel the truth his name signified,--Elijah, 'whose God is Jehovah.' And -God can call whom He will, and whom He calls, He will empower. Gideon -was hiding his wheat from the Philistines, when the Lord said, 'Go, -in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel.' To whom may He not -speak? And woe to the man unto whom the Lord speaks, if he shall not -obey, though he be a Simon or a Judas. Our father's house is not like -Gideon's, least in the tribe; nor are you, Judas, least in our father's -house." - -"Enough of this talk, Jonathan," replied Judas. "Our swords are only -sharp enough to drink the blood of the enemies of the Lord; not bright -enough to lead the host. Such words as yours savor of blasphemy. I -will have none of them further. But these children of Jerusalem are in -need. Take care of them. I must away. You have all the lads of Modin -accounted for?" - -"Every one at his station." - -"No Greeks on Bethhoron?" - -"Not out of the town walls, or their souls would flee their bodies as -soon as their bodies left the covert." - -"It is well." - -Judas donned the Greek armor which his brother Jonathan had taken off. - -"The Lord watch over you, my lady!" - -His farewell was spoken with that mixture of humility and dignity -which only men who are conscious of their own exaltation, either of -rank or character, can exhibit in rendering service. - -"Your father is Mattathias?" asked Deborah of Jonathan, when Judas was -gone. "Is he not very old? Surely he has often been with my father in -Jerusalem." - -"Alas, Mattathias is old, or our cause would not lack a leader. But -these events are too much for him. His life burns rapidly with the -excitement, and the news of good Elkiah's death will make it burn the -faster; for Mattathias is as old as Elkiah was, though less broken. Yet -I well know that his life is only a breath of the Lord. Our father has -five sons. Simon is the eldest and wisest; but there is that about our -Judas which marks him for the leader. To his care is due the fact that -these hills are so guarded that not even a little waif of Judaism like -that blind child can lose his way. But Judas does not yet believe in -himself. The Lord open his eyes, or send us another leader, else the -people will perish. But you should rest." - -Jonathan sought for his charge a little nook in the side of a ravine. -Even the hard ground was inviting, for Deborah's limbs ached sorely -from the unaccustomed strain of the past few hours. The quiet of the -dell, and the knowledge that eyes as friendly as they were sharp -watched over her, came as a sweet relief from the incessant fright -of their journey. Long time she lay endeavoring to catch some of the -calm out of the white clouds that floated above her; or listening to -the hum of insects and the calls of birds, while she thanked God that -there were creatures less savage than man. At length nature asserted -its claim, and, with Caleb in her arms, she fell asleep. Jonathan came -and threw over them a coarse outer garment such as the better class -of peasants wore; but the fugitives were as unaware of their friend's -deeds as of the thoughts which passed through his mind when from time -to time he came and stood awhile beside them. Darkness fell. Their -guardian let them sleep. - -It was past midnight when he roused them, and the journey was resumed. -Over hills and across ravines, avoiding the usual footpath, they toiled -on, Jonathan carrying Caleb on his shoulder, and Deborah borrowing -strength of limb from her indomitable spirit, until the stars faded in -the dawning light. - - - - -XI - -THE PRIEST'S KNIFE - - -Toward noon of the next day the party came near to the little city of -Modin. They paused to take in the view from an adjacent hilltop. Far -to the west glistened the waters of the Great Sea, bordered by the -blazing yellow of the sand-dunes that divide that vast blue waste from -the rich plains of Sharon. The brief chill of winter had not despoiled -this fertile tract of the beauty in which the other seasons had arrayed -it. Yonder glowed the white walls of Lydda, like a pearl in a setting -of emerald. Many quiet villages looked out from beneath their brows of -dusky olive-trees, and gardens sent their challenge of life to the gray -limestone rocks which seemed to bind the hills in sterility. - -At length Deborah's gaze was diverted from this fascinating view by a -strange sight. A conical knoll rises before Modin. This was crowded -with an excited multitude. The gay attire of some of the people -proclaimed a festival, while the movements of others upon the outskirts -of the crowd were rather suggestive of an angry mob than of a happy -concourse. Upon the summit of the knoll stood an altar. It was made of -wood, but painted to resemble ivory ornamented with bands of gold. Its -graceful shape supported a basin or brazier of burning coals. - -The altar was surrounded by a detachment of Greek soldiers mingled -with a small group of civilians. These latter were of various races: -PhÅ“nicians from the coast, who happened to be detained in Modin by -their business as traders; men of Moab and other strolling tribesmen -from beyond the land of Judea, who had less contempt for the frivolous -rites of the Greek than hatred of the severer worship of the Jews, -which they were willing to see supplanted; Samaritans, whose kinsmen -at Shechem had already obeyed the commands of Antiochus, and offered -heathen sacrifice upon their temple heights of Gerizim; and renegade -Jews, only too willing to believe that the new religion was favored -of heaven, since its observance on their part brought them immunity -from confiscation of goods and bodily harm. In the crowd were a score -or more women, the camp-followers of the Greeks, whose tawdry finery -afforded a rather pleasing contrast with the polished metal and stiff -forms of the soldiers. All were crowned with sprigs of ivy, for the -rite now in progress was in honor of Bacchus. Female flute-players, -with skirts split to their thighs, led the dance, and were followed -about by companies of half-drunken men and youths, who observed so much -of the steps as their unsteady legs permitted. - -Avoiding this crowd, Jonathan brought Deborah and Caleb near to -the gate of the town. Here was a very different scene. The native -populace swarmed under the shadow of the wall. It was evident that -these people were of a temper utterly hostile to that which swayed -the devotees about the altar of Bacchus. In the centre of this crowd -stood an officer of the King. By his side was the herald, who had just -completed reading a proclamation commanding all persons above twelve -years of age to make an offering to Bacchus before the sun should set, -under penalty of being put to death. - -The cruel mandate evoked cries of fright and fury from the people. -Some shrieked wildly with alarm, well knowing the terrible alternative -of apostacy or death, and knowing also that in almost every household -there were those who would deliberately choose the latter. Some cursed -deeply, and glared upon the officials with eyes not unlike those of -wild beasts answering the challenge of their captors. Then uprose that -strange lamentation in which Eastern people are accustomed to express -their grief--agonized outcries accompanied by tearing the hair, rending -garments, and flinging handfuls of dust in the air. - -In the throng was an old man. Though many years had whitened his locks, -his form was erect and evidenced the strength and vigor of well-kept -manhood. His face was strikingly beautiful, its lineaments such as are -formed only by the habit of lofty thinking and gentle impulses. Deborah -could not but recall the faces of her two guides from Mizpah, which -this one resembled. - -"Venerable sir," said the Greek officer, "you are ruler here, and as -their priest high in honor among this people. Your words they obey. -Your example they follow. You are their shepherd. Why should you -lead them into needless calamity? Come, then, and fulfill the King's -demand. It is but a little thing required of you; not to disobey your -nation's God, but to recognize the gods of others. Surely, some power -beyond our own makes the vine grow, and fills its clusters with wine. -Call that power Bacchus, or think of it by the nameless name of your -own God--what matters it? Recognize that power by casting a pinch of -incense upon the altar. Pray as you please in the depths of your soul; -only do this little act. Will you lead the people to slaughter for -so simple a thing as a crushed berry of spice, or drop of oil from a -pressed olive? The great King Antiochus would delight to favor with -riches the noble Mattathias, of whose devotion to Jewry he has heard -so much; and he longs to have such faithful servants as you and your -stalwart sons to promote his own generous rule over these lands which -the gods have given him." - -The King's officer would have proceeded further, but the impatience of -the old man prevented him. Raising his voice, he cried out: - -"Let Antiochus know, that, though all nations that are now under the -King's dominion obey him, and fall away every one from the religion of -their fathers, yet will I, and my sons, and my brethren walk in the -ancient covenant. We will not hearken to the King's words, to go from -our religion, either to the right or to the left." - -"The priest is mad with bigotry, and would destroy us. Let us go and -sacrifice," said one, moving from the crowd toward the altar on the -knoll. - -Mattathias gazed upon the renegade. A look of unutterable pity -overspread his features. - -"Thou shalt not sin thus against the Lord our God, brother Laban," said -he, as he laid his strong hand upon the other's shoulders. - -"Is Mattathias still a priest to kill as if we were sheep for -sacrifice? Unhand me, lest I smite thee in spite of thy years," said -Laban. - -"Aye, a priest still," cried the old man, suddenly transported with -rage, "priest still to sacrifice. It is better that the dust of the -ground of our Holy Land receive the blood of Laban than that the altar -of the heathen receive his offering." - -He drew from his robe a priest's knife and drove it into the heart of -the traitor. - -As the body fell the venerable man broke out into lamentation, "Oh, my -brother Laban, why didst thou drive me so mad? O my God, forgive me, -save me! Save Thy people!" - -The King's officer sounded an alarm, and soldiers hastened from the -adjacent knoll. But these were soon overpowered by the infuriated mob -of Jews; and from the mêlée was dragged forth the dead body of the -Greek Commandant himself. - -Mattathias stood a moment and gazed upon the bruised and bleeding form -of the officer. Then he raised his hands and, with face uplifted to the -white clouds that floated above, he cried: - -"O God of Israel, forgive Thy priest! Forgive Thy people if they have -this day been led into sin. But Thou, Lord, knowest our hearts. The -zeal of Thine house hath eaten us up!" - -Then he turned to the people. All fury suddenly died from his features. -Instead there came a look of wonderful compassion and solicitude. It -was as the clear azure following the thunder-storm. - -"To your homes, friends! To your closets! Let no one eat this day, but -with fasting let us spread our woes before the Lord. I know, I know -that He will appear for us. For we are His people and the sheep of His -pasture. But alas! who shall be the Avenger?" - - - - -XII - -THE FORT OF THE ROCKS - - -At the bidding of Mattathias, the people passed hurriedly into the -town. The stones of the street were torn up; some of them piled in -heavy masses against the city gates; others carried to the walls, -ready to be hurled down upon assailants. In vain did those returning -from the knoll, where they had taken part in the heathen worship, -seek admission. Their rapping and calls to their fellow-townsmen were -answered by taunts. Mattathias insisted on their exclusion, lest there -should be division in counsel and action, while he foresaw that there -was no alternative other than fighting for their lives, or voluntarily -surrendering themselves to the atrocities of the foe. A low wail of -lamentation could be heard from hundreds of homes, like the murmur of -a torrent. Now and then it broke into a sharp cry of defiance from -maddened groups on the house-tops, as a torrent leaps and splashes high -in air over some sharp obstacle that opposes its course. - -The night that followed was one of fearful expectancy in Modin. The -news of the assault upon the King's representative might bring the -Greek soldiers, who were scattered along Bethhoron, in retaliatory -vengeance. But the sentinels on the walls made no alarms. The next day -the extemporized scouting parties reported no hostile movement. But it -was certain that the authorities at Jerusalem would not long delay a -blow which would vindicate their power, and the honor of the monarch. - -In the little town all was confusion, for the inhabitants made -preparations to migrate from their now insecure homes. The excitement -increased as from the hills and valleys around their herdsmen hastily -gathered the flocks, and drove them close to the city. - -On the second night strange sounds floated everywhere through the -darkness--the lowing of cattle, bleating of sheep, braying of asses, -and the occasional grunt of camels resenting the unseemly hour of their -lading. These moved eastward through the darkness, and later were -followed by an exodus of the inhabitants from the town. Deborah noted -the women, whose hands had scarcely lifted heavier weight than the -distaff, now bowed beneath bulky loads of household stuff. Boys carried -jars of provisions as big as themselves. Men, armed with swords, -javelins, bows, and bludgeons, led the way, or deployed as guards on -flank and rear of the unsteady column. - -In the confusion little notice was taken of Deborah and Caleb, except -as some one peered into their faces in the endeavor to identify them. -They trudged along with a group of women and children, old men and -cripples, whose slow pace excited impatience and an occasional unkind -taunt from the stronger limbed. - -In the company with Caleb hobbled a lad some years older than he. The -feet of this boy were strangely malformed. Both were so twisted from -their normal relation to his legs that his toes pointed very nearly -backward. This infirmity and the weight of his heavy wooden sandals -were, however, largely compensated for by the boy's muscular strength -and alertness of faculty. With the aid of a stick, crotched at the -upper end, he swung himself along the road and over obstacles in the -fields which tangled legs better than his own. Only by the harsh words -and cuffs of the men who were leading or guarding the multitude was the -boy kept with the weaker folk. Now some sentinel, with hand to ear, -pausing, and listening for the remotest sound of approaching soldiery, -was startled by the rattling of the stones under the boy's feet and -crutch. Now, again, he was hobbling along with the rear guard as -valiantly as if his stick were the sword of Goliath of Gath. - -Through the dim night the lame lad noticed that Caleb's gait was -different from that of the others. His occasional stumbling and his -clinging to his sister's hand excited the curiosity of his observer. - -"Say, are you lame, too?" the strange boy asked. - -"No, I am only blind, the Lord be praised!" replied Caleb. - -"Only blind! Whew!" and a long whistle threaded the stillness of the -march. - -"Silence!" said a gruff voice. - -"Can't you see a bit?" - -"No, not as you see." - -"Haven't you any eyes?" and the boy drew Caleb's face close to his. -"Oh, such big eyes! and can't see? But such eyes must see somewhere. -Maybe they are like my feet, that look in the direction they aren't -going. Can't you see the inside of your head?" - -Caleb laughed, and fell in with the mirthful mood of his companion. - -"They say I can see out of my ears and from my finger ends." - -"I shouldn't wonder," replied the lame boy. "And can you see as well in -the dark as in the light?" - -"Just as well." - -"Whew!" - -"Silence there!" - -"Say, couldn't you and I have fun with the jackals?" - -There was a pause. - -"Say, can you see"--and the boy's voice sunk to a whisper--"can you -see God? Or maybe the angels? What are they like? Like Judas? or old -Mattathias? or like--like your sister there?" - -Caleb protested against his companion's irreverence and ignorance. - -"Well, at any rate, the angels see you." - -"How do you know they do?" - -"Because, blind as you are, you do not stumble half as much as I do. -There, you stepped right over that rock that I nearly broke my heels -on; and the Psalmist said of somebody, 'that the angels keep him from -stubbing his toes.' Those are not the words, but something like them. -But how can the angels lift you over the stones if they can't see you? -Eh! But what's your name?" - -"Caleb. What's yours?" - -"Solomon; but they don't call me that. They call me Mephibosheth, -because Mephibosheth was lame in his feet; that is, they call me Meph -because the whole word takes too much breath, and folks need all -they've got, especially in such travelling as this." - -The night wore wearily away. Once old Mattathias joined the little -group, but only for a few moments; for though the conduct of the -expedition was left to the younger men, chiefly his five sons, the -responsibility of the movement rested with the venerable priest. Once -Judas came to them, but it was only to insist that the daughter of -Elkiah should make use of a rude palanquin, which two strong-limbed -men carried between them upon two poles. This Deborah refused, and, -footsore and weary though she was, trudged by its side while the -bearers conveyed a sick woman with her babe at her breast. - -In the early dawn the fugitives threaded the wild, narrow ravine in the -neighborhood of Michmash, once the scene of the adventures of Prince -Jonathan, during the wars of Saul against the Philistines. As the day -advanced, women and children sought rest and shelter among the caverns -and chasms which made that region frightful in days of peace, but a -welcome retreat to those whom the troublous times had ejected from -better homes. Here, at Judas' advice, Mattathias decided to halt the -little host. All fell to work building the defenses which they would -surely need in coming dangers, and which became ever after famous -as the eyrie whence the Maccabæan eagles, those sons of Mattathias, -swooped down upon the Syrian prey. - -Rapidly the natural rocks grew into an orderly fortification. Loose -stone walls were built between the outcropping ledges, until a vast -space was enclosed and divided into compartments, where a few defenders -could withstand many assailants, and to capture which would be for -the victors to fasten themselves into slaughter pens. Across the top -of the natural chasms were laid poles covered with brushwood, which -screened the people from the sun by day and from the dews by night. -Great boulders scattered over the adjacent fields were connected by -ditches, which were so roofed that, while they effectually obscured -those passing beneath, they were at the same time pitfalls for any -intruders. Each great rock thus became an outlying fortress, behind -which, day and night, lay wary men. - -At one place was a rude forge, where all sorts of iron implements were -wrought into weapons; reversing the ancient prediction, for plowshares -were now beaten into swords, and pruning-hooks into spears. - -Day by day even the women and children were practised in archery, -and learned to hurl the javelin and sling stones; while the men were -drilled in companies to execute manÅ“uvres which the genius of Judas -devised, and which were especially adapted to warfare in the craggy -battlements of the hills. Far and wide scouts answered one another -with mysterious signals, quick flashes at night, and sounds by day -in which the cries of birds and beasts were imitated according to a -code prepared by Jonathan. The country for leagues about was thus -practically under one eye and one voice of command. - -One evening Judas came to the little enclosure of rocks which the -respect and sympathy of the people had assigned to the privacy of -Deborah. It was screened by a coarse matting, which served both as door -and wall. - -"This is no place for the daughter of Elkiah," said the young man. "I -have come to ask that you allow half a score of our brave men to escort -you to a spot of more safety and comfort. The strong castle of Masada, -in the wilderness by the Sea of Salt, will prove impregnable to any -attack. The journey will not be more difficult than remaining here." - -Deborah expressed her gratitude. She looked at the upturned face of -Caleb. It was pale and emaciate with fatigue and exposure. - -"Surely, this is no place for the lad," she said, as she held his -cheeks between her hands. - -"As soon as the shadows darken the ravine yonder you will start?" -inquired Judas. - -Deborah for a moment made no response. She gazed upon the women and -children about her. - -"And these?" - -"They must remain where they are, and share the fortunes of the men. It -would be unsafe to move so many. Besides, the castle is a little one, -and would not hold them. But you, if I mistake not, as the daughter of -Elkiah, have claims of kinship with Ben Aaron, who occupies Masada." - -Deborah sought the sky as if in prayer; then she said: - -"Judas, call me no longer the daughter of Elkiah. Call me now only one -of the daughters of Israel. Why should I flee to the castle when these, -as worthy as I, have no such refuge?" - -"But surely----" - -"Nay, do not entreat me. Tell me, Judas, have you not a vow to live or -die in defense of Israel?" - -"Truly, as God lives!" said he, raising his right hand. - -"Would you break your vow? Nay, do not answer. And I, too, have a -vow--to die if God will take the sacrifice, with His people. Here I -can serve, if not with those who fight, then with those who watch and -care for the helpless. Take the lad, but here I must stay." - -Caleb, who had been a listener, now uttered a cry such as never escaped -him except when in some agony of pain. He flung himself into his -sister's arms. No word passed between them, but there is a converse of -hearts that needs no speech. She loosened his embrace. - -"It is His will. My child, we shall not be separated. We will both -stay." - -Scarcely had she said this when cries of alarm rose without. Judas was -instantly gone. - -In an hour came Meph, utterly winded with his haste, but he managed -with detached mouthfuls of breath to give the report of a wonderful -encounter with the enemy. He declared that-- - -"The Greeks came along--a whole army of them--marching as stiff as -a grove of palm-trees--shields on one shoulder and pikes on the -other. All of a sudden whiz! whiz! whiz!--and they dropped in their -tracks--lots of them did--as if they were bulrushes. The rest of them -closed up, and put their shields together like a tent; but rocks came -down on them like hailstones--and they broke and ran like hares." - -With his crutch Meph mapped on the ground the plan of the battle, and -then appealed to Caleb to predict that such a magnificent victory would -be the end of the war. "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon is with -us! The sword of the Lord and of Judas!" and he whirled his crutch in -pantomimic extermination of the foe. - -But, alas, such engagements were to be the almost daily experience -of the patriots. The Greek bands were worsted by the intense bravery -of the Jews, and the more shrewdly laid plans of their untrained but -heaven-gifted leaders. In resisting these forays, and in their devoted -care of the threatened people, the five sons of Mattathias won the -titles which history has added to their names--John, the _Good_; -Simon, the _Wise_; Judas, the _Hammerer_; Eleazar, the _Sunburst_; and -Jonathan, the _Crafty_. - -The incessant excitement wrapt the popular mind with a frenzy of -religious enthusiasm and credulity. Much of the time was spent in -prayer and song. The devoted people saw in the skill of their earthly -champions only a fuller measure of that Divine Spirit whose impulse -gave wisdom and valor, and whose invisible Presence was a surer defense -than ten thousand phalanges of shields. As in the days of Elijah, so -once more ardent souls saw, as Deborah had done, "the chariots of -Israel and the horses thereof" in the embattled clouds at sunset and -sunrise; and God in armor strode among the spectres of the night. - -In such experiences, in which mental exaltation put on physical -prowess, and the spiritual world was inwoven with the material--as -we may believe the soul is knit with the body--passed a year in the -"Fortress of the Rocks." - - - - -XIII - -DAUGHTER OF THE VOICE - - -To Deborah this was a year of mighty transformation. The traces of -girlhood were worn from her face by the hardness of her daily life. Her -sparkling eyes deepened and steadied their fire. Her features became -more immobile and rigid under the stress of her one persistent thought -and purpose. Even her body was changed. She was taller. The rounded -contour of her form became more masculinely muscular. The graceful -carriage of the maiden, brought up in the elegance of Elkiah's home, -was somewhat lost in the heavier tread and more angular movement -developed by bearing burdens with her humbler sisters in the rude -encampment, and even by training at arms with the men. - -Yet, if less fair and maidenly, she was more nobly beautiful than ever -before. Could Dion have seen her, he would have thought her more like -Athena than when he first saw her at Elkiah's gate. Hers was now a head -for a helmet rather than for ornaments. Armor would have fitted her -figure as well as robes. - -To her people she had become the incarnation of patriotism. They gave -her the sacred appellation, "The daughter of Jerusalem," the name -by which the ancient prophets had designated the nation. Even old -Mattathias gazed upon her as if to take from her face some sign of that -diviner will he prayed daily to know. To the maiden's words he would -listen as to the counsel of his battle-trained advisers. - -On one subject, however, the venerable leader was inexorably opposed -to her wishes. She asked that she might be permitted to wear the armor -of the soldier, and join in the battles. The old priest replied in the -words of the ancient law: - -"The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither -shall a man put on a woman's garment, for all that so do are an -abomination unto the Lord thy God." - -To this prohibition he was led to make one conditional exception--that -in the event of the Fort of the Rocks being taken by the enemy, any -disguise which might enable her to escape the danger peculiar to a -captured woman might be used. - -"If," replied Deborah, "for the safety of one woman the letter of the -law may be set aside, why not for the safety of Israel?" - -"You are right, my daughter. Should Israel need you, robe yourself as -you will, yet remember it will be as when a victim is arrayed for the -sacrifice. But with our brave men about you surely there is no need for -you to mingle in the common fray. Your womanly presence now encourages -us more than a band of swordsmen." - -"But if--if"--Deborah hesitated in speaking--"but if the Voice should -bid me?" - -"The Voice! The Voice!" - -Mattathias bowed his head upon his breast. "The Bath-kol! The daughter -of God's voice! I may not dispute that Monitor; for only those -anointed of heaven can hear it." - -"How may one know the Voice? Explain to me the sacred Bath-kol"--and -Deborah leaned forward, her hand upon the patriarch's knee and her face -upturned toward his in reverent and eager inquiry. - -Mattathias put his hand upon her forehead. "Alas!" he said, "I fear -that the Voice has not been heard by any in our generation, for the -days are too full of evil. God's voice is wordless; or rather, shall -I say, the Eternal Word is voiceless. The Divine Mind shines through -the mind of man as the lightning through the clouds. But since Malachi -fell asleep, no soul of man has been so pure that it could transmit the -heavenly glory and interpret its meaning. - -"Yet," he continued, after a pause, "it may be that the Lord still -teaches His own by indirection, by what we call the Daughter of the -Voice; the echo of the heavenly from earthly things. Some of our wisest -rabbis have held that, after one has prayed, the first words that -fall upon the ear, especially if they be sacred words from the Law, -the Prophets, or the Psalms, may be such echoes of the Divine Will. -But in these matters I am unskilled. I only know that if God may not -speak to a soul so true as thine, beaten pure by affliction, as the oil -is beaten for the lamps of the sanctuary, then, indeed, are we left -without the light." - -Such words confirmed a conviction already vaguely felt by Deborah. She -recalled her tremendous emotion that night amid the ruins of the house -of Ben Isaac. She knew nothing of those psychological laws by which -she might have accounted for her experience without attributing it to -Divine suggestion. She had often observed how the atmosphere, hot above -the fire, becomes hazy and tremulous, so that objects seen through it -are distorted; but she did not know that her overheated mind might -render it just as uncertain a medium for thoughts. - -A few days after her conversation with Mattathias, the venerable man, -shaken by age, and by the strain of duties that would have broken the -energy of the youngest and strongest, laid himself down to die. - -Earth has witnessed few scenes so humanly sublime as that in the -rock-formed chamber, where the priest and warrior committed his work to -his children, and his soul to God. - -His sons knelt around the couch. To them he gave special counsel, -correcting the weakness or encouraging the peculiar strength which -his prophetic soul saw in each. For Jonathan he invoked caution; for -Simon, courage; for all, faith in the Presence of the Lord, "who," said -he, "will surely appear for our deliverance. But by whose arm will He -smite? I know not. And yet----" - -He looked long upon Judas. He put his thin hands upon his son's head. -Then his own uplifted face became strangely luminous--doubtless as once -was that of Moses. His lips parted as if they were burdened with some -glorious prophecy; but they uttered no further word. There issued from -them only--his soul. - -They laid the body of Mattathias back upon the couch. A light seemed -for a while to glow about his head, and then to be absorbed into the -marble whiteness of his features. - -Never was funeral cortege of warrior or monarch more impressive than -that which wound among the hills far away to Modin, watched by hostile -eyes, and guarded by the sharp swords of a band of patriots who -determined that their dead chieftain should not be deprived of burial -in the sepulchre of his fathers. The mournful train was accompanied for -a short distance from the Fort of the Rocks by the entire multitude of -women and children, wailing with low outcries, rending their garments, -and flinging handfuls of dust into the air until the armed procession -was out of sight. - -The soul of Deborah had been too mightily stirred by these occurrences -to allow her to speak much with her people. A deep ravine hard by -became sacred to her as a place of meditation. There was something in -the very formation of this place that helped her thought. An enormous -rock projected many feet from a precipitous palisade, and overhung the -narrow width of the ravine. It seemed about to fall and crush her as -she sat beneath it. Yet she knew that it could not fall, for the mass -of visible stone was more than counterbalanced by a larger proportion -of the rock imbedded out of sight, in the hillside. - -"So," she said, "I am always under impending danger. A black shadow is -always on my soul. But I can trust the unknown goodness of the Lord, -which outweighs and prevents the threatening evil!" - -There, as in her sanctuary, she one day sat down to think and pray. -How wearied she was with her woman's work in the camp! Had there been -about her the duties and affections of a home, it would have been -different; for she was made to love, and love intensely. What a wealth -of devotion she poured upon her blind brother! Yet his care did not -furnish sufficient diversion for her excited brain and heart. - -The form of her father was, alas! now only a memory. It was always with -her; but it drained her soul, as the dry desert drinks up the streams -that come from the mountains, and yet remains a desert, flowerless, -fountainless. - -Her brother Benjamin? Ah, it is hard to love where we do not respect; -and while she would have given her life for his had emergency required, -the thought of him made her more lonely, since even brotherhood was -soiled with impiety and treason. - -If Dion's friendship now and then flashed a pleasing thought through -her mind, it was only like a warm glow in the dark cloud of her -prevailing mood, and as quickly gone. Yet she was startled when she -noted how frequently that brightness shot through the cloud; and -she put herself under inner penance after each recollection of the -noble-hearted Greek. Indeed, she tried to hate him for his offered -love. It seemed incongruous, hypocritical, for a Greek to be so -generous and good. A Greek! Her soul tortured itself with detestation -of that whole racial type; yet somehow the man persisted in standing -out from his race, as a vein of gold gleaming from its bed of baser -earth. By strong effort she drove his image from her imagination. It -was not probable that they would meet again; and if they did, he would -see now no helpless girl appealing to his pity, but a woman, strong -and vengeful, whose words would provoke his hatred of her as the -embodiment of her hated people. - -So, as she had said, her heart was empty--empty of all things that -ought to furnish a woman's nature. She seemed to herself an unsexed -soul, a mass of reckless, excited energy which could find repose only -in outward action. Oh, to be a man, strong of arm, as tireless as -daring! She looked with contempt upon her feminine attire, which she -thought no longer fitted her changed nature. - -If she might not march in the ranks of the soldiers, why could she -not engage in the secret service of which she had heard Jonathan, the -Crafty, speak as necessary to their defense? She might act as a spy. -The little band of patriots could not hope to hold out ultimately -against the overwhelming numbers that Antiochus would send, unless -their valor were seconded by deep plotting. - -To act the part she contemplated would require her to assume various -attire. Would not heaven grant her dispensation from the letter of the -law that made it a shame for a woman to put on a man's apparel? - -Such thoughts surged through her soul as she sat in the ravine. At -length she knelt and consecrated herself again--as she had done a -hundred times--to her people's God. With mute lips and phraseless -purpose she waited upon the Lord to know His will. Oh, for some -assurance that it was right to follow her own intent! - -The silence was for a time unbroken. At length a strange sound smote -upon the ear. It was like nothing she had ever heard--a ringing -note that seemed to come from the ground. Now another of different -tone; and another still. These sounds were repeated in an order that -suggested the notes of the music with which the players on instruments -at the Temple accompanied the chanting of the familiar hymn: - -"Awake! Awake, Deborah! Awake! Awake! utter a song!" - -Neither harp, nor lute, nor tabret, nor cymbal could have produced -these sounds. It was as if the rocks themselves had become mighty -timbrels, and were stricken by some spirit of the woods. Surely this -must be of superhuman agency: the noise was so unearthly, and the notes -so clearly belonged to the words they suggested. It was not a voice; -yet surely it was the Bath-kol, the Echo, the Daughter of the Voice, of -which the now sainted Mattathias had spoken. - -She prostrated herself among the gnarled roots of a great terebinth -that projected from the side of the ravine as if they were the horns of -an altar. So, too, her soul clung to her Lord. She prayed in words that -His will might be her will. Perhaps in thought she prayed that her will -might be His will--a distinction she was too unskilled in moral anatomy -to note. - -Again and again with ecstatic fervor she murmured her oft-repeated vow, -"Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God!" She lay some moments in almost a -trance of seraphic peace. This was changed to seraphic fury. Jehovah -had accepted her. She was to be His messenger--a messenger of fire, of -dagger, of deceit toward Israel's foes, as well as of consolation to -His people. - -She rose, and stood with hands clasped behind her, her face upturned -to the glowing line of light that spanned the ravine. She drank in the -brightness as heaven's approbation. - -How long she remained in that attitude of rhapsody she did not know. -The spell was suddenly broken. - -"There she is! Here, Caleb, is Deborah! Give me your hand, or she will -be gone ere we reach her," cried Mephibosheth to his blind friend, as, -spying Deborah at a distance, the children tried to reach her. But thus -startled, she walked too fast for the lame boy, encumbered as he was -with the care of his comrade. - -"Well, let her go. It is enough that she is safe," said Caleb. - -The boys had spent an hour in a favorite haunt in a field of great -boulders that lay just at the brink of the ravine. These stones were -of volcanic origin, and a proportion of metal had entered into their -composition. The lads soon found that when they were struck with -smaller stones they emitted semi-musical sounds, and they were not long -in playing upon them crude imitations of the tunes with which they were -familiar. Caleb would sit by one that gave a deep ring, while Meph with -a stone and his crutch could reach two others. - -"I thought when we played 'Awake, Deborah!' we would start her," said -Meph. - -"So we did," replied Caleb, and reaching his hands up to his comrade's -shoulders, with a spring and a boost, he was instantly astride them, a -saddle that the good-natured cripple had often provided for his more -unfortunate friend when the way was rough. - -In the counsel of the Fort of the Rocks Deborah that night related to -Judas, Simon and Jonathan the story of the strange sounds she had heard -in the ravine. - -Simon shook his head and remained silent, glancing solicitously at -the girl, as a physician might study one suspected of dementia. Judas -quickly avowed his belief that God was again speaking to His people as -in the ancient days of faith. The after debate between these brothers -was decided by the words of Jonathan, the Crafty. - -"If," said Jonathan, "Simon be right in ascribing this to the maiden's -madness, still it does not follow that Judas is wholly wrong. Does not -the Lord use even our dreams, when our minds are astray from their -waking wisdom? If He made the ass to correct the prophet, why should He -not use the vagary of this most pious woman? We need such service as -she proposes. My voice is that we put no restraint upon her becoming -our spy, lest peradventure we be found to fight against the will of Him -who, it may be, is impelling her to this duty." - - - - -XIV - -THE SPY - - -The vale of Shechem is the fairest in Palestine. It is a long strip of -meadow scarcely two hundred yards wide, guarded, as by two sleeping -giants, by the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim, which cut the sky between -two and three thousand feet above. For four furlongs of its length the -valley lies like an emerald, broken by silver streams and sparkling -basins of water. Beyond, for an equal distance, the bright green gives -place to the gray foliage of olive groves, until the natural glory -fades into the staring white houses of the town. In shady nooks and -sunny glades the earth bursts with flowers of every hue, as if Flora -had danced and left her fabled footprints impregnate with germs of -beauty. If one be sated with the fairness that lies at one's feet, -let the eyes rest upon the terraces of olive and grape, fig and -prickly pear which relieve the precipitous sides of Ebal, the ancient -Mountain of Cursing; or upon the swelling domes of rock which make the -impressive mass of Gerizim, the Mountain of Blessing. - -Even Apollonius, the desecrator of Jerusalem, with his eyes dimmed with -the rheum of many debauches, must have delighted in the prospect; for -midway the vale rose his gorgeous pavilion. From its door, when not -enamored of nature, he could feast his pride upon the white and blue -tents of his army, which gleamed far up the slopes of either mountain. -In reward for his service in desolating the Jewish capital, and in many -ways acting as a sort of procurer for the pride, greed, and lust of his -royal master, Epiphanes had made Apollonius Governor of Samaria, and -commander of all the king's forces in Syria. - -Into his camp at Shechem had come not only brave warriors, but many -merchants, to purchase the prospective spoil of the invaders. Women, -too, some the wives of officers, others adventuresses, flaunted their -gay attire amid the flashing helmets and spears of the soldiery. - -Before the great General's pavilion stood his steed, a gigantic -charger, with arching neck and restive eyes, now sniffing the hand of -his groom, and anon rearing as if to break from his custody. Near by -was a heavy-wheeled, but light-bodied chariot, its seat cushioned in -creamy silk. At its pole waited a span of graceful roans, glittering in -harness buckled and bossed with gold. - -At the opening of the tent sat Apollonius, in full armor, except that -his head was bared. Upon a couch just within reclined a woman. At a -glance one would have said that she was of great beauty. Her features -failed perhaps of the finest proportions that mark the classic Greek -face; the nostrils too distended; the mouth too large; forehead high, -but masked with abundant auburn locks, which were braided down almost -to the eyebrows. Chiselled in marble that face would not have been an -Aphrodite; but flushed as it was at the moment with excitement, her -eyes sparkling with latent coquetry, and her slightly parted lips -curved with a sensuous suggestion, she was sufficiently fascinating to -the degenerate taste of the Greek officers passing the tent, who stole -not unwelcome glimpses at her fairness. - -"And what, pray, my lord Apollonius, is to be my portion of the spoil -you are to take? I have no taste for the blood of the Jews, which you -say your sword will draw from these Maccabæan peasants. A draught of -wine--if only the cup were golden and I might keep it--would please me -better. But no golden cups and no goodly garments will you get from -these beggarly people. Some clouts and a few of the sickles they use -for swords will scarcely grace the victory of one whom the king has -honored for his valor." - -"I see," replied the General, "that my fair one has grown weary of her -lord, and that I need to freshly bribe her favor. Will not the gift -of yesterday suffice to keep my Helena's patience for a day or two to -come?" - -The General toyed with a silver serpent with eyes of ruby, which -encircled her arm. After a moment's pause, watching closely his -companion as if studying the effect of his words, he added: - -"If the trumpery of Jewish housewives please you not, there is better -spoil in Jerusalem." - -"Is anything left there?" languidly asked the woman, looking at her -shapely wrist and hand. - -"Much. And it is game that will give zest to the catching. Listen! -Since my fair goddess has tired of me, I propose that she shall find -another lover more to her liking." - -The woman's eyes flashed. - -Apollonius continued: "You know, that by the ruling of the King, the -rich estates of Elkiah are not to be sequestered as other property of -the rebels. His son, Glaucon, having become a Greek, is recognized -as the heir. A handsome fellow he is, with a thimbleful of brains; -conceited, a prey to clever men, an easier victim of a clever -woman--such a woman as has charmed an old soldier like me, caring as -you know but little for the sex. You need but smile at Glaucon to addle -his wits." - -"Are your wits addled?" queried the woman contemptuously. - -"Perhaps they have been, but I am in fair way to recover, as my scheme -will prove. Should you marry this Glaucon, by Greek law it is true you -would not inherit his estates; but no law prevents the fool from giving -to you whatever you ask as the price of your favor; and you come high -at times, as my thin belt can attest. But, my dear, you must appear to -him as of princely rank, for the fellow has been flattered to believe -himself courted by the very household of the King. I think I can make -my letters sufficiently ennoble you, if your beauty does not evidence -your divinity. Will not this sound well? Ahem! 'The Princess Helena, -cousin to Apollonius!' Ah, you blush at the title. Glaucon will pay -me well for persuading your Olympian wings to fold themselves on his -dungheap. It is a scheme worthy the Jew himself, is it not? This little -finger of yours will pick the lock of Glaucon's treasure-house." - -The woman laughed outright as she cried: - -"Shall I go to Jerusalem and act the prude? That is an art I have never -practised. I surely had never won your love, my venerable Apollo, if I -had posed as the chaste Artemis." - -"Perhaps not," replied the General, with a shrug of his shoulders, "but -you have acted the chaste goddess perfectly in the eyes of others. -That I will say; for I have had less than a score of opportunities for -jealousy during as many moons. And I will swear to this Glaucon that I -caught you in my arms as you once escaped the Grotto of Pan at Ephesus." - -"Grotto of Pan? Another remembrance of your nursery; and with a moral, -I doubt not, as good as one of Æsop. Let me hear the story, but leave -off the lesson," replied she, lolling languidly upon the couch. - -"Why," said Apollonius, "at Ephesus, when a woman's virtue is not -transparent, they bring her to Pan's Grotto for testing. If the god -sees no offense in her, then the doors open to heavenly music, and she -escapes. Looking one day for something in the shape of womanhood that -was immaculate, I lingered by the entrance, and you came bouncing out. -Glaucon is up in our Greek legends, and will understand me, even if you -did not." - -"But if the woman could not pass inspection?" his companion asked -nonchalantly. - -"Well, in such an unusual case for the town of Ephesus, where Artemis -has her temple, the pipes in Pan's cave screech out a wail for the -damned, and the tainted woman drops through the rock floor into the -river Styx. I will swear that I did not fish you out of the river Styx." - -"Paugh!" sneered the woman. "It is time that you sold me out to another -after that speech." - -The tears shot into her eyes, but they were quickly dried by her hot -rage; and as quickly again the livid fury gave place to a forced smile. - -"I warn you, my lord, that I myself will be the judge of my new -purchaser, as I was of you." - -This woman was well aware that anger did not become her type of -countenance; it changed her beauty into hideousness. Whatever age-marks -were latent in her face, smoothed by practised smiles, or masked -by cosmetics, were brought out by ill temper--as sunburn develops -freckles. She was as self-conscious when gazed at by others as when -she was alone before her mirror, and as ready with her arts. She, -therefore, instantly suppressed the rising displeasure. - -Indeed, the displeasure would itself have died as Apollonius further -disclosed his schemes; for any fondness she may have felt for the -present owner of her affections was less than her innate cupidity, -and less than that passion for intrigue and adventure which she had -developed by much practice on many fields. In her, deceitfulness -reached the rank which in men is called diplomacy. Though now at home -in the tent of the Syrian commander, she was not unwilling to enlarge -the sphere of her conquest in any direction. Perhaps her eagerness -for the spoil of such a house as that of Glaucon was as laudable, -certainly as natural, as Apollonius' own ambition to fame himself as -the conqueror of Palestine. - -The conversation of the General and the woman was interrupted by a -lad, whose basket of fruit, deftly balanced on his head, had gained -him admission to the camp; for while strict guard was kept against the -intrusion of peasant men and women, the children were allowed freedom -to sell their delicacies for the coins, though often they received only -the cuffs, of the soldiers. - -The boy was stretched at full length upon the ground, counting the bits -of money he had taken, and sorting the figs, dates, and grapes which -were left in his basket. His head was covered with a mass of unkempt -black hair, his body with a single garment, which might have been an -inverted corn sack, tied with a string at the waist, while his head -protruded through a hole in the bottom. His legs and feet were bare -except for the dirt which hosed them, and striped with scratches made -by bramble bushes. - -So engrossed was the boy in his business calculations that he did -not seem aware of his undue proximity to the General's tent, until a -sentinel prodded him in the calf of the leg with his spear-point, and -bade him "Begone!" - -The General, looking up at the outcry, recalled the lad and bought of -his fruit, tossing some of it into the lap of his companion. - -"Faugh! The Jew's filth soils them," cried she, as the clusters were -laid upon the rug. - -"Let them be well cleansed then," said the General; "but in this -country we must be less particular. The Jews believe that Adam, their -first father, was made out of the ground, and surely the race seems -fond of its original stock. But in one respect the Jews are cleaner -than most people; vermin cannot abide their vile blood; it poisons even -the fleas." - -"The lad is finely formed," said the woman, eyeing him as a -connoisseur. "His ankles are trim enough for a girl's, and his feet are -not flattened and ill-shapen as those of most peasants are. And what a -face! Ganymedes was not fairer. Look out, my lad, that the eagle does -not fly away with you and make you cup-bearer to the gods." - -"Why not make him your own Ganymedes, my divinity?" cried the General. -"You have no Hebe of your own begetting to be jealous of him. What say -you, my lad, would you like to be dressed in spangles and wait at the -hand of the fairest of Astartes? And perhaps, being only a child, you -might drink at her lips, since my goddess has lost her liking for an -old soldier's kisses." - -With a look of stupid inquiry the boy replied in the Samaritan patois, -"An as for a bunch; three bunches for two ases; all for an obolo. -Give me drachma and I bring you so much"--extending his arms as if to -enclose a bushel. - -The Greeks burst into laughter. - -"Your learned wit is wasted on a Samaritan, as I am afraid mine would -be on that Jerusalem Jew," said the mistress. - -"It will not be wasted there. Glaucon speaks Greek well, as do all -the better sort in the city. Besides, his head is just now as full as -a pedlar's pack of all the scraps of our philosophy, poetry, and art -that he can hear. He is specially interested in our Greek goddesses, -and in making his hair curl. With his head in your lap you can arrange -his locks and give him a lesson in the worship of Aphrodite at the same -time. Glaucon will be as good a pupil of Helena as Pericles was of -Aspasia." - -The fruit-seller, impervious to their wit at his expense, gathered -up the remnant of his wares, and started away; but quickly turning, -he threw himself down upon his belly in the shadow of the tent, and -resumed counting his coins, tallying each one with a jerk of his -heels, as those dirty but graceful appendages waved over his back. - -"The boy's legs talk as freely as the arms and face of Pharetes, the -pantomimist. He would make an actor, if trained," observed Apollonius. - -"Or a dancer," replied the woman. "Let us see if he has learned to -wiggle his calves rhythmically." - -She sang a rollicking run of notes, accompanied with snapping her -fingers and waving her arms, which tempted even Apollonius to give a -few steps in his jingling armor. The boy only stared and grinned. - -"Pshaw!" said the General, "the religion of these people is so dull -that it rusts even their sinews. A Greek child would have danced on -his hands and head at such singing. But, my dear, you should start -to-morrow for Jerusalem. I will strike the miserable spawn of that -priest Mattathias--Apollo, my namesake, being willing--within three -days. Some ten thousand of us, each as valiant as Alexander himself, -are only waiting to conquer these sand-hills in lieu of a larger -world. We will drive the Jews into their holes and drown them in their -own blood, and then move to the city. I fear that Menelaos, the High -Priest, is scraping the bottom of every strong-box the Jews left, and -if we do not hasten there will not be an obolo for us to buy grapes -with." - -His companion had become curiously interested in the lad. - -"Do the boys and girls dress alike in this country?" she asked. "That -child has the hips and shoulders of a woman." - -The boy had evidently completed his bookkeeping, and hastily -swallowing some of his wares, moved away. He sauntered awhile in the -direction of the town, trying to keep two figs at a time in the air -or to catch one in his mouth; then suddenly turned southward toward -the eastern slope of Mount Gerizim, and, depositing his basket under a -clump of bushes, ran southward as fast as his legs could carry him. - - - - -XV - -THE BATTLE OF THE WADY - - -The gray light of the following morning, breaking between the cliffs of -Moab, revealed two figures not far from the Fort of the Rocks. - -One was the stalwart form of Judas, his red hair glowing like a sunrise -on a mountain pinnacle as compared with the tiny body of his companion, -the lame Mephibosheth. The boy's strength was utterly exhausted, so -that he could scarcely stand with the aid of his crutch; but his -tongue, as usual, was "like a strong man rejoicing to run a race." - -"Up on my shoulder, Meph!" said Judas. "You can better whisper in my -ear what I judge it were not well for even the trees to hear. She was -unharmed? And you met her in the Wady? That is a good seven hours from -here, Meph. And you have trudged all night to bring me tidings? The -Lord bless you!" - -"Amen!" responded Meph. "And General Apollonius moves at once upon -us. He will attack us to-morrow or next day. Deborah bade me say that -he would surely come by the Wady. They must move up the dry water-bed -if they would reach us so soon, for it will take thrice the hours to -march over the hills; and she says that one man on the cliff above is -worth a score hemmed in by the walls of the great chasm they must pass -through." - -"God be praised! And is this all?" asked Judas. - -"Except," added Meph, "that a rich convoy has already started from -Shechem for Jerusalem by the direct road. In it are many merchants and -women of rank." - -"We want neither their pelf nor their women," said Judas. "Let them go -their way, if they only keep out of ours. But this Apollonius I would -have. He is the biggest hawk of them all. Oh, Meph! Meph! if we could -only get his claws tangled in the Wady as you get the birds fastened in -your nets!" - -"I generally have to pull the string myself," said the boy. "You must -pull just then and just so, but you get them." - -Judas laughed and assured Meph that he would make a strategist if not a -champion some day; and with gigantic strides he went over the hills. - -Within an hour the Fort of the Rocks was deserted by all save the -women, the aged, the sick, and children. In single bands the armed men -moved northward, following the depression between the hills, filing -like ants close to the clumps of rock so that no eye less sharp than -an eagle's would have detected a moving army. As night fell, the Jews, -who had been scattered during the daylight, gathered in among the rocks -bordering the great Wady. In the darkness they felt their way each to -such couch as he might find between the boulders. Soon all was silent, -except for the coming and going of Judas and his brethren, giving -encouragement or command. - -At the same time the army of Apollonius was approaching, a league to -the west. A squadron of horsemen led the van. These followed the -roadway, whose white line was extinguished by the clouds of dust raised -by thousands of hoofs. Lance-point and helmet gleamed dimly through the -darkness answering the stars, as when heavenly bodies are reflected -in rippling water. The command to move in silence did not prevent the -clicking of weapons and the low rumble of horses' feet on the beaten -road. - -Foot soldiers, armed with pikes, bows, and swords, followed the -horsemen. Then came camels and asses, laden with provisions and heavier -weapons. To the rear struggled hundreds of camp followers; merchants to -purchase the spoil; and those of baser sort to revel in the expected -rapine. The usual swarm of women were there to make their Circean camp -wherever the troops should halt. - -It was past midnight when the van of the Greeks reached the opening -of the Wady. The soldiers needed rest after their rapid march. Each -company scattered to right or left, maintaining only relative order. -Then silence fell upon the host. Ten thousand men were scarcely -distinguishable from the rocks and bushes amid which they slept. The -sharp challenge of a sentinel, the accidental clash of a weapon against -a stone, mingled with the hoot of an owl or the bark of some jackal as -he found his usual path of marauding blocked by the strange forms of -men. - -Yet other eyes than those of night-prowling birds and beasts penetrated -the darkness. Judas and his brethren had taken oversight of the Greek -host almost as comprehensive as was that of Apollonius and his staff. - -"I fear," said Judas to a comrade, "lest something untoward has -happened the maiden; for this is the spot, and the stars mark the -hour. God forbid that we have erred in sending her upon this unwomanly -venture!" - -"Yet," said Jonathan, "the information she has sent us is worth the -sacrifice of a life." - -"But not such a life, my brother. If she has been ensnared, I know not -how to rejoice in any victory so dearly bought. Meph says she was at -the very tent of Apollonius." - -"You think overmuch of the daughter of Elkiah," replied Jonathan. -"Besides, she would have her own way." - -"Aye, and has it. List!" - -The three whistling notes of a quail floated from a long distance, and -were scarcely answered by the same signal when a woman stood beside -them. - -"God be praised!" and the two Maccabees each raised in turn her hand to -his lips. - -"But why this attire, Deborah? We looked for a Greek helmet at least," -said Judas, touching her long flowing robe, which even the night showed -to be of a gaudy color. - -"The Greek women have the freedom of their camps," replied Deborah. -"No greater dangers than insulting words have threatened me there, and -words do not harm if the soul does not hear them." - -"Still, for every such word a Greek life shall pay before another night -comes," said Jonathan. - -"Not in my revenge, brave men," replied Deborah. "We must not think -of such things. What shall we care for insults when our cause is so -shamed? But to my account. Apollonius rides with the middle division. -The squadron of Syrian horse under Syron leads. Philip has sent a -detachment from Jerusalem to join in the fray. The whole army moves -into the valley at daybreak. God grant it may be to them the 'valley of -the shadow of death.' But yet, how can I wish such things? Sometimes my -woman's heart cries out against the cruelty of our most righteous war. -But I am woman no longer. My heart has bled so much that my nature has -turned to blood. Have you any order for me?" - -"None, but that you rest. Do not stay near the battle, for though we -pray for victory we are but a handful against a multitude. Our armor is -little more than our courage; theirs is brass and iron." - -"It matters not," said Deborah. "Did you hear my Caleb's dream? It was -of a little hole in the sandy beach which drank up the sea." - -"The Lord grant that this Wady be the hole," responded Judas. "If He -forsake us not, few of the Greeks will come out at the other end. But -to your rest, my daughter! You will need great strength of body and -soul to comfort those in the Fort of the Rocks, who will mourn for many -of us to-morrow. God watch between us!" - -Deborah went a little way in the direction of the Fort of the Rocks. -Jonathan accompanied her until she insisted upon lying down to rest -in a secure spot, feeling too fatigued to resume her journey before -to-morrow. - -But no sooner had Jonathan's form disappeared through the night than -she rose. - -"I cannot stay away from the battle," she said to herself. "Many of -these, my brothers, will fall. My place is among them. But this blood, -this blood! God, must it be? Yet I, a woman, have helped prepare this -slaughter." - -She fell upon her knees. "Lord, spare Thy people. If blood must flow -let it be of those only who have destroyed Thy altars, and blasphemed -Thy Holy Name. Spare Judas and Jonathan, and--all these Thy people! -Avenge Thou our cause! As the sun drinks the water from the pools, so -may Thy vengeance drink the blood of the enemy, and Thy land be purged!" - -She rose and walked rapidly, not toward the Fort of the Rocks, but in -the direction of the Greeks. - - - - -XVI - -THE BATTLEFIELD OF A HEART - - -Deborah joined a group of Greek women on the edge of the camps. These -were venting their rage upon an officer in command of a contingent sent -from Jerusalem. - -"The Captain forbids us to come among his tents; Astarte curse him! Are -his men better than other men, or better than we?" - -"They say he was born in Athens; as if Athens were better than -Antioch!" said one. - -"The statue of Athena, the prude, in the Parthenon, is so big that it -crowds out all other gods and goddesses; and so this upstart Captain -would crowd us out. And are we not goddesses? My Adonis, the one with a -brass pot for a skull, called me one." - -"Yes, they call us heavenly, and help us to Hades." - -"Captain Dion would make Aphrodite herself wear long skirts," said -another. - -"Dion!" The word rang sharp as a thunder-crash through Deborah's soul. -A glare as of the lightning's bolt seemed to illumine her. In it she -saw herself again a woman. Dion! Was she leading this man to slaughter? -But why not? He, too, was the enemy of her land, of her religion, of -her God. Had she not vowed death to Greeks of every name? Did her oath -spare even Dion? - -Yet Dion had saved her. And that, too, in spite of his soldierly duty -to his cause. - -Deborah staggered back into the darkness. Her strength until now had -been that of a man; but it was the strength which her soul, with its -tremendous resoluteness, had imparted to nerve and muscle. Now that her -soul was shaken, it sent its quiver through her physical frame, and she -was weak as a child. She sank upon the ground. - -Then one by one came memory's pictures of the terrors she had -experienced in Jerusalem. What had sustained her during those awful -days? Her pride as the daughter of the house of Elkiah? The necessity -of guarding her blind brother Caleb? Her faith? All these, doubtless; -yet she confessed to herself that but for the kind words of the Greek -Dion she might have given way. Not his proffered love. No! No! That -alone would have made her hate him; but he had been good to her. And -if--if God had used the Greek's kindness, even his love, to sustain -her, to give her strength for her holy devotion, should she despise -this Greek? Should she lead him into this ambuscade? If he should fall -on the morrow would she not be his murderess? She recoiled from herself -as from some polluted thing. - -Then, as a wave receding into the sea comes back, her feeling was -quickly reversed. Had she not taken delight in imagining herself -another Jael, who could drive the nail through the temple of a foeman -of her people, though he were sleeping in her own tent. She tried to -say, "Even Dion to his death!" but the sentence would not frame itself -in her purpose. Her brain seemed to stagnate. She could not think. She -prayed, "Lord, I am but as a mould; fill me with such purpose as Thou -wilt!" - -At length she said to herself, "I will seek out Judas, and beg him to -spare the advance of the Greek hosts, for there Dion will be, since his -camp is here foremost." - -Scarcely was this project formed when she abandoned it. The contingent -from Jerusalem to which Dion belonged was as numerous as all Judas' -band, and, if not destroyed in the first surprise of the attack, might -turn the tide of battle. Besides, what reason could she give Judas for -this request? Confess her attachment to a Greek? If womanly shame did -not forbid such an acknowledgment to another man, it surely would cost -her the confidence of the Jews. Never again would they believe in the -patriotism or honesty of one whose brother was a traitor, and whose -lover--for such they would regard Dion--was in the hostile camp. - -Following her first impulses Deborah had risen from the ground and -walked slowly toward the place where she knew Judas could be reached by -her signals. But she quickly turned back. - -"Might I not warn Dion? Not, of course, his fellow-officers. But, if -I did, would not his sense of duty lead him to divulge the plot?" She -prayed again for light, but no light came. The gloom deepened about -her. Two spirits were tearing her soul asunder in their strife for -possession. She thought of her people; of her father dashed to death by -Greek hands beside the altar; then of the brave band of patriots who, -unless they triumphed bloodily at the very dawn, must themselves be -slaughtered before the nightfall. She felt her personality dissolving -into a flame of zeal for her land and her people's God. She cried out -with uplifted arms: "O God, I am no longer a woman. I am Thine; Thy -Avenging Spirit! Use me as Thou dost use the lightning's bolt, the -flood, the plague, that I may bring destruction to all this host!" - -Then, even as she stood with outstretched arms in this awful -imprecation, there came the vision of Dion, so noble, though a Greek, -with a man's heart greater than all his racial prejudice; the friend -who had risked life and repute for her father's safety, though it -proved unavailing; the rescuer of blind Caleb; her own friend--who -loved her, she could not doubt it--whose thoughts even now, as he was -moving to his death, were possibly of her. - -"O, God!" she exclaimed. "Take away my life. Let me die rather than -make this decision." - -She waited, longing that her heart might stop beating through the -violence of its own contentions. But it beat on. She drew a dagger, and -pressed its point gently against her bosom, as she murmured: - -"Oh, if it were but right that I should lay down my life, since God -will not take it!" - -The crackling of dried leaves caught Deborah's attention. A sentinel -gave challenge. - -Deborah instantly responded with the watchword of the Greek camp, "The -sword of Apollonius," which she knew had been given for the night. - -"Another woman, by Jove! One would think he had fallen upon the Grove -of Daphne, or the streets of the Piræus, rather than a war camp," said -one walking with the sentry. - -"Come, get out of this! To the rear with you, or we will make you march -in front of the first battle." - -"I am not within the lines," replied Deborah. "The lines run from the -twisted rock to the cypress yonder. So we were told." - -"Are those the lines?" asked the officer. "Then let her stay. We -ourselves have lost our bearing, but daylight is coming up yonder in -the East, and we shall need no longer any lines here, for we move at -dawn." - -Deborah could not mistake that voice, nor the form that the dim light -outlined. She thought that she was silent, enacting a tragedy back of -her rigidly compressed lips; yet some word or outcry must have escaped -her, for the officer turned quickly. - -"Woman, did you speak?" - -Now she was indeed silent, and moveless as the great rock against which -she leaned. The man came nearer and tried to scan her features. - -"Woman, I have heard your voice before. Have you followed from -Jerusalem?" - -A moment elapsed before she replied, but that moment was like one of -those in which we dream, and live hours and days. She realized that -there had now been forced upon her a quick decision of the question -which the past hour of agonizing debate with herself had not begun -to solve. She had time in that waiting moment to pray for light. She -gathered up many scenes of those terrible days in the city, of her -flight from Dion's help, of her vow, of her life as a spy. To these she -added the imagined scenes of the coming day, the slaughter of Greeks, -perhaps the annihilation of the Jewish band, and extinction of Israel's -hopes. She saw all these things, and central of them all she saw the -form now before her falling beneath some arrow shot from the covert of -the rocks overhanging the valley he was about to enter. And then she -saw herself as the accomplisher of it all. - -"And this, this," she said to herself, "is to be a woman's return for a -man's love!" - -Deborah had often prayed that God would destroy her sense of -personality, that she might be but an unfeeling agent of His will, -as are the lightning and tempest; but He had not done so. Her human -nature asserted itself over her faith; her individuality refused to -lose itself in her nationality, or shall we say that her womanhood -was stronger than both? This man and herself were for the instant as -essential factors in her problem as were the Greek and Jewish armies. -But she saw no clearer the solution of that problem; only that it -must be solved, right or wrong, and at once. So she replied to her -questioner: - -"Yes, I came from Jerusalem." - -The officer peered closely into her face. - -"You are not Greek nor Syrian." - -"God be praised, I am not. I am a daughter of Jerusalem, an outcast -from my father's house, as you would make all the women and children of -Israel to be." - -"Deborah! Daughter of Elkiah! Do I dream? Of all the damnable things -that war has brought this is the most fiendish. You, Deborah, in a -soldier's camp! Good gods! Tell me you are not the daughter of Elkiah, -but some black soul from Erebus which has found her dead body and -entered it." - -"Dion, I did not die, but it is true that another spirit has entered -mine." - -"Better wert thou dead than live such a life as this," cried he. "Why -did you fly without my help? I had arranged for your safety. I would -have given my life for yours--but--but now----" - -He grasped her hands, then threw them from him as something that -defiled him. "There is no god of Jew or Greek, or this could not have -been. Tell me, Deborah, that what I see is not true. That you--that you -are not here." - -He covered his face with his hands as if to banish the vision of the -reality. - -"Dion, what you see is true; but what you think is false--yes, false -and mean as the gods you worship. An outcast I am, as all my people -are; but not an outcast from honour; not from my father's faith; not -from the favour of my father's God. Your soldiers have destroyed our -homes; where can we live but in the fields? How can we subsist except -as the beasts and birds do, by picking up the crumbs which the army of -Antiochus drops along its path of slaughter?" - -She laid her hands upon her gaudy garments as if to tear them from her. - -A bugle sounded. It was quickly answered from far and near. A rustle -as of a sudden storm among the rocks and bushes told that the host was -waking. Then followed the hum of voices, cut with the sharp words of -command, the click of arms, and clashing of utensils, the neighing of -horses and outcries of grooms and masters. - -Dion started a step as if to obey the call. - -"Stay, Dion!" she cried, losing for the instant her self-possession as -she realized the fate which hung above her friend. - -The Greek turned, and said in quick words: "My command awaits me, -Deborah. Tell me how I may save you." - -She let him put his hand upon her. As she felt his touch she saw this -much of her problem solved--he should not return to his command if a -woman's will or a woman's wiles could prevent it. The love he offered -her she would use not for herself, but for his own sake. Surely if it -were right to deceive an enemy for his destruction, it were doubly -right to deceive a friend in order to save him. - -She replied, "My friend, my father's friend, you can save me from that -which I dread worse than my own death." - -"How? Who threatens you? Let me but hear it, and my sword will follow -him through Jewish or Greek camp, or through hell itself." - -"Let us draw a little more aside," said Deborah. "The light is so clear -now that it shows us." - -Dion slowly followed her, pausing again and again to look toward his -camp. - -A second bugle denoted that the host was to begin its march. - -"You must go back to your duty," said she. "Go, I must save myself as I -can. The bugle calls you." - -"A more sacred duty calls me here. Deborah, tell me, what threatens -you?" - -She gently drew him to a seat beside her upon a shelving rock which -was overcapped by a juniper bush. Did she mean the tenderness her face -expressed, so near to his? She felt that her look was like that of a -serpent enchanting a bird. She despised herself and would fain have -risen and fled away from the spot. But as she noted the man's features, -expressing so well the nobility of character she knew he possessed, and -realized also the unselfishness of his devotion to her, she felt that -she was not altogether practising deceit; that her web, though spun by -her brain, was from substance drawn from her heart. - -"My dear Dion," she said, "the greatest terror that possesses me is -that you think me what my presence here might suggest. Save me first of -all from falling in your respect. Believe me, I am still as worthy of -your care as when you saw me, a mere child, in Jerusalem--though these -few months have made me a woman, I fear with a wicked heart." - -"I do believe you, Deborah," cried he, grasping both her hands. "Now -that the light shows you, I see the same pure soul I once loved, -and never for an instant have ceased to love. But, my child, you -have suffered. Pain has cut deep lines. This must cease. If there is -anything in my position, my estate, any influence with those in power, -any strength in my arm or sharpness in my sword, let me use it. Only -tell me." - -The trumpet call was repeated. Dion rose, and stood for a while looking -in the direction whence it had come. - -"I can overtake them," he said, hesitating. - -"But how explain your absence? Will not some harm come from your -failing to appear with your command? You should go." - -Yet her hands were hard holding his, and her face wore an intensity of -desire which he, not knowing its full meaning, thought to be only the -return of his love. - -"I cannot go," said he. "I will not go, my love, until you have told me -how I can save you. By all the gods I swear it." - -"Swear not at all," said Deborah, placing her fingers upon his lips, -only to receive the kiss they tempted. - -Dion's arm stole about the form of his companion. She did not resist -it. Why not? Only because thus she was detaining him. Let him interpret -it otherwise; it was for his life, and when he was saved they would -part forever. - -A distant din caught the ear. A wild scream of a bugle was answered by -the blast of scores of trumpets and the shrieks of a multitude from the -direction of the great Wady. - -"An attack!" cried Dion, leaping to his feet. - -"Then you must be gone," said Deborah, but still clinging to him as she -pointed. "But see, the Jews are thronging there. They have lined the -hills. An ambuscade for the Greeks! God be with His people! Stay, Dion, -it is useless to seek your command. Your soldiers are in the Wady, and -Judas--the sword of the Lord and of Judas is between them and us!" - -Dion's trained eye took in at once the military situation. - -Yet under the true soldier's impulse, he would have hastened with -single sword to his post of duty, could he have seen any way thither. -The hills lining the Wady were now black with the Jews; and small bands -were hastening from every direction. He could not rejoin his soldiers -if he would. - -Deborah readily drew him back to their covert. Now and again he would -start forth, but as quickly return, seeing no safe exit. Deborah -herself became changed in look and manner. Her lips opened as if giving -command to the distant soldiers, yet her hand on Dion's arm held him -captive by the spell of its touch. - -"List! The cry of the sons of Mattathias--Mi-camo-ca-ba! 'who is like -unto thee among the Gods!' Judas is conquering. See! See! Our people -are over the hilltops. They are rushing down into the Wady. God be -praised! The sword of the Lord and of Judas!" - -She seemed to forget the presence of her companion, yet at the -slightest movement on his part her hand stayed him. - -"I will hasten to the eastward. Surely our troops will cut their way -out there upon the open road," cried Dion. - -"Nay, but see! Jonathan and the men from Hebron are there." - -"Then I can follow into the ravine and die with my brave soldiers." - -"That way is also closed," said Deborah, "for Simon and the tribesmen -from the north are pressing in after the Greeks. Look!" - -"How knew you this?" cried Dion, as his trained eye saw that the woman -was correct. "Are you a spirit of battle? Do you hold the armies of -Antiochus as you have held me? Are you witch, or are you woman?" - -"I know not," she replied, "I only know that Dion dies not to-day with -the rest." - -Then the Greek broke away from his captor. It was but for a moment, for -all around were Jews, who sprang up as if from the ground. - -"Back, back, or you are slain! These peasants never miss with the arrow -or sling. Back!" - -She drew him to the covert. - -"For myself I care not, but you." - -"For my sake then, O Dion, do not leave me. They will kill me. Save me, -Dion! Back! They will see your Greek armor, and the arrows will not -leave a branch on the tree if you are detected. Back!" - -She had scarcely spoken when a missile clanged against the rock at her -side. Deborah sprang from the covert, and stood exposed in the open. -Dion heard the call of a Jew to his comrades: - -"It is only a woman; forward, men!" - -The group of patriots hurried by. - -Deborah scanned the field far and wide. Seeing that the Jews had all -entered the ravine, she turned to her companion: - -"Dion, go quickly! Once Dion was called a traitor to his people because -he saved the daughter of Elkiah; to-day Elkiah's child had almost -betrayed her people that she might save the life of the noblest of -Greeks. Hasten away." - -His arms would have retained her, but swift as a frightened fawn she -ran, and, breathless in his futile pursuit, the Greek watched her agile -form until it disappeared among the throngs which marked the edge of -the battle. Then he sought to rejoin his forces. But it was only to -be caught in a crowd of fugitives who had escaped from the Wady, and, -helmetless, were making their way to the west. - -The setting sun that day was not so red as the blood-stained rocks in -the Wady. Thousands of corpses lay amid the broken spear-shafts and -empty helmets which lined the dry bed of the brook, waiting until the -next winter's storms should flood its banks and wash away the signs of -one of the grandest victories of few over many that history has ever -recorded. - -The sublimest heroism of that heroic day was displayed by Judas -himself. Heading a band of choice spirits, he leaped from rock to -rock down the side of the narrow valley, as a wild beast descends -upon its prey. He made straight for the spot where helmets were -brightest and the banners most enriched with blazonry, denoting the -body-guard of Apollonius. His voice, like a lion, roaring the war cry -'Mi-camo-ca-ba,' scarcely revealed his presence before his sword was -crossing that of the famous General. - -The gigantic stature of Judas, together with his tremendous strength -and fury, well matched any superior skill of fence the Greek might -have had. Their swords intertwined like two writhing serpents, neither -daring to loosen its grip of the other. But steadily the Jew forced -Apollonius to give ground until he was driven back against a rock which -prevented the free use of his arm. Then the swords disentangled, and -that of Judas entered the throat of his antagonist. - -The conflict was over. Judas gathered his scattered bands. Laden with -spoil--provisions, arms, and boxes filled with coins--they emerged from -the Wady. - -Upon a knoll stood the five brethren; about them the warriors, wearied -with their work, and sickened with their deep draughts of blood. Judas -knelt, and the little host fell prostrate upon the ground in silent -prayer. Then, as they rose, a woman's voice raised the old song of -Miriam by the Red Sea, and the multitude joined as in the synagogue; -but with what new meaning in their faith! - -"I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously. Thy right -hand hath dashed in pieces the enemy." - -When the shouts and psalms had died away Judas lifted the sword which -he himself had wrested from the death-clutch of Apollonius. It was a -slender weapon; its handle of fretted gold, its blue steel blade etched -with representations of the labors of Herakles. - -"Listen, my brave men! This sword belongs to the daughter of Elkiah. -Her prowess and her prophecy have won it." - -None but he and she knew his meaning, for she had told him of the scene -in Apollonius' house in Jerusalem. - -Deborah looked upon the blade. She took it into her hand a moment. One -near enough might have heard: - -"It is the same. I thank thee, O Lord, that a more fitting hand than -mine has done this deed." - -She then bound the sword of Apollonius upon the thigh of Judas. - -"So the Lord gird thee with strength!" she said. - -As, according to Jewish tradition, David wore the sword of the fallen -Goliath through all his glorious wars, so Judas carried the sword of -Apollonius, until five years later it was buried in the grave of the -founder of the Maccabæan dynasty of Jewish patriots. - - - - -XVII - -A FAIR WASHERWOMAN - - -The victory of the Jews at the Wady winged the fame of Judas far and -wide. Among his own people the chosen war-cry "Mi-camo-ca-ba" gave -place to the contracted word "Ma-ca-ba" or "Maccabee," the Hammer, a -title significant of the swift and crushing blows with which he smote -the enemy. - -Even the tribesmen about the borders of the Holy Land, the Horites -in the caves of Petra, and the dwellers in the flint castles of the -desert, wondered if a new deliverer had risen in Israel. In black tents -on the plains and in strongholds among the cliffs were told again and -again the old stories of the Jewish judges; while the Arab sheikhs of -the Jordan valley deliberated if it were not wise to cast in their -lot with a people who, even if not favored directly of heaven, might -by such human valor as Judas and his men had displayed, beat back the -deluge of Greek power which threatened to submerge their own as well as -Israel's possessions. - -Among the Jews the enthusiasm was like a fire amid brambles, so rapidly -did it spread. Simon, the Wise, was persistent in his counsel for -patience, and for wide and cautious preparation. - -[Illustration] - -"Remember, my brethren," said he, "that we are not boiling a pot, but -are to consume the very Cedars of Lebanon--for such is this gigantic -power of the north which menaces us. The fight in the Wady was but -the beginning of battles. Antiochus has many armies. He will gather -fresh hordes from the nations which own his sway. We have only wounded -this wild beast of Antioch. He will turn again upon us with more -ravening strength." - -The news of the overwhelming defeat of Apollonius brought consternation -to the Greeks, and especially to the renegades in Jerusalem. Every -one who repeated the tidings added what he or she feared, until the -numbers of the Jewish patriots were swollen to vast multitudes in the -popular mind. The more sagacious assumed that the Jews must be in -alliance with the great nations which were contesting the dominion -of Antiochus beyond the deserts in the Euphrates valley. Some had it -that the Egyptian Ptolemy had resumed war against Syria; and even -Rome was rumored to have thrown her sword into the scale; for it was -incredible that an untrained peasant, with so small a force of herdsmen -as the Jews were reputed to have had, could outwit one of Apollonius' -astuteness, and with a single blow shatter his phalanges. - -Imagination, made sensitive by fright, pictured the valleys beyond -the hills filled with strange armies. Squads of Greek horsemen would -scurry rapidly across open fields, then halt for long observation -on the hilltops before venturing another dash. Popular superstition -transformed Judas himself into a demi-god, or one of the ancient -worthies of Israel, Samson or Gideon, returned to earth. - -"They say he is as big as Pelops, and carries a whole tree-trunk for -his mace," said a Greek soldier, looking stealthily behind him, and -watching an olive clump whose stiff branches shook in the evening -breeze. - -The gates of Jerusalem were now closed by day as well as by night. -Watchers patrolled without the walls, so that not a goat approached -without being scrutinized, "lest," said a Greek wag, "his horns should -prove to be the head-piece of another Alexander, the great Macedonian, -who wore such horns for his crest." - -The only inhabitants permitted free access and egress at the city gates -were the women who went daily to the brook Kedron, bearing loads of -clothing which they hastily washed in the running water, with faces -made white as the linen by the stories their fright invented. At any -moment this terrible Judas might leap upon them out of the hills or the -heavens. - -A group of these women were one morning at the Siloam pool. Among -them was one of well-bronzed face, and short black hair which sprayed -out beneath the close folding of her soiled kerchief. This woman was -accompanied by a child who sat upon the brink of the brook, that his -feet might feel the brush of cool water as it flowed by. She untied a -hamper of garments which she had carried upon her head, and, tying up -her skirts above her knees, waded into the stream. Like the others, she -dipped the pieces altogether into the water, pounded them one by one -with a short wooden club, then wrung each garment into a tight little -bundle, and flung it upon the bank. - -Suddenly a cry arose among the women. A cloud of dust appeared upon the -old road leading from Bethany. All gathered their laundered work, and -hastily climbed the steep ascent to the southern gate of the city. - -"Is it Judas?" asked the boy. "Can we get in before he catches us?" - -"If we hurry," replied the woman. "Come." - -"I wish it were Judas," said another, pausing in the shadow of the -tower above the gate. "Since these Greek fashions have come there is -nothing but wash, wash. The new Princess has enough white linen to -cover the peak of Hermon as the snows do, and enough coloured garments -to make her like a sunset." - -"Is she beautiful?" asked the strange washerwoman. - -"So the men say, but----" - -"But? Go on." - -"Why, you yourself, girl, would be fairer than the Princess if you had -one of her jewels in your hair. And as for her figure, no one sees her -except as she lies like a painted statue in the palanquin. She may have -a turtle's back and duck's legs, for all she arches her neck like a -swan." - -The clamour of the washerwomen sufficed without further watchword with -the sentry at the gate, who opened to them the "needle's eye" or small -door. Once within the city they could not be induced to venture out -again for the day, though assured that the imagined Judas was only a -Greek courier riding from the direction of Jericho, who brought tidings -that no enemy was to be seen for a distance of twenty stadia in any -direction. - -Passing the cellar-like tunnel beneath the city wall the laundresses -scattered, each in her own way, through the streets. - -The woman we have described, with her load upon her head like a -huge turban, and with the lad clinging to her skirts, went up the -Cheesemakers' Street to the Street of David. She paused an instant -by the little altar which stood by the street door of the house of -Glaucon, whether in detestation of this sacrilege of a home devoted to -piety or to offer a pinch of incense, an observer could not have told. -She rapped sharply at the gate. The bar was instantly dropped from -within. A short, stout man, whose long temple locks were well whitened -with years, stood in the half opening. - -"What do you want?" said he, as he saw the unexpected visitors. - -Before the woman could make response, the child had uttered a cry, -"It's Ephraim! It's Ephraim!" - -The man started back, and stared at the lad. - -"As the Lord liveth!" he exclaimed, and caught the boy to his arms. -"Surely Sheol has opened its gates. But where, woman, have you found -him?" - -"It's Deborah, too!" cried the lad. "Are you blind, Ephraim, that you -cannot see Deborah?" - -The woman passed through the door, and dropped the bundle from her head -upon the pavement of the court. - -Old Ephraim gazed stupidly at her. Then he clutched the boy closely, as -if it were necessary to re-enforce vision by feeling the living child, -ere he could credit his senses. - -"God be praised! It is she. My master's children, both!" - -Overcome as by an apparition, the old servant staggered for a moment, -then with a spasmodic burst of strength grasped the door, swung it -shut, dropped the heavy cross-bar between the lintels, and stood with -his whole weight against it. - -"Ephraim, I am not pursued; no one will harm me here," said Deborah. - -"No one dare touch you here," replied he, with a fierce look at the -closed portal, as if in challenge of men and demons without. "No one -will touch you here, but--but you shall not go away again." - -Ephraim glanced up at the sky, which dropped its light into the open -square court around which the house was built, as if he would close -that way of exit also, apparently imagining that it was only by some -such aerial flight that Deborah had formerly disappeared. - -"Is Benjamin here?" inquired Deborah. - -"Benjamin! God bless your lips for speaking that name once more. It's -many a day since we have heard anything but 'Glaucon,' 'Glaucon,' as -the son of Elkiah has gone in and out of his father's house. Aye, he -smote me in the face for repeating the name we called him when, on the -eighth day of his life, we circumcised him according to the Law--the -name recorded in the Temple when, about as big as Caleb, he was -enrolled as a Son of the Law, and the fringes put upon his coat. But -whence came you, my daughter? And why this dress of the serving women? -And your hands are hard, and your feet torn, and your beautiful hair -is cut off, and years have come into your face. When Huldah shall see -you, she will cry tears that are bitter as well as gladsome, for your -old nurse has sat in the house like 'Rachel, mourning for her children, -and refusing to be comforted, because they were not.' Poor hands!" He -raised them to his lips. - -"Your kiss, good Ephraim, has gone far to heal them," replied Deborah, -with moistened eyes. - -"And in this?" touching her garment, as if it were some unworthy thing -that defiled an altar. "In this? The daughter of my master, with robes -in her chamber fit for Sheba's queen, clad like a water carrier?" - -"Huldah's fingers and mine will soon remedy these things," replied the -girl. - -"That they shall"; and Ephraim's voice rang through the house: - -"Huldah! Huldah!" - -The old woman appeared upon the scene, with eyes flashing -contemptuously from beneath the white mantle which covered her head. - -"What now, Ephraim? Are you grown so old that you dare not push the -beggars from the door? I'll show you that a woman's strength does not -ooze out through her wrinkles." - -She made at the intruders, but her prowess vanished as quickly as the -strength goes from a broken bow. - -"My mistress! My darlings!" - -She threw herself prone upon the pavement of the court, kissed the feet -of Deborah, and fondled them. - -"Poor bruised things!" - -She could not rise, for Caleb had thrown himself into the lap of the -woman, who, when the first paroxysm of her excitement was gone, sat -crooning over the child, forgetful of the weary months during which her -arms had longed for him as if he had been her own. - -"You were always a mother to us, Huldah. The Lord bless your dear good -heart." - -"And to think that you were away from me, and wanting me!" cried the -nurse, hugging closer the blind child. - -"The Lord has been with us," replied Deborah. "Some day I will tell you -all." - -"I would have known all that happened to my master's daughter," said -Ephraim, "if I had known whither you had gone, for with you I had gone -also. Here have I stayed, not for love of Benjamin, but because I did -not know where to go to seek you." - -"The Lord reward you, Ephraim! And now let me go to my chamber." - -"That alone has been untouched," said Huldah. "You see that all else -has been changed." - -Ephraim led the way across the court, Huldah following, carrying Caleb. - -In the centre of the court played the little fountain; but it no longer -sent up its simple sheaf of spray. The water now trickled from the -hands of marble Cupids, and fell upon the nude form of Aphrodite, and -filled a shell-shaped basin at her feet. At the corners of the court -stood exquisite sculptures, evidencing the new taste of the master of -the house. - -As Deborah stepped upon the platform, or open square room which -served as the entrance hall to the living apartments, she was -confronted by a middle-aged man, in white chiton and embroidered -girdle, with close-curled locks and flat face. His lofty but otherwise -expressionless look, and the stiffness of the motion by which he -simulated dignity, indicated that he was the chief of several Greek -servants whom Glaucon had installed. - -"Not in here, woman," said he, putting his hand upon Deborah. "You -Jewish dog," he added, addressing Ephraim, "have you forgotten your -business, to bring your street herd into the house? I'll teach you." - -He raised his hand to strike him, but Deborah's arm intercepted the -blow. - -"Hold, I am mistress here," she said. - -Her shabby garb could not disguise her supreme grace of mien, nor did -her weather-bronzed skin hide the beauty of her face or lessen the tone -of refinement in her voice. The man stared in motionless amazement as -she raised the curtain and passed within, bidding Huldah to follow. - -Leaving Ephraim to tell the story of her identity, she entered the -first lower chamber, the reception-room of the mansion. She noted the -strange and foreign things which had taken the place of the familiar -furniture, much of which had been the heirloom of many generations; -then she passed to her own chamber. Here, as Huldah pointed out, -everything was as she had left it the day of her flight. - -"Now, good mother, let us be alone," said she, with a fond embrace of -the old nurse. - -"Here is the key of the chest," said Huldah, after much fumbling in her -bosom, and nearly denuding herself in the search. "The Greek slaves -that Benjamin has hired steal everything that their fingers touch. But -they have not come in here. Even Benjamin swore to kill them if they -did, though they have opened all his closets, except the hidden ones -between the walls." - -When they were alone, and Caleb, tired of seeing every familiar thing -with those eyes in his fingers, had dropped to sleep upon the couch, -Deborah knelt by the side of it--the bed which had been hers in -childhood. She would pray. But quick memories wrought a veil that shut -out the present communion. She recollected her mother that day when -they carried her out to be buried, and when, as a parting gift, she -left them little Caleb. She thought of the happy years when Benjamin -had taken her upon his big boyish shoulders, and played with her on -the roof-top, and down by the brook Kedron where she had been to-day. -She had been wont to dream of Benjamin as a prince among the people, -and wondered if the Messiah, when He should come, would be handsomer -or braver or kinder than her brother. Then she recalled the strange -sickness that had fallen upon Caleb; the days of pain which her little -mother-hands alone could exorcise from his hot temples and writhing -form; and how, when the sickness passed, his eyes grew larger, as if -seeing things far away, but saw not anything that others looked upon. -She sat again at her father's feet, and learned from his lips the -sacred precepts of the Law and the thrilling stories of her nation's -heroes, and the wonders of Jehovah's arm made bare for Israel's -deliverance. God had been to her in those childhood days a Presence of -which she seemed conscious--the clouds His robes of glory, and every -whispering breeze His assurance of love and care. - -But now--she tried to pray, but her prayer was only like the cry of a -child in fright. Her soul threw out its arms blindly grasping at she -knew not what--yet called that unknown "God's Will." - -How weak she was! And yet how strong! - -She realized that she was but as a leaf in the stream which the -current carries along, but which the current cannot sink. True, she -could not resist the terrible tide of circumstances into which her lot -was cast, but neither could these circumstances destroy her. She stood -with clenched hands, motionless, looking at nothing. - -Her lips moved, and this they said: "I cannot even pray. I was Elkiah's -daughter, but now I am not even a woman; I am a spirit, vengeful, -hating, deceiving, or I could not do this thing. Yet surely, I am -Elkiah's daughter. This is my chamber. And this, and this, and this is -mine. O, my father, forgive me! And yet thy sainted spirit called me to -come home again. O, Lord God of my father, help me to honour his name, -and to save his house!" - - - - -XVIII - -HIGH PRIEST! HIGH DEVIL! - - -Deborah threw off her coarse garment, and before the mirror of polished -brass--in which many generations of women had been made conscious of -the beauty for which their family was famous--she arranged her hair as -decorously as its brief length permitted, supplementing its lost beauty -with a band of pearls which she discovered in the great carved wooden -chest. Her arms were now as sun-stained as those of a Bedouin maiden -from the tribes beyond Jordan, and made goodly contrast with the silver -bracelets which once scarcely rivalled the whiteness of her skin. She -donned an embroidered bodice and outer robe of white linen, and put on -the sandals with the golden-threaded strings binding the ankles, such -as she had often worn. - -"Once more I am the daughter of Elkiah." - -A momentary flush of pride answered the reflection in the mirror. - -She pushed it from her, and sat with folded hands upon the couch. - -"A hypocrite! What better am I than that brazen mistress of Apollonius? -Oh, God, must I do this? A spy in the house of my father? Lord, lead -me. Save me from wrong-doing. Yet is it not Thy will?" - -"What is it, sister?" asked Caleb, who was now awakened by Deborah's -soliloquy. He stretched out his hands to her, but shrank back as he -felt the strange texture of her robe. - -"We are home again, my dear. Come, you must wear your pretty clothes." - -While dressing Caleb neither of them spoke, for their attention was -drawn to loud voices which sounded from the adjacent chamber. - -"The Lord be with thee, Glaucon!" - -"And with thee, Menelaos!" - -"Ha! ha! you haven't forgotten your old-time piety." - -"If I had, the presence of the High Priest would revive the memory. I -take it that your office has more agreeable functions, now that the -King will not allow the priests to smell so much of blood and offal as -formerly. A journey to Antioch, a chariot in the processions, and a -symposium in the King's new banqueting-hall--though the wine has too -much mastic in it--must be preferable to playing chief butcher at the -Temple. Is it not so, my lord?" - -"Hush, Glaucon! Your words have too much truth in them to be -agreeable," replied Menelaos. "But, by Jove!--it is convenient to have -an oath one can use without blasphemy--by Jove! I would rather be here -hobnobbing with an old comrade than tripping up on my official skirts -in Antioch." - -The Priest threw himself upon the wide divan, while an attendant -arranged behind him a pile of cushions. - -"Wine, Ajax!" cried Glaucon. "I am sorry we must take it no cooler than -the cellar, for these rebels have let no snow be brought from Hermon -since they sent Apollonius across the Styx." - -"The gods forbid that that ravening beast Judas cut off other -supplies," replied the Priest. "Not a partridge nor a fish has been -sold at the market for a fortnight. The Princess will have double cause -for grief over the death of her cousin, the General, if she stays in -Jerusalem. So goodly a bit of flesh should be fed better. But a fine -convoy is coming down from Antioch." - -"There is no doubt about her kinship to the General?" asked Glaucon. - -"Oh, none whatever. Apollonius' letter to me implied as much. They -say she has great riches. The tribute of a whole city in Anatolia, or -Syria, or the devil may guess where, follows her; for Apollonius was -as bold in robbing his enemies as he was in killing them; and he loved -the woman so well that he would have let her melt off his legs had they -been golden. The Princess says that a thousand shekels belonging to -her were in Apollonius' military chest and fell into the hands of the -damned Maccabaean." - -"That is the worst thing I have heard about Judas' victory," laughed -Glaucon. "But the Princess has plenty of credit, I take it, even if she -can't transport through the air the gold plates on the roofs of her -many palaces." - -"Gold plates or thatch, she's rich enough," rejoined the Priest. "And, -by Aphrodite's ankle! what a woman she is! Glaucon, if it were not that -I have already at least one wife, I would cut your throat for jealousy, -for Helena evidently takes to you. She has an eye for manly beauty. And -you, Glaucon, have a face which, but for the twist in your nose that -the alipta has not yet mollified enough to straighten out, would be the -face of a god. You are an Adonis in figure. If I had your shoulders -and calves I would forswear priest's robes. What a couple you and the -Princess would make!" - -The click of a brass mirror was heard as Glaucon replied, "'By -Aphrodite's ankle!' A good oath that. I will remember it. 'By -Aphrodite's ankle!' Ha! ha! A good saying! a good saying! The Princess -is a beauty, I swear! Her lips are always red." - -"Not from over-use either, I take it," interjected his coacher. - -"And her skin so fair!" - -"Never saw anything fairer outside the shop of Demos, the cosmetic -seller in Antioch," replied Menelaos. "And, by Jove, you are a fool, -Glaucon, if you don't get her. Listen! With all of her distant -possessions I happen to know that the loss of Apollonius' box left -her in need of ready money; ready money, you understand, for she has -plenty that isn't ready. I proposed to advance her a few shekels, but -my wife Lydia, the chaste--please tell her I called her that--objects -on the ground that as High Priest I should not lend money. But really, -my wife is as jealous of Helena as a hen is of a duck. A gift from -your strong-box, Glaucon, would not be a bad investment. 'Cast thy -bread upon the waters,' says Solomon, 'and thou shalt find it after -many days.' I commend the precept to your piety, son of Elkiah the -provident." - -"Perhaps I could spare something," said Glaucon, musingly. - -"I do not doubt it," replied the Priest, "else you have not used well -the office I have secured for you. And how goes farming the taxes?" - -"Thanks to your favouring me at Antioch, my good Menelaos, I am in -fair prospect, though we have not much gold in Jerusalem. The soldiers -have gleaned everything that glittered. But I am getting hold of some -estates, the heirs to which have either been killed or have joined the -rebels, so that their titles revert to the King. For these he gives me -fair commission. - -"But there is one matter that puzzles me, Menelaos. Do you remember -the house of Shattuck? It is now a score and a half years since that -family disappeared from the city. Hosea ben Shattuck was a merchant -in Sidon wares, his shop where the Street of David bends toward the -Tyropean, his house the great one by the Tower of David. Report has -it that he journeyed to Alexandria--took ship at Gaza--but he never -returned. As Shattuck was unmarried there seems to be no one interested -in chronicling his whereabouts. The property is now one of the largest -on the tax list. I could secure the title for the value of a pedlar's -pack. Among my father's accounts I found the evidence of Shattuck's -indebtedness to the house of Elkiah in the sum of fivescore shekels, -some little matter of business between them, such as my father would -never press against a neighbor. Though he did not ask the repayment of -it, he made record, as was his habit in all money matters. He would -not exact usury from a fellow Jew, but with the usury such as our new -customs allow it would amount to thrice as much as the original debt." - -"Claim the property, the whole of it, or you are a fool for a Jew, much -more for a Greek," said Menelaos eagerly. - -"But if any heir should return?" queried Glaucon. - -"But you said there was no heir." - -"True, but one doesn't always know about such matters." - -"Well, if there be, what then? On what ground could he make claim -for restitution? All titles of absentees now rest with the King. The -property, according to the last edict, will be confiscated. I can fix -it at Antioch that your indebtedness will be recognized. One hundred? -Make it a thousand. I myself will file claim, and vouch for it that -your credit in the matter is worth the entire estate of Shattuck." - -"You have great power with the King, my dear Menelaos." - -"Power with the King? Why, I bought him when I bought my High -Priesthood. You know that Jason, my brother, sent me to Antioch with -six hundred talents to bribe the royal pleasure for his appointment to -be High Priest. I appropriated the six hundred, added three hundred -more to it, and bought the office for myself; and so outplayed the -young trickster at his own game. Beside that, you recollect that it was -I who gave Jerusalem to the King." - -"How was that? I am not so well versed in state secrets as I should -be," replied Glaucon. - -"Why, when Jason, the Priest, came suddenly back from Egypt, hearing -the false report that Antiochus had died, he threw me into the dungeon -at Akra. To rescue me, and regain my conduct of affairs, the King sent -his army and took the city. So without me the King would not have had -it. No man, my dear friend, has had more to do with making the King's -fortune than I. And he cannot dispense with me yet. But I must have -some return for what I do for him--and for you. For my part in your -business, Glaucon, I shall have what portion of the gain?" - -"A third," said Glaucon, hesitating, and watching the face of his -comrade. - -"Make it half." - -"The old greed, Menelaos. The same that always claimed the fattest bird -we snared together when we were boys." - -"Greed! A proper taunt from the lips of the son of Elkiah, indeed. Who -secured for you your office of tax-farmer? And how many other estates -have you tapped like a wine-skin to fill your own jars, of which you -have told me nothing? Simon ben Shem wants to be tax-farmer in your -stead. He has done as much for me as you have, and will pay me a higher -rate for protection at Antioch." - -"Forgive me, Menelaos," cried Glaucon, quivering before the Priest's -gaze like a bird bewitched by the eyes of a snake. "I always bantered -you for taking the largest game; but in the end, as you know, always -let you have it. Let it be play between us." - -"Good!" replied Menelaos. "And what news of the Greek who loved you so -well that he split your skull with the discus?" - -"I fear," said Glaucon, "that we will get no news from Dion. He was in -command of a company sent from our city garrison, and not a man has -returned. Poor Dion! Next to yourself, Menelaos, I never had a truer -friend. Thorough Greek that he was, he seemed to have a love for our -people. He knew the legends of Moses as well as he knew the stories of -Homer, and I think he loved them better. The Lord rest his soul if we -see him no more!" - -"Amen!" said the Priest. "May Pluto give him a high place at his -banquets, for Dion was a good roysterer. He was as faithful to your -father as Æneas was to his. And he could not have searched the camps -for your brother and sister more thoroughly had he been her lover. -But farewell! The blessing of Jehovah, or Jove, or both, be with you, -Glaucon; and the smile of the Princess. Farewell!" - -"Jehovah, Jove, damn him," ejaculated Glaucon, as he threw himself -upon the divan the High Priest had left. "It is bad enough for one -like me to have turned against one's people, one's own house; but for -a High Priest to become a heathen--High Devil! Faugh! Wine, Ajax! My -purple himation! The large mirror! Some oil, here! Do the locks curl -at the neck? Call the litter. I'll away to the Princess, and cast my -bread--Ha! ha!" - - - - -XIX - -THE RENEGADE - - -"Stay, Benjamin!" cried Deborah, thrusting aside the curtains. She -stood a moment at the opening, scarcely recognizing her brother in the -heavy-lipped and maudlin face, the artificial curls, and the costume of -a Greek exquisite. - -Benjamin stared an instant in stupid curiosity, then took a step or two -in fright. - -"It is I! And Caleb!" cried Deborah, seizing his hands and putting them -about herself, and pressing her face to his. - -"God has been good to us, and brought us home, Benjamin," shouted -Caleb, eager for his embrace. - -"It is true. Yes, yes, it must be so," said Glaucon, at length coming -to his senses, with a flash of his old affectionate nature, like a -waning ember, lighting up his face with a suggestion of its former -beauty. - -He drew his sister and brother both to the couch, and sat between them, -staring from one to the other. - -"And you? You were not killed? What has happened? Where were you taken?" - -A few words sufficed to tell him all that she cared to have him -know--that she had fled for her life; had fallen among friends; had -not dared to return to Jerusalem before this, fearing some repetition -of the insults such as Apollonius had once offered her. But that now -the Governor was gone, she had come again to be under the care of her -natural and legal guardian, "and, God willing," she said, "that the -house of Elkiah may again be graced by the presence of woman and child." - -Glaucon's manner evidenced much restraint. He was not at ease in -expressing even the kindliness and affection he felt, for he had felt -so little of these emotions that he had no words in readiness to convey -them. There was the difference between his brotherly welcome and that -given by the old servants that there is between the shaduff, toilsomely -lifting its bucket of water at a time, and a fountain pouring out its -welcome to the upcoming flowers. Very soon the sentimental part of the -interview was past, and Glaucon proceeded to the practical. - -"If, my sister, you are to abide at home, since the King is extremely -jealous of the loyalty of the old Jewish families, it would be well to -adopt a name less clannish than your present one." - -"Call me what you will, brother. I will know myself only by the name my -mother gave me. I can, however, quickly interpret any other word into -that." - -Glaucon's mind was opaque to the fine sarcasm of his sister; he -proceeded: - -"Berenice is a beautiful name among the Greeks. You know the story of -Queen Berenice? No? Then I will tell it to you as I have heard the -Princess Helena tell it. I think the Princess has hair like Berenice's, -soft and silky as glistening light. You must come to know the Princess." - -"But the story of Berenice?" interjected Deborah, wearily. - -"It is a fair story as she told it to me," replied he. "Berenice was -the wife of King Ptolemy of Egypt; he who was called Euergetes, which -means Benefactor. Berenice was the loveliest of women. Her eyes gleamed -with starlight, and her hair flowed about her shoulders like the -mingling rays of the sun and moon. - -"Once, when the King was warring in Syrian lands, his queen made a vow -to the gods that, if they would return her lord safely to her arms, she -would cut off her hair, and consecrate it in a temple in Cyprus. The -gods were tempted by this gift, and gave Ptolemy wondrous victories and -a speedy return. Berenice fulfilled her vow. But such was the beauty -of her locks that they dazzled the eyes of the beholders who came into -the temple. Whereupon the gods hung Berenice's hair in the sky, and -there it is still. You may see it any night. It is gathered into seven -nodes which seem to be stars. All of our Greek astrologers know of the -constellation of Berenice's hair. The charming poet, Callimachus, made -a hymn in praise of this new beauty of the heavens. I will sing it to -you." - -"No, no," said Deborah, "the story is fine enough as you have told -it. Do not sing it. But my black threads do not suggest the starry -brightness of Berenice's locks. The name would better fit some -fair-haired woman. But call me what you will, my brother. And how shall -we know the child? Caleb means 'God's dog.' What will that be in Greek?" - -"The Greeks have that spirit in them that one would not be the dog of -even Diana, the goddess of the chase. Theodorus is a pretty name, and -means, 'gift of the gods.'" - -"Let him be called, then, Theodorus," said Deborah, with an acquiescing -smile. - -"But Berenice must dress more gayly than Deborah did," added her -brother. "This bodice looks like one that came out of Egypt with -Miriam, and for aught I know this linen was made by one of Pharaoh's -weavers, and was picked up on the shores of the Red Sea." - -"Our mother wore these, and she was counted the most beautiful woman -in Jewry," replied Deborah. "Besides, I have scores of changes made -of stuffs such as are rarely seen in these days. As for jewels, caps -of coin, ear-rings, necklaces, anklets and armlets, we have enough to -deck out a score of maidens, and laces which the princesses of Egypt -have worn, and robes of the most expensive Tyrian dye. The daughter of -Elkiah need not fear to appear among the gentlewomen, come they from -Antioch, or even the new capital of Rome." - -"True enough as far as value goes," replied Glaucon. "But these are not -in the fashion. When you see the Princess Helena you will envy her the -new shapes of dresses and jewelry. She is fairer than you. The sun has -tarnished your complexion, but she can teach you how to bleach it." - -"I have no doubt," interjected Deborah. - -"But," continued Glaucon, "when our Berenice is clad as well as the -Princess she need not be ashamed before even that marvellous woman." - -"Thanks, my brother." - -"I would that Dion could see you in the costume I shall have sent you -from Antioch." - -"Does Dion live?" asked Deborah. - -"Dion, I fear, is dead. A curse on those treacherous sons of -Mattathias. Sons of Belial! But," he rattled on, "it will be well to -make known to the people of the better sort in Jerusalem the return of -the mistress of the house of Glaucon. I will see to it that the wife -of Menelaos, the High Priest, and the wife of General Seron--who is to -command the new army of the King--and the Princess make their welcome -to you. Berenice, sister of Glaucon: why may she not some day be Queen -of Jerusalem? Already, my sister, with the wealth our father left me, -and much more that I have gained through my own shrewdness--for I am -the best business head in the land--I am the richest man in the city; -and with the revenues I can control in my office as tax assessor, I can -soon buy what I will from the King." - -"I fear, my dear Benjamin--my dear Glaucon," said the new Berenice, -gently touching her brother's cheeks, "that the glitter of your riches -has affected your head as the sun's rays sometimes do. As for the new -garments, I shall be glad of anything that makes me fairer in your -eyes; but I still bethink me that the apparel of Jewish women is more -elegant than that of the Greeks. Indeed, the better costumes of Athens -are borrowed from those of Syria. Of late years, since the death of -our mother, and since the sorrows of the land crushed our father, the -great oaken chests have been unopened. In them are garments laid away -in cassia dust, for which the costumers of Antioch would give more -shekels than they ask to array the chief of Antiochus' concubines. -To-morrow, if it please you, let Berenice, as the mistress of the house -of Glaucon, receive the ladies whom you desire." - -"As you will have it," said he, kissing the hand of his sister in the -latest manner of such etiquette imported from the capital. "Such spirit -as yours, Deb--Berenice, is worthy of her who is to outshine them all." - - - - -XX - -A FEMALE SYMPOSIUM - - -A double awning shielded the house-top of Glaucon from the glare of the -late afternoon sun, whose rays gathered intensity by being reflected -from a hundred white domes which, like inverted wasps' nests, rose -from the lower roofs of the city. Toward the sky the canopy was of -coarse white flaxen material; beneath it was lined with silk, blue -and white. Several movable divans, one of ivory, one of beaten brass, -the others of sycamore wood, were set next the western parapet. These -were covered with cloths of various colors upon which were wrought -conventional figures in threads of silver and gold. The couches were -so arranged that they faced a low table of ebony, heavily inlaid with -mother of pearl. On this were the remnants of a repast, consisting of -cakes, confections, fruits, and wines mixed with water. On the couches -reclined four women, richly clad according to the fashion of the day. - -Cynthia, the wife of General Seron, wore an outer robe of blue -silk. This was closely drawn about her person, so that the full -proportions of bust and limb were revealed by the very device for -their concealment. It was the boast of Seron that his spouse was the -best-formed woman among the wives of the generals. Her costume showed -that she was conscious of this pride of her husband, and inclined to -show that it was fully warranted. Her attitude as she reclined was -that of an Amazon, and would have been sufficient to warn away any -assailant, even if he were not terrified at the tiny spear of silver -which she held in her fingers, and which had fastened to her coiffure -the hat, a flat disc of ornamented straw, that now lay in her lap. - -The Princess Helena was radiant in the relics of nature's bountiful -endowment, judiciously repaired by the newest arts of feminine fashion. -If wax and rouge, pencil and pomade were her allies, they were in -slyest ambush within unsuspected wrinkles, and gave out not so much as -a stray freckle for a sign of the delusion. Her hair was thrown back -from her forehead and temples, and banded with a triple fillet which -gathered it up at the crown, whence it sprayed down in a shower of -gold upon her alabaster neck. Her outer robe of white wool had been -thrown back, and lay upon the couch, in seemingly careless, but really -artistic, contrast with her purple chiton. This under-garment was -gathered at the left shoulder within a gemmed clasp, loosely girded -beneath the breasts, and open below, displaying her limb from foot to -thigh. - -Lydia, the wife of Menelaos, the High Priest, had reason for being more -modestly covered, yet blazed in her green himation spangled with gold. - -Deborah, the hostess, rivalled these beauties in the contrast of her -purely oriental costume. Her black hair was covered with what seemed -a solid helmet of gold, so many were the coins which made her cap. -About her throat and falling low upon her bosom was a great necklace of -rarest gems, which flashed in all the hues most prized by lapidaries, -from the starry white of diamonds to the deepest blush of rubies. The -pearls pendant from her ears touched her shoulders, and glowed like -rivulets of light. Her inner garment was elaborately wrought with -needlework, and partly covered with a yellow outer robe. Altogether -the Jewess was a splendid vision of wealth and beauty, of which it is -sufficient to say that it had already passed the favourable inspection -of so great a connoisseur as her brother Glaucon. - -In their conversation the women seem to have exhausted all themes of a -purely human range--the faults of generals, from strategy to bow legs; -the King's stud of horses and his harem; the statuary of Phidias and -the flat-nosed gods of the PhÅ“nicians; the epic of Hesiod, and the -latest songs from the streets of Antioch. Berenice had been induced -to tell her adventures, of which she gave as authentic an account as -perhaps her visitors gave of their romantic haps and doings on less -savory fields. The glory of the western sky, the palette of colors -ready to be painted together into the sunset, the grand old Temple -mount of the Jews, over which echoed now and then the bugle-calls of a -hostile race--these, together with the quickening influence of their -generous repast, now lifted their discourse to higher planes. - -"All religions are one," said Lydia, the wife of the High Priest. "The -Jews should be the first to recognize this. Since we say that there -is one only living and true God, it surely follows that Jove, and the -PhÅ“nicians' Baal, and Ormuzd of the Persians, and Jehovah of Israel are -the same." - -"How," interposed the Princess, "how can Jehovah be Jove, the universal -god, since Jehovah never shows himself, nor is He worshipped, except in -this little land, and by the children of the one family of Abraham? He -is rather like one of our household gods, such as we teach the children -to do homage to, but ourselves use for ornaments." - -"But he has not even an image," laughed Cynthia, the wife of Seron. "I -have learned in Egypt that the gods always abide near their images." - -"That is if they are pretty images, beautifully carved and painted. For -the gods seem to be as vain as we women who love our mirrors," said -Helena. - -"But," rejoined Cynthia, "the Jews' god is such a serious being; always -telling his people to be good, and scolding them for their sins. -That story of Mount Sinai, with its dreary rocks and sands, and the -lightnings with their nest among the peaks, and caves like great mouths -roaring out thunder; oh, it must be a doleful place! I prefer Mount -Olympus, with its fair women and warriors for divinities." - -"And the worship of the Jews' God must be very tedious," added the -Princess. "On the Sabbath, no laughing, no playing." - -"Our God takes his rest on that day, like an old grandfather, and does -not want his children to disturb his nap," sneered Lydia. "But my -good Menelaos is changing such customs. On Sabbath next we have the -great games. Charicles from Sparta races with a Nubian chariot runner -and an Arab sheikh, for a stake of ten shekels which the High Priest -has offered. It will be a sight; three statues, one in marble, one in -ebony, and one in porphyry, all come to life." - -"The fault of the Jewish religion is that it makes too little of this -world," said the Princess. "It has no divine patron for the arts; no -Melpomene to inspire the song, no Terpsichore to stir the dance, no -Ares for war, and no Aphrodite to teach us how to love. I don't believe -that our fair hostess, who lies so solemnly there, has yet learned how -to commune with Aphrodite. I will pray that our happy goddess touch -her lips and make them itch for kisses, before the crow's feet make -their marks at her eyelids, as they soon will do if she insists on such -mannish escapades as she has been having. What shafts from Cupid's -quiver those black eyes could shoot, my fair Berenice! I shall warn all -my lovers to beware of you ere you learn your power." - -"I fear that just now we need to consult the war god," said Berenice. -"Think you that Ares had gone wooing the day of the battle in the Wady? -Or did it please his godship to lend his sword to the Maccabæan rebels -rather than to Apollonius?" - -"Quick! the Princess is fainting. A little wine, my dear. The death of -her kinsman went to her heart. That was a cruel thing for Berenice to -say," exclaimed Lydia, bending over her friend. - -"I am better now," responded Helena in a moment. "My dear kinsman, -Apollonius, taught me to bear misfortune. It was his motto, 'Forget -the dead, except to emulate their virtues.' As he braved death, I must -brave my bereavement. I believe with Plato--do you not? that the soul -is immortal. Then Apollonius lives. Perhaps I shall see him again." She -hid her face in the cushions. - -"Apollonius' death will be quickly avenged," cried Cynthia. "Already -my husband, Seron, has been called to lead the new army, and at one -blow he will utterly extirpate those Jewish beasts. All save Jerusalem, -from the Great Sea to Jordan, is to be swept with sword. The King has -put into my Seron's hand all the forces in Syria; and following them is -a great multitude of colonists from the north, who are to settle the -lands." - -"Where is Seron now?" asked Berenice. - -"This letter came to me but three hours since," replied Cynthia. "Let -me read: - - "'The armies from the capital, joined by many phalanges recalled from - service beyond the Lebanons, are with me. We shall rendezvous on - the plain of Sharon, and thence advance westward to the hills where - the outlaw Judas has his camp. Have no fears, my love, I am not an - Apollonius. We shall this time avoid all ravines, and march only in - the open. The number of soldiers with me needs neither secrecy nor - haste. The peltastai and cavalry alone could quickly destroy all - armed bands of Jews. We shall consume the land, walled cities, open - villages, and scattered houses, as an army of grasshoppers consumes - the harvests. Not a partridge shall escape our pots, nor a Jew's head - our spear-points. Greet Glaucon with this bit of news--his friend Dion - is with us, having alone of all his company escaped the massacre at - the Wady. The day after the full moon we begin the ascent of the hill - country. Keep thy dear heart in patience until the war god rests his - head in the lap of love, for I shall be a day with you in Jerusalem - before we press to the East and South.'" - -"The moon will be full three nights hence, will it not?" asked Berenice -nonchalantly. - -"Nay, in two," said Lydia, consulting her tablet. "It is one of the -duties of the High Priest's wife to wait upon the Night Queen, as does -the Priestess of Tanit. The second night the moon goddess will be in -full array. I must haste to tell the news of Seron's coming to my -Menelaos, that we may have a religious celebration of the triumph." - -"Then must I say farewell so soon to my new friends?" said Berenice, -rising. "Make my salutation to your good husbands, our friend Menelaos -and General Seron. And to what princely gallant will the fair Helena -convey my greeting?" - -"I must keep your greeting all for myself, my dear Berenice, until time -has allayed my grief for Apollonius' death," replied the Princess. -"Unless you bid me send it on your own account to Captain Dion," she -added. "Ah, blushes tell tales the lips do not care to utter." - -She kissed both the cheeks of Berenice, but did not note that her -breath blanched the blushes which Dion's name had started, as frost -kills roses. - -An hour later Deborah stood beneath the jewelled lantern in her -chamber, for it was now dark. In her large mirror she saw reflected -a figure far different from that which on the roof had excited the -envy of the vainest of her sex. Her cap of coins, her necklace and -ear-rings, silken robes and bejewelled sandals, were tossed together in -a heap on the floor. - -"You can arrange them, Huldah, when I am gone; and lay them back in the -chests." - -The old nurse was too much blinded by her tears, and her hands were too -trembling with excitement to have performed that duty then. She sat on -the floor rocking herself, her hands covering her face. - -"My darling came back to me with feet hard and torn, and in the clouts -of a washerwoman, and now she is going away again like a--like a----" - -"Like a woman, a woman of Israel," interjected Deborah, adjusting the -brown sheet, the common coarse outer garment of a peasant, over her -head and around her form. - -"Tell me, Huldah, do I not look like you or any other woman? If I do -I am handsome enough for the stars to gaze at. Now remember, I am -supposed to be sick and confined here in my chamber, and you are to -bring me my broth three times every day until I really come back. I -will think of your love, Huldah, and that will make me strong; and you -will think of me, and that will bring me back safely." - -She kissed the cheeks of her "good mother" as she called her, and -glided across the court to the entrance of the cellar. Caleb was -already there. They descended to the lower story. - -"What news for me to-night?" said a familiar voice, accompanied by the -click of a crutch on the stone pavement. - -"Why, Meph, you must take me along with you for your message this time." - -"Whew!" said the boy. "You're not really going yourself, Deborah?" - -"Yes; can we reach Judas before morning?" - -"If the stars don't get sleepy and go to bed before their time," -replied the lad. "It's a good six hours' stretch though." - -Deborah embraced Caleb, and disappeared with her guide. - - - - -XXI - -BATTLE OF BETHHORON - - -The sun had long risen the next day when Deborah came out of a little -hut on the brow of Bethhoron Heights, several leagues to the northwest -of Jerusalem. It was one of a score of half-burned and half-demolished -structures which marked the site of a deserted hamlet. - -A group of men, who had been lying among the rocks hard by, rose and -silently saluting her walked away; but not without backward glances -that betokened both reverence and curiosity. - -From her high outlook Deborah's eyes took in the vast plain of Sharon, -which lay at her feet. In the far distance the blue sea mingled with -the blue of the sky; a wonderful background for the nearer landscape, -which seemed like a garden. Yellow grain-laden fields, patches of -variegated poppies and lilies, vast sections of green meadow, and -groves of fig and orange diminished by distance suggested parterres -of flowers; while the white highways from CÅ“le-Syria and the coast -seemed but footpaths. Far to the north the sky was dotted with circling -eagles, while the dust clouds beneath suggested the fancy that these -birds were flying cinders flung upward by some conflagration. - -Deborah put her hand to her brow, and gazed long in that direction. -The dust haze began to sparkle as with fire-flies. Her trained eyes -recognized the far gleam of spear and helm. - -"They come," she ejaculated. - -She signalled to an armed peasant near her. "You are sure that Judas -got the message?" - -"I myself delivered it, my lady. Already our little army is on its -way northward. By night they will guard every road leading up from -the plain; and then, themselves kept out of sight, they will follow -southward and strike any detachment of the Greeks that ventures to -ascend the hills. But Judas must believe that they will not attempt any -ascent until they get as far down as this, for Simon and John are hard -by, and examining every slope and runway along the front of Bethhoron." - -Later in the day the astute surmise of Judas was demonstrated to -have been correct. As Deborah watched, she plainly distinguished the -detachments of the Syrian hosts succeed one another in their southerly -movement, like billows of grain under a strong breeze. When night fell -the plain of Sharon right before her gleamed with camp-fires, as the -sea with phosphorescence; while on every side she heard the rustle of -the moving bands of her countrymen, together with the subdued voices of -command. But not a light glowed on the brow of Bethhoron. - -Late in the night Judas came to her. - -"My child, you should not be here. It was enough to have sent us word." - -"I could not remain in the city," replied Deborah, "for I clearly -foresee that to-morrow we shall have a great victory, which the Lord -will give us, or else we shall be utterly destroyed." - -"But here you are in danger," responded Judas. "I beg you to return -to the city. If we succeed we shall soon join you there. If we are -destroyed the Lord will raise up others to avenge us, for His cause -rests with no single army. He is the Lord of Hosts, and will fill our -places with better men. You must live to be for them what you have been -for us. It is enough that we die." - -"Nay, Judas, entreat me not. The daughter of Elkiah will meet the fate -of the sons of Mattathias. It is my father's spirit that speaks through -my lips. I shall seek no danger, but I must cheer our brave brothers, -and staunch their wounds or close their eyes in death. Do not think me -rebellious, but to this duty I am surely called by Him who commands us -both." - -"I dare not command you, Deborah, for you are closer to God than I, and -know His will more perfectly. But this thing meets not my judgment. -Only do not follow the men over the heights. Yet I think we shall -succeed on the morrow. General Seron is making a mistake as clearly as -did Apollonius. When his host attempts to pass over Bethhoron it must -keep to the highway. With his horsemen and armament he cannot climb -the ledges, nor can his footmen march through the tangles of brush -and swamp. They must follow the zigzagging of the road, and move in -a long and twisting file like a string crumpled in one's hand. His -line may be twenty furlongs in length, but it will all be within five -furlongs' reach of us. Our men can cross these thickets and stone -fields as swallows skim the ground. Behind the rocks and brushwood one -of our archers will have a score for his target. Besides, we will have -the advantage of fighting from higher ground. I have no fear. Our -onslaught will be sudden; they have as yet no dream of opposition. One -is tempted to make a night attack upon their camp. But it is better to -wait; for, if I mistake not, to-morrow they will move up the Heights -like a line of captives to the headsman's block. Yonder is the valley -of Ajalon, above which the sun stood still until Joshua had gotten the -victory. Pray with us, Deborah, that the sun may not set to-morrow -until we too have been victorious. If the sun will not lengthen the day -for us, we will so crowd it with valorous deeds that we shall make it -like many days in one. Farewell! Do not venture beyond the Heights." - -Before noon of the following day, the advance of Seron's troops was -well up the ascent by the winding road, in exactly the order which -Judas had anticipated. For miles the army stretched away, almost to -Lydda; the glare of clustered spear-heads showing like the golden spots -on a python. In places detachments which were far removed from one -another in the marching order were brought close together by the loops -of the road, while intervening fields of boulders separated them, so -that they were not in helpful proximity. - -But no danger was visible to the Greeks. Helmets were thrown off and -piled on wagons with the baggage. There were songs in which the men -from one province tried to drown the voices of men from other parts of -the King's realm with their strange melodies. The only precaution shown -was by the very foremost of the army of invaders, who, obeying their -General's order of discipline, sent out scouts. These threaded their -way slowly between the boulders near the crest of Bethhoron; leisurely -feasting themselves upon the berries which glowed blue and red at their -fingers. - -One closely watching these scouts and pickets would have noted that -when a Greek soldier surmounted the crest he neither returned nor made -sign to those following. He simply disappeared, his comrades supposing -that he had passed in safety. But an eagle flying over the spot would -have paused to hover, with beak parted for the carrion feast that -awaited him there; for behind the ledge were masked the deadliest -shots among the Jewish bowmen, and those most expert with the short -lance, having from boyhood used it in hunting. Men who could elude the -sagacity of the fox, and pin the wary beast to the ground with a throw -of threescore paces, made quick finish of a Greek armed with a long and -heavy sarissa, which was fit only for close prodding. - -Behind the van came the staff of Seron, men bemedalled for exploits in -many battles. Then followed squadrons of horse, crowding their sweaty -flanks, and rubbing the greaves from their riders' legs in the attempt -to keep full number abreast on the narrow road. So the python's head -reached the Heights of Bethhoron. - -Suddenly the crest of the hill burst as with an earthquake. A roar -as of thunder articulated the war cry, "Mi-camo-ca-ba!" Every rock -scintillated with spear-heads. Arrows clouded the air, and fell in -deadly showers upon the unshielded Greeks, leaving scarcely a man or -a horse standing on the near roadway. Hundreds of these shafts, as if -borne by wings, so far was their flight, dropped amid Seron's suite, -and the gayest plumes first nodded beneath the deadly challenge. - -Under cover of this storm of missiles, and before the enemy could -sufficiently recover from consternation to clearly discern the meaning -of the attack, the armored Jews dashed over the crest. As when a dam -bursts, the living flood poured down the slope, carrying everything -before it. Mi-camo-ca-ba! the wild cry from a thousand throats, drowned -all shouts of command. But one sound was heard above the din. It was -the lion voice of Judas, as with the sword of Apollonius he hewed his -way through the half-formed phalanges. The first stretch of road was -not cleared of the foe before those on the second bend were hemmed in -by the patriot archers, who had gained the covert of rocks on either -side, and swept the highway with unerring aim. For the Greeks to -advance was impossible; orderly retreat equally vain. Those who stood -their ground were huddled together as for quicker slaughter. Those in -the rear turned backward in flight. The splendid squadrons, blinded by -panic, became like herds of riderless horses, spurred by the sting of -arrows. Cavalry dashed back upon the infantry following, carrying these -foot soldiers along as a freshet its débris. In less than two hours the -army of Seron was in hopeless rout over the white hills and across the -green cornfields of the plain of Sharon. - -The Maccabæans did not follow in pursuit. To have done so would have -revealed to the enemy the fewness of their assailants. Should the -Greeks regain their wits and resume the fight, Judas foresaw that his -men, away from their coverts of rocks and copses and in the open -plain, would be readily annihilated by superior numbers. He let the -panic do its work. - -"It's the angel of the Lord," he said, "though his wings are black with -God's curse." - -So Judas was content to watch the writhing of the python whose head he -had crushed. - -Seron and the survivors of his staff displayed their genius by -escaping in the opposite direction to the retreat of the mass of the -army. They turned off from the highway, and crossed the fields toward -the southeast in the direction of Jerusalem, their only covert now. -Several of the horses of his suite were abandoned, having broken their -legs as they slipped between the rocks; others refused to enter the -thickets of underbrush which had already torn their flesh, until they -were unmercifully prodded by the spurs of their riders. A handful of -officers at length struck a hoof path that with many windings debouched -into the highway near the summit of Bethhoron, whence they made their -way toward the city. - - - - -XXII - -A PRELUDE WITHOUT THE PLAY - - -The day had been one of intensest excitement in the city of Jerusalem. -From earliest morning the population had poured out of the gates, and -gathered on the high ground to the north that they might welcome Seron -and his host. - -It was remembered that on this spot years ago, according to the stories -the rabbis told, Alexander the Great had been received by the people of -the city. He, too, had ascended from Sharon by the pass of Bethhoron. -Now, in the steps of the mightiest of world-conquerors, as Cynthia -proudly noted, was to come the great Seron. - -The High Priest, Menelaos, had arranged a ceremony copied as nearly as -might be from the legends of Alexander's visit. He himself was dressed -in full pontifical robes of purple and gold, as were the ancient -priests of Israel, except that the name of Jehovah no longer shone -on the gold plate of his turban. The supreme pontiff was followed by -scores of men, most of them Greeks, dressed for the occasion as common -priests in white robes, which glistened as if the bright morning light -were itself a part of the pageant. There were musicians with trumpets -and cymbals to beat the very atmosphere into melodious salutation, -and clacquers to shout and cheer the oration which Menelaos should -pronounce as he invoked the blessings of all the gods upon the head of -the advancing chieftain. - -After this official procession came a double palanquin, bearing the -wives of Menelaos and Seron; and upon their persons, if one might judge -by the gorgeousness of the display, was much of the movable wealth of -their spouses. - -The Princess Helena, too, shone radiantly. Her complexion, the triumph -of cosmetics, rivalled the white but ruddy skin of the children who -ran beside her and gazed at her beauty. Her light hair was star lit -with jewels, and wrought into a high coiffure not unlike a miniature -sheaf of wheat with a binder of gold. She reclined upon the cushions -in graceful lassitude, and nodded her head at each stride of the -carriage-bearers with the dignity of one who felt that she had already -made her conquest of the world, and would graciously encourage the -coming warriors in making theirs. - -Yet there was on the face of the Princess a shadow of disappointment as -she gave her patronizing recognition to one and another of the élite -passing by. She was reserving her graciousness for Glaucon, one of -whose ancestral gems shone brilliantly upon her bosom. The announced -illness of Berenice left her coquetry this day an open field; for, in -spite of her flattery, she had conceived a distrust of the sister of -her paramour. There was to her mind a strangely familiar look about -Berenice's face, a flitting suggestion of something she had seen and -ought to remember, but could not. Helena believed in the transmigration -of souls, or sometimes thought she did. Was Berenice's spirit one that -had crossed her path in some previous state of existence? She could -not determine whether the shadowy reminiscences were real or fanciful; -nor, if real, whether they were pleasant or otherwise. She said to -herself, "This feeling is foolish," but Berenice's presence always -awakened the feeling. So she fell back upon a bit of philosophy she had -once heard from a noted rhetorician, "There is an instinctive hostility -between some souls, and an instinctive love between other souls, with -either of which the intelligent judgment has little to do." - -But Glaucon did not join the gay throng. Did his sister's illness so -concern him? The Princess felt a flash of jealousy mantle her face, and -knowing from the frequent lesson learned at her mirror that it did not -make her handsome, she toyed with Glaucon's gem until more pleasing -thoughts came. - -Toward midday the crowd of watchers on the hill noted a cloud of dust -rising above the road from Bethhoron. It swirled like that raised by a -whirlwind. It came rapidly nearer and larger. At length the cry broke -from the crowd: - -"The army comes! Seron! Seron!" - -Forth moved the multitude. The company of priests led, the white linen -garments of the old régime marred by garlands worn in imitation of -the revellers at the Bacchanalian rites. Men bore an altar of the war -god Ares, and a jar of wine, with a great goblet of gold from which -the oblation should be poured. Behind these marched the city guards, -in glistening helm and breastplates and greaves, the least among whom -seemed to emulate the war god himself with his pompous tread. Then -came the palanquins of the noble women, each a gorgeous display of -silken colors, suitable to set off the glory of the occupants. Behind -followed, as they could find way, the multitude, whose gay attire -rivalled in its variegation the plumage of an aviary of birds caught -among the reeds of the Red Sea shore. - -The crowd halted when they clearly detected a group of Greek horsemen -spurring hard along the road. Why were they riding so hard? As they -came near they were seen to be without helmet or spear or heavy sword; -dust-covered and bleeding; on jaded beasts whose flecks of sweaty foam -interlaced the tatters of their once gorgeous harness. On they sped in -blind flight, trampling their way through the crowd. - -"Back! Back to the city!" shouted the officers. "The Maccabæans are -close upon us!" - -"Stop, my lord! Stop, my lord Seron!" cried Cynthia, as the General was -hurrying by. - -The sight of his wife revived the remnant of this great man's wits, -which the panic had sadly dissipated. Making himself the special -attendant of her palanquin, he set an example of celerity by heading -the scurrying crowd. He commanded Dion with his handful of soldiers to -guard the rear. - -That officer quite leisurely performed his duty, lingering alone far -behind the multitude, and anon riding back as if seeking again to join -the battle. This was not because he was enamored of the fight; but as -he was climbing Bethhoron Dion had caught sight of a woman in peasant -garb bending over a wounded Jew. He had nearly ridden them down. The -woman, seeing the danger, rose and with uplifted hand warned him -away. A woman's hand only, but the steed would have refused to leap -against it had the rider plunged the spurs to their depth. There are -some gestures and attitudes that belong to the soul, and express its -dominance over all things of flesh and blood. Dion could not catch the -woman's face, but that very pose with the uplifted hand had awed him -before this. He had seen it at the gateway of the house of Elkiah, and -again amid the ruins of the house of Ben Isaac. - -But he had no time to connect his thoughts, for at the moment a sling -stone struck his helmet, and drove it down upon his neck. When he had -adjusted his headpiece his horse had carried him far beyond the spot. - -Then he said: "It was only imagination; when one's head rings as mine -did with that stone, the thoughts inside are apt to rattle too." - -Dion remembered that he had often had visions of that same woman in -some form. In all the march down the plain of Sharon he had thought -of her as somewhere among those hills. When in the battle he felt the -sharp sting of an arrow which grazed his thigh, he found himself asking -the question, "Would she care if I fell?" Now, as he looked back toward -Bethhoron, he said: "This was only a spectre of my imagination." Yet -he would risk his life to see that spectre again. But Dion obeyed his -General's orders, and plodded slowly after him. His head dropped upon -his breast, and he scarcely noticed a boy with a crutch who struck at -his horse's flank and hobbled away. - - - - -XXIII - -THE GREED OF GLAUCON - - -Glaucon had not gone out with the crowd to welcome General Seron. His -curiosity for the pageant and his fascination by the Princess were just -then secondary to his cupidity. This native trait in his character -had been excited into spasmodic activity by a certain discovery. He -had spent the day before searching the mansion of Ben Shattuck, that -grand house by the Tower of David. With the avidity of an old-clothes -dealer he had ransacked chests of the cast-off wearing apparel of dead -generations of Shattucks, now and then perforating with his fingers the -moth-eaten linings of pockets and pouches. He had tested drawers for -false bottoms, and pried into secret closets between walls which the -mortar, cracked by sinking beams, had exposed. He had been rewarded by -a handful of forgotten gems, but more by a crumpled bit of papyrus in a -leathern wallet which he found in the bosom pocket of the shirt which -Ben Shattuck must have discarded the very day of his departure from -Jerusalem, the journey from which he never returned. This was a letter -and read: - - "To HOSEA BEN SHATTUCK, greeting: - - "The business committed to my care has been, I believe, both - faithfully and wisely adjusted. It were better for the trade between - Sidon and this port if you resided either here or there. There is - another reason for your speedy visit, if not abiding sojourn, in - Alexandria. The lady to whom I hold that you were legally wedded has - given birth to a son. The little lad is sound of limb, of comely face, - and, if the midwife's experience pronounce good judgment, the child is - of soul as bright as the star that shone the night of his birth. - - "I beg that you endeavor to be in Alexandria the eighth day hence, - when the child will be circumcised according to our sacred rite. - - "I am the faithful servant of the house of Shattuck, - - "GIDEON BEN SIRACH." - -The discovery that an heir of Shattuck had been born complicated the -matter of title to his estate in Jerusalem. Was this child living? If -so, he would now be about the thirtieth year of life. Glaucon spent -the day in instructing a faithful envoy, and commissioning him to -Alexandria to ferret out the facts. - -This messenger had scarcely gained the south road leading to Gaza when -the crowds of panic-driven citizens burst through the northern and -western gates, some going to their houses, but many hastening to the -citadel, deeming the city walls too weak to withstand the Maccabæan -deluge they imagined to be pouring after them. - -The bewilderment of Seron, and his declaration that his defeat was -brought about by unearthly agencies, which neither generalship nor -numbers could resist, while designed to save his own reputation, added -to the consternation of the people. Renegade Jews began to repent of -their apostacy. They increased the alarm of the foreigners by the -sudden revival of their own faith in the marvels of Jewish history, and -their Scriptural accounts of the waves of the Red Sea, and the magic -in the hands of Aaron and Hur when they upheld the arms of Moses. -Frightened credulity saw the afternoon shadows that day grow shorter -instead of longer, as they did at the battle of Ajalon in Joshua's -time. Some averred that at nightfall the sun, as if to make up for lost -time, made a sudden plunge to his setting, splashing the waves of the -Great Sea until like billows of blood they mingled with those of fire -along the horizon. - -The disastrous issue of the battle led Glaucon to seek the secret -closets in his own house, to conceal in them his riches of coins and -jewels, and certain papers which would be more honored in Antioch than -in Jerusalem, if the Maccabæans should enter. One such hiding-place -he knew was in the cellar. He had never opened it. From a lad he had -avoided dark places. Yet he thought he knew how to distinguish the -spot. It was the fourth stone from the corner nearest the steps. He -had often heard it spoken of as the "trap." He felt his own pallor as -he descended the steps; but a chill that made his flesh sensitively -shrivel seized him when he lifted this stone, for a damp air like the -breath of ghosts issued from the opening. Summoning all his courage, -he thrust his trembling hands down, feeling for alcoves or shelves in -the hollow dark space. Suddenly his timid nerves failed him. There was -a subterranean sound; a rustling as of winding-sheets; footfalls soft -and muffled, such as ghosts might make. He would probably have fainted -had not his greed given him strength. Clutching his bags he glided away -like a frightened lizard. - -A few moments later voices came out of the hole. - -"It is strange," said Caleb, "I smelt a light." - -"I, too, thought I saw a gleam," said Deborah. "But, surely, I lowered -the stone when I came down the other day. Have you raised it since?" - -"I was down but once while you were away," replied the lad, "and I know -I closed it, for see! here I pinched my finger in setting the great -stone back." - -"It was too heavy for you, child. You should not have come down here," -replied Deborah. - -"But I could not stay in the house, and you out of it, sister; so I -went through the quarries and whistled for Meph at the wall, but he -didn't come; I played all day in the caverns." - -"What a place to play, my child." - -"Well, I couldn't see how bad it was, so I didn't care." - -Caleb led the way up from the cellar. Huldah, who had waited and -listened for signs of her coming, held Deborah in her motherly arms, -and dropped upon her face some tears well salted with memories of -by-gone years. - - - - -XXIV - -LESSONS IN DIPLOMACY - - -In the excitement of the great disaster no one had inquired for -Deborah, except Glaucon, who received from the cautious Huldah evasive -replies regarding her illness. The day following the battle her brother -insisted upon seeing her, since it might be necessary to make sudden -flight in the event of the Maccabæans attacking the city. - -Deborah came from her chamber, walking with difficulty. One would have -said that she had received a hurt or a wound from a fall. She, however, -spoke slightingly of the pain in the sinews which sometimes came to -her, an inherited disorder; at least she had heard that her mother was -at times similarly attacked; but a few days' rest always cured her. She -now listened with surprise to the story that a great battle had taken -place, and upbraided Glaucon and Huldah and Ephraim for not telling her -of it. She questioned every new-comer with the eagerness of fright. -Each fresh outcry in the street seemed to deepen the blanch of her -cheeks, so that even Glaucon, though his face was pale and his lips -trembled, rebuked her timidity, and swore great heathen oaths, such as -befitted so valiant a protector. - -"What shall we do if the rebels really take the city?" she asked. - -"We will flee to Antioch." - -"But the Jews hold all the country to the north, do they not?" - -"If the worst comes we can take ship at Gaza. I have got as much gold -as my belt will hold, and our asses are ready to start at daybreak, if -the news then warrants our flight. But who comes?" - -Through the uproar in the street were heard cries of the name of Dion. -The curtains moved, and the young Captain stood at the opening. - -Glaucon's welcome was enthusiastic. He embraced his friend, and kissed -him upon both cheeks. The Greek did not return the salutation. He -seemed dazed, and stared steadily over Glaucon's shoulder. Had he -indeed gone daft? After gazing at a sunset one is apt to see golden -spots resembling the orb wherever one looks at the sky. Had Deborah -wrought a similar illusion on his imagination? He had seen her in his -dreams, both waking and sleeping; among the women of the Greek camp -at the Wady; and only yesterday in peasant garb amid the dying on -Bethhoron--yet she was here in her home! He was beginning to question -his own mental condition. His hand came to his head as if to certify -that it was still upon his shoulders. Deborah quickly proved that -this time at least she was no sprite out of the foam of fancy. With -a suppressed cry of surprise and gladness she sprang to meet him. He -would have been less than a man if he had not extended both hands to -embrace her. To her glorious womanhood was added the frank joyousness -of a child. Her face caught the flash of her soul, and was illumined by -it. - -This was, however, but for the instant. The next moment she drew back. -Her face flushed, then became of marble pallor. Dignity, hauteur, -offence, almost scorn were written upon her brow and lips. It was as if -a bursting rose-bush were suddenly encased in wintry ice. - -Deborah realized that the surprise of Dion's coming had thrown her off -her guard. Had she not solemnly determined, that night at the Wady, -that henceforth they two could have nothing in common? This had been -a conviction of her judgment and of her sense of duty. That hour when -she had used a woman's wiles to accomplish a higher purpose she had -classed among her other practices of deceit as a spy. She had scorned -herself for it. Now that her debt for his risking life in her behalf -had been fully paid--paid off by her risking her loyalty to her country -to save him--she had accustomed herself to think of him only as an -enemy; a Greek, either hating the Jews and therefore persecuting them, -or else a mere soldier of fortune, indifferent to all right and truth, -as unfeeling as the point of his sword. In the one case he was a man -whom she, as a Jewess, must treat as a foe; in the other case, he was -a man of such character that she, as a woman, must despise him. She -had resolved that if ever they did meet--and she prayed God that they -might not--it should be with such frigid courtesy on her part that -former relations could not be resumed. She had thought, too, that she -could readily play this part. Had she not schooled herself to absolute -self-control? Who could see through any mask she pleased to wear? Not -the shrewdest of the Greek generals in whose tents she had been; not -the suspicious eyes of these women in Jerusalem. She had prided herself -that, whatever feeling might linger in her heart, her personality was -buried within her patriot purpose. - -Yet just now her impulse on seeing this man had been as uncontrolled as -that of a child. What had she done? She said: "I have betrayed myself." -Then she asked a deeper question on this line than she had ever asked -before: "How could I betray myself? Am I not my own very self? Is -there, then, some deeper self with which I am not fully acquainted? -And is it true that that deeper, stranger self, having never been -consulted, has never consented to the judgment I had formed regarding -Dion?" - -She began to feel, what the Princess believed, that there is a -mysterious sense of kinship between certain souls which asserts itself -in spite of conditions, which heeds no warning of judgment, and refuses -submission to other passions. If it were not so, why had Dion's sudden -coming made her do that which no other surprise could have led her to -do--make her forget herself? - -But in a moment more she had recovered her self-possession. She bowed -Dion to a seat as coldly as any stranger might have done, and bade him -tell the story of the battle. - -Captain Dion addressed himself solely to Glaucon, for each glance at -Deborah seemed to interrupt his memory of events. Once and again he -stopped midway a sentence as he looked at her, until Glaucon recalled -him by repeating his last words. - -At length, fixing his eyes steadily upon her face, he said: - -"We were defeated because we had on our side no--prophetess--to inspire -us to more than human valor." - -But Deborah was now on her guard. That play on Dion's part belonged to -diplomacy, not sentiment, and she rewarded his ruse by not so much as a -quivering eyelash or the shadow of a changing hue. - -"Do the armies take prophetesses to their battlefields?" she asked. - -"The Greeks do not," replied Dion. "Such holy women as we have remain -at home and consult the entrails and stars. But it was reported that -the Jews were accompanied by some of theirs. I overheard one say, 'The -prophetess, the Daughter of Jerusalem, is with us.'" - -His eyes searched hers, but could discover no sign that she understood -his deeper meaning. - -The diplomatic play between Dion and Deborah was like the sword play -of two expert fencers whose blades cling together. Glaucon unwittingly -relieved the tension by inquiring: - -"As a soldier, do you advise my leaving the city, Captain Dion?" - -"I as a soldier, or you as a soldier? Which do you mean?" laughed the -Captain. - -"I am not a soldier," said Glaucon. "My position of influence is too -great for me to take such risks." - -"If you were a soldier," said Dion, "I would advise you to make your -house a castle, and die behind your parapets. But no, I think that one -with so many other interests had better take refuge in the citadel or -at Antioch. The fact is, our forces have been utterly overthrown. The -Jews are in pursuit through the plain. Judas, I think, camped in our -camps at Lydda last night. But he will return; and if he strikes us -here we have not sufficient soldiers to guard the entire walls. We can -hold no more than the citadel." - -"Then I will gather up all I can, and to-morrow have it removed to the -Tower of David," replied the frightened man. - -"I commend your discretion," said the soldier, as Glaucon, summoning -his steward, left the apartment. - - - - -XXV - -A JEWESS TAKES NO ORDERS FROM THE ENEMY - - -"And you, Captain?" said Deborah, with as much coolness as courtesy -when they were alone. "You will pardon my seeming lack of hospitality, -for you know that you are ever welcome at the house of Elkiah; but -should you not return to your duty? The riot in the street needs a -strong control. And are you not under orders from General Seron?" - -"The General has forgotten what orders he has given," replied Dion. -"Or, if he remembers them, he will have to enforce them with a new -army from Sheol, for Seron has fled thither. It was bravely done, -but terrible. The General has already taken the only vengeance that -remained for his defeat. He has washed out his dishonor in his own -blood. We had scarcely entered the citadel when he turned to me and -said, 'Dion, this disgrace I shall never live to hear told. Do as I -do.' With that he struck his dagger to the heart of his wife, then -fell himself upon his sword point. I did not obey his order. I was too -cowardly for that." - -Dion hesitated before he continued: - -"But no, I was not cowardly. Deborah, since what has passed between -us, I owe to you the confession of my only reason for not following my -leader in his terrible deed. I thought of one very dear to me, from -whom I seemed to have been separated by long years, so slow did the -time creep in her absence--now among a people foreign to me. To this -woman I had once bound myself with a vow." - -Deborah felt the blood coming to her cheeks. - -Dion kept on: "While this woman lives, I must live, unless she bids me -die. But if she shall call me coward I will disprove her words by dying -at her feet. Does the daughter of Elkiah bid me follow my General? I -will obey. Since the turn of affairs at Bethhoron you will no longer -need one of hated race to protect you. As your Jehovah is my judge, -Deborah, I have lived for naught else since I felt the touch of your -hand at the Wady. I await your word." - -How much one can live in a moment! The two preceding years lay there -in Deborah's memory like a landscape under the lightning. She saw this -man in his sacrificial friendship. She thought that she resented his -personal affection; but, that being eliminated, he was the noblest of -souls: a Greek, yet respecting her nation's faith even by the altar in -the Temple where he raised his protest in the endeavor to protect her -dying father; defending this house because it was a home; more tender -to her Caleb than his own brother had been. She asked herself, "Could -even Judas have shown nobler manhood? Would he befriend a household of -his enemies whose only claim should be their piteous need?" - -With all hauteur gone, she extended her hand and said: - -"Forgive me, Captain Dion! I have wronged you. I have been blind! I am -blind still!" - -She thought she had looked him frankly in the face, and that she had -pronounced these words very calmly; she was unaware that she had -blushed, that tears came into her eyes, and that her hand trembled in -his. - -Dion was more astute. Like an expert soldier he detected the favorable -turn affairs had taken at this critical juncture, and sought words to -press his advantage. But before he could speak Deborah had lapsed into -reserve. Was it her woman's pride that felt somewhat of resentment? or -was it the remnant of her former resolution which came as a forlorn -hope to her rescue? She said: - -"You, sir, should be with your soldiers; and I--I have much to think -of." - -"But pledge me, Deborah, that you will not go again to the army." - -At this she stood erect and haughty, as a captive queen before her -captor might have done. She forced severity into her tone: - -"I am a Jewess, sir, and must not take orders from the enemy." - -"I do not command, I entreat," replied Dion. "By your own God, Deborah, -I swear to you that the slaughter of all the King's host is less to me -than that harm should come to a hair of your head." - -"A very pretty speech," rejoined Deborah, with simulated sarcasm, "but -it is scarcely a speech befitting a Greek soldier. Is your faith like a -helmet which can be changed at will, that you can swear by a stranger's -god?" - -"My faith! My faith!" exclaimed Dion. "We Greeks have no such faith as -yours. But a single faith have I--that all gods are one, or rather, as -your heroism has made me feel, that one God is all. The God of Israel -is the God of all nations. That you have taught me. I have found my -prophetess, if Israel has none." - -"It is the true faith," said Deborah, "but how should you know it? Is a -girl's belief more to you than all your boasted philosophy?" - -"Not a girl's belief, but a woman's life," cried the Greek -enthusiastically. "A life filled with the spirit of her God, is most -convincing. That has persuaded me. And yet, Deborah, these thoughts are -not altogether new to me. From childhood I seem to have had something -of this faith. Voices have spoken to me from an unknown world--a world -over this, as the sky domes all lands and seas. Our Greek gods are to -this God of yours as the bright things about us are to the sun. Though -the sun's face be hidden by clouds all things get their brightness from -it. And strangely, these voices I speak of seem to be recalling me to -something I had once known and forgotten, or to awaken something born -in me, but still latent and unintelligible. Your father's clear faith, -your own words, your devotion--these have been an interpreter of what I -have so vaguely felt. Believe me, Deborah, I commit no sacrilege when I -swear my devotion to the God of Israel." - -Deborah listened with a delight not concealed by her expression of -wonderment. - -"Tell me," she said eagerly, "tell me more of yourself, Captain Dion. I -pray you be seated. Did not your father have something of this faith? -Else who has taught you?" - -"My father I have hardly known," replied Dion. "He was attached to the -court of Philip of Macedonia. When I was but seven years old he was -sent on an embassage to Rome, and never returned to us. My mother had -died four years before. Of her I have but dim remembrance, or perhaps -fancied remembrance, prompted by this." - -He produced from his breast a small box enclosing a beautiful face -carved in relief upon ivory, and delicately enriched with flesh tints. - -"This was the work of an Athenian who was greatly skilled in such art. -This face has ever been in my thoughts. No other face of woman ever -displaced it from my constant dream by day and by night, until----" - -"Speak no more of that," said Deborah. "Let no stranger supplant your -mother's image in your love." - -"At my father's death," resumed Dion, "I was made a page in the -household of Perseus, who succeeded Philip, until I was strong enough -to carry a sword. Since then the camp has been my home. I fought for -my King until he was utterly overthrown by the Romans; then I became -a wanderer. Hoping that Antiochus would war against my old enemy the -Romans, I gave him my sword. I did not seek such work as we have done -here. But enough about myself. Pledge me, Deborah, that you will not go -again to the army." - -"Again to the army?" exclaimed Deborah. "Why, when you found me at the -Wady, did you not entreat me to return to my home here? And have I not -done so?" - -"And it was well," replied Dion. "But it was said that at the fight -yesterday, the daughter of Elkiah encouraged the Jews. Your name was -heard shouted like a battle cry by the Maccabæans." - -"My name!" said Deborah, in well-feigned amazement. "Captain Dion, -surely that bruise on your brow tells of some more serious blow you -must have received, to have imagined that you heard my name. And have -you not found me here?" - -"Yes, I can give the lie to the rumor about your being in the battle; -and I will swear by Jehovah and all the gods, that I know to the -contrary, if the story should ever be repeated to your injury among the -people of the city." - -"Do not swear it, Dion. If you believe in our God, keep His commandment -which says, 'Thou shalt not take the Name of God in vain,' and for a -Greek to swear as you propose to do would surely be in vain." - - - - -XXVI - -TO UNMASK THE PRINCESS - - -The panic in Jerusalem soon gave place to a sense of security. This -was due not only to the fact that the Maccabæans had not followed up -their victory and attacked the city, but also in large measure to the -quieting counsel of Captain Dion. - -"The defeat at Bethhoron," he declared, "was owing not to any superior -force of the Jews, but to the folly of General Seron in marching his -army so as to invite assault. Indeed, when the forward phalanges -recoiled upon those coming after, the Greeks defeated themselves. -That disaster might have occurred had no enemy attacked us. But the -force that Judas has, while sufficient to start a panic by its sudden -irruption under such circumstances, is too small to attempt the capture -of the city. His men are only peasants, and without armaments of siege. -Upon the walls one man could withstand many assailants; and from -within the citadel a woman might resist a company of men. Beside this, -intelligence has come that Lysias, the new Governor, has despatched our -most noted generals, Ptolemy, Nicanor, and Gorgias, with a force of -forty thousand footmen and seven thousand horse to utterly exterminate -the Maccabæans. If the rebels elude our new armies, it will be only by -leaving Judea, and taking refuge across the Jordan in the mountains -of Moab, where they will be as harmless to Jerusalem as are the beasts -which infest those wilds." - -Under such counsel the people were calmed. As the terrible Judas did -not appear at the gate of the city--nor, as some imagined, like a bat -as big as a cloud, scale the walls with armed men under his wings--life -resumed its usual course among the inhabitants. - -The reaction from fright did not even stop with a general sense of -security. The pleasure-loving people sought to recompense their days of -abstinence by extravagant indulgence. - -In this they were charmingly led by the Princess Helena, whose grief -for Apollonius had been completely healed, if rumor were correct, by -the attentions of Glaucon. The enamored man had purchased her favor -by a relinquishment to her of his interest in the estate of Shattuck. -This transaction, told by Helena in confidence to Lydia, had come to -the knowledge of her husband Menelaos, the High Priest, who, claiming -to be partner with the renegade Jew in all ventures that paid, insisted -upon Glaucon's turning over to him, as through former agreement, -one-half the estimated prospective value of the estate. An open breach -between the two men was prevented by a stroke of business shrewdness -manipulated by the two women. Glaucon was induced to repurchase the -claim by payment to the Princess of a sum of ready money; which money, -it is needless to say, was shared by that gracious lady with the High -Priest himself, who still retained his half interest in the Shattuck -property. - -Glaucon was readily reconciled to his loss through this deal, not only -by the affectionate rewards of his mistress, but by new discoveries -relative to the estate of Shattuck. Its value was greater than he had -at first surmised, embracing heavy mortgages upon adjacent property. - -All this time Glaucon's relations with the Princess were an offense to -Deborah which, with all her art, she could scarcely conceal. She must -tear the fair veil from this hideous creature. But how could she do -so without confessing her own double life, since it was in the spy's -disguise she had discovered all that she really knew of the woman? In -her remonstrances with Glaucon she dared not go beyond interrogations -and insinuations, which her brother resented with warmth. - -"If we have not known her, others have," said he. "Her coming to meet -Apollonius in Samaria was an event in the camp." - -"And excited no scandal?" - -"Scandal? Hera, the wife and sister of Jove, did not escape the taunt -of tongues. The fairer the flower the fouler the insect that stings it. -You yourself, Berenice, have had unsavory things said of you; but who -would believe them?" - -"Still," interposed Deborah, "you know for a certainty nothing about -her lineage." - -"She has told me all," replied Glaucon. "The blood of the great -Alexander is in her veins, mingled with that of the Ptolemies. But do -you not see her royalty in her very look and form and manner? The gods -do not make such caskets except for priceless gems." - -"The hetæræ of Greece are the fairest women," suggested Deborah, with a -tone of contempt. - -"But have you not seen how choice she is in the selection of her -friends?" argued he. "In Jerusalem she receives to her intimacy only -those of the most dignified position, like the house of Menelaos--and -the house of Glaucon." - -"But tell me, brother, how many talents has she picked from your purse?" - -Glaucon colored, but smiled, as he replied: "Well, is not that, too, a -princely habit?" - -He quickly diverted the conversation from the uncomfortable direction -it was taking. The Princess had humiliated him in his own eyes by -outwitting him in the Shattuck matter; and as a marred mirror avenges -itself by marring the reflection cast upon it, so the image of Helena's -virtue had now at least one fault in Glaucon's judgment. She was over -sharp for him; an offense which at brief moments fretted his love. -But he was too proud to admit that Deborah had touched a spot in him -already sensitive through irritation, and quickly resumed the praise of -the Princess. - -"How divinely she speaks! and upon what themes! Only courts have -such instructors as she has had. Alexander was not better taught by -Aristotle." - -"Perhaps she sings and dances as well. Has she exhibited these -accomplishments also?" asked Deborah. - -"How should I know of these things? My little sister, educated as -you have been in the narrowness of our former Jewish life, you -have not learned that a free-born Greek woman, much more one of -aristocratic family, is never allowed to reveal to the other sex such -accomplishments as you mention, even if she possesses them. These arts -of singing and dancing, beautiful as they are, are left to the slave -caste for performance. Athena is not Terpsichore. But, by the way, -there are some fine artists of that sort in Jerusalem. Several women -noted for their beauty of voice and limb came from Antioch with the -officers of Seron. They were nearly trodden to death in the flight. -They were found near Bethhoron, and brought to the city, where we need -entertainment. Meton, the chief of the city garrison, had them at the -castle last night; and I can get them here. Our Princess Helena and -Lydia, with Menelaos, will make a company before which they will be -proud to display their parts." - -"Not here, Benjamin, in our father's house, not here." - -"Then in the house of Menelaos." - -"Not there, I beg you; for Menelaos bears the name of High Priest. Let -us at least respect the customs of Israel, if we no longer have its -faith." - -"Let it then be in the Princess' house. She has no such silly -scruples," replied Glaucon petulantly. "It is the custom of the -aristocracy of Greece to hire their entertainers; poets to recite, -orators to declaim, pantomimists, dancers, players on instruments and -singers. Helena will arrange it all, if I ask her." - -"And if you pay for it?" suggested Deborah, as Glaucon hurried away to -carry out his new conceit. - -Deborah watched the curtain through which he had passed. Dark shadows -were flung upon her face from darker thoughts within. She paced the -floor as restively as a caged panther. The convulsive movement of her -fingers was as if they were clutching and stifling some hideous insect -which defiled them, and which she would fling away when she had killed -it. - -"How long is this to be?" she murmured. "But that by my abiding here -Jerusalem will be the sooner rid of all this abomination, I would go to -the camp--or to the desert. But here I can best serve Judas. Patience! -Patience! But this impostor, this Princess, forsooth! She must be -unmasked." - - - - -XXVII - -THE QUEEN OF THE GROVE - - -The court around which the house of Helena was built had, through -liberal draft upon the Princess' taste and Glaucon's purse, been -prepared for the entertainment. The jet of water which ordinarily -rose in the centre of the court was turned off, and the little marble -basin in which the bronze lotus leaves seemed to float was now covered -over with a platform extended and raised sufficiently to display the -performance. - -Helena's nose turned too much upward for a Greek ideal when, late in -the day, she contemplated the meagre decorations. Glaucon had hired -a number of men and boys to gather wild flowers from the fields; but -the dread of the ubiquitous Judas had kept these gleaners within a few -rods of the city gate. Lamps enclosed in bags of various-colored linen -and silk were substituted for the lanterns of brass and silver and -opalescent stones which anciently had been the common adornment of the -houses of the well-to-do people. - -But whatever was lacking in these respects was compensated by the -brilliancy of the chamber which, raised three steps above the pavement, -opened upon the court. This place was strewn with cushions and skins -of tiger and fox, so that the floor was not unlike the body of a vast -peacock lying with extended wings and tail. Amid these, and upon the -divans which ran round the three sides of the chamber, reclined fair -women; and hovering over them, like humming-birds seeking the sweet -of flowers, stood high officers from the garrison, and a few of the -richest of the Greek priests in gala dress. - -Menelaos asserted the prerogative of his rank, and reclined with the -fair sex. Glaucon, as chief patron of the show, and more than patron of -the hostess, assumed a similar privilege. - -"Is she not beautiful, my sister?" whispered the Jew as Helena, -having duly saluted her guests, with a wave of the hand indicated the -beginning of the entertainment. - -Helena evidently overheard the compliment, and rewarded Glaucon with -a smile that would have captivated any voluptuary, though he were not -already infatuated, as was her present victim. - -"She is very fair," replied Deborah. - -"A palm-tree is not more stately among juniper bushes than Helena among -women," said the enamored man. - -"Rather say as graceful as a spotted serpent coiling about a -palm-tree," interjected his sister. "What limbs for a dancer!" - -Glaucon interpreted her comment to apply to another woman, who at the -moment seemed to have materialized out of the tangled lamp rays, and -appeared upon the platform in the court. This airy being stood long -enough to assure the spectators that she was of real flesh and blood. -Then, with hands outspread, she pivoted herself upon the slender point -of her foot, and gyrated with as little apparent muscular effort as -that of the wand which a juggler twirls upon his finger. Two other -women joined her. Together they writhed in the set forms of a dance, -which was designed to show through thin drapery the fine contour of -their persons, the proportion of their limbs, and grace of motion. - -"Bravo!" cried Menelaos, tossing a handful of gold coins. As they rang -upon the pavement, the dancers, without stopping or marring their -orderly movements, picked up the gleaming spots. - -"Bravo!" echoed Glaucon. "I have never seen it better done. I remember -the same figures executed by the famous Thessalian sisters at Antioch. -You recall the dance, do you not?" - -"I am not sufficiently versed in the art to recognize the movements," -replied the Priest. - -"The wine will clear your wits," responded Glaucon, nodding to the -Princess for approval, which was so sweetly given that it proved -sufficient intoxicant to the Jew without need of any from the cup. He -clapped his hands, signalling to the servants, who filled the great -goblet. - -"This wine," said Glaucon, "I had sent from the capital as a gift to -our fair hostess. Let her first spice it with a touch of her lips." - -The Princess acknowledged the excellence of Glaucon's choice by -quaffing deeply, and then passed the golden vessel to her guests. - -The girls again appeared, one carrying a cythera, another a tambour, -the third castanets. The first sang, to the accompaniment of her -instrument, a love song. Her voice had much natural sweetness, and gave -evidence of cultivation; but the notes soon became husky and harsh, as -if age-worn, although the singer could scarcely have passed her first -score of years. It gave proof of the dissipation which soon ends the -career of women of her class, unless they are possessed of sufficient -ambition and will to practise a measure of present self-restraint for -the sake of longer future indulgence. The two other girls joined in -the chorus with tambour and castanets, and afterwards executed a dance -which was pantomimic of the song. - -Was it the gold that excited them, or is there a spirit of the dance -which resides somewhere in the air or in the light, and enters the -bodies of its votaries? These women became ecstatic; they seemed -to emerge from themselves, and to become each a living presence of -Terpsichore. They closed their eyes as if they danced in sleep. Their -lips were parted to inhale the intoxicating breath of their goddess, -who should thus supply the energy which physical motion exhausted. -The timing of their feet became as pulse-beats, rhythmic, strong, -flinging them through the forms of the dance, as a fever throb whirls -one through the maze of fantastic visions. They bent until their -dishevelled hair touched the floor, like stalks of grain beneath the -weight of golden tassels. Then, as the wind lifts the stalk and flings -high its bannered top, the women became erect. With instruments above -their heads, they swirled, each like a glistening whirlpool, until the -spectators were dizzied. - -During the performance Helena had spiced the wine more than once with -her lips as she passed the cup to Glaucon. - -"The dance is shamefully poor," said she. "How that girl mouthed her -words, and failed to give the right accent! The click of the castanets -is not timed to her motions. And the movement of her ankles--as -awkward as if her legs were flail-sticks. The girls are not artists. -Let them sing again, and I will show them how." - -She rose from the divan and, seizing the cythera from the hand of one -of the performers, rendered the song with wonderful power. Now Helena's -notes floated as buoyantly as those of a lark, and anon sank into -exquisite softness and depth, as blue wings sink into the azure. Then, -dropping from her shoulders her outer robe, with snapping fingers in -lieu of castanets, she gave the dance. - -Helena's figure had evidently once been of that perfect balance which -makes the impression of being without weight, and which, with the -aid of proper draperies, gives the illusion of floating in the air. -But her body had clearly taken on solidity, and a distribution of -substance better adapted to one who would pose in stateliness than to -one who would play the sylph. There is a grace of motion and another -grace of inertia. Very young persons ordinarily monopolize the former; -the latter is the compensation which nature gives for advancing -years. Helena did not realize the grade she had attained in beautiful -womanhood--not an uncommon inadvertence of her sex. Otherwise she -danced with faultless art--art evidently acquired only through careful -instruction and lengthened practice; the art which, according to -Glaucon, was forbidden to princely personages and free-born women among -the Greeks. Her performance ended in an attitude illustrative of the -closing lines of the song, in which the singer accepts the embrace of -her lover. Helena's face flushed with the excitement of the exercise. -Her eyes flickered unsteadily through the effect of the wine. As the -last note died upon her lips she reached out her hands to Glaucon. - -Whether the Jew was dazed by the superb acting, or by the unexpected -revelation on the part of the actress, we may not say--but dazed he -seemed, for he sat stupidly still. - -His irresponsive look startled, if it did not sober, the dancer. -She gazed about her; put her hand to her head, as if to realize her -identity; and, tripping upon the robe which she had dropped from her -hand, fell into her seat. - -"I must be ill," she said. "Give me--give me--some wine." - -One by one her guests, with such semblance of courtesy as the Princess' -condition allowed them to render, took their departure; but not until -one of the dancing women was heard to declare: - -"I will bet my garters that she is none other than the great Clarissa -herself; for I am sure that the old Queen of the Grove of Daphne could -not have done it better. Did you catch the trill?" - -"Aye, and the long step and the short one. 'Beauty's Limp' they call -it. Clarissa invented that, and all the girls in the Grove practised -it; but they say that nobody could do it perfectly except herself." - -"I think that the Princess did it splendidly, except that her flesh -wobbled; she's too fat." - -"What became of the Queen of the Grove?" - -"I have heard that she went away with General Apollonius. I will wager -my silver anklets against your bronze ones that Clarissa came down -to Jerusalem when Apollonius was killed, and that she has been taken -up by that fig-headed fellow who ordered the drink. The Princess! -Ha, ha! She's the Queen--our Queen of Daphne! If she comes out again -I will fall down at her feet, and bite off a piece of her big toe to -carry back to Antioch as a memento; that is, if we ever get out of this -Jewish hole." - -"May the gods favor us as well as they have Clarissa!" was her -companion's reply. - -"Aye, when we get so heavy in the thighs, and so stiff in the joints. -When that comes I, too, will sell what is left of me to a Jew. But -let's have a drink." - -She threw a kiss at a Greek officer leaving the court, and bent over -the wine crater, singing: - - Inside heat for outside heat, - Good for both the head and feet. - Give me love and give me wine. - Give me both, or I'm not thine. Tra-la! - - - - -XXVIII - -A PRISONER - - -Captain Dion was not at the house of Helena the night of the -entertainment. He was more seriously engaged with Meton, the Commandant -at the citadel. The two men sat on opposite sides of a narrow oaken -table. This was the only furniture of the stone-encased apartment, -except the low stools the men occupied, some changes of armor that hung -from the bronze pegs in the walls, a soldier's chest, and a tankard and -goblets which stood between the Commandant and his guest. The men were -in striking contrast. Meton was short, broad-shouldered, square-headed, -crab-eyed, with complexion which might have been due to weather -exposure or overmuch indulgence in wine--doubtless to both. - -"I appreciate your feeling in regard to so fine a woman," said the -Commandant, "and I have no doubt that she rewards your good offices -with personal favors. No offence, my friend, no offence! for were I -younger I should prize a woman's smile as highly as you do. But I tell -you, Captain, she must be seized." - -"With proper deference to your opinion," responded Dion, "I am not -prepared to admit the force of your reasons for suspecting her. Indeed, -I am quite sure that I can disprove what her enemies say of her. But, -passing that, it were impolitic to lay hands on one so close to Glaucon -and the High Priest." - -"Glaucon! He has not a shred of influence in Jerusalem except -as Menelaos allows him to pose under his shadow. And listen, -Captain,"--lowering his voice and glancing furtively about the -apartment--"Menelaos is through with Glaucon. The Jew has about wound -up his tether, and is of no more use to the Priest than a date pit is -to the pulp after it has ripened. It is the High Priest himself who has -secured evidence against the woman. I do not praise his purpose; but -Menelaos, the circumcised hypocrite, would be as false to us Greeks as -he has been to his own race, if his greed led that way. Just now he is -weighting his dice to get possession of the estate of Elkiah, which -they say includes that of Ben Shattuck. If this Berenice, or Deborah, -or whatever her name may be, can be proved to be in league with the -Maccabæans, it will be sufficient for the King, which is another name -for the High Priest, to confiscate the property; since he would not -trust Glaucon, who harbors her in his house. It was different when she -was thought to be dead." - -"But what evidence has been secured?" asked Dion with simulated -calmness, which one less stolid than his companion would have seen to -cover deep excitement. - -"Evidence? Evidence in abundance! Though I confess to you, Captain, I -don't believe a word of it any more than you do. The woman is scarcely -more than a child, and yet the Princess is ready to swear that she -was once a Jewish spy whom she herself had seen about the camp of -Apollonius before his blunder at the Wady. Faugh! It is incredible. If -fawns were used as hounds to scent out leopards, then Glaucon's sister -might be a spy." - -"Is the Princess' word all we have for the accusation?" - -"No. We have caught two men who were with Judas; they will swear for -the sake of their lives--and men will swear anything for that--that -the daughter of Elkiah was with the rebels just before the battle of -Bethhoron." - -"But I could swear that she was not, for I myself saw her in her -brother's house the very night of the battle," cried Dion, bringing -his fist down upon the table that separated them. "I will put my word -against the two traitors; and which will you take, General Meton?" - -"Quiet, Captain! quiet! or I will believe the report that her black -eyes have bewitched you. Whose word will I take--yours or the Jews'? -Why, theirs, of course, since we will not allow you to testify at all. -Captain, you and I know that this is not an affair of justice, but only -a thread in some web the High Priest and the Princess are spinning. But -what of that? Neither of us is big enough to withstand Menelaos; and I, -for one, will not attempt it. The woman must be seized." - -"But does the law of our service permit an accused woman no defendant?" - -"No defendant will be needed in this case. My orders are peremptory. -They come from General Gorgias, that she shall be arrested, and held -until his arrival in the city, when he himself will judge the case. But -there is hope for her. She is marvellously beautiful, though her eyes -have too much lightning in them for me. Gorgias is an artist in flesh; -and as the judges did in Phryne's case, he will find as many witnesses -of her innocence as she has charms. But, Captain, I can serve your -fancy. For your interest in the woman I will put her custody into your -hands until Gorgias comes. You certainly will not object to that, or -you have colder blood than I credit your years with. You may bring her -to the citadel, or you may guard her in her own house, in your arms if -you want to; but you know our laws--your life for hers if she escapes. -First, however, her accusation must be published. On this the High -Priest insists. Captain, do you accept her custody, or shall I send -another?" - -"Under such circumstances, of course I accept," replied Dion, rising. - -"Well," said Meton, laughing, "then I command you, for I see you want -to. Only don't fall in love with her overmuch, or I shall be jealous -of my appointment and revoke it. One cup more with me, Captain; and -speak a good word for me with the Princess; for when this pup of a Jew, -Glaucon, is out of the way, I may myself forget that I am not young, -and play the suitor." - -Early the following morning a tall sarissa and broad-brimmed hat -sentinelled the house of Glaucon. Another soldier was stationed just -within the doorway, while half a score lounged about the court, under -command of Captain Dion. - -The news of Deborah's arrest produced excitement and some consternation -throughout the city; for while Glaucon was hated, even as he was -envied, for his ill-gotten successes, nearly all the renegade Jews -in Jerusalem were conscious of serving the King from the same greedy -motives, and feared for themselves now that the High Priest had turned -against one of his own kind. - -"Who next?" was everywhere asked in whispers. - -Captain Dion had his headquarters in the familiar guest room of the -house of Glaucon. He made known to Deborah the accusation against her. - -"Deborah, I am here to protect as well as guard you," he protested. -"You must escape. Let me go with you, and if necessary die for you. -What is one soldier less to the armies of Antiochus? But a life poured -out in love's dear sake, ah! that would be like a goblet of wine -spilled upon an altar. Willingly would I thus serve you, and I believe -it would be a sacrifice pleasing to your God." - -Deborah was a long time silent. At length she said: - -"Dion, will you do anything, everything, for me?" - -"Anything, everything," exclaimed the eager man. "Speak the word, and -I will go with you to the camp of the Jews, or I will flee with you to -the tents beyond Jordan. Anything, everything," cried he, abandoning -himself to the sway of his passion. - -"There is nothing I can ask that you will not do? Are you sure? May I -test you again?" - -"There is nothing, nothing that I will not do for you. I swear it. Test -me. I long to prove myself." - -"Then, Dion, I command you to remain where you are. Do your duty as a -Greek soldier. Guard me if you may. Lead me forth to execution if you -must. Let General Gorgias have his will with me. I will not use your -love to swerve you a hair's breadth from your sworn duty to the service -you are engaged in." - -"But, Deborah, how could I do this? You are falsely accused. Never was -there a more damnable lie. I myself can swear that you were not with -the Jews at the battle, for here I saw you." - -Deborah turned away and paced the apartment; then quickly turned: - -"Dion, you are my custodian. More than that, I make you my judge. You -shall hear my confession. I am not falsely accused. I am a Jewish spy. -I forbid that you swear to my innocence. Others may speak untruth, but -I will confess the facts before the tribunal rather than your lips -shall utter a word that is false." - -Dion heard with amazement, not so much at her statement, for he had -more than suspected its truth, but at this new revelation of Deborah's -spirit. He exclaimed ardently: - -"Then flee with me. Come! Come! This night we may be far away, among -your own people, among the tribesmen beyond Moab; or we will go to -Egypt, or to Greece, or to Rome. My life is yours, Deborah, whenever -and for whatever you may need me. Come! We can make safe flight." - -"No, Dion. Though I may not say I love you, I esteem you too much as my -friend, as my father's friend, to let you sacrifice your good name for -me. Be true to your duty here, until God Himself give deliverance to -His people." - -"There is no deliverance for your people, Deborah," cried the Greek in -despair. "The King's armies are already gathering for another ascent -from the plain of Sharon. Within three weeks they will sweep all this -land as the tide of the Great Sea covers the sands when the north wind -blows." - -"Then, why will not you go with your men?" exclaimed Deborah, -haughtily. "It is better to fight on the high field than to be left -behind to guard a girl. Honor and fame are there--here nothing for a -great soul; nothing for one who has been trained in the court of Philip -and in the army of Perseus of Macedon." - -Her attitude and voice were so dramatic that they might have turned -even Glaucon into a hero. - -Then her tones became taunting: "Has Dion, son of General Agathocles, -no ambition? Are you like a new-born ant that has wings on its back, -but suffers them to be torn off by its sisters? Oh, Dion, if I were a -man, think you I would be content to play the cat at a mouse-hole, as -you are doing here, when the hosts are marching? Go! Let Meton send his -citadel cooks. They will be sufficient to watch me here. But not you, -Dion! Give up your custody, I beg you." - -Dion caught her martial spirit, and exclaimed: - -"Ah, if you were a man, Deborah, I would love you as your ancient -Prince Jonathan did the heroic David. Side by side we would fight even -for the Jews' cause. I swear it! But," he dropped his voice, and, -weighing every word with sincerity and decision, added, "Deborah, I -shall remain here with you, unless you will go with me." - -Deborah's manner instantly changed. Her soldierly enthusiasm became the -transport of a prophetess. - -"Dion, believe me, the host of Gorgias will never make the ascent to -Jerusalem. I know it. The sword of our God is in the hand of Judas. The -child Caleb sat yesterday looking toward the west, his eyes expanded -more largely than ever. 'What do you see?' I asked; for in such moods I -have found him to be gifted with a seer's sight. - -"'I see,' said he, 'the armies of the Gentiles. They swarm like bees -toward the towers of Jerusalem. Now they are at Emmaus. But the sword -of the Lord and of Judas gleams through the air. It severs the flying -host. See! see! The bees have lost their guidance. They scatter -everywhere. They dissolve like smoke in the air!' I know not where the -child gets such visions, but more oft than otherwise they come true." - -Dion shook his head. - -"Deborah, if your God shall again work miracles this dream may become -true; but if Judas were in league with Egypt or Rome he could not -stop the advance of Gorgias. Any one of the three Greek armies can -destroy the Maccabæans, while the others sweep the land, as freely -as the breezes blow, from Samaria to the South Desert. I thank God -that neither you nor I shall be in the coming battle. Why, Deborah, -should I fight? How can I care whether Antiochus widen his empire, and -rob more lands to spend his revenues on new favorites, such as those -about us here? But I could fight for a cause, for something I esteemed -holy, as I do yours. I believe that you could touch me and transform -me into--into a Jew. One thing I vow: If Judas escape the oncoming -armies I will believe in Caleb's vision. I will offer your great -champion my sword at the gate of Jerusalem, and confess that he is the -long-promised Deliverer whom all people as well as yours believe will -some day come to restore right boundaries and exalt good men. This I -swear, and make your sweet lips witness. Let them call me traitor if I -keep not this vow." - -"Did then," replied Deborah, "our blind seer dream again correctly? -He said that he saw Dion wearing a Jew's shirt beneath his Greek -toga. But, Dion, do not follow such impulses. Your career is that of -a soldier. In that occupation you may acquire renown, riches, power; -for I myself once heard one of your generals say that there was more -genius for command in Dion's head than in the whole war councils of the -King. Only be as just as you are brave--such men are needed everywhere. -But alas! too well I know that, unless God helps, one will find only -poverty and suffering and death among the Jews. Our reward is not here, -but in that unknown land where we believe our fathers who have fallen -asleep wake and walk. Without that sure faith, Dion, you must not -become a Jew. But we must part. Call me when the swordsman or jailer is -ready--and I will forgive you." - -She retired into her apartment. - - - - -XXIX - -A RAID - - -Between the conflict of his own thoughts and Glaucon's outbursts of -rage at the indignity cast upon his house, the day passed drearily for -Captain Dion. But the night brought new excitement. - -The narrowness of the streets made them dark almost as soon as the -glints of the setting sun had climbed above the parapets and vanished -into the upper air. No lamps were now burning, as in peaceful times, at -the doorways of the houses. Upon the city walls and at the great gates -loomed the outlines of the sentinels, the click of whose sarissas, -brought to the ground at each turn on their beats, alone broke the -stillness. The streets were deserted, except as here and there a light -blinked through the opening door of some low resort, out of which -revellers stumbled into the night; or as some thief, with bare and -noiseless feet, evaded a house guard who was sleeping before the gate -of an official or protected inhabitant. - -It was about the sixth hour when three shadows, like so many -condensations of the night itself, moved up the Street of David from -the direction of the Temple. In a moment as many more followed. Others -came stealthily out of the alleys, and appeared suddenly in the main -street, as if they were exhalations from the pools of water between the -great stones of the pavement. If one had owl's eyes one might have -detected more of these moving patches of darkness, some taking covert -behind the projecting lattice-work of the bazaar windows, or within the -screening lintels of the doorways. At first they seemed like common -night waifs seeking places to sleep; but as sticks in a whirlpool make -each its own gyrations, then float out through a common channel, so all -these men drifted toward the house of Glaucon. - -The sentinel stationed there observed one such shadow near him, and -challenged it. While engaged in attempting to unravel what he thought -were the comer's drunken accents into intelligible words, a grip from -behind was upon his throat, and before he could utter an outcry a short -sword had entered his body. - -A rap on the door brought the challenge, to which the Greek watch-word -"Avenge Bethhoron" was given. The cross-bar had scarcely lifted when -in poured a score of men. The door-keeper fell, and in a few moments -all the Greek guard were silent in their blood, except Captain Dion -who, standing at vantage upon the platform of the room leading from the -court, by splendid sword-play held off his assailants. The leader of -the attacking party, after watching for a moment the uneven fight, laid -his sword across the swords of the men. - -"Back, men! I will deal with this fellow." - -The speaker was a short but powerfully built man. His head was -protected by a helmet of thick leather, which was in keeping with the -black, coarse, chain-knit, iron corsage that covered his upper person. -His form was as compact and as lithe as that of a leopard, and his -pose that of equal alertness. Without for an instant letting his sword -drop from its position for thrust, and holding Dion at guard as the -weapon seemed to search his body for a vulnerable point, the man spoke: - -"You are in command here?" - -"When I had any one to command," replied Dion, glancing at the dead -bodies lying about the court. "But who are you?" - -"No matter who," replied the invader; "I demand the person of the -daughter of Elkiah." - -"My life is forfeit for her," replied Dion. "Come on." - -His challenge was not accepted by his antagonist, who, holding his -weapon in guard, asked, "Your name, gallant Greek?" - -"Captain Dion, at your service, sir. Come on." - -The man lowered his sword. - -"Retire, men. Captain Dion, a word with you." - -"Tell me first by whose authority you have entered here," asked Dion. - -"By the authority of the God of Israel, and Judas, son of Mattathias, -we came. And now, as you can see, since your comrades are dead, we -remain here by authority of our own swords. Twenty to one is scarcely -fair play, and we have that vantage of you. Yield!" - -Captain Dion was not more persuaded by the fighting odds against him -than he was led by certain other considerations to give up the fight. -He at once replied: - -"I yield upon one condition--that no harm shall come to the lady -Deborah." - -"Our purposes seem to be one," replied the stranger. "Is the name of -Jonathan, brother of Judas, sufficient guarantee for her safety?" - -"Jonathan!" ejaculated Dion. "And yet your entrance in spite of our -guards might have made me suspect one surnamed 'The Wily.' Have you -Maccabæans taken the city?" - -"It is enough that we have taken this house, and that you are our -prisoner. Will you deliver the woman to us, or shall we take her out -over your body? The choice is yours." - -"I am a Greek soldier," said Dion. "My life will be forfeit by our -own rules if I yield. My honor will at least be sustained if I fall -guarding my charge." - -He struck the attitude of defense. - -"I had rather fall beneath the hands of twenty foemen, than be led out -to die like a dog by my own people. Come on! You have my answer." - -Jonathan did not move. - -"Guard yourself, then!" said Dion, advancing. Jonathan made no sign of -self-defense. - -Dion lowered his sword. "I cannot kill a man who will not fight." - -"Plainly not. You are not a soldier of that sort, and thus are unlike -your fellow Greeks," said the Maccabæan. - -"Do not taunt me," was the reply. "I believe that the daughter of -Elkiah will be safer with Jonathan than with myself. For her sake I -yield." - -He presented his weapon. - -"Not so, Captain Dion," replied the Jew. "Keep your sword. You may need -it to defend yourself from others. Now lead me to the lady Deborah. I -respect her too highly to invade her privacy without heralding by her -appointed guardian. Use your sword on me, Captain Dion, if I force her -to do aught against her will. We two will go alone." - -Jonathan bade his men retire. - -The frightened servants had hidden away at the first noise of the -encounter; but as the two men approached Deborah's apartment their way -was blocked by old Huldah, who stood with arms akimbo, and behind her -Ephraim. - -"The lady Deborah is ill, and no one can see her," cried Huldah, as -valiantly as if Ephraim were a whole battalion supporting her. - -"Here is a military exigency which I fear the tactics of neither Greek -nor Jew is equal to," laughed Jonathan. "We should have brought up our -battering rams." - -It is difficult to surmise what would have been the issue of this -impending collision between a noted warrior and the puissant Huldah, -had not little Caleb appeared at the instant the battle was about to be -joined. Recognizing the voice of his friend of the Rocks, he ran to him -with a delighted cry: - -"Jonathan! Jonathan!" - -"My child!" cried the Maccabæan with equal eagerness, as he caught the -lad to his arms. "And Deborah, where is she?" - -"Why, Deborah is gone two hours since," exclaimed the child. "She is -now far away as Mizpah, or maybe Bethel. But, Jonathan, have we taken -the city yet? And was Gorgias killed as I saw in my dream?" - -"The Lord grant that your dream may be as that of Gideon's soldiers -the night before the destruction of the Philistines, when a barley cake -overturned a tent," said Jonathan, kissing the blind eyes. "Deborah -is gone? Where then, Captain Dion, is your boasted protection of this -woman, whom you say you were ordered to guard? If she could go and come -without your permission, why might not others have captured her? It is -well that I, a Jew, have been ordered to relieve guard here to-night, -since you, a Greek, have not kept it." - -"Your words are deserved," replied Dion, bewildered by Caleb's news. "I -cannot account for it. Deborah has not passed out by the court gateway -into the street, that I can swear. Nor do I think she has flown through -the air." - -"For aught you know, Sir Greek, she may have done so. Remember that you -are in the Jews' land. Here you must be prepared to believe such things -as were never dreamed of by your people. This is, as you have doubtless -heard, a land of miracles. Every hill and cave has a story, as true as -that Deborah has outwitted your senses. But pardon my mirth, Captain. I -see that your head sits lightly on your shoulders for having let your -bird break cage, and I suggest that, if you do not care to submit your -neck to the whim of your superior officer, you go with us. I doubt -not we can put you again in charge of your fair captive, or at least -where you will risk nothing if you avow that she escaped with your -connivance. I think, Captain, that you will have to go with us. Come." - -Captain Dion put forth his hands. - -"You may bind me." - -"You are too brave a man for that," replied Jonathan. "The name of -Dion is not unknown to us. You may bind yourself with your word. It -will suffice. Besides, you will need both hands in scrambling out of -this town, and maybe your sword, for----" - - - - -XXX - -FOILED - - -Jonathan's sentence was not completed. There was a sudden sound of the -quick-timed, regular tramp of many feet in the street. Meton, hearing -of the commotion in the house of Glaucon, had sent thither a detachment -from the citadel. There were a few sharp words of command outside, -followed by the crashing in of the gate. Then came a moment's silence. -This was while the Greek rescuers were forming for a dash through the -portal; for they knew that the foremost would fall beneath the unseen -swords that were ready to meet them. - -Jonathan and his men were already in the breach. Man after man dropped -in his tracks as the Greeks crossed the threshold. The assailants, -though baffled, kept the gate open by thrusting back of the hinges a -piece of timber which they had used as a sort of battering ram. The -passage was soon choked with a pile of dead bodies. The Greeks then -massed a number of spearmen who, with their bristling points thrust -far ahead of them, essayed to rush their antagonists. This ruse was -unfortunate; for no sooner were the spear-heads beyond the lintels than -they were grasped by strong hands, and thrown upward, thus leaving the -unprotected bodies of those who had used them at the mercy of the Jews' -swords. - -The Greeks had surely lost the fight had not Meton ordered another -party of his men to enter the adjacent houses, climb to the roofs, -and from them reach that of the house of Glaucon. Having gained this -advantage, they poured down in a torrent of destruction. The Greek -servants were spared. Huldah and Ephraim in some mysterious manner -disappeared. Glaucon, or what was left of the living man, since his -fright had been well-nigh as fatal to him as a stone from a catapult -would have been, was dragged from beneath a divan, but only to be -shoved back again as into a place of security, while a soldier was set -to prod him if he should attempt to come out. - -An officer finding Dion, laid his hand upon his shoulder. - -"Captain, I must put you under arrest. You will harbor me no ill will -if I obey my orders?" - -"Do your duty, Mercedes, or I myself will report you," replied Dion. - -The Captain extended his hands, which were quickly bound with his own -belt. - -The uneven fight was soon over in the court. A score of Jews were -either slain or captured, though more than twice that number of their -antagonists measured their lengths upon the pavement. One lay with his -head in the fountain basin at the feet of Aphrodite, and stared with -his dead eyes into the face of the marble beauty that gazed down into -them. - -"Who is the leader of this gang of rebels?" asked Meton. - -"The Lord of Hosts is our leader!" said one of the captives. - -"The lord of the host?" queried Meton. "Has then the great Judas fallen -into my trap? Shade of Apollonius! this is lucky for me. But where is -your lord of the host?" - -He turned over the bodies of the dead Jews to look at their faces. "He -is not here--nor here. None of these have stature enough for the giant." - -Jonathan, anxious for the fate of Caleb, had gone seeking for him in -the upper part of the house. His way was blocked by an immense Greek -who strode across a chamber carrying the blind boy beneath his arm. -No sooner had Jonathan spied him than the man's dead hands dropped -his burden. But a crowd of soldiers had followed the daring Jew, and -now seemed to have him as their captive. Thrusting Caleb behind him, -Jonathan kept his assailants at bay by the lightning movement of his -blade. - -"This way, Jonathan! this way!" cried the lad; and, so guided, Jonathan -retreated step by step, now between the opening curtains; now across -another chamber; then down a flight of stone steps. At length he was in -darkness. - -"This way, Jonathan!" sounded the thin voice of the child from the -cellar. - -The Greeks who came after stopped, being unable to see any object; but -thrust with their swords through the darkness. - -"Hold off, men, we have him trapped!" shouted one of the leaders. "Ten -men guard this stairway. The rest of you go with me to the cellarway in -the court. We will pick him out with our spear-points, or burn him out -like a fox in a hole; it matters not which way the rascal wants to die. -It is the great Judas himself in spite of his size, for there is only -one man who can handle the sword as this fellow does. But for all that -I would have had the better of him just now were it not that that blind -brat can see in the dark. Indeed, I stuck him once like a pig at the -bottom of the steps." - -"You lie," said another. "You stuck me; and but for my hand catching -your blade you would have hamstrung me with your jab--jab--jab at -everything and nothing. I tell you I had the Jew by the throat, and -would have throttled him but for you." - -"Had him by the throat?" shouted another. "You had me by the throat. I -was in front of you. I shall claim the reward when we get him. I swear -it was I that drove him down these steps. I had knocked up his sword, -and was closing on him when you put your camel's foot of a fist on my -throat." - -While some watched by the cellarways, and the leaders consulted upon -means to extricate their valiant prey without danger to themselves, -Jonathan was being piloted safely by Caleb through the subterranean -passage. For a while he followed the lad. They at length came to a -place where the path became two. Here Jonathan took the child into his -arms. - -"From this point I know the way," said he. "When we came in by the -crevice in the wall that Meph told us of, we went up that passage until -we came out in the Temple court. And there, Caleb, we swore before the -broken altar of our Lord to give our lives if need be for your and -Deborah's rescue." - -"But how did you know of our danger?" queried the lad. - -"Old Ephraim told Meph of her being under arrest in her house, and Meph -brought us word at Mizpah. But here is our change of uniform. Let me -get out of these vile Greek trappings before they give me some plague. -Alas, that our brave men could not come back with us! But we will -avenge them yet, the Lord willing." - -"Will not Greek clothes serve you better when we come into the fields?" -asked Caleb. - -"No Greek dares to walk a furlong beyond the walls in the night time," -replied Jonathan. "The whole country belongs to the jackals, the foxes, -to us, and to God." - -"Can you see God's eyes, Jonathan?" asked Caleb as they emerged from -the crevice. - -"No, not now; the stars are not out to-night; but I can see God's -smile, for the day is breaking over Moab. You are tired, little -brother. My shoulder must be as hard a saddle as a camel's hump." - -Jonathan took the blind child into his arms, and Caleb, with his hands -about the soldier's neck, and face hidden in his thick beard, after -awhile fell asleep. The child's weight did not weary the strong man, -but his spirit, so gentle, so pure, so wise, seemed to Jonathan to -mingle with his own, as the water purling from some mountain spring, -cool and clean and sweet, mingles with a muddied stream. There were -tears on the face of the man of battle, when, just as the day dawned, -he laid his sleeping burden down in a nook between the rocks. - -A Jewish soldier went by; his iron helmet was slung back. Touching his -bared head, he gave the sentinel's watchword, "As the Lord liveth," -and passed on. And such as he were walking in every by-path and ravine -and on every hill-top from Jerusalem to Samaria, watching over the land -as faithfully as the stars keep their nightly beats in the heavens. -Jonathan bent over the sleeping child, and kissed the little hand that -lay against the moss. Then, signalling to another sentry, he pointed to -the spot and walked away. - -In an hour he returned. - -When Jonathan and Caleb reached the camp at Mizpah, they were alarmed -to learn that Deborah was not there, nor had she been seen by any one. - -Many possible explanations of her absence were suggested, which varied -chiefly according to the degree in which anxiety sank toward despair. -Most believed that she had failed to pass safely through the cordon of -guards, and had been captured by the Greeks. - -Others inclined to the opinion that she had fallen into the hands of -marauding tribesmen, whose fleet steeds were often seen between the -city and the Maccabæan camps. Sometimes a horseman and tall lance -would be silhouetted against the sky from distant rising ground, then -disappear as quickly as the horned wild goats of the Lebanons at the -slightest movement to stalk them. Scouts reported that similar shapes -moved like shadows along the hillsides, pausing only in spots where the -color of the rock or of tree clumps toned with that of the horse, as -by a similar ruse certain birds and lizards escape the observation of -their sharpest-eyed enemies. - -These apparitions gave credit to rumors that the sheikhs of various -tribes were preparing to side with the Greeks. These rumors were at -first without intelligible basis, for nothing had as yet occurred to -clearly prove any breach of neighborly relations between the peasants -of Judea and the herdsmen of the Jordan and eastward. It was as when a -coming storm heralds itself to the instincts of birds and cattle, and -sets the tree-toads croaking before any shred of a cloud appears in the -sky. - -Judas sent his scouts eastward. They reported the fleecy indications -of unsettled political weather in the multitude of tents which were -gathered in hitherto unoccupied positions in the valley of the Jordan -and the mountainous regions beyond. The tribesmen were massing. For -this there could be but one purpose--to strike Judas' rear. This -discovery, which discouraged others, stimulated the champion to keener -thought and buoyancy. He had the joy of a sailor at the prospect of -high seas. - -Yet Judas had his times of moodiness. Jonathan had often remarked to -Simon that these spells were never produced by danger, but either by -something in Judas' physical condition, or some mysterious sentiment -that made him its victim. The report that Deborah had left the city, or -something which timed itself with that announcement, now plunged him -into the depths. He brooded stolidly. His alertness of faculty took on -a seeming lethargy. His brethren tried to rouse him by the news of the -movements of the new Greek armies under Gorgias and Nicanor and Lycias, -who were reported to have passed down the valley of the Litany, that -portal of Syria between the Lebanon ranges through which the invaders -of Israel had so often come. - -"We must put our men in motion," urged Jonathan. - -"Aye," was Judas' laconic response. - -"But when shall we move?" was eagerly asked. - -"When the time comes." - -"But when will the time come?" - -"When I say so." And Judas turned away. - - - - -XXXI - -THE SHEIKHS - - -Deborah's flight from the city had not been for her own personal -safety, else she would have taken Caleb with her. When she emerged -from the crevice, instead of going northward toward the fastnesses -of the Maccabæans, she turned to the east, at first keeping close to -the city wall. The night was dark except for the occasional flashes -of lightning, the couriers of a coming storm. In the momentary glare -she took in the stations of the few Greek sentinels who patrolled the -immediate fields. They were looking for no danger from the direction -of the walls, but peered outward, questioning with spear-point every -shadow which the sudden flashes projected beyond the rocks and bushes. - -It was thus not difficult for Deborah to reach without detection the -extreme northeastern angle of the city. She here sat down to watch for -opportunity to pass unobserved into the open ground beyond. She thought -of the old walls at her back, worn by the storms of centuries, and -broken by the war-shocks of many generations; the armored forms close -to her, each one like the claw of the monster power of Syria which was -crushing, tearing, devouring the nation; the great black sky overhead, -like some flying dragon, so vast as to cover and smother the land. -How little was she! Only a single fibre in the writhing flesh of the -victim! Her life was so insignificant! Doubtless before many days she -would lay it down, if she remained in the city; perhaps sooner on this -adventure. - -Her fingers felt between them a tiny berry. "I am less than this," -she thought, "for it may abide when I am gone. Yet if I press this -seed down into the dirt, it will breed life in its decay. May I not -yield something if I fall? What now if I can bring to Judas a hundred -men! That will be worth dying for! He would not allow me to make this -venture if he knew it. That is well; then that brave heart cannot bear -the blame if it miscarry. So I give my life to God and His cause." - -She pressed the berry into the ground, and smoothed the dirt above it -with her hand. - -The lightning split the heavens with terrific shock. A tower above the -eastern gate caught the bolt as a shield would ward a flaming dart. The -rain came down in torrents. The sentinels retired closer to the walls, -drawing nearer together as their line shortened. In a moment Deborah -would be discovered! But while their eyes were dazed by another crash -she pushed boldly between them and ran. - -"What was that?" said a soldier. "I must have stepped upon a jackal." - -"It was as big and black as a wolf," was his comrade's reply. "They say -the dead Jews' ghosts come back to the city in wolf shapes." - -"I heard one the other night. He seemed, from the noise he made, to be -walking on two legs with a crutch; but when I came to him he darted in -among the bushes, and back to Hades; for there wasn't a sign of him -above ground." - -Deborah sped down the long slope from the city wall to the Kedron, and -across it, and up the side of Olivet. She did not see her way, yet kept -it, following every turn of the footpath; for she dared not venture -upon the high-road, knowing this to be sentinelled. When she heard any -sound on the beaten track she crossed the fields, over ditches, around -boulders, past garden walls of dried clay. She did not stumble, though -she gave no heed to where she stepped. Were her senses and muscles -preterhumanly alert, as those of a swallow skimming the ground and -striking nothing? Did instinct assert itself over the slower-paced -judgment, as in the case of frightened deer and homing pigeons? Did the -angels bear her up in their hands according to the promise? She asked -not, nor did she even wonder. The inner light of her purpose was so -strong that her soul dominated all physical limitation--for a while. At -length on Olivet, midway the ascent, she fell utterly exhausted. Then -she first realized the weakness of the flesh, and rebelled against it. -How long it took to steady the panting breath! and for the heart to -stop its violent beating! - -After a few moments' rest she rose. Her feet were stones in weight. -Would that they had been as hard! for a sharp pain drew her attention -to the fact that one foot had broken its sandal, and was bruised and -bleeding. She could not run; she trudged on. - -She came out upon the broad road, and passed through Bethany. No one -accosted her, for the once happy village was now deserted. Even the -dogs had followed the people when they fled from the invaders. - -The day broke. The road grew white with its dust, then ruddy with -the coming light. Her faintness told her that she hungered, and she -remembered that she had made provision for this. She drew from her -bosom a handful of bread and dates, and ate. At a spring, where once -had stood a khan, she drank amid a circle of bewildered sheep, which -bleated and stared at this intruder of what for many months had been -their solitude. - -She must rest; yet what if she should be too late? Already the -tribesmen about Jericho might have begun to fulfil their threat, and -move against Judas. These men had been the enemies of her people -for ages. Not since Joshua crossed their plain had they been at -peace, except at times when the degenerate Jews mingled their blood -in marriage with that of these heathen. Toward the Chasidim, those -extremists who would purge the land of all but the pure stock of -Israel, these tribes had sworn special hatred. Now that the Maccabæans -were facing new armies of Syria, the rumor of the fields became the -open boast in Jerusalem, that the whole population of the Jordan valley -was about to assail Judas' rear; for Antiochus' gold had corrupted -every Sheikh from the Sea of Galilee to the Sea of Salt. - -And who was she, a girl, to turn these fierce fighters from their -remorseless purpose? A straw to change the course of the Jordan! A -child's hand to divert from its path an avalanche on the slope of -Hermon. Yet a child's hand can give direction to an avalanche, by -breaking the frozen front in this or yonder ravine. Doubtless the child -would be swept away by the descending mass; but what mattered that? - -Though her limbs scarcely obeyed her will to rise, Deborah could -not rest. She might be too late. This fear suddenly became almost a -terrible conviction. There were clattering hoof-beats on the hard -roadway. She concealed herself behind the ruined wall of the khan. Two -horsemen rode slowly up, pausing upon an adjacent knoll, and inspecting -the country far and wide. Their horses were almost hidden beneath their -housings of network and tassels. This, however, did not conceal the -long and slender limbs and narrow flanks of the beasts, their broad, -deep breasts and thick necks, which showed that they were of that -thorough breed for the rearing of which the Arabs had already become -famous. - -The two riders were swarthy, almost black. One was young, his sparse -beard fringing and breaking the perfect oval of his face. The other -was old, unless the deep lines across his brow, like the valleys and -gorges about him, had been made by sudden convulsions, the sharp crises -of his life. The youth's eyes were like the fountain beside which they -stopped--sparkling, yet calm and fully exposed. The old man's eyes -were like the pools which one, standing on the cliffs, sees gleaming -far down in the deep gorge of the Kedron, as that stream cuts its way -through the mountains of rocks which would bar its progress to the Sea -of Salt. - -In dismounting the elder man seemed the younger, so quick was his -motion in taking the long lance from its rest, and planting it in the -ground as the tether post for his steed. - -"Neither Jews nor Greeks are concerning themselves with us to-day. That -is clear, father," said the younger man. - -"It is true, then," said the veteran, "that they are both looking for -a battle to the west. Judas' men were only yesterday scouring this -part of the country, but they are now withdrawn. That means that the -Maccabæan expects another fight with the Greeks speedily, for Judas -never calls in his men until he wants them to strike. They are like the -fingers on his hand; they turn into a fist only for the blow. We will -ride back, Nadan, and advise the camps to move against the Maccabæan -to-morrow." - -Deborah heard this with consternation. The man was surely Sheikh Yusef, -the Arab, the fiercest of the tribesmen of the valley. She must act -instantly. - -A slight groan attracted the attention of the men. Turning the corner -of the ruined wall they detected her crouching form. - -"Who is here? By my beard, a woman!" - -Deborah rose, and with clasped hands, exclaimed: - -"Your pity! Do not harm me!" - -"Who are you?" said Yusef. "And what brought you to such a place?" - -"I am fleeing from Jerusalem. I am the daughter of Elkiah." - -"Elkiah's daughter a fugitive, and in such a plight? Has your brother -turned you out? We had heard that he was in high feather with his new -friends." - -"Alas!" said Deborah, "my brother is himself endangered. All are in -danger there. Have you not heard?" - -"We have heard nothing. Tell us." - -"Not heard!" said Deborah, in feigned surprise. "The Romans, the strong -people from the west, from over the Great Sea, from beyond Cyprus, -beyond Greece, are coming. It is reported that their fleets are seen -from the shore; that they have overcome the Syrian ships; that they -have made alliance with Egypt; that vast armies, the armies that -destroyed Perseus, are about to march through the desert, and come upon -Syria by way of the valley. The Greeks in Jerusalem distrust the Jews -who have submitted. They believe that my people have played them false, -and will turn to the Romans. Meton is slaughtering us." - -The two Arabs looked at each other with faces that showed perplexity. -They withdrew to a little distance. Deborah could not catch all their -words, but enough to know that her ruse was not altogether futile. -However well bribed with Greek gold, the tribesmen would not risk the -alliance of Antiochus if this new power of Rome were to come upon the -scene. The Republic of the West was regarded as invincible along the -Great Sea, but had not yet essayed to strike Asia. If the crash of -empires were to take place it were wise for the nomadic peoples to -throw themselves with neither Greek nor Roman until there were some -signs as to which power would prove the stronger. - -The older man remounted. - -"But, father, we cannot leave the daughter of Elkiah here," said the -younger. "She must go with us." - -Deborah had risen to her feet. The hood dropped from her head. Was it -her grateful look, or only her surpassing beauty, that held the young -Arab? - -"You will go with us? You can ride?" said he. - -"Nay, I must go to my kinsman, Ben Aaron of Masada. To seek refuge -there I have fled. Tell me the shortest way, I beg of you." - -"To Masada? That is a long journey, and rough, and full of dangers. You -cannot go there alone." - -Nadan held rapid speech with old Yusef, the conclusion of which was -this, on his part: - -"It is true we must not leave her here, nor can we delay. Take you the -woman, Nadan. Cross the gorge of Kedron. By the night you can be at -Masada, and by the morning back with us. Nadan, the woman is comely. -Were I not needed with the people, she should share my saddle, not -yours. No loitering, my son. My salutation to Ben Aaron, the damned -Jew!--but it is unwise to damn him in the present emergency. His castle -on Masada will be the strongest in the wilderness--when we get it. -Speak him fair, and let the gift of his kinswoman be a pledge of peace -between us--until we see fit to break it. That woman's breath on your -cheek ought to give you soft words for Ben Aaron." - -He placed his long lance in its resting strap, bowed his head to the -neck of his steed--both a salaam to the woman and a signal of haste to -the beast--and disappeared over the hill like an autumn leaf whirled -away by the wind. - - - - -XXXII - -THE CASTLE OF MASADA - - -Nadan would have been no true son of Yusef if the commission to escort -the fair Jewess had not been a pleasing one; for the old Sheikh was -known as the "Solomon of the Tents," and many a Shulamite maiden had -looked upon him as "black but comely." - -The paternal badinage with his son about the girl's breath upon his -cheek was undoubtedly as unwise as it was unnecessary. But Deborah -herself saved the young man from all temptation. - -When Nadan returned to her she was standing with face uplifted, as when -one is looking at some far-distant object in the lower sky. Her eyes -did not rest on the summit of Nebo or Pisgah, whose grayish-blue peaks -rose like gigantic towers on the agate wall of the mountains of Moab. -Beyond them, beyond all the earth, her soul seemed to be drinking from -fountains in the sky. - -Nadan's approach did not at once divert her rapt attention. The youth -felt something like resentment at her indifference to his presence. Did -not the maidens of the valley sing and dream the praise of Nadan? And -if his comeliness had been less, was he not the richest of the young -lords of the tribes, and their most daring rider? - -Just now, as he stood beside his splendid steed, one hand upon the -lustrous mane, the other grasping the tall spear to draw it from its -socket in the ground, his attitude was such as to fascinate any lover -of a manly form. He was fully conscious of this, and kept his pose at -first in the hope that the woman would notice him. Then he remained -motionless because the spell which held Deborah looking heavenward also -held him staring at her. His feeling of slighted dignity passed away -almost as quickly as the shadow of a flying bird. Deborah seemed more -than a woman, some priestess illumined with the light of her shrine, -which was invisible to all eyes but her own. The Arab felt himself -drawn to a kindred worship; at least, he worshipped the worshipper. - -Slowly the rhapsody faded from her face. When she turned toward -her companion she was simply a woman, with a girlish sweetness and -timidity. Nadan had seen a flower which, when the sunlight fell upon -it, burst at once from bud to glorious fulness, and when darkness came -closed its petals again. Were human beings sometimes gifted with such -powers? All his Arab superstitions about genii and other wonderful -creatures who live on the borderland between the visible and invisible -world were beginning to perplex and awe him, when Deborah's simple and -confiding manner reassured him that he had only a human being to deal -with, though an exceedingly fascinating one. - -"I shall conduct you to Masada," said he, making deep obeisance. - -"It need not be," replied Deborah. - -"It must be," said the youth, with a tone of authority which, however, -indicated that he was commanding himself rather than her. "The way is -full of dangers. Few ever cross the great gorge of the lower Kedron; -and none but those who know the path. All the wild beasts, driven from -the open, find lair in its caves and thickets." - -"Then I will follow the highway to Jericho, and there take the road by -the sea," said Deborah. - -"Men might be more cruel than the beasts," was the Arab's reply. "You -cannot go alone. If I may not accompany you, I must follow; for my -father's bidding I would not dare to disobey. He will require of me an -accounting of my safe conduct of you to the fortress of your kinsman." - -"Not if I myself release you from the duty." - -"You cannot. Yusef is lord of these hills. Besides you are his guest -until the shadow of Masada itself protects you. It shall never be said -that ill has befallen the daughter of Elkiah anywhere within the echo -of Yusef's or Nadan's bugle." - -Deborah replied with look and tone that completely won her companion: - -"Sheikh Yusef is very gracious. The house of Elkiah will ever remember -his kindness this day, and that of his son." - -Nadan fell upon one knee, and kissed the hem of her garment. - -"I beg you then to lead the way at once," said Deborah, "for we must -hasten." - -The Arab readjusted the saddle. - -"I shall walk," said Deborah. - -"That cannot be," replied the young man, catching a glimpse of her -broken sandal. "And see, even Emir forbids it." - -The horse had thrust his long nose into her hands. - -"Emir--the Prince--and does he not deserve the name?" said Nadan, who -evidently shared his personal conceit with his pride in his beast. -"Emir's stock is as old and pure as the fountain of Dûk by the city of -Jericho, whose waters they say your prophet Elisha healed--Emir will -have no other rider to-day than yourself. See, he himself says so," for -the horse was rubbing his head against her shoulder. - -Nadan made his hand the stirrup, and lifted Deborah to the saddle. - -"Were the daughter of Elkiah as ignorant of horses as they say all -Jerusalem women are, Emir would carry you as safely as if he had arms, -and you lay within them. But you are no stranger to the saddle. Come, -Emir, we must be to-night at Masada." - -He patted the head of the horse. - -"You remember, my Emir, the tournament you had with Ben Aaron's Nagid, -which means the same as Emir? It was Prince against Prince indeed. Our -lady should have seen us that day. Eh, Emir?" - -The horse shook his long mane, pawed the ground, and whinnied his -challenge, as if his master's words were the promise of another contest. - -Nadan took the single rein and led the way. Neither spoke for a long -while. At length Deborah gave a cry. Emir raised his head, and neighed -like the blast of a trumpet. - -They had climbed to the summit of a high hill. Before them stretched -the plain of the Jordan. To the north a silver thread ran through a -vast tapestry of green. To the south was the Sea of Salt, like a shield -of bronze inlaid with variegated precious stones, so many were the hues -which the soft and cloud-flecked light painted upon its surface. The -plain of Jordan lay thousands of feet beneath them, a picture bordered -on the east by the cliffs of Moab, whose many-colored rocks gleamed -like piled fragments of a rainbow, and to the north by the white -shoulders of Hermon, like those of a maiden who has not yet learned to -shun the eyes of men. - -Midway the scene were the gray walls and flattened white domes of -Jericho. Scattered here and there, as far as the eye could reach, were -clusters of tents. In one group were hundreds of awning-like structures -made of black camel's hair. In another group were pyramidal tents, -some white, some striped with orange or blue. In the distance these -flaxen towns, with green fig orchards or dusky forests of olive for the -background, gleamed like dewdrops on outspread leaves. - -Deborah's cry had been evoked partly by the magnificent vision. Had -Emir's big eyes detected the tents of his master in the distance? - -Nadan pointed out to Deborah the various camps. The Jordan valley had -become the rendezvous of the warriors of many tribes, waiting the -decision of the Council of the Sheikhs for their contemplated raid upon -the Maccabæans. - -"The camps will not break up to-morrow, as had been planned, of that -I am sure," said the guide. "There has been much division of opinion -among the Sheikhs. Some distrust the Greeks more than they hate the -Jews; and the news from Jerusalem that the Greeks have broken faith -with those who, like yourself, have gone over to them, will destroy all -zeal for helping the foreigners, as the dead water of the Sea of Salt -yonder kills the bushes on the shore. I would rather make alliance -with Judas, for every Bedouin loves a hero." - -Nadan instantly repented this last sentence of his speech, for he knew -that the Hellenizing sect of the Jews, to which he assumed that his -companion belonged, hated the Maccabæans. He glanced at her face to -meet her displeasure with apology. But no frown was there. She even put -her hand on Nadan's shoulder as he stood by her saddle. He thought he -detected in her look a tender passion astir for himself; for was he not -a hero too? - -"It is true that Judas is a wonderful warrior," said she. "And some -claim more for him than skill and bravery. His people deem him -inspired. Even in Jerusalem are those who avow that his victories -at the Wady and Bethhoron were given him by Heaven. But what think -you, Nadan? Is not all genius to plan great deeds, and all heroism to -execute them, the gift of Heaven? I sometimes fear lest, except among -those Maccabæans, and your own tribesmen, the world has forgotten -how to be great. Oh, to be a man, Nadan, and to wear armor, and to -ride a steed like Emir! It seems to me that I would fight always in -company with the bravest and best, and call them the favored of Heaven, -whatever creed or kingdom they belonged to. But it must be wrong to -talk so." - -The young man was intoxicated with his companion's spirit. He cried -enthusiastically: - -"Wert thou a man! Ah, there were a chieftain I would follow!" - -Then catching his reward from her smile, his gallantry became two-fold, -as he added, "And I could swear allegiance to the daughter of Elkiah, -even if she were not a man." - -"You are my protector," said Deborah, with dignified rebuke in her -tones. "Let us hasten on, I beg you." - -Nadan led the way. It was exceedingly rough. They soon looked down -into the awful gorge of the lower Kedron, a gash hundreds of feet in -depth, as if some Titanic foe had endeavored to strike the world to -the heart. The eye could not detect room for the path of a goat along -its precipitous sides. One might have said that an eagle would grow -dizzy in flying across the mighty chasm. But Nadan led the way rapidly, -followed by the sure feet of Emir. The beast, as if mindful of the -need of his burden, picked his steps not only in the safest but the -easiest places. Down, down they went, from ledge to ledge, through -narrow crevices, now knee-deep in the sandy débris lodged in seams of -rock, and now with sliding hoofs over brief declivities. At the very -bottom of the chasm they crossed the fretting waters of the brook; then -climbed the steep wall of rock beyond. - -When they reached the top another magnificent view burst upon them. -They were just above the Sea of Salt, its blue surface gleaming amid -the white saline shores like a turquoise set in a circlet of silver. -Down, down again they went, until, two hours later, they struck the -level roadway along the very edge of this vast bituminous pool. The -sun was past meridian, and soon the bold headlands of the mountains of -Engedi to the west would shut out the light. On Deborah's insistence -Nadan mounted behind her; and giving Emir the rein they sped rapidly -southward. The glowing Sea of Death on the one hand, and the terrible -cliffs on the other, would have suppressed desire of conversation even -if Deborah had not been preoccupied with her own thoughts. - -Dusk had already thickened the air about them, leaving only the bright -glow of fading daylight to banner the mighty parapets of Moab across -the sea, when there arose by their side the tall pinnacle of Masada--a -single monolith penetrating the sky hundreds of cubits above them. Its -base was an immense scarp ascended only by a narrow foot-path. Here -Emir was tethered, and sent his whinnying salutation echoing among the -rocks. Deborah needed the strong hand of Nadan as they threaded their -way upward. - -Near the summit the whole peak seemed cut off from access. A fringe -of jagged peaks stood about the central cone, like the tents of a -body-guard protecting the pavilion of a militant monarch. Within these -natural towers the ground fell into a deep moat. This was crossed by a -narrow neck of higher ground, an artificial viaduct admitting passage -only in single file, and flanked by deep and perilous declivities. - -The travellers were fairly upon this natural bridge when a score of -forms rose behind them to dispute their return, and as many more -challenged their advance. Ben Aaron lived in troublous times, and, as -a Jew among Moabite and Arabian tribes, held his stronghold like an -eagle's eyrie amid hostile beaks. - -To the challenge the young Arab answered with his name. A moment later -appeared a tall man, slightly bent with years. His restless gray -eyes suggested one who succeeded rather by caution than by courage. -He passed through the guard on the castle side of the causeway, and, -making deep salaam, kissed the Arab upon both cheeks. - -"The Lord be with thee, Nadan, son of Yusef! What good intent has led -you to climb so high? There are no eggs in this nest for you to rob; -and if Ben Aaron had a brood of his own begetting they would cackle -their welcome to the boldest rider and handsomest Sheikh of the plain. -That Nadan knows full well. Peace be with thee! But who have you here? -Some distressed soul of my people, I see from her face. Yusef has a -hard hand, but it is soft and tender betimes. That I have often proved." - -"I have brought to your protection this kinswoman, the daughter of -Elkiah of Jerusalem. My father bids me deliver her to your hands, in -token of the peace that shall ever be between us," replied the young -Sheikh. - -"Elkiah's daughter? Deborah? Child of Miriam who was the child of Leah, -our mother's sister?" - -"I am Miriam's child," said the fugitive. - -"I see it. I see it," replied Ben Aaron, pressing the black locks back -from her face. "And but that Elkiah was richer than I, thou mightest -have been my daughter; and such thou shalt be now, for I see there is -need. Come, Nadan, you must break bread with me." - -"My father's command is that I do not loiter," replied the Arab. "Night -is shutting in the way, and I must be upon the high-road quickly, or -even my Emir's eyes will not find it." - -"Then the Lord go with thee! And Jotham and Joshua shall see you safely -down to the seashore." - -"It is not necessary." - -"True, not for thee, but for Ben Aaron's hospitality. My love to the -noble Yusef! and my thanks for this new mark of his goodness in giving -me my kinswoman." - -The two men salaamed to the ground. Nadan lifted the hand of Deborah to -his lips. He looked into her face as if he would have its fair features -stamped upon his soul, as a seal makes its impression on wax. - -Her returning glance, and the warmth of her gratitude, though expressed -in briefest sentence, "I thank you, good Nadan," sent him away with -something else than a warrior's pride in his heart. - - - - -XXXIII - -WITH BEN AARON - - -As the form of Nadan was lost behind the battlement of rocks, Ben Aaron -turned to Deborah. - -"My child, why this coarse and torn garb? I did not ask in the presence -of the Arab, lest the story might shame the good name of the house of -Elkiah. But come within, and tell me in the confidence of our kinship; -and as the Lord liveth, if man hath harmed thee, I will plant my spear -before his tent ere the sun set again, though he were Sheikh Yusef -himself. But you are faint, my daughter. You must rest; and, when -refreshed with the warm goat's milk and the meat, I must have the tale -of the happenings, even as if my ears were those of Elkiah himself--the -Lord rest his spirit!" - -"Adah! Zillah!" - -He clapped his hands, and serving-women came from the low doorway of -what was called the Castle of Masada, but seemed to Deborah more like a -covert for cattle, so rude was the structure. - -"Adah will bring water; and Zillah fetch you the garments of wool; aye, -and the leben will bring warmth to your cheek." - -Deborah evinced a moment's indecision. Her wearied flesh clamored for -the offered cheer, yet her strong purpose prevailed. - -"My thanks, Ben Aaron, but I have come upon a mission that may not be -delayed even by your hospitality. As the good servant of our father -Abraham at the house of Laban, so I must say to you, my father's -kinsman, 'I will not eat until I have told mine errand.' And this -raiment and these bleeding feet are fitting to my story. If I find not -favor for my cause, then let me depart. You know that my father's house -has sided with the Greeks." - -"And well; for why should they perish?" interrupted her host. - -"Say not so. The Greeks have turned to be enemies of our people. I -myself was a prisoner in my father's house, doomed to death. I fled to -the wilderness, to the Arabs, until these, our ancient enemies, less -cruel than the Greeks, have brought me here to you. There is no hope -for our people in this alliance with those who destroy our altars. God -has brought to confusion and shame and destruction those of us who have -consented to worship their false gods. He saves only His true people. -Our hope is in the sons of Mattathias." - -Ben Aaron raised his hand in protest. - -"Nay," continued the eager woman, "hear me. The sons of Mattathias are -the arrows of our God. Already He has sped them with His strength. If -the arch of the sky were His bow and the lightning His arrows, the -Greeks had not been smitten more disastrously. Without human aid Judas -has already overthrown two armies of the heathen. I know that he will -soon meet a third. If then Judas be beaten, the Greeks swear by their -gods that no Jew, whatever may have been his alliance with Antiochus, -shall live in the land. This fortress, as you know, is not safe even -from the arrows and swords of the valley Sheikhs; how can it withstand -the engines of war with which the Greeks batter down walls and towers? -But if Judas be again victorious, then the Romans will send armies to -his assistance. Of this he already has assurance. The blood of Aaron -and Elkiah is that of the sons of Mattathias." - -"This is strange tidings," said Ben Aaron. "Come within the lamp-light -that I may see if fright has not robbed you of your wits, my daughter." - -Deborah stood beneath the rays under the rude portal. Ben Aaron caught -the vision of her superb face, as she said: - -"Think you that fright drove me through the wilderness of the Kedron -and Engedi, when I might have fled to the camp of Judas? I have come, -my kinsman, because our faith, our blood, is one. My father, Elkiah, -said that Ben Aaron would protect his children." - -"And so he will! And so he will!" cried Ben Aaron vehemently. - -"It is impossible that I abide here," continued Deborah. "This -stronghold is itself doomed. The Arabs of the valley are already -gathering like eagles waiting for a carcass. I myself heard Yusef -mutter curses on the name of Ben Aaron, and that, too, in the ears of -his son Nadan. Did not Nadan but now refuse to break bread with you? -Why should he break bread with you when to-morrow his tribe may feast -here at will, and no Ben Aaron be living to bid them either welcome or -begone? What means the gathering of all the tribes in the great plain? -Their tents gleam from Jericho to Galilee almost as continuously as the -sacred river itself. Will Ben Aaron submit?" - -The man stood rigid, his hands clenched, his eyes drinking her spirit -as he watched her and heard her heroic appeal. - -"I have ten score men," said he, as if speaking to himself. "Bethuel, -too, has bidden me beware the tribesmen. Bethuel is my Captain; a -braver or wiser man never threw spear. I would have speech with him. -You will tell me more, my daughter, as we are at meat." - -"But tell me first," she insisted, "has my errand found favor with you? -If not, I will go alone to the Maccabæans." - -"I cannot answer you nay, my daughter. But you shall tell it all to -Bethuel. Is it not enough for the moment that Deborah has found favor -with her kinsman, and that his life shall be for hers whether she go or -stay? Aye, you have Miriam's face. Know you, my child, that when you -were born your father pledged me that you should become the bride of my -Josiah, whom the Lord so soon after took from me. Since the same plague -struck down the lad and his mother, Ben Aaron has lived a lonely life, -overlooking this Sea of Death, for so it seemed fitting for one with a -desolate heart, and no wife nor child to cheer it. The Lord has sent -you to me, my child. No other angel have I seen on this barren peak. -Let Bethuel say why I should not go with you." - -If care and kindly purpose could have recuperated the strength of the -traveller, the hands of Adah and Zillah would have taken away all -aches. But ablution in the water cooled by filtering through the coarse -clay jars, and the savory supper, only allayed her excitement. As she -began to rest she for the first time began to realize how utterly -wearied she was. She begged Ben Aaron that she might sleep until the -morning; in the meantime he and Bethuel should consider the answer he -was to give. - -The news Deborah had brought spread like fire in the brambles -throughout the little colony, for such it was rather than a single -household. Scores of herdsmen that night gathered in the great central -chamber. This was built of unhewn and unmortared stones, the débris of -the storm-shattered crags about the summit of Masada. - -It was the supper hour. Great pots steamed with the parched corn -boiling in milk. Two whole goats, only the entrails having been -removed, were being roasted on great wooden spits over the fire in the -centre of the room. The savor of their flesh, mingled with the smoke, -poured through the opening in the roof. This was an incense pleasing, -if not to the gods, surely to the thousands of rooks collected upon the -dried mud interlaced with sticks which made the roof. - -Around the great chamber were sheds, from which came the lowing of -cattle and the cries of the milkers. Without could be heard the -clattering of wooden shoes on the rocks as the herdsmen clambered up -from a lower plateau where the sheep were folded for the night. - -Bethuel was closeted with his master in an adjacent room. The noise of -the feasters ceased until each one threw himself down in his blanket -upon the earthen floor. Then the voices of Ben Aaron and his chief -broke the stillness. The debate had evidently been serious, for Bethuel -exclaimed: - -"It is the hour I have warned my lord must come. Our flocks are -constantly stolen. Our herders are assaulted except as they go in -bands. The tribesmen no longer keep faith with us. The Greeks--have I -not often said it?--could not protect us if they would. The daughter of -Elkiah has come to us as the angel to the threshing-floor of Gideon. We -need no miracle of the dew on the fleece, and no fire to burst from the -rock, to tell us the will of the Lord. Our God is with Judas and his -brethren. The maiden's voice is His call from afar." - -"Bethuel was always over-ready to fight," replied Ben Aaron. - -"And," retorted Bethuel, "Ben Aaron has too long been, as the Arabs are -everywhere saying, like a sick eagle on his nest. What is all the gold -my lord has stored between these walls? My master's wealth and fame are -like yonder nail that has rusted in the wall, and will scarcely hold -the weight of his armor." - -"It is true. It is true. Bethuel, my grief has aged me. I am but a -rusted nail. But the words of Bethuel and my kinswoman have touched me -with youth again. Bethuel, we will fight. Do you remember, my son, how -we used to fight? How we won these heights for our castle? How many -years have gone? Summon my people, Bethuel. It were better to fall in -war than to die here. Summon the people, Bethuel!" - - - - -XXXIV - -QUICK LOVE: QUICK HATE! - - -It was the fifth day since Deborah's disappearance. No tidings had come -to make even a rift in the cloud on Judas' brow. Toward noon scouts, -who had been sent to the Jordan to discover any possible trace of -kidnapping by the tribesmen, returned with the reports that the camps, -which had rapidly formed in the valley, had as suddenly broken up, the -Sheikhs retiring east or north to their separate pasture lands. - -"The Lord be praised!" said Judas. "It can only have been by the -interposition of an angel; for Yusef the Arabian, I know, had sworn to -assail us, and for this and this only the tribes were gathered. Let us -hope for the maiden." - -"How does this portend her safety?" asked Simon. "If the tribesmen have -gone, may they not have taken her with them or slain her?" - -"True," replied Judas, "but if the Lord will that we shall be delivered -from their menace, then He has not deserted our cause, as I confess my -sins made me fear; and why should He spare us, and allow harm to come -to the maiden?" - -Simon mused anxiously a moment before he answered: - -"Does Judas love the daughter of Elkiah? Has the sentiment of swains -turned her skirts into those of an angel? Beware, my brother. Every man -has his vulnerable spot. It is not timely for our Samson to be shorn -of his locks." - -Judas' face blazed with rage. His lips were clenched as if their -resolute keeper could with difficulty bar the egress of lawless words. -But slowly the color faded from his countenance. He turned away, -addressing only himself: - -"She will come yet!" - -Scarcely had he spoken when, over the shoulder of the hill of Gibeah, -appeared the familiar outline of the Bedouin steed and the thread-like -lance. But from the uplifted point floated the pennant denoting the -peaceful intent of the comer, who rode leisurely on. Judas himself went -to meet him. - -"Peace be to you!" - -"Peace!" - -The rider dismounted, and, planting his lance, bowed low to the ground. - -"I am Nadan, son of Yusef. My father bids me say, 'Let there be peace -between him and the son of Mattathias." - -"Let there be peace!" responded Judas. - -He picked from the ground a round stone, broke it in twain upon a rock, -and gave the half to Nadan. - -"Nay, let me give better pledge of our covenant," said the young man. -"The highway from Jericho is this hour filled with the herds of Ben -Aaron of Masada, and ten score men are coming to you." - -"The road is dangerous for so few," interjected Judas. - -"Not so," replied Nadan, "since this----" - -He held in his hand a piece of stone not dissimilar to that Judas had -given him. - -"Ben Aaron holds the other half. Is it enough?" - -Judas' face revealed an instant of incredulity; but the eager frankness -of the young man dispelled it. - -"It is enough," he replied. "When Masada falls of its own weight into -the sea then the covenant of the son of Yusef may be broken." - -"My thanks," said Nadan, "and since I have found some favor, I would -ask for more." - -"You have but to speak it." - -"Son of Mattathias, the house of Elkiah in Jerusalem is in alliance -with the Greeks." - -"It is true." - -"That may be broken." - -"How?" - -"Elkiah's daughter is fair, and she pleases me," said Nadan, a blush -blending finely with his proud mien. - -"You have seen her?" - -"She has been in my power." - -"Where is she?" - -Had not Nadan's eyes been upon the ground he would have detected -something in Judas which would have halted his proposal; but he -continued: - -"She has been in my power. I could have carried her to my tent, yet I -delivered her to her kinsman. She comes with his men." - -A sunburst could not have changed Judas' aspect more than did the -glad news. Nadan quite naturally misinterpreted it as an evidence -of the favor with which the Maccabæan received his proposal, and he -enthusiastically pursued his scheme. - -"I could have taken her to my tent, for she was mine. But, son of -Mattathias, I have wider thoughts for us both. With the tribesmen as -your allies you can hold this land. Quickly the city will fall. Two -thousand spears will follow the call of Yusef or his son. These you may -have if you give me the daughter of Elkiah to wife, and assure me of -the property of that house as her dowry." - -"The woman is not mine to give," said Judas. - -"Then the easier it is to give her," was the Arab's response. "When she -was in my power I could have made the alliance of the tribesmen with -the Greek on the same condition, for they have offered us ten times -the amount of Elkiah's estate for our aid against you. Why did we not -accept it? Because, son of Mattathias, the tribesmen prefer to live in -fellowship with the Jews, for a thousand years our neighbors in the -land, bound to us by the ties of intermarriage since the Moabite Ruth -wedded the ancestor of your great King David. The Greeks are foreign -to us. To make my marriage with this fair woman the seal of perpetual -peace with the Jews by helping them reconquer this land, for this I -gave up the daughter of Elkiah as my spoil that I might have her as a -gift from your hands. I have already the consent of her kinsman, Ben -Aaron, waiting only upon that of the son of Mattathias." - -Nadan awaited Judas' answer with bowed head, an attitude of obsequious -courtesy, which, however, did not conceal the hauteur of the man, or -his reserved purpose of swift and vengeful retaliation if his scheme -were not acceded to. - -Judas pondered, and after some moments replied slowly: - -"Son of Yusef, the tribesmen have been of old both the foes and friends -of my people. I would make them only friends, that in peace we might -both continue to possess these lands our God gave to our fathers. You -have my pledge--if--if the woman shall consent." - -"Of that I have no fear," replied the young man, grasping Judas' hand. -"Within a week I will return, a hundred of my young men with me, to -escort the fairest of women to the wedding tent by the bank of the -Jordan. And then, son of Mattathias, I will come again with thousands -of our bravest; aye, all the Moab and the north men from as far as -Bosrah and Bashan will come at the call of Yusef and Nadan." - -The rhapsodic speech of the young Sheikh was broken by the clatter of a -crutch and an outcry: - -"They're coming! The men of Masada, and Deborah--Deborah's with them!" - -Over the hill appeared the head of an advancing company of men. - -The Jews ran in crowds to meet them. - -Ben Aaron was received with wild ovation. Every man in his following -was greeted with huzza and embrace. - -For Deborah the reception was as reverent as it was joyous. The little -mule upon which she was seated could hardly keep his feet as the -multitude thronged about her, seeking her hand, patting the beast, and -gazing with tearful eyes upon the woman whom they had learned almost to -worship as an impersonation of their nation's cause. - -Nadan stood far aside, perplexed by this scene. "This woman," he said -to himself, "cannot be the person she claimed to be. No Elkiah's -daughter, no fugitive from Jerusalem is she. A spy of the Maccabæans! I -see it all." - -When Deborah recognized him, her manner was so warmly and frankly -grateful to her protector that the Arab became bewildered, and reversed -his thoughts. He deemed it impossible that one so fair, with those eyes -lustrous with sincerity, could be aught else than what she said. Who? -What was she? - -Nadan's indecision was ended quickly when Judas saluted her. While the -champion observed due formality, he was also as familiar as her father -or a lover might have been in the presence of others. Nadan's own sense -of enchantment by her beauty made him keen to detect what he thought to -be the same feeling in Judas. - -"Well did the wily Jew leave the choice to the woman herself, for he -knew her decision," Nadan thought almost aloud. "Why did I not test -the success of my errand by casting some gift into the spring of Dûk? -The sacred dragon of the waters would have drifted it away, and thus I -should have known of the deceit." - -The Arab leaped upon his horse. With almost the celerity of a whirling -simitar he turned Emir about in a circle. Rising in his stirrups, he -twirled the spear around his head, and hurled it. - -"Death to the Maccabæan!" - -The weapon sped like a gleam of light to the spot where Deborah and -Judas stood together. Before the crowd were fully aware of his movement -the Arab had dashed through them, and was in flight. A single arrow -close to his head sang its reply to his taunt. - -Judas had seen the launching of Nadan's spear, and thrust Deborah -behind him. He fended the missile by instantly bending, and with his -arm diverted its direction. The spear glanced upward from his cuirass, -and, curving like a swallow in the air, fell with broken shaft amid the -rocks a hundred cubits beyond. - - - - -XXXV - -WORSHIP BEFORE BATTLE - - -Deborah's story of her adventure, of the diversion of the tribesmen -from their purpose of attacking Judas, and the strengthening of the -Maccabæans by the addition of the men of Masada, would have filled the -remainder of the day and night with interest, without the other and -more startling news that was brought them. Scouts came in with the -report that General Gorgias had made forced marches through Galilee, -and was already upon the plain of Esdraelon, so often the battle-field -in the history of Israel's resistance to northern nations. A day's -march would bring the Greek armies as far south as Emmaus, nearly west -of the Maccabæan encampment. - -The imminence of another battle now filled Judas with a strange -gladness. He was possessed by a presentiment of victory. Others could -not understand the change that had taken place in him, but all caught -his spirit. He was called the "Heart of Israel," and as the quickness -or sluggishness of the natural heart is registered in every nerve, even -to the extremities of the body, so the great leader seemed to impart -his own personality to every soldier. - -To those immediately about him he thus accounted for his confidence: - -"God is surely with us. Nothing less than a miracle could have -preserved the life of the maiden and scattered the tribesmen; for well -I knew the preparations they had made to strike us." - -"But will they not reassemble at Nadan's call?" asked Jonathan. - -"Not in time to harm us in the coming battle. See how the Lord will -turn the skill of man to his discomfiture. General Gorgias is a fast -fighter. He is famed for the rapidity with which he hurls his armies. -He will not loiter in the plain. If I mistake not his tactics, he will -essay to strike our camps even before he has made his own. If he were -an Apollonius or a Seron it might be days before he would hazard a -battle, in which event the tribesmen could have time to gather. But -Gorgias will be too quick for them to help him. But here is the maiden." - -"Have you heard from Micah of Hebron?" asked Deborah. "I brake -bread with him some weeks ago, when I was supposed to be nursing my -convenient malady under the care of Huldah." - -"Yes," replied Judas, "four score of his men reached us yester -nightfall. They are the best archers in the south country." - -"And the men from Kirjath-jearim?" - -"They, too, have joined us. They will fight on familiar ground, for -Gorgias will certainly take the broad ascent from the plain, and not -repeat Seron's mistake on the high-road." - -"The physician Samuel," added Deborah, "has also done us some service. -His fame called him as far north as the Waters of Meron, and he saw -most of the herdsmen between here and there." - -"And some of them have joined us," replied Judas, "but I do not trust -them as I do those of the southern country. They have not felt the -King's cruelty as others have. They are, however, of splendid spirit. -I have assigned them some desperate work, for in a man naturally brave -nothing breeds loyalty like danger." - -At that moment one came hastily reporting that a change was being made -in the disposition of the Greek forces. Judas held a brief conversation -with the scout. Turning, he said: - -"Gorgias will undoubtedly climb the ascent to-night. I must away. One -thing I ask of you, Deborah." - -"Your wish is your command to me, Judas." - -"You must not linger near this battle." - -"I am not afraid." - -"Would God that you were afraid, Deborah; that in this one respect you -were like other women." - -"Would you esteem me more, Judas, if I were like other women?" - -"Deborah, if you were like other women, like any other woman in the -world, the world would be less to me. No, be your own self; only do not -remain here. If harm should come to you, I should lose heart. You cheer -me. You inspire me. Take no risk." - -"But have I not cared for myself at other times?" - -"True: yet the battle to-morrow will not be as the others. Gorgias is -experienced, the most tactful, the most desperate of all the Greek -generals. He will not stand on the defensive, but make his own battle. -If in the night he should get his forces to the ridge, the fight will -be here, or between this and Jerusalem. If he should be worsted, he -will be succored by two other armies as great as his own. Promise me -that you will not even see this battle, for I know too well that if you -so much as look you will be drawn into some danger." - -"For your sake, Judas, I will be as other women. The Lord gird you with -His strength for the morrow!" - -"Your prayer is a prophecy. It gives me strength already. Farewell!" - -Deborah sat with little Caleb's hand in hers. The sun was going down. -The red orb hung over the Great Sea, transforming the watery horizon -into a glorious carpet fitting the feet of the King of Day, and making -the sky his canopy of gold. - -"Where are we now, sister?" asked the lad. "I hear a rustling as if the -trees were moving together." - -"Not trees, brother, but men are gathering. By the side of us is -Mizpah, where, in the time of the prophet Samuel, the whole nation came -together. I would that your eyes were open to see." - -"But your eyes are mine, sister. What shall I look at?" - -"Well, stand so. Now we see toward the sunrise the far-away mountains -of Gilead and Moab. How beautiful! The great wall of rock rises into -the sky. It flashes with color, almost like the floor of heaven which -Moses and the seventy elders saw. Now turn--you are facing the north." - -"Aye, I see old Hermon with his helmet of snow, and the cloud plumes -floating from the top of it," cried the lad, as if his eyes had really -opened. - -"Now turn again--you are looking south. Here, almost at our feet, lies -Jerusalem. Yet it was a long way to come, wasn't it?" - -"Not when Jonathan carried me, and I was asleep," laughed Caleb. - -"Yes," replied Deborah, "the white roads and the black stones in the -fields, the gray of olive and the green of fig-trees between here and -the city walls, look like a dream floating between two waking moments. -And beyond the city is Bethlehem. And now turn this way--the way the -sun is going. Down there we can see Lydda, as a pearl on a gray robe; -and way off is Joppa, a dot on the shore of the Great Sea which looks -like a blazing serpent with his back in the sky. Here is the plain of -Sharon filled again with soldiers under the great generals Gorgias and -Ptolemy and Nicanor. We can see the smoke, for they are making their -camps. And we are on the side of Mount Mizpah, where once the Holy -Tabernacle stood before Solomon built the Temple. And look, child; -everywhere the brave men of Israel are coming--for Judas has bidden the -people with him to spend the rest of the day in prayer. Listen! Quite -near us is a company of soldiers. They have laid down their spears -and bows and swords, and have covered their heads with dust. They are -repeating together the Psalms of Penitence, and praying God not to -visit the sins of Israel upon the land. Let us go nearer. They are now -spreading on the ground the copy of the Books of the Law, that which -Dion brought me one day, and which he found in the High Priest's house; -the one in letters of silver and gold once encased in the beautiful -ark with clasps of precious stone, but now with its holiest words cut -out, and the margins covered over with pictures of heathen gods. Now -the men are praying that the land may be restored to Israel; and they -vow--every man--to keep all the precepts of the Law as our fathers did. - -"Now what are they doing? They are holding up toward heaven some -garments which belonged to the priests whom the Greeks have murdered." - -"I can hear their words!" said the boy. "It is 'Lord, so perish the -priests of the heathen!' How wild their cry is! Is any one coming to -attack them?" - -"No, my child. Their voices are harsh, being tuned for battle-cries on -the morrow." - -"But, listen, sister, some one is reading in a mocking voice." - -"That," replied Deborah, "is a proclamation of the King which is posted -on the gates of Antioch, a copy of which has found its way into our -camp." - -A soldier read: - - "SCHEDULE FOR SALE OF CAPTIVES. - - One able-bodied Jew 2 shekels. - One male child (sound) 3 " - One woman (married) 2 " - One woman (virgin) 4 " - - "Purchasers guaranteed protection while returning to Antioch, Tyre, - Sidon, Berytus, Damascus, and to the mines within the King's domain. - - "By order of the King. - - "GORGIAS, Commandant." - -"But now they have changed," said Caleb. "Now they are wailing." - -"Yes, Simon, son of Mattathias, has piled together all the tithes of -fruits, which the men have brought, and they are begging the Lord with -tears to accept them, though they have no altar on which to put the -offering." - -"I hear the words they are saying," said Caleb. "'Lord, Lord, what -shall we do with these things since the heathen have broken down thine -altars?' Shall we go and pray with them, sister?" - -"Let us pray here," said Deborah. - -Long time they bowed to the earth, the lad kneeling by her side, his -arm thrown about her, and the blind eyes flashing with his imagination -of armies and victories. - -"Come, let us go!" said Deborah, rising. - -"Where shall we go?" - -"To Jerusalem." - -"Why, sister! Not again to the city. Dion is gone, and our brother -Benjamin too, and only Greek soldiers are waiting to kill you." - -"Yes, child, to the city, to our father's house. I believe--Lord help -my faith!--that on the morrow Israel will triumph, and we will welcome -Judas the Deliverer, perhaps as the Messiah--for such he seems to me. -But if we triumph not, there will be no need to flee elsewhere. The -sons of Mattathias will first perish in the battle, and all the hosts -of Israel with them; and we will perish too. But let it be in our -father's house. Yet whether we live or die I owe it to our friend, the -good Dion, to go back to Jerusalem. He is in peril for our sakes. The -Greeks may slay him for letting me go. But if I show them that I have -not escaped, Dion may be saved." - -"Then let us go to Jerusalem," said Caleb, grasping his sister's hand. -"Let us go." - -They went a little way in silence except for the murmur of the -multitude at worship, which at length died away in the distance. They -sat down to rest amid the gray stones of the hillside. - -"Hark!" said the lad, "that's Meph!" - -"I hear nothing," replied Deborah. Caleb put his fingers to his mouth, -and imitated the three notes of the quail. - -"He hears. He is answering. There he has stumbled and dropped his -crutch. He's up again now." - -"I hear nothing," repeated Deborah; but in another moment a sun-faded -mat of hair was projected from over an adjacent rock. - -"I thought that would bring you," shouted the lame boy, "that is, if -you were anywhere on the outside of your stone cage--that's what I call -Jerusalem. I have been whistling for an hour, like a bird left behind -when the flock has flown southward, and I couldn't call up a mate. But -my! it's good to see you, Caleb, and to-morrow Judas is going to whack -the Greeks again. He knows how to fight. Did you ever see--of course -you didn't, but I did--a little red ant fight a big black ant? Before -black ant can turn, red ant rushes at him and bites him in two in the -middle where his back is as thin as his legs; then he falls to and eats -up the pieces. That's the way Judas fights. You'll see to-morrow or -next day; for the Greeks are coming, sure; and Judas is lying for them, -just as he did at Bethhoron." - -So Meph's tongue and his crutch rattled on for an hour. - -Nearing the city, Deborah and Caleb concealed themselves behind the -rocks, or wandered, as the women and children do picking dried brambles -for kindling. Meph in the meanwhile acted as a scout, and gave warning -of every moving shadow in the distance. Only once did he sound any -real alarm. It was when several horsemen dashed from the direction -of Emmaus, and made for the west gate of the city. After a while our -wayfarers cautiously approached the northwest corner of the wall, and -disappeared in the crevice. Meph came out alone, and after beating -the bushes wildly with his crutch hobbled off, muttering all sorts of -imprecations on game that will not stand to be caught. - - - - -XXXVI - -THE TEMPTRESS - - -The house of Elkiah had been measurably cleansed when Deborah emerged -from the cellar and passed unobserved through the concealed stairway to -her own chamber. Next day she came down into the court. A fawn could -not have been more timid amid its captors than Deborah seemed as, with -apparent surprise and startled look, she emerged amid a group of Greek -soldiers whom Meton had left to guard the property. Equally amazed were -the soldiers. - -"Do not harm me. I will go back," cried Deborah, with tremulous voice. - -"We'll not harm you," said an awkward man who was in command of the -squad. He attempted a courtesy, which was half a military salute and -half an act of gallantry such as in his peasant days he had practised -upon country maidens. In executing these difficult tactics he let fall -his sarissa, the iron head of which came in such perilous proximity to -Deborah that it seemed to belie his words. - -"We'll not harm you, lady. We have no orders about you, seeing that the -General didn't know you were here." - -"You will be kind to me, truly?" she begged. - -"By all the gods, yes! Stand back, men!" - -"I was afraid to come out of the place Captain Dion hid me in when the -Jews took the house. I heard the men shouting, and thought they were -searching for me." She trembled like a child. - -"No, lady, we were not looking for you, for we supposed you had got -away," replied the good-natured pikeman. "We have taken out the dead -soldiers which were piled pretty thick hereabouts, and some of them -stuffed into corners where they have died like rats in their holes. But -it's all cleaned up now, except the smell--blood smell always lasts -until the moon changes. The cracks between the pavement stones are red, -but we'll have them scraped too. But it was a pity to have knocked -the arm off Aphrodite. The man that did that will never win himself a -wife--or the goddess has no more blood in her than her statue has. It -might have been your arm, lady, if Captain Dion hadn't hid you. I'll -off to the citadel and tell the General that the Captain didn't let -you escape. I knew he wouldn't. Captain Dion is the bravest of the -whole garrison, and Meton ought never to have ordered a better man than -himself under arrest. When Governor Lysias hears of it he ought to give -Dion the castle, and send Meton to command the camels and ass drivers." - -Deborah went to Glaucon's apartment. As she approached she heard -voices. A glance between the curtains gave a picture of the pale -face of her brother, and close to it that of the Princess. She was -beautiful; yes, Deborah thought, as the head of a serpent on its -arching neck, with its rainbow eyes charming its victim. The Princess' -right arm was about the Jew's shoulder; her left hand on his, which -gripped tightly a silken bag. This Deborah recognized as that in which -the jewels of the house of Elkiah were always kept. - -"There is no other way, my dearest Glaucon, than that I propose," said -Helena, half embracing him. "Menelaos is determined to have all you -possess. Give me these--no, I will not ask that--but let me care for -them. I can conceal them on my person. We will leave Jerusalem. In -Antioch we can live together. The races, the dances, the wines, and all -the pleasures of the world are there. If we tire of these things as -they are in Syria, we may go to Rome, where half of what we have here -will suffice for a lifetime. In Rome princes and princesses are known -by their jewels and equipages, and no one searches for ancestry any -more than for the pedigree of a beautiful horse." - -Glaucon clutched the bag. At length he opened it. - -"You may have some of them," he said. "This brooch of pearls was -once worn by Arsinoë, sister of the great Ptolemy Philadelphus, -King of Egypt. It came to my grandfather, who had made many loans -of convenience to the house of Ptolemy, which were never paid. This -cluster of diamonds belonged to the great Joseph, the tax-gatherer, -whose palace of white marble is beyond Jordan. He needed a vast sum -of ready money in order to buy the office of farmer of the revenues -of Syria when our land was under Egypt. He outwitted a whole company -of merchants from Tyre by offering single-handed more than they all -together. It was my grandfather who advanced to Joseph the needed -gold--which, of course, never was returned, as our possession of his -jewels shows. Joseph had nothing finer than these in all his marble -castle." - -One by one the gems slipped from Glaucon's fingers into those of the -Princess. - -"And that! Oh, how magnificent!" cried she, as he drew a necklace of -scores of precious stones, and spread it into shape upon the ebony -table. - -"That I must never part with. It was my mother's, and now is -Debor--Berenice's," said Glaucon, gripping the necklace with hesitating -fingers. - -"But she can never claim it, now that she has gone over to the -traitors, and is herself outlawed," argued the temptress. - -"Yet it is hers," replied Glaucon, his voice softening as if a tear was -diffused through it. "I cannot part with it." - -"Glaucon, my love!" cried the Princess, taking his face between her -hands, and kissing him upon the lips. - -Deborah threw aside the curtain, and stood before the frightened couple. - -"You monster!" cried she. - -Both started from the seat. Deborah grasped the jewels which had fallen -from the fingers of the startled Princess. The woman quickly recovered -her self-possession. - -"The traitress! The traitress! Ho, guards!" - -"The strumpet of Antioch, how dare she come into the house of Elkiah?" -retorted Deborah. - -"By better right, I take it, than the Jewish spy," replied Helena. - -"Glaucon, command her to leave this house," cried Deborah. - -The coward imitated the chameleon, which changes its color according to -the object that reflects the light upon it; for, as he looked from one -to the other of these women, he became for the moment the victim of -each, and dared to decide for neither. - -"If Glaucon will not purge his house of this refuse of the camp of -Apollonius, then will I, that our mother's memory be not polluted. -Begone!" She raised the curtain and pointed to the exit. - -The Princess' dignity gave way before the indignant gaze of Deborah, as -weak plants wither in the scorching rays of the sun. Still she moved -not. - -"Must I compel you?" Deborah exclaimed. She dexterously drew from -Glaucon's side his sword, ere he could interpose, and poised it at the -throat of her enemy. - -"Your paramour Apollonius once quailed before the sword of the daughter -of Elkiah. How shall I spare this miserable remnant of----" - -The terrified woman did not wait for the completion of either the -sentence or the threatened action. She ran shrieking from the chamber, -and fell into the arms of--Dion. - -For a moment the Captain held her; his surprise and the dimness of -the passageway not being favorable to the clear vision of one who had -emerged from the brilliant light of the open court. The Captain was the -soul of gallantry to all of the fair sex, but the Princess and Deborah -were in such utter contrast in his mind that the discovery of the -unexpected personality in his arms wrought a spasmodic revulsion in his -feeling. He loosened her embrace and flung her from him. This time she -found a more solid anchorage for her fright--in the arms of Thersites, -a Greek common soldier, who held also a mop with which he had been -cleansing the statue of Aphrodite. - -Thersites, being just then of less perturbable temper than Dion, or -perhaps being more experienced in catching fleeing women, retained his -captive long enough to grunt his gratitude with a kiss upon her cheek, -entirely oblivious to the fact that such privileges the fair Helena had -often sold as high as three shekels apiece in the market of Antioch. - - - - -XXXVII - -"IF I WERE A JEW" - - -The mutual welcome of Deborah and Dion was in briefest words, for each -knew more of its occasion than either cared to express; therefore -the appearance of the Princess upon the scene served as a convenient -diversion for both. Deborah told of the woman's attempt to beguile her -brother, without intimating how she herself had come just in time to -save this human moth from shrivelling his wings in the flame. - -"How could she have thought to deceive you, Glaucon," said Dion, "after -she had so completely unmasked her character at the dance? None but a -stupid fool, or one as wicked as herself, would be tempted by her wiles -after that." - -The speaker did not notice that the Jew winced under his words. - -"You may mistake her," replied Glaucon, as soon as he had ceased to -shrink into himself, and recovered enough outward wit to say anything. -"That she danced is no more against the dignity of a Princess, than it -is for Antiochus to play the buffoon along the streets of Antioch, as -we both saw him do in the great procession." - -"Whatever she may be, she goes out of the city very soon," replied -Dion. "The kinsfolk of Apollonius have heard of her claim, and have -denounced her to the Governor Lycias." - -Glaucon, having gathered up the scattered jewels, wrapped them each -in its linen covering, and put them into the bag; then withdrew with -mutterings, which it is uncertain if they were against his mistress or -her exposers. - -The shell fringes of the curtain had not ceased their jangling as -Glaucon passed through them before Dion cast himself at Deborah's feet. - -"Tell me, Deborah, are you human, or a divinity? You are risking your -life to save me from harm. Is this from a woman's misjudgment, or from -a motive which only the gods can understand and give?" - -"Dion," replied she, with offended mien, "rise. You shall not assume -such an attitude before a girl of the Jews--a mere child, whose -gratefulness you have chanced to win by your kindness." - -"But why, Deborah, why this awful sacrifice you are venturing? Soon -General Gorgias will be here. He is as cruel as an avalanche when his -purpose moves, and he has sworn to leave not so much as a bone of a -Jewish child outside the valley of Hinnom. That you are the daughter -of Elkiah, chief of the Sanhedrin, is sufficient to excite his -vengeance, even without the stories of your escapades as a spy, with -which Menelaos' party are filling all ears. There is no hope for you -here. Vanish again, I beseech you, as mysteriously as you will, for I -cannot endure that you should become a sacrifice for me. I entreat it, -Deborah. Go away again!" - -"Why," replied she, "that would make the matter worse, my good friend. -It is known, or soon will be, that I am now here; but if I disappear -again it will bring new accusation against you for being in some -collusion with me." - -"I care nothing for such accusation. I would willingly die in the tower -with the sweet thought that you were safe from insult and danger," -cried the soldier passionately. - -"But, my dear Dion, I think there is need of neither of us playing -tragedy. Maybe, as you say, I can vanish at will. If so, I shall always -be safe, and then, when you are in danger, I can reappear, and they -will say, 'Dion has guarded his prisoner faithfully!'" - -Deborah became quite merry with her pleasant conceit. - -Dion could not help catching some of the lighter manner of his -companion. He took both her hands. - -"I pray you, do not vanish quite yet. Tell me what motive led you to do -this desperate deed in my behalf? You will not love me?" - -He paused, gazing quizzically at her, but drew from her face not a -flicker of such sentiment as certain past experience had led him to -hope for. - -"Then, since you do not love me, your action was prompted only by -humane motives, to save a wretched Greek from some inconvenience; and -for this you risk your life? I cannot understand you." - -"Dion," replied Deborah, all mirth now gone from her manner, "Dion, -I am a Jewess. Think not that our people's vows are only to save our -land and nation. We serve these because these stand for Jehovah's law -of righteousness and justice. Would it be right for me to leave you -to suffer unjustly for my sake? I would be unfaithful to Jewry to so -treat even a Greek. Your philosophy may teach you how to evade such -questions, but our Jewish law is simple and plain. It commands us to -'do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.' We need -speak of no other sentiment." - -Her eyelashes did quiver a little as she said this. - -Then, looking him fairly in the face and returning the strong grasp -of his hands, she added: "If my sense of duty were not sufficiently -strong, my gratitude to my noble friend and protector would prompt me -so to act, and so to speak. - -"Dion, we have been, though of hostile blood, too much to each other -during these terrible days to doubt that we are led by the same hand of -Providence. I cannot see His will. I must not prejudge it. I can only -act upon each duty that I see, and as I see it. But this much is plain -to me--and you will not mistake my meaning, good friend--I can have no -such interests as other women may feel while my people are enslaved. To -this I have vowed before my nation's God. The redemption of Israel from -the hand of him whom you by your soldier's oath have vowed to serve, -that fills my heart. That is my only sentiment; my only passion; but it -is a passion of fire. All else must burn away before it." - -"But," replied Dion, speaking very slowly, as if to hear the echo of -each word from the depth of her heart before venturing another, and -watching her eyes for indication, as boys watch the ripples their -pebbles make when dropped into a well, "if--I--were--a--Jew it might -be otherwise? You could love me if I were only a Jew? Deborah, I am a -Jew in my faith--since you have taught me that faith. I am a soldier -of fortune, and have sold my sword to the lord of Antioch, but I -would willingly give it to your people, were it not that I foresee -the hopelessness of your cause. But with your love I could die for -Judaism." - -"Noble Dion, these words are ill-considered. The leopard cannot change -his spots, as says our Scripture; nor can a Greek become a Jew. And -surely not so light a thing as a passing fancy for a Jewish girl should -lead you to think to attain the impossible." - -"But if--I--were a Jew?" queried he. "If you will tell me that if Dion -were a Jew you could love him, that will be my happiness even as we -part." - -"If Dion were a Jew," replied Deborah, "he were worthy of being brother -to the sons of Mattathias, and worthy the love of any woman." With -which words she ran from the room. - -Captain Dion stood looking at--nothing, while the sand ran half out of -the glass. - -"Am I a Jew or a Greek? I am surely a Jew inwardly, and," glancing into -a polished steel mirror, "my nose is not, as I have often heard it -said, as a good Greek's should be, perfectly straight with my forehead. -By Jove! I could wish that a sabre cut might bend it more. But, Greek -though I am, my sword and my wit are my own, and shall have but one -duty when Gorgias takes the city--to guard this house and the woman -who--would--love--me--if--I--were--a--Jew. So much is clear, clear as -the Jew's law. Let me see if I can be a Jew. First 'to do justly.' Yes, -it will be only downright justice to give my life for hers, since she -has offered hers for mine more than once. Secondly, 'to love mercy.' -Of course I do--in this case. Thirdly, 'to walk humbly with my God.' -Well, if I knew who God is, I would. God of Jew or Greek teach me that! -Amen!" - - - - -XXXVIII - -THE POISONER - - -Deborah retired to the roof of the house. She gazed long to the west. - -"Caleb, do you hear any sounds far away?" - -"None, but there is a great mist rolling up from the Great Sea over -Sharon, and up the mountains toward our city. Now a wind from the east -rushes against the mist. I think it is a wind. Can you see a wind, -sister?" - -"One can see the dust it drives." - -"That's it; a little cloud of dusty wind. And it drives away the mist. -The mist rolls down the long hills and away--away. Now it is lost in -the Sea. The dusty wind is Judas, I know." - -A servant brought to Deborah a basket of fruit. Ripened pomegranates -glowed ruddy beside tawny oranges in a bed of white blossoms which -loaded the air with delicious spicery. Cakes of figs compressed with -almonds were scattered through the tempting heap. - -Caleb caught the odor; his face became a resistless appeal, which his -sister answered by putting into his hand the largest of the luscious -fruits. - -Deborah recalled the servant to ask the donor of the fruit. Ephraim -could not say, as it was brought to him by one of the Greek guards in -the court who had taken it in at the gate. Deborah examined the basket, -and recognized the pattern of its inwoven withes as one that the -Princess had taught Lydia, the wife of Menelaos, and herself to make. -She quickly turned to Caleb. - -"Do not eat, my child." - -But the child had eaten. Almost immediately he fell sick. His face -became ashen pale. - -Deborah carried the lad to his bed, and laid him there. The physician -Samuel was sent for in eager haste; but that worthy man was beyond the -city, in the labor which absorbed him day and night, as the case of no -single patient could have done--the critical condition of his nation. -To whom could she turn? - -"Call Captain Dion," she bade Huldah. - -A long time Dion watched the face and felt the hands of the child. - -"I know well these signs," he said. "And good reason have I to remember -them. When a lad I fell sick very much as Caleb has done. The physician -of King Philip of Macedonia, at whose court I served as page, declared -my illness to be due to a peculiar poison concocted by Alexandrian -alchemists. For weeks I lay, while the Fates' scissors fretted my life -thread. Again, when I was just a man, a similar disorder came upon me. -This time I was a soldier in King Perseus' guard. But for the skill -of a certain physician, Theron, an adept in the arts of the poisoner, -and on that account retained in the King's household, I had certainly -perished. This second secret attempt upon my life led Theron to counsel -me to forsake Macedonia. This I could not do. I loved my King Perseus, -and stood with him, until some four years ago he was overthrown by the -Romans in that terrible fight at Pydna. But even in this remote region -I seem to be pursued by the poisoner, for I doubt not that this which -Caleb has taken was intended for myself, since it is known that I am -here." - -"But," said Deborah, "this basket is like the handiwork of the -Princess." - -"Of the Princess!" cried Dion, examining the basket. "You are right; -this is such work as one finds in the bazaars at Antioch. Deborah, this -was intended for neither Caleb nor me, but for yourself." - -He noted more closely the fruit. "These fruits are not all such as grow -in these lands. The figs and almonds thus pressed together I have seen -only in the capital, and one place else--in the house of Menelaos. It -is a favorite with the Priest. Deborah, I see through the damnable -plot. Menelaos, to accomplish his purpose on the property of Elkiah, -must leave no scion of the house alive. I swear that this is that -villainous Priest's design, executed too, by a practised poisoner, -and she--Heaven forbid that I make a false charge!--she is none other -than the Princess. Before the sun sets I will probe the secret with my -knife, though it lies at the bottom of this Priest's black heart." - -"Give the child tepid water," he added. "Watch him that he does not -sleep; but that I think will not be possible for some hours yet. The -poison rather stimulates wakefulness until the life is burned out with -its fires. I have at the Citadel some of the medicine Theron bade me -always keep with me." - -As Dion left the apartment a great uproar rose in the streets. Cries -filled the air. - -"The Jews have fled before Gorgias. They are being driven into the -city." - -"The Jews are not fleeing, sister," said Caleb. "They have been -pursuing. I see a mighty eagle. He has swirled above a flock of doves, -but, quick as the lightning flashes, a little bird has darted upon him. -He has mounted upon the eagle's back. His beak is sharper than a sword, -and cuts the eagle through. The great bird falls. Surely the little -bird is Judas." - -Whether Caleb's vision was the vagary of his fever-heated brain, or -a true prognostication from inner sight granted him in compensation -for his outer blindness, one may not say, since we have not ourselves -passed through the borderland of the world of sense. - - - - -XXXIX - -BATTLE OF EMMAUS - - -Meph's simile of the stratagem of the little red ant which bites his -antagonist into two will give our club-footed friend a place among the -wisest critics of military affairs; for this was the plan of the battle -of Emmaus as executed by Judas. - -The Greek armies gathered near Emmaus numbered about fifty thousand -men, under leaders who were rendered expert by wars in many lands. The -Maccabæans had not more than one-tenth that number. This little army -was further reduced by Judas' command dismissing all newly married men, -and all whose ripening crops might divide their attention between peace -and war, and all whose lack of zeal made them hesitate or question the -wisdom of the call to battle. Not more than three thousand bowed in -prayer and consecration as the sun went down on Mizpah. - -When the night fell General Gorgias executed a movement which would -have increased his already great fame as a strategist, had it not been -countered by an exploit of deeper subtlety and boldness on the part of -his antagonist. - -The Greek General did not await the arrival of his full army at Emmaus, -but, making there a formidable camp, well guarded by thousands of -heavy-armed troops, he pushed on with five thousand horsemen and -light-armed foot-soldiers to take the Jews unawares in their camp at -Mizpah. Under the darkness of the night this advanced guard stealthily -and swiftly climbed the heights. Not a solitary spot of the long crest -was found sentinelled. Surely the wily Maccabæan was caught sleeping. -Under order of perfect silence the Greeks glided on toward Mizpah. So -rapidly did the army pass that even wild beasts were caught between the -companies, and prodded to death amid the feet of the soldiers. On the -assailants sped, that they might come within striking distance of the -Jewish camp before daylight should reveal their approach. Thus with -one swoop in the first light of morning, Gorgias, who was known as the -"Hawk of Syria," would annihilate the whole brood of rebels. - -At length dawn poured its ruddy lustre upon the high hill of Mizpah. -Rocks and thorny shrubs, here a stunted juniper and there a pile of -stone which had been a camp kitchen, stood clear in the light,--but not -a Jewish tent or soldier was to be seen. - -With rage and shame the outwitted Greek gave orders for retreat to -his own camp twenty miles away. The chagrin of the leader became the -disgust of the soldiers as they retraced their steps along the dusty -road. Some, who would be wiser than others, told of the probable flight -of Judas over the hills and beyond Jordan, scared by the very number -of so many valiant feet which would have trampled his little host into -the earth had he awaited their coming. Gorgias professed his conviction -that the war was over, and that the Maccabæans had disbanded. He talked -aloud of turning southward and resting his soldiers within the walls -of Jerusalem. But, mindful that he was dealing with the strange man who -had outgeneraled both Apollonius and Seron, he deemed it more prudent -first to rejoin the armies of Ptolemy and Nicanor, which he assumed -were gathering about his camp at Emmaus. - -The day was well spent when, looking down from the great ridge that -might be called the Parapet of Palestine, the Greek General saw in the -distance the smoke of his own burning camp; while far away toward the -fortress of Gezer in the northwest two moving dust clouds indicated the -position of the Greeks pursued and of the Jews in hot chase. - -Judas had discovered Gorgias' movement toward his camp at Mizpah as -soon as it was begun. - -With greater celerity than that of the Greek, he abandoned his own -stronghold, pushed his band westward, slipped by his antagonist on a -more southerly road, and, in a line as straight as that of a swarm -of bees, and with as little sound in the going, made for the camp of -Gorgias at Emmaus. Here was the slender waist of Meph's big ant, with -Gorgias' advance for its head, and the detachments of Ptolemy and -Nicanor for its legs. - -The early dawn which had revealed to the Greek the unoccupied Jewish -camp at Mizpah, showed to Judas a splendid canvas city near Emmaus; -the open plain bossed with tents of various colors, gleaming with the -polished paraphernalia of horses and the burnished armor of still -sleeping men. Here were gathered, not only the stores of Gorgias' army -and those awaiting the great hosts of Ptolemy and Nicanor, still in -the rear, but bales of woollen and silken wares, boxes of jewels and -bags of silver coin; for in sure expectancy of victory the Greeks had -allowed to come with them a great number of merchants who were to make -Jerusalem a second Damascus of trade, when it should be delivered from -the menace of the Jewish insurgents. - -The first intimation the Greeks in this splendid camp had of danger was -the sound of the silver trumpets of the Jews, which from the ancient -days of Israel had rung out the battle-call. The notes floated through -the chill morning air with little more speed than Judas' men skimmed -the ground in their agile assault. The Greeks fell on every hand, some -with casque half on, and most having scarcely grasped sword. The mass -of them precipitately fled. Judas had his men so well in hand, and -such was their zeal of patriotic devotion, that no man thought of the -wondrous opportunity for his own enriching, but obeyed the command, "Be -not greedy of spoil, for there may still be battle betwixt us and the -night." The Jews pursued the fleeing Greeks, until news that Gorgias -was returning recalled them. - -Judas then so quickly and skilfully placed his men about the unguarded -camp at Emmaus that Gorgias, deeming such an accomplishment the work -of an army many-fold that of the Jews, dared not make attack. His men -became panic-stricken, and scattered in every direction, to gather -only far away to the west within the lines of Ptolemy and Nicanor, and -there to spread consternation by the marvellous stories with which they -accounted for their defeat. - -Judas assembled his fellow-religionists amid the heaps of spoil. Before -they laid hand to the reward of their valor, they acknowledged the -favor of Jehovah. Then rang out the words of the old psalm, "Oh, give -thanks unto the Lord, for He is good. His mercy endureth forever." - -Laden with the fruits of victory, the patriot army moved over the hills -to their sacred city, and without challenge from the foe, gathered -before the western gate. - -As the soldiers deposited their burdens of spoil they took their places -in groups of tens and hundreds according to the ancient arrangement -of the army of Israel--the order in which they had already gone into -the battle. The instant the morning rays touched the Temple walls, the -silver trumpets, which yesterday had sounded the onset, gave out the -time notes of the antiphonal chant of Israel, the Te Deum of victory -during many ages of faith: - -"Lift up your heads, ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting -doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? - -"The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory." - -As the chant died away the great gate by the tower of David was swung -open. In the shadow of the portal stood Deborah. She had arrayed -herself in richest apparel. Her chiton was of glistening white silk and -dropped to her feet. It was girdled high beneath the breasts; opening -deep above, exposing a neck that needed no circlet to adorn it. From -her shoulders fell a purple robe. This was matched by a purple cap that -rose high from her forehead and was banded with pearls. Strings of -these gems were pendent against her black hair, which, unclasped, fell -about her shoulders. - -This contrast with the remembrance of her in the cheap attire of the -Fort of the Rocks, and as with bleeding feet she flitted over the stony -fields on her many secret missions, wrought the patriot soldiers to the -highest pitch of enthusiasm. - -"The Daughter of Jerusalem! the Daughter of Jerusalem!" The shout was -taken up by one company after another. It echoed from the walls and -floated over the hills. - -By Deborah's side was a Greek. He was in full uniform of a Captain -in the King's service. Judas quickly confronted him. The contrast -between the two men was extreme. The Greek was the model for an Apollo, -such was his grace of pose and motion. His muscles were full, yet -long, exquisitely moulded by the practice of the gymnasium and by the -fencer's art. The Jew was a Hercules of gigantic stature; "badly put -together," would have been the comment of a gymnasiarch; long arms, -legs short, muscles knotted. The Greek was clean-shaven, his locks -oiled; the Jew's head covered with reddish hair bleached by exposure. -The Greek was handsome, a woman's ideal. The Jew's face, overhung by -heavy brows, based in a broad, square chin, and covered with short, -untrimmed beard, might have been an unpleasant one, but for the kindly -brightness of his eyes, which would have won the confidence of a child. - -The Greek made obeisance to the conqueror. - -"Judas, son of Mattathias, I, though esteemed a heathen, have made a -vow before your God, that, if Jehovah granted you victory in this -battle, I would serve Him and you." - -"I am not commissioned to receive the service of any but the men of -Israel," replied Judas firmly, but with a courtesy that could awaken no -resentment. - -"Then know that Dion, son of General Agathocles of Macedon, forswears -the service of Antioch, and vows loyalty only to the cause of the -Jewish people." - -Judas glanced at Deborah. "Is this the friend of the house of Elkiah? -For thy sweet sake, daughter, it shall be as he wills." - -He grasped the hand of Dion. - -While this scene was transpiring at the western gate a very different -one might have been witnessed at the south gate. The street within was -packed with a motley multitude impeding one another's way in their -eagerness to escape from the city. Men and women, rich and poor, young -and old; some bruising the backs of their neighbors with the chests -they carried upon their shoulders; others with their palanquins forcing -the crowd asunder, commanding, entreating, shouting imprecations, and -crying with hurts, choked the gateway. - -"Way! way for the High Priest!" sounded above the din. - -A giant Nubian with his gnarled arms threw the people to right and -left and opened a passage for Menelaos and Lydia, whose blanched faces -peered out from the purple curtains of their vehicle. - -Amid this scurrying crowd, amid tattered wealth and paupers bedizened -with their stolen finery, went an exquisite carriage, in which, covered -with the robes at the feet of Clarissa, the harlot dancer and poisoner -of Antioch, crouched the form of Glaucon, son of Elkiah. - -Jonathan begged permission to dash upon the fugitives and make an end -of them, even as his father had slain the renegade Jew at the gate of -Modin. - -But Judas refused. "Let them depart. Let the wound of Israel slough off -its foulness; it will the sooner heal." - - - - -XL - -"A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM" - - -When the overthrow of Gorgias became known in the city, many of the -soldiers of Antiochus fled even more precipitately than did the -traitorous Jews. The grim towers beat upon the fugitives with shadows -like the wings of an avenging spirit, which, indeed, some declared -they saw descend from the sky. A few companies under Meton's closer -discipline kept within the Citadel. Even that Commandant's courage had -been well shaken by the previous disaster to Seron, and his nerves -permanently disordered by the tragedy of the General's suicide in his -presence. The new discomfiture of the more famous Gorgias--a defeat -so thorough that even that great soldier's genius seemed utterly -paralyzed, so that he did not attempt a retaliatory blow--completed the -demoralization of Meton, so that he gave no orders for the defence of -the city at large, being fully content to keep his own skin unpunctured -within the walls of his castle. Judas, having no artillery for -assailing the fortifications which had withstood every assault since -the days of Nebuchadnezzar, was equally content to let Meton be his own -jailer. - -The house of Elkiah became the resting-place of the Jewish hero on -the few and brief occasions when he rested anywhere. He was incessant -in his watch. For days he would be absent with his brothers scouting -the country to the eastward. He commissioned the brightest men as -messengers to the tribes not yet allied with him, offering them -either peace or war as their Sheikhs might elect. Envoys were sent -to the Romans, to the Egyptians. He laid out extensive plans for the -restoration and fortification of the city walls. In this he was aided -by Dion, who had already attained a certain celebrity as an engineer -among the Greeks. - -For such projects there was urgent call, and for all the resources of -Judas' fertile brain. Lycias, the new Governor of Syria, was collecting -the remnants of Gorgias' army, compacting them with those of Nicanor -and Ptolemy, and enlarging them by daily arriving contingents sent from -all parts of Antiochus' kingdom. The Governor quickly marshalled a -force of sixty thousand, ready to renew the war. - -Even these public and threatening affairs did not entirely absorb the -attention of Judas. When in Jerusalem he came daily and watched the -failing life of the blind child. As the lad's body grew emaciate the -blind eyes gained in lustre, the light of his soul flooding them from -within, like stars bursting through a fleecy cloud. Judas would sit by -the bedside of the sufferer, gazing upon the thinning and whitening -face, while his own thoughts were far away among the problems of -statecraft and strategy. - -"Yes," he one day said to Dion, "Caleb's eyes are my oracles, as my -father used to say Deborah's were to him. They are to me what I imagine -the water of the deep springs is to your Greek priests. In them I -sometimes seem to see the lines of coming battle, and the shadows of -great events that heaven is preparing to bring to pass." - -At times Judas would throw himself upon the bed beside his little -friend, whose restlessness was calmed when he could pass his tiny, -shrunken fingers over the face of the champion. Suddenly the soldier -would kiss the child's hot lips, and, without a word, hasten away to -the towers or the fields, as if prompted by some inspiration. - -One day the lad said to Judas: - -"Big brother, carry me as you used to do in the Fort of the Rocks." - -"Where shall I take you, little brother?" - -"Take me to the roof, that I may see the clouds with your eyes--God's -banners, father used to call the clouds with their white and gold. And -I would see, too, the mountains full of the chariots and horses of God; -and hear the winds talk, and tell their strange stories of what is -happening everywhere they go. Take me, big brother." - -The lad lay in Judas' arms behind the parapet, his fingers feebly -twining in the thick beard of his giant playmate. The wind came softly -from the south. - -"What was the wind saying to you, little brother?" - -"It comes from Bethlehem, that I know; and it talks about Bethlehem." - -"And what does it say about Bethlehem?" - -"It says that you, Judas, were born in Bethlehem." - -"How so?" - -"Why, it repeated the words of the prophet, 'And thou, Bethlehem in the -land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of -thee shall come a Governor that shall rule my people Israel.'" - -"Say not such things, my child," said Judas, "I was born here in -Jerusalem." - -"Do you remember it?" said Caleb. - -"No." - -"Then I think you are mistaken." - -For a while they were both silent. Suddenly Caleb cried: - -"Look! Look, Judas! A star!" - -"There are no stars now, little brother; it is daytime." - -"A star! A star! There it floats over Moab. Now it passes over Jordan. -There! There! A star out of Jacob, which Balaam saw." - -The thin hands were stretched out, the eyes fixed, the whole frame of -the child shook with convulsion. - -Judas gazed into Caleb's eyes--his fountain of divination--but the -depths were covered, as when a spring is frozen over. Tears from -his own eyes dropped upon the face of the child, which gave back no -response. He pressed his lips against those of the lad. Was it to -breathe into them his own abundant life? or to take from them the -sweetness of the life that was failing? Judas had been called to ponder -great problems, questions involving the fate of a nation, the solution -of which he believed to be the fulfilment of prophecy and the turning -of the highways of history. But here was a deeper study than statecraft -or war--that of the issue of a child's life. Whither was it going? On -what wings would the spirit rise as now it was disentangling itself -from the frail flesh which had held it down for a little while? "What," -he thought, "is love--the love by which this little one has held my -soul close to his, calming my turbid nature, taming my ferocity, and -making me think of and feel the nearness of God himself!" - -A slight tremor ran through the tiny frame. Judas carried Caleb within -the upper chamber, and laid him upon the couch. Then, burying his face -in the pillow, this strongest of men wept with a breaking heart over a -dead child. - -Deborah quickly came, and Dion too; for the tidings sped. As they gazed -upon the beautiful face, which seemed but the shadow of the soul that -still hovered over it, Judas repeated Caleb's last words, about the -star. - -"It is prophecy," said Deborah. "What saith the Scripture of these -words of Balaam? 'He hath said which heard the word of God, and knew -the knowledge of the Most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, -falling into a trance, but having his eyes open,' even as Caleb did, -'I shall see Him soon, but not now. I shall behold Him, but not nigh. -There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of -Israel.' Of whom are these things said, son of Mattathias?" - -"I know not, Deborah." For a long time Judas sat with his head bowed -upon his hands. Neither spoke, but worshipped silently by the altar -of their grief. At length Judas said: "But I know that He shall come. -I too 'shall see Him, but not now. I shall behold Him, but not nigh.' -Of whom the words are spoken God knows. It is enough for us that we be -found faithful." - -Dion stood by. He looked from the champion to the heroine as they spoke -thus together. Then he, too, kissed the dead child, and without a word -went away. - -That day, as the sun was going down, a long procession wound its way -through the streets, and out of the north gate to the rock-hewn tomb -where lay many generations of the house of Elkiah. There they placed -the body of the "little Prophet of Israel," as the people fondly called -him. As they rolled the stone back in its groove, and thus covered the -mouth of the sepulchre, the multitude gazed upon the giant form of -their chieftain. But Judas turned away, and laying his hand upon the -shoulder of Dion, as they walked together back to the city, said: - -"Captain Dion, have you anything in your Greek books so beautiful as -this from our prophet Esaias? He is speaking of the days of Messiah, -days to come, when such peace shall fall upon the earth that the 'wolf -also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the -kid--and a little child shall lead them.'" - -"In Messiah's days?" responded Dion. "It is already fulfilled, for this -little child has led us both; both you and me." - - - - -XLI - -A STRANGE VISITOR - - -There were strange visitors in Jerusalem during these days--Sheikhs -from beyond the Dead Sea, with turbans as big as cartwheels, which -might furnish linen, if not enough for a tent to live in, at least for -one's winding-sheet when dead; chiefs from beyond the Lebanons, with -silken head-housing of flaming colors, bound about the temples with -ropes of wool inwoven with silver and gold threads; men wearing helms -of leather, which capped closely their thick, short hair, and having -short tunics bound about their loins with belts of hide from which hung -heavy half swords--these last from the west, where Rome was challenging -both Alexandria and Antioch for the mastery of the world. Such persons -were drawn to Jerusalem by the fame of Judas; for men wondered if a new -star had appeared which would change the shape of the constellation of -the nations. - -Very different in bearing from these warlike and courtly visitors were -two persons who one day accompanied Judas on the street, going toward -the house of Elkiah--a lame lad clattering on his crutch and an old man -tottering on his staff. - -"I found him a day's journey--for a fox--to the north--nigh on to -Bethel," said Meph, his sentences broken by the slipping of his crutch -from projecting stones into mud-holes, of which things in about equal -proportion the pavement of the streets of Jerusalem then consisted. "I -treed him----" - -"Treed him? Our friend doesn't look like a climbing animal," replied -Judas, laughing. - -"Yes, I treed him; that is, I got him under a tree. I knew that a man -like him--would rest more than he would walk--and--I believe--I got -my eyes on every tree big enough to cast shadow over a cony--between -here and Bethel before I spied him. I thought he was dead--for he -didn't hear me come, and I make as much noise--Jonathan says--as a -broken-wheeled chariot. And he would have died--sure--but for some of -this stuff"--producing from his jacket next the skin some fragments -of black bread. "But even then he couldn't talk until I had given -him--but, Judas, you won't put me under arrest if I show you something?" - -"No, Meph; you are not enrolled as a soldier, so have a right to -whatever you find." - -"Then look at this!" said he, jerking from somewhere under his shirt -a flask of bluish bronze inlaid with patterns of mother of pearl. "I -found this on the crest above Emmaus. Phew! Isn't it fine? I'll wager -you that General Gorgias himself dropped that. Well, I knew there -was something good in it--so I just put it to the old man's mouth. -My! it oiled up his tongue so that he talked faster than I can--on -these stones. And he told me of sailing on the sea--and riding camels -on the desert--and of beasts bigger than houses--with tails on both -ends--which trampled to death whole companies of soldiers with a single -step on them." - -"Elephants," interjected Judas. "The old man has travelled far if he -has seen these monsters. They say the King has sent some of them to -Governor Lycias for his next fight with us." - -"Whew!" whistled the boy. "Can I go and see them?" - -"Maybe----" - -"Well," resumed Meph, "when the liquor had dried out of his throat--the -old man stopped--and I couldn't get another word out of him except -'Dion! Captain Dion!' I told him I knew a Captain Dion. Then he got up -and went with me--for about a furlong when--he fell down--and so up and -down--up and down--we went all day--and all night, too--for he wouldn't -stop until he got here." - -The old man was stumbling on with Judas' strong arm beneath his -shoulder, now and then putting his hand to his ear, trying to catch -what Meph was saying. - -A few moments later they were within the house. The stranger was -utterly exhausted, but, though unable to rise from the couch upon -which they had laid him, his eyes were alert to everything. He studied -the furniture as if it had memories stored in its carvings. The faces -about him seemed to disappoint him, but each swing of the curtain of -the chamber riveted his attention. He ate and drank a little of what -Deborah brought him; then fell asleep, muttering in his dream: - -"It's Dion I want. Don't take it, my child. Wait--wait; I will find -you. The sea is not wide enough nor the mountains high enough--for -Gideon ben Sirach is strong yet." - -Though broken, his sleep was long. The sun went down, the night passed, -and still he slept. - -"I fear he will not awake again," said Samuel, the physician. "The -breathing is heavy, and grows shorter. His secret is his and God's." - -"So let it be!" said Dion. "I don't know how it can concern me. I do -not care to know any mystery that may have been over my past life, -since now I have come into a clearer light. I could well wish that all -the past were forgotten, and that life could begin to-day." - -"So it may, friend Dion," replied the physician. "If God can forget -anything, will not that make it as if it had never been? Read our -Scriptures. How often the Lord says, 'I will not remember.' Where go -the clouds when the north wind blows upon them? But saith the Lord, 'I -will blot out as a thick cloud thy transgression.'" - -"It is a good word," said Dion. "I would trust it. But see, our pilgrim -stirs." - -A slight tremor ran through the old man's frame. - -"This is death!" whispered Samuel. - -The physician's look, which had hitherto denoted only anxiety for his -patient's recovery, quickly changed. It was now not less eager, but one -merely of curiosity. He held the patient's wrists, and brought his face -close for a study of death. - -Though Samuel knew that the flight of a soul cannot be followed, -he gazed intently as if to detect its direction in starting, or at -least to note which fibres of flesh longest retained their grasp of a -departing spirit. - -But he was baffled. The sleeper suddenly threw his arms above his head, -hard knit his hands, then drew in a deep breath and expelled it with a -groan. - -"No! He lives! The sleep has only refreshed him!" cried Samuel. - -"Has Gideon ben Sirach rested well?" he asked, bending over him. - -The man gazed stupidly at the physician, then with a yawn fell asleep -again. - -"Well, let him rest, and when he wakes we will have his story, if it -takes some of the medicine from Gorgias' flask to start it." - -"Doubtless," said Dion, "his story will prove only a dream that has -oozed out from some crack in his brain. We shall need one of your -Josephs or Daniels to interpret it." - -"If it is so obscure as that we will summon Meph," replied the -physician. "That boy seems able to solve riddles with a punch of his -crutch." - - - - -XLII - -A CLOSE CALL FOR DION - - -"If the Lord give me strength to end it," said Gideon ben Sirach the -day following, as he sat up on the edge of the couch, and rested his -hands on the top of his staff. "If the Lord give me strength, I will -tell the tale--if such you may call it--which has never yet passed my -lips." - -His black eyes, far sunken beneath his long and bristling brows, -gleamed sharply with the effort to penetrate their partial blindness, -and scan the faces of his auditors. - -"As the Lord liveth! I may trust my words in your ears, Judas, son of -Mattathias, whose father has a score of times taken from my hands the -Passover Lamb, and slain it for the feast in my master's house. And in -whom can I confide if not in the daughter of Elkiah, the just man, Nasi -of our Sanhedrin in days when not even the gold of Egypt or Syria could -bribe it to wrong judgment? And if this man be not Dion, page of King -Philip of Macedon, and Captain in the army of his son Perseus, may my -words be deafness evermore in his ears if he listens to them." - -"Amen!" responded Dion. "I am your man so far." - -"Aye, and let thy Amen be the anathema of an old man whose eyes in -Sheol may soon look upon the face of my master, to whom and to God I -go to render my account. My son, put thy hand beneath my thigh, and -swear that thou art he." - -Dion obeyed. As he did so Gideon put his hand upon the young man's -brow, and pushed back the thick curling locks. He felt with his long -thin fingers beneath the hair; then suddenly cried, with excitement -that barely allowed distinct utterance: - -"Thou art Dion, but not the Greek." - -"I am Greek for as many generations as thou art Jew," replied Dion, -laughing. "I swear, old man, that I am a Greek." - -"The Lord forgive your oath!" replied Sirach. "But what was I saying? -Had I told my tale?" - -"No, good man, you had not yet begun it. We are waiting to hear it and -to believe it, if it be not too incredible, for your memory seems as -tangled as your tongue." - -"Aye, and believe it you shall. There was once in Alexandria, in the -days of Ptolemy called Euergetes--that damnable king who bade them -gather all the Jews in the hippodrome that they might be trampled to -death by the feet of his elephants--there was among these sons of -Abraham one named Nahum, son of Nahum of Jerusalem. By a miracle from -the hand of the Lord the infuriated beasts were tamed and harmed not -one of our people, even as the lions in the presence of Daniel." - -"We have heard the story," said Dion, impatient at the old man's -prolixity. - -"Nahum escaped death; but, having been a leader of our people against -the tyrant, Ptolemy followed him and his children with persecution. He -seized the estates, and sought to kill all his lineage. Nahum fled. - -"Sara, daughter of Nahum, was befriended by a noble Greek of Macedon, -who took her as a child to his own house. She grew fairer than the -flower of the lotus, her mind brilliant as the diamond, her virtue -white as the pearl. By most she came to be esteemed a Greek, for her -father's friend bestowed upon her all the culture of his people. But -the God of Isaac and Rebecca, of Jacob and Rachel, was with her. There -came to Alexandria a son of the faith, as Isaac the patriarch came -to Padan Aram. My master, Shattuck, espoused this woman, Sara. She -bore him a son. But upon the child's face the father never looked. -Journeying to Alexandria Shattuck was lost, whether by the hand of the -robbers of the desert, or through the jealousy of others, I may not -say--for I am too old a man to speak the thoughts which it were well to -bury with my body. The child's life was sought, I know not by whom; but -this," Gideon bared his arm, across which was the scar of a wound that -had well-nigh severed it near the shoulder, "this arm took part of the -stroke which, but for it, would have exterminated my master's house." - -Dion had been listening not only with incredulity, but with some -disposition to make sport of Sirach's story. He now took the hand -of the old man, and gazed upon the scar as if it were an object of -religious reverence. He then pushed his fingers through his own hair in -a manner that was not his habit even when deeply thinking. - -"Old man," said he, "if I were the baby for whom you took that slash, -I would build you a tomb as big as Absalom's down there in Siloa. That -cut would have taken the top off a man's head." - -Sirach continued: "These arms carried the boy to the house of the -noble Greek, always the friend of Nahum's daughter. This man suddenly -disappeared from Alexandria, taking with him Sara and her child. I -learned that they went into Macedonia; and that he might shield the -repute of Sara he claimed her as his wife and the lad as his own son. -Meanwhile I was in charge of the wealth of Shattuck my master. - -"The property of my master in Alexandria was of great value. For many -years--God is my witness--Gideon ben Sirach has guarded it. Not a -shekel of it all has passed to others. Faithful men of our race have -stood with me against those, high in the King's favor, who would have -taken it. So long as the death of the child cannot be proved the -estate remains. His death established, all will be alienated to the -state, which in Alexandria means to those whose favor the King buys by -granting them the liberty to rob whom they will. - -"The child of Sara I have searched for far and wide. While the Greek -lived he could not be induced to confess that he was not the lad's -father. His pride and contumely for our race--no, I will not say such -words--his love for the boy forbade it. - -"When the noble Greek died a few years later, the child disappeared. -I traced him to the court of Philip, where he was in waiting, and -afterward, as he grew to be a man, to the camps of Perseus, and at last -into the service of Antiochus. Wherever the armies of Syria have gone -Gideon ben Sirach has followed, but with too slow a foot. When this -new Antiochus--the Lord rot his bones!--poured his legions into our -Holy Land, I pursued. But, as a Jew, I have been expelled from his -camps--until now--the Lord's name be praised! My eyes behold the son of -Shattuck." - -Sirach reached his hands toward Dion to embrace him. The young man -recoiled as if from defilement. - -"Sirach is demented! Ha! ha! Dion a Jew! Dion ben Shattuck! Oho! But -take no offence, friend, at my words. I have no doubt that Shattuck was -more worthy of my paternity than I am of inheriting his shekels. But -the whole thing is a dream of Sirach. His memory is as confused as his -tracks have been while searching for his Dion. That I may have been -taken for such a waif is quite possible, since I have been a homeless -fellow--just the one to gather myths, as the crooked oak on Olivet -draws flocks of wild pigeons to its dead boughs. But there is nothing -in it. I am not your Dion, my good man, for all I like your story." - -"Thou art not Dion? True, true," said Sirach, "thou art not Dion, -because thou art Gershom; for so Sara, thy mother, called thee; for she -said, 'He is a stranger amid a strange people,' as thy name Gershom -signifies." - -"Is there such a name among the Jews?" asked Dion. "I have never heard -it. But what sign, Sirach, have you? I surely was never circumcised." -He burst into laughter. - -"Sign? Sign?" cried Sirach. "By the scar on thy forehead which my -fingers felt when thou knelt, I know thee." - -Dion was for the instant startled, and felt again amid his curled -locks. At length he burst again into loud laughter. - -"I have now the clew of Sirach's credulity. As a child I was known -for my crown jewel, as my playmates called the scar on my head. As a -page they dubbed me 'Prince' because of it, and now my cock's comb of -a scar has been good Sirach's decoy. Ha! ha! I bethink me there was a -fellow in Philippi, a Jew adopted by a Greek, who wore a split scalp. -I got my decoration in this way. As a child I played with my father's -great sword. One day it fell on me, and but for the hand of some god as -helpful as the arm of Sirach to his little Gershom, I had never lived -to become the hero of such a pretty tale as our friend has told. But -now, Sirach, I will give you a challenge in turn--tell me the name of -the good Greek who so befriended your little Gershom's grandfather, -Nahum, in the hippodrome." - -Sirach sat staring at Dion, as if his words had stunned him. - -"Tell us the noble Greek's name, Sirach--the Greek who was Sara's -father's friend." - -"Yes, yes," said the old man, "Nahum's friend was Ctesiphon, -Ctesiphon----" - -"But I--I am the son of Agathocles," fairly shouted Dion. "I am not son -of any Ctesiphon." - -The old man rose. He attempted to speak, but his throat gave no -utterance. His face twitched as if pulled by strings. He sank back upon -the couch. His eyes followed Dion; otherwise he was motionless. - -"He would tell us more," said the Greek, and bent above him, held by -a strange fascination. But the lips did not move again. An intense -longing came into his eyes, as if the soul would speak without need of -voice. - -"It is a stroke of God," said Samuel. "He will tell us no more. I -surely thought he had you, Dion, for as good a Jew as the rest of us." - -"But for my father, Agathocles', memory I had not cared," replied Dion. -"If my sword be Jew, why not the hand that holds it?" - -"I will send my servants," said the physician, "and have Gideon -removed. He is taken in dumb palsy, a disorder I would study. In my -house he shall have comfort while life abides in his frame, which will -not be long; although I have known such to live for many moons." - -"He shall remain here," commanded Deborah. "He is a true Jew, servant -to my father's friend." - - - - -XLIII - -BATTLE OF BETHZUR - - -Little thought was given to Sirach or his story during the next few -weeks. The nation was summoned to a sudden life-and-death-struggle with -the Syrian Empire. Lycias, the Governor, menaced the Sacred City with -sixty thousand men. Profiting by the failure of his predecessors in -the three "Battles of the Passes"--the Wady on the north, the Heights -of Bethhoron, and the slopes of Emmaus on the west--this cautious -General passed to the south, and then swung his armies eastward to the -neighborhood of Hebron. It was a masterful stroke, since from that -region there were many roads which converged to a point not far from -the city. Upon any one of these open ways the invaders might mass, -or with their greater numbers they might advance in force by all of -them. The choice of approach being with the invaders, the defender was -forced to abide an attack very near the city walls, unless by strategic -insight he could divine his antagonist's plan almost before he began -to execute it. Judas was therefore compelled to sentinel every spot -of ground from Bethshemesh on the west to Hebron on the south. His -sharp-eyed peasant soldiers signalled by flying arrows in the day and -fire-flashes at night the slightest change in the disposition of the -Greek forces. The instant Lycias' advance turned into the open valley -of Elah, and began its wary movement northward, the Jewish leader saw -that the enemy would essay the narrow pass between the rocky slope of -Bethzur and the cliff of Halhul, some twelve miles from the city. He -therefore gathered his men secretly a little north of that gateway of -the hills and waited. Judas was mindful that these slopes and wadies -through which the Greek legions would have to approach were memorials -of the valor of David, the shepherd king of Judah, in his wars against -the Philistines. He bade his men bow for worship, and himself led the -prayer: - -"Blessed art Thou, O Saviour of Israel, who didst break the violence -of the mighty by the hand of Thy servant David, and didst deliver up -the camp of the stranger into the hands of Prince Jonathan. Shut up now -this army of the invaders in the hands of this Thy people Israel, and -let them be confounded in all their host." - -Scarcely had the muttered "Amens" ceased when the clatter of horsemen -was heard beyond the pass. - -The Greeks were not aware of the presence of the Jews, since the latest -of their scout reports placed the patriots in unsuspicious ease behind -their city walls. They, therefore, moved incautiously into the narrow -valley of Bethzur. - -Judas silently watched until their masses and armaments were at the -point where the hills gave them least freedom of movement, then his -signal poured suddenly the entire patriot army upon the advancing foe. -They struck the Greek column in front. When Lycias had succeeded in -deploying to meet the attack from that direction, his agile assailants -slipped to either side, and, scaling the hills, descended upon him as -a flood makes every depression its channel. Everywhere the Jews had -advantage of higher ground, each cubit of which was familiar to them. -They knew the outlet of every pathway, as deer know their runways to -water. Their captains had marked the rocks which companies of tens -or threes could use as breastworks. They had gauged the distance for -arrow or spear or slingstone between these natural forts and the -open spaces the foe must cross, so that their aim was unerring. The -Greeks, attempting to turn from the threatened impact in front, were -met at disadvantage by half-concealed Maccabæans, whose deadly shots -slaughtered them before they could locate the source of attack. Upon -the hastily formed roofs of linked shields, the noted phalanx of the -Greek, the Jews hurled great boulders, crashing through brass and bone. -The air was darkened with flying missiles, which dropped like a storm -of hail upon those in that open valley. - -The cry "Mi-camo-ca-ba" echoed seemingly from the very sky. In their -blind rage to open ways of reaching the enemy or of flight, the Greeks -assailed one another, as the scorpion stings itself to death. Before -nightfall the army of Lycias was shattered beneath the strokes of the -Hammer of Israel. - -Just previous to the battle Dion had asked permission to join in the -fray. Judas replied: - -"I have no orders except for my own and kindred people. The victory -will be of the Lord, and that He will give only to the children of the -faith." He put his hand familiarly upon Dion's arm, as he added: "Had -old Gideon ben Sirach's tale ended differently, as I had hoped, I would -have given you command of a thousand men." - -To this Dion responded with somewhat of resentment: "Is not your faith, -Maccabæan, mine? Do you distrust my word of honor, which I gave you at -the gate? I beg that you let me prove my sincerity in the sight of our -two nations." - -"I may give you no charge," replied Judas, "but I take it that before -another sunset one who would fight for Jewry will find his own -opportunity. And I pledge you, Dion, not to forget your service, though -I may not direct it." - -"It is enough," rejoined the Captain, as he hastened toward the battle, -divining at a glance where it would be thickest. - -No spot in all the bloody field was more hotly contested than a little -green glade about a spring. Jew and Greek fought desperately for -possession of its cooling waters. The holders of the ground at one -moment were slaughtered at the next by new assailants. More than a -score of times the spring alternated its owners. Its veins seemed to -spurt out blood, so thickened had the water become. - -At this spot toward the close of the day two men glared at each other -over their sword points. One was Dion; the other wore the badge of high -honor among Lycias' officers. He was faint from long exertion; but even -Dion, master of sword-play though he was, could not find a spot in his -antagonist's body unguarded by his quick ward. It was evident, however, -that Dion would soon get from his foe's exhaustion what he could not -wrest by his skill. - -"Yield!" he cried. - -The man slightly lowered his sword. - -"That voice is not a Jew's," came from the Greek helmet. - -"The sword is," was Dion's reply. - -"Yet played as never was a Jew's," came the response between wards and -panting breaths. "If I am to fall, thank the gods it is by a Greek's -hand, though he be a traitor to his blood!" - -"Traitor!" - -The taunt fired all the fiend in Dion's soul. With one stroke he sent -his opponent's sword ringing among the stones, and his body backward -to the ground, while a tremendous blow on his head completed his -discomfiture. - -The displaced helmet revealed white hair and beard. Dion did not strike -again. - -"I will not take the life of one of your years. So valiant an arm must -have done better service than this in which it is now engaged. Rise! -You are my prisoner." - -"I will not be prisoner to a Jew," said the prostrate man. "But I swear -by all the gods, that stroke was of no Jew's arm." - -"Taunt me not again," shouted the victor, "or, by Jove! the sword, be -it Jew or Greek, will find your heart." - -"'By Jove!' Why, man, you have not been Jew long enough to learn new -oaths. Now strike if you will. My life is yours, but first"--the man -assumed an utter indifference of tone and manner--"first I would have a -drink of the spring. It is hard to let out one's last breath through a -throat so parched." - -"That boon is well earned," said Dion, his rage tempered instantly by -the man's grim humor. - -He helped unclasp his antagonist's helmet, and gave his hand as he -tottered over the dead bodies which lay in heaps about the spring, and -through the mud made by the many feet that all day had trampled the -ground soaked with water and blood. - -"Faugh!" said the man. "I cannot drink this stuff. It is not wise to -mix wines, and mixed bloods are worse. Cut my veins, my friend, and let -me drink something at least clean and pure. A draught of life--good -Greek life--to die by--ha! ha! Help me, ghost of Socrates!" - -Dion cleared the surface of the fountain on the side where it came -trickling up from the earth and mingled its white beads with the red -foulness. Using his helmet for a vessel, he dipped a quantity. - -"I have seen a fairer goblet at a feast," said he, offering it with a -courtesy that was real for all its seeming mockery. - -"Which again proves that you are a Greek," was the stranger's response. - -"Why repeat that?" said Dion. - -"Because," said the old man, "it is true. Would you know how I detected -it?" - -The two became interested in each other's faces. - -"Go on," said Dion. - -"Why, as I said, I knew you by your sword play. And not only are you -a Greek, but I swear you are a Greek of Macedonia. Do I not know it? -Never before was my sword tricked out of my hand either in play or -fight. No man could have done that, had he the strength of Heracles, -but in one way--and that way you learned in the school of Philippi." - -"The Jews travel far. They learn what pleases them," said Dion, with -suppressed amazement. - -"But no Jew ever learned that guard and thrust in one movement." The -stranger imitated the motion with his hand. "It was my own invention." - -"You!" gasped Dion in amazement. "You! If you take that man's name -falsely, you die like a dog! Who are you?" - -The officer sprang to his feet. He put his hands upon the young man's -shoulder. - -"Gods! Can this be?" - -A swirl in the battle-tide brought others to the spring. Dion and the -stranger moved away. They were closely watched by a party of Jews, some -of whom were ordered to keep them under constant surveillance. - -"It is that Greek," said their officer. "See, he is in communion with -the enemy. Take them alive, but if they try to escape kill them both." - -The two turned from the open glade to a covert among the rocks. -Scarcely had they begun to converse when they were seized by -overpowering numbers, who could not have more stealthily performed the -exploit if they had been leaves of the overhanging trees which turned -into men as they fell. The arms of the captives were quickly pinioned -behind their backs, and under guard they were marched to the city. - - - - -XLIV - -A WIFE? - - -The following day the excitement in Jerusalem was intense and -clamorous. As band after band of the Jewish heroes returned from -the pursuit of the Greeks they were met at the city walls with such -cheers that the Kedron valley echoed as if the generations of the dead -entombed along its rocky sides had awakened to greet the valor of the -living. Companies vied with one another in relating the marvels of -prowess they had performed; but through all the boasting ran a vein of -reverent recognition of the heavenly leading of affairs, and almost as -worshipful praise of the strange man by whose hand Jehovah had wrought -this new deliverance. - -Those who had captured Dion at the spring of Bethzur gave full credit -to their own shrewdness and courage in that exploit. - -"All Greeks are treacherous," was one comment. "Judas is so true -himself that he suspects no one else; but he ought not to have allowed -the Macedonian to remain in the city after the rest of his kind had -been chased out by their own heels." - -"Think of his impudence! He even asked for a command. To command -us--us! Jonathan was for trusting him; but Simon, the Wise, advised -caution. No doubt this Greek traitor had planned an ambush for us. The -other Greek is of high rank; his face would show that without the gold -in his sword-hilt." - -"But Captain Dion fought splendidly," interjected another. "I myself -saw him make five Greeks bite the dust." - -"That is true," observed one, "and but for his advice at one time it -might have gone hard with my company. We were wedged in between the -hills, and the Greeks were about to link shields--and when they do -that they will move through the gate of hell--but Captain Dion gave me -the hint, and himself posted us so that we took them on the flank, and -buried them under their own metal. But, as I have thought of it since, -I remember that I didn't move our men exactly as Dion advised me, or we -might have come out right in front of the phalanx and been trampled to -pieces. It must have been a trick on the part of the traitor." - -"No doubt," was the response. "The Greek has been playing us false -throughout; but his toes are in the trap now." - -This popular estimate of Dion was repeated in higher places. - -Judas took no part, except as a listener, in the council of his -brethren as they debated the matter. - -Simon repeated his former warnings, which now seemed justified. Eliezar -recalled several other instances in which Dion's actions might have -had a sinister intent. John attributed to him some secret advice which -he must have sent to Lycias, and which led the Greek General to make -the assault upon Jerusalem from the south, the only direction in which -Judas had looked with any fear. That plan was shrewdly laid, and but -for the swiftness with which Judas made his counter plan, and the -rapid succession of his blows upon the enemy before they got through -the hills of Bethzur, the Greeks had surely taken the city. - -These insinuations brought to the face of Judas no sign of his being -influenced by them; but a certain word that fell from Jonathan was met -by a quick flash in the champion's eyes. - -"If Captain Dion proved treacherous, perhaps the daughter of Elkiah can -explain it. She could have made the Greek a Jew with a breath." - -Jonathan touched Simon's hand as he said this. Judas mused a moment, -his face reddening as it did only under deep emotion, generally of some -resentment. His response was laconic: - -"The Greek shall have justice." - -"Justice should not go with lagging feet," said Simon. - -"Nor leap," replied the chieftain. "Only God can give judgment with -lightning." - -"True, but men should be quick to see a storm coming, my brother," said -Simon. "Let the men be summoned at once. There may be other treasons -for aught we know. We have caught but two serpents in the nest. If -others are there we will start them to squirming. I will have the -prisoners brought." - -"Let them wait," was Judas' decision. - -"Wherefore wait, my brother? We can discover who and what these men are -very quickly." - -"Perhaps," said Judas; "but it may take time to know ourselves." - -"Going into one of his moods again," remarked Eliezar, and the brethren -went away. - -The two prisoners were generally forgotten in the popular excitement -of a few days immediately following the victory of Bethzur. Mountains -of spoil had been brought into the city and distributed--for Judas -insisted that his men should share equally the fruits of their bravery. -Bethzur was fortified against the possible return of Lycias, who raged -in his disgrace like a wounded tiger. Even if he should not repeat -his venture, the nomadic people to the south were making hostile -demonstration; indeed, all the tribesmen, south, east, and north were -in commotion. Yusef, the Arab, had stirred up all tentdom to avenge the -insult which Nadan had reported, and even the defeat of Lycias did not -altogether discourage the purpose which the coming of that General had -led them to make. - -Said Yusef one day, watching a fight of insects: - -"Let the Greeks bite the Maccabæans; we will come later and be the -sting." - -The black tents of the Bedouins were again seen on all sides, like -mildew on a fair fabric. Couriers with long lances and head cloths -streaming in the wind circled about Jerusalem at a safe distance, as -Meph sagely remarked, "Like a lot of spiders webbing in a big bug they -dare not yet attack." - -These things would have sufficiently engaged the time of the Maccabæan -leaders had not very different matters also claimed their attention. -The far-flashing fame of Judas startled the nations. Envoys from -various kingdoms came to Jerusalem to study the meaning of the new -power, which seemed to rise as mysteriously as the armed men who -sprang from the ground sown with the fabled dragon's teeth. The -Governor of PhÅ“nicia and CÅ“le-Syria proposed terms of alliance with -Judas. Demetrius, a nephew of King Antiochus, an aspirant for the -succession to the Syrian throne, now a hostage in Rome, sent secret -emissaries pledging the independence of Palestine as the price of -Judas' assistance in accomplishing his ambition. From Athens, on the -other hand, came those who would bribe this new sword for the help of -Greece against the Romans. These, again, were met on their way by the -agents of Rome, who were also coming to offer rank and power to the new -kingdom of Israel as a province of the great republic of the West. - -Judas and his counsellors had thus to consider many wider problems than -that of manÅ“uvring an army. It was clear that Jerusalem was to become -again a capital, and the scattered people a nation. - -"Judas must be our King," said Jonathan. - -To this all agreed, with a solitary exception. Judas indignantly -replied: - -"I am but as the hand of a Gideon; would you have me play the part of -Abimelech? A bramble king, indeed, would you find me. I am fit only -to be a scourge to the enemies of the Lord. Let me be but as a soul -within a sword until the Lord sheathes me, as I know He soon will. Are -we not near the time of the coming of Him who is promised as the Prince -of Peace? Search the records, Simon; the books of the prophets, and -the genealogies of families of Judah, for Messiah is to be a branch of -David--that surely is not of the house of Mattathias." - -Jonathan replied: - -"The words of the Prophets are hard to interpret, my brother, while the -events of Providence lie open, like these hills in the sunshine. Only -the blind fail to see the signs of the times. Woe to the man among us -who cannot recognize the trumpet call of the Lord, when every blast of -it has already destroyed an army of the enemy, as the rams' horns made -the walls of Jericho fall down. Least of all should Judas shut his eyes -to the light because it happens to fall in front of his own feet." - -When Judas was not present his brethren spoke together freely, assuming -the kingship to be inevitable. They concerned themselves only with -schemes for founding and strengthening the new monarchy. - -"Judas must marry," said Simon. "The nation can be built upon no one -man." - -"Surely not upon a single man like Judas," replied Jonathan, "whose -life must be in perpetual hazard of battle; for well I see that war -will be our condition for many years to come. The little land of Judea -is not wide enough for a kingdom. We must conquer all the ancient lands -of our fathers." - -"And Syria, PhÅ“nicia, CÅ“le-Syria also," rejoined Simon, "until -Solomon's empire, 'from the river to the end of the earth,' from the -Euphrates to the Great Sea, shall have been restored. Judas must found -a family to whom this work shall be committed." - -"It will be possible to make alliance by marriage with one of the great -powers," suggested Jonathan. "I would not despair of a princess of -Egypt even." - -"It were a sin to think of such a thing," replied Simon, indignantly. -"Did not the Lord rebuke Solomon for his foreign wives? The men who sit -upon the Maccabæan throne must be of blood as pure as that of Judas -himself, untainted, as we know, in a thousand years. There is but one -woman for Queen of Jerusalem, the daughter of Elkiah. The glory of the -High Priests' house has departed. What house comes next? Is it not that -of the last Nasi, Elkiah the martyr? Besides, Judas has already set his -heart upon the maiden." - -"She will never be the wife of Judas," said Jonathan. - -"Deborah not the wife of Judas? What woman in Jewry would refuse such -honor?" - -"One woman." - -"To utter such suspicion is treason," cried Simon, in a towering rage. - -"Not to speak as one sees would be treason far worse." - -"And you have seen--what?" cried both Simon and Eliezar. - -"I have seen--well, I have seen a cat play with a dog, and both forget -that they were made to tear each other." - -"This is no matter for mirth, nor for silly parables, in which Jonathan -is given to hiding his thoughts. What have you seen?" - -"Well, then, I have seen a Jewess and a Greek. Ask me no more," and -Jonathan turned away. - -For a while neither of the remaining men spoke. At length Simon said: - -"Do you believe this?" - -"I have heard it on the street," replied Eliezar. "And it is said that, -since the taking of that Dion in the very act of treachery, Deborah has -not been beyond her house. She certainly has had no part in any public -rejoicing over our great victory. Not a scrap of color has been hung -from her parapet." - -"Does Judas suspect such a thing?" - -"He has not been within the house of Elkiah since the battle. And that -is strange. He was always there." - -"It is well," added Simon, "that the Greek must die. Whatever favor -the daughter of Elkiah has shown him, the clear evidence we have of -his villainy will open her eyes. But Jonathan's thought is beyond -credulity. It is a trick of him they well call the Wily. Jonathan is -bent upon our making alliance with the heathen, and would divert us -from the course which patriotism and religion demand; aye, and that -which Judas' own inclination would favor. Did you not notice his manner -when Jonathan mentioned the name of the Greek in connection with -Deborah? I tell you, Judas will make a quick end of this proselyte -when he learns what men are saying of the traitor's friendship for the -maiden." - -"And I shall see to it that he hears it," replied Eliezar. - - - - -XLV - -THE TRIAL - - -The morning after this conversation the two prisoners were summoned. -The court was held in the open portico of the gymnasium on Ophel. -Captain Dion and his companion were brought there, their arms still -bound. Judas had been pacing the portico, absorbed with his own -thoughts. - -"The prisoners, sir," said their custodian. - -Judas sat down upon a fallen statue of Hermes, near it a rusted discus. -Slowly he raised his head, as if loath to so much as look upon one -taken in such shame as that of Captain Dion. He glanced first into the -face of the older prisoner. In spite of his unkempt condition this man -was imposing. His erect attitude belied his wrinkles as a token of age. -The blood from an undressed wound still clotted his brow, but this -could not hide the rare nobility of his features. - -Judas studied the man a long time in silence. He seemed fascinated -by the stranger's appearance. If what the Greek orators had on this -very spot declaimed were true, that a goodly physical endowment is the -outweaving of goodness of soul, Judas' decision had been an instant -discharge of the prisoner. - -He turned to Dion. Before his eyes rested upon the Captain, Judas -forced a look of severity, knitting his features into hardness. As -when a soldier puts a chain corselet over his breast, so Judas had -evidently determined to guard his sense of strict and merciless justice -against any temptation that might come from his former liking for the -culprit. The muscles of his face were set like linked steel. - -Captain Dion returned his judge's gaze with perfect self-possession. -There was neither blush nor pallor, nor flicker of fear, nor sign of -resentment. - -"Take off those ropes," commanded Judas. Then, turning to a soldier: - -"Your report, Captain Jacob!" - -Captain Jacob related the events attending the capture, as he himself, -in charge of the company that made the arrest, had witnessed them. He -stated that Dion and his accomplice were caught in apparent hiding, -engaged in conversation which betokened familiarity and mutual -understanding. Several others confirmed Captain Jacob's evidence, and -added details which deepened the color in the picture of the plotters, -and, at the same time, brought out the shrewdness and courage of their -captors. - -The clouds massed more heavily on Judas' brow as he listened. There -were moments with this strange man when, without uttering a word, his -aspect became almost as terrible as when shouting his battle-cry, -"Mi-camo-ca-ba!" At such times his friends would turn away, dreading -the outburst when the hot lava of his soul should reach his lips. - -When the testimony against the prisoner was ended, Judas remained for a -long time silent. At length he spoke. The words came slowly, as if each -were compelled to halt and answer the challenge of a sentinel placed -before the door of his lips. - -"Has Captain Dion any explanation of what is charged against him?" - -Dion's coolness matched that of his interrogator. There was neither -stoical bravado nor shame in his confession: - -"Maccabæus, every word these men have spoken is true." - -A murmur of rage at the prisoner's audacity ran through the crowd, as -they pressed close about him. - -"Is not this enough?" cried Simon, putting his hand to his sword as if -he himself would serve as executioner on the spot. - -Judas raised his hand. The angry multitude moved back, yet every man -stood ready to be the minister of Judas' vengeance the moment the -signal should be given. - -"Captain Dion," said the judge, "I did not ask you to either confirm or -deny what these true men of Israel have said. Your confirmation would -not add a feather's weight to their veracity, nor would the denial -of ten thousand Greeks shake our confidence in them. I ask not your -testimony, but your explanation." - -"We need no explanation," muttered Eliezar. - -"Let him explain when his dead lips can talk; they can't lie. But the -Greek who is to be believed does not live," said another. - -"Silence!" cried Judas, and his men slunk away under his indignant -look, as hounds when whipped back from the prey they have caught and -are waiting to tear. - -Judas again addressed the prisoner: - -"Captain Dion, by the gateway after Emmaus you gave me your hand in -voluntary alliance. No one compelled that act. I then believed yours to -be an honest hand. I will not now fling it from me unless you yourself -shall show that it is unworthy another honest man's touch. Explain your -conduct at Bethzur." - -Dion advanced a step. He bowed very low. - -"My thanks, Maccabæus! An honest man can ask no more than you have -granted me." - -He then put his arm about the shoulder of his fellow-prisoner. - -"This man, Maccabæus, is my father, General Agathocles, the commander -of the last phalanx of your foes to fly from the field of Bethzur. Do -with us what you will." - -The crowd surged in again, and stared at the noted captive. A huzza -broke forth. Was it in self-gratulation that so important a foeman had -fallen into their hands? Or was it elicited by the dramatic nature of -the scene, as father and son thus stood defenceless except for their -mutual embrace? Judas rose from his seat. - -"God forbid that even in war there should be such miscarriage as that a -son's hand should be raised against him who begat him." - -Simon interposed, "If they be father and son, it does not disprove -their treason." - -"Perhaps accounts for it," said Eliezar, with a shrug. - -"Silence, my brothers!" commanded Judas. - -Turning to the elder prisoner, he asked: - -"Are you General Agathocles? Does Dion speak truth?" - -The venerable Greek stood erect, yet trembled with rage, as he replied: - -"Maccabæus, never before has man questioned the truthfulness of either -Agathocles or his son without biting the dust. Give me my sword, and -let the gods decide betwixt us." - -"Your pardon," instantly replied Judas. "God forbid that I should wrong -one in bonds!" - -The Greek as quickly rejoined, and with equal courtesy: - -"Your pardon, Maccabæus! I forget that I am your prisoner, and that the -question is right. Let me speak further. There has been no treason to -either Jew or Greek. I was fairly taken in fight. Dion's sword, wielded -in your service, conquered mine. This wound"--pointing to the bruise -upon his forehead--"is the witness. But one sword, Maccabæus, could -have accomplished this--not your own, though so famed for its skill and -weight. Only the arm that Agathocles has trained could get the better -of Agathocles himself--if it be not bombast for an old man to say such -things. I was first my own Dion's captive before I became yours. Treat -me as any other whom your men have taken. War asks no mercy. Do with me -as you will. And for Dion, I ask only your justice, Maccabæan." - -"Both shall have justice," replied Judas. "But what is justice? God is -just, and we--we are only men." - -He sat down again upon the broken statue of Hermes, and with his -sword-point drew lines upon the ground. - -"In one of his moods again," whispered Simon. - -But the spell was quickly off. He stood up. His sword trembled in his -hand from the nervous tension with which he grasped it. - -"General Agathocles, you are my prisoner. I must maintain discipline." - -"That is just and wise, if an old man of many wars may counsel a -younger one. Maintain discipline, or abandon the art of war. Do with me -according to your custom." - -"We have no custom in this regard," replied Judas. "It is not our wont -to take prisoners. But I will imitate a custom of your own service, -hard and cruel though it often is. With the Greeks the captive is the -spoil of his captor, to kill, sell, or keep as his slave. Is it not so?" - -"It is so," replied Agathocles. - -"Then," said Judas, "Captain Dion, do with this man what you will. He -is your prisoner." - -There was a murmur of dissent from the crowd. Judas walked away. He -picked up the rusted discus, and flung it ringing along the pavement -until it turned upon its edge and rolled out of sight down the slope of -Ophel. - -"Humph!" ejaculated Jonathan, as he watched him. "He has been fighting -with himself to-day, Simon, and as usual he got the worst of it. Well, -Judas is the only man that can conquer Judas, thank the Lord!" - -"But why," said Simon, "should Judas be an enemy to himself? There -are surely enough other foes for him, without his throwing away his -own interests. He has put a scorpion into his sandal in sparing these -Greeks. If your surmise about Deborah and Dion be correct, he would -better have made way with them both." - -"If my surmise be correct," replied Jonathan, "making way with Dion -would not make way for Judas with a woman like the daughter of Elkiah." - -Judas on leaving Ophel strode through the Cheesemakers' Street, turned -into the Street of David, and went to the house of Elkiah. - -Deborah was pale as one worn with some great care or long watching. -Judas scarcely noted this. Indeed, he forgot the usual formality of -salutation as he was admitted into her presence, but burst through the -curtained doorway, his big voice ringing out the news like a trumpet -announcing victory. - -"Dion is not a traitor! He is exonerated!" - -He grasped both her hands in the eagerness with which he told the turn -of affairs. Her beaming gratification led him to more enthusiasm. - -"Agathocles is like Dion. Though in a Greek, good blood will tell. It -is like a spring in a muddy lake." - -"But tell me more of the evidence in his favor," she asked. "The -circumstances surely seemed against Dion. Everybody condemned him. Tell -me everything. How was it proved that there was no collusion between -the father and son? Who testified for them?" - -"Why, nobody testified on their side," said Judas, as if the need of -such testimony had occurred to him for the first time. "My brothers -were for condemning them both." - -"And you had secret knowledge of their innocence?" - -"None--and yet, Deborah, there were two things which persuaded me. -The one was the bearing of the men. I cannot weigh arguments, but I -know men. Goodness, honesty, honor--I feel these things in men. I have -never been betrayed where I have given my confidence. Sincerity is like -sunshine; it is its own evidence." - -"True; and the other thing which persuaded you to Dion's innocence?" -she asked. - -Judas mused for a while; then he said: - -"Dion had an advocate." - -"Who?" exclaimed she. "I thought all were against him." - -"Not all, Deborah. As I sat there to judge, you yourself seemed to -stand before me. You said, 'I have trusted this man; and will trust -him. One who has done such things for my father's house cannot be -untrue to any one or to any cause.' And, Deborah, you won your case--as -you always do with me." - -"Judas," replied she, "God is in this matter. I was with you, though -I knew it not. I was in prayer. I used the very words you have just -spoken. I said, 'O Lord, I have trusted this man. One who has done such -things for my father's house cannot be untrue.' I prayed that Heaven -would send his vindication." - -"Deborah," replied Judas, "are we two so near to each other that soul -speaks to soul without words?" - -"God is near to us both, Judas. This I know. He leads me, and He leads -you, as He leads all men by you. And what think you, my brother--for -such, and father, too, you are to me--is not God near to some -Gentiles--to Dion? He has given this man our faith, our spirit of -sacrifice, though he is separated from us in blood." - -The conversation was broken into by a loud outcry in the court, which -rang through the house and seemed to fall back again in shatters out of -the sky. - -"Dion's free! Dion's free!" - -It was Meph. The only check to the lad's joy was the fact that he was -not the first to bring the tidings, as he supposed he was--and rightly, -from the way he had exercised his crutch in getting over from Ophel. -His disappointment was only partially mitigated by the fact that he had -been outstripped as a herald by no one except the great Judas himself. - - - - -XLVI - -DISENTANGLED THREADS - - -As Dion and Agathocles went their way from the trial scene on Ophel, -they narrated to each other the events of the score of years of their -separation. - -During Dion's childhood the war between Macedonia and Rome was in -progress. General Agathocles had been commissioned by King Philip to -proceed to Italy, and there, if possible, negotiate terms of peace. -During his journey he was set upon by bandits, his credentials from the -King stolen with his baggage. Entering Roman territory he was seized -by the military authorities, who had been warned of his coming as a -Macedonian spy; and, having no documents to disprove the charge, he -was sentenced to the life of a quarry slave in one of the many isles -which the blustering Republic was constantly adding to its domains. -Here he remained for a score of years, until the overthrow of Philip's -ill-fated son, Perseus, at the battle of Pydna, made Macedonia no -longer a menace to Roman dictation over the entire country between the -Adriatic and Ægean. Since the veteran warrior was supposed to have no -longer cause in which to draw his sword, it was restored to his hand. - -But the years of his degradation and cruel maltreatment had grown in -the gallant man such hatred of Rome that he quickly sought an occasion -in which to display it. - -At his liberation Greece was helpless at the Roman's feet, but the -kindred Greek monarchy of Syria presented itself as an obstacle to -further conquest of the republic in the east. Agathocles therefore -hastened to offer his service to Antiochus. - -Had not this political motive actuated the old warrior, a more tender -incentive would have been sufficient for his joining the Syrians. -In Macedonia he learned that Dion was still living, and that he had -joined the army of Antiochus. Agathocles soon traced his son to the -forces operating against Palestine; and, after campaigning for awhile -in Persia and CÅ“le-Syria, he secured his own transference to the army -under Lycias. This Governor hailed the old soldier, whose reputation -had survived the years of his supposed death, and gave him command of a -Macedonian contingent. - -"But how came you, Dion, to join with these Jews?" - -"My father, I have never forgotten the words you spoke to me when a -child--though your face and form had faded from my memory. You taught -me always to hate a tyrant. Then Rome was the taskmaster of Macedonia. -In hatred of Rome I gave my sword to Antiochus just as you did. In my -ignorance I imagined that he might some day come to be the avenger of -our country's disgrace. But Antiochus is himself a monster, such as -even Italy cannot breed. In his army here I found myself a tool of an -atrocious despot. Father, it was because I am son of an Agathocles that -I gave myself to these poor people who are defending their land, their -homes, their altars, from this ravening beast." - -"Had you no other thought, my son?" - -"Not at first," said Dion, "but I have since learned to believe in -the religion of these people. They worship with sincerity. We are -hypocrites. What Greek would shed a tear if his carved god were -taken away? But these Jews bleed at the heart for the sacrilege -Antiochus offers in Jerusalem. I have seen old men drop dead beside -their desecrated altars--dead from the shock of their grief at the -dishonoring of their God. I have seen others die with such tranquillity -of mind amid outward torture that I could not but believe that their -souls were drawn from their bodies by the kiss of the divinity they -prayed to. Father, I have seen peasants who had never practised foil or -been in a battle, suddenly gifted with skill to overthrow the armies -of Apollonius and Seron and Gorgias and Lycias. What is the meaning of -such things as you and I saw at Bethzur, but that this Judas hurls the -very bolts of Jove or of his Jehovah of Hosts, as the people call their -God? I have seen a woman of the Jews, a mere girl in years, do deeds -such as are scarcely invented in our stories. She is possessed of more -wisdom in council than a tentful of our Generals. She believes that her -God helps her--and so do I." - -"Is she a beautiful woman?" queried Agathocles, with a knowing glance -at his companion. - -"Aye, the fairest of women, father. Pygmalion would have thrown away -his chisel if he had seen the daughter of Elkiah." - -"I do not doubt it, since my Dion has evidently thrown away his Greek -sword for her sake." - -"Not for her sake, father; but for the sake of a cause which produces -such a woman and such men, such faith and such heroism." - -"And such beauty. Eh, my boy? Have I not been young? Dion, you are -in love with this woman, up to your eyebrows, and therefore can see -nothing except through her shape. The mists on the shore make pebbles -look like castles, so the witchery of this beauty magnifies everything -Jewish. Hush, boy! I know it. I have been as young as you." - -Both lapsed into silence, except for an occasional ejaculation from -Agathocles: "A Jewess! Well, why not? One must love something." - -Was the old soldier merely tantalizing the young man, or was he -voyaging over the seas of memory? At length he put his hand upon Dion's -shoulder. - -"This Jewess, my boy; is she very fair? Is she like the picture of your -mother?" - -"No, father; she is very different. Yet in soul they must be like; -for surely the gods--surely the Lord could not make two so faultless -without repeating the model." - -"And she a Jewess! Well! well!" - - - - -XLVII - -A QUEEN OF ISRAEL? - - -The victory at Bethzur betokened a lengthened peace, for campaigns in -other parts of his wide empire were absorbing the mind and resources of -Antiochus. Judas took the opportunity to renovate Jerusalem as befitted -the capital of the new nation. The immense spoils of recent victories -went far toward providing means for refurnishing the Temple and palace; -while the repute of Judas brought him such offered alliances as assured -the safety and growing importance of his rule. - -Some would have installed the hero in the office of High Priest, and -thus combined all civil and religious authority in the one person. To -this he would give no ear. The multitude hailed him with the title -of King. This also he repudiated, saying, "I am not of the house of -David, and none but the predicted One shall come to His throne." But -no disclaimer on his part could prevent the enthusiastic huzzas when -he passed along the streets or visited the camps on the hillsides. -At times the word "Messiah" was heard. It never failed to bring such -rebuke that the same lips dared not repeat the acclaim. The people -after a time acquired the habit of greeting him with silent obeisance, -for they knew that his great heart was hurt rather than elated by their -praise. - -Yet ambition was not foreign to the soul of Judas Maccabæus. If God had -given him power, was he not to use it? If Israel was again resplendent, -should not the chieftain of Israel wear the dignity? One thing he saw -with special clearness--it was that authority must be centralized and -compactly knit if it were to endure the fraying of factions; and, -further, that it must be perpetuated in orderly descent if it were to -outlive the generation which created it. - -This latter consideration, that of an hereditary leadership, was -incessantly urged by his brethren. At length Judas gave signs of -yielding to their importunities. - -"I see it," said he. "The rule of new Israel must descend from father -to son. Then let Simon be King, or Jonathan." - -"We dare not," replied Simon. "While Judas lives it were blasphemy to -speak another name. The sword of the Lord is the sword of Judas. That -Israel and its enemies know full well. King Judas!" cried he, waving -his sword. - -Every sword in the little circle was uplifted, while a reverent "Amen!" -went round. - -"I want no such thing as a crown," said Judas. - -"Nor," rejoined Jonathan, "did you want to lead us in the field. For -how many moons did you refuse to command, until it was clear that the -people would follow none other? Judas is brave; but not Judas himself -dare fight against the will of heaven." - -"Well! A King! What then?" replied he after a pause. - -"To marry. To found the Maccabæan dynasty," said Simon, glancing for -approval around the circle. - -Judas seemed staggered by the burden which was being bound upon him. - -"Let him alone awhile," suggested Simon. "He sees the necessity, and -will conquer himself in this as in other matters." - -The day following Judas went to the house of Elkiah. - -Long time he and Deborah conversed about the new hopes of Israel. Judas -told of the embassage he was sending to Rome, of the service General -Agathocles might render in Egypt, where the veteran was favorably known -and where the age-long jealousy of the Ptolemies against the Seleucidæ -was always ready to burst into hostilities. They spoke together -with pious enthusiasm of the restored glory of the Temple, and the -restitution of the ancient dignity of the priesthood. - -The clouds were for the time lifted from the brow of the champion. -Deborah noted the change. She had never thought of her friend as of -prepossessing appearance; but now his strong and rugged features grew -softer. There was a boyishness in his tone and manner which better -suited his years than they did his experiences of exploit and care. She -began to regard him as handsome. Deborah, in her modesty, as little -suspected the cause of this transformation in her guest as the sun is -conscious of his agency in brightening the objects he shines upon. - -"The Lord has blessed me in two respects especially," said Judas, -giving free rein to speech and feeling. "The spirit of our father, -Mattathias, has been given to my brethren, any one of the four being -fitted to take up the leadership if I should lay it down. With Simon -to counsel, and Jonathan to plan, and Eliezar and John to strike, I -am like one with four right arms. And, Deborah, God has given me your -companionship. Without that I should have lost heart." - -"Your words give me great joy," replied she, "for during these terrible -years I have had one prayer deeper than all others--it has been for -you; and that I might, however humbly, cheer and sustain you as became -a daughter of Israel." - -"And you will continue your sweet and helpful ministry, will you not?" -he asked eagerly. "In this day of our prosperity I shall need you even -more than in the past. I am accustomed to war; I have become, perhaps, -too self-reliant there. But I know not how to organize peace. My hands -are too hard for anything but swinging the sword. Alas! as Solomon said -on coming to his throne, 'I am as a little child, and know not how to -go out or come in.' Deborah, promise me that you will still----" - -She interrupted him with eager, almost passionate, remonstrance: -"Promise you? Judas, do I need to promise you anything? Do you not know -that your own heart is not truer to our cause than mine is to you? If -Judas should doubt me, it would kill me. Tell me some desperate venture -by which I can prove my loyalty. Test me, I beg you." - -"Some desperate venture? I know of one that will test us both. It is -so desperate that I hesitate to speak it to the bravest woman of all -Jewry." - -What sublime audacity there was in her tone as she replied: "If the -champion of Israel is afraid, let him not speak it. But know that the -daughter of Elkiah dares to hear and to do whatever Judas may think." - -"Such words would make any coward brave," replied he. "Deborah, the -Jews would make me King." - -"A King! Why not? You are already the King, by right of sword, by right -of your people's love, and, if Heaven's will ever had reflection from -earth, by the will of our God." - -"You believe in me overmuch, Deborah." - -"No! no!" she responded eagerly, "but Judas has this one great -weakness, that he will not believe in himself. Can you not see that -Israel must have a King, and that there is but one head on which the -people will allow a crown to rest?" - -"But, Deborah, I could not endure such an honor and such -responsibility--alone. Will you share the venture with me? Will the -Daughter of Jerusalem be its Queen?" - -Deborah started as if he had struck her. The flush on her face became -deathly pallor. She trembled as the most timid girl might have done -before her captor in war. - -"Forgive me, Deborah. I was too rude in testing your loyalty." - -The blood came back to her cheeks. "Loyalty! Say not that word. Let -Maccabæus as King command me, and I will die at his feet. But----" - -She sat upon the couch and burst into tears. - -"Forgive me! Forgive me!" he cried. "What have I said? I was blind and -stupid. Loyalty? Loyalty I know is not love." - -After a moment's silence she said: "Judas, we are both speaking we -know not what. I, too, am but a child, and know not the way of my own -thoughts. Do not take offence, my dear friend; but I would be alone. -Pray for me. And I will pray for you, as I have always prayed--one -prayer for us both. God will give us light." - -"Your will shall be mine," he responded, but his manner betokened a -struggle for submission such as no one had ever before seen in this -strongest of men. He stood with bowed head. "We are but two children -lost in the woods. God forbid that we must now find our way by -different paths." - -He went away. - -Deborah remained for a long time in the spot where Judas left her. - -"A Queen! A Queen of Israel! The Queen of the most kingly of men, -though he were uncrowned!" What problems of political import were thus -thrust upon her! What tides of ambition swept over her! The highest, -deepest, purest ambition. She grew dizzy with the confusion of her -thoughts. Their very weight seemed to paralyze her brain. She ceased to -think, and sat down like one distraught. - -At length her mind, rested by its brief vacuity, began again its -working. - -"A Queen!" - -She dismissed this consideration; for, momentous as was the destiny -it involved, there was something else that appealed more urgently -for decision. She was a woman. To her a throne seemed but a passing -circumstance. There was a deeper issue. - -"Love is the abiding thing. Can I be--the wife of Judas? Could this -man, noble as he is, possess my life, my soul? Is admiration, or even -reverence and self-sacrificing devotion--is this love? Or does the soul -have depths as well as heights; and does worshipful regard dwell on the -heights, and love in the depths, so that they may be utterly remote -from each other, indeed, antagonistic? Dion is not comparable with -Judas. Judas is on the heights; nothing higher, save God Himself. But -Dion--he has his place, too; but where?" - -She now remembered that the beginning of Gideon ben Sirach's story, -which had so nearly made a Jew of the Greek, started in her a glow -of happiness, and that she had felt a strange disappointment at its -conclusion, which still left him a Greek. What did this experience -mean? Did she really love this alien? As one of foreign blood he -could never come into her life. The laws of her people, especially -as interpreted by the Jewish purists, would forbid such a thing as -marriage with him. She had been taught this doctrine by her father. It -was one of the underlying occasions of the war. The Maccabæans regarded -pure blood as next to the purity of worship. - -So she said, "Dion cannot come into my life." - -Then, having settled the matter so far, she thought of Judas: - -"What other woman of Israel would presume to decline such a proposal? -And who am I to set an example of conceit? - -"The Queen of Israel!" - -Deborah felt the flush of womanly pride mantle her face. It was a -moment when almost any other woman would have turned first to her -mirror, and then dropped upon her knees to thank God. - -But even as she framed the image of the popular hero within the thought -of her personal possession of him, the figure of the Greek intruded -itself into the picture. His image was in the background, it is true; -but there it was, nevertheless. She could not help following him with -the eyes of her fancy. Was not Dion's soul as fine-fibred as that of -Judas? - -Judas had sublime faith; but this he had inherited from his fathers. -It was wrought through and through his nature by training in the Law -since childhood. But Dion now had the same faith. And this he had -himself acquired, without gift of birth, education, or circumstance. -Is it not even nobler to force one's mind through a thousand errors to -the truth than to have the truth born in one, to discover one's pearl -after delving the seas for it, than to find it in one's ancestral -treasure-box? - -Judas had risked his life for the cause of Israel. But had not Dion -done as much in abandoning what seemed to him all the good of life in -order to cast in his lot with the people of God? - -Perhaps Deborah did not deliberately and of intent carry on this -comparison. The thought of the Greek came into her mind of itself. -She drove it out as she would have frightened a sparrow away from the -lattice. - -She then indulged the reminiscence of the various ways in which, since -she had dedicated her life to her country, she had been useful to -Judas. She did not doubt, even in her humility, that he spoke honestly -when he said that he needed her. But the sparrow came back to the -lattice. Had not God also led her to help this Greek to his better -faith? And did not he need her? - -She drove the sparrow away. She said that it should never come again. -But, even as she said so, the sparrow twittered at the lattice. - -She became puzzled with her question, "Why can I only by positive -effort exclude this man from my mind? Why are his face, and form, and -accents, and traits, and offered love always with me? Why does he press -upon me as the daylight against the window, to be excluded only by -drawing close the curtain?" - -She had often observed a spring in the meadow, which the herdsmen tried -to fill up and destroy; yet it broke out again, because its veins were -deep and full beneath the earth. Was there such a spring of love for -the Greek in her heart? - -Then her problem became one of casuistry. Would it be right for her to -give herself to Judas when she could not exclude another man from her -thoughts, though he could not come into her life? Would not that be -essential meretriciousness? - -She had schooled herself to the habit of quick decision. So now she -would pronounce judgment. Judges on the bench sometimes grow pale when -they realize the immense consequences of their renderings; so Deborah, -rapidly as her mind worked, passed an hour in a tragedy. She rose from -the controversy strangely unnerved, until she steadied herself with -her indomitable will. She stood out in the light that came through the -latticed window, streaming in the last ray of the sunset. She hesitated -to say the fateful words, which she knew must not be recalled, for she -could not endure a repetition of the debate. Her face was uplifted to -the sun-gleam; her hands tightly clenched behind her back--just her -attitude, she remembered, when she made up her mind to become a spy -three years ago, there in the ravine by the Fort of the Rocks. Her lips -moved. Her words came heavy and cold, as if she had been changed from -a living woman into a speaking statue: - -"The Greek cannot come into my life. -Nor--can--my--life--enter--into--that--of--Judas. God help me!" - -She threw herself upon the divan, and the sun went down. - - - - -XLVIII - -A BROKEN SENTENCE FINISHED - - -General Agathocles recognized the magnanimity of Judas in granting him -the alternative of remaining in Jerusalem under the honorable guard of -Dion, or of joining his own people. He chose the latter course. Yet -from day to day he postponed his departure. It was whispered that his -fatherly affection and authority would ultimately win back his son from -his Jewish allegiance; but a few, among them Jonathan, shook their -heads at this. - -At length the General must take up his journey. - -"My son, it may be--but the gods forbid it--that we shall not meet -again. I would always keep you in my mind as in a mirror. It will not -be enough that I learn of your welfare, and your doings; I would make -your very thoughts my own, and so live within your life, be it glad or -sorrowful. You have revealed to me that much of your thought will be -given to this woman you have learned to love. May she prove all that -your partiality has dreamed her to be! But beware! We do not love our -ideal, so much as we idealize what we love. I would see this woman, so -that I may know more of yourself, since it is evident that her image -moulds itself in you as a seal in wax. If I can see her, I will more -plainly see you." - -Together they sought the house of Elkiah. The outer door being ajar -they entered the court without announcement, and without being observed -by the actors in a scene at the moment transpiring. Dion would have -advanced, but Agathocles laid his hand upon his arm and detained him. - -The fountain statue of Aphrodite had been removed. The water shot up as -of old in a thin shaft, and fell in spray upon the surface of the broad -lower basin, glistening like the dust of gold in the morning sunshine. -Beside the fountain in a great chair sat Gideon ben Sirach. Deborah -was with him. The old man's eyes seemed enchanted by the play of the -sparkling water. He extended his hands and clutched as if to hold the -warmth of the sun that fell upon them. His features were drawn out of -shape by the palsy. Dion thought of a house from which the occupant -is about to remove, its furniture displaced, much of it already gone; -for Sirach's face was empty of the old expression of his soul. It was -evident that much of the meaning of his life, the furniture of his -mind, had been removed even from his memory. Deborah sat upon a little -bench, where Sirach's feet also rested. She took his withered hands, -and rubbed them as if to impart to them some of her own vitality. - -"You can hear to-day, Gideon?" - -His eyes turned toward her, but his features were as immobile as a -death-mask. - -"You have no pain, Gideon? And God's own peace is with you? Yes, I -can read it in your eyes. Judas is now lord of Jerusalem; do you -understand? He bids me say that your master's property shall be -sacredly kept until its rightful owner comes home. He and I will seek -him. You hear, and understand? Gideon, you are an old man, and near to -the life of the blessed. Let me put your hands upon my head, that the -daughter of Elkiah may have the blessing of her father's friend. Here, -by this very fountain, my father and your master have often sat in the -years that are gone." - -She bowed her head, and lifted Sirach's thin white fingers to her -black hair. So white were they that they seemed like points of light, -radiating the blessing they would impart. - -Agathocles whispered to Dion: "Come away! This is no place for a -stranger." - -They walked far down the street before either of them spoke. At length -Dion awoke his father from his reverie. - -"You have seen her, father." - -"There was never but one fairer woman," replied Agathocles. "Dion, with -such a woman to love you, I could leave you willingly in Jerusalem or -in the desert. Does she give you her favor? If so, here abide. If she -will not love you, Dion, flee; flee with me--to the wars, over the -seas, anywhere; and pray that the gods give you every day a drink from -Lethe's waters of forgetfulness. That woman, my boy, will fill a man's -heart or break it. Does she love you?" - -"I would that I knew, father." - -"Then find out, and at once. If so, stay here. Become a Jew, an Arab, -or what she bids you. Her answer will make Jerusalem either Elysium or -Tartarus for you." - -"But," replied Dion, "I would that you knew her. I may not tell her -that my father left the city without caring to speak a word with her. -Though she love me not, I have been too intimate in the house of -Elkiah for so unkindly a departure." - -"It shall be as you say," replied the General. "What women these Jews -have! Dion--but no--I will not say it; for what slips down from the -lips never climbs back again. Let us go again to the house of Elkiah. -An old Greek never loses his gallantry. If your heart fails you, Dion, -I will pay my own homage at her feet. Does that prick you? Come." - -When they re-entered the court, Deborah had risen. She stood by the -chair, holding Sirach's hands and gazing closely into his eyes. Hearing -footsteps, and supposing them to be those of the servants, she did not -turn to look, but cried: - -"Quick! Help! Sirach is stricken. See! His eyes do not follow one. I -fear he is dead. Sirach! Gideon! Alas, he does not hear." - -The two men drew near. Deborah, absorbed with the face that was growing -rigid, and with the hands that were becoming as lead in her grasp, did -not recognize the visitors. Agathocles startled her. Forgetting that he -was a stranger, and caught by sudden emotion, he exclaimed: - -"By all the gods! It is Sirach, servant of Shattuck! How came this man -here? Dion, tell me, knew you this man?" - -Then, the first surprise past, the General made his obeisance to -Deborah, as Dion announced his name: - -"My father, General Agathocles, begs to salute the daughter of Elkiah -before he leaves the city." - -Deborah rose. The gracefulness of her courtesy as she recognized her -visitors matched her beauty. The Greek afterward said it was as -fitting as the light is to the flame which emits it. - -"You are welcome to our home, sir, both for your own sake and the sake -of Dion. But do you know this good man whom God has just taken from us?" - -"I knew him," replied the Greek, bowing beside the stiffening form. "I -knew Gideon ben Sirach. And aye for a good man too." - -He raised the deformed arm of the dead man, and pressed it to his lips. -He drew up Sirach's loose sleeve, and looked long upon a terrible scar -that lay among the shrivelled muscles. Then, speaking to himself, -seemingly unaware that he was uttering his thoughts aloud: - -"To this poor hand, good Gideon, do I not owe more than to any other, -living or dead? These arms brought me my greatest treasure--the only -treasure I would live for, or die for." - -Then, raising his face as if to discern the spirit of Sirach hovering -above his body, as it was believed by many in that age that newly -departed spirits were loath to venture suddenly out upon the great -unknown journey, and remained for a while near to their former house of -clay--he said: - -"Gideon, let me speak the gratitude that I have longed these years to -tell into your living ears. Sirach! Alas, I have found him too late. My -thanks, good lady, to all in this house that such a man came to no want -in his last days." - -Agathocles noted the surprise upon his son's face, and, looking -anxiously from one to another, asked: - -"Did Sirach ever tell his story in this house?" - -"We know his story," replied Deborah. "Never was man more faithful to -man than this man has been." - -Agathocles took from her words more than she had meant. - -"O Gideon! Gideon! why were not your lips stricken dumb before they had -uttered it?" - -He shook the dead body in anger. "Gideon, you gave me my boy. Why did -you steal him away from me?" - -He turned back and paced the court in his excitement. Suddenly he -stopped before Dion. - -"Now I know why you would be a Jew. It was because you knew that you -are one. But I swear by all the gods! I swear by the memory of my sweet -Agnes! Dion, you are mine. Sirach lied to you. Believe him not. Dion, -you are my boy." - -He held the young man fast as he would some captive seeking to escape. - -"And ever shall be yours, my father," replied Dion. - -"Father? Say it again, Dion. That is a sweet word from your lips--sweet -as were the kisses of your mother. Swear to me, Dion, that not even -Gideon's story shall separate us." - -"I swear it by Sirach's corpse that you are my father, and ever shall -be." - -"Well, then"--taking Dion's cheeks between his hands--"then believe -Sirach. He has spoken the truth." - -"But this is strange," replied the young man. "Gideon mentioned not -your name, father. He told us a story of Ctesiphon, the friend of one -Nahum." - -"He spake not my name at all? He told you not that Agathocles was not -your father? Then, Gideon, you were faithful to me. But why, now, did -not those still lips open and check mine before they had uttered the -fatal words? But let it be so, since Dion is still my own." - -"But who, then, was Ctesiphon, father?" - -Agathocles stood a moment in thought. He then took Dion's arm and led -him away. - -"Come, my boy; this is no place for us. Pardon me, my lady; let us not -intrude these matters of our privacy. We will come again, and take part -in honoring Sirach in his burial." - -But what change had come over the fair woman? As the Greek had seen her -sitting by the side of the dead man, he noted how pale she was within -the hood of her raven hair; how Niobe-like was her attitude. Now she -was transformed, radiant; the blood tingeing her cheeks like sunshine -on snow. Her lips seemed to be about to utter some passionate cry. Her -hand clasped that of Dion. - - * * * * * - -There was another who saw this tableau and knew its meaning. Judas -Maccabæus had entered the court at the moment, and, as his custom was, -without heralding. He paused by the entrance. He took in at a glance -all the scene,--and saw also some things which were not outwardly -acted. Noting that he had been unobserved, he went silently out, -and with bowed head tramped along the Street of David, through the -Cheesemakers' Street, and out to the Hill of Ophel, where he sat long -upon a ruined coping of the Gymnasium, and gazed down the Valley of -Kedron, and over the slopes of the mountains of the Wilderness. But, as -Meph, who had followed him, said to a comrade, "Judas looked, but he -saw nothing." - - * * * * * - -Deborah had led her visitors into a room adjacent to the court. Here -Agathocles narrated that part of Sirach's story which the old servant's -sudden infirmity, many days before, had cut short. - -"Ctesiphon! Well did Sirach give him praise. It was Ctesiphon who dared -to plead for the Jews before the raging Ptolemy. It was he who, when -the elephants were about to trample the Jews in the arena, went in -among them, and dragged Nahum away. - -"Nahum's daughter, Sara, was at the time concealed at my house. I had -loved my neighbor's child alway, though we were of different races. -After King Ptolemy's rage had abated--thanks chiefly to Ctesiphon's -influence with the King--the Jews often came to my house when they -visited their kinsman Nahum. Thus I often saw your father, Shattuck. -He was a princely fellow; of wondrous gentility; and withal as much -shrewdness as any of his race. My money I left with him, sure of -its proper usury. He soon won the affection of Sara, and they were -betrothed and wedded according to their nation's custom. The coming -of Sara's child, and the death of Shattuck, her husband, were near -together. The attempt upon little Gershom's life led me to take Sara -and her babe to my home. To better protect her from unknown enemies I -brought her to Macedonia. There she became my wife. She took the name -of Agnes for better concealment of her identity. Her child Gershom she -consented to call Dion. But this is no place to open the memories of a -broken heart." - -He rose to go away. Deborah besought him to remain. - -"No, no!" he replied, and he passed into the street, leaving Dion to -piece together the story as he might; or, if he cared, to begin his own -life-story anew. - -An hour later a horn sounded from the parapet of the house of Elkiah; -for such was the custom of the Jews, that the passers-by might know -that death was within the walls. They washed the body of Sirach, -trimmed the hair and nails, and wrapped him in new white linen. They -laid the form upon a bier. A rabbi came, and spoke words of eulogy over -a faithful servant. Women entered the court, with dishevelled hair, -and, to the accompaniment of flutes, chanted a weird mourning dirge, -and cast dust of ashes toward the body. - -About sunset a little procession emerged from the house. Ephraim would -have taken the position of chief mourner, as befitted his condition at -a fellow-servant's burial; but Agathocles displaced him, and walked -nearest to the bier. Dion went by his side. - -Thus they buried Gideon ben Sirach on the slope of the vale of -Jehoshaphat, in the family tomb of the house of Shattuck--for so Dion, -now Gershom ben Shattuck, ordered it to be. - - - - -XLIX - -THE HIDDEN HAND - - -From the burial of Gideon ben Sirach, Dion and Agathocles walked -leisurely back toward the city. They had much to talk about, both of -the past and future, and took a path less frequented than the common -road. - -Not far from the city gate stood a beggar. His filthy hair matted -itself about his head, and fell upon his bare and begrimed shoulders. -His chief garment might have been the remnant of a wine-skin, which was -tied with strings about the upper part of his body. His legs and feet -were bare--an advantage to such creatures, for his lower limbs at least -would get a bath of air and sunshine, and that of an occasional shower. -About his neck hung a basket which made its mute solicitation for alms. - -"These fellows are as proud as priests," said Dion. "They will ask -nothing of us, and will thank us for nothing we give." - -"He poses like the statue of a god I once saw in Cyprus," commented -Agathocles. "They had just dug it up out of the mud, and hadn't scraped -it." - -"Don't go near him," replied Dion. "His filth doubtless has wings. Yet -it is well to give him a stater. He is supposed to mumble a blessing, -and I need one." - -Dion advanced toward the man, and put his hand into his bosom to draw -his purse. The beggar sprang upon him with a cry of fury. - -"At last I have you, you damned whelp of Shattuck!" - -He drew a knife from beneath his dirty sheep-skin, and aimed a blow at -the breast of Dion. The thrust had surely done its intended work, but -for the quick evasion of the practised soldier. Before the wretch could -repeat the blow Dion had closed with him, grasped the uplifted arm with -his left hand, and with a dexterous wrench bent his assailant until his -head and heels nearly touched; then laid him on the ground. - -Agathocles started to help. He was instantly confronted by another -person who darted from behind a great olive-tree. But the General had -drawn his sword. The villain, though armed with a dagger, dared not -venture the encounter. He turned to flee; but the weapon of Agathocles -was through his body. - -Dion stood a moment over the beggar he had felled. - -"What madness is this?" he asked. - -"Kill the wretch," cried Agathocles. - -"Nay, father, my sword would not drink such foul blood." - -They tied the wrists of the living man with the stout cords of his -beggar's basket. - -"Why this assault?" asked Dion. "Were you mad with hunger?" - -"Aye, hunger for you," replied the man. - -"Who are you?" asked Dion. - -"The scar on your forehead knows me, if you do not. But for the man you -have just buried, you had never had tongue to ask who I am." - -"I ought to know this man's face," said Agathocles, studying him -closely. "For years I have seen these eyes, like those of a panther as -it slinks away from one it dares not attack. In Alexandria, in Macedon, -in Rome, I have seen these same eyes spying on me. Let me squeeze his -secret out of him." - -The General's hands were upon the man's throat. - -"I am Cleon. Do you know me now?" gasped the wretch. - -"Cleon? There was a Cleon in Alexandria, a vile procurer for the -beastly Ptolemy. Yes, those eyes are Cleon's, as sure as ever snake -owned his. But I never harmed you, Cleon. Why do you pursue me?" - -"You lie!" wheezed the man. "You were always in my way. You call me a -snake. Well! have you not both writhed when I bit you? You, Dion, have -drunk my poison; and the great Agathocles was in the mines in Sicily, -where I--I--Cleon sent him. I have had my vengeance. Now take yours." - -"I see it all," said the General. "This Cleon, panderer to the vilest -folk of Alexandria, was the agent of those who would have stolen the -estate of Shattuck, but for the influence of Ctesiphon and myself, and -the help of Gideon. It was Cleon's hand that struck you, Dion, when -a babe; the mark of which blow Gideon carried to his grave. It was -the same hand that mixed the poison for us both in Macedonia. It was -this man's tongue, black with perjury, that gave the lying information -against me to the Romans." - -"Well, now you know me," said the man with assumed indifference, "you -can only kill me." - -"Let us take him into the city," said Agathocles. "This man is so -false that I can hardly believe his damning confession against himself -without better evidence." - -"Not into the city! Not into the city!" cried the captive. "Not into -the city! For God's sake, kill me here." - -He writhed, not seemingly to break his cord, but rather to wrest his -soul from the grip of his own body, and thus escape from life ere some -deeper curse should befall him. - -"Not into the Holy City! Not near to the Temple! O God of Abraham! -Mercy! Mercy! Not into the city!" - -He raised his head, and, before his captors were aware of his purpose, -he dashed it against a stone, as if to make an exit for the spirit that -felt itself being consigned to perdition. - -"Ah, Cleon," said Dion, "there is a worse poison than you have mixed -for us; poison that no medicine will purge from the blood. You have -swallowed your own memories, and they grip hard, do they? But why -should you pray to the God of the Jews? Such a scoundrel as you cannot -be Jew." - -The man's response was a compound of the most dreadful oaths and vilest -expletives known to the tongues of Jew or Greek. - -"You tempt me to kill you," said Agathocles; "but that might end your -misery. We will let you live. If you dread the Temple, then to the -Temple you shall go." - -The commotion had drawn a crowd. Among them was Ephraim, the old -servant of Elkiah. He at once identified Cleon as a Jew who in -his youth had been driven from Jerusalem by the libertine set of -young men, as one infected with vices which were too fetid for even -their debauched tastes. One of his unconscionable pranks had been -the defiling of some of the sacred vessels of the Temple--which -doubtless accounted for his dread of dying near the holy precincts. In -Alexandria--so Ephraim had heard--he had been refused admission to the -Synagogue, and had openly apostatized, assuming the Greek name of Cleon -instead of his own, Naaman. - -The dead accomplice of the false beggar could not be identified. He was -clearly not a Jew. On his body were found several letters written in -Aramaic, the common language of Syria and adjacent countries. One of -these read as follows: - - "More money? Not an obole until your job is finished. We cannot depend - upon the fool Cleon. Go with him. Stick to his heels. He cannot - be trusted by himself. Ben Shattuck is in Jerusalem. He is called - Dion,--a captain once in the Greek guard. But he has scented out his - own Jewish blood, and will go back to it, like a dog to his vomit. - Send proof that you have executed your business with him, or, by the - tail of Satan, I will have you accused of the crimes you have already - committed." - -This letter was unsigned. - -"I should know that writing," said Dion. "It is none other than that of -Menelaos." - -"The same, no doubt," said Ephraim, studying it carefully. "I could -tell you more of that Priest than has yet been published. But bring not -this reprobate into the city. Maccabæus is cleansing the place, and -would not abide such foulness. My counsel is that you deal with him -here." - -"Leave him to us," shouted the crowd. - -In spite of Dion's remonstrance they tied the living man to the body -of his dead confederate, and carried them both down to the Valley of -Hinnom. - -What things were there done may not be written. - - - - -L - -THE VENGEANCE OF JUDAS - - -It required no especial acuteness on the part of Judas to discern the -meaning of that tableau he had witnessed in the court of Elkiah's -house, when Deborah stood hand in hand with Dion. It was clearly as -significant to him as the fabled scene in which Eros awakens Psyche -with a kiss would have been to Agathocles. He had also overheard enough -of the General's story to discover that, if Dion were his rival for the -affection of Deborah, he himself, though of the blood of Mattathias, -which had been kept pure from foreign taint through all generations, -had in this respect no advantage over his competitor. As Gershom ben -Shattuck, Dion could satisfy the strictest interpreter of the Law. The -Prophet Nehemiah himself could have found no flaw in Shattuck's line, -with all that Reformer's zealotry against mixed marriages. - -Strong man that Judas was, the keen eyes of Meph, who had watched him -as he came out of Elkiah's doorway that day, noted that the giant -staggered a little, just for an instant. Others remarked that the great -man seemed unusually absorbed with his own thoughts, and did not return -their salutation as was his custom. - -"A big raid, doubtless, to clean out the tribesmen from around Hebron; -or a campaign in the direction of Antioch itself," a captain of the -guard was overheard to say. - -"Or something as momentous," was the reply of a comrade, "for it takes -a heavy project to press Judas' head that far down upon his shoulders." - -Judas shut himself up in his private chamber. - -The building and the great court before the old palace on Sion were -thronged with people. Many of these had been especially summoned by the -Messiah Malhamah, the "Anointed for War," as the nation were content to -call their leader until such time as he was disposed to take the crown. -Here thronged priests, some greatly renowned for wisdom and piety, -but who had been long in hiding. They came wearing the rich robes of -their office which they had treasured with their lives; though some -of these were in ragged semblance of their former estate, having lost -everything while they were enrolled in the patriot army. There were -also in the crowd learned rabbis, who had been summoned to give their -counsel regarding the reorganization of the state, restoring the Temple -and reordering the grades of priests according to the ancient ritual. -The bravest of the captains were there, for Judas had announced his -intention of widening the scope of army operations, since he foresaw -that the defence of Judea depended upon the possession of far larger -areas of territory on every side. - -Hours passed, and Judas did not appear, to meet those whom he had -summoned. - -Simon and Jonathan at length ventured into his presence. The champion -sat by his table--an affair of ebony and gold, once the writing-desk -of the Syrian commandant, now but a fragment of its former elegance. -Its dilapidation was not out of keeping with the aspect of the man -who leaned upon it. The powerful frame of Judas was bent as if he had -lost some thought and was seeking to rediscover it somewhere amid the -scratches on the ebony polish. He gave his guests no greeting. One -might have imagined him a dead man but for the intent look upon his -face, and that his clenched hand now and then beat upon the table. - -The coming even of his brethren was an evident intrusion, and they -withdrew. - -"What now?" said Jonathan. "I have not seen our brother so distraught -in his moodiness since the old days in the Fort of the Rocks. There was -need of his brooding then, but not now when all things are coming our -way, as when the quails were blown by the east wind and covered the -land to feed our fathers in the desert." - -"But have you not noted?" asked Simon, "how Judas comes out of his -black clouds? He is always brighter afterward, and shows us something -that none but he could have thought of. He will accept the kingship." - -"Brother Simon," replied Jonathan, "I like not the look of Judas' face. -He is not meditating as is his wont. He is struggling with some rage. I -once before saw that same look on him. It was when he crushed the skull -of a Greek spy who had got within our lines at Mizpah. A word in your -ear, Simon." - -"It will be as safe as under an altar." - -"A man has crossed his path." - -"Who?" - -"Dion." - -"Faugh! A feather crossing the rush of a torrent! A partridge flitting -through the lair of a lion! What cares Judas for the Greek?" - -Jonathan took playfully the beard of Simon. "You are called the Wise; -and yet methinks you are dull-witted. We have insisted that Judas -should be King. That is well. But you have blocked the way of the -project by insisting that he should marry the daughter of Elkiah. This, -have I not said, he will never do." - -"And you believe, Jonathan, that that Greek stands in his way?" replied -Simon. "This I would not credit unless you should tell me that you -yourself had caught them in dalliance." - -Jonathan shrugged his shoulders. "Listen!" said he, "ears open and -teeth tight, for I have never breathed this to living man before. The -night before the battle in the Wady I followed her, for I feared that -her daring would bring her to harm. I tracked her into the very camp -of Apollonius. May the rising moon there shatter my wits forever if I -speak not the truth! I saw this Dion come to her. I would have slain -him and her. But when I drew to strike I overheard their words. I saw -that she was stealing this man out of the fight, lest in the vengeance -we were about to take on Apollonius he, too, should fall. She risked -her life to give us the victory--that we know; and I know that she -risked her life for this man at the same time. If ever woman loved a -man, she loves him. I saw that she accepted his love from the touch of -his lips." - -Simon turned fiercely upon the speaker. "Jonathan, dare you impugn the -loyalty of the daughter of Elkiah? She is not a Glaucon, though she has -his blood." - -"Her loyalty?" replied Jonathan. "I laud it. This woman is so true to -us and our people that not even her love for this man made her swerve. -And why should she not love the Greek? He is as good a fellow as any -since the day when Father Abraham was himself a heathen in the land of -the Chaldees. I have mingled much with the Greeks in Jerusalem without -giving them a chance to cut my throat. I have been more than once, as -you know, in this palace when Apollonius was its master. I have learned -much of Dion from the lips of his fellows in camp and field. He was the -pride of the Greek service; could have had high rank, but he risked -it all for the safety of Deborah. He won her gratitude by saving her -from foul dealing. I say, Jew that I am, Deborah ought to love Dion. -And, further, I will say that Deborah ought not, and will not, marry -Judas. It was not alone for the benefit of foreign alliance that I -spoke of our brother seeking a wife from the courts of other nations; -I foresaw that he could not marry within Judaism, since he would marry -none save Deborah; and she is an impossibility, unless I know nothing -of the soul of this woman. Now mark me further, my over-wise Simon. Did -you not note that when Judas was brooding over the kingship he went to -the house of Elkiah? And since his return he has been behind what you -call his thunder-cloud. I tell you that when Judas' lightning flashes, -it will not be with the light of statecraft, but against Dion. Judas, -generous, self-yielding, patriotic, is one man; Judas in love is a -different man. I would that the Greek were far away from Jerusalem." - -Judas still sat by his table. The light faded in the high window -beneath the cedar rafters of the great chamber. A star gleamed through -the aperture, then floated on to look into a million other chambers -where men and women sat with bowed heads or lay upon restless couches. -The moon looked in, and hung her white veil on this wall of the -chamber, and then on that, but evoked no response from Judas, except an -occasional smile that relieved the harshness of his features. - -By and by the sun rose. Jonathan came and saw him fast asleep with his -head resting on his clasped hands. When his brother woke him, his face -showed the marks of suffering. Years seemed to have put wrinkles about -his eyes and mouth, as time cracks timber and lime walls and almost -everything else. Why not a man's face? - -Judas ate a little of the meal which the servants brought, responding -only in briefest words to their questions. Then, as if a spring had -uncoiled somewhere within his body, he suddenly rose. - -"Brother Jonathan, bring the Captains here at the sixth hour--and the -Priests at the ninth; for we have pressing business to-day." - -Without another word he passed through the great doorway into the -palace plaza, and thence into the street. - -"What news?" asked a guard. "Maccabæus is as wrathful this morning as a -starved lion. Are the Syrians marching again upon the city?" - -"If not, then the devil has broken loose, and challenged our Goliath to -fight. The Lord have mercy on the man he runs against this time! Look -at him! The very stones shake under his feet." - -Judas turned into a by-street. He stopped before a small building. He -did not wait to have his heavy rap on the door answered from within, -but entered, and went straight to a side chamber. - -"Captain Dion!" he thundered out. - -He was confronted by both Agathocles and Dion. The presence of the -Greek General seemed to remind him of his forgotten courtesy. - -"Your pardon, sirs! But I would talk to this man alone." - -Agathocles withdrew, but not without a wondering glance at their -unceremonious visitor and a look of inquiry at Dion, who, however, was -as amazed as his companion. - -When they were alone, and the door closed, Judas said: - -"Dion, I once took your oath of allegiance at the gate." - -"True. And the oath has not been broken," replied the young man, with -some resentment in his tone excited by the apparent suspicion in Judas' -abrupt manner. - -In loud voice Judas exclaimed: "As Dion the Greek you have kept your -oath; but that is no longer binding; for you are not Dion, but Gershom -ben Shattuck. As a Jew you have sworn no allegiance." - -"Do the Jews swear allegiance to their commander?" replied he. "Are we -like the Romans? Is it not enough that our allegiance is to the Lord, -who is over us all? Did Judas ever before ask an oath of any Jew to -serve him?" - -"From no other man," said Judas; "but from the son of Shattuck I would -require it. The Jews would make me King of Jerusalem." - -"And rightly," responded the other. "And to King Maccabæus I will swear -to be loyal in everything that man should do for man." - -Judas repeated his words, "'Everything that man should do for man.' -A wise and well-turned oath. I like it. Shattuck, they would make -Elkiah's daughter the Queen of Jerusalem." - -Dion staggered as if the Maccabæan had smitten him. But he quickly -recovered his self-possession. He spoke slowly: - -"Maccabæus, I will swear loyalty to Elkiah's daughter as Queen,--when -she shall ask it of me. But until she herself speaks that word no man, -though he be Maccabæus, shall exact it from me. At her feet I will take -the vow, but not under any man's hand. You have my answer." - -Shattuck's form seemed swollen with his wrath until it matched that -of the giant who confronted him. Judas looked at his challenger as a -lion-tamer might have returned the wild glare of his beast which he -knows must succumb to his own dominant will. Yet there was in his eyes -the flicker as of a light that came from some deeper recess of his -soul than that of his present passion. A smile quickly overspread his -features. He laid his great hand on the shoulder of his competitor. - -"Dion--Ben Shattuck--though I be King, as man to man, we stand on equal -footing. Your challenge proves it. But, if you had sworn allegiance to -me in putting the crown upon the head of Elkiah's daughter without her -command, I would have felled you in your tracks. Here we stand--man -and man; and that woman is the queen of us both. You have been her -protector. I know all the story of these years. Protect her still from -Greek and from Jew. I swear with you, Shattuck, that no will but her -own shall be over her. Come with me to her." - -The two men went together into the Street of David, and entered the -house of Elkiah. As Deborah glanced from one to the other, Judas seized -her hand and placed it in Dion's, - -"The God of Israel bless you both!" he said. - -Before they could find voice to reply Judas was gone. - -As he came out into the street Meph met him with the great news. - -"Dion is a Jew! Dion is a Jew! My old Sirach was right. Deborah herself -told me. And, Judas, she was as glad as I was to find it out, almost." - - - - -LI - -A KING, INDEED - - -When Judas returned to his palace he found his brethren in waiting. -Their manner told the anxiety with which they anticipated his decision -of the momentous question of the kingship. Judas relieved them of the -necessity of putting their thoughts into words. - -"Do you still believe that I should be King?" - -"It is the will of the nation," said Simon. - -"And yours?" - -"And ours," said all, making low obeisance. - -"You swear me absolute obedience?" - -"Obedience absolute. There can be no other sort of kingship." - -One by one his brethren took his hand; then ranged in a circle about -him. There was no need of a crown to give majesty to this man: his form -towering; his face imperious; and around him the very atmosphere almost -visibly radiant with the prestige of victories such as Heaven had never -before given to man. Nor did his brethren need princely robing to make -them feel due pride in this hour of the founding of the new Dynasty. - -"I thank you, my brothers, worthy all of the blood of our father -Mattathias. Hear, then, my command. I exact no vow, but trust your love -to guard your loyalty." - -"Our brother's word is our law," said Simon. - -"His word our law," went round the little circle. - -"Gather close about me," said Judas. - -Then lowering his voice: "This is my will. Let the word King never -again be heard in our council. Nor let the daughter of Elkiah be spoken -of except as the wife of Gershom ben Shattuck." - -"Ben Shattuck!" - -The exclamation burst vehemently from all lips. - -Judas had no need to explain his words; for at the moment Meph's voice -rang across the plaza: - -"Dion is a Jew! Dion is a Jew! The son of Agathocles is the son of -Shattuck." - - * * * * * - -Judas left little time for any to dispute his decision. His tremendous -energy was imparted to every man about him. Priests were loaded with -questions regarding their ancient customs, which absorbed their study -day and night, for Judas would immediately reorganize their order -according to the Aaronic ideal. Such artisans as were still to be found -among the people, builders in stone, carvers of wood, and women skilled -in needlework, were given their part in the problem of the renovation -of the Temple. The city walls were to be strengthened, new citadels -built in the surrounding villages, cordons of forts placed around the -entire land, the army to be reorganized for more systematic defence, -and new campaigns planned to effectually awe the surrounding tribesmen. - -Every day saw the mark of the master-hand of their leader. The rubbish -heaps outside the gates were ornamented with the shattered pieces of -pagan statuary. The sacred courts on Mount Moriah were purged of every -stain of the heathen Abomination. A new altar rose on the site of the -ancient one. Its stones were untouched by chisel, only laid together -symmetrically, as befitted a memorial to Him who created all things -without the help of human hands. The stones of the ancient altar, which -had been desecrated by the foul offerings of the Greeks, were laid away -until the great Messiah should come. - -The crowning act of Greek pollution had taken place three years before, -on the twenty-fifth day of the month Chisleu, which corresponds with -the Roman month of December. Judas appointed the same date for the -Feast of Dedication, which has been annually repeated ever since -throughout the Jewish world. - -For eight days the streets of the city and all the highways leading to -its gates from valley and hill were thronged with processions bearing -palm branches, and shouting the old Hallel psalms. In many groups -were those who had not touched hands for years; men who had come -out of hiding-places where they had taken covert from the incessant -persecution. Some came laden with their goods, making willing offerings -of coins and jewels to swell the fund for the glorious work. - -At each nightfall every house gleamed like a constellation with crowded -lights in doorway and window, and on parapet and dome. The Temple plaza -blazed with great fires which sent beams of hope far over the Judean -hills, and by the glare in the sky proclaimed the triumph of Israel to -the camps of the enemy beyond the borders. - -One house outshone all other private dwellings on the third night of -the Feast of Dedication. It stood near to the western gate, close by -the Tower of David, with the city's breadth separating it from the -Temple. The fires on the roof of this house saluted as with waving -hands of flame the blazing glory of the Temple Mount. This was the old -mansion of Shattuck, for years deserted, but now reoccupied by its -new-found inheritor. - -Between this house and that of Elkiah the streets were densely crowded -on that third night. At the middle hour a cry rent the air: - -"She comes! She comes!" - -Close back against the houses the people were massed. There was no need -of official command, for the populace was moved by a common gladness -and reverence. - -There was but one instance of what would have seemed to a stranger a -breach of decorum. Down the street came Meph waving his crutch like the -baton of a marshal, and shouting: - -"Make way! Make way for the Daughter of Jerusalem! Way for the bride of -Ben Shattuck!" - -No one rebuked the lad, for the story of his part in bringing about the -regeneration of the popular Greek into a Jew was well known. "Bless the -boy!" was the only comment heard as his heels conducted both himself -and the pageant that followed. - -The procession was more artistically heralded by bands of players -on flute and tabor, succeeded by those leading the multitude in the -ancient marriage song of the people. - -Amid a hundred torches was seen the gigantic form of Judas together -with his brethren. For this hour at least all traces of solemnity -and care were banished from his face, as he led the "friends of -the bridegroom," who, according to the time-honored custom, were -conducting the bride to the house of her husband. - -As Deborah appeared surrounded by her maidens the cries, "Long live -Judas Maccabæus!" were quickly changed. - -"Joy! joy to the daughter of Elkiah! Long live Deborah, the Daughter of -Jerusalem!" rang from a thousand lips. - -The happy crowd hurried along as if impelled by their own huzzas, until -the bride disappeared within the portal of the house of Shattuck. - - * * * * * - -An hour later Judas sat alone in his chamber in the palace on Sion. -The stars as they floated by looked through the high window, but did -not disturb the soul which at that hour was moving through depths as -profound as theirs. The gray dawn alone aroused him--in which there -was a poetic propriety; for since the day-spring summons all nature to -activity, why should it not awaken the tremendous forces of this great -heart for its work in resurrecting a nation? - -Judas reached out his hand and struck the bronze gong--the same that -Apollonius had rung three years before when he was vanquished by the -spirit of Deborah in this same hall. - -"Call the Captains!" - -His chief officers came with evidence of hasty toilet--for celerity -never waited upon formality in the councils of Judas. His sentences, as -he addressed them, were laconic, as if he assumed that his hearers had -listened at his brain and already knew his thoughts. - -"Friends, I learn that the men of Edom are moving from their camps -on the south. The tribesmen of the Jordan and beyond are preparing to -strike us. Tyre and Sidon are enrolling their trained bands. Every man, -then, in readiness by the turn of the moon!" - -With a wave of his hand he dismissed them. - -The result of this order belongs to history, which tells how the -invincible men of Judas, beginning on the south, swung to east, then -from east to north, then from north to west, and then from west to -south again--the swing of the mighty Hammer of Israel--crushing a -hostile tribe at every stroke, until Judah lay quiet within all its -desolate borders. - -No sword gleamed brighter in those days than that of Gershom ben -Shattuck, and no foeman gave more desperate battle than Nadan, son of -Yusef, Sheikh of Jericho. - - -_Printed in the United States of America_ - - NOTE.--Judas fell in battle three years later. The still sceptreless - rule was then taken by Jonathan, who, with the title of High Priest, - consolidated the religious and secular orders, and laid wide and - deep the foundation of the Asmonean power--a title taken from the - family name of Mattathias, the father of the Maccabees. On the death - of Jonathan, Simon the Wise accomplished his purpose of kingship for - Israel, and crowned himself. In the seed of Simon the dynasty endured - until the last diluted drops of Maccabæan blood drained from the veins - of the Herods, and the eyes of the world were turned to one whom they - called, not Messiah Malhamah, "The Anointed for War," but Christ, "The - Prince of Peace." - - For the descriptions of the battles of Judas mentioned in this book - the writer has been compelled to supplement with his own imagination - very meagre historic materials. The place of the fight with Apollonius - (The Wady) is unidentified by chroniclers. The affair at Bethhoron - follows only the general topography of the region. The stratagem - of Judas at Emmaus is, however, well known, and was imitated by - Bonaparte. The method of "The Hammer" at Bethzur cannot have differed - greatly from that described. The result of all these battles is as - historic as it was marvellous. - - If injustice has been done to any of the real characters involved, - Antiochus Epiphanes, Mattathias and his five sons, the priest - Menelaos, or the various generals commanding the hosts overthrown - by the heroic patriots, the writer is prepared to make the personal - _amende honorable_ if he should ever meet them in the shades. - - For the other characters, Deborah and Dion, Caleb and Meph, it is - sufficient to say that they are the children of his own fancy, over - whom he exercises the ancient paternal right of absolute disposal. Of - Glaucon and Clarissa, the report that Agathocles, on his return to - Antioch, met them as the keepers of a wine shop near the bridge over - the Orontes, is as true as were all the other declarations of that - veracious Greek. - - The student of the Maccabæan period may profitably consult the Books - of the Maccabees in the Apocryphal Bible (for traditional accounts); - "The Histories of Polybius" (for contemporaneous history of other - nations); Prideaux's "Connections of Old and New Testaments" (for - relation of Jews and Gentiles); Stanley's "Jewish Church," volume - iii. (for summary of men and events); Conder's "Judas Maccabæus" (for - topography); Church's "The Hammer" (for local color, customs, etc.); - Riggs' "Jewish People." - - - - -IN OTHER LANDS - - -_PROF. EDWARD A. 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Illustrated. - - $1.50 - - "It is a story for boys, old and young, a really delightful - animal story without the faults that some of them - have--pleasing--well-written--entertaining throughout." - - _Syracuse Sunday Herald._ - - - - -BIOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL - - - _F. A. McKENZIE_ - - _Author of "Korea's Fight - for Freedom"_ - -"Pussyfoot" Johnson - - CRUSADER--REFORMER--A MAN AMONG MEN - -With Introduction by Dr. Wilfred T. Grenfell. - -Illustrated, 12mo, net $1.50. - - "'Let Johnson alone--more power to his elbow,' No doubt Roosevelt - when he said this appreciated Johnson's manliness, his fearlessness, - his loyalty to high ideals and that good nature which is a pledge - of fairness. Lovers of adventure will enjoy this book."--_Boston - Transcript._ - -[Illustration] - - - _DANIEL BLISS_ - - _First President of the Syrian - Protestant College, Syria_ - -Reminiscences of Daniel Bliss - -Missionary and Educator. Edited and Supplemented by His Eldest Son. -Illustrated, net $2.25. - - The story of his early days; his term of service, as missionary of the - American Board, in the Lebanon; his share in the formation of plans - which led to the creation of the Syrian Protestant College; his work - of collecting funds for its endowment and equipment, and his more than - sixty years of association with the famous Beirut institution, as - President and President-Emeritus. - - -_MARGARET McGILVARY_ - -The Dawn of a New Era in Syria - -Illustrated, 12mo, net $2.50. - - A deeply interesting account of what happened in Syria during the past - five years. Not a mass of hearsay evidence, but authentic data vouched - for by reliable and credible witnesses, and, in the main, within the - personal knowledge of the author. This book possesses historical, - missionary and political significance of more than ordinary value. - - - _MRS. 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Sun_ says: "Miss Laughlin has let - nothing escape her that will throw light on the development of his - character. A revelation of the man who at sixty-seven put the crowning - touch to the complete defeat of Germany's military pretensions." - - -_FREPERICK LYNCH, D.D._ - -The One Great Society - -A Book of Recollections. 12mo, cloth, net - - Records or some personal reminiscences and recollections of the - author, who, as preacher, editor and prominent member of one or two - international organizations, has met many of the world's prominent men - in the fields of divinity, philanthropy, literature and reform. - - - - -_NEW EDITIONS_ - - -_JOSEPH HOCKING_ - -The Passion for Life - -"Shall a Man Live Again?" _Third Edition. 25th Thousand._ - - $1.75 - - "One of the finest, most significant and most absorbing stories of - to-day."--_Pittsburgh Chronicle-Telegraph._ - - -_CLARICE E. 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BABSON_ - - _President Babson's - Statistical Organization_ - -Fundamentals of Prosperity - -What They Are and Where They Come From. - - $1.00 - - "Just the right tonic for a sick world, without any doubt."--_George - W. Coleman_, Advertising Expert. - - - * * * * * - -Transcriber's Notes: - -Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. - -Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as -possible, including obsolete and variant spellings, non-standard -punctuation, inconsistently hyphenated words, and other inconsistencies. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Deborah, by James M. 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Ludlow - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Deborah - A tale of the times of Judas Maccabaeus - -Author: James M. Ludlow - -Release Date: December 31, 2016 [EBook #53851] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEBORAH *** - - - - -Produced by Christopher Wright and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - - - - -<p class="half-title">DEBORAH</p> - - - -<div class="bbox"> -<p class="ph2">By James M. Ludlow</p> - <div class="blockquot"> - <p><span class="larger"><i>Along the Friendly Way.</i></span> Reminiscences - and impressions. Illustrated, $2.00.</p> - - - <p><span class="larger"><i>Avanti!</i></span> <i>Garibaldi's Battle Cry.</i> A Tale of - the Resurrection of Sicily—1860. 12mo, - cloth, net $1.25.</p> - - <p>Sicily, the picturesque in the time of Garibaldi, is - the scene of this stirring romance.</p> - - - <p><span class="larger"><i>Sir Raoul.</i></span> A Story of the Theft of an - Empire. Illustrated. 12mo, cloth, net $1.50.</p> - - <p>"Adventure succeeds adventure with breathless - rapidity."—<i>New York Sun.</i></p> - - - <p><span class="larger"><i>Deborah.</i></span> A Tale of the Times of Judas - Maccabæus. Illustrated, net $1.50.</p> - - <p>"Nothing in the class of fiction to which 'Deborah' - belongs, exceeds it in vividness and rapidity of action."—<i>The - Outlook.</i></p> - - - <p><span class="larger"><i>Judge West's Opinion.</i></span> Cloth, net $1.00.</p> - - - <p><span class="larger"><i>Jesse ben David.</i></span> A Shepherd of Bethlehem. - Illustrated, cloth, boxed, net $1.00.</p> - - - <p><span class="larger"><i>Incentives for Life.</i></span> <i>Personal and Public.</i> - Cloth, $1.25.</p> - - - <p><span class="larger"><i>The Baritone's Parish.</i></span> - Illustrated, .35.</p> - - - <p><span class="larger"><i>The Discovery of Self.</i></span> - Paper-board, net .50.</p> - </div> -</div> - - - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_004.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - - - -<div class="figcenter break-before"> -<img src="images/title_page.jpg" alt="Title Page Image" /> -</div> - -<div class="break-before"> -<h1>DEBORAH</h1> - -<p class="ph3">A TALE OF THE TIMES<br /> - -<i>of</i><br /> - -JUDAS MACCABAEUS<br /> - - -<i>by</i><br /> - -JAMES M. LUDLOW<br /> -<br /> -<i>AUTHOR OF<br /> -THE CAPTAIN OF THE JANIZARIES</i><br /> -<br /> -<i>ETC</i></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/title_page-wreath.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="ph4"> -NEW YORK CHICAGO TORONTO<br /> - -FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY</p> - - - - -<p class="mt4 mb4 center"> -Copyright, 1901, by<br /> -FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY -</p> - - -<p class="mt4 ph4"> -New York: 158 Fifth Avenue<br /> -Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave.<br /> -London: 21 Paternoster Square<br /> -Edinburgh: 75 Princes Street -</p> -</div> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>TABLE OF CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<table class="toc" summary="Contents"> -<tr> - <td class="cht">CHAPTER</td> - <td class="pag">PAGE</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">I.—<span class="smcap">The City of Pride</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_11">11</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">II.—<span class="smcap">The City of Desolation</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_22">22</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">III.—<span class="smcap">The Little Blind Seer</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_32">32</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">IV.—<span class="smcap">The Discus Throw</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">V.—<span class="smcap">A Flower in a Torrent</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_46">46</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">VI.—<span class="smcap">A Jewish Cupid</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_54">54</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">VII.—<span class="smcap">In the Toils of Apollonius</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_63">63</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">VIII.—<span class="smcap">Deborah Discovers Herself</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_71">71</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">IX.—<span class="smcap">The Nasi's Triumph</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_79">79</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">X.—<span class="smcap">Judas Maccabæus</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_91">91</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XI.—<span class="smcap">The Priest's Knife</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_106">106</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XII.—<span class="smcap">The Fort of the Rocks</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_111">111</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XIII.—<span class="smcap">The Daughter of the Voice</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_120">120</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XIV.—<span class="smcap">The Spy</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_130">130</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XV.—<span class="smcap">The Battle of the Wady</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_140">140</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XVI.—<span class="smcap">The Battlefield of a Heart</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_146">146</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XVII.—<span class="smcap">A Fair Washerwoman</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_160">160</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XVIII.—<span class="smcap">High Priest! High Devil!</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_171">171</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XIX.—<span class="smcap">The Renegade</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_179">179</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XX.—<span class="smcap">A Female Symposium</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_185">185</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXI.—<span class="smcap">Battle of Bethhoron</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_193">193</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXII.—<span class="smcap">A Prelude Without the Play</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_200">200</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXIII.—<span class="smcap">The Greed of Glaucon</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_205">205</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXIV.—<span class="smcap">Lessons in Diplomacy</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_209">209</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXV.—<span class="smcap">A Jewess Takes No Orders from the Enemy</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_215">215</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXVI.—<span class="smcap">To Unmask the Princess</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_221">221</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXVII.—<span class="smcap">The Queen of the Grove</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_227">227</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXVIII.—<span class="smcap">A Prisoner</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_234">234</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXIX.—<span class="smcap">A Raid</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_243">243</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXX.—<span class="smcap">Foiled</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_250">250</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXXI.—<span class="smcap">The Sheikhs</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_258">258</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXXII.—<span class="smcap">The Castle of Masada</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_266">266</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXXIII.—<span class="smcap">With Ben Aaron</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_276">276</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXXIV.—<span class="smcap">Quick Love: Quick Hate!</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_282">282</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXXV.—<span class="smcap">Worship Before Battle</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_289">289</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXXVI.—<span class="smcap">The Temptress</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_298">298</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXXVII.—"<span class="smcap">If I Were a Jew</span>,"</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_304">304</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXXVIII.—<span class="smcap">The Poisoner</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_309">309</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XXXIX.—<span class="smcap">Battle of Emmaus</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_313">313</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XL.—"<span class="smcap">A Little Child Shall Lead Them</span>,"</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_321">321</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XLI.—<span class="smcap">A Strange Visitor</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_327">327</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XLII.—<span class="smcap">A Close Call for Dion</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_332">332</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XLIII.—<span class="smcap">Battle of Bethzur</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_339">339</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XLIV.—<span class="smcap">A Wife?</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_346">346</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XLV.—<span class="smcap">The Trial</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_354">354</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XLVI.—<span class="smcap">Disentangled Threads</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_363">363</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XLVII.—<span class="smcap">A Queen of Israel?</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_367">367</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XLVIII.—<span class="smcap">A Broken Sentence Finished</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_377">377</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">XLIX.—<span class="smcap">The Hidden Hand</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_386">386</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">L.—<span class="smcap">The Vengeance of Judas</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_392">392</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht">LI.—<span class="smcap">A King, Indeed</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_401">401</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Author's Note</span>,</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_407">407</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="ph2">DEBORAH</p> - - -<h2>I<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE CITY OF PRIDE</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-k.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">King</span> Antiochus, self-styled Epiphanes, -the Glorious, was in a humor that ill-suited -that title. He cursed his scribe -who had just read to him a letter, -kicked away the cushions where his -royal and gouty feet had been resting, and strode -about the chamber declaring that, by all the gods! -he would make such a show in Antioch that the -whole world would be agog with amazement.</p> - -<p>The letter which exploded the temper of his majesty -was from Philippi, in Macedonia, and told how the -Romans, those insolent republicans of the West, -had made a magnificent fête to commemorate -their conquest of the country of Perseus, the last of -the kings of Greece.</p> - -<p>Epiphanes was a compound of pusillanimity and -conceit. He could forget the insult offered by a -Roman officer who drew about "The Glorious" a -circle in the sand, and threatened to thrash the -kingship out of him if he did not at once desist from -a certain attempt upon Egypt; but he could not endure -that another should outshine him in the pomp -for which Antioch was famous. This Eagle of Syria, -as he liked to be called, would rather have his talons -cut than lose any of his plumage.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span></p> - -<p>Hence that great oath of the king. So loud and -ominous was it that the pet jackanapes sprang to -the shoulder of the statue of the Syrian Venus, and -clung with his hairy arms about her marble neck. -The giant guardsmen in the adjacent court, who, -half asleep, stood leaning upon their pikes, were -startled into spasmodic motion, and shouldered their -weapons, before their contemptuous glances showed -that they understood the words that rang out to -them.</p> - -<p>"By all the gods! if Rome has the power, and -Alexandria the commerce, Antioch shall be queen in -splendor, though it takes all the gold of all the -provinces to dress her."</p> - -<p>The scribe smiled blandly and bowed his appreciation -of this new-coming glory of his master. The -jackanapes took heart, and, after annihilating some -of his own personal enemies with vigorous scratching -of his haunches, leaped from the statue to the arm of -the King's chair. So the grand pageant was ordered.</p> - -<p>All the world was invited to the Syrian capital. -For an entire month such splendors and sports were -seen at Daphne, the famous pleasure-grounds near to -Antioch, that ever after the capital was called Epidaphne, -the City by the Grove. The heights of -Silpius, on whose lower slope Antioch lay like a -jewel in the lap of a queen, blazed by day with a -thousand banners, and at night with fires whose reflection -turned the Orontes that flowed below the -city into a stream of molten gold.</p> - -<p>One day was devoted to military display. There -were fifty thousand soldiers of many nations, from -the perfectly formed Greek of the Peloponnesus to -the Persian, who made up for his lack of muscle by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> -the superior glitter of his spear, and the lithe and -swarthy Arabs from all the deserts between the -Ægean and the Euphrates. Plumes of gold nodded -above shields of bronze and silver. Hundreds of -chariots glowed like rainbows in their parti-colored -enamel, and were drawn by horses buckled and -bossed with precious gems. Droves of elephants -armored in dazzling steel carried upon their backs -howdahs like thrones.</p> - -<p>A stalwart young Greek stood looking at this -martial display. He wore the chiton, or under-garment, -cut short above the knees, and belted at the -loins, where hung a stout sword indicating that he -too was a soldier.</p> - -<p>"What think you, Dion?" asked a comrade.</p> - -<p>"Why, that the body-guard of our King Perseus, -though numbering but three thousand, could have -annihilated this whole mongrel horde as readily as -Alexander did the million when he won this land for -his degenerate successors. But I must not criticise -the service I am enrolled to enter."</p> - -<p>Following the soldiery in the procession came a -thousand young men, each wearing a crown of -seeming gold, clad in glistening white silk, and holding -aloft a huge tusk of ivory. These symboled the -trade wealth of Syria.</p> - -<p>But the army having passed by, the Greek was -soon wearied with the rest of the display; and, bidding -his companion farewell, with a few sage suggestions -about the temptations of the Grove at -night, such as one young fellow might give another, -went into the city.</p> - -<p>The second day's festivities were of a less valiant, -though not less fascinating sort. It was the Day of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> -Beauty. Hundreds of fair women, in balconies that -overhung the narrow streets of the city, or grouped -upon platforms here and there throughout the -Grove, flung into the air the dust of sandalwood -and other spiceries, or sprinkled the crowds with -drops of aromatic ointments. At the crossing of the -paths were great vessels of nard and cinnamon and -oils, scented with marjoram and lily, that even the -paupers might delight themselves with the perfume -of princes. Tanks of wine and tables spread with -viands were as free as they were costly.</p> - -<p>But the King himself was the most extravagant -provision of the show. In him the dignity of a king -was less than the vanity of the man: his coxcomb -more than his crown. It cut him to the quick that -a courtier should outdress him, a charioteer better -manage his steeds, or a fakir set the mouths of the -crowd more widely gaping. In the military procession -yesterday he had sat between the tusks of an -enormous elephant, and pricked the brute's trunk -with a golden prod. He had also ridden a famous -stallion,—tightly curbed, it is true, and flanked by -six athletic grooms.</p> - -<p>His majesty's originality was especially shown -on the Day of Beauty by his riding beside Clarissa, -the famous dancer, in the chariot where she -reclined as Queen of the Grove, an apparition of -Astarte herself. The extemporized divinity of love -wore a moon-shaped tiara of silver, the symbol of -the Queen of Heaven; Epiphanes put on an aureole -of gold to represent the glory of the Sun. A score of -women whose forms were familiar to all the frequenters -of the dancing gardens of Daphne lay at -their feet.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span></p> - -<p>Dion was an onlooker. He had caught so much of -the spirit of the day as to curl his locks and drape -a purple himation or outer cloak from his left shoulder.</p> - -<p>"That's the Macedonian," said one of Clarissa's -satellites, as from her float she spied the graceful -form in the crowd.</p> - -<p>"A perfect Apollo!" was the critical response, -which drew a jealous glance from even The Glorious, -who made the unkingly comment:</p> - -<p>"No. His nose isn't true. Has the snout of a -Jew."</p> - -<p>His Majesty deserved to hear, though he did not, -the comment the Greek was at the same moment -making to his comrade:</p> - -<p>"Humph! Epiphanes, the Glorious! Well do the -people call him Epimanes, the Fool."</p> - -<p>Captain Dion, notwithstanding the contemptuous -sentiments thus far awakened by the great show, -was an observer the day following; for the spectacular -greatness of the affair would have drawn a -Diogenes into the crowd.</p> - -<p>This was All-Gods Day. The various deities of the -nations which Epiphanes' fathers had conquered for -him, and those of lands which the ambitious monarch -claimed, though he had not yet subdued them,—these -were represented by their statues, or by living -personages who were apparelled in celestial hues; -that is, so far as the King's costumers were acquainted -with the fashions of the world beyond the -clouds.</p> - -<p>One float bore a tableau in which Mount Olympus -appeared, peopled with divinities, among whom -Jupiter sat with uplifted hand holding a sheaf of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> -golden spears for lightning bolts, which the shaking -of the float made to menace the spectators with -celestial ire. A bull-headed Moloch of brass was contributed -by the adjacent Phœnician city of Sidon; -this was followed by a stone Winged Bull from -Babylon.</p> - -<p>Lesser divinities held their court before the gaping -crowds, as if heaven were trailing its banners -beneath the greater glory of the earthly monarch. -Indeed, the vanity of Epiphanes did not hesitate to -make this monstrous pretension. He was magnificently -enthroned, his head canopied by a device in -which a golden sun and silvery planets were made -to float through fleecy azure. At his feet on a lower -platform were priests representing every religion in -his wide domain—those of the Phœnician Baal in -white robes with fluted skirts slashed diagonally -with violet scarfs, their heads covered with close-fitting -caps of knitted hair-work, as if of a piece -with their black beards; Greek priests with gloomy -brows inspecting the entrails of the sacrifice; and -naked Bacchantes, crowned with the leaves of the -vine.</p> - -<p>Among these sacred officials was Menelaos, the -High Priest of the Jews, clad in the beauty of the -ancient pontificate; his white tunic partly covered -with the blue robe; his head surmounted with the -flower-shaped turban. Menelaos was not the rightful -High Priest of his people. His brother, the -sainted Onias, had held that office, until, after long -captivity in the prison of Daphne, he was murdered -by Menelaos' order, not far from the spot the fratricide -was now passing.</p> - -<p>As on the previous days, Dion, the Macedonian,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> -had his station as a spectator on the raised platform -by the splendid gate of Daphne. By his side -was a young man. He was of decided Jewish countenance, -of slight form, head uncovered except for -the silver band which held his artificially curled hair -close down upon his forehead—the fashion of Antiochian -fops of the time; from his shoulders a yellow -himation buckled with an enormous jewel and -cornered with purple devices.</p> - -<p>"I take it, Glaucon," said Dion, "that you are in -feather with the High Priest of your people. If I -mistook it not, you gave him a knowing nod, which -he would have returned had not his pose at the feet -of the King prevented."</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied the Jew, "Menelaos and I are good -friends. And well we may be, for, next to his own, -my family is the noblest in Jerusalem. Menelaos has -great influence with the King, and has brought me -into much favor in Antioch."</p> - -<p>"Such favor you will doubtless need, if reports be -true," replied Dion. "They say that General Apollonius -has made your city of Jerusalem a butcher's -pen. That surely might have been avoided, since -Menelaos, and your house—the house of——"</p> - -<p>"The house of Elkiah, the Nasi," quickly interjected -Glaucon.</p> - -<p>The Greek continued: "Since such great families -as yours have been induced to accept the lordship of -Antioch, why not all others? I fear that Apollonius -is given to the wearing of the bones on the outside -of his hand."</p> - -<p>"Well he may be," replied Glaucon, "for my people -are obdurate,—stupidly so. Many of them are -crazed with their religious bigotry. For the precept<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> -of some dead Rabbi they would live in the tombs. -They would cut off their flesh rather than part with -a traditional hem of the garment. They are so -proud that one of them would not marry Astarte -herself. But a few of us are wiser. We are going to -introduce the Greek customs which are so beautiful -and joyous; learn your philosophy; adorn our -Temple with your art. Young Jewry hears the call -of the Greek civilization, as does all the rest of the -world. Old Jewry is soured with its traditions, as -milk is from too long standing."</p> - -<p>"I am glad that I am not a Jew," replied Dion. -"I fear that my love of fight would make me a -rebel."</p> - -<p>"Not you, Captain Dion," said the Jew, looking -with admiration into the Greek's handsome face and -his blue eyes, that were as full of frolic as of fire. -"You, Dion, could fight for a woman, if she were -beautiful; but not for a gray-walled temple, and a -lot of psalm-snoring priests."</p> - -<p>"Well," replied Dion, "I shall soon have a chance -to study your strange people; for I am ordered by -the King to join Apollonius. I sail to-morrow on -the <i>Eros</i>, from the harbor of Seleucia to Joppa."</p> - -<p>"Then I am in high luck," replied the Jew enthusiastically, -"since I will have you for a fellow-passenger. -One night more in Daphne! I assure -you that I shall play the true Greek, and fill myself -with the best that is left in Antioch, since to-morrow -I pay tribute to Neptune. You will join me at sunset, -Captain? Celanus' wines are excellent."</p> - -<p>"Impossible," replied Dion. "I must keep my legs -steady under me, and my brain-pan level, for to-morrow -I shall have to take charge of a hundred of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -the most villainous wretches that the King ever got -together. And he calls them 'Greek soldiers,' though -there isn't a man of them that can tell his race two -generations back. A lot of pirates, robbers, mine-slaves, -and old wine-skins on legs! Greek soldiers! -When Mars turns chambermaid to a stable we -Greeks will be such soldiers. But they may be good -enough for the work that Apollonius has for them -in Jerusalem. Farewell! To-morrow at noon on -deck!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Even a king must sometimes work. So Antiochus, -the Glorious, laid aside the trappings of divinity and -attended to business. A vast empire, such as he had -inherited through several generations from Alexander -the Great, needed care. So far as possible the -King farmed out the government of the provinces to -those who would return the largest revenue, and -trouble him least about the method of their gathering -it. Yet something was left for even the King to -do.</p> - -<p>First in the royal interest, after he had returned to -his palace, was the report of the chief of the city -spies—old Briareus, he fondly called him, since he -was as one that had a hundred arms, and a thousand -fingers on them, which were in all the private -affairs of the inhabitants of the capital. Having -satisfied himself with his chief's account, and feeling -confident that the royal throat was in no immediate -danger of being cut by any of the multitude he was -daily outraging, the King turned to less interesting -matters, such as the whereabouts of his many -armies, their victories and defeats.</p> - -<p>"Your tablets, Timon."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span></p> - -<p>The scribe read:</p> - -<p>"Apollonius reports all quiet at Jerusalem. Executed -two hundred yesterday."</p> - -<p>"Good!" said the King. "Bid him leave not so -much as a ghost of a Jew above Hades; and then -let him hasten the work in the country to the north. -The Jewish peasants are unsubdued. It is not safe -for a single company of our troops to go over land -to Judea. I have had to send the detachment tomorrow -by water down the coast."</p> - -<p>"There is the matter of Glaucon, son of the Nasi. -You recall your Majesty's promise to spare his -property. It was a part of the bargain with Menelaos, -the Priest."</p> - -<p>"To Hades with the Priest!" cried the King.</p> - -<p>"Would it be wise to break with Menelaos?" -timidly suggested the scribe.</p> - -<p>"You are right, Timon. The High Priest will be -convenient in Jerusalem,—like the handle to a blade. -Has Menelaos paid up all he promised?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; the nine hundred talents are safe."</p> - -<p>"Nine hundred talents! That rascal must have -robbed the Temple."</p> - -<p>"Well, if he did, it will save your Majesty the -trouble of finding the hidden coffers. They say that -the old King Solomon put his gold into wells as -deep as the earth, and that only the High Priest -knows where they are."</p> - -<p>"A good thought!" said the Glorious, thumping -the bald head of the scribe with the royal seal. -"Your skull, Timon, is as full of wisdom as a beggar's -is of fleas. When Menelaos has gobbled down -all the gold there is in Jerusalem, we will open his -crop and let out the shekels, as they do corn grains<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> -from a turkey's gullet. A good thought! But -enough of these things. They tire me. Business is -for slaves, not for kings. Did you note to-day how -the people looked as I appeared in the procession?"</p> - -<p>"Your Majesty's glory can but grow upon the -multitude. It is like that of a mountain,—of a sunset—of—of -the Great Sea when the glowing orb of -day with rays like the dishevelled hair——"</p> - -<p>"Stop, good Timon; no flattery. You know I -never could abide flattery."</p> - -<p>"No words could flatter your Majesty." The -scribe bowed upon the marble floor, and kissed the -feet of his master.</p> - -<p>"Now begone," said the King. "Let everything be -ready for to-night. Clarissa, the Queen of the Grove, -comes with a troop of her dancers."</p> - -<p>With a wave of the royal hand the scribe vanished, -and instead came the King's costumers and physician; -for the body of the Glorious must be re-apparelled, -and his stomach put in order for feasting.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>II<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE CITY OF DESOLATION</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> streets of Jerusalem in every age -have been thronged with the same -motley multitude: cool-looking, white-shirted -market venders from the stalls; -no shirted sweat-hot artisans from the -cellar workshops; dyers, designated by their badges -of bright-colored threads; tailors, in heraldry of -ornamented needles; carpenters, wearing their symbol -of square and compass—of which they were as -proud as the scribe was of the pen stuck behind his -ear; fishermen from Galilee and the coast jostling the -fruiterers with great baskets on their heads; bare-legged, -dirt-tanned laborers from the fields; half-naked -children of either sex, playing with equal carelessness -whether they knocked over the piles of fruit -and black bread that stood upon the stone pavement, -or were themselves knocked over by the sharp -hoofs of asses or the spongy feet of camels. These -exponents of common, toiling humanity made way -for the gay tunic-clad aristocrats of the Upper City -of Sion, white-robed priests from the Temple Mount, -gray-sheeted women from the Cheesemakers Street, -and ladies in black silken garments and caps of -coins, who were borne in palanquins from the more -fashionable Street of David.</p> - -<p>But in the year 167 before our Era all these had -disappeared,—as suddenly and completely as the sea-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>mullets -and blackfish are driven out of the shallows -in the bay of Joppa by an invasion of sharks.</p> - -<p>The costumes and speech of the new crowd on the -streets were foreign, chiefly those of Greek and Syrian -soldiers, with broad-brimmed hats, loose-knit, -iron-linked corsage, tight leather leggings, and short, -stout cleaver-like swords hanging from their girdles. -Here and there one stood stock still, sentinelling his -corner of the street, with the point of his sarissa or -long spear gleaming ten cubits above his head, while -his broad circular shield held abreast made an eddy -in the living current as it swept around him. These -were the soldiers of Antiochus Epiphanes.</p> - -<p>Mingled with them were many foreign civilians, as -their dress indicated; merchants whose belts were -well filled with gold to purchase what the soldiers -might steal; colonists to resettle the lands from -which the conquered people were expelled; and -hordes of hucksters and harlots who followed the -armies of the time as dust clouds come after -chariots.</p> - -<p>Nor were there wanting in the crowd those whose -curved noses contradicted the disguise of their newly -cropped hair, and proclaimed them to be renegade -Jews: men who preferred to retain their ancestral -property by denying the faith of their fathers.</p> - -<p>One afternoon the crowd in the Street of David -became suddenly congested. Through it a man, venerable -with age, was vainly trying to make his -way. His long white locks, which curled downward -in front of his ears and mingled with the -snowy beard upon his bosom, betokened his Jewish -race; while the broad fringes of white and hyacinth -upon his outer garment designated him as one of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> -Chasidim or Purists, who preferred to part with -their blood rather than with their religion. The -old patriot made no retort to the jostling and gibes -of the crowd, but his deep-set eyes flashed hatred -from beneath their shaggy brows, and told of the -tragedy in his soul even more eloquently than if his -lips had poured forth fiery speech.</p> - -<p>"You can't swim up this stream, old man," said a -soldier, giving the frail form a twirl that made it -face the other way.</p> - -<p>"It is the Nasi himself, Chief of the Rabbis," -whispered a young Jew in Greek cloak to a soldier. -"Herakles club me, if you haven't caught the biggest -rat left in the hole. But Apollonius has given protection -to the Nasi's house. Be careful."</p> - -<p>"Protection to his house! Why then did he come -out of it? Fetch him along. Strip him naked, and -warm his toad's blood in the new gymnasium."</p> - -<p>With this insult the soldier tore the outer garment -from the old man's back. The Jew was dazed for -the instant by the Greek's audacity, and mumbled -within his sunken lips the words of the Prophet: -"I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheek to -them that plucked off the hair."</p> - -<p>He then raised his eyes heavenward, apparently -unconscious of a staggering blow between his shoulders -from the flat of a sword. He stood a moment -until he had completed the sacred sentence: "For -the Lord God shall help me; therefore shall I not be -confounded; therefore have I set my face like a -flint."</p> - -<p>"'Face like a flint,' does he say? Let's see if it -will strike fire like a flint," shouted one, smiting the -old patriot on the mouth with the palm of his hand.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span></p> - -<p>This dastardly deed drew blood which stained his -white beard. But it brought a quick retaliation -from an unexpected direction; for a blow like that -of a catapult fell upon the assailant's head.</p> - -<p>"By the thunderbolt of Zeus! that made you see -fire," cried a comrade, as the coward reeled into his -arms. "Captain Dion's fist is as heavy as the hammer -of Hephæstus, the blacksmith of the gods, and -makes the sparks fly as well. I'll wager, Ajax, that -you saw the sky full of stars, or else your head is -harder than an anvil."</p> - -<p>By the side of the venerable Jew now stood a -young Greek officer. If Hephæstus had need of an -assistant blacksmith the shoulders of Dion would -have attracted his notice; yet it is doubtful if the -goddesses of Olympus would have allowed so graceful -a man to be consigned to the celestial workshop. -His face, too, was peculiarly attractive. -Topped with a brush of light hair and lighted by -his blue eyes, it was beautiful, but without a trace -of femininity; a blending of dignity, intelligence, -courage, and kindly feeling, though the latter quality -was just then outglowed by rage.</p> - -<p>On his well-curled head was a chaplet of myrtle, -for he was returning as victor in the day's sports -at the new gymnasium which, as an intended insult -to the religious prejudices of the people, the -Governor, Apollonius, had recently built against the -southern wall of the Temple plaza.</p> - -<p>"Bravo, Dion! If you had hit the Theban boxer -yesterday like that, they wouldn't have called for -another round."</p> - -<p>Dion faced the crowd, and with utmost detestation -in his voice, exclaimed: "If I had been here<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> -yesterday, this crew of cowardly knaves had not -hanged the babes to their mothers' necks, and -thrown them from the walls. Let one of you garlic -chewers dare confess any part in that beastly -business, and I will heave him over the walls into -Gehenna, where other carcasses rot. Who touched -those women?"</p> - -<p>As Dion looked from face to face his blue eyes -flashed like the sword-point of a fencer feeling for -an exposed spot in the breast of his antagonist. -The challenge was not taken, one venturing to -say:</p> - -<p>"It was done at the Governor's orders."</p> - -<p>"I pronounce that a lie. Who repeats it?" cried -Captain Dion.</p> - -<p>A fellow-officer suggested that it might have been -ordered by Apollonius, since the women had plainly -broken the new law and had circumcised their brats.</p> - -<p>"Shame on you, comrade!" said Dion. "They -were women and mothers, and I would say as -much to the King's face."</p> - -<p>The old Jew, hearing the reference to the scene -which he himself had been compelled the day before -to witness, turned boldly to the crowd of Greeks, -and, with uplifted hands, repeated this imprecation -from one of the Psalms of his people:</p> - -<p>"Let your children be fatherless and your wives -be widows! Let your children be vagabonds -and——"</p> - -<p>But Dion's hand was firmly laid upon the speaker's -mouth.</p> - -<p>"Nay, hold your breath, old man. If you give us -much of it that way, this crowd will take the rest -of it with the hangman's rope."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span></p> - -<p>Dion gently took the Jew's arm. "You must go -back to your house. Come, I will see you safely -within doors, if you will stay there."</p> - -<p>"No, I will go to the house of the Lord, and -worship, for it is the ninth hour," replied the determined -man.</p> - -<p>"That you cannot do," said Dion, kindly. "Don't -you see that the Temple gate is burned, and that -soldiers are guarding the opening? Your worship -is no longer permitted there. Your sort of priests -are all gone."</p> - -<p>"Then," said the patriot, "I will be my own -priest. Surely the Lord will accept an old man's -last worship on earth before he goes hence."</p> - -<p>"Nay, my good man, but the priests of the new -religion are at the Temple. To-morrow they celebrate -the feast of Bacchus. If you go there, they -will crown you with ivy, and make you drunk in -honor of the god. You must go home, and stay -within doors."</p> - -<p>"Then let me go—to my own house! My God! -Why was it not my sepulchre ere I saw what the -Prophet foretold?"</p> - -<p>Captain Dion led him safely along the Street of -David, the crowd giving way as it gazed upon the -two and remarked the contrast between the half-mummied -saint and the strong-limbed, festive-crowned -youth.</p> - -<p>"Old Elkiah is about the last of this damnable -race left in Jerusalem. It is a wonder that Apollonius -has given him tether so long."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps Dion knows the Jew," responded some -one. "The captain is as good a Greek as ever drew -sword or loved a woman, but his nose isn't straight<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> -on a line with his forehead. See, it has a Jewish -twist."</p> - -<p>"A fine observation," laughed another, "for one -always follows his nose, and that may account for -Dion's kindness to some of these rebels."</p> - -<p>"Don't insult Captain Dion!" said one. "He's -close in with Apollonius. Besides, he's a good fellow. -He always gives a weaker man his handicap -in the arena without having it ordered."</p> - -<p>"True, or you would not have won yesterday. -But I wish he wouldn't interfere with the sport of -the men. I know that it is cruel, but the sooner -the bigots are exterminated the sooner it will cease. -Were it not for Dion's friendship for that Glaucon—as -Elkiah's fool of a son now calls himself—we would -soon find out what the old Jew's house has for us. -They say his cellar is as good as a gold-mine."</p> - -<p>"Better kill off Glaucon, and let the old man die -himself. You saw that his life is about burned out, -and his old body only like a heap of ashes with a -spark in it," was the humane response.</p> - -<p>Dion paused by the oaken door in the wall of the -Jew's house. He took from a little pouch at his belt -a pinch of aromatic sawdust of sandalwood, and -dropped it upon a small square altar whose brazier -emitted a thin curl of white smoke, clouding the entrance. -This was an altar to Zeus which the Governor -had commanded to be placed at all the houses -which were still occupied by the Jews. Just above -the altar the lintel had been torn by the destruction -of the Mezuzah or wooden box which, according to -the Hebrew custom, contained the sacred sentences -from the Law, and through the small apertures in -which a visitor to any Jewish home could see the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> -word "Shaddai," the Almighty One, and thus make -the common salutation, "Peace be to this house," -into a prayer. Dion's worship at the little altar by -the gate was marred by a muttered curse upon -Apollonius for the needless insult perpetrated by this -act of sacrilege.</p> - -<p>The Greek had scarcely time to knock at the outer -entrance when the door flew open, and with the cry -"Father!" a young girl's arms were about the old -man.</p> - -<p>She drew him inside, and stood with her left arm -supporting, while she raised her right hand as if it -were a shield to protect him.</p> - -<p>Captain Dion was familiar with the finest statuary -in Athens and Antioch, but thought he had never -seen anything to match this,—the white head and -beard of age shielded by the raven locks of youth -and beauty. He would tell Laertes, his sculptor -friend, of this pose.</p> - -<p>The girl was apparently about seventeen years of -age, tall and lithe, with sufficient muscle to give that -exquisite grace which only accompanies strength. -Her hair, bound about the temples with a single fillet -of silver, fell in wavy profusion of jet black upon a -white linen chiton. This was gathered at the shoulders, -and left fully exposed a neck which might have -illuminated a copy of Solomon's Song. Beneath the -breasts the garment was girdled with a rope of -golden threads, and thence fell below the knees. -Her ankles were wound with long white sandal -lacings, which were in harmony with the silver band -that bound her brow. Her arms were bare. In her -haste she had not put on her outer garment, and -thus stood revealed in a more exquisite modelling of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> -nature than she would have chosen had she known -that she was to be beneath so critical an eye. Yet -she could not have been more charming had she -practised for hours before her mirror of polished -brass, and passed her proud old nurse Huldah's -inspection before she made her début at the gate.</p> - -<p>Dion noted that the girl's features were perfect, -but strictly on the Semitic model. Her face might -be a hard one, for it well fitted the tragic feeling of -the moment; or it might be sweet as any he had -loved to dream about, for it also fitted the intensity -of filial affection and solicitude she now displayed. -The Greek seemed transfixed by her eyes. These -were enlarged by her surprise, and their pupils -gleamed from their deep black irises with the fire of -excitement.</p> - -<p>"A Jewish Athena!" thought Dion, as in a brief -sentence or two he begged the girl to be more prudent -in the care of her father. Surely there was no -scorn of the Jewish race in the profound bow with -which he took his departure, nor in the hasty glance -he stole as the door was closing.</p> - -<p>He plucked a leaf from his myrtle crown and -dropped it upon the altar. As he went away he -sighed a prayer for the maiden, and grumbled another -curse upon the King's cruelty. Then he whistled -a sort of musical accompaniment to his thought, -which ran something like this:</p> - -<p>"That girl is Glaucon's sister. He never told me -that he had one." He shrugged his shoulders. -"Well, in that he was wise, since he only knows me -for a Greek adventurer, and thinks my honor like his -own, a spur on the heel, to be used or not according -to one's inclination. But, by the arm of Aphrodite!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> -what a woman! Beautiful as a lioness, and as -brave too. Strange that the Jew could be father of -both her and Glaucon—of a lioness and a jackal! -Glaucon and I must be good friends, though I despise -the fool. Why doesn't he fight for his house? -I would—especially with that woman in it."</p> - -<p>Dion stopped and stood a long time looking at the -narrow strip of sky visible between Elkiah's house -and those which lined the opposite side of the street. -There were no angels in the blue ether; but something -prompted him to take from his bosom a -piece of onyx enclosed in a casket of gold, and to -look at a sweet face cut into the stone.</p> - -<p>"I wonder if she was anything like Elkiah's -daughter!"</p> - -<p>He put the intaglio back into its pocket and -went away.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>III<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE LITTLE BLIND SEER.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> house of Elkiah was one of the most -stately in Jerusalem, though inferior to -the structure which, in more ancient -days, rose from the same foundations. -Whenever Elkiah told of his ancestral -dignities he was apt to show his listeners what -were now the cellars and sub-cellars of the house, the -great stones of which, by the flat indentations -chiselled about the borders, proved that they were as -old as the days when Solomon built the Temple, and -perhaps wrought by the same Phœnician workmen. -The second story, and the battlements which enclosed -the roof, were of newer construction, and had -evidently been made of the débris of a former and -more palatial edifice, for an occasional huge and -broidered stone showed upon the street in ancient -architectural pride—just as some moderately circumstanced -people wear an occasional jewel left them by -their richer forebears.</p> - -<p>The residence of Elkiah thus maintained a relation -to the other and ordinary houses of the city not -unlike that which its occupant held to his fellow-citizens. -He traced his blood to the days when another -Elkiah stood high in the court of Solomon, -and thence back to the settlement of the land by -the emigrants from Egypt. This could be attested -by the official records, and was illustrated by numer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>ous -priceless antiques now stored away in secret -closets cut into the solid walls, but which in safer -times had ornamented the house from battlement -to court.</p> - -<p>For many years Elkiah had been the Nasi, or -President of the Sanhedrin, that combined ecclesiastical -and secular court of seventy-two men who -legislated for and judged the people. Of late years -the Sanhedrin itself had become utterly debauched -by the gold of Egyptian Ptolemies and Syrian Antiochuses, -in their rivalry for the possession of -Palestine. Most of the members of this sacred council -had become Hellenized, and adopted Greek philosophies -and customs; and now that the Syrian -monarch had invaded the city, these renegades saved -themselves from being despoiled by becoming despoilers -of their brethren. A former High Priest, Joshua, -had changed his name to the Greek Jason, as the -Greeks scornfully said, for the sake of the "Golden -Fleece." The present incumbent of the sacred office, -Menelaos, had been circumcised as Onias, and was -now the chief of the traitors in the sacrilegious extinction -of the national religion.</p> - -<p>The crowning grief of the venerable Elkiah was -the apostasy of his own first-born son, Benjamin, -who had taken the heathen name of Glaucon, and -thus shamed the house of his fathers while he protected -it from the general pillage.</p> - -<p>The late afternoon of the day following that of -Dion's rescue of Elkiah from the mob the old man -was reclining upon the thick rug and pillows which -Deborah—for so was his fair daughter called—had -spread upon the roof. Here he loved to lie, sheltered -from view by the parapets, while his eyes fol<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span>lowed -the white clouds which flecked the deep blue -of the sky—"Jehovah's banners," he called them—or -caught the gleam of the Temple roof when he -was disposed to pray.</p> - -<p>"Where is Caleb?" he asked.</p> - -<p>A lad of some ten years was lying in the upper -chamber, the room which, like a little house by itself, -occupied half of the roof upon which it opened. -Hearing his father's call, the child sprang up, and -in an instant was by Elkiah's side.</p> - -<p>"Here am I, father!"</p> - -<p>With his long black hair clustering upon his white -chiton, and his large black eyes, the boy resembled -his sister. One would have noted, however, a -strange look; the pupils too widely expanded, as -when one tries to see in the dark. And this the -child had been doing ever since, five years ago, his -sight was destroyed by a strange malady which -not even the physician Samuel could cure, for all -that this learned man was skilled in the potencies -of herbs, the baleful and blessed beams of the stars, -and even the deeper mysteries of the words of the -Rabbis.</p> - -<p>Little Caleb was marvellously beautiful in spite of -the stare of his blind eyes and the marble pallor of -his face. It was a child's face, yet there was in it -the placid sweetness of a woman's look, and at -times it seemed to glow with the intelligence of -riper years—for the boy had thought and felt more -than most men had done.</p> - -<p>Caleb knelt down by his father's side, and kissed -his forehead. The old man's harsher features relaxed -at the touch of the young lips, and tears -sprang to his eyes as he drew the lad to his breast.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Blessed be God, who has left me this fair image -of my Miriam! Come, Caleb, and look for me. -Your blind eyes are better than mine, which my -sins have smitten. Can you see the chariots of the -Lord?"</p> - -<p>"Nay, father, but you have taught me to trust in -Him who is Himself like 'the mountains round -about Jerusalem.' What need have we for chariots? -Can He not save by His word as well as by -war?"</p> - -<p>"True, child! Yet I myself once saw, when the -impious Apollodorus raged through our street, -slaughtering all he met, and no one could stand -against him, I saw—or do I dream it?—I saw a -heavenly warrior, clad from head to foot in solid -silver, waving a sword of fire, who stood before -the wicked man, and smote him to the ground. -But when they lifted the heathen there was not the -sign of the stroke upon him, though he breathed -no more. Would that the Avenger might come -again, and speedily! But until He come—until He -come—we must trust the word, only the word. -Bring the Roll of the Prophet. It surely tells of the -times that are now passing."</p> - -<p>The boy felt for his sister's hand. Taking it, he -pressed it against his blind eyes—a way he had of -checking his own too violent feeling. He whispered, -as he felt her comforting touch:</p> - -<p>"Sister, the troubles have surely broken our father's -mind. He does not remember even yesterday."</p> - -<p>Then, raising his voice, "You have forgotten, father, -that the soldiers came and searched the house -and took the Books away."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span></p> - -<p>Elkiah passed his hands over his forehead as if -to smooth the mirror of his memory. Recollection -came, but with it a rage that shook his decrepit -form until Deborah's kiss allayed his emotion.</p> - -<p>"No matter for the Roll, father," said Caleb. "You -know that I can repeat what the Books say. Now -that I am blind, I keep in memory all that I hear. -In that way God lets me have more, perhaps, than -if I could see even to white Hermon there in the -north."</p> - -<p>"Bless the eyes which the Spirit of the Lord has -opened!" cried the old man. "Tell me, child, what -says the Prophet of this monster who calls -himself our King—Epiphanes, the Glorious—for -shame!"</p> - -<p>"The Prophet says," replied Caleb, quoting the -words of Daniel, "that his heart shall be against the -Holy Covenant, and they shall pollute the Sanctuary -of Strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, -and shall place the Abomination that maketh desolate."</p> - -<p>"Woe! Woe upon Jerusalem!" cried Elkiah. "Why -did I not slay the impious Apollonius, that child of -Satan, when he rode into our Holy of Holies? Alas! -the breath of the Lord has withered the arm of -Elkiah that it cannot smite. But the Avenger will -come. He will come yet. What says the Prophet -further, my son?"</p> - -<p>Caleb continued, "And such as do wickedly against -the covenant shall be corrupt with flatteries."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" groaned the old patriot, his voice gurgling -in his throat like the growl of a wild beast. "And -my own son, the son of Miriam, corrupted by the -flatteries of the Greek! My Benjamin turned into a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -Glaucon! God forgive me for having begotten a -traitor!"</p> - -<p>Elkiah sat upright on the rug. With averted palm -he swept the air, as if he would banish from his -heart its paternal instinct. He then covered his face -with his hands and cried: "O my Miriam! I thank -Thee, O God, that Thou didst take her ere she knew -this. But, Lord, why didst Thou take my Miriam, -and leave me that—that—traitor? But read on, -child."</p> - -<p>Waiting a moment until his father's paroxysm had -passed, Caleb completed the prediction: "But the -people that do know their God shall be strong, and -shall do exploits."</p> - -<p>"Do exploits? Be strong? That we shall," -shrieked the old man. "Your hand, Deborah! My -sword! I will go and smite the Syrian."</p> - -<p>"Nay, father, that cannot be," said Deborah, as -she laid the exhausted form back upon the pillows. -"Let the children fulfil the Prophet's word."</p> - -<p>"The children! My children!" muttered the old -man. "One of them a heathen, another blind, and -the other only a girl. Deborah, oh, that thou wert a -man, or could wear a sword like the Deborah of -old!"</p> - -<p>Deborah summoned Ephraim, an old servant of the -house, who with Huldah his wife assisted in bringing -Elkiah into the roof chamber; for the air grew -cold as the sun dropped behind the citadel by the -Joppa gate, and left only his golden glow on the -top of Olivet eastward.</p> - -<p>Little Caleb stood a while leaning over the parapet, -his face showing the tremendous movement of -his soul, now expressing some ineffable longing, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> -now hardening under some heroic purpose. He -turned toward the Temple as if he could see the -sacred precincts: but suddenly his great blind orbs -were directed southward. As his sister returned to -the roof he called to her.</p> - -<p>"Deborah, there is a strange noise beyond the city -gate, over Ophel!"</p> - -<p>"Dear child, you are not yet familiar with the -cries at the heathen games. The shouts come from -the gymnasium."</p> - -<p>"Why, sister, I know all sounds. I know by the -dog's barking whether he has the fox on the run or -at bay, or has lost him in the hole. And men cry -just as the brutes do. I don't need to hear words. -I sometimes follow the games in the gymnasium -off there. Now it is the hum of the crowd before -the contests begin; now the cheer for the runners; -the laugh when the wrestlers tumble; the rage of the -losers; the joy of the crowd when a favorite wins—I -hear it all. But, Deborah, somebody has been -hurt over there. Can't you hear something sad in -the murmur on Ophel? It is as the fir-trees moan -when a storm is coming."</p> - -<p>The sound which Caleb heard will be interpreted -if we tell of Captain Dion's doings that day.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>IV<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE DISCUS THROW.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> high plateau of Ophel swells out -from the southern wall of the Temple, -and looks down upon the vales of Hinnom -and Kedron, which come together -at its base, five hundred feet below. -From this promontory one can see for miles through -the deep valley, which is lined near the city with -rock-hewn tombs, and in the distance with whitish-gray -cliffs, as if the Kedron had become a leper -outcast from the company of the beautiful hills and -vales which elsewhere surround Jerusalem. Down, -down the valley it goes until lost to sight amid the -mountains of stone and sand that make the wilderness -of Judea. There the leper dies and is buried in -the Dead Sea. Whichever way lies the wind, except -from the north, it sweeps this promontory of Ophel -with refreshing coolness. Here in the olden time the -sages and saints of Israel had been accustomed to -walk, their meditations on the judgments of God -perhaps more sombre because of the gloomy grandeur -of the scene; and here the multitudes had -thronged, with hearts gladdened by the contrast of -joy of their city with the distant desolation.</p> - -<p>But now, by the orders of Apollonius, the Governor -under Antiochus, the top of Ophel had been -levelled for the stately building of the gymnasium.</p> - -<p>To one looking up from the valley of the Kedron,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> -the graceful Greek porticos must have showed -against the old gray walls of the Temple like vines -on the scarp of a mountain boulder. In front of the -structure lay the athletic field, dotted with many -colored pennants which denoted the places reserved -for the various games. At one end of the field was -the stadium, the running track, some six hundred -feet in length. Adjoining this was an open court in -which were practised wrestling, throwing the discus, -swinging the great hanging stone, hurling the javelin, -archery, sword play, boxing, and the like. By -the side of this court were baths, and near them -great caldrons supplying the luxury of heated water.</p> - -<p>In shaded porches were raised platforms upon -which at stated hours rhetoricians who plumed -themselves upon their eloquence discoursed of philosophy -and poetry and love. Here, too, professors of -the calisthenic art exhibited in their own persons -and those of their pupils the graces of the human -form.</p> - -<p>Captain Dion emerged from the Street of the -Cheesemakers upon the athletic field. He saluted -the banner of Apollonius, which flaunted from its -tall staff, then cast a spray of ivy at the foot of the -statue of Hermes, the god of the race. He was at -once hailed by a group of young men with whom -he was evidently a favorite.</p> - -<p>Among these was Glaucon. A broad-brimmed hat -topped his head. Artificially curled black locks -stuccoed his brow. A white chlamys, or outer robe, -of linen broadly bordered with purple was draped -from his shoulder in the latest style of the capital.</p> - -<p>"Ah, Glaucon, well met! How has it fared with -you since we parted at Joppa?" was Dion's greeting.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> -"Has the sea jog gotten out of your legs yet? If the -mountains of Carmel and Cassius on the coast had -been turned to water the waves could not have -tossed us more than when we came from Antioch."</p> - -<p>"Jerusalem is a poor exchange for Antioch," replied -Glaucon. "One day at Daphne for a lifetime -here, but for a few good fellows like you, Captain."</p> - -<p>"Did you succeed in getting the order for confiscation -reversed?" asked the Greek.</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, I shall hold the property; that is, if I -can keep the old man, my father, within doors, so -that he doesn't bring a mob about our ears as he did -yesterday. Apollonius—Pluto take him!—mulcted -me heavily of shekels last night as a guarantee that -the old bigot would keep the peace. I wish that -you would give the Governor a fair word for me, -Dion. You see, I have not come into the estate yet, -and haven't many gold feathers to drop. Apollonius -seems to think that I am moulting all my -ancestral wealth."</p> - -<p>"I think I can get the Governor to at least pare -your nails without cutting the quick hereafter," replied -his friend.</p> - -<p>"My thanks. I shall need your help, Captain, in -all ways, for though I have donned the King's -livery, you Greeks look on me as a Jew. I am like -to fall between the upper and nether millstones. -My people have cast me off, and, by Hercules! yours -do not take to me as they should."</p> - -<p>"Never fear, Glaucon," replied Dion. "A man who -can swear 'By Hercules!' instead of 'As the Lord -liveth!' will soon have the favor of our gods."</p> - -<p>"And goddesses, too, I hope," laughed Glaucon. -"But I have not thanked you, Dion, for saving my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> -father from his crazy venture on the streets yesterday. -The shade of Anchises bless you for that!"</p> - -<p>"Well up in the poets, too, I see," said the Captain, -slapping his comrade on the back. "Your -brain is Greek if your blood be Hebrew. But let us -hear what this blabber is saying."</p> - -<p>The men stood a moment listening to an orator -who, with well-oiled locks and classically arranged -toga, was addressing a small group within a portico. -He was just saying: "Hear then the words of -the divine Plato, 'When a beautiful soul harmonizes -with a beautiful body, and the two are cast into the -same mould, that will be the fairest of sights to him -that has an eye to contemplate the vision.' Truly -the soul is made fair by the fairness of the body. -Thought glows when the eye sparkles. Heroism is -bred of conscious strength of muscle. Love burns -within the arms of beauty, and with the kisses -scented with the sweet breath of health. Think you -that the gods would dwell within the statues if the -sculptors did not shape the marble and ivory to -exquisite proportions?</p> - -<p>"Behold, then, the stupidity of these Jews whose -foul nests we are destroying. They read their Rolls, -but they gain no wisdom. They pray, yet remain -impious. It is because they know not the first of -maxims, namely, that the body is the matrix of the -mind."</p> - -<p>"The fool!" was Dion's comment. "There are better -declaimers in any Greek village. And"—more to -himself than to his comrade, as a band of Jews, -among them even some renegade priests, stripped -naked, ran by them on their way to the racing -stadium—"yet see, there are bigger fools!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span></p> - -<p>When the two men passed into the gymnasium -proper, the crowd on the benches raised the cry of -"Dion! Dion!" until the crossbeam shook down its -dust of applause.</p> - -<p>The Captain gracefully acknowledged the compliment -by taking from his brow the chaplet, now well -withered, and flinging it from him into the crowd -with the exclamation: "I will win it again before I -wear it."</p> - -<p>The magnanimous challenge brought the champion -another ovation.</p> - -<p>The chief gymnasiarch approached, and read from -his tablets the names of the day's victors in the -various contests that had already taken place. He -bade Dion select an antagonist from the list.</p> - -<p>"I will throw the discus," said the Captain.</p> - -<p>"Then your competitor will be Yusef, the Lebanon -giant," read the gymnasiarch. He shouted:</p> - -<p>"Hear ye! Yusef of Damascus is challenged by -Dion of Philippi."</p> - -<p>Divesting himself of his garment the Greek now -stood naked among his compeers.</p> - -<p>"Adonis has descended," shouted one, in a tone -that might have been taken for either admiration -or contempt.</p> - -<p>An alipta came and rubbed Dion's arms and back -with oil mingled with dust.</p> - -<p>"Better rub him against the Jew. He'll get both -grease and dirt at a touch," sneered some one.</p> - -<p>Dion turned, and, fronting the group whence the -insult came, scanned the faces one by one; but there -was no response to his mute challenge.</p> - -<p>As he moved away one ventured to say, loud -enough to be heard by a few about him:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span></p> - -<p>"The Jewish renegade is protected by special order -of the King, or, by the club of Herakles! I would -grind his face with my fists."</p> - -<p>"The Captain seems to be the pimp's special body-guard -just now," was a reply; after which the knot -of men talked in low tones among themselves, casting -furtive glances in the direction of Dion.</p> - -<p>"Yusef stands on his record of this morning," -shouted the gymnasiarch. "He need not throw -again unless Dion shall pass him."</p> - -<p>The Greek balanced in his hand two circular -pieces of bronze, in order to select one of them. -The crowd densely lined the way the missile was to -fly. There was eager rivalry for places at the goal -end, where the friends of the contestants craned their -necks to see the exact spot the discus would strike, -ready to applaud or dispute it. In this group -Glaucon had secured a foremost stand, and waited, -leaning with the crowd.</p> - -<p>"Here's your chance to stick the pig of a Jew," -whispered one to his neighbor, who stood just behind -Glaucon.</p> - -<p>Dion held the bright bronze in his right hand, his -fingers grasping tightly the outer rim, while the -weight fell upon his open palm and wrist. Raising -his left arm the more perfectly to balance his weight, -he pivoted himself upon his left foot, then, swinging -the discus backward in almost a complete circle, -and combining the muscles of arm and trunk and -leg in one tremendous return motion, he flung the -metal gleaming through the air.</p> - -<p>At the same instant Glaucon was thrust by those -behind him headlong into the path of the flying -missile. The swift swirl of the disc together with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> -its weight made its impact as dangerous as that of -a sword blade. It struck the falling form of Glaucon, -terribly bruising the base of his head, and laying -open a ghastly wound in his neck and shoulder.</p> - -<p>Dion strode down the line. He glanced an instant -at the prostrate form of his friend, turned as quickly -as a bear, seized two of the throng of bystanders, -dashed their heads together until they were half-stunned, -then flung them sprawling apart. They lay -moaning and cursing on the ground amid the derisions -of the crowd until the gymnasiarch ordered -them under arrest.</p> - -<p>The gymnastæ, or surgeons of the field of sports, -were summoned; but the case of Glaucon was beyond -the present need of their splints and unguents.</p> - -<p>Dion bade them carry the apparently lifeless form -to Elkiah's house, and himself led the way. It was -this sad company which the clairvoyant mind of the -blind boy detected before the searching gaze of -Deborah saw the approaching litter.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>V<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A FLOWER IN A TORRENT</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-i.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">It</span> is Benjamin! Benjamin is hurt!" -cried Caleb, leaning an instant over the -parapet. While Deborah was looking -into the street he felt his way to the -steps leading down from the roof -into the open court around which the house was -built. He darted across this as quickly and silently -as a flash from the brass mirror, not even -waking Ephraim, the servant, who had fallen -asleep watching the ripples in the great basin of the -fountain that stood in the centre of the court. In another -instant the boy had raised the crossbar from -the lintels and was hasting down the narrow street. -Extending his hands he guided himself through the -crowds, keeping always in the centre of the way as -infallibly as a stick floats in the middle of a wild -rushing torrent. In vain did Deborah, as she saw -him, call him from the parapet. She flew down the -stone stairway and out into the street.</p> - -<p>"What haste, my black-eyed beauty?" said an impudent -soldier, blocking her way.</p> - -<p>By a quick movement Deborah eluded him, but -only to be stopped scarcely twenty paces beyond by -another, who stretched out his arms and seized her -by the wrists. She stood as if paralyzed by her -wrath at this indignity, for never before had a rude -hand touched her; then, with sudden agility and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> -strength which seemed beyond a woman's, she -wrenched herself from her captor. Taking time and -breath for one indignant cry, "You coward!" she -ran on, while the crowd was temporarily diverted -by their jeers at the discomfited soldier.</p> - -<p>"The eunuchs are stronger than you, man, for they -can keep the women from running away from the -harems."</p> - -<p>"Her fire-eyes burnt out your heart, did they? -Open your corselet, and let's see if it be charred."</p> - -<p>Deborah turned into the Cheesemakers Street. -Here she met a company of officers.</p> - -<p>"Catch the gazelle! She is my spoil!" shouted the -leader.</p> - -<p>Her arms were instantly seized from behind.</p> - -<p>"Apollonius has captured the very Daughter of -Jerusalem that the Jews talk about," remarked -one.</p> - -<p>"Apollonius?" cried Deborah, looking at one whose -gorgeous plumage indicated that he was the chief -officer.</p> - -<p>He was a man of prepossessing appearance. His -brow was broad, features finely proportioned; a -man evidently trained to think and govern. In -younger days he must have been exceedingly handsome, -but middle life showed the effects of dissipation. -A furtive flicker in his eyes belied his assumption -of self-command. His lips were swollen from -too frequent communion with the spirit of the vine.</p> - -<p>"Apollonius!" cried Deborah. "Does Apollonius -dare to break his own orders? Is it true, then, as -men say, that there is neither honor nor mercy in -a Syrian?" fixing her gaze unflinchingly upon the -Governor's face.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Ah! and who is my charmer? Beautiful as a -leopard at bay, or Aphrodite herself is a hag. Come, -can you leap as high as my arms?" said the Governor, -amid the laughter of his attendants.</p> - -<p>"I am the daughter of Elkiah," said Deborah, -"whose house you have given your sworn word to -spare, if you be indeed General Apollonius."</p> - -<p>"By all the nymphs this side of Olympus! I am -sorry to hear it," replied he. "If I had known that -the old bigot had so fair a daughter, I would have -qualified my order. But let her pass, my men. We -must keep our word, of course."</p> - -<p>A counter commotion was heard down the street.</p> - -<p>"Way for the litter! Way for the litter!" shouted -those coming.</p> - -<p>With a sharp outcry, Deborah darted from the -soldiers about her and ran to the side of the wounded -man.</p> - -<p>"It is Benjamin!" she exclaimed, throwing her -arms about the insensible form which the bearers -had for the moment put down. "Speak to me, my -brother!"</p> - -<p>The girl's grief at first seemed inconsolable. But -suddenly she was transformed into a Fury. She -stood straight but trembling, with hands clenched, -and glared upon the bystanders. For a little her -passion prevented speech. Then she broke forth, -with tone and gesture and look which fitted her -words:</p> - -<p>"A curse upon his murderer! Who struck this -cowardly blow?"</p> - -<p>She raised her hand as if to smite any one who -dared confess the deed.</p> - -<p>"It was but an accident, fair daughter of Elkiah,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> -responded Dion, with a manner that disarmed her -rage. "Your brother is not dead. See, he lives."</p> - -<p>He bent over his friend with evident joy as the -Jew opened his eyes and gazed, at first with stupidity -and then curiously, at the Greek and his sister. -The glance at Dion was with the flicker of a -smile; that upon his sister brought an expression -of pain. The next moment he put his hand to his -head, and, uttering a sharp cry, lapsed into unconsciousness.</p> - -<p>Deborah and Dion stood one on either side of the -litter. Their hands touched as they stroked the forehead -of the sufferer. They looked into each other's -faces. With her it was only the recognition of a -common sympathy.</p> - -<p>But Dion had other thoughts. The vision of the -face he had seen at Elkiah's doorway had not faded -for an instant from his imagination. Now his impression -of her beauty was reinforced by the revelation -of her soul. What courage! what audacity! -yet not beyond a woman's right! Had he struck -a wilful blow at Glaucon, he thought that her wrath -would have killed him, so just would it have been, -and so imperious was her voice and action. Yet -what love this woman was capable of! She seemed -to him like some goddess weeping at her own altar -which had been despoiled; for surely Glaucon was -not worthy of this outpouring of her affection. Dion -thought that he knew women. To him the most -were but as stagnant pools, with surface glistening -in the sunlight, while the depths—if there were -any—were soiled. But he imagined that this woman's -soul was transparent, limpid, and infinitely -deep; pouring itself out spontaneously, with as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -little self-consciousness as that of a fountain when -it throws aloft its white spray.</p> - -<p>Yet he had injured this woman—unintentionally, -it was true; but his hand had thrown the fatal -disc which cut its way into her soul, as really as -into the flesh of her brother. How could he atone -for this?</p> - -<p>There came also to Dion a deeper anxiety. Glaucon -would recover; but what of this girl's coming -life? A Jewish maiden left alone amid the license -of Antiochus' soldiers! A dove in the serpent's nest -would be as safe. Glaucon could not protect her. -With Elkiah's death the renegade son would—as -he had heard frequently in the camp—quickly "be -cashed," and another estate rattle as coin in Apollonius' -belt. Then what of this girl? Dion felt as -if a hand from the sky was ordaining him her protector. -Yet what power had he?</p> - -<p>Upon hearing the commotion about the litter -Apollonius turned back. As if to redeem his repute -for the dastardly insult of a few moments before, -he now made most respectful salaam to the young -woman, and, with the semblance of kindly solicitude -for Glaucon, gave orders detailing Captain Dion to -act as guard for the wounded man. Thus, having -assumed by his manner the credit for what Dion had -already done, he rejoined his suite.</p> - -<p>The men were about to lift the litter when Deborah -startled them with the cry:</p> - -<p>"But Caleb! Where is the blind boy? Surely he -came this way."</p> - -<p>"We have seen none such. He must have passed -by another street. Doubtless he has gone home," -was the Greek's response.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Oh, I must find him!"</p> - -<p>There was a maternal depth in the girl's tones.</p> - -<p>"Where could he have gone? Help me, good sir, -and the blessing of the Lord will be upon you."</p> - -<p>"We could not find him in these streets," said -Dion. "Let us go first to your home. If he is not -there we will search elsewhere. And I think that -my name will open any place where he may be detained."</p> - -<p>"Quick, then; let us haste!"</p> - -<p>The girl in her eagerness led the way. Reaching -the house, she opened the outer door, which had not -been fastened after her exit a little while before, and -sped across the open court. Elkiah was calling.</p> - -<p>"Here am I, father!" and in an instant more she -was beside him on the roof.</p> - -<p>"My daughter, where have you been? Have the -Gentiles bewitched even my Deborah, that she should -go out of doors to gaze at them? Nay, veil your -face with shame, child. Henceforth you must abide -strictly in the house. It may be our sepulchre, but -I would rather my daughter died here, than that the -same sun should greet her eyes and theirs, except that -she hated them. But for a daughter of Jerusalem to -so much as look upon their garments is to play the -wanton."</p> - -<p>"Speak not such words, my father," cried Deborah, -kneeling by his side, and placing his hands upon her -forehead in claiming his blessing.</p> - -<p>"It is Benjamin, father. They have brought him -back to us, and——"</p> - -<p>"Benjamin!" cried the old man, his voice failing in -utterance until it became almost a hiss. "Benjamin! -I have no son Benjamin. He has disowned his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span> -name; I disown his blood. What does the traitor -Glaucon do in the house of Elkiah? Let him be -gone! I charge thee, Deborah, if thou be a true -daughter, banish him from our house."</p> - -<p>"But, father——"</p> - -<p>"Nay, let him be gone!"</p> - -<p>"But, father, Benjamin is harmed; wounded; it -may be he is killed."</p> - -<p>The venerable man raised himself on his arm, and -stared about him. Deborah laid him gently back -upon the pillows.</p> - -<p>"Oh, father, do not curse him. It may be he will -not live. Do not curse him."</p> - -<p>He gazed at her, taking her face between his hands -and drawing it close to his.</p> - -<p>"Aye, my Miriam again! Would God, Deborah, -you had been my son!"</p> - -<p>"But, father, pity our Benjamin. He is grievously -hurt."</p> - -<p>A change passed over the features of Elkiah. Suddenly -the tears dimmed his sight, and he said:</p> - -<p>"Benjamin hurt? My boy? The child of Miriam -harmed? Where is he? Help me, that I may go to -him."</p> - -<p>He vainly tried to rise. His hands clenched as he -muttered:</p> - -<p>"The Lord avenge the house of Elkiah upon the -heads of the heathen! The Lord spare my child! -Benjamin! Benjamin! Would God I had died for -thee!"</p> - -<p>When she had seen the wounded man brought -safely into the lower chamber, Deborah quickly -searched every part of the house, and her cry for -Caleb rang from the roof to the court.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></p> - -<p>"He is not here. I will go again to the street."</p> - -<p>The strong, but kind, hand of Dion blocked the -way: "Nay, good maiden, you cannot return to the -city. I will go where you could not. I swear to -search the streets and camps if you will but pledge -me to abide here."</p> - -<p>"A pledge to a Greek!"</p> - -<p>But the look of scorn passed quickly from her -face, as she saw the solicitude in his. After a little -thought, in which her agitated manner told that she -could keep such a promise only with her body, and -that her whole soul would go with Dion in his -search, she replied:</p> - -<p>"It is well. I see it is my duty to stay here, sir. -But hasten! Hasten, and I will pray for you every -step. The Lord bless you, good sir!"</p> - -<p>"Your own blessing were enough," said Dion, as -he ran down the steps.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>VI<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A JEWISH CUPID</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-d.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Dion</span> knew that a personal search for the -lad among the crowds of soldiers, who -were lodged in half the houses of the -city, and in hundreds of tents beyond -the walls, would be a long, if not a -useless one, since, if any persons had captured the -child, they would have reason for concealing his -whereabouts. Dion went, therefore, at once to the -headquarters of Apollonius, that he might obtain -an order that none would dare disregard.</p> - -<p>The house appropriated to the Governor's use was -the palace on Mount Sion. Though the finest residential -structure in Jerusalem, like Elkiah's house, it -was but a sorry scion of its architectural pedigree. -For instead of the colonnades where Solomon once -walked, and the golden roof which had sheltered the -harem of that pious libertine, where now the lime -whitened walls and domes of what, but for its site, -might have been taken for a caravansery.</p> - -<p>Captain Dion passed through the court, with its -broken ancient fountains and cheap reproductions -of recent Greek statuary. He was greeted by Apollonius -at the entrance to the hall of audience.</p> - -<p>"Welcome, Dion! In time to sup with me to-night. -After the feast we will have a symposium -that will make the dead Alexander come to life with -envy. He would risk another death by fever for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> -sake of a draught of such wines as the King has -sent me from Antioch."</p> - -<p>Dion excused himself, and stated the purpose of -his visit.</p> - -<p>"Nay; so jovial and witty a comrade as yourself -cannot be let off," cried the roystering commandant. -"Nor need you trouble yourself about the boy. -I will issue the order that he be brought here. It -will be a quicker way and more certain—that is, if -the circumcised dog be living, which we may doubt; -for, since the permission given yesterday, the men -are making short work of all this Jewish spawn."</p> - -<p>Dion changed his tack, and urged that he must -return to take care of his friend Glaucon.</p> - -<p>"What care you for the traitor Glaucon?" replied -the General. "If that man betrays his own race -he will not be true to you. It is enough that such -creatures as Glaucon are allowed to live, and keep -their property, which should be our common spoil. -Let him die of his hurt; we shall all be the better -off, with one Jew less and houses more. But stay -you shall, Dion, or, by Herakles! I will issue orders -to cut the boy's throat when found. No carouse is -complete if Dion be absent," he said, throwing his -arm about him. "Come now, it's a treaty with -you. I know that your friendship is not for Glaucon, -but for the black-eyed Diana, his sister, whom -I saw to-day. Drink with us you shall, or I shall -be jealous as Zeus is of his Hera, and send your -Jewish goddess straight to Antiochus as a gift. -Go, then, get your ivy and head-grease, and come -back quickly; for see, the gnomon already casts -shadow of six paces—the hour the gods themselves -have set for supper."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Then I must eat your dainty meats," said Dion, -seeing the futility of opposing the distempered will -of his superior. Veiling his resentment under a forced -hilarity, he retired, and a half-hour later returned -in company with the other guests.</p> - -<p>These were high officers in gorgeous togas, and -caps whose tasselled tops lapped down to their -shoulders. Each of these revellers was accompanied -to the palace by one or more slaves, who would -wait upon their masters at the feast, and take -them home when drunk. A few subalterns were invited -who, like Dion, compensated for lack of rank -by their ready wit and their repertoire of stories -and songs.</p> - -<p>As the guests reclined upon the cushions their -shoes were unlaced and removed by Apollonius' -menials, their feet washed in scented water, and -gently rubbed with towels, while their caps were -displaced by crowns of bay leaves gemmed with the -pearly berries. Then the low tables were drawn -within reach, laden with all that the distant markets -of Antioch could furnish; for the conquered land -of Judea gave them not so much as a fig or date. -The Jews had left for the invaders only fish and -game; but woe to the Syrian soldier who should -venture beyond his camps to drop a line in lake or -send an arrow after beast or bird!</p> - -<p>The viands were quickly disposed of, for, following -the Greek custom, no wine was poured until the meats -and spicy condiments had created abundant thirst.</p> - -<p>"A soldier's hunger is soon satisfied, but his thirst -is like the river Oceanus that runs round the earth -and has no end," cried Apollonius. "Let's to the -potation. Who shall be master of the feast?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Dion! Dion!" was shouted, with clapping and -cheers.</p> - -<p>Apollonius whispered to his next neighbor:</p> - -<p>"The master of the feast, according to custom, -must remain sober. We must have Dion's tongue -loosened with wine, or we shall not skim the cream -of his wit. Call for Kallisthenes. He is duller drunk -than sober."</p> - -<p>"Kallisthenes! Kallisthenes!" went round the -table, as the suggestion of the host was whispered -from one to another.</p> - -<p>"This is a deserved honor," shouted Apollonius, -"for the man who fired the gates of the Jews' Temple."</p> - -<p>"Aye, it was a valiant deed, for there wasn't so -much as a lame Jew to stop him," said Sotades -to Dion, who reclined next to him.</p> - -<p>"If Apollonius is scattering heroic honors to-night, -he should send for the High Priest, Menelaos, for -he stole the golden candlesticks from the Holy Place -before we could get hold of them," said another.</p> - -<p>"Menelaos! The Jew turned Greek! Dion says -he once frightened an Ethiopian into a white man. -So Menelaos became a Greek. That Jew's lips would -poison the wine. Let him get ready for his feast -with the worms of Gehenna," grunted the Governor.</p> - -<p>Kallisthenes at once assumed the prerogative of -Ruler of the Feast. He put on a chaplet of ivy, and -proclaimed the laws for the hour.</p> - -<p>"Hear ye, my subjects, the rules of the feast, which -all shall obey under penalty of the wrath of the -gods. May Bacchus and Aphrodite both desert the -wretch who fails in his duty."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Law the first—The wine shall not be mixed with -more than half water."</p> - -<p>"What goblets shall we use?" asked one. "If the -larger ones, I vote for one part wine to three parts -water, as Hesiod recommends."</p> - -<p>"A frog's drink, as Pharecrates called it," replied -the Ruler. "Half and half it shall be, and he who -shirks the large goblet shall drink from the crater -itself. Are we not all philosophers? And did not -Socrates drink from the wine cooler?"</p> - -<p>"Agreed! Agreed!" echoed round the circle.</p> - -<p>One ruddy-faced veteran knelt in mock adoration -at the feet of the Feast Master:</p> - -<p>"I humbly crave that, since I was born in distant -Phrygia, we to-night follow the custom of the barbarians, -and drink no water at all. Let us be -inspired with the unadulterated soul of the -god."</p> - -<p>"Bacchus pardon thy gluttony for the sake of thy -piety," said the Master.</p> - -<p>"Law the second—Whereas wine should be drunk -either hot or cold, and whereas, these Jews who are -still above Hades have stopped the way to the -mountains where lies the snow to chill it, therefore -it is ordained that all drinks shall be heated with -both fire and spice."</p> - -<p>"Agreed! Agreed!"</p> - -<p>"Law the third—Every goblet shall be quaffed -from brim to bottom between two breaths."</p> - -<p>"It is agreed!"</p> - -<p>"Oh! my paunch!" cried one. "Do you think me -a Deucalion to stand the deluge?"</p> - -<p>Servants poured the water and wine in equal -quantities into the crater, or great bowl, from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> -which it was ladled into the large goblets, holding -half a quart each.</p> - -<p>"A bumper first to Bacchus."</p> - -<p>It was drunk with avidity. One started a song -from the old poet Anacreon:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"Thirsty earth drinks up the rain,</div> - <div class="verse">Trees from earth drink that again,</div> - <div class="verse">Ocean drinks the air, the sun</div> - <div class="verse">Drinks the sea, and him the moon.</div> - <div class="verse">Any reason canst thou think</div> - <div class="verse">I should thirst while all these drink?"</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>"Eros follows Bacchus," cried the Feast Master. -"Now a cup to the Syrian goddess Astarte, since -we are in her land, or to Aphrodite, Venus, or -whatever name each one calls his lady-love."</p> - -<p>"Aye, a cup to Bathsheba! if any one has found -a Jewess to his taste," shouted Apollonius, lifting -his goblet toward Dion.</p> - -<p>Songs and comic speeches, extemporized pantomimes, -riddles and stories, as the wine happened to -stir the peculiar talent or caprice of the guest, interspersed -the drinking.</p> - -<p>As the hours advanced the curtains at the doorway -were swung aside, and a troop of dancing girls -entered. They were of various races; the fair Caucasian -from the Euxine, the Egyptian whose hue -was the reflection of her desert sands, swarthy half-black -Arabs from beyond Jordan, and Nubians -whose faces seemed cut from solid jet—slaves whom -Apollonius had captured or exchanged for other -spoil of battle. These rendered the various songs -and dances of their native lands. One performed the -hazardous exploit of stepping to the throbbing of -the zither between a score of sword blades, set with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> -points upward. Another honored Apollonius by -advancing on her hands, seizing the ladle of the -wine jar between her toes, and dexterously filling -with its contents the empty cup of the commandant.</p> - -<p>"Let Apollonius, the valiant conqueror of Jerusalem, -show us a daughter of Israel. He is making a -harem of them, if report be true," cried one.</p> - -<p>"Jewish maidens will not dance on anything except -the thin air. So we had to hang a score of -them yesterday," replied Apollonius. "But I will -show you a genuine Jewish Cupid."</p> - -<p>"A circumcised Cupid! Apollonius' wit is as sharp -as his knife," cried Kallisthenes.</p> - -<p>The Governor whispered to an attendant. In a -few moments there was thrust into the room a -naked boy. His limbs were exquisitely moulded. -His large distended pupils shone with strange lustre -in the flashing lights of the jewelled lanterns. His -outstretched hands and cautious step showed that -there was no sight in his eyes.</p> - -<p>"Bravo! Bravo! Cupid is blind! Well thought, -Apollonius! Let us see to whom he has brought a -message from the goddess," said Sotades.</p> - -<p>At this moment Kallisthenes uttered a cry of surprise -and horror. He leaped to his feet and pointed -to the great bowl from which the wine was -taken.</p> - -<p>The servant, whose attention had been unduly -drawn to the revellers, had inadvertently laid the -ladle across the brim of the crater,—a thing regarded -as ominous of dire calamity to some one of the -guests, the evil to be averted only by the instant -cessation of the revelry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span></p> - -<p>The feasters looked, and echoed the consternation -of the Feast Master.</p> - -<p>The guests unceremoniously rose, and were hastening -as fast as their uncertain legs and frightened -attendants could carry them, when Apollonius recalled -them. "A curse on the slave! Let us appease -our Nemesis of the feast with the offal of the villain -who has broken its rules!" and lifting the crater he -felled the unfortunate man who had perpetrated the -dire omen.</p> - -<p>As the guests, half sobered by the scene, stood -about the prostrate body Apollonius said:</p> - -<p>"Hear you, good friends, to-morrow we will treat -you to something more ominous still. We will offer -another sacrifice,—a sow upon the Jews' altar in the -Temple, court. Attend me there. Farewell! Bacchus -protect his own!"</p> - -<p>Dion took the hand of Apollonius.</p> - -<p>"My thanks, General, for your aid in recovering -this child, whom I will return to his home."</p> - -<p>The Governor lowered his voice:</p> - -<p>"Serve me as well when occasion requires, Captain -Dion; and if Elkiah's daughter does not reward your -service with her favor, tell her what she owes to -Apollonius, and I will cast my bait."</p> - -<p>The revellers dispersed to their various quarters, -some to the citadel, some to the camps outside the -walls, and some to the mansions from which they -had ejected the owners. One or two of the slaves -lighted torches of resinous wood to guide the feet of -their masters along the stones, which were slippery -with the sewage thrown from the doorways, or -poured over the roof parapets into the street. But -most of the servants were fully occupied in sup<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>porting -the limp bodies of their lords, and now and -then lifting them out of the holes where, once fallen, -they insisted upon sitting, while they called for more -wine, or relieved themselves of what they had already -taken.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>VII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">IN THE TOILS OF APOLLONIUS</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-d.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Dion</span> hastened toward the house of Elkiah, -leading the blind child by the -hand. As they threaded their way -through the narrow streets, Caleb told -his story of the day's adventures. He -had been seized in the afternoon, and taken somewhere -beyond the walls, among the soldiers in the -tents. He overheard his captors talking of the reward -that Elkiah would give for the return of his -son, and intimating how much more they could -wring from Glaucon, when some one claimed him in -the name of Apollonius. He was led away, as he -supposed, to be killed, and was surprised at being -conducted to the palace.</p> - -<p>Dion plied him with questions, but could elicit no -further information. The Captain knew Apollonius -too well to believe that the introduction of a Jewish -Cupid at the feast, and the rescue of the lad, -were all there was to his purpose. He pondered the -problem in the light of the Governor's well-known -selfishness and sensuality. Did his design reach to -the possession of Deborah?</p> - -<p>Coming to the house of Elkiah they were surprised -to find the outer door unfastened. Caleb ran up the -stairs and heralded his coming with many shouts.</p> - -<p>Elkiah was sitting beside the wounded Benjamin -in the darkness.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span></p> - -<p>"The Lord be praised! His mercy endureth forever!" -ejaculated the father as Caleb flung himself -into his arms.</p> - -<p>"But where is Deborah?" cried the lad.</p> - -<p>"Is not your sister with you? Then how came -you hither, child?" replied the old man, in that quick -terror to which the events of recent days had made -him susceptible.</p> - -<p>"I brought him here, sir. I, Dion."</p> - -<p>"Met you not my daughter? You sent for her? -No? I understand it not. One came bringing as a -token a bit of the lad's clothing, and pledged to -take her where the lost might be found. I thought -the messenger had come from you. Ere I could detain -her, Deborah was gone. Was it not you that -sent? May I believe a Greek? Trifle not, I beseech -you, with one whose life-thread can endure but little -more. My daughter! O give me my daughter! If -harm has come to her through thee, the curse of -the Lord rot thy bones! O my child! My child!"</p> - -<p>"It is the trick of the soldiers. They thought to -get Deborah too," cried Caleb.</p> - -<p>"Alas," said Dion, "that you were not blind, and -could see to take me to the place where they kept -you before the General sent for you."</p> - -<p>"That I can do," said the boy. "I saw all the -way."</p> - -<p>"Saw?"</p> - -<p>"Aye, with my feet and with my nostrils and with -my ears, I saw everything. Outside the walls we -went down, down, down; it must have been to cross -the Kedron. Then we went up, up, up, fully halfway -the ascent toward Bethany. We went close to -a cactus hedge, for I felt on my cheeks the cool air<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> -the cactus breathes. Then over a broken wall, for I -fell among the stones. Next a house, high and of -smooth mortar walls, for I can tell such things by -the echo one's footfall makes. The tent we stopped -at was near where horses, as many as threescore, -were tethered; this I knew from their neighing. It -is an old camp, for the odor of the dung was old."</p> - -<p>"I have the spot," said Dion. "It is the camp of -Cleanthes. Let me away! But Glaucon, your Benjamin, -does well?" bending a moment over the sleeping -form.</p> - -<p>"So said the surgeon you brought," replied Elkiah. -"But haste! O God of Abraham, take my -son if Thou wilt, but spare, oh, spare, my Deborah! -God be merciful! Thy billows are gone over me. -Spare me that I may see again the face of my -child, and gather strength before I go hence, and be -no more!"</p> - -<p>Caleb's judgment that Deborah had been decoyed -by the soldiers proved true. Her guide led her to -the palace of Apollonius. On the way she passed the -roysterers returning from the banquet. The presence -of the soldier did not shield her from the insult -of their tongues so well as did her preoccupation -with anxiety for her brother. She was left alone in -the antechamber of the Governor. Now and then -she inquired in vain of the passing servants for the -blind child. Growing suspicious, she endeavored to -make her escape, but found the exits fastened, as she -tried them one by one.</p> - -<p>At length the Governor came to her. He was -flushed and unsteady from the effects of his debauch, -and accosted her with maudlin insolence.</p> - -<p>"Ah, my pretty Jewess!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I came, sir, to claim the blind child, son of -Elkiah."</p> - -<p>"But suppose I should first claim the daughter of -Elkiah. On the street I let you go, but since you -have come to me, well—that is different. My will -must rule in my own palace."</p> - -<p>"Aye, the will of Apollonius, who has given his -word for the safety of the house of Elkiah," replied -the girl undaunted.</p> - -<p>"True, my fair one, and Apollonius will keep his -word. You are in danger anywhere else than here. -None are safe in Jerusalem but those who come beneath -my shadow. To-morrow the soldiers will be -let loose. I cannot hold them back any longer. -Elkiah's house may go with the rest of the damned -Jews. Apollonius' friendship is better than the -sword of his soldiers, eh, is it not?"</p> - -<p>He put out his hands.</p> - -<p>This terrible threat and the hideous alternative it -presented to her were too much for the girl to take -in at once. She sank at the monster's feet.</p> - -<p>"Ah, my sweet one, don't do that. No slave shall -you be to me; but I will give you as many jewels -as—as the fair Clarissa, the Queen of the Grove of -Daphne, wears. And I swear by your bright eyes, -you shall outshine the very goddesses of Antiochus' -palace."</p> - -<p>He stooped and touched her. Then she quivered -as if stung by a scorpion.</p> - -<p>"Mercy, sir! Mercy for the house of Elkiah! An -old man, a blind child, a wretched girl,—these are -not enemies for the great Apollonius to crush. -Brave men would despise him for harming such."</p> - -<p>"Humph!" grunted the Governor, "and they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> -would despise me more for letting such a splendid -woman as you go to another,—even to Dion."</p> - -<p>At this word Deborah leaped to her feet.</p> - -<p>Apollonius held out his arms to her, but recoiled -as he saw her whole frame the impersonation of -hatred and rage. He would as soon have ventured -to grasp a sheet of flame. Then his face hardened. -Fixing upon her a pair of cold, steely eyes, he assumed -the pose of a bargainer. Had each word been -a knife-cut severing a piece of her flesh for the -weighing scale, he could not have more cruelly -tortured her.</p> - -<p>"I have heard that the daughters of Jewry are of -such filial devotion that they will give their lives -for their sires. Will this one not give Apollonius her -friendship for her father's life?"</p> - -<p>Deborah stood like a statue. The flush faded -from her face as if her soul had fled. She forgot for -the moment the scene and the man before her. She -was with her father. She saw his face so white, -with blood on his beard. She imagined him led out -to death; thrust over the city walls; prodded with -spear; tortured on the rack; having the tongue torn -from his mouth,—for such things had recently been -done in Jerusalem.</p> - -<p>The cry came from her lips:</p> - -<p>"Give me my father's life!"</p> - -<p>"Aye, and thine with it, sweet maiden," cried -Apollonius, imagining that his prey was yielding to -his importunities.</p> - -<p>But he was quickly undeceived. Deborah's whole -form seemed to expand. In the wine-dimmed eyes of -her captor she was transformed from a helpless girl -into the most queenly of women, whose dignity<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> -awed him; then into some avenging deity; a divine -apparition of purity which had come to scourge him -for his lifetime of lust and cruelty.</p> - -<p>"My life?" she cried. "Can a Greek understand -this—that Elkiah would slay his daughter with his -own hand if he knew that Apollonius had touched -her?"</p> - -<p>The soldier who had never quailed before men was -cowed by this woman. What was left of manhood -in him asserted itself in maudlin apology. He -sought to appease the righteous fury he had excited.</p> - -<p>But it was too late. The woman was no longer a -suppliant. As a soldier is turned by excitement of -the battle into a fiend, so Deborah was turned into -a soldier, and now became her own defender. She -withdrew to the farther side of the apartment. As -she did so she caught sight of the sword of the -General lying upon a table. She noted its hilt -gemmed with jewels, and its blade etched with -heroic devices. She seized it, and sprang like a -tigress upon the unarmed man. As he crouched -back to avoid the stroke, Deborah stopped.</p> - -<p>"Stay, I will not slay you like a caged beast. Let -the great Apollonius outrage a defenseless woman—a -Jewish woman would despise herself if she harmed -a defenseless Greek. The daughter of feeble Elkiah -will give the brave Apollonius a chance for his life. -Unbar the door, or let it be said that a woman -slew thee. I will not ask a pledge of a Greek to -spare my father. I would not trust the word he has -already broken. Jehovah of Israel will avenge my -father's house! Unbar the door!"</p> - -<p>Apollonius flung a quick glance around to discover -a mode of escape. Had he been fully possessed of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> -wits he would doubtless have found some means -of disarming his assailant. Yet the action of the -woman was so alert and resolute that most men -would have been held at bay. She poised the -weapon for its lunge. Had the Jewess learned the -art of fence? Or did the quickening of her faculties -by the intensity of her purpose supply the deficiency -of training? Her attitude was perfect for the giving -of the fatal blow. In the General's eyes at the moment, -if she were not Ares, the god of war, she was -Athena armed,—no less puissant.</p> - -<p>The baffled chieftain had no alternative but submission. -Yet it was not mere submission to the -accident of her advantage. There was a sort of -voluntary homage in the way in which, half sobered -by the situation, he yielded to the inevitable.</p> - -<p>"The daughter of Elkiah has won her liberty," -said he, with a wave of his hand that nearly sent -him sprawling. He staggered to where a bronze -plate hung, and struck it. As its signal was answered -from without, he cried:</p> - -<p>"Ho, Servites, let the woman pass!"</p> - -<p>Without losing for an instant her attitude of caution, -Deborah passed to the doorway. Putting the -weapon beneath her robe, she said:</p> - -<p>"This will I keep as the pledge of Apollonius' -honor until he shall win it back from braver hands -than his own. Our God will raise us up a defender. -The Avenger of Israel shall come."</p> - -<p>Pausing a moment between the curtains which -Servites held back for her passage, and fixing upon -her captor a look of utter contempt, she drew the -sword again from her garment, and flung it ringing -upon the marble floor, with the exclamation:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span></p> - -<p>"But no! Let it not be said that a Hebrew girl -despoiled the General of the Greeks. Apollonius may -keep his sword until the Lord Jehovah gives us a -man strong enough to take it from him."</p> - -<p>She passed out.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>VIII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">DEBORAH DISCOVERS HERSELF</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-w1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">With</span> the impulse of flight Deborah glided -out from beneath the portal of Apollonius' -palace. For a moment she -glanced backward, as if her soul -would hurl its final malediction upon -her enemy. Then she was seized with fright as she -realized her danger. The lanterns which hung -about the great doorway and throughout the -court, with their transparent screens of red and -yellow and blue, glared upon her like the eyes of -demons. She ran at first without thought of her -direction, driven by a wild impulse to escape.</p> - -<p>When she reached the open street the light of the -moon, shining down serenely between the house-tops, -seemed like the white shield of some heavenly -defender to save her from the pursuing lanterns. -She paused to think. Whither should she flee? -Should she flee at all? Caleb? Surely he must be -somewhere in the place she had left. With that -thought her feet became as lead. She could not desert -the child.</p> - -<p>She would go back, demand admission to the -presence of the tyrant, and risk anything, everything, -for her brother's liberation.</p> - -<p>Quickly she saw the futility of this project. She -might not be readmitted, and if so, Apollonius -would now avenge himself by the accomplishment -of his original purpose. What should she do? If<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> -she went to her home, would not some emissary -of the enraged Governor intercept her? Surely this -proud and remorseless man would not let her live -to tell the story of his shame.</p> - -<p>Partly from instinctive caution, partly from the -feeling that the darkness of the night better fitted -her own uncertainty of purpose, she kept close to -the houses on the shadowed side of the narrow -street. Though she walked on rapidly, her soul -stood still, like a sentinel peering through the gloom -that echoes the step of some as yet unseen danger.</p> - -<p>By her side at length loomed piles of fallen stone -and half-standing walls. These were the ruins of -what a few weeks before had been the elegant residence -of Ben Isaac, one of the wealthiest merchants -of Jerusalem. It had been razed by order of King -Antiochus, who had first pillaged its treasures and -then carried its master captive to Antioch, and there -exacted from him by torture the remnant of his -riches.</p> - -<p>Deborah turned in amid the ghastly wreck. The -wild desolation so fitted her experience that the spot -seemed restful. The moon was sinking toward the -west, and poured its full lustre against a still-standing -wall. The very sharpness of the beams cut a -block of contrasted darkness on the side toward the -east. Deborah climbed over the rough stones and -hid within the shadow.</p> - -<p>Beneath her lay, like snowdrifts, the squat domes -and flat roofs of the houses in the lower Street of -the Cheesemakers, once the homes of honest artisans -and tradespeople, now the sleeping-troughs of -the vile herd hired to trample out the life of the -nation.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span></p> - -<p>Beyond, the vision broken only by the massive -shape of the Temple on Moriah, lay the vale of Jehoshaphat, -the quiet slopes of Olivet, and the long -hills to the north glittering here and there as the -moonlight fell upon the hated tents of the enemy. -As the rising sea pours its tide into a narrow creek, -so there came upon her a sense of her nation's shame -and woe. At first her power of definite thought -seemed destroyed by the flood. Why could she not -cease also to feel? Why could she not die and become -as insensate as the stones, these other ruins -about her?</p> - -<p>At length she realized a strange transformation -taking place within her; she felt that she had grown -suddenly to be no longer a child, but a woman. -Nor was she merely a woman of Jerusalem, but a -strong avenging spirit. She drank the bitterness -of her own heart, and was intoxicated, frenzied, -with it. She, who had never felt anything but love, -had now learned to hate, and it seemed good to her. -Then she became frightened at this revelation of -herself to herself. She had possessed a mastiff, gentle, -affectionate. Little blind Caleb would lie between -its great paws as in the lap of Huldah. Once -the beast was stoned upon the street. From that -day his temper was changed. He became a savage -brute; doubtless his original wild nature reasserting -itself. Was she herself not some cruel, vicious spirit -suddenly awakened?</p> - -<p>She prayed, "God save me from myself!"</p> - -<p>An answer came. It did not allay her excitement, -but exalted her; seemed to inspire her.</p> - -<p>The music of revelry in the tents beyond the walls -became to her spiritualized senses like the timbrel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> -and song of Miriam of old, when that woman led -the hosts of Israel by the waters of the Red Sea. -Was not her own name Deborah? and did not a -Deborah once lead her nation in battle? She remembered -how her father had bemoaned her being -only a girl, unless she could grow into another -Deborah indeed. She heard again the words of the -ancient song, "Awake! awake, Deborah! awake! -Awake! Arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive!"</p> - -<p>If she could not imitate the great prophetess, -why could she not emulate the deed of Jael, who -drove the nail through the head of the sleeping -Syrian general, Sisera? Why had she not slain Apollonius? -A woman, a common woman of Israel, had -delivered her land; why should not she? She murmured -aloud the words of the Scripture, "Blessed -above all women shall Jael, the wife of Heber, the -Kenite, be; blessed shall she be above all women in -the tent."</p> - -<p>Then she prayed, "Oh, God of Israel, take Thy -handmaiden for what Thou wilt—for what Thou -wilt!"</p> - -<p>A chill, as of a wind from icy Hermon, ran through -her frame, though the night was not cold. Was this -the breath of the Lord? Then her blood became -like liquid fire, and burned along the veins. Was -she in communion with the divine fury? Again her -flesh felt a cooling sensation, as if fanned and softly -touched by an angel's wing. Was not an angel -with her? These experiences were repeated again -and again.</p> - -<p>Long time she sat upon a stone amid the ruins. -She hailed the moonlight that lay beyond as some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> -all-watchful Power; the shadow in which she sat -became like some awful Presence. Was not this a -token of God's will, approving her own thought to -become an avenger of the wrongs of her people?</p> - -<p>At length the moonlight faded; the shadow disappeared, -for the dawn sent its ruddy gleams along -the east. That was to her the smile of the Lord. -Henceforth she was to be, not the daughter of Elkiah, -but the daughter of Jerusalem; the child of -her nation; the sacrifice, if need be, for her people. -The fire had been put out on the Temple altar. -Holy priests could no longer bind the brutes for -sacrifice. But the great cause of God was itself the -altar, and she—she would cling to that altar, binding -herself there by the cords of a willing consecration. -With the words of an oft-repeated psalm—words -that had a meaning infinitely deeper now -than she had ever conceived before—"Lo, I come to -do Thy will, O God; bind the sacrifice to the altar," -she stepped out of the shadow of the wall into -the blending light of the setting moon and rising sun.</p> - -<p>In an instant she darted back into her retreat. -The stalwart form of a soldier was passing; but -she was too late to escape his detection. The man -halted, put his hand above his eyes as if to brush -away the darkness, and turned in among the ruins.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Captain Dion's search for Deborah in the camp of -Cleanthes beyond the Kedron had, of course, been -fruitless. As he returned to the city, what had heretofore -been a vague suspicion of the treachery of -Apollonius became a conviction, and filled him with -rage. Had he questioned himself, he would have -said that his wrath was because of the personal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span> -insult the Governor had put upon him, in tricking -him in his purpose. He even thought of the slight -at the banquet when Apollonius refused to allow -him the honor of being Feast Master. Dion was not -aware—for he had no skill in introspection—that -he had been driven over the stones of Kedron and -through the streets of the city like a madman, by -love for a girl; that but for such fuel to his passion -his resentment against Apollonius might have died -away, or been suppressed by the sense that it was -imprudent to antagonize one so much his superior -in rank.</p> - -<p>Dion's mind was somewhat confused by its own -effervescence when he passed along the street in front -of the house of Ben Isaac. His attention was drawn -by a figure moving amid the ruins. Was this some -strolling woman? Surely none would seek such a -place at such an hour. He was not superstitious, -but might not this be some shade of the slaughtered -household of Ben Isaac? or, perhaps, one of the -former servants searching furtively for jewels and -coins which were known to have been concealed in -secret nooks between the walls? His curiosity, if -not his soldierly duty, would have led him to inspect.</p> - -<p>With drawn sword he strode in between the fallen -stones.</p> - -<p>"Out of this!" he cried.</p> - -<p>Captain Dion was a brave man, but at the moment -he preferred that any pilferer might escape -rather than he himself should encounter the ghost -of a dead Jew. With the sun rising and a goodly -rattle of a carnal weapon any self-respecting wraith -from Hades ought to flit back to his appointed -shades.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span></p> - -<p>He turned the angle of the standing wall. Surely -that was no apparition. Deborah stood with right -hand uplifted to challenge the intruder. It was the -attitude Dion had seen within Elkiah's gateway. -He would scarcely have recognized her otherwise, -so changed was she in feature by the tragedy of the -night.</p> - -<p>"The daughter of Elkiah! Gods! why are you in -this place? What villainy have you fled from? Tell -me, and I swear that I shall not sheathe my sword -until you are avenged."</p> - -<p>The familiar voice recalled her.</p> - -<p>"The child! My Caleb!" she cried.</p> - -<p>"The lad! He is at home. I found him; I brought -him."</p> - -<p>Complete as had been her transformation from a -child into a spirit of vengeance, the kindly tone and -news brought by Dion made her a girl again. She -felt her weakness, her need of protection. She sat -upon a stone, and the tears which she thought had -been forever dried within her by the terrors of the -night, burst forth as from a fresh fountain.</p> - -<p>"My dear Deborah——"</p> - -<p>She shrank from Dion's touch as he laid his hand -upon hers, but it was only for an instant; his interest -in her was evidently too sincere for her to -resent. Jew and Greek, of races divided by eternal -hatred, yet, as beneath the deepest sea the land -connects the shores, they were two human creatures. -Need and helpfulness—they are the two lobes of one -heart, and beat from common impulses. She allowed -him to take her hand in his, as even her -blind brother would have done.</p> - -<p>She said nothing of Apollonius' insolence. Had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> -she told that, our story would have been different, -for Dion's hot blood would surely have anticipated -the great Avenger who was to come.</p> - -<p>As they walked toward her home, the Greek -studied furtively the face of his companion. How -changed! He assigned for it but one occasion, her -loving anxiety for her father and brother. He had -known but little of such emotions, for his own life -had been from childhood among the friends whom -rank or chance had brought him; love was to him -only a closer good comradeship. But now, through -Deborah's eyes he seemed to be looking into unknown -depths, fathomless places of the soul, while -heretofore in his intercourse with women and men, -he had sounded only the shallows.</p> - -<p>As they neared the house of Elkiah, Deborah with -the frankness of a child said:</p> - -<p>"The Lord reward you, sir, for your kindness to -me and to my father's house!"</p> - -<p>"Will not your God reward me by letting me serve -still further one whom, before all the gods, I have -learned to love?"</p> - -<p>She surely heard his words, but did not take in -their meaning. Love? Yes, for her brother Benjamin; -the love which a valiant soul has for doing -any chivalric deed; the love which is respect and -sympathy for one in distress—this was all she took -from his words. How could a Greek mean more -when speaking of love to a daughter of the race he -was commissioned to destroy?</p> - -<p>With these thoughts—or was it with lack of real -thought about the significance of Dion's words?—she -entered her house, and the Greek went slowly -back to his camp.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>IX<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE NASI'S TRIUMPH</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-i.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">It</span> was the twenty-fifth day of the month -Chisleu, which answers to the Roman -December. Ten days before, Apollonius, -by order of King Antiochus, had erected -in the Temple court an altar to Jupiter -Olympus. This day the crowning of the blasphemy -was to be perpetrated by the destruction of the ancient -altar of the Jews, and the pollution of the -great rock where it stood—the rock sacred in the -reverence of the nation since Abraham had there -bound his son Isaac for the sacrifice; the loadstone -of the people during the years of captivity, toward -which they prayed when they hung their harps upon -the willows by the rivers of Babylon.</p> - -<p>Apollonius' invitation to the revellers of the previous -night to be present in the Temple court, was -honored by the attendance of all that company -with the exception of Captain Dion. These, the -Governor's guests of honor, occupied a platform -near to the gate of the Holy Place, while the soldiers -from barracks in the city and camps in the fields -swarmed like bees, and settled in disorderly masses -everywhere about the Temple mount. The overlooking -walls were topped with a dense array of conical -felt hats and bronze helmets, while thousands of -legs, ending in the heavy cothurn—the buskin worn -with gruesome propriety by both tragedians and -soldiers—depended from the coping, and dangled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> -above the heads of the crowd that stood below. -Warriors from the mountains of Bithynia chaffed -in unintelligible speech with those from the Euphrates, -as together they clung to cornices and capitals -like chattering bats. Wherever an elevation or projection -offered a glimpse of the Temple plaza there -was a mouth full of derision for the religion of a -people that had not so much as a statue or idol to -worship.</p> - -<p>At Apollonius' nod an enormous trumpet brayed -forth the signal. Men took down the bar that blocked -the gateway, where once hung the splendid doors—those -which Kallisthenes had burned. A procession, -such as might appropriately have had its rehearsal -in Pandemonium, entered the sacred precincts. It -was headed by a huge Syrian who personated the -Jewish High Priest. His gigantic proportions were -magnified by an enormous tub, which he wore on -his head to burlesque the genuine Pontiff with his -flower-shaped mitre inscribed "Holiness to the -Lord." On the breast of this buffoon was a clumsy -shield, painted coarsely in panels of twelve different -colors, to represent the Urim and Thummim, from -whose twelve mysterious jewels once flashed the -will of the Lord. The pomegranates, wrought in -silk upon the vestments of the real priest, and the -tiny bells which interspersed them, were imitated by -a string of dried gourd shells which clattered against -one another as the mountebank strode along.</p> - -<p>Behind him came a herd of swine, prodded by -soldiers clad as common priests. The mock Pontiff -shouted a lewd prayer to Jehovah, and drove his -short sword into the throat of a huge black boar, -the signal for the slaughter of the herd. Obscene<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> -songs and shouts mingled with the death squeals of -the victims, while the blasphemers, stripping bare -their lower limbs, danced in the blood which -drenched the sacred pavement.</p> - -<p>One huge sow was covered with a white blanket -on which was inscribed the four letters indicating -the name of the God of Israel. This beast was led -to what remained of the foundation of the old altar, -and there disemboweled. Her broth was scattered -about the Holy of Holies, and her offal flung -by the hilarious crowd into one another's faces.</p> - -<p>Piles of the sacred Rolls, containing the Law collected -by the great scribe Ezra, were brought from -their cabinets in the Temple. These were sprinkled -with swine's filth and burned.</p> - -<p>There was then led in a band of captive Jews, -mostly of the servant class, since their masters had -already been disposed of. These were stripped naked -amid hilarious taunts for the sign of their race. -Each was forced to hold a piece of the sow's flesh -in his teeth. If one allowed it to fall, he was stabbed -to death and cast among the carcasses of the beasts.</p> - -<p>The crowd grew demented with their blasphemous -sport. They demanded more and more human victims. -Every Jew found in the streets was haled -with insult of tongue and the prick of spear-points -to the scene of butchery. The decree of the King -granting immunity to certain households was of -little moment. While the demonized multitude did -not dare to altogether ignore the certificate of royal -clemency which was affixed to the gates and lintels -of a favored few, private soldiers themselves assumed -to test the loyalty of the inmates.</p> - -<p>Elkiah's household was thus challenged. The old<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span> -man was dragged to his doorway and given the -alternative of worshipping Jupiter or being put to -death. He took the spices which they thrust into -his shaking hand, as if he purposed to drop them -upon the Greek altar at the gate. A howl of disappointment -rose from the crowd, who imagined -that their victim was thus escaping them; but it -soon changed to a wild cry of cruel gratification, -for Elkiah only looked a moment upon the grains, -while his lips moved in some inaudible prayer; then -he flung them into the faces of his challengers:</p> - -<p>"The curse of Nadab and Abihu, who offered -strange fire upon the altar, be upon the son of -Israel who this day denies his God! The worms of -hell consume you all!"</p> - -<p>Before he could be hindered Elkiah threw himself -against the little heathen altar. It fell crashing beneath -him. The next instant he was seized and -thrown like the carcass of a beast across the shoulders -of a gigantic Greek, who carried him to the -Temple. Here he was cast into a pile of patriots, -some still breathing, the most dead.</p> - -<p>"The old bigot is gone at last," said his bearer.</p> - -<p>"Then I will grease him for better frying over in -Gehenna," said another, as he forced a piece of -swine's fat into Elkiah's mouth.</p> - -<p>The insult revived the patriot. He spat out the -uncleanness. Then a strange strength came into the -venerable man. Before hands could grasp him he -had risen to his feet. His bent form became suddenly -erect with the inspiration of his passion. The -crowd drew back a little as if the dead had come -to life. Elkiah's voice rose to a shrill outcry, and -rang above the howling of the multitude:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Say the heathen, 'The sacrifice shall cease on the -altar of Jewry'? It shall not cease. I myself will -be a sacrifice. God receive my offering!"</p> - -<p>He raised his clenched hands above his head and -stood an instant, glaring upon the bystanders like -the incarnation of a curse. Then he strode with -shaking steps to the side of the old altar, and before -any one could stop him threw himself upon the -stones. His frame quivered an instant as if a priest's -knife were indeed turning in his heart. Soldiers -lifted him, and flung him back upon the pavement.</p> - -<p>The Jew had conquered. He had made his sacrifice -to his God. Elkiah, the Nasi, the last of the -Sanhedrin, was dead.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Deborah had essayed to follow her father when -his captors took him from his house. A Greek officer -seized her and forced her back.</p> - -<p>"By all the gods of Greek and Jew, you shall not -go!"</p> - -<p>The speaker was Dion.</p> - -<p>For a little her resolution seemed to yield before -the imperiousness of her friend. But her spirit was -as a Damascus blade which, suddenly bent, springs -back into shape. With a wild cry, "I will go to -my father; they shall not harm him!" she broke -from Dion. His stronger arms regained her.</p> - -<p>"You will not be harmed if you stay here," Dion -said; "but both you and your father will perish if -you go. None but I can save you, Deborah. By my -love I entreat."</p> - -<p>"Your love! your love!" There was utter contempt -in her tone. "You, a hired slaughterer of -our people!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Nay, then by my strength you shall not go."</p> - -<p>He grasped her wrists. The might of her soul -was imparted to her arms, and she had nearly freed -herself. It required a rough grip of even the athlete's -strong hands to detain her. His hard fingers -deeply indented her softer flesh. Her face was contorted -with pain. Dion relaxed his hold, but not -enough to allow her to escape.</p> - -<p>So close they stood that their breaths mingled. -If soul were breath, as the one Hebrew word for -both signifies, it might be that their spirits touched -and mingled also; for the fire slowly died from her eyes.</p> - -<p>"You are stronger than I," she said, with panting -breath.</p> - -<p>"Forgive my use of force," replied Dion; "but I -had to choose between offending and saving you. -I have seen too many cruelties to dare to let you -go from the door."</p> - -<p>Deborah's look searched Dion to the heart. She -spoke with slow accents, as if uncertain whether -to venture the words:</p> - -<p>"I will trust you, though a Greek. Let no harm -come to my father."</p> - -<p>"If man can save him, I will. But do you pledge -me, Deborah, that you will not go to the streets. -A flower would be safer thrown there under the -feet of the mob than you among the soldiers. Pledge -me, I beg you; pledge me."</p> - -<p>"Then I will wait. But fly! oh, Dion, fly! Your -word! Your sword if need be! My father! Oh, -my father!"</p> - -<p>Dion was gone.</p> - -<p>As the Greek hurried away only the arm of the -old servant Huldah prevented Deborah falling to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span> -the pavement. She moved close to the street door, -but did not open it. There she stood, not unlike -the statue of a runner whose whole attitude shows -flight while the feet are motionless. She had almost -broken her pledge and gone after Dion, but something -held her back. Was it her word? She did -not think of that. It was rather the word of the -Greek; for had he not said, "If man can save him, -I will"? She saw that in this man of hated race -was the only hope. If he should fail, then God had -willed the worst, and she would submit.</p> - -<p>Submit? To what? To grief? To bereavement? -Yes. To insult? Perhaps to death, for the assailants -of her father would not spare his child.</p> - -<p>But there was another submission she deliberately -contemplated. It was submission to the overmastering -passion which had been born last night amid -the ruins of the house of Ben Isaac—to become a -minister of vengeance for her people. She seemed -to hear her father's voice above the din of the street -calling her to avenge his name. The shades of the -martyrs of Israel in her excited imagination trooped -from Sheol, and stood around her as if to lay their -hands upon her in ordination to a life entirely devoted -to patriotism and religion; devoted, whether -with her hands red in the blood of Israel's enemies, -or white with nursing service of Israel's distressed -people, she knew not, she cared not.</p> - -<p>She was aroused from her reverie by the voice of -Caleb.</p> - -<p>"Sister, shall we not flee? Death is over the house. -They have slain our father. I but now heard the -passers-by say, 'Elkiah is dead.'"</p> - -<p>"Flee, child? Whither can we flee? The angel of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> -destruction hovers over us, his wings black, oh, so -black! and over all the city, and over all the land. -We are safe for the moment only here. We must -wait on the Lord, and—on the Greek!"</p> - -<p>"Has fear driven away your memory, sister dear?" -said Caleb. "There are passages from our home -into the great quarry which underlies the city."</p> - -<p>"True, child, but we have never learned them."</p> - -<p>"But I have. I go where those who can see find -no way. From the cellar of our house a way opens -into the cellar of our neighbor Moses, and from that -into the cellar of Omri. They both fled that way. -I heard them beg father to escape with them, but -he would not. He declared that he would die in -Jerusalem rather than flee so long as the altar of -the Lord stood on Moriah. But the altar has fallen, -sister; the people in the streets just now said that -not a stone of it stood any longer. Were our father -here, he would now flee. Come! Benjamin will be -safe, since he has become as one of the Greeks, and -Dion will care for him. Come! I can guide you, -and God will guide me as He always has done. -Come!"</p> - -<p>"Nay, child, the daughter of Elkiah cannot leave -her house while her father lives. He will return—or -Dion."</p> - -<p>"But our father will not come again," urged the -child. "Did I not hear them say, 'The Jew is dead'? -Come!"</p> - -<p>"I will not believe it until Dion returns and tells -me with his own lips. They will not, they dare not -kill my father. Besides, I have given the Greek my -word."</p> - -<p>"Your word to a Greek! What is there in that?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span></p> - -<p>"True, only my word to a Greek! To a Greek! -Then let us go for your sake, child."</p> - -<p>She followed the blind boy as he darted across the -court to the door which opened into the servants' -apartment, and thence into the cellar. At the entrance -she stopped.</p> - -<p>"Nay, child, I cannot go. I have given him my -word."</p> - -<p>"Trust not the Greek," cried Caleb. "He will not -come back. He dare not if he would. They would -kill him if he befriended us or our father. But -hark!"</p> - -<p>The blind boy stood in an attitude of listening. -Then he cried excitedly, "Aye! He comes. I hear -Captain Dion's voice in the street. He has turned -the corner—now he is at the door."</p> - -<p>Dion stood before them.</p> - -<p>For a little he was speechless, as if the words he -would speak were too cruel to utter. He did not -even lift his eyes to the young woman's face.</p> - -<p>"Do not speak, sir!" said Deborah. "I know it -all. My father has been slain by your people."</p> - -<p>"Nay, not slain," replied the Greek. "Your father's -God has taken him. As Zeus lives—as Jehovah lives—Elkiah -died as only the greatest and best of men -can die; no hand struck the blow. On the steps of -the altar of his God he himself gave up his life. -The gods take the breath of such men with a kiss."</p> - -<p>Deborah bowed herself upon the pavement.</p> - -<p>"Aye, he was a sacrifice. Oh, my father!" Then -she rose. Her eyes seemed to see the ascended spirit -as she said slowly:</p> - -<p>"Now I swear by thy white locks—by the altar -of thy broken heart! I, too, will be a sacrifice!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span></p> - -<p>The Greek was paralyzed by the sense of his helplessness -to say or do anything to mitigate the -woman's woe. Though he knew not what it meant, -he knew that there was a tragedy in her heart as -real as the one that had just occurred at the Temple.</p> - -<p>Dion lingered to offer—what? Comfort? Help? -Perhaps he acted simply from the instinct by which -noble natures wait to give themselves to others for -whatever may be needed. One thing he could do.</p> - -<p>"Your father shall have honorable interment. I -have secured from Apollonius the order that he be -buried in the sepulchre of his fathers. With your -brother's sickness and the hazard to your life and -that of Caleb, I ask your permission that I may be -his mourner."</p> - -<p>"My thanks, good sir. And my father's God will -bless you."</p> - -<p>Still Dion lingered, until Deborah herself said:</p> - -<p>"Captain Dion, you must go away. This house is -no place for a Greek."</p> - -<p>"Nay, it is the place for such a Greek as I. Let -me help you. Tell me your desire, and it shall be -done."</p> - -<p>Deborah did not look at her companion. Advancing -to the centre of the court where the sun gleamed -fairly upon her, she raised her hand. It was not -now the attitude of defense from danger such as -Dion had seen before. It was not that of daring -which had cowed the besotted Apollonius. It was -that of supreme spiritual exaltation. It seemed to -enlarge her physical form and to transfigure her -countenance with the strong glow of inner light. -Dion had seen the priestesses of almost every shrine -among his own and foreign peoples, but nothing so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span> -august as this self-ordination of the Jewish maiden -to her mysterious service, as she said in suppressed -tones:</p> - -<p>"Now, O God of my father, I will fulfill my vow! -Lead Thou whither Thou wilt. Guide me as Thou -hast all true sons and daughters of Israel. Amen!"</p> - -<p>Then her eyes rested a moment upon Dion's. A -faint smile, or rather the slightest yielding of the -rigidness of her alabaster features, denoted a not -unkind recognition. If her voice was softened, it -lost no tone of determination as she repeated:</p> - -<p>"You must go away. I shall need no further help."</p> - -<p>"You know not what you say," replied Dion -eagerly. "You are utterly helpless here. Your -brother's name will not save you one moment from -the danger which I know will follow you. You -must flee. Can you conceal yourself for a little -while? I will return with the dress of a Greek -woman, and in that disguise I can take you to a -place of safety."</p> - -<p>"Nay, go you and bury my father," said she.</p> - -<p>"Promise me that you will not pass into the -street."</p> - -<p>"I will not go—into the street."</p> - -<p>"The gods be praised!" cried Dion. He seized her -hand, and before she could withdraw it had pressed -it to his lips. Then he hastened away.</p> - -<p>Caleb had been a silent auditor of all this. Now -he ran to his sister's side.</p> - -<p>"Not with the Greek, Deborah, with me. You -said, only, 'Not into the street'."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I will go with you, child. And may your -blind eyes see the way of the Lord!"</p> - -<p>She passed into the chamber where Benjamin lay.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -The leech had pronounced his healing sure, though -he was not yet recovered from his stupor. Deborah -softly imprinted a kiss upon her brother's forehead. -She glanced at the familiar objects in the apartment, -most of which were sacred with memories. At -length her eyes rested upon a little ivory shrine of -the Greek Aphrodite, a token of the new religion -her brother had embraced. Then she fled from the -desecrated chamber.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>X<br /> - -<span class="smaller">JUDAS MACCABÆUS</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-j.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Jerusalem</span> crowns a massive ridge of -rock. To the eye of the inhabitant this -was a projecting portion of the very -foundation of the earth; to his faith -it was the symbol of the eternity of the -Jewish religion. The rock is not, however, as solid -as it seems. For ages it has served as the quarry -from which the builders of walls and fortresses, -pavements and palaces, have taken their material, -leaving little more than the shell of the dome which -first attracted the worshipful gaze of Abraham as he -journeyed up from the south country. The rock of -Moriah may then be taken as a symbol of the hollow -formality into which the religion of Israel has -at times degenerated. In the time of our story there -were, beneath the streets and houses of the city, -long labyrinthine passages that were unlighted except -by the occasional lantern of an explorer or -prowler, and vast chambers where no sound, save -of some cautious footstep, had echoed since the click -of the hammer of the Phœnician stone-cutter in the -days of Hiram, the royal friend of Solomon, whose -Tyrian artisans built the Temple.</p> - -<p>In the flight of Deborah and Caleb, the lad led the -way first to the upper cellar of the house of Elkiah. -The floor of this was laid in well-squared blocks of -white marble, cornered with smaller blocks in black,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> -making an artistic pattern which could be discerned -in the dim light that now fell upon it. In ancient -times this cellar floor had been the pavement of an -upper court, and opened to the full daylight; for -Jerusalem had been again and again destroyed and -rebuilt upon its own ruins.</p> - -<p>Passing through this cellar the fugitives struck a -series of winding stone steps which brought them to -a sub-cellar. Here the darkness was dense. Caleb -stood a moment with his hands extended, as if -possessing eyes in his finger-tips.</p> - -<p>"I have it. The air comes this way. I can feel it -as it oozes up from the cracks about the loose trap-door, -as easily as you, Deborah, could see the light -around window shutters. Here is the trap. The -stone tilts. It is hung on an iron bar. The big end -of the stone rests on a rim, and is enough heavier to -prevent the other end from sinking when one steps -on it, but not heavier than you and I can lift. -Uriah and I have often opened it, and he is no -stronger than I am. Your fingers here, Deborah."</p> - -<p>As the stone was tilted there came up a stream of -damp, chilly air, which, Caleb said, was "the breath -of the thousand toads and bats that live in the -crannies below."</p> - -<p>The blind boy leaped unhesitatingly into the black -depths.</p> - -<p>"It's smooth here, sister. The old Phœnicians -swept up all their stone chips before they went home. -I could run barefoot here without stubbing my -toe."</p> - -<p>Deborah let herself cautiously down into the darkness.</p> - -<p>"Ah," said she, as she felt the solid level beneath<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span> -her feet, "if we could only trust God as easily as I -can trust my child!"</p> - -<p>"But why shouldn't we, dear heart?" replied the -boy. "God says, 'I will guide thee with mine eye.' -Hasn't He done so with me?"</p> - -<p>He took his sister's hand and led on boldly for a -few paces.</p> - -<p>"Wait. Yes, we turn this way, for the air comes -from this direction. Stoop, sister! Uriah once -bumped his head here. Now we are past it. Uriah -said the roof here was twenty cubits high, and was -held up by big pillars of the rock which hadn't been -cut away. One day he lit a lamp in here, and the -bats flew about like black shooting-stars. Listen! -That's the water that comes from Solomon's Pools, -down by Bethlehem; the same that spouts up in -our fountain. And that drip, drip, drip—Uriah said -it was the dying heart-beats of our nation. God -make him mistaken for once! It's nothing but -leaks. And——"</p> - -<p>Caleb did not finish his sentence. Even Deborah -exclaimed in alarm. A sharp cry rang through the -cavernous passage. At the next instant Caleb was -thrown from his feet. Something large, yet soft, -brushed him. He heard the quick snapping of teeth, -then a rustling beyond them, which suddenly ceased.</p> - -<p>"It's only a fox. Uriah said that one day he -chased one into the big crack in the north wall. -Lots of them must live in here, or else foxes haven't -got the wit they are thought to have."</p> - -<p>A little further on the fugitives felt the air to be -fresher and warmer. A light flickered in the distance. -It seemed to Deborah to come through a -window with shifting lattice-work.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span></p> - -<p>"That's the opening through the city wall, not -far from the north gate," said Caleb. "It is covered -up with bushes on the outside. That's the reason -the soldiers haven't found it yet. The wind -blows the bushes like a curtain, Uriah says, and it -makes the light blink."</p> - -<p>The exit from the cavern through the city wall -was very narrow, a mere crevice between the great -stones which some earthquake, or possibly the -stroke of some battering-ram, had dislodged.</p> - -<p>"Let me look out, sister. I can see with my ears -without pushing the bushes."</p> - -<p>Caleb lifted himself to the aperture, and crawled -into it, where he lay for a moment as still as a -lizard. He suddenly slipped down again to his sister's -side.</p> - -<p>"A sentinel is passing. He is a big, awkward -fellow, for I hear his feet roll on the little stones. -Now he has gone. The soldiers are afraid to come -among the bushes or close to the walls, because -the cracks in the stones are full of little adders. -But they never harm me."</p> - -<p>"The Psalm reads," said Deborah, "'Thou shalt -tread upon the lion and adder.'"</p> - -<p>"But," rejoined the lad, "I don't even tread on -them. One day, though, I put my hand on one, -and he didn't bite me. Maybe that is what the Lord -means, too."</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied his sister, "for Esaias says, 'The -sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and -the weaned child shall put his hand in the cockatrice's -den.' But that is to be when Jerusalem is -redeemed by a new David. God grant that your -safety from these reptiles may mean that glorious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> -days are near at hand. The Deliverer must come. -He must come. Maybe we shall see Him, Caleb."</p> - -<p>So they talked in whispers while the aperture -grew dim with approaching night.</p> - -<p>Caleb and Deborah did not venture to come out -of the old city quarry until darkness had fully fallen, -and the ray of a star shot its salutation to them -through the crevice. When they emerged they stood -for a long time close to the wall, screened by the -bushes.</p> - -<p>"How large the stars look!" whispered Deborah. -"They hang as in mid-air; the constellations like -ear-rings and necklaces on the invisible angels. They -seem nearer than the camp-fires and tent lanterns -of the Greeks on the hills yonder. So let us trust -Heaven's help is nearer to us than our enemies."</p> - -<p>"Amen!" rejoined Caleb.</p> - -<p>Deborah glanced upward at the majestic march -of what Caleb said were "God's Helmets," and then -along the line of the Greek encampment, as she exclaimed, -"O stars that fought in their courses -against Sisera, fight against Apollonius!"</p> - -<p>Caleb started, pressing his sister's hand. "Are -the stars moving, sister?"</p> - -<p>"No, child; it is but the night winds warring -against the high walls of the city. The stars hear -no command of the Lord as yet."</p> - -<p>"But listen!" again interposed the excited child.</p> - -<p>"No, that is only the wind among the olives in -the old garden of Kedron," replied Deborah.</p> - -<p>"But was there not once the 'sound of a going in -the tops of the mulberry trees' that told David the -Lord went before him to battle?" quoted the child.</p> - -<p>"Oh, if God would be to us as thy faith, my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span> -child!" and Deborah stooped to kiss his forehead -as they hurried away.</p> - -<p>It was not difficult to avoid the soldiers, for, -with the exception of an occasional sentry posted -along the high road, the companies kept within -their various camps. The Greeks had learned lessons -in caution during their brief occupancy of Palestine -such as had not been needed in the other -countries they had subjugated. It was quite a common -thing in the neighborhood of Jerusalem for -sentinels never to return from their beats. Small -companies of guards sometimes disappeared mysteriously, -as if swallowed by earthquakes which -made no rumble and closed their lips in silence. -Even close to the camps men dropped in their tracks, -while a stone, the size of one's fist, went clattering -over the ground, leaving its mark in a broken skull -or a mangled face; for the Jewish herdsmen were -still as expert with the sling as they were in the -days of David. Rumor attributed many of these -daring exploits to a single family, five young men, -the sons of a priest in Modin, chief of whom in this -outlawry was Judas, reputed a giant.</p> - -<p>Deborah and Caleb were comparatively safe, for -they did not attempt the highways, nor even the -beaten footpaths, but passed hastily across the -stony fields, and glided crouching between the vine-rows -on cultivated terraces. Now they paused to -listen in the deeper shadows, by some gnarled olive -whose dusky branches made the night darker; again, -they hid behind the broad-bottomed cypresses if -noise were heard; then, utterly wearied, they rested -quietly for a few moments under the fig-trees.</p> - -<p>Their course brought the fugitives beneath the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> -frowning palisades of solid rock into which were -cut the tombs of the Judges. These had no terrors -for Deborah. Indeed, she lingered as if to commune -with those departed spirits who might be near to -the gates of Sheol listening for tidings from the -upper world. Did these heroes of old still live? Were -they unconscious of the awful fate that had fallen -upon their land? Were there no powers among them -which could return to the visible world and avenge -the sorrows of those who are still forced to endure -existence in the flesh? She remembered that once she -had been poisoned by passing a noxious plant. Now -she wondered if the other world had no destroying -breath with which to slay the Greeks. Would not -the soul of Elkiah, the righteous, stir up the abode -of the dead by his coming, and by the story of his -wrongs? Was Jehovah dead, too?</p> - -<p>She condemned such thoughts as blasphemous and -pushed on.</p> - -<p>Only the stumbling of their feet against the stones -broke the night silence.</p> - -<p>At length dawn began to pour over the mountains -of Moab. The jagged peaks far to the east, -like prisms, unwound the white light and twisted -its threads into robes of purple and orange, and -transformed snowy points here and there into diamond -and pearl. Deborah felt the inspiration of -the scene. Surely the chariots and horses of God -must charge from the sky, if Jehovah were indeed -the "Lord of Hosts."</p> - -<p>A noble hill rose before the fugitives; this was -Mizpah. Here, as Deborah related, was where Samuel -gathered the faithful to smite the Philistines, -and down these very slopes God pursued the ene<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span>mies -of Israel with His thunders. Some one of these -great stones might be the very stone Samuel had -set up and called "Ebenezer," to commemorate the -Lord's help. Oh, if she knew which it was, that -she might kneel beside it, and repeat aloud the vow -to serve her country's God!</p> - -<p>On the hill gleamed the white, flat roofs of the -houses of the little city of Mizpah, just showing -themselves above the brown walls. Should she -hasten onward? The fatigue of the long, excited -tramp, the chill of the night, which the warm glow -in the distant east seemed to drive deeper into their -aching flesh, the human longing for companionship, -and the hope of help urged her forward. She would -enter Mizpah. There must be many there who had -known Elkiah, and would protect his children.</p> - -<p>But what was that which the dawning light -made suddenly visible against the background of -the walls? Alas! Deborah was too familiar with -the ubiquitous banner flying from the spear-head. -Mizpah, like Jerusalem, was occupied by the enemy. -To go nearer was to court the very danger from -which they were fleeing. But to flee again was too -much for exhausted flesh. The shock of this discovery -paralyzed her remaining energy. She tried -to cling to the side of the rock against which she -had been leaning. She fell fainting at its base.</p> - -<p>Then the brain, too much excited, and unchecked -by will, wrought its usual work. Memory and -imagination became confused. The hill of Mizpah -appeared to her repeopled with its ancient inhabitants. -Old scenes of which she had read took the -place of those she had just witnessed. The Greek -tents became those of the ancient Philistines. Who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -should deliver Israel? She thought that the tall -form of Saul, son of Kish, strode again along the -slope of Mizpah, looking for his father's asses. -Where was Samuel with the horn to anoint him -king?</p> - -<p>A full flash of the sun bursting over the eastern -mountains revived her. Did it awaken her, or -merely vitalize and make real her dream? She could -not tell, for though this was Caleb sleeping by her -side, surely yonder was Saul. His herdsman's dress -could not disguise his kingly bearing. It needed not -the prophetic gift of Samuel to distinguish the -Lord's anointed. So stalwart was he, a head taller -than most men; so majestic of mien; so noble of -countenance. The apparition came near. It stood -over her, taller than the rock, and seeming stronger. -It bent down to her, and then it spoke:</p> - -<p>"My children, why are you here?"</p> - -<p>The voice aroused Caleb. His movement and the -quick grasp of his sister's hand brought Deborah -fully back from her dream. She pressed her eyes, -if possible to press out any mere illusion; but the -figure of Saul was still there.</p> - -<p>He repeated his question, "Why are you here, children?"</p> - -<p>Kindly he gave a hand to the startled girl. She -grasped it, partly to discover whether it were real or -a phantom; partly because she was so weak in flesh -and will that she would have grasped any human -hand that did not strike her or wear the mail of the -hated Greek. She rose to her feet. The stranger -started as if he, too, were uncertain whether this -were not an apparition; for Deborah was not a -child, as her face asleep had betokened, but now a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> -woman. Into her youthful features the sharp suffering -of a few days had put those lines which ordinarily -come only of mature years and slow corroding -care. Her black eyes had sunken deeper into -their sockets. Their gleam seemed to be a reflection -from some inner mirror of the soul, rather than a -direct outlook,—that resilience of intense introspection -which martyrs have in their eyes when they -gaze upon those who have come to see them -die.</p> - -<p>The stranger's manner became that of reverential -sympathy.</p> - -<p>"My good woman, how came you here? And who -are you? Where is your home?"</p> - -<p>Deborah's uncertainty as to her own identity was -at that moment nearly as great as that of her -inquirer. She gazed intently into his face until she -could assure herself that she was waking.</p> - -<p>"My home, sir, is nowhere and everywhere. When -the nest is destroyed the birds' home is on any tree -or rock, and God provides for them. Such is our -only refuge. I am a daughter of Jerusalem. We are -children of Elkiah, son of Reuben."</p> - -<p>"Then the news I have heard is true," exclaimed -the man excitedly. "God of Israel, avenge thy -murdered saints!"</p> - -<p>The face of the stranger underwent a contortion -that transformed it. Had Deborah seen this aspect -first she had not dared to trust the man; so wrathful, -so cruel he looked. But instantly his expression -reverted to kindliness. There came into it a wonderful -benignity. His eye was as clear a fountain of -honesty and affection as the sun is of light. Every -lineament also spoke of courage that matched the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> -tremendous strength which his stalwart frame and -protruding muscles displayed.</p> - -<p>Deborah briefly narrated the events of recent -hours.</p> - -<p>"And you, sir? Who are you that dares speak -kindly to one whom even God seems to have forgotten?"</p> - -<p>"I am Judas, son of Mattathias, the priest of -Modin. But it is enough that I am a son of Israel -and your protector," showing a stout sword beneath -his herdsman's goatskin shirt. "A few of us -have given ourselves during these dangerous times to -the help of the fugitives from the Sacred City, and I -thank our Lord that He has directed me to this -spot where I may serve the house of Elkiah. But -here, my children, you cannot remain; nor can you -enter the town yonder. You must go with me. I -will see you safely among those who revere your -father's name, and are brave enough to defend his -children as they would their own."</p> - -<p>He took the lad into his strong hands, and placed -him astride his shoulder.</p> - -<p>Avoiding the open places, and as much as possible -keeping the rocks between them and Mizpah, he led -the way down the hill, skirting its northern base. -At length they struck the bed of a brook, which, -though torn by the winter freshets, was now dry. -Scarcely had they begun to follow its water-whitened -stones when they were challenged. A -Greek sentinel strode out before them.</p> - -<p>"The password!"</p> - -<p>Judas leisurely placed Caleb upon the ground. -His bowed attitude was that of a lion when he is -about to spring upon his prey, and, swift as the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> -king of beasts, the Jew was upon the sentinel. -Bending him backward, his iron grip was about the -challenger's throat. In another instant the Greek's -skull was shattered against a stone.</p> - -<p>Judas stood a moment, grim as a fiend, contemplating -his work. Then his lips moved:</p> - -<p>"Forgive me, O my God! But was not my frenzy -Thine, O Avenger of Israel?"</p> - -<p>Gradually his harsh features relaxed. He glanced -at his helpless charge, then at the dead body. He -sat down and burst into tears.</p> - -<p>"Demon or angel, into whose hands have I fallen?" -murmured Deborah, for her rescuer seemed either less -or more than man.</p> - -<p>A moment later the opening between the rocks -where they stood was shadowed. A Greek armor -blocked the way.</p> - -<p>Deborah uttered a cry of horror. Surely they -were entrapped. But her guide advancing familiarly -embraced the intruder. The stranger, removing his -broad-brimmed Greek hat, showed a head marvelously -like the other's; the same bristling red hair, -broad forehead and decidedly aquiline nose. Though -not so tall as Judas, the newcomer was equally -broad-shouldered and as compactly built; his arms -longer in proportion to the body; his calves more -knotty. If Judas were a lion, this man was of a -panther's build.</p> - -<p>"The attempt succeeded, brother Jonathan?" inquired -Judas.</p> - -<p>"Perfectly," replied the seeming Greek. "I spent -the night within the walls of Mizpah, and learned -that Apollonius has about twenty thousand between -Jerusalem and the sea."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span></p> - -<p>"So many? And we are a brood of partridges -before the hawks."</p> - -<p>"But Elijah's God is left, brother Judas."</p> - -<p>"Aye, but there is no Elijah."</p> - -<p>"Say not so. Elijah was not Elijah until God -called him, and made him feel the truth his name -signified,—Elijah, 'whose God is Jehovah.' And God -can call whom He will, and whom He calls, He will -empower. Gideon was hiding his wheat from the -Philistines, when the Lord said, 'Go, in this thy -might, and thou shalt save Israel.' To whom may -He not speak? And woe to the man unto whom -the Lord speaks, if he shall not obey, though he be -a Simon or a Judas. Our father's house is not like -Gideon's, least in the tribe; nor are you, Judas, -least in our father's house."</p> - -<p>"Enough of this talk, Jonathan," replied Judas. -"Our swords are only sharp enough to drink the -blood of the enemies of the Lord; not bright enough -to lead the host. Such words as yours savor of -blasphemy. I will have none of them further. But -these children of Jerusalem are in need. Take care -of them. I must away. You have all the lads of -Modin accounted for?"</p> - -<p>"Every one at his station."</p> - -<p>"No Greeks on Bethhoron?"</p> - -<p>"Not out of the town walls, or their souls would -flee their bodies as soon as their bodies left the -covert."</p> - -<p>"It is well."</p> - -<p>Judas donned the Greek armor which his brother -Jonathan had taken off.</p> - -<p>"The Lord watch over you, my lady!"</p> - -<p>His farewell was spoken with that mixture of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span> -humility and dignity which only men who are conscious -of their own exaltation, either of rank or -character, can exhibit in rendering service.</p> - -<p>"Your father is Mattathias?" asked Deborah of -Jonathan, when Judas was gone. "Is he not very -old? Surely he has often been with my father in -Jerusalem."</p> - -<p>"Alas, Mattathias is old, or our cause would not -lack a leader. But these events are too much for -him. His life burns rapidly with the excitement, and -the news of good Elkiah's death will make it burn -the faster; for Mattathias is as old as Elkiah was, -though less broken. Yet I well know that his life is -only a breath of the Lord. Our father has five sons. -Simon is the eldest and wisest; but there is that -about our Judas which marks him for the leader. -To his care is due the fact that these hills are so -guarded that not even a little waif of Judaism like -that blind child can lose his way. But Judas does -not yet believe in himself. The Lord open his eyes, -or send us another leader, else the people will perish. -But you should rest."</p> - -<p>Jonathan sought for his charge a little nook in the -side of a ravine. Even the hard ground was inviting, -for Deborah's limbs ached sorely from the unaccustomed -strain of the past few hours. The quiet -of the dell, and the knowledge that eyes as friendly -as they were sharp watched over her, came as a -sweet relief from the incessant fright of their journey. -Long time she lay endeavoring to catch some of the -calm out of the white clouds that floated above her; -or listening to the hum of insects and the calls of -birds, while she thanked God that there were creatures -less savage than man. At length nature as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span>serted -its claim, and, with Caleb in her arms, she -fell asleep. Jonathan came and threw over them a -coarse outer garment such as the better class of -peasants wore; but the fugitives were as unaware of -their friend's deeds as of the thoughts which passed -through his mind when from time to time he came -and stood awhile beside them. Darkness fell. Their -guardian let them sleep.</p> - -<p>It was past midnight when he roused them, and -the journey was resumed. Over hills and across -ravines, avoiding the usual footpath, they toiled on, -Jonathan carrying Caleb on his shoulder, and Deborah -borrowing strength of limb from her indomitable -spirit, until the stars faded in the dawning -light.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XI<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE PRIEST'S KNIFE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Toward</span> noon of the next day the party -came near to the little city of Modin. -They paused to take in the view from -an adjacent hilltop. Far to the west -glistened the waters of the Great Sea, -bordered by the blazing yellow of the sand-dunes -that divide that vast blue waste from the rich plains -of Sharon. The brief chill of winter had not despoiled -this fertile tract of the beauty in which the -other seasons had arrayed it. Yonder glowed the -white walls of Lydda, like a pearl in a setting of -emerald. Many quiet villages looked out from beneath -their brows of dusky olive-trees, and gardens -sent their challenge of life to the gray limestone rocks -which seemed to bind the hills in sterility.</p> - -<p>At length Deborah's gaze was diverted from this -fascinating view by a strange sight. A conical knoll -rises before Modin. This was crowded with an -excited multitude. The gay attire of some of the -people proclaimed a festival, while the movements of -others upon the outskirts of the crowd were rather -suggestive of an angry mob than of a happy concourse. -Upon the summit of the knoll stood an -altar. It was made of wood, but painted to resemble -ivory ornamented with bands of gold. Its -graceful shape supported a basin or brazier of burning -coals.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span></p> - -<p>The altar was surrounded by a detachment of -Greek soldiers mingled with a small group of civilians. -These latter were of various races: Phœnicians -from the coast, who happened to be detained -in Modin by their business as traders; men of Moab -and other strolling tribesmen from beyond the land -of Judea, who had less contempt for the frivolous -rites of the Greek than hatred of the severer worship -of the Jews, which they were willing to see supplanted; -Samaritans, whose kinsmen at Shechem -had already obeyed the commands of Antiochus, and -offered heathen sacrifice upon their temple heights of -Gerizim; and renegade Jews, only too willing to believe -that the new religion was favored of heaven, -since its observance on their part brought them -immunity from confiscation of goods and bodily -harm. In the crowd were a score or more women, -the camp-followers of the Greeks, whose tawdry -finery afforded a rather pleasing contrast with the -polished metal and stiff forms of the soldiers. All -were crowned with sprigs of ivy, for the rite now in -progress was in honor of Bacchus. Female flute-players, -with skirts split to their thighs, led the -dance, and were followed about by companies of -half-drunken men and youths, who observed so -much of the steps as their unsteady legs permitted.</p> - -<p>Avoiding this crowd, Jonathan brought Deborah -and Caleb near to the gate of the town. Here was -a very different scene. The native populace swarmed -under the shadow of the wall. It was evident that -these people were of a temper utterly hostile to that -which swayed the devotees about the altar of Bacchus. -In the centre of this crowd stood an officer -of the King. By his side was the herald, who had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> -just completed reading a proclamation commanding -all persons above twelve years of age to make an -offering to Bacchus before the sun should set, under -penalty of being put to death.</p> - -<p>The cruel mandate evoked cries of fright and fury -from the people. Some shrieked wildly with alarm, -well knowing the terrible alternative of apostacy or -death, and knowing also that in almost every household -there were those who would deliberately choose -the latter. Some cursed deeply, and glared upon the -officials with eyes not unlike those of wild beasts -answering the challenge of their captors. Then uprose -that strange lamentation in which Eastern -people are accustomed to express their grief—agonized -outcries accompanied by tearing the hair, rending -garments, and flinging handfuls of dust in the air.</p> - -<p>In the throng was an old man. Though many -years had whitened his locks, his form was erect -and evidenced the strength and vigor of well-kept -manhood. His face was strikingly beautiful, its -lineaments such as are formed only by the habit -of lofty thinking and gentle impulses. Deborah -could not but recall the faces of her two guides -from Mizpah, which this one resembled.</p> - -<p>"Venerable sir," said the Greek officer, "you are -ruler here, and as their priest high in honor among -this people. Your words they obey. Your example -they follow. You are their shepherd. Why should -you lead them into needless calamity? Come, then, -and fulfill the King's demand. It is but a little -thing required of you; not to disobey your nation's -God, but to recognize the gods of others. Surely, -some power beyond our own makes the vine grow, -and fills its clusters with wine. Call that power<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> -Bacchus, or think of it by the nameless name of -your own God—what matters it? Recognize that -power by casting a pinch of incense upon the altar. -Pray as you please in the depths of your soul; only -do this little act. Will you lead the people to slaughter -for so simple a thing as a crushed berry of spice, -or drop of oil from a pressed olive? The great King -Antiochus would delight to favor with riches the -noble Mattathias, of whose devotion to Jewry he -has heard so much; and he longs to have such -faithful servants as you and your stalwart sons to -promote his own generous rule over these lands -which the gods have given him."</p> - -<p>The King's officer would have proceeded further, -but the impatience of the old man prevented him. -Raising his voice, he cried out:</p> - -<p>"Let Antiochus know, that, though all nations -that are now under the King's dominion obey him, -and fall away every one from the religion of their -fathers, yet will I, and my sons, and my brethren -walk in the ancient covenant. We will not hearken -to the King's words, to go from our religion, either -to the right or to the left."</p> - -<p>"The priest is mad with bigotry, and would destroy -us. Let us go and sacrifice," said one, moving -from the crowd toward the altar on the knoll.</p> - -<p>Mattathias gazed upon the renegade. A look of -unutterable pity overspread his features.</p> - -<p>"Thou shalt not sin thus against the Lord our -God, brother Laban," said he, as he laid his strong -hand upon the other's shoulders.</p> - -<p>"Is Mattathias still a priest to kill as if we were -sheep for sacrifice? Unhand me, lest I smite thee in -spite of thy years," said Laban.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Aye, a priest still," cried the old man, suddenly -transported with rage, "priest still to sacrifice. It -is better that the dust of the ground of our Holy -Land receive the blood of Laban than that the altar -of the heathen receive his offering."</p> - -<p>He drew from his robe a priest's knife and drove -it into the heart of the traitor.</p> - -<p>As the body fell the venerable man broke out into -lamentation, "Oh, my brother Laban, why didst -thou drive me so mad? O my God, forgive me, -save me! Save Thy people!"</p> - -<p>The King's officer sounded an alarm, and soldiers -hastened from the adjacent knoll. But these were -soon overpowered by the infuriated mob of Jews; -and from the mêlée was dragged forth the dead -body of the Greek Commandant himself.</p> - -<p>Mattathias stood a moment and gazed upon the -bruised and bleeding form of the officer. Then he -raised his hands and, with face uplifted to the white -clouds that floated above, he cried:</p> - -<p>"O God of Israel, forgive Thy priest! Forgive -Thy people if they have this day been led into sin. -But Thou, Lord, knowest our hearts. The zeal of -Thine house hath eaten us up!"</p> - -<p>Then he turned to the people. All fury suddenly -died from his features. Instead there came a look -of wonderful compassion and solicitude. It was as -the clear azure following the thunder-storm.</p> - -<p>"To your homes, friends! To your closets! Let -no one eat this day, but with fasting let us spread -our woes before the Lord. I know, I know that -He will appear for us. For we are His people and -the sheep of His pasture. But alas! who shall be -the Avenger?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE FORT OF THE ROCKS</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-a.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">At</span> the bidding of Mattathias, the people -passed hurriedly into the town. The -stones of the street were torn up; some -of them piled in heavy masses against -the city gates; others carried to the -walls, ready to be hurled down upon assailants. -In vain did those returning from the knoll, where -they had taken part in the heathen worship, seek -admission. Their rapping and calls to their fellow-townsmen -were answered by taunts. Mattathias -insisted on their exclusion, lest there should be division -in counsel and action, while he foresaw that -there was no alternative other than fighting for -their lives, or voluntarily surrendering themselves to -the atrocities of the foe. A low wail of lamentation -could be heard from hundreds of homes, like the -murmur of a torrent. Now and then it broke into -a sharp cry of defiance from maddened groups on the -house-tops, as a torrent leaps and splashes high in -air over some sharp obstacle that opposes its course.</p> - -<p>The night that followed was one of fearful expectancy -in Modin. The news of the assault upon -the King's representative might bring the Greek -soldiers, who were scattered along Bethhoron, in -retaliatory vengeance. But the sentinels on the -walls made no alarms. The next day the extemporized -scouting parties reported no hostile movement.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span> -But it was certain that the authorities at Jerusalem -would not long delay a blow which would vindicate -their power, and the honor of the monarch.</p> - -<p>In the little town all was confusion, for the inhabitants -made preparations to migrate from their -now insecure homes. The excitement increased as -from the hills and valleys around their herdsmen -hastily gathered the flocks, and drove them close to -the city.</p> - -<p>On the second night strange sounds floated everywhere -through the darkness—the lowing of cattle, -bleating of sheep, braying of asses, and the occasional -grunt of camels resenting the unseemly hour -of their lading. These moved eastward through the -darkness, and later were followed by an exodus of -the inhabitants from the town. Deborah noted the -women, whose hands had scarcely lifted heavier -weight than the distaff, now bowed beneath bulky -loads of household stuff. Boys carried jars of provisions -as big as themselves. Men, armed with -swords, javelins, bows, and bludgeons, led the way, -or deployed as guards on flank and rear of the unsteady -column.</p> - -<p>In the confusion little notice was taken of Deborah -and Caleb, except as some one peered into their -faces in the endeavor to identify them. They -trudged along with a group of women and children, -old men and cripples, whose slow pace excited impatience -and an occasional unkind taunt from the -stronger limbed.</p> - -<p>In the company with Caleb hobbled a lad some -years older than he. The feet of this boy were -strangely malformed. Both were so twisted from -their normal relation to his legs that his toes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span> -pointed very nearly backward. This infirmity and -the weight of his heavy wooden sandals were, however, -largely compensated for by the boy's muscular -strength and alertness of faculty. With the aid of a -stick, crotched at the upper end, he swung himself -along the road and over obstacles in the fields -which tangled legs better than his own. Only by -the harsh words and cuffs of the men who were -leading or guarding the multitude was the boy -kept with the weaker folk. Now some sentinel, with -hand to ear, pausing, and listening for the remotest -sound of approaching soldiery, was startled by the -rattling of the stones under the boy's feet and -crutch. Now, again, he was hobbling along with -the rear guard as valiantly as if his stick were the -sword of Goliath of Gath.</p> - -<p>Through the dim night the lame lad noticed that -Caleb's gait was different from that of the others. -His occasional stumbling and his clinging to his -sister's hand excited the curiosity of his observer.</p> - -<p>"Say, are you lame, too?" the strange boy asked.</p> - -<p>"No, I am only blind, the Lord be praised!" replied -Caleb.</p> - -<p>"Only blind! Whew!" and a long whistle threaded -the stillness of the march.</p> - -<p>"Silence!" said a gruff voice.</p> - -<p>"Can't you see a bit?"</p> - -<p>"No, not as you see."</p> - -<p>"Haven't you any eyes?" and the boy drew -Caleb's face close to his. "Oh, such big eyes! and -can't see? But such eyes must see somewhere. -Maybe they are like my feet, that look in the direction -they aren't going. Can't you see the inside of -your head?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span></p> - -<p>Caleb laughed, and fell in with the mirthful mood -of his companion.</p> - -<p>"They say I can see out of my ears and from my -finger ends."</p> - -<p>"I shouldn't wonder," replied the lame boy. "And -can you see as well in the dark as in the light?"</p> - -<p>"Just as well."</p> - -<p>"Whew!"</p> - -<p>"Silence there!"</p> - -<p>"Say, couldn't you and I have fun with the -jackals?"</p> - -<p>There was a pause.</p> - -<p>"Say, can you see"—and the boy's voice sunk to -a whisper—"can you see God? Or maybe the angels? -What are they like? Like Judas? or old Mattathias? -or like—like your sister there?"</p> - -<p>Caleb protested against his companion's irreverence -and ignorance.</p> - -<p>"Well, at any rate, the angels see you."</p> - -<p>"How do you know they do?"</p> - -<p>"Because, blind as you are, you do not stumble -half as much as I do. There, you stepped right over -that rock that I nearly broke my heels on; and the -Psalmist said of somebody, 'that the angels keep -him from stubbing his toes.' Those are not the -words, but something like them. But how can the -angels lift you over the stones if they can't see you? -Eh! But what's your name?"</p> - -<p>"Caleb. What's yours?"</p> - -<p>"Solomon; but they don't call me that. They call -me Mephibosheth, because Mephibosheth was lame -in his feet; that is, they call me Meph because the -whole word takes too much breath, and folks need -all they've got, especially in such travelling as this."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span></p> - -<p>The night wore wearily away. Once old Mattathias -joined the little group, but only for a few -moments; for though the conduct of the expedition -was left to the younger men, chiefly his five sons, the -responsibility of the movement rested with the -venerable priest. Once Judas came to them, but it -was only to insist that the daughter of Elkiah -should make use of a rude palanquin, which two -strong-limbed men carried between them upon two -poles. This Deborah refused, and, footsore and -weary though she was, trudged by its side while the -bearers conveyed a sick woman with her babe at -her breast.</p> - -<p>In the early dawn the fugitives threaded the wild, -narrow ravine in the neighborhood of Michmash, -once the scene of the adventures of Prince Jonathan, -during the wars of Saul against the Philistines. As -the day advanced, women and children sought rest -and shelter among the caverns and chasms which -made that region frightful in days of peace, but a -welcome retreat to those whom the troublous times -had ejected from better homes. Here, at Judas' -advice, Mattathias decided to halt the little host. -All fell to work building the defenses which they -would surely need in coming dangers, and which -became ever after famous as the eyrie whence the -Maccabæan eagles, those sons of Mattathias, -swooped down upon the Syrian prey.</p> - -<p>Rapidly the natural rocks grew into an orderly -fortification. Loose stone walls were built between -the outcropping ledges, until a vast space was enclosed -and divided into compartments, where a few -defenders could withstand many assailants, and to -capture which would be for the victors to fasten<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> -themselves into slaughter pens. Across the top of -the natural chasms were laid poles covered with -brushwood, which screened the people from the sun -by day and from the dews by night. Great boulders -scattered over the adjacent fields were connected by -ditches, which were so roofed that, while they -effectually obscured those passing beneath, they -were at the same time pitfalls for any intruders. -Each great rock thus became an outlying fortress, -behind which, day and night, lay wary men.</p> - -<p>At one place was a rude forge, where all sorts of -iron implements were wrought into weapons; reversing -the ancient prediction, for plowshares were now -beaten into swords, and pruning-hooks into spears.</p> - -<p>Day by day even the women and children were -practised in archery, and learned to hurl the javelin -and sling stones; while the men were drilled in companies -to execute manœuvres which the genius of -Judas devised, and which were especially adapted to -warfare in the craggy battlements of the hills. Far -and wide scouts answered one another with mysterious -signals, quick flashes at night, and sounds by -day in which the cries of birds and beasts were -imitated according to a code prepared by Jonathan. -The country for leagues about was thus practically -under one eye and one voice of command.</p> - -<p>One evening Judas came to the little enclosure of -rocks which the respect and sympathy of the people -had assigned to the privacy of Deborah. It was -screened by a coarse matting, which served both as -door and wall.</p> - -<p>"This is no place for the daughter of Elkiah," said -the young man. "I have come to ask that you -allow half a score of our brave men to escort you to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> -a spot of more safety and comfort. The strong -castle of Masada, in the wilderness by the Sea of -Salt, will prove impregnable to any attack. The -journey will not be more difficult than remaining -here."</p> - -<p>Deborah expressed her gratitude. She looked at -the upturned face of Caleb. It was pale and emaciate -with fatigue and exposure.</p> - -<p>"Surely, this is no place for the lad," she said, as -she held his cheeks between her hands.</p> - -<p>"As soon as the shadows darken the ravine yonder -you will start?" inquired Judas.</p> - -<p>Deborah for a moment made no response. She -gazed upon the women and children about her.</p> - -<p>"And these?"</p> - -<p>"They must remain where they are, and share the -fortunes of the men. It would be unsafe to move -so many. Besides, the castle is a little one, and -would not hold them. But you, if I mistake not, -as the daughter of Elkiah, have claims of kinship -with Ben Aaron, who occupies Masada."</p> - -<p>Deborah sought the sky as if in prayer; then she -said:</p> - -<p>"Judas, call me no longer the daughter of Elkiah. -Call me now only one of the daughters of Israel. -Why should I flee to the castle when these, as worthy -as I, have no such refuge?"</p> - -<p>"But surely——"</p> - -<p>"Nay, do not entreat me. Tell me, Judas, have -you not a vow to live or die in defense of Israel?"</p> - -<p>"Truly, as God lives!" said he, raising his right -hand.</p> - -<p>"Would you break your vow? Nay, do not answer. -And I, too, have a vow—to die if God will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> -take the sacrifice, with His people. Here I can serve, -if not with those who fight, then with those who -watch and care for the helpless. Take the lad, but -here I must stay."</p> - -<p>Caleb, who had been a listener, now uttered a -cry such as never escaped him except when in some -agony of pain. He flung himself into his sister's -arms. No word passed between them, but there is -a converse of hearts that needs no speech. She loosened -his embrace.</p> - -<p>"It is His will. My child, we shall not be separated. -We will both stay."</p> - -<p>Scarcely had she said this when cries of alarm -rose without. Judas was instantly gone.</p> - -<p>In an hour came Meph, utterly winded with his -haste, but he managed with detached mouthfuls of -breath to give the report of a wonderful encounter -with the enemy. He declared that—</p> - -<p>"The Greeks came along—a whole army of them—marching -as stiff as a grove of palm-trees—shields -on one shoulder and pikes on the other. All of a -sudden whiz! whiz! whiz!—and they dropped in -their tracks—lots of them did—as if they were bulrushes. -The rest of them closed up, and put their -shields together like a tent; but rocks came down -on them like hailstones—and they broke and ran -like hares."</p> - -<p>With his crutch Meph mapped on the ground the -plan of the battle, and then appealed to Caleb to -predict that such a magnificent victory would be -the end of the war. "The sword of the Lord and of -Gideon is with us! The sword of the Lord and of -Judas!" and he whirled his crutch in pantomimic -extermination of the foe.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span></p> - -<p>But, alas, such engagements were to be the almost -daily experience of the patriots. The Greek -bands were worsted by the intense bravery of the -Jews, and the more shrewdly laid plans of their -untrained but heaven-gifted leaders. In resisting -these forays, and in their devoted care of the threatened -people, the five sons of Mattathias won the -titles which history has added to their names—John, -the <i>Good</i>; Simon, the <i>Wise</i>; Judas, the <i>Hammerer</i>; -Eleazar, the <i>Sunburst</i>; and Jonathan, the -<i>Crafty</i>.</p> - -<p>The incessant excitement wrapt the popular mind -with a frenzy of religious enthusiasm and credulity. -Much of the time was spent in prayer and song. -The devoted people saw in the skill of their earthly -champions only a fuller measure of that Divine -Spirit whose impulse gave wisdom and valor, and -whose invisible Presence was a surer defense than -ten thousand phalanges of shields. As in the days -of Elijah, so once more ardent souls saw, as Deborah -had done, "the chariots of Israel and the horses -thereof" in the embattled clouds at sunset and sunrise; -and God in armor strode among the spectres of -the night.</p> - -<p>In such experiences, in which mental exaltation -put on physical prowess, and the spiritual world -was inwoven with the material—as we may believe -the soul is knit with the body—passed a year in the -"Fortress of the Rocks."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XIII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">DAUGHTER OF THE VOICE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">To</span> Deborah this was a year of mighty -transformation. The traces of girlhood -were worn from her face by the hardness -of her daily life. Her sparkling -eyes deepened and steadied their fire. -Her features became more immobile and rigid under -the stress of her one persistent thought and purpose. -Even her body was changed. She was taller. -The rounded contour of her form became more masculinely -muscular. The graceful carriage of the -maiden, brought up in the elegance of Elkiah's -home, was somewhat lost in the heavier tread and -more angular movement developed by bearing burdens -with her humbler sisters in the rude encampment, -and even by training at arms with the men.</p> - -<p>Yet, if less fair and maidenly, she was more nobly -beautiful than ever before. Could Dion have seen -her, he would have thought her more like Athena -than when he first saw her at Elkiah's gate. Hers -was now a head for a helmet rather than for ornaments. -Armor would have fitted her figure as well -as robes.</p> - -<p>To her people she had become the incarnation of -patriotism. They gave her the sacred appellation, -"The daughter of Jerusalem," the name by which -the ancient prophets had designated the nation.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> -Even old Mattathias gazed upon her as if to take -from her face some sign of that diviner will he -prayed daily to know. To the maiden's words he -would listen as to the counsel of his battle-trained -advisers.</p> - -<p>On one subject, however, the venerable leader was -inexorably opposed to her wishes. She asked that -she might be permitted to wear the armor of the -soldier, and join in the battles. The old priest replied -in the words of the ancient law:</p> - -<p>"The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth -unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's -garment, for all that so do are an abomination -unto the Lord thy God."</p> - -<p>To this prohibition he was led to make one conditional -exception—that in the event of the Fort of -the Rocks being taken by the enemy, any disguise -which might enable her to escape the danger peculiar -to a captured woman might be used.</p> - -<p>"If," replied Deborah, "for the safety of one woman -the letter of the law may be set aside, why not for -the safety of Israel?"</p> - -<p>"You are right, my daughter. Should Israel need -you, robe yourself as you will, yet remember it will -be as when a victim is arrayed for the sacrifice. -But with our brave men about you surely there is -no need for you to mingle in the common fray. -Your womanly presence now encourages us more -than a band of swordsmen."</p> - -<p>"But if—if"—Deborah hesitated in speaking—"but -if the Voice should bid me?"</p> - -<p>"The Voice! The Voice!"</p> - -<p>Mattathias bowed his head upon his breast. "The -Bath-kol! The daughter of God's voice! I may not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> -dispute that Monitor; for only those anointed of -heaven can hear it."</p> - -<p>"How may one know the Voice? Explain to me -the sacred Bath-kol"—and Deborah leaned forward, -her hand upon the patriarch's knee and her face upturned -toward his in reverent and eager inquiry.</p> - -<p>Mattathias put his hand upon her forehead. -"Alas!" he said, "I fear that the Voice has not been -heard by any in our generation, for the days are -too full of evil. God's voice is wordless; or rather, -shall I say, the Eternal Word is voiceless. The -Divine Mind shines through the mind of man as the -lightning through the clouds. But since Malachi -fell asleep, no soul of man has been so pure that -it could transmit the heavenly glory and interpret -its meaning.</p> - -<p>"Yet," he continued, after a pause, "it may be -that the Lord still teaches His own by indirection, -by what we call the Daughter of the Voice; the echo -of the heavenly from earthly things. Some of our -wisest rabbis have held that, after one has prayed, -the first words that fall upon the ear, especially if -they be sacred words from the Law, the Prophets, or -the Psalms, may be such echoes of the Divine Will. -But in these matters I am unskilled. I only know -that if God may not speak to a soul so true as -thine, beaten pure by affliction, as the oil is beaten -for the lamps of the sanctuary, then, indeed, are we -left without the light."</p> - -<p>Such words confirmed a conviction already -vaguely felt by Deborah. She recalled her tremendous -emotion that night amid the ruins of the house -of Ben Isaac. She knew nothing of those psychological -laws by which she might have accounted for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span> -her experience without attributing it to Divine suggestion. -She had often observed how the atmosphere, -hot above the fire, becomes hazy and tremulous, -so that objects seen through it are distorted; -but she did not know that her overheated mind -might render it just as uncertain a medium for -thoughts.</p> - -<p>A few days after her conversation with Mattathias, -the venerable man, shaken by age, and by the -strain of duties that would have broken the energy of -the youngest and strongest, laid himself down to die.</p> - -<p>Earth has witnessed few scenes so humanly sublime -as that in the rock-formed chamber, where the -priest and warrior committed his work to his children, -and his soul to God.</p> - -<p>His sons knelt around the couch. To them he gave -special counsel, correcting the weakness or encouraging -the peculiar strength which his prophetic soul -saw in each. For Jonathan he invoked caution; -for Simon, courage; for all, faith in the Presence of -the Lord, "who," said he, "will surely appear for -our deliverance. But by whose arm will He smite? -I know not. And yet——"</p> - -<p>He looked long upon Judas. He put his thin -hands upon his son's head. Then his own uplifted -face became strangely luminous—doubtless as once -was that of Moses. His lips parted as if they were -burdened with some glorious prophecy; but they -uttered no further word. There issued from them -only—his soul.</p> - -<p>They laid the body of Mattathias back upon the -couch. A light seemed for a while to glow about his -head, and then to be absorbed into the marble -whiteness of his features.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span></p> - -<p>Never was funeral cortege of warrior or monarch -more impressive than that which wound among the -hills far away to Modin, watched by hostile eyes, -and guarded by the sharp swords of a band of -patriots who determined that their dead chieftain -should not be deprived of burial in the sepulchre of -his fathers. The mournful train was accompanied -for a short distance from the Fort of the Rocks by -the entire multitude of women and children, wailing -with low outcries, rending their garments, and flinging -handfuls of dust into the air until the armed -procession was out of sight.</p> - -<p>The soul of Deborah had been too mightily stirred -by these occurrences to allow her to speak much -with her people. A deep ravine hard by became -sacred to her as a place of meditation. There -was something in the very formation of this place -that helped her thought. An enormous rock projected -many feet from a precipitous palisade, and -overhung the narrow width of the ravine. It seemed -about to fall and crush her as she sat beneath it. -Yet she knew that it could not fall, for the mass of -visible stone was more than counterbalanced by a -larger proportion of the rock imbedded out of sight, -in the hillside.</p> - -<p>"So," she said, "I am always under impending -danger. A black shadow is always on my soul. -But I can trust the unknown goodness of the Lord, -which outweighs and prevents the threatening evil!"</p> - -<p>There, as in her sanctuary, she one day sat down -to think and pray. How wearied she was with her -woman's work in the camp! Had there been about -her the duties and affections of a home, it would -have been different; for she was made to love, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span> -love intensely. What a wealth of devotion she -poured upon her blind brother! Yet his care did not -furnish sufficient diversion for her excited brain and -heart.</p> - -<p>The form of her father was, alas! now only a -memory. It was always with her; but it drained -her soul, as the dry desert drinks up the streams -that come from the mountains, and yet remains a -desert, flowerless, fountainless.</p> - -<p>Her brother Benjamin? Ah, it is hard to love -where we do not respect; and while she would have -given her life for his had emergency required, the -thought of him made her more lonely, since even -brotherhood was soiled with impiety and treason.</p> - -<p>If Dion's friendship now and then flashed a pleasing -thought through her mind, it was only like a -warm glow in the dark cloud of her prevailing -mood, and as quickly gone. Yet she was startled -when she noted how frequently that brightness -shot through the cloud; and she put herself under -inner penance after each recollection of the noble-hearted -Greek. Indeed, she tried to hate him for -his offered love. It seemed incongruous, hypocritical, -for a Greek to be so generous and good. A -Greek! Her soul tortured itself with detestation -of that whole racial type; yet somehow the man -persisted in standing out from his race, as a vein -of gold gleaming from its bed of baser earth. By -strong effort she drove his image from her imagination. -It was not probable that they would meet -again; and if they did, he would see now no helpless -girl appealing to his pity, but a woman, strong -and vengeful, whose words would provoke his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span> -hatred of her as the embodiment of her hated -people.</p> - -<p>So, as she had said, her heart was empty—empty -of all things that ought to furnish a woman's nature. -She seemed to herself an unsexed soul, a mass -of reckless, excited energy which could find repose -only in outward action. Oh, to be a man, strong -of arm, as tireless as daring! She looked with contempt -upon her feminine attire, which she thought -no longer fitted her changed nature.</p> - -<p>If she might not march in the ranks of the -soldiers, why could she not engage in the secret -service of which she had heard Jonathan, the Crafty, -speak as necessary to their defense? She might act -as a spy. The little band of patriots could not -hope to hold out ultimately against the overwhelming -numbers that Antiochus would send, unless -their valor were seconded by deep plotting.</p> - -<p>To act the part she contemplated would require -her to assume various attire. Would not heaven -grant her dispensation from the letter of the law -that made it a shame for a woman to put on a -man's apparel?</p> - -<p>Such thoughts surged through her soul as she sat -in the ravine. At length she knelt and consecrated -herself again—as she had done a hundred times—to -her people's God. With mute lips and phraseless -purpose she waited upon the Lord to know His -will. Oh, for some assurance that it was right to -follow her own intent!</p> - -<p>The silence was for a time unbroken. At length -a strange sound smote upon the ear. It was like -nothing she had ever heard—a ringing note that -seemed to come from the ground. Now another<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> -of different tone; and another still. These sounds -were repeated in an order that suggested the notes -of the music with which the players on instruments -at the Temple accompanied the chanting of the familiar -hymn:</p> - -<p>"Awake! Awake, Deborah! Awake! Awake! utter -a song!"</p> - -<p>Neither harp, nor lute, nor tabret, nor cymbal -could have produced these sounds. It was as if -the rocks themselves had become mighty timbrels, -and were stricken by some spirit of the woods. -Surely this must be of superhuman agency: the -noise was so unearthly, and the notes so clearly -belonged to the words they suggested. It was not -a voice; yet surely it was the Bath-kol, the Echo, -the Daughter of the Voice, of which the now sainted -Mattathias had spoken.</p> - -<p>She prostrated herself among the gnarled roots -of a great terebinth that projected from the side of -the ravine as if they were the horns of an altar. -So, too, her soul clung to her Lord. She prayed -in words that His will might be her will. Perhaps -in thought she prayed that her will might be His -will—a distinction she was too unskilled in moral -anatomy to note.</p> - -<p>Again and again with ecstatic fervor she murmured -her oft-repeated vow, "Lo, I come to do Thy -will, O God!" She lay some moments in almost a -trance of seraphic peace. This was changed to seraphic -fury. Jehovah had accepted her. She was -to be His messenger—a messenger of fire, of dagger, -of deceit toward Israel's foes, as well as of consolation -to His people.</p> - -<p>She rose, and stood with hands clasped behind<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -her, her face upturned to the glowing line of light -that spanned the ravine. She drank in the brightness -as heaven's approbation.</p> - -<p>How long she remained in that attitude of rhapsody -she did not know. The spell was suddenly -broken.</p> - -<p>"There she is! Here, Caleb, is Deborah! Give me -your hand, or she will be gone ere we reach her," -cried Mephibosheth to his blind friend, as, spying -Deborah at a distance, the children tried to reach -her. But thus startled, she walked too fast for the -lame boy, encumbered as he was with the care of -his comrade.</p> - -<p>"Well, let her go. It is enough that she is safe," -said Caleb.</p> - -<p>The boys had spent an hour in a favorite haunt -in a field of great boulders that lay just at the -brink of the ravine. These stones were of volcanic -origin, and a proportion of metal had entered into -their composition. The lads soon found that when -they were struck with smaller stones they emitted -semi-musical sounds, and they were not long in -playing upon them crude imitations of the tunes -with which they were familiar. Caleb would sit -by one that gave a deep ring, while Meph with a -stone and his crutch could reach two others.</p> - -<p>"I thought when we played 'Awake, Deborah!' -we would start her," said Meph.</p> - -<p>"So we did," replied Caleb, and reaching his hands -up to his comrade's shoulders, with a spring and a -boost, he was instantly astride them, a saddle that -the good-natured cripple had often provided for his -more unfortunate friend when the way was rough.</p> - -<p>In the counsel of the Fort of the Rocks Deborah<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> -that night related to Judas, Simon and Jonathan -the story of the strange sounds she had heard in -the ravine.</p> - -<p>Simon shook his head and remained silent, glancing -solicitously at the girl, as a physician might -study one suspected of dementia. Judas quickly -avowed his belief that God was again speaking to -His people as in the ancient days of faith. The after -debate between these brothers was decided by the -words of Jonathan, the Crafty.</p> - -<p>"If," said Jonathan, "Simon be right in ascribing -this to the maiden's madness, still it does not follow -that Judas is wholly wrong. Does not the Lord -use even our dreams, when our minds are astray -from their waking wisdom? If He made the ass to -correct the prophet, why should He not use the -vagary of this most pious woman? We need such -service as she proposes. My voice is that we put -no restraint upon her becoming our spy, lest peradventure -we be found to fight against the will of -Him who, it may be, is impelling her to this duty."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XIV<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE SPY</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> vale of Shechem is the fairest in -Palestine. It is a long strip of meadow -scarcely two hundred yards wide, -guarded, as by two sleeping giants, by -the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim, -which cut the sky between two and three thousand -feet above. For four furlongs of its length the valley -lies like an emerald, broken by silver streams and -sparkling basins of water. Beyond, for an equal distance, -the bright green gives place to the gray foliage -of olive groves, until the natural glory fades into the -staring white houses of the town. In shady nooks -and sunny glades the earth bursts with flowers of -every hue, as if Flora had danced and left her fabled -footprints impregnate with germs of beauty. If one -be sated with the fairness that lies at one's feet, let -the eyes rest upon the terraces of olive and grape, -fig and prickly pear which relieve the precipitous -sides of Ebal, the ancient Mountain of Cursing; or -upon the swelling domes of rock which make the -impressive mass of Gerizim, the Mountain of Blessing.</p> - -<p>Even Apollonius, the desecrator of Jerusalem, with -his eyes dimmed with the rheum of many debauches, -must have delighted in the prospect; for midway the -vale rose his gorgeous pavilion. From its door, -when not enamored of nature, he could feast his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span> -pride upon the white and blue tents of his army, -which gleamed far up the slopes of either mountain. -In reward for his service in desolating the Jewish -capital, and in many ways acting as a sort of procurer -for the pride, greed, and lust of his royal -master, Epiphanes had made Apollonius Governor of -Samaria, and commander of all the king's forces -in Syria.</p> - -<p>Into his camp at Shechem had come not only -brave warriors, but many merchants, to purchase -the prospective spoil of the invaders. Women, too, -some the wives of officers, others adventuresses, -flaunted their gay attire amid the flashing helmets -and spears of the soldiery.</p> - -<p>Before the great General's pavilion stood his steed, -a gigantic charger, with arching neck and restive -eyes, now sniffing the hand of his groom, and anon -rearing as if to break from his custody. Near by -was a heavy-wheeled, but light-bodied chariot, its -seat cushioned in creamy silk. At its pole waited a -span of graceful roans, glittering in harness buckled -and bossed with gold.</p> - -<p>At the opening of the tent sat Apollonius, in full -armor, except that his head was bared. Upon a -couch just within reclined a woman. At a glance -one would have said that she was of great beauty. -Her features failed perhaps of the finest proportions -that mark the classic Greek face; the nostrils too -distended; the mouth too large; forehead high, but -masked with abundant auburn locks, which were -braided down almost to the eyebrows. Chiselled in -marble that face would not have been an Aphrodite; -but flushed as it was at the moment with excitement, -her eyes sparkling with latent coquetry, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> -her slightly parted lips curved with a sensuous suggestion, -she was sufficiently fascinating to the degenerate -taste of the Greek officers passing the tent, -who stole not unwelcome glimpses at her fairness.</p> - -<p>"And what, pray, my lord Apollonius, is to be my -portion of the spoil you are to take? I have no -taste for the blood of the Jews, which you say your -sword will draw from these Maccabæan peasants. -A draught of wine—if only the cup were golden and -I might keep it—would please me better. But no -golden cups and no goodly garments will you get -from these beggarly people. Some clouts and a few -of the sickles they use for swords will scarcely grace -the victory of one whom the king has honored for -his valor."</p> - -<p>"I see," replied the General, "that my fair one has -grown weary of her lord, and that I need to freshly -bribe her favor. Will not the gift of yesterday -suffice to keep my Helena's patience for a day or -two to come?"</p> - -<p>The General toyed with a silver serpent with eyes -of ruby, which encircled her arm. After a moment's -pause, watching closely his companion as if studying -the effect of his words, he added:</p> - -<p>"If the trumpery of Jewish housewives please you -not, there is better spoil in Jerusalem."</p> - -<p>"Is anything left there?" languidly asked the -woman, looking at her shapely wrist and hand.</p> - -<p>"Much. And it is game that will give zest to the -catching. Listen! Since my fair goddess has tired -of me, I propose that she shall find another lover -more to her liking."</p> - -<p>The woman's eyes flashed.</p> - -<p>Apollonius continued: "You know, that by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> -ruling of the King, the rich estates of Elkiah are -not to be sequestered as other property of the -rebels. His son, Glaucon, having become a Greek, is -recognized as the heir. A handsome fellow he is, -with a thimbleful of brains; conceited, a prey to -clever men, an easier victim of a clever woman—such -a woman as has charmed an old soldier like -me, caring as you know but little for the sex. You -need but smile at Glaucon to addle his wits."</p> - -<p>"Are your wits addled?" queried the woman contemptuously.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps they have been, but I am in fair way to -recover, as my scheme will prove. Should you marry -this Glaucon, by Greek law it is true you would -not inherit his estates; but no law prevents the fool -from giving to you whatever you ask as the price -of your favor; and you come high at times, as my -thin belt can attest. But, my dear, you must appear -to him as of princely rank, for the fellow has -been flattered to believe himself courted by the very -household of the King. I think I can make my letters -sufficiently ennoble you, if your beauty does not -evidence your divinity. Will not this sound well? -Ahem! 'The Princess Helena, cousin to Apollonius!' -Ah, you blush at the title. Glaucon will pay me -well for persuading your Olympian wings to fold -themselves on his dungheap. It is a scheme worthy -the Jew himself, is it not? This little finger of yours -will pick the lock of Glaucon's treasure-house."</p> - -<p>The woman laughed outright as she cried:</p> - -<p>"Shall I go to Jerusalem and act the prude? That -is an art I have never practised. I surely had never -won your love, my venerable Apollo, if I had posed -as the chaste Artemis."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Perhaps not," replied the General, with a shrug -of his shoulders, "but you have acted the chaste -goddess perfectly in the eyes of others. That I will -say; for I have had less than a score of opportunities -for jealousy during as many moons. And I will -swear to this Glaucon that I caught you in my arms -as you once escaped the Grotto of Pan at Ephesus."</p> - -<p>"Grotto of Pan? Another remembrance of your -nursery; and with a moral, I doubt not, as good as -one of Æsop. Let me hear the story, but leave off -the lesson," replied she, lolling languidly upon the -couch.</p> - -<p>"Why," said Apollonius, "at Ephesus, when a -woman's virtue is not transparent, they bring her -to Pan's Grotto for testing. If the god sees no -offense in her, then the doors open to heavenly -music, and she escapes. Looking one day for something -in the shape of womanhood that was immaculate, -I lingered by the entrance, and you came -bouncing out. Glaucon is up in our Greek legends, -and will understand me, even if you did not."</p> - -<p>"But if the woman could not pass inspection?" his -companion asked nonchalantly.</p> - -<p>"Well, in such an unusual case for the town of -Ephesus, where Artemis has her temple, the pipes in -Pan's cave screech out a wail for the damned, and -the tainted woman drops through the rock floor -into the river Styx. I will swear that I did not fish -you out of the river Styx."</p> - -<p>"Paugh!" sneered the woman. "It is time that -you sold me out to another after that speech."</p> - -<p>The tears shot into her eyes, but they were quickly -dried by her hot rage; and as quickly again the -livid fury gave place to a forced smile.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I warn you, my lord, that I myself will be the -judge of my new purchaser, as I was of you."</p> - -<p>This woman was well aware that anger did not -become her type of countenance; it changed her -beauty into hideousness. Whatever age-marks were -latent in her face, smoothed by practised smiles, or -masked by cosmetics, were brought out by ill temper—as -sunburn develops freckles. She was as self-conscious -when gazed at by others as when she was -alone before her mirror, and as ready with her arts. -She, therefore, instantly suppressed the rising displeasure.</p> - -<p>Indeed, the displeasure would itself have died as -Apollonius further disclosed his schemes; for any -fondness she may have felt for the present owner of -her affections was less than her innate cupidity, and -less than that passion for intrigue and adventure -which she had developed by much practice on many -fields. In her, deceitfulness reached the rank which -in men is called diplomacy. Though now at home -in the tent of the Syrian commander, she was not -unwilling to enlarge the sphere of her conquest in -any direction. Perhaps her eagerness for the spoil -of such a house as that of Glaucon was as laudable, -certainly as natural, as Apollonius' own ambition to -fame himself as the conqueror of Palestine.</p> - -<p>The conversation of the General and the woman -was interrupted by a lad, whose basket of fruit, -deftly balanced on his head, had gained him admission -to the camp; for while strict guard was -kept against the intrusion of peasant men and -women, the children were allowed freedom to sell -their delicacies for the coins, though often they received -only the cuffs, of the soldiers.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span></p> - -<p>The boy was stretched at full length upon the -ground, counting the bits of money he had taken, -and sorting the figs, dates, and grapes which were -left in his basket. His head was covered with a mass -of unkempt black hair, his body with a single garment, -which might have been an inverted corn sack, -tied with a string at the waist, while his head protruded -through a hole in the bottom. His legs and -feet were bare except for the dirt which hosed -them, and striped with scratches made by bramble -bushes.</p> - -<p>So engrossed was the boy in his business calculations -that he did not seem aware of his undue -proximity to the General's tent, until a sentinel -prodded him in the calf of the leg with his spear-point, -and bade him "Begone!"</p> - -<p>The General, looking up at the outcry, recalled -the lad and bought of his fruit, tossing some of it -into the lap of his companion.</p> - -<p>"Faugh! The Jew's filth soils them," cried she, -as the clusters were laid upon the rug.</p> - -<p>"Let them be well cleansed then," said the General; -"but in this country we must be less particular. -The Jews believe that Adam, their first father, -was made out of the ground, and surely the race -seems fond of its original stock. But in one respect -the Jews are cleaner than most people; vermin -cannot abide their vile blood; it poisons even the -fleas."</p> - -<p>"The lad is finely formed," said the woman, eyeing -him as a connoisseur. "His ankles are trim enough -for a girl's, and his feet are not flattened and ill-shapen -as those of most peasants are. And what -a face! Ganymedes was not fairer. Look out, my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span> -lad, that the eagle does not fly away with you -and make you cup-bearer to the gods."</p> - -<p>"Why not make him your own Ganymedes, my -divinity?" cried the General. "You have no Hebe -of your own begetting to be jealous of him. What -say you, my lad, would you like to be dressed in -spangles and wait at the hand of the fairest of -Astartes? And perhaps, being only a child, you -might drink at her lips, since my goddess has lost -her liking for an old soldier's kisses."</p> - -<p>With a look of stupid inquiry the boy replied in -the Samaritan patois, "An as for a bunch; three -bunches for two ases; all for an obolo. Give me -drachma and I bring you so much"—extending his -arms as if to enclose a bushel.</p> - -<p>The Greeks burst into laughter.</p> - -<p>"Your learned wit is wasted on a Samaritan, as -I am afraid mine would be on that Jerusalem Jew," -said the mistress.</p> - -<p>"It will not be wasted there. Glaucon speaks -Greek well, as do all the better sort in the city. -Besides, his head is just now as full as a pedlar's -pack of all the scraps of our philosophy, poetry, -and art that he can hear. He is specially interested -in our Greek goddesses, and in making his hair curl. -With his head in your lap you can arrange his locks -and give him a lesson in the worship of Aphrodite -at the same time. Glaucon will be as good a pupil -of Helena as Pericles was of Aspasia."</p> - -<p>The fruit-seller, impervious to their wit at his expense, -gathered up the remnant of his wares, and -started away; but quickly turning, he threw himself -down upon his belly in the shadow of the tent, -and resumed counting his coins, tallying each one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> -with a jerk of his heels, as those dirty but graceful -appendages waved over his back.</p> - -<p>"The boy's legs talk as freely as the arms and face -of Pharetes, the pantomimist. He would make an -actor, if trained," observed Apollonius.</p> - -<p>"Or a dancer," replied the woman. "Let us see -if he has learned to wiggle his calves rhythmically."</p> - -<p>She sang a rollicking run of notes, accompanied -with snapping her fingers and waving her arms, -which tempted even Apollonius to give a few steps -in his jingling armor. The boy only stared and -grinned.</p> - -<p>"Pshaw!" said the General, "the religion of these -people is so dull that it rusts even their sinews. -A Greek child would have danced on his hands and -head at such singing. But, my dear, you should -start to-morrow for Jerusalem. I will strike the -miserable spawn of that priest Mattathias—Apollo, -my namesake, being willing—within three days. -Some ten thousand of us, each as valiant as Alexander -himself, are only waiting to conquer these -sand-hills in lieu of a larger world. We will drive -the Jews into their holes and drown them in their -own blood, and then move to the city. I fear that -Menelaos, the High Priest, is scraping the bottom -of every strong-box the Jews left, and if we do not -hasten there will not be an obolo for us to buy -grapes with."</p> - -<p>His companion had become curiously interested -in the lad.</p> - -<p>"Do the boys and girls dress alike in this country?" -she asked. "That child has the hips and -shoulders of a woman."</p> - -<p>The boy had evidently completed his bookkeeping,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> -and hastily swallowing some of his wares, moved -away. He sauntered awhile in the direction of the -town, trying to keep two figs at a time in the air -or to catch one in his mouth; then suddenly turned -southward toward the eastern slope of Mount Gerizim, -and, depositing his basket under a clump of -bushes, ran southward as fast as his legs could -carry him.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XV<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE BATTLE OF THE WADY</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> gray light of the following morning, -breaking between the cliffs of Moab, revealed -two figures not far from the -Fort of the Rocks.</p> - -<p>One was the stalwart form of Judas, -his red hair glowing like a sunrise on a mountain -pinnacle as compared with the tiny body of his companion, -the lame Mephibosheth. The boy's strength -was utterly exhausted, so that he could scarcely -stand with the aid of his crutch; but his tongue, -as usual, was "like a strong man rejoicing to run -a race."</p> - -<p>"Up on my shoulder, Meph!" said Judas. "You -can better whisper in my ear what I judge it were -not well for even the trees to hear. She was unharmed? -And you met her in the Wady? That is -a good seven hours from here, Meph. And you have -trudged all night to bring me tidings? The Lord -bless you!"</p> - -<p>"Amen!" responded Meph. "And General Apollonius -moves at once upon us. He will attack us to-morrow -or next day. Deborah bade me say that -he would surely come by the Wady. They must -move up the dry water-bed if they would reach us -so soon, for it will take thrice the hours to march -over the hills; and she says that one man on the -cliff above is worth a score hemmed in by the walls -of the great chasm they must pass through."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span></p> - -<p>"God be praised! And is this all?" asked Judas.</p> - -<p>"Except," added Meph, "that a rich convoy has -already started from Shechem for Jerusalem by the -direct road. In it are many merchants and women -of rank."</p> - -<p>"We want neither their pelf nor their women," -said Judas. "Let them go their way, if they only -keep out of ours. But this Apollonius I would have. -He is the biggest hawk of them all. Oh, Meph! -Meph! if we could only get his claws tangled in -the Wady as you get the birds fastened in your -nets!"</p> - -<p>"I generally have to pull the string myself," said -the boy. "You must pull just then and just so, but -you get them."</p> - -<p>Judas laughed and assured Meph that he would -make a strategist if not a champion some day; and -with gigantic strides he went over the hills.</p> - -<p>Within an hour the Fort of the Rocks was deserted -by all save the women, the aged, the sick, and children. -In single bands the armed men moved northward, -following the depression between the hills, -filing like ants close to the clumps of rock so that -no eye less sharp than an eagle's would have detected -a moving army. As night fell, the Jews, who -had been scattered during the daylight, gathered in -among the rocks bordering the great Wady. In the -darkness they felt their way each to such couch as -he might find between the boulders. Soon all was -silent, except for the coming and going of Judas -and his brethren, giving encouragement or command.</p> - -<p>At the same time the army of Apollonius was -approaching, a league to the west. A squadron of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> -horsemen led the van. These followed the roadway, -whose white line was extinguished by the clouds of -dust raised by thousands of hoofs. Lance-point and -helmet gleamed dimly through the darkness answering -the stars, as when heavenly bodies are reflected -in rippling water. The command to move -in silence did not prevent the clicking of weapons -and the low rumble of horses' feet on the beaten -road.</p> - -<p>Foot soldiers, armed with pikes, bows, and swords, -followed the horsemen. Then came camels and asses, -laden with provisions and heavier weapons. To the -rear struggled hundreds of camp followers; merchants -to purchase the spoil; and those of baser -sort to revel in the expected rapine. The usual -swarm of women were there to make their Circean -camp wherever the troops should halt.</p> - -<p>It was past midnight when the van of the Greeks -reached the opening of the Wady. The soldiers -needed rest after their rapid march. Each company -scattered to right or left, maintaining only relative -order. Then silence fell upon the host. Ten thousand -men were scarcely distinguishable from the -rocks and bushes amid which they slept. The sharp -challenge of a sentinel, the accidental clash of a -weapon against a stone, mingled with the hoot of -an owl or the bark of some jackal as he found his -usual path of marauding blocked by the strange -forms of men.</p> - -<p>Yet other eyes than those of night-prowling birds -and beasts penetrated the darkness. Judas and his -brethren had taken oversight of the Greek host almost -as comprehensive as was that of Apollonius -and his staff.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I fear," said Judas to a comrade, "lest something -untoward has happened the maiden; for this is the -spot, and the stars mark the hour. God forbid -that we have erred in sending her upon this unwomanly -venture!"</p> - -<p>"Yet," said Jonathan, "the information she has -sent us is worth the sacrifice of a life."</p> - -<p>"But not such a life, my brother. If she has -been ensnared, I know not how to rejoice in any -victory so dearly bought. Meph says she was at -the very tent of Apollonius."</p> - -<p>"You think overmuch of the daughter of Elkiah," -replied Jonathan. "Besides, she would have her -own way."</p> - -<p>"Aye, and has it. List!"</p> - -<p>The three whistling notes of a quail floated from -a long distance, and were scarcely answered by the -same signal when a woman stood beside them.</p> - -<p>"God be praised!" and the two Maccabees each -raised in turn her hand to his lips.</p> - -<p>"But why this attire, Deborah? We looked for a -Greek helmet at least," said Judas, touching her -long flowing robe, which even the night showed to -be of a gaudy color.</p> - -<p>"The Greek women have the freedom of their -camps," replied Deborah. "No greater dangers than -insulting words have threatened me there, and -words do not harm if the soul does not hear them."</p> - -<p>"Still, for every such word a Greek life shall pay -before another night comes," said Jonathan.</p> - -<p>"Not in my revenge, brave men," replied Deborah. -"We must not think of such things. What shall we -care for insults when our cause is so shamed? But -to my account. Apollonius rides with the middle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> -division. The squadron of Syrian horse under Syron -leads. Philip has sent a detachment from Jerusalem -to join in the fray. The whole army moves into the -valley at daybreak. God grant it may be to them -the 'valley of the shadow of death.' But yet, how -can I wish such things? Sometimes my woman's -heart cries out against the cruelty of our most -righteous war. But I am woman no longer. My -heart has bled so much that my nature has turned -to blood. Have you any order for me?"</p> - -<p>"None, but that you rest. Do not stay near the -battle, for though we pray for victory we are but -a handful against a multitude. Our armor is little -more than our courage; theirs is brass and iron."</p> - -<p>"It matters not," said Deborah. "Did you hear -my Caleb's dream? It was of a little hole in the -sandy beach which drank up the sea."</p> - -<p>"The Lord grant that this Wady be the hole," -responded Judas. "If He forsake us not, few of the -Greeks will come out at the other end. But to -your rest, my daughter! You will need great -strength of body and soul to comfort those in the -Fort of the Rocks, who will mourn for many of us -to-morrow. God watch between us!"</p> - -<p>Deborah went a little way in the direction of the -Fort of the Rocks. Jonathan accompanied her until -she insisted upon lying down to rest in a secure -spot, feeling too fatigued to resume her journey before -to-morrow.</p> - -<p>But no sooner had Jonathan's form disappeared -through the night than she rose.</p> - -<p>"I cannot stay away from the battle," she said to -herself. "Many of these, my brothers, will fall. My -place is among them. But this blood, this blood!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> -God, must it be? Yet I, a woman, have helped prepare -this slaughter."</p> - -<p>She fell upon her knees. "Lord, spare Thy people. -If blood must flow let it be of those only who have -destroyed Thy altars, and blasphemed Thy Holy -Name. Spare Judas and Jonathan, and—all these -Thy people! Avenge Thou our cause! As the sun -drinks the water from the pools, so may Thy vengeance -drink the blood of the enemy, and Thy -land be purged!"</p> - -<p>She rose and walked rapidly, not toward the Fort -of the Rocks, but in the direction of the Greeks.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XVI<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE BATTLEFIELD OF A HEART</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-d.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Deborah</span> joined a group of Greek women -on the edge of the camps. These -were venting their rage upon an officer -in command of a contingent sent -from Jerusalem.</p> - -<p>"The Captain forbids us to come among his tents; -Astarte curse him! Are his men better than other -men, or better than we?"</p> - -<p>"They say he was born in Athens; as if Athens -were better than Antioch!" said one.</p> - -<p>"The statue of Athena, the prude, in the Parthenon, -is so big that it crowds out all other gods and -goddesses; and so this upstart Captain would crowd -us out. And are we not goddesses? My Adonis, -the one with a brass pot for a skull, called me one."</p> - -<p>"Yes, they call us heavenly, and help us to Hades."</p> - -<p>"Captain Dion would make Aphrodite herself -wear long skirts," said another.</p> - -<p>"Dion!" The word rang sharp as a thunder-crash -through Deborah's soul. A glare as of the lightning's -bolt seemed to illumine her. In it she saw -herself again a woman. Dion! Was she leading -this man to slaughter? But why not? He, too, -was the enemy of her land, of her religion, of her -God. Had she not vowed death to Greeks of every -name? Did her oath spare even Dion?</p> - -<p>Yet Dion had saved her. And that, too, in spite -of his soldierly duty to his cause.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span></p> - -<p>Deborah staggered back into the darkness. Her -strength until now had been that of a man; but it -was the strength which her soul, with its tremendous -resoluteness, had imparted to nerve and muscle. -Now that her soul was shaken, it sent its quiver -through her physical frame, and she was weak as a -child. She sank upon the ground.</p> - -<p>Then one by one came memory's pictures of the -terrors she had experienced in Jerusalem. What had -sustained her during those awful days? Her pride -as the daughter of the house of Elkiah? The necessity -of guarding her blind brother Caleb? Her -faith? All these, doubtless; yet she confessed to herself -that but for the kind words of the Greek Dion -she might have given way. Not his proffered love. -No! No! That alone would have made her hate -him; but he had been good to her. And if—if God -had used the Greek's kindness, even his love, to sustain -her, to give her strength for her holy devotion, -should she despise this Greek? Should she lead him -into this ambuscade? If he should fall on the morrow -would she not be his murderess? She recoiled -from herself as from some polluted thing.</p> - -<p>Then, as a wave receding into the sea comes back, -her feeling was quickly reversed. Had she not taken -delight in imagining herself another Jael, who -could drive the nail through the temple of a foeman -of her people, though he were sleeping in her own -tent. She tried to say, "Even Dion to his death!" -but the sentence would not frame itself in her purpose. -Her brain seemed to stagnate. She could not -think. She prayed, "Lord, I am but as a mould; fill -me with such purpose as Thou wilt!"</p> - -<p>At length she said to herself, "I will seek out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span> -Judas, and beg him to spare the advance of the -Greek hosts, for there Dion will be, since his camp -is here foremost."</p> - -<p>Scarcely was this project formed when she abandoned -it. The contingent from Jerusalem to which -Dion belonged was as numerous as all Judas' band, -and, if not destroyed in the first surprise of the -attack, might turn the tide of battle. Besides, what -reason could she give Judas for this request? Confess -her attachment to a Greek? If womanly shame -did not forbid such an acknowledgment to another -man, it surely would cost her the confidence of the -Jews. Never again would they believe in the patriotism -or honesty of one whose brother was a traitor, -and whose lover—for such they would regard Dion—was -in the hostile camp.</p> - -<p>Following her first impulses Deborah had risen -from the ground and walked slowly toward the -place where she knew Judas could be reached by her -signals. But she quickly turned back.</p> - -<p>"Might I not warn Dion? Not, of course, his fellow-officers. -But, if I did, would not his sense of -duty lead him to divulge the plot?" She prayed -again for light, but no light came. The gloom -deepened about her. Two spirits were tearing her -soul asunder in their strife for possession. She -thought of her people; of her father dashed to death -by Greek hands beside the altar; then of the brave -band of patriots who, unless they triumphed bloodily -at the very dawn, must themselves be slaughtered -before the nightfall. She felt her personality -dissolving into a flame of zeal for her land and her -people's God. She cried out with uplifted arms: -"O God, I am no longer a woman. I am Thine;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> -Thy Avenging Spirit! Use me as Thou dost use the -lightning's bolt, the flood, the plague, that I may -bring destruction to all this host!"</p> - -<p>Then, even as she stood with outstretched arms in -this awful imprecation, there came the vision of -Dion, so noble, though a Greek, with a man's heart -greater than all his racial prejudice; the friend who -had risked life and repute for her father's safety, -though it proved unavailing; the rescuer of blind -Caleb; her own friend—who loved her, she could not -doubt it—whose thoughts even now, as he was -moving to his death, were possibly of her.</p> - -<p>"O, God!" she exclaimed. "Take away my life. -Let me die rather than make this decision."</p> - -<p>She waited, longing that her heart might stop -beating through the violence of its own contentions. -But it beat on. She drew a dagger, and pressed its -point gently against her bosom, as she murmured:</p> - -<p>"Oh, if it were but right that I should lay down -my life, since God will not take it!"</p> - -<p>The crackling of dried leaves caught Deborah's attention. -A sentinel gave challenge.</p> - -<p>Deborah instantly responded with the watchword -of the Greek camp, "The sword of Apollonius," -which she knew had been given for the night.</p> - -<p>"Another woman, by Jove! One would think he -had fallen upon the Grove of Daphne, or the streets -of the Piræus, rather than a war camp," said one -walking with the sentry.</p> - -<p>"Come, get out of this! To the rear with you, or -we will make you march in front of the first battle."</p> - -<p>"I am not within the lines," replied Deborah. "The -lines run from the twisted rock to the cypress yonder. -So we were told."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Are those the lines?" asked the officer. "Then let -her stay. We ourselves have lost our bearing, but -daylight is coming up yonder in the East, and we -shall need no longer any lines here, for we move at -dawn."</p> - -<p>Deborah could not mistake that voice, nor the -form that the dim light outlined. She thought that -she was silent, enacting a tragedy back of her -rigidly compressed lips; yet some word or outcry -must have escaped her, for the officer turned quickly.</p> - -<p>"Woman, did you speak?"</p> - -<p>Now she was indeed silent, and moveless as the -great rock against which she leaned. The man -came nearer and tried to scan her features.</p> - -<p>"Woman, I have heard your voice before. Have -you followed from Jerusalem?"</p> - -<p>A moment elapsed before she replied, but that -moment was like one of those in which we dream, -and live hours and days. She realized that there -had now been forced upon her a quick decision of the -question which the past hour of agonizing debate -with herself had not begun to solve. She had time -in that waiting moment to pray for light. She -gathered up many scenes of those terrible days in the -city, of her flight from Dion's help, of her vow, of -her life as a spy. To these she added the imagined -scenes of the coming day, the slaughter of Greeks, -perhaps the annihilation of the Jewish band, and -extinction of Israel's hopes. She saw all these -things, and central of them all she saw the form -now before her falling beneath some arrow shot -from the covert of the rocks overhanging the valley -he was about to enter. And then she saw herself as -the accomplisher of it all.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span></p> - -<p>"And this, this," she said to herself, "is to be a -woman's return for a man's love!"</p> - -<p>Deborah had often prayed that God would destroy -her sense of personality, that she might be but an -unfeeling agent of His will, as are the lightning and -tempest; but He had not done so. Her human nature -asserted itself over her faith; her individuality -refused to lose itself in her nationality, or shall we -say that her womanhood was stronger than both? -This man and herself were for the instant as essential -factors in her problem as were the Greek and -Jewish armies. But she saw no clearer the solution -of that problem; only that it must be solved, -right or wrong, and at once. So she replied to her -questioner:</p> - -<p>"Yes, I came from Jerusalem."</p> - -<p>The officer peered closely into her face.</p> - -<p>"You are not Greek nor Syrian."</p> - -<p>"God be praised, I am not. I am a daughter of -Jerusalem, an outcast from my father's house, as -you would make all the women and children of Israel -to be."</p> - -<p>"Deborah! Daughter of Elkiah! Do I dream? Of -all the damnable things that war has brought this -is the most fiendish. You, Deborah, in a soldier's -camp! Good gods! Tell me you are not the daughter -of Elkiah, but some black soul from Erebus -which has found her dead body and entered it."</p> - -<p>"Dion, I did not die, but it is true that another -spirit has entered mine."</p> - -<p>"Better wert thou dead than live such a life as -this," cried he. "Why did you fly without my help? -I had arranged for your safety. I would have given -my life for yours—but—but now——"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span></p> - -<p>He grasped her hands, then threw them from him -as something that defiled him. "There is no god -of Jew or Greek, or this could not have been. Tell -me, Deborah, that what I see is not true. That -you—that you are not here."</p> - -<p>He covered his face with his hands as if to banish -the vision of the reality.</p> - -<p>"Dion, what you see is true; but what you think -is false—yes, false and mean as the gods you worship. -An outcast I am, as all my people are; but -not an outcast from honour; not from my father's -faith; not from the favour of my father's God. Your -soldiers have destroyed our homes; where can we -live but in the fields? How can we subsist except -as the beasts and birds do, by picking up the crumbs -which the army of Antiochus drops along its path -of slaughter?"</p> - -<p>She laid her hands upon her gaudy garments as if -to tear them from her.</p> - -<p>A bugle sounded. It was quickly answered from -far and near. A rustle as of a sudden storm among -the rocks and bushes told that the host was waking. -Then followed the hum of voices, cut with the -sharp words of command, the click of arms, and -clashing of utensils, the neighing of horses and outcries -of grooms and masters.</p> - -<p>Dion started a step as if to obey the call.</p> - -<p>"Stay, Dion!" she cried, losing for the instant her -self-possession as she realized the fate which hung -above her friend.</p> - -<p>The Greek turned, and said in quick words: "My -command awaits me, Deborah. Tell me how I may -save you."</p> - -<p>She let him put his hand upon her. As she felt<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span> -his touch she saw this much of her problem solved—he -should not return to his command if a woman's -will or a woman's wiles could prevent it. The love -he offered her she would use not for herself, but for -his own sake. Surely if it were right to deceive an -enemy for his destruction, it were doubly right to -deceive a friend in order to save him.</p> - -<p>She replied, "My friend, my father's friend, you -can save me from that which I dread worse than -my own death."</p> - -<p>"How? Who threatens you? Let me but hear it, -and my sword will follow him through Jewish or -Greek camp, or through hell itself."</p> - -<p>"Let us draw a little more aside," said Deborah. -"The light is so clear now that it shows us."</p> - -<p>Dion slowly followed her, pausing again and -again to look toward his camp.</p> - -<p>A second bugle denoted that the host was to begin -its march.</p> - -<p>"You must go back to your duty," said she. "Go, -I must save myself as I can. The bugle calls -you."</p> - -<p>"A more sacred duty calls me here. Deborah, tell -me, what threatens you?"</p> - -<p>She gently drew him to a seat beside her upon a -shelving rock which was overcapped by a juniper -bush. Did she mean the tenderness her face expressed, -so near to his? She felt that her look was -like that of a serpent enchanting a bird. She despised -herself and would fain have risen and fled -away from the spot. But as she noted the man's -features, expressing so well the nobility of character -she knew he possessed, and realized also the unselfishness -of his devotion to her, she felt that she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -was not altogether practising deceit; that her web, -though spun by her brain, was from substance -drawn from her heart.</p> - -<p>"My dear Dion," she said, "the greatest terror -that possesses me is that you think me what my -presence here might suggest. Save me first of -all from falling in your respect. Believe me, I am -still as worthy of your care as when you saw me, -a mere child, in Jerusalem—though these few months -have made me a woman, I fear with a wicked -heart."</p> - -<p>"I do believe you, Deborah," cried he, grasping -both her hands. "Now that the light shows you, I -see the same pure soul I once loved, and never for -an instant have ceased to love. But, my child, you -have suffered. Pain has cut deep lines. This must -cease. If there is anything in my position, my -estate, any influence with those in power, any -strength in my arm or sharpness in my sword, let -me use it. Only tell me."</p> - -<p>The trumpet call was repeated. Dion rose, and -stood for a while looking in the direction whence it -had come.</p> - -<p>"I can overtake them," he said, hesitating.</p> - -<p>"But how explain your absence? Will not some -harm come from your failing to appear with your -command? You should go."</p> - -<p>Yet her hands were hard holding his, and her face -wore an intensity of desire which he, not knowing -its full meaning, thought to be only the return of his -love.</p> - -<p>"I cannot go," said he. "I will not go, my love, -until you have told me how I can save you. By all -the gods I swear it."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Swear not at all," said Deborah, placing her -fingers upon his lips, only to receive the kiss they -tempted.</p> - -<p>Dion's arm stole about the form of his companion. -She did not resist it. Why not? Only because thus -she was detaining him. Let him interpret it otherwise; -it was for his life, and when he was saved -they would part forever.</p> - -<p>A distant din caught the ear. A wild scream of a -bugle was answered by the blast of scores of trumpets -and the shrieks of a multitude from the direction -of the great Wady.</p> - -<p>"An attack!" cried Dion, leaping to his feet.</p> - -<p>"Then you must be gone," said Deborah, but still -clinging to him as she pointed. "But see, the Jews -are thronging there. They have lined the hills. An -ambuscade for the Greeks! God be with His people! -Stay, Dion, it is useless to seek your command. -Your soldiers are in the Wady, and Judas—the -sword of the Lord and of Judas is between them -and us!"</p> - -<p>Dion's trained eye took in at once the military -situation.</p> - -<p>Yet under the true soldier's impulse, he would have -hastened with single sword to his post of duty, -could he have seen any way thither. The hills lining -the Wady were now black with the Jews; and small -bands were hastening from every direction. He -could not rejoin his soldiers if he would.</p> - -<p>Deborah readily drew him back to their covert. -Now and again he would start forth, but as quickly -return, seeing no safe exit. Deborah herself became -changed in look and manner. Her lips opened as if -giving command to the distant soldiers, yet her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span> -hand on Dion's arm held him captive by the spell of -its touch.</p> - -<p>"List! The cry of the sons of Mattathias—Mi-camo-ca-ba! -'who is like unto thee among the Gods!' -Judas is conquering. See! See! Our people are -over the hilltops. They are rushing down into the -Wady. God be praised! The sword of the Lord -and of Judas!"</p> - -<p>She seemed to forget the presence of her companion, -yet at the slightest movement on his part her hand -stayed him.</p> - -<p>"I will hasten to the eastward. Surely our troops -will cut their way out there upon the open road," -cried Dion.</p> - -<p>"Nay, but see! Jonathan and the men from Hebron -are there."</p> - -<p>"Then I can follow into the ravine and die with -my brave soldiers."</p> - -<p>"That way is also closed," said Deborah, "for -Simon and the tribesmen from the north are pressing -in after the Greeks. Look!"</p> - -<p>"How knew you this?" cried Dion, as his trained -eye saw that the woman was correct. "Are you a -spirit of battle? Do you hold the armies of Antiochus -as you have held me? Are you witch, or are -you woman?"</p> - -<p>"I know not," she replied, "I only know that Dion -dies not to-day with the rest."</p> - -<p>Then the Greek broke away from his captor. It -was but for a moment, for all around were Jews, -who sprang up as if from the ground.</p> - -<p>"Back, back, or you are slain! These peasants -never miss with the arrow or sling. Back!"</p> - -<p>She drew him to the covert.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span></p> - -<p>"For myself I care not, but you."</p> - -<p>"For my sake then, O Dion, do not leave me. -They will kill me. Save me, Dion! Back! They -will see your Greek armor, and the arrows will not -leave a branch on the tree if you are detected. -Back!"</p> - -<p>She had scarcely spoken when a missile clanged -against the rock at her side. Deborah sprang from -the covert, and stood exposed in the open. Dion -heard the call of a Jew to his comrades:</p> - -<p>"It is only a woman; forward, men!"</p> - -<p>The group of patriots hurried by.</p> - -<p>Deborah scanned the field far and wide. Seeing -that the Jews had all entered the ravine, she turned -to her companion:</p> - -<p>"Dion, go quickly! Once Dion was called a traitor -to his people because he saved the daughter of -Elkiah; to-day Elkiah's child had almost betrayed -her people that she might save the life of the noblest -of Greeks. Hasten away."</p> - -<p>His arms would have retained her, but swift as a -frightened fawn she ran, and, breathless in his futile -pursuit, the Greek watched her agile form until it -disappeared among the throngs which marked the -edge of the battle. Then he sought to rejoin his -forces. But it was only to be caught in a crowd of -fugitives who had escaped from the Wady, and, helmetless, -were making their way to the west.</p> - -<p>The setting sun that day was not so red as the -blood-stained rocks in the Wady. Thousands of -corpses lay amid the broken spear-shafts and empty -helmets which lined the dry bed of the brook, waiting -until the next winter's storms should flood its -banks and wash away the signs of one of the grand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span>est -victories of few over many that history has ever -recorded.</p> - -<p>The sublimest heroism of that heroic day was displayed -by Judas himself. Heading a band of choice -spirits, he leaped from rock to rock down the side of -the narrow valley, as a wild beast descends upon -its prey. He made straight for the spot where helmets -were brightest and the banners most enriched -with blazonry, denoting the body-guard of Apollonius. -His voice, like a lion, roaring the war cry -'Mi-camo-ca-ba,' scarcely revealed his presence before -his sword was crossing that of the famous General.</p> - -<p>The gigantic stature of Judas, together with his -tremendous strength and fury, well matched any -superior skill of fence the Greek might have had. -Their swords intertwined like two writhing serpents, -neither daring to loosen its grip of the other. But -steadily the Jew forced Apollonius to give ground -until he was driven back against a rock which prevented -the free use of his arm. Then the swords -disentangled, and that of Judas entered the throat -of his antagonist.</p> - -<p>The conflict was over. Judas gathered his scattered -bands. Laden with spoil—provisions, arms, -and boxes filled with coins—they emerged from the -Wady.</p> - -<p>Upon a knoll stood the five brethren; about them -the warriors, wearied with their work, and sickened -with their deep draughts of blood. Judas knelt, -and the little host fell prostrate upon the ground in -silent prayer. Then, as they rose, a woman's voice -raised the old song of Miriam by the Red Sea, and -the multitude joined as in the synagogue; but with -what new meaning in their faith!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed -gloriously. Thy right hand hath dashed in pieces -the enemy."</p> - -<p>When the shouts and psalms had died away Judas -lifted the sword which he himself had wrested from -the death-clutch of Apollonius. It was a slender -weapon; its handle of fretted gold, its blue steel -blade etched with representations of the labors of -Herakles.</p> - -<p>"Listen, my brave men! This sword belongs to -the daughter of Elkiah. Her prowess and her -prophecy have won it."</p> - -<p>None but he and she knew his meaning, for she -had told him of the scene in Apollonius' house in -Jerusalem.</p> - -<p>Deborah looked upon the blade. She took it into -her hand a moment. One near enough might have -heard:</p> - -<p>"It is the same. I thank thee, O Lord, that a -more fitting hand than mine has done this deed."</p> - -<p>She then bound the sword of Apollonius upon the -thigh of Judas.</p> - -<p>"So the Lord gird thee with strength!" she said.</p> - -<p>As, according to Jewish tradition, David wore the -sword of the fallen Goliath through all his glorious -wars, so Judas carried the sword of Apollonius, -until five years later it was buried in the grave of -the founder of the Maccabæan dynasty of Jewish -patriots.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XVII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A FAIR WASHERWOMAN</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> victory of the Jews at the Wady -winged the fame of Judas far and wide. -Among his own people the chosen war-cry -"Mi-camo-ca-ba" gave place to the -contracted word "Ma-ca-ba" or "Maccabee," -the Hammer, a title significant of the swift -and crushing blows with which he smote the enemy.</p> - -<p>Even the tribesmen about the borders of the Holy -Land, the Horites in the caves of Petra, and the -dwellers in the flint castles of the desert, wondered -if a new deliverer had risen in Israel. In black -tents on the plains and in strongholds among the -cliffs were told again and again the old stories of -the Jewish judges; while the Arab sheikhs of the -Jordan valley deliberated if it were not wise to cast -in their lot with a people who, even if not favored -directly of heaven, might by such human valor as -Judas and his men had displayed, beat back the -deluge of Greek power which threatened to submerge -their own as well as Israel's possessions.</p> - -<p>Among the Jews the enthusiasm was like a fire -amid brambles, so rapidly did it spread. Simon, the -Wise, was persistent in his counsel for patience, and -for wide and cautious preparation.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_159.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>"Remember, my brethren," said he, "that we are -not boiling a pot, but are to consume the very -Cedars of Lebanon—for such is this gigantic power -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span>of the north which menaces us. The fight in the -Wady was but the beginning of battles. Antiochus -has many armies. He will gather fresh hordes from -the nations which own his sway. We have only -wounded this wild beast of Antioch. He will turn -again upon us with more ravening strength."</p> - -<p>The news of the overwhelming defeat of Apollonius -brought consternation to the Greeks, and especially -to the renegades in Jerusalem. Every one who repeated -the tidings added what he or she feared, until -the numbers of the Jewish patriots were swollen to -vast multitudes in the popular mind. The more sagacious -assumed that the Jews must be in alliance -with the great nations which were contesting the -dominion of Antiochus beyond the deserts in the -Euphrates valley. Some had it that the Egyptian -Ptolemy had resumed war against Syria; and even -Rome was rumored to have thrown her sword into -the scale; for it was incredible that an untrained -peasant, with so small a force of herdsmen as the -Jews were reputed to have had, could outwit one -of Apollonius' astuteness, and with a single blow -shatter his phalanges.</p> - -<p>Imagination, made sensitive by fright, pictured the -valleys beyond the hills filled with strange armies. -Squads of Greek horsemen would scurry rapidly -across open fields, then halt for long observation on -the hilltops before venturing another dash. Popular -superstition transformed Judas himself into a -demi-god, or one of the ancient worthies of Israel, -Samson or Gideon, returned to earth.</p> - -<p>"They say he is as big as Pelops, and carries a -whole tree-trunk for his mace," said a Greek soldier, -looking stealthily behind him, and watching an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -olive clump whose stiff branches shook in the evening -breeze.</p> - -<p>The gates of Jerusalem were now closed by day as -well as by night. Watchers patrolled without the -walls, so that not a goat approached without being -scrutinized, "lest," said a Greek wag, "his horns -should prove to be the head-piece of another Alexander, -the great Macedonian, who wore such horns -for his crest."</p> - -<p>The only inhabitants permitted free access and -egress at the city gates were the women who went -daily to the brook Kedron, bearing loads of clothing -which they hastily washed in the running water, -with faces made white as the linen by the stories -their fright invented. At any moment this terrible -Judas might leap upon them out of the hills or the -heavens.</p> - -<p>A group of these women were one morning at the -Siloam pool. Among them was one of well-bronzed -face, and short black hair which sprayed out beneath -the close folding of her soiled kerchief. This -woman was accompanied by a child who sat upon -the brink of the brook, that his feet might feel the -brush of cool water as it flowed by. She untied a -hamper of garments which she had carried upon her -head, and, tying up her skirts above her knees, -waded into the stream. Like the others, she dipped -the pieces altogether into the water, pounded them -one by one with a short wooden club, then wrung -each garment into a tight little bundle, and flung it -upon the bank.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a cry arose among the women. A cloud -of dust appeared upon the old road leading from -Bethany. All gathered their laundered work, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> -hastily climbed the steep ascent to the southern -gate of the city.</p> - -<p>"Is it Judas?" asked the boy. "Can we get in before -he catches us?"</p> - -<p>"If we hurry," replied the woman. "Come."</p> - -<p>"I wish it were Judas," said another, pausing in -the shadow of the tower above the gate. "Since -these Greek fashions have come there is nothing but -wash, wash. The new Princess has enough white -linen to cover the peak of Hermon as the snows do, -and enough coloured garments to make her like a -sunset."</p> - -<p>"Is she beautiful?" asked the strange washerwoman.</p> - -<p>"So the men say, but——"</p> - -<p>"But? Go on."</p> - -<p>"Why, you yourself, girl, would be fairer than the -Princess if you had one of her jewels in your hair. -And as for her figure, no one sees her except as she -lies like a painted statue in the palanquin. She -may have a turtle's back and duck's legs, for all -she arches her neck like a swan."</p> - -<p>The clamour of the washerwomen sufficed without -further watchword with the sentry at the gate, -who opened to them the "needle's eye" or small -door. Once within the city they could not be induced -to venture out again for the day, though -assured that the imagined Judas was only a Greek -courier riding from the direction of Jericho, who -brought tidings that no enemy was to be seen for a -distance of twenty stadia in any direction.</p> - -<p>Passing the cellar-like tunnel beneath the city wall -the laundresses scattered, each in her own way, -through the streets.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span></p> - -<p>The woman we have described, with her load upon -her head like a huge turban, and with the lad clinging -to her skirts, went up the Cheesemakers' Street -to the Street of David. She paused an instant by -the little altar which stood by the street door of the -house of Glaucon, whether in detestation of this -sacrilege of a home devoted to piety or to offer a -pinch of incense, an observer could not have told. -She rapped sharply at the gate. The bar was instantly -dropped from within. A short, stout man, -whose long temple locks were well whitened with -years, stood in the half opening.</p> - -<p>"What do you want?" said he, as he saw the unexpected -visitors.</p> - -<p>Before the woman could make response, the child -had uttered a cry, "It's Ephraim! It's Ephraim!"</p> - -<p>The man started back, and stared at the lad.</p> - -<p>"As the Lord liveth!" he exclaimed, and caught -the boy to his arms. "Surely Sheol has opened its -gates. But where, woman, have you found him?"</p> - -<p>"It's Deborah, too!" cried the lad. "Are you -blind, Ephraim, that you cannot see Deborah?"</p> - -<p>The woman passed through the door, and dropped -the bundle from her head upon the pavement of the -court.</p> - -<p>Old Ephraim gazed stupidly at her. Then he -clutched the boy closely, as if it were necessary to -re-enforce vision by feeling the living child, ere he -could credit his senses.</p> - -<p>"God be praised! It is she. My master's children, -both!"</p> - -<p>Overcome as by an apparition, the old servant -staggered for a moment, then with a spasmodic -burst of strength grasped the door, swung it shut,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> -dropped the heavy cross-bar between the lintels, -and stood with his whole weight against it.</p> - -<p>"Ephraim, I am not pursued; no one will harm -me here," said Deborah.</p> - -<p>"No one dare touch you here," replied he, with a -fierce look at the closed portal, as if in challenge of -men and demons without. "No one will touch you -here, but—but you shall not go away again."</p> - -<p>Ephraim glanced up at the sky, which dropped its -light into the open square court around which the -house was built, as if he would close that way of -exit also, apparently imagining that it was only by -some such aerial flight that Deborah had formerly -disappeared.</p> - -<p>"Is Benjamin here?" inquired Deborah.</p> - -<p>"Benjamin! God bless your lips for speaking that -name once more. It's many a day since we have -heard anything but 'Glaucon,' 'Glaucon,' as the son -of Elkiah has gone in and out of his father's house. -Aye, he smote me in the face for repeating the name -we called him when, on the eighth day of his life, -we circumcised him according to the Law—the name -recorded in the Temple when, about as big as Caleb, -he was enrolled as a Son of the Law, and the -fringes put upon his coat. But whence came you, -my daughter? And why this dress of the serving -women? And your hands are hard, and your feet -torn, and your beautiful hair is cut off, and years -have come into your face. When Huldah shall see -you, she will cry tears that are bitter as well as -gladsome, for your old nurse has sat in the house -like 'Rachel, mourning for her children, and refusing -to be comforted, because they were not.' Poor -hands!" He raised them to his lips.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Your kiss, good Ephraim, has gone far to heal -them," replied Deborah, with moistened eyes.</p> - -<p>"And in this?" touching her garment, as if it were -some unworthy thing that defiled an altar. "In -this? The daughter of my master, with robes in -her chamber fit for Sheba's queen, clad like a water -carrier?"</p> - -<p>"Huldah's fingers and mine will soon remedy these -things," replied the girl.</p> - -<p>"That they shall"; and Ephraim's voice rang -through the house:</p> - -<p>"Huldah! Huldah!"</p> - -<p>The old woman appeared upon the scene, with -eyes flashing contemptuously from beneath the white -mantle which covered her head.</p> - -<p>"What now, Ephraim? Are you grown so old -that you dare not push the beggars from the door? -I'll show you that a woman's strength does not -ooze out through her wrinkles."</p> - -<p>She made at the intruders, but her prowess vanished -as quickly as the strength goes from a broken -bow.</p> - -<p>"My mistress! My darlings!"</p> - -<p>She threw herself prone upon the pavement of the -court, kissed the feet of Deborah, and fondled them.</p> - -<p>"Poor bruised things!"</p> - -<p>She could not rise, for Caleb had thrown himself -into the lap of the woman, who, when the first -paroxysm of her excitement was gone, sat crooning -over the child, forgetful of the weary months -during which her arms had longed for him as if he -had been her own.</p> - -<p>"You were always a mother to us, Huldah. The -Lord bless your dear good heart."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span></p> - -<p>"And to think that you were away from me, and -wanting me!" cried the nurse, hugging closer the -blind child.</p> - -<p>"The Lord has been with us," replied Deborah. -"Some day I will tell you all."</p> - -<p>"I would have known all that happened to my -master's daughter," said Ephraim, "if I had known -whither you had gone, for with you I had gone -also. Here have I stayed, not for love of Benjamin, -but because I did not know where to go to -seek you."</p> - -<p>"The Lord reward you, Ephraim! And now let -me go to my chamber."</p> - -<p>"That alone has been untouched," said Huldah. -"You see that all else has been changed."</p> - -<p>Ephraim led the way across the court, Huldah -following, carrying Caleb.</p> - -<p>In the centre of the court played the little fountain; -but it no longer sent up its simple sheaf of -spray. The water now trickled from the hands of -marble Cupids, and fell upon the nude form of Aphrodite, -and filled a shell-shaped basin at her feet. -At the corners of the court stood exquisite sculptures, -evidencing the new taste of the master of the -house.</p> - -<p>As Deborah stepped upon the platform, or open -square room which served as the entrance hall to -the living apartments, she was confronted by a -middle-aged man, in white chiton and embroidered -girdle, with close-curled locks and flat face. His -lofty but otherwise expressionless look, and the -stiffness of the motion by which he simulated dignity, -indicated that he was the chief of several Greek -servants whom Glaucon had installed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Not in here, woman," said he, putting his hand -upon Deborah. "You Jewish dog," he added, addressing -Ephraim, "have you forgotten your business, -to bring your street herd into the house? I'll -teach you."</p> - -<p>He raised his hand to strike him, but Deborah's -arm intercepted the blow.</p> - -<p>"Hold, I am mistress here," she said.</p> - -<p>Her shabby garb could not disguise her supreme -grace of mien, nor did her weather-bronzed skin -hide the beauty of her face or lessen the tone of refinement -in her voice. The man stared in motionless -amazement as she raised the curtain and passed -within, bidding Huldah to follow.</p> - -<p>Leaving Ephraim to tell the story of her identity, -she entered the first lower chamber, the reception-room -of the mansion. She noted the strange and -foreign things which had taken the place of the familiar -furniture, much of which had been the heirloom -of many generations; then she passed to her -own chamber. Here, as Huldah pointed out, everything -was as she had left it the day of her flight.</p> - -<p>"Now, good mother, let us be alone," said she, -with a fond embrace of the old nurse.</p> - -<p>"Here is the key of the chest," said Huldah, after -much fumbling in her bosom, and nearly denuding -herself in the search. "The Greek slaves that Benjamin -has hired steal everything that their fingers -touch. But they have not come in here. Even Benjamin -swore to kill them if they did, though they -have opened all his closets, except the hidden ones -between the walls."</p> - -<p>When they were alone, and Caleb, tired of seeing -every familiar thing with those eyes in his fingers,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span> -had dropped to sleep upon the couch, Deborah knelt -by the side of it—the bed which had been hers in -childhood. She would pray. But quick memories -wrought a veil that shut out the present communion. -She recollected her mother that day when they -carried her out to be buried, and when, as a parting -gift, she left them little Caleb. She thought of the -happy years when Benjamin had taken her upon his -big boyish shoulders, and played with her on the -roof-top, and down by the brook Kedron where she -had been to-day. She had been wont to dream of -Benjamin as a prince among the people, and wondered -if the Messiah, when He should come, would -be handsomer or braver or kinder than her brother. -Then she recalled the strange sickness that had fallen -upon Caleb; the days of pain which her little mother-hands -alone could exorcise from his hot temples -and writhing form; and how, when the sickness -passed, his eyes grew larger, as if seeing things far -away, but saw not anything that others looked -upon. She sat again at her father's feet, and learned -from his lips the sacred precepts of the Law and the -thrilling stories of her nation's heroes, and the wonders -of Jehovah's arm made bare for Israel's deliverance. -God had been to her in those childhood days -a Presence of which she seemed conscious—the clouds -His robes of glory, and every whispering breeze His -assurance of love and care.</p> - -<p>But now—she tried to pray, but her prayer was -only like the cry of a child in fright. Her soul -threw out its arms blindly grasping at she knew -not what—yet called that unknown "God's Will."</p> - -<p>How weak she was! And yet how strong!</p> - -<p>She realized that she was but as a leaf in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span> -stream which the current carries along, but which -the current cannot sink. True, she could not resist -the terrible tide of circumstances into which her lot -was cast, but neither could these circumstances destroy -her. She stood with clenched hands, motionless, -looking at nothing.</p> - -<p>Her lips moved, and this they said: "I cannot even -pray. I was Elkiah's daughter, but now I am not -even a woman; I am a spirit, vengeful, hating, deceiving, -or I could not do this thing. Yet surely, I -am Elkiah's daughter. This is my chamber. And -this, and this, and this is mine. O, my father, forgive -me! And yet thy sainted spirit called me to -come home again. O, Lord God of my father, help -me to honour his name, and to save his house!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XVIII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">HIGH PRIEST! HIGH DEVIL!</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-d.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Deborah</span> threw off her coarse garment, -and before the mirror of polished brass—in -which many generations of women -had been made conscious of the beauty -for which their family was famous—she -arranged her hair as decorously as its brief length -permitted, supplementing its lost beauty with a -band of pearls which she discovered in the great -carved wooden chest. Her arms were now as sun-stained -as those of a Bedouin maiden from the -tribes beyond Jordan, and made goodly contrast -with the silver bracelets which once scarcely rivalled -the whiteness of her skin. She donned an embroidered -bodice and outer robe of white linen, and put -on the sandals with the golden-threaded strings -binding the ankles, such as she had often worn.</p> - -<p>"Once more I am the daughter of Elkiah."</p> - -<p>A momentary flush of pride answered the reflection -in the mirror.</p> - -<p>She pushed it from her, and sat with folded hands -upon the couch.</p> - -<p>"A hypocrite! What better am I than that brazen -mistress of Apollonius? Oh, God, must I do this? -A spy in the house of my father? Lord, lead me. -Save me from wrong-doing. Yet is it not Thy will?"</p> - -<p>"What is it, sister?" asked Caleb, who was now -awakened by Deborah's soliloquy. He stretched<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> -out his hands to her, but shrank back as he felt the -strange texture of her robe.</p> - -<p>"We are home again, my dear. Come, you must -wear your pretty clothes."</p> - -<p>While dressing Caleb neither of them spoke, for -their attention was drawn to loud voices which -sounded from the adjacent chamber.</p> - -<p>"The Lord be with thee, Glaucon!"</p> - -<p>"And with thee, Menelaos!"</p> - -<p>"Ha! ha! you haven't forgotten your old-time -piety."</p> - -<p>"If I had, the presence of the High Priest would -revive the memory. I take it that your office has -more agreeable functions, now that the King will -not allow the priests to smell so much of blood and -offal as formerly. A journey to Antioch, a chariot -in the processions, and a symposium in the King's -new banqueting-hall—though the wine has too much -mastic in it—must be preferable to playing chief -butcher at the Temple. Is it not so, my lord?"</p> - -<p>"Hush, Glaucon! Your words have too much -truth in them to be agreeable," replied Menelaos. -"But, by Jove!—it is convenient to have an oath -one can use without blasphemy—by Jove! I would -rather be here hobnobbing with an old comrade -than tripping up on my official skirts in Antioch."</p> - -<p>The Priest threw himself upon the wide divan, -while an attendant arranged behind him a pile of -cushions.</p> - -<p>"Wine, Ajax!" cried Glaucon. "I am sorry we -must take it no cooler than the cellar, for these -rebels have let no snow be brought from Hermon -since they sent Apollonius across the Styx."</p> - -<p>"The gods forbid that that ravening beast Judas<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> -cut off other supplies," replied the Priest. "Not a -partridge nor a fish has been sold at the market for -a fortnight. The Princess will have double cause for -grief over the death of her cousin, the General, if she -stays in Jerusalem. So goodly a bit of flesh should -be fed better. But a fine convoy is coming down -from Antioch."</p> - -<p>"There is no doubt about her kinship to the -General?" asked Glaucon.</p> - -<p>"Oh, none whatever. Apollonius' letter to me implied -as much. They say she has great riches. The -tribute of a whole city in Anatolia, or Syria, or the -devil may guess where, follows her; for Apollonius -was as bold in robbing his enemies as he was in -killing them; and he loved the woman so well that -he would have let her melt off his legs had they been -golden. The Princess says that a thousand shekels -belonging to her were in Apollonius' military chest -and fell into the hands of the damned Maccabaean."</p> - -<p>"That is the worst thing I have heard about -Judas' victory," laughed Glaucon. "But the Princess -has plenty of credit, I take it, even if she can't -transport through the air the gold plates on the -roofs of her many palaces."</p> - -<p>"Gold plates or thatch, she's rich enough," rejoined -the Priest. "And, by Aphrodite's ankle! what -a woman she is! Glaucon, if it were not that I -have already at least one wife, I would cut your -throat for jealousy, for Helena evidently takes to -you. She has an eye for manly beauty. And you, -Glaucon, have a face which, but for the twist in -your nose that the alipta has not yet mollified -enough to straighten out, would be the face of a -god. You are an Adonis in figure. If I had your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span> -shoulders and calves I would forswear priest's -robes. What a couple you and the Princess would -make!"</p> - -<p>The click of a brass mirror was heard as Glaucon -replied, "'By Aphrodite's ankle!' A good oath that. -I will remember it. 'By Aphrodite's ankle!' Ha! -ha! A good saying! a good saying! The Princess -is a beauty, I swear! Her lips are always red."</p> - -<p>"Not from over-use either, I take it," interjected -his coacher.</p> - -<p>"And her skin so fair!"</p> - -<p>"Never saw anything fairer outside the shop of -Demos, the cosmetic seller in Antioch," replied Menelaos. -"And, by Jove, you are a fool, Glaucon, if -you don't get her. Listen! With all of her distant -possessions I happen to know that the loss of -Apollonius' box left her in need of ready money; -ready money, you understand, for she has plenty -that isn't ready. I proposed to advance her a few -shekels, but my wife Lydia, the chaste—please tell -her I called her that—objects on the ground that as -High Priest I should not lend money. But really, -my wife is as jealous of Helena as a hen is of a -duck. A gift from your strong-box, Glaucon, would -not be a bad investment. 'Cast thy bread upon the -waters,' says Solomon, 'and thou shalt find it after -many days.' I commend the precept to your piety, -son of Elkiah the provident."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I could spare something," said Glaucon, -musingly.</p> - -<p>"I do not doubt it," replied the Priest, "else you -have not used well the office I have secured for you. -And how goes farming the taxes?"</p> - -<p>"Thanks to your favouring me at Antioch, my good<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> -Menelaos, I am in fair prospect, though we have -not much gold in Jerusalem. The soldiers have -gleaned everything that glittered. But I am getting -hold of some estates, the heirs to which have either -been killed or have joined the rebels, so that their -titles revert to the King. For these he gives me fair -commission.</p> - -<p>"But there is one matter that puzzles me, Menelaos. -Do you remember the house of Shattuck? It -is now a score and a half years since that family -disappeared from the city. Hosea ben Shattuck -was a merchant in Sidon wares, his shop where the -Street of David bends toward the Tyropean, his -house the great one by the Tower of David. Report -has it that he journeyed to Alexandria—took ship at -Gaza—but he never returned. As Shattuck was unmarried -there seems to be no one interested in -chronicling his whereabouts. The property is now -one of the largest on the tax list. I could secure the -title for the value of a pedlar's pack. Among my -father's accounts I found the evidence of Shattuck's -indebtedness to the house of Elkiah in the sum of -fivescore shekels, some little matter of business -between them, such as my father would never press -against a neighbor. Though he did not ask the repayment -of it, he made record, as was his habit in -all money matters. He would not exact usury from -a fellow Jew, but with the usury such as our new -customs allow it would amount to thrice as much -as the original debt."</p> - -<p>"Claim the property, the whole of it, or you are a -fool for a Jew, much more for a Greek," said Menelaos -eagerly.</p> - -<p>"But if any heir should return?" queried Glaucon.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span></p> - -<p>"But you said there was no heir."</p> - -<p>"True, but one doesn't always know about such -matters."</p> - -<p>"Well, if there be, what then? On what ground -could he make claim for restitution? All titles of -absentees now rest with the King. The property, -according to the last edict, will be confiscated. -I can fix it at Antioch that your indebtedness -will be recognized. One hundred? Make it a thousand. -I myself will file claim, and vouch for it that -your credit in the matter is worth the entire estate -of Shattuck."</p> - -<p>"You have great power with the King, my dear -Menelaos."</p> - -<p>"Power with the King? Why, I bought him when -I bought my High Priesthood. You know that -Jason, my brother, sent me to Antioch with six -hundred talents to bribe the royal pleasure for his -appointment to be High Priest. I appropriated the -six hundred, added three hundred more to it, and -bought the office for myself; and so outplayed the -young trickster at his own game. Beside that, you -recollect that it was I who gave Jerusalem to the -King."</p> - -<p>"How was that? I am not so well versed in state -secrets as I should be," replied Glaucon.</p> - -<p>"Why, when Jason, the Priest, came suddenly back -from Egypt, hearing the false report that Antiochus -had died, he threw me into the dungeon at Akra. -To rescue me, and regain my conduct of affairs, the -King sent his army and took the city. So without -me the King would not have had it. No man, my -dear friend, has had more to do with making the -King's fortune than I. And he cannot dispense with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span> -me yet. But I must have some return for what I -do for him—and for you. For my part in your business, -Glaucon, I shall have what portion of the -gain?"</p> - -<p>"A third," said Glaucon, hesitating, and watching -the face of his comrade.</p> - -<p>"Make it half."</p> - -<p>"The old greed, Menelaos. The same that always -claimed the fattest bird we snared together when -we were boys."</p> - -<p>"Greed! A proper taunt from the lips of the son -of Elkiah, indeed. Who secured for you your office -of tax-farmer? And how many other estates have -you tapped like a wine-skin to fill your own jars, of -which you have told me nothing? Simon ben Shem -wants to be tax-farmer in your stead. He has done -as much for me as you have, and will pay me a -higher rate for protection at Antioch."</p> - -<p>"Forgive me, Menelaos," cried Glaucon, quivering -before the Priest's gaze like a bird bewitched by the -eyes of a snake. "I always bantered you for taking -the largest game; but in the end, as you know, always -let you have it. Let it be play between -us."</p> - -<p>"Good!" replied Menelaos. "And what news of -the Greek who loved you so well that he split your -skull with the discus?"</p> - -<p>"I fear," said Glaucon, "that we will get no news -from Dion. He was in command of a company sent -from our city garrison, and not a man has returned. -Poor Dion! Next to yourself, Menelaos, I never had -a truer friend. Thorough Greek that he was, he -seemed to have a love for our people. He knew the -legends of Moses as well as he knew the stories of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span> -Homer, and I think he loved them better. The -Lord rest his soul if we see him no more!"</p> - -<p>"Amen!" said the Priest. "May Pluto give him a -high place at his banquets, for Dion was a good -roysterer. He was as faithful to your father as -Æneas was to his. And he could not have searched -the camps for your brother and sister more thoroughly -had he been her lover. But farewell! The -blessing of Jehovah, or Jove, or both, be with you, -Glaucon; and the smile of the Princess. Farewell!"</p> - -<p>"Jehovah, Jove, damn him," ejaculated Glaucon, -as he threw himself upon the divan the High Priest -had left. "It is bad enough for one like me to have -turned against one's people, one's own house; but -for a High Priest to become a heathen—High Devil! -Faugh! Wine, Ajax! My purple himation! The -large mirror! Some oil, here! Do the locks curl at -the neck? Call the litter. I'll away to the Princess, -and cast my bread—Ha! ha!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XIX<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE RENEGADE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-s.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">"Stay</span>, Benjamin!" cried Deborah, thrusting -aside the curtains. She stood a -moment at the opening, scarcely recognizing -her brother in the heavy-lipped -and maudlin face, the artificial curls, -and the costume of a Greek exquisite.</p> - -<p>Benjamin stared an instant in stupid curiosity, -then took a step or two in fright.</p> - -<p>"It is I! And Caleb!" cried Deborah, seizing his -hands and putting them about herself, and pressing -her face to his.</p> - -<p>"God has been good to us, and brought us home, -Benjamin," shouted Caleb, eager for his embrace.</p> - -<p>"It is true. Yes, yes, it must be so," said Glaucon, -at length coming to his senses, with a flash of his -old affectionate nature, like a waning ember, lighting -up his face with a suggestion of its former beauty.</p> - -<p>He drew his sister and brother both to the couch, -and sat between them, staring from one to the other.</p> - -<p>"And you? You were not killed? What has happened? -Where were you taken?"</p> - -<p>A few words sufficed to tell him all that she cared -to have him know—that she had fled for her life; -had fallen among friends; had not dared to return -to Jerusalem before this, fearing some repetition of -the insults such as Apollonius had once offered her. -But that now the Governor was gone, she had come<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span> -again to be under the care of her natural and legal -guardian, "and, God willing," she said, "that the -house of Elkiah may again be graced by the presence -of woman and child."</p> - -<p>Glaucon's manner evidenced much restraint. He -was not at ease in expressing even the kindliness -and affection he felt, for he had felt so little of these -emotions that he had no words in readiness to convey -them. There was the difference between his -brotherly welcome and that given by the old servants -that there is between the shaduff, toilsomely -lifting its bucket of water at a time, and a fountain -pouring out its welcome to the upcoming flowers. -Very soon the sentimental part of the interview was -past, and Glaucon proceeded to the practical.</p> - -<p>"If, my sister, you are to abide at home, since the -King is extremely jealous of the loyalty of the old -Jewish families, it would be well to adopt a name -less clannish than your present one."</p> - -<p>"Call me what you will, brother. I will know -myself only by the name my mother gave me. I can, -however, quickly interpret any other word into -that."</p> - -<p>Glaucon's mind was opaque to the fine sarcasm of -his sister; he proceeded:</p> - -<p>"Berenice is a beautiful name among the Greeks. -You know the story of Queen Berenice? No? Then -I will tell it to you as I have heard the Princess -Helena tell it. I think the Princess has hair like -Berenice's, soft and silky as glistening light. You -must come to know the Princess."</p> - -<p>"But the story of Berenice?" interjected Deborah, -wearily.</p> - -<p>"It is a fair story as she told it to me," replied he.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span> -"Berenice was the wife of King Ptolemy of Egypt; -he who was called Euergetes, which means Benefactor. -Berenice was the loveliest of women. Her eyes -gleamed with starlight, and her hair flowed about -her shoulders like the mingling rays of the sun and -moon.</p> - -<p>"Once, when the King was warring in Syrian -lands, his queen made a vow to the gods that, if -they would return her lord safely to her arms, she -would cut off her hair, and consecrate it in a temple -in Cyprus. The gods were tempted by this gift, and -gave Ptolemy wondrous victories and a speedy -return. Berenice fulfilled her vow. But such was the -beauty of her locks that they dazzled the eyes of the -beholders who came into the temple. Whereupon the -gods hung Berenice's hair in the sky, and there it is -still. You may see it any night. It is gathered into -seven nodes which seem to be stars. All of our -Greek astrologers know of the constellation of -Berenice's hair. The charming poet, Callimachus, -made a hymn in praise of this new beauty of the -heavens. I will sing it to you."</p> - -<p>"No, no," said Deborah, "the story is fine enough -as you have told it. Do not sing it. But my black -threads do not suggest the starry brightness of -Berenice's locks. The name would better fit some -fair-haired woman. But call me what you will, my -brother. And how shall we know the child? Caleb -means 'God's dog.' What will that be in -Greek?"</p> - -<p>"The Greeks have that spirit in them that one -would not be the dog of even Diana, the goddess of -the chase. Theodorus is a pretty name, and means, -'gift of the gods.'"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Let him be called, then, Theodorus," said Deborah, -with an acquiescing smile.</p> - -<p>"But Berenice must dress more gayly than Deborah -did," added her brother. "This bodice looks like -one that came out of Egypt with Miriam, and for -aught I know this linen was made by one of -Pharaoh's weavers, and was picked up on the shores -of the Red Sea."</p> - -<p>"Our mother wore these, and she was counted the -most beautiful woman in Jewry," replied Deborah. -"Besides, I have scores of changes made of stuffs -such as are rarely seen in these days. As for jewels, -caps of coin, ear-rings, necklaces, anklets and armlets, -we have enough to deck out a score of maidens, -and laces which the princesses of Egypt have worn, -and robes of the most expensive Tyrian dye. The -daughter of Elkiah need not fear to appear among -the gentlewomen, come they from Antioch, or even -the new capital of Rome."</p> - -<p>"True enough as far as value goes," replied Glaucon. -"But these are not in the fashion. When you -see the Princess Helena you will envy her the new -shapes of dresses and jewelry. She is fairer than -you. The sun has tarnished your complexion, but -she can teach you how to bleach it."</p> - -<p>"I have no doubt," interjected Deborah.</p> - -<p>"But," continued Glaucon, "when our Berenice is -clad as well as the Princess she need not be ashamed -before even that marvellous woman."</p> - -<p>"Thanks, my brother."</p> - -<p>"I would that Dion could see you in the costume -I shall have sent you from Antioch."</p> - -<p>"Does Dion live?" asked Deborah.</p> - -<p>"Dion, I fear, is dead. A curse on those treacher<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span>ous -sons of Mattathias. Sons of Belial! But," he -rattled on, "it will be well to make known to the -people of the better sort in Jerusalem the return of -the mistress of the house of Glaucon. I will see to -it that the wife of Menelaos, the High Priest, and -the wife of General Seron—who is to command the -new army of the King—and the Princess make their -welcome to you. Berenice, sister of Glaucon: why -may she not some day be Queen of Jerusalem? -Already, my sister, with the wealth our father left -me, and much more that I have gained through my -own shrewdness—for I am the best business head in -the land—I am the richest man in the city; and -with the revenues I can control in my office as tax -assessor, I can soon buy what I will from the -King."</p> - -<p>"I fear, my dear Benjamin—my dear Glaucon," -said the new Berenice, gently touching her brother's -cheeks, "that the glitter of your riches has affected -your head as the sun's rays sometimes do. As for -the new garments, I shall be glad of anything that -makes me fairer in your eyes; but I still bethink me -that the apparel of Jewish women is more elegant -than that of the Greeks. Indeed, the better costumes -of Athens are borrowed from those of Syria. Of -late years, since the death of our mother, and since -the sorrows of the land crushed our father, the great -oaken chests have been unopened. In them are garments -laid away in cassia dust, for which the costumers -of Antioch would give more shekels than -they ask to array the chief of Antiochus' concubines. -To-morrow, if it please you, let Berenice, as the -mistress of the house of Glaucon, receive the ladies -whom you desire."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span></p> - -<p>"As you will have it," said he, kissing the hand of -his sister in the latest manner of such etiquette imported -from the capital. "Such spirit as yours, -Deb—Berenice, is worthy of her who is to outshine -them all."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XX<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A FEMALE SYMPOSIUM</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-a.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">A</span> double awning shielded the house-top -of Glaucon from the glare of the late -afternoon sun, whose rays gathered intensity -by being reflected from a hundred -white domes which, like inverted -wasps' nests, rose from the lower roofs of the city. -Toward the sky the canopy was of coarse white -flaxen material; beneath it was lined with silk, blue -and white. Several movable divans, one of ivory, -one of beaten brass, the others of sycamore wood, -were set next the western parapet. These were covered -with cloths of various colors upon which were -wrought conventional figures in threads of silver -and gold. The couches were so arranged that they -faced a low table of ebony, heavily inlaid with -mother of pearl. On this were the remnants of a repast, -consisting of cakes, confections, fruits, and -wines mixed with water. On the couches reclined -four women, richly clad according to the fashion of -the day.</p> - -<p>Cynthia, the wife of General Seron, wore an outer -robe of blue silk. This was closely drawn about -her person, so that the full proportions of bust and -limb were revealed by the very device for their concealment. -It was the boast of Seron that his spouse -was the best-formed woman among the wives of the -generals. Her costume showed that she was conscious -of this pride of her husband, and inclined<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> -to show that it was fully warranted. Her attitude -as she reclined was that of an Amazon, and would -have been sufficient to warn away any assailant, -even if he were not terrified at the tiny spear of -silver which she held in her fingers, and which had -fastened to her coiffure the hat, a flat disc of ornamented -straw, that now lay in her lap.</p> - -<p>The Princess Helena was radiant in the relics of -nature's bountiful endowment, judiciously repaired -by the newest arts of feminine fashion. If wax -and rouge, pencil and pomade were her allies, -they were in slyest ambush within unsuspected -wrinkles, and gave out not so much as a stray -freckle for a sign of the delusion. Her hair was -thrown back from her forehead and temples, and -banded with a triple fillet which gathered it up at -the crown, whence it sprayed down in a shower -of gold upon her alabaster neck. Her outer robe -of white wool had been thrown back, and lay upon -the couch, in seemingly careless, but really artistic, -contrast with her purple chiton. This under-garment -was gathered at the left shoulder within a -gemmed clasp, loosely girded beneath the breasts, -and open below, displaying her limb from foot to -thigh.</p> - -<p>Lydia, the wife of Menelaos, the High Priest, had -reason for being more modestly covered, yet blazed -in her green himation spangled with gold.</p> - -<p>Deborah, the hostess, rivalled these beauties in the -contrast of her purely oriental costume. Her black -hair was covered with what seemed a solid helmet -of gold, so many were the coins which made her -cap. About her throat and falling low upon her -bosom was a great necklace of rarest gems, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span> -flashed in all the hues most prized by lapidaries, -from the starry white of diamonds to the deepest -blush of rubies. The pearls pendant from her ears -touched her shoulders, and glowed like rivulets of -light. Her inner garment was elaborately wrought -with needlework, and partly covered with a yellow -outer robe. Altogether the Jewess was a splendid -vision of wealth and beauty, of which it is sufficient -to say that it had already passed the favourable inspection -of so great a connoisseur as her brother -Glaucon.</p> - -<p>In their conversation the women seem to have -exhausted all themes of a purely human range—the -faults of generals, from strategy to bow legs; the -King's stud of horses and his harem; the statuary -of Phidias and the flat-nosed gods of the Phœnicians; -the epic of Hesiod, and the latest songs -from the streets of Antioch. Berenice had been induced -to tell her adventures, of which she gave -as authentic an account as perhaps her visitors -gave of their romantic haps and doings on less -savory fields. The glory of the western sky, the -palette of colors ready to be painted together into -the sunset, the grand old Temple mount of the -Jews, over which echoed now and then the bugle-calls -of a hostile race—these, together with the -quickening influence of their generous repast, now -lifted their discourse to higher planes.</p> - -<p>"All religions are one," said Lydia, the wife of -the High Priest. "The Jews should be the first to -recognize this. Since we say that there is one only -living and true God, it surely follows that Jove, -and the Phœnicians' Baal, and Ormuzd of the Persians, -and Jehovah of Israel are the same."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span></p> - -<p>"How," interposed the Princess, "how can Jehovah -be Jove, the universal god, since Jehovah -never shows himself, nor is He worshipped, except -in this little land, and by the children of the one -family of Abraham? He is rather like one of our -household gods, such as we teach the children to do -homage to, but ourselves use for ornaments."</p> - -<p>"But he has not even an image," laughed Cynthia, -the wife of Seron. "I have learned in Egypt -that the gods always abide near their images."</p> - -<p>"That is if they are pretty images, beautifully -carved and painted. For the gods seem to be as vain -as we women who love our mirrors," said Helena.</p> - -<p>"But," rejoined Cynthia, "the Jews' god is such a -serious being; always telling his people to be good, -and scolding them for their sins. That story of -Mount Sinai, with its dreary rocks and sands, and -the lightnings with their nest among the peaks, and -caves like great mouths roaring out thunder; oh, -it must be a doleful place! I prefer Mount Olympus, -with its fair women and warriors for divinities."</p> - -<p>"And the worship of the Jews' God must be very -tedious," added the Princess. "On the Sabbath, no -laughing, no playing."</p> - -<p>"Our God takes his rest on that day, like an old -grandfather, and does not want his children to disturb -his nap," sneered Lydia. "But my good Menelaos -is changing such customs. On Sabbath next -we have the great games. Charicles from Sparta -races with a Nubian chariot runner and an Arab -sheikh, for a stake of ten shekels which the High -Priest has offered. It will be a sight; three statues, -one in marble, one in ebony, and one in porphyry, -all come to life."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span></p> - -<p>"The fault of the Jewish religion is that it makes -too little of this world," said the Princess. "It has -no divine patron for the arts; no Melpomene to inspire -the song, no Terpsichore to stir the dance, no -Ares for war, and no Aphrodite to teach us how to -love. I don't believe that our fair hostess, who lies -so solemnly there, has yet learned how to commune -with Aphrodite. I will pray that our happy goddess -touch her lips and make them itch for kisses, before -the crow's feet make their marks at her eyelids, as -they soon will do if she insists on such mannish -escapades as she has been having. What shafts from -Cupid's quiver those black eyes could shoot, my fair -Berenice! I shall warn all my lovers to beware of -you ere you learn your power."</p> - -<p>"I fear that just now we need to consult the war -god," said Berenice. "Think you that Ares had gone -wooing the day of the battle in the Wady? Or did -it please his godship to lend his sword to the Maccabæan -rebels rather than to Apollonius?"</p> - -<p>"Quick! the Princess is fainting. A little wine, my -dear. The death of her kinsman went to her heart. -That was a cruel thing for Berenice to say," exclaimed -Lydia, bending over her friend.</p> - -<p>"I am better now," responded Helena in a moment. -"My dear kinsman, Apollonius, taught me to -bear misfortune. It was his motto, 'Forget the -dead, except to emulate their virtues.' As he braved -death, I must brave my bereavement. I believe with -Plato—do you not? that the soul is immortal. Then -Apollonius lives. Perhaps I shall see him again." -She hid her face in the cushions.</p> - -<p>"Apollonius' death will be quickly avenged," cried -Cynthia. "Already my husband, Seron, has been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> -called to lead the new army, and at one blow he will -utterly extirpate those Jewish beasts. All save -Jerusalem, from the Great Sea to Jordan, is to be -swept with sword. The King has put into my -Seron's hand all the forces in Syria; and following -them is a great multitude of colonists from the -north, who are to settle the lands."</p> - -<p>"Where is Seron now?" asked Berenice.</p> - -<p>"This letter came to me but three hours since," -replied Cynthia. "Let me read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'The armies from the capital, joined by many phalanges recalled -from service beyond the Lebanons, are with me. We shall rendezvous -on the plain of Sharon, and thence advance westward to -the hills where the outlaw Judas has his camp. Have no fears, -my love, I am not an Apollonius. We shall this time avoid all -ravines, and march only in the open. The number of soldiers -with me needs neither secrecy nor haste. The peltastai and -cavalry alone could quickly destroy all armed bands of Jews. -We shall consume the land, walled cities, open villages, and scattered -houses, as an army of grasshoppers consumes the harvests. -Not a partridge shall escape our pots, nor a Jew's head our -spear-points. Greet Glaucon with this bit of news—his friend -Dion is with us, having alone of all his company escaped the -massacre at the Wady. The day after the full moon we begin the -ascent of the hill country. Keep thy dear heart in patience until -the war god rests his head in the lap of love, for I shall be a -day with you in Jerusalem before we press to the East and -South.'"</p></div> - -<p>"The moon will be full three nights hence, will it -not?" asked Berenice nonchalantly.</p> - -<p>"Nay, in two," said Lydia, consulting her tablet. -"It is one of the duties of the High Priest's wife to -wait upon the Night Queen, as does the Priestess of -Tanit. The second night the moon goddess will be -in full array. I must haste to tell the news of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span> -Seron's coming to my Menelaos, that we may have -a religious celebration of the triumph."</p> - -<p>"Then must I say farewell so soon to my new -friends?" said Berenice, rising. "Make my salutation -to your good husbands, our friend Menelaos and -General Seron. And to what princely gallant will -the fair Helena convey my greeting?"</p> - -<p>"I must keep your greeting all for myself, my dear -Berenice, until time has allayed my grief for Apollonius' -death," replied the Princess. "Unless you bid -me send it on your own account to Captain Dion," -she added. "Ah, blushes tell tales the lips do not -care to utter."</p> - -<p>She kissed both the cheeks of Berenice, but did not -note that her breath blanched the blushes which -Dion's name had started, as frost kills roses.</p> - -<p>An hour later Deborah stood beneath the jewelled -lantern in her chamber, for it was now dark. In her -large mirror she saw reflected a figure far different -from that which on the roof had excited the envy of -the vainest of her sex. Her cap of coins, her necklace -and ear-rings, silken robes and bejewelled sandals, -were tossed together in a heap on the floor.</p> - -<p>"You can arrange them, Huldah, when I am gone; -and lay them back in the chests."</p> - -<p>The old nurse was too much blinded by her tears, -and her hands were too trembling with excitement -to have performed that duty then. She sat on the -floor rocking herself, her hands covering her face.</p> - -<p>"My darling came back to me with feet hard and -torn, and in the clouts of a washerwoman, and now -she is going away again like a—like a——"</p> - -<p>"Like a woman, a woman of Israel," interjected -Deborah, adjusting the brown sheet, the common<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> -coarse outer garment of a peasant, over her head -and around her form.</p> - -<p>"Tell me, Huldah, do I not look like you or any -other woman? If I do I am handsome enough for -the stars to gaze at. Now remember, I am supposed -to be sick and confined here in my chamber, and -you are to bring me my broth three times every -day until I really come back. I will think of your -love, Huldah, and that will make me strong; and -you will think of me, and that will bring me back -safely."</p> - -<p>She kissed the cheeks of her "good mother" as she -called her, and glided across the court to the entrance -of the cellar. Caleb was already there. They -descended to the lower story.</p> - -<p>"What news for me to-night?" said a familiar -voice, accompanied by the click of a crutch on the -stone pavement.</p> - -<p>"Why, Meph, you must take me along with you -for your message this time."</p> - -<p>"Whew!" said the boy. "You're not really going -yourself, Deborah?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; can we reach Judas before morning?"</p> - -<p>"If the stars don't get sleepy and go to bed before -their time," replied the lad. "It's a good six hours' -stretch though."</p> - -<p>Deborah embraced Caleb, and disappeared with -her guide.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXI<br /> - -<span class="smaller">BATTLE OF BETHHORON</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> sun had long risen the next day -when Deborah came out of a little hut -on the brow of Bethhoron Heights, -several leagues to the northwest of -Jerusalem. It was one of a score of -half-burned and half-demolished structures which -marked the site of a deserted hamlet.</p> - -<p>A group of men, who had been lying among the -rocks hard by, rose and silently saluting her -walked away; but not without backward glances -that betokened both reverence and curiosity.</p> - -<p>From her high outlook Deborah's eyes took in the -vast plain of Sharon, which lay at her feet. In the -far distance the blue sea mingled with the blue of -the sky; a wonderful background for the nearer -landscape, which seemed like a garden. Yellow -grain-laden fields, patches of variegated poppies and -lilies, vast sections of green meadow, and groves of -fig and orange diminished by distance suggested -parterres of flowers; while the white highways from -Cœle-Syria and the coast seemed but footpaths. -Far to the north the sky was dotted with circling -eagles, while the dust clouds beneath suggested the -fancy that these birds were flying cinders flung upward -by some conflagration.</p> - -<p>Deborah put her hand to her brow, and gazed -long in that direction. The dust haze began to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> -sparkle as with fire-flies. Her trained eyes recognized -the far gleam of spear and helm.</p> - -<p>"They come," she ejaculated.</p> - -<p>She signalled to an armed peasant near her. -"You are sure that Judas got the message?"</p> - -<p>"I myself delivered it, my lady. Already our little -army is on its way northward. By night -they will guard every road leading up from the -plain; and then, themselves kept out of sight, they -will follow southward and strike any detachment of -the Greeks that ventures to ascend the hills. But -Judas must believe that they will not attempt any -ascent until they get as far down as this, for Simon -and John are hard by, and examining every slope -and runway along the front of Bethhoron."</p> - -<p>Later in the day the astute surmise of Judas was -demonstrated to have been correct. As Deborah -watched, she plainly distinguished the detachments -of the Syrian hosts succeed one another in their -southerly movement, like billows of grain under a -strong breeze. When night fell the plain of Sharon -right before her gleamed with camp-fires, as the sea -with phosphorescence; while on every side she heard -the rustle of the moving bands of her countrymen, -together with the subdued voices of command. But -not a light glowed on the brow of Bethhoron.</p> - -<p>Late in the night Judas came to her.</p> - -<p>"My child, you should not be here. It was enough -to have sent us word."</p> - -<p>"I could not remain in the city," replied Deborah, -"for I clearly foresee that to-morrow we shall have -a great victory, which the Lord will give us, or else -we shall be utterly destroyed."</p> - -<p>"But here you are in danger," responded Judas.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span> -"I beg you to return to the city. If we succeed we -shall soon join you there. If we are destroyed the -Lord will raise up others to avenge us, for His cause -rests with no single army. He is the Lord of Hosts, -and will fill our places with better men. You must -live to be for them what you have been for us. It -is enough that we die."</p> - -<p>"Nay, Judas, entreat me not. The daughter of -Elkiah will meet the fate of the sons of Mattathias. -It is my father's spirit that speaks through my lips. -I shall seek no danger, but I must cheer our brave -brothers, and staunch their wounds or close their -eyes in death. Do not think me rebellious, but to -this duty I am surely called by Him who commands -us both."</p> - -<p>"I dare not command you, Deborah, for you are -closer to God than I, and know His will more perfectly. -But this thing meets not my judgment. -Only do not follow the men over the heights. Yet I -think we shall succeed on the morrow. General -Seron is making a mistake as clearly as did Apollonius. -When his host attempts to pass over Bethhoron -it must keep to the highway. With his horsemen -and armament he cannot climb the ledges, nor -can his footmen march through the tangles of brush -and swamp. They must follow the zigzagging of the -road, and move in a long and twisting file like a -string crumpled in one's hand. His line may be -twenty furlongs in length, but it will all be within -five furlongs' reach of us. Our men can cross these -thickets and stone fields as swallows skim the -ground. Behind the rocks and brushwood one of -our archers will have a score for his target. Besides, -we will have the advantage of fighting from higher<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> -ground. I have no fear. Our onslaught will be sudden; -they have as yet no dream of opposition. One -is tempted to make a night attack upon their camp. -But it is better to wait; for, if I mistake not, to-morrow -they will move up the Heights like a line of -captives to the headsman's block. Yonder is the -valley of Ajalon, above which the sun stood still -until Joshua had gotten the victory. Pray with us, -Deborah, that the sun may not set to-morrow until -we too have been victorious. If the sun will not -lengthen the day for us, we will so crowd it with -valorous deeds that we shall make it like many days -in one. Farewell! Do not venture beyond the -Heights."</p> - -<p>Before noon of the following day, the advance of -Seron's troops was well up the ascent by the winding -road, in exactly the order which Judas had anticipated. -For miles the army stretched away, almost -to Lydda; the glare of clustered spear-heads showing -like the golden spots on a python. In places detachments -which were far removed from one another -in the marching order were brought close together -by the loops of the road, while intervening fields of -boulders separated them, so that they were not in -helpful proximity.</p> - -<p>But no danger was visible to the Greeks. Helmets -were thrown off and piled on wagons with the baggage. -There were songs in which the men from one -province tried to drown the voices of men from -other parts of the King's realm with their strange -melodies. The only precaution shown was by the -very foremost of the army of invaders, who, obeying -their General's order of discipline, sent out scouts. -These threaded their way slowly between the boul<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span>ders -near the crest of Bethhoron; leisurely feasting -themselves upon the berries which glowed blue and -red at their fingers.</p> - -<p>One closely watching these scouts and pickets -would have noted that when a Greek soldier surmounted -the crest he neither returned nor made -sign to those following. He simply disappeared, his -comrades supposing that he had passed in safety. -But an eagle flying over the spot would have paused -to hover, with beak parted for the carrion feast -that awaited him there; for behind the ledge were -masked the deadliest shots among the Jewish bowmen, -and those most expert with the short lance, -having from boyhood used it in hunting. Men who -could elude the sagacity of the fox, and pin the -wary beast to the ground with a throw of threescore -paces, made quick finish of a Greek armed with -a long and heavy sarissa, which was fit only for -close prodding.</p> - -<p>Behind the van came the staff of Seron, men bemedalled -for exploits in many battles. Then followed -squadrons of horse, crowding their sweaty -flanks, and rubbing the greaves from their riders' -legs in the attempt to keep full number abreast on -the narrow road. So the python's head reached the -Heights of Bethhoron.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the crest of the hill burst as with an -earthquake. A roar as of thunder articulated the -war cry, "Mi-camo-ca-ba!" Every rock scintillated -with spear-heads. Arrows clouded the air, and fell -in deadly showers upon the unshielded Greeks, leaving -scarcely a man or a horse standing on the near -roadway. Hundreds of these shafts, as if borne by -wings, so far was their flight, dropped amid Seron's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -suite, and the gayest plumes first nodded beneath -the deadly challenge.</p> - -<p>Under cover of this storm of missiles, and before -the enemy could sufficiently recover from consternation -to clearly discern the meaning of the attack, the -armored Jews dashed over the crest. As when a -dam bursts, the living flood poured down the slope, -carrying everything before it. Mi-camo-ca-ba! the -wild cry from a thousand throats, drowned all -shouts of command. But one sound was heard -above the din. It was the lion voice of Judas, as -with the sword of Apollonius he hewed his way -through the half-formed phalanges. The first stretch -of road was not cleared of the foe before those on -the second bend were hemmed in by the patriot -archers, who had gained the covert of rocks on -either side, and swept the highway with unerring -aim. For the Greeks to advance was impossible; -orderly retreat equally vain. Those who stood their -ground were huddled together as for quicker slaughter. -Those in the rear turned backward in flight. -The splendid squadrons, blinded by panic, became -like herds of riderless horses, spurred by the sting of -arrows. Cavalry dashed back upon the infantry -following, carrying these foot soldiers along as a -freshet its débris. In less than two hours the army -of Seron was in hopeless rout over the white hills -and across the green cornfields of the plain of -Sharon.</p> - -<p>The Maccabæans did not follow in pursuit. To -have done so would have revealed to the enemy the -fewness of their assailants. Should the Greeks regain -their wits and resume the fight, Judas foresaw -that his men, away from their coverts of rocks and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> -copses and in the open plain, would be readily annihilated -by superior numbers. He let the panic do -its work.</p> - -<p>"It's the angel of the Lord," he said, "though his -wings are black with God's curse."</p> - -<p>So Judas was content to watch the writhing of -the python whose head he had crushed.</p> - -<p>Seron and the survivors of his staff displayed -their genius by escaping in the opposite direction -to the retreat of the mass of the army. They turned -off from the highway, and crossed the fields toward -the southeast in the direction of Jerusalem, their -only covert now. Several of the horses of his suite -were abandoned, having broken their legs as they -slipped between the rocks; others refused to enter -the thickets of underbrush which had already torn -their flesh, until they were unmercifully prodded by -the spurs of their riders. A handful of officers at -length struck a hoof path that with many windings -debouched into the highway near the summit -of Bethhoron, whence they made their way toward -the city.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A PRELUDE WITHOUT THE PLAY</span></h2> -</div> - - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> day had been one of intensest excitement -in the city of Jerusalem. From -earliest morning the population had -poured out of the gates, and gathered -on the high ground to the north that -they might welcome Seron and his host.</p> - -<p>It was remembered that on this spot years ago, -according to the stories the rabbis told, Alexander -the Great had been received by the people of the -city. He, too, had ascended from Sharon by the -pass of Bethhoron. Now, in the steps of the mightiest -of world-conquerors, as Cynthia proudly noted, -was to come the great Seron.</p> - -<p>The High Priest, Menelaos, had arranged a ceremony -copied as nearly as might be from the legends -of Alexander's visit. He himself was dressed in full -pontifical robes of purple and gold, as were the ancient -priests of Israel, except that the name of Jehovah -no longer shone on the gold plate of his turban. -The supreme pontiff was followed by scores -of men, most of them Greeks, dressed for the occasion -as common priests in white robes, which glistened -as if the bright morning light were itself a part -of the pageant. There were musicians with trumpets -and cymbals to beat the very atmosphere into -melodious salutation, and clacquers to shout and -cheer the oration which Menelaos should pronounce<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span> -as he invoked the blessings of all the gods upon the -head of the advancing chieftain.</p> - -<p>After this official procession came a double palanquin, -bearing the wives of Menelaos and Seron; -and upon their persons, if one might judge by the -gorgeousness of the display, was much of the movable -wealth of their spouses.</p> - -<p>The Princess Helena, too, shone radiantly. Her -complexion, the triumph of cosmetics, rivalled the -white but ruddy skin of the children who ran beside -her and gazed at her beauty. Her light hair -was star lit with jewels, and wrought into a high -coiffure not unlike a miniature sheaf of wheat with -a binder of gold. She reclined upon the cushions in -graceful lassitude, and nodded her head at each -stride of the carriage-bearers with the dignity of -one who felt that she had already made her conquest -of the world, and would graciously encourage -the coming warriors in making theirs.</p> - -<p>Yet there was on the face of the Princess a shadow -of disappointment as she gave her patronizing recognition -to one and another of the élite passing by. -She was reserving her graciousness for Glaucon, one -of whose ancestral gems shone brilliantly upon her -bosom. The announced illness of Berenice left her -coquetry this day an open field; for, in spite of -her flattery, she had conceived a distrust of the sister -of her paramour. There was to her mind a strangely -familiar look about Berenice's face, a flitting suggestion -of something she had seen and ought to remember, -but could not. Helena believed in the -transmigration of souls, or sometimes thought she -did. Was Berenice's spirit one that had crossed her -path in some previous state of existence? She could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -not determine whether the shadowy reminiscences -were real or fanciful; nor, if real, whether they were -pleasant or otherwise. She said to herself, "This -feeling is foolish," but Berenice's presence always -awakened the feeling. So she fell back upon a bit of -philosophy she had once heard from a noted rhetorician, -"There is an instinctive hostility between some -souls, and an instinctive love between other souls, -with either of which the intelligent judgment has -little to do."</p> - -<p>But Glaucon did not join the gay throng. Did his -sister's illness so concern him? The Princess felt a -flash of jealousy mantle her face, and knowing from -the frequent lesson learned at her mirror that it did -not make her handsome, she toyed with Glaucon's -gem until more pleasing thoughts came.</p> - -<p>Toward midday the crowd of watchers on the hill -noted a cloud of dust rising above the road from -Bethhoron. It swirled like that raised by a whirlwind. -It came rapidly nearer and larger. At length -the cry broke from the crowd:</p> - -<p>"The army comes! Seron! Seron!"</p> - -<p>Forth moved the multitude. The company of -priests led, the white linen garments of the old -régime marred by garlands worn in imitation of the -revellers at the Bacchanalian rites. Men bore an -altar of the war god Ares, and a jar of wine, with -a great goblet of gold from which the oblation -should be poured. Behind these marched the city -guards, in glistening helm and breastplates and -greaves, the least among whom seemed to emulate -the war god himself with his pompous tread. Then -came the palanquins of the noble women, each a -gorgeous display of silken colors, suitable to set off<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -the glory of the occupants. Behind followed, as they -could find way, the multitude, whose gay attire -rivalled in its variegation the plumage of an aviary -of birds caught among the reeds of the Red Sea -shore.</p> - -<p>The crowd halted when they clearly detected a -group of Greek horsemen spurring hard along the -road. Why were they riding so hard? As they came -near they were seen to be without helmet or spear -or heavy sword; dust-covered and bleeding; on -jaded beasts whose flecks of sweaty foam interlaced -the tatters of their once gorgeous harness. On they -sped in blind flight, trampling their way through the -crowd.</p> - -<p>"Back! Back to the city!" shouted the officers. -"The Maccabæans are close upon us!"</p> - -<p>"Stop, my lord! Stop, my lord Seron!" cried -Cynthia, as the General was hurrying by.</p> - -<p>The sight of his wife revived the remnant of this -great man's wits, which the panic had sadly dissipated. -Making himself the special attendant of her -palanquin, he set an example of celerity by heading -the scurrying crowd. He commanded Dion with his -handful of soldiers to guard the rear.</p> - -<p>That officer quite leisurely performed his duty, -lingering alone far behind the multitude, and anon -riding back as if seeking again to join the battle. -This was not because he was enamored of the fight; -but as he was climbing Bethhoron Dion had caught -sight of a woman in peasant garb bending over a -wounded Jew. He had nearly ridden them down. -The woman, seeing the danger, rose and with uplifted -hand warned him away. A woman's hand -only, but the steed would have refused to leap<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> -against it had the rider plunged the spurs to their -depth. There are some gestures and attitudes that -belong to the soul, and express its dominance over -all things of flesh and blood. Dion could not catch -the woman's face, but that very pose with the -uplifted hand had awed him before this. He had -seen it at the gateway of the house of Elkiah, and -again amid the ruins of the house of Ben Isaac.</p> - -<p>But he had no time to connect his thoughts, for -at the moment a sling stone struck his helmet, and -drove it down upon his neck. When he had adjusted -his headpiece his horse had carried him far beyond -the spot.</p> - -<p>Then he said: "It was only imagination; when -one's head rings as mine did with that stone, the -thoughts inside are apt to rattle too."</p> - -<p>Dion remembered that he had often had visions of -that same woman in some form. In all the march -down the plain of Sharon he had thought of her as -somewhere among those hills. When in the battle he -felt the sharp sting of an arrow which grazed his -thigh, he found himself asking the question, "Would -she care if I fell?" Now, as he looked back toward -Bethhoron, he said: "This was only a spectre of my -imagination." Yet he would risk his life to see that -spectre again. But Dion obeyed his General's orders, -and plodded slowly after him. His head dropped -upon his breast, and he scarcely noticed a boy with -a crutch who struck at his horse's flank and hobbled -away.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXIII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE GREED OF GLAUCON</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-g.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Glaucon</span> had not gone out with the -crowd to welcome General Seron. His -curiosity for the pageant and his fascination -by the Princess were just then -secondary to his cupidity. This native -trait in his character had been excited into spasmodic -activity by a certain discovery. He had spent the -day before searching the mansion of Ben Shattuck, -that grand house by the Tower of David. With the -avidity of an old-clothes dealer he had ransacked -chests of the cast-off wearing apparel of dead generations -of Shattucks, now and then perforating with -his fingers the moth-eaten linings of pockets and -pouches. He had tested drawers for false bottoms, -and pried into secret closets between walls which the -mortar, cracked by sinking beams, had exposed. He -had been rewarded by a handful of forgotten gems, -but more by a crumpled bit of papyrus in a leathern -wallet which he found in the bosom pocket of the -shirt which Ben Shattuck must have discarded the -very day of his departure from Jerusalem, the journey -from which he never returned. This was a letter -and read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"To <span class="smcap">Hosea ben Shattuck</span>, greeting:</p> - -<p>"The business committed to my care has been, I believe, both -faithfully and wisely adjusted. It were better for the trade between -Sidon and this port if you resided either here or there.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> -There is another reason for your speedy visit, if not abiding -sojourn, in Alexandria. The lady to whom I hold that you -were legally wedded has given birth to a son. The little lad is -sound of limb, of comely face, and, if the midwife's experience -pronounce good judgment, the child is of soul as bright as the -star that shone the night of his birth.</p> - -<p>"I beg that you endeavor to be in Alexandria the eighth day -hence, when the child will be circumcised according to our sacred -rite.</p> - -<p>"I am the faithful servant of the house of Shattuck,</p> - -<p class="right"> -"GIDEON BEN SIRACH." -</p></div> - -<p>The discovery that an heir of Shattuck had been -born complicated the matter of title to his estate in -Jerusalem. Was this child living? If so, he would -now be about the thirtieth year of life. Glaucon -spent the day in instructing a faithful envoy, and -commissioning him to Alexandria to ferret out the -facts.</p> - -<p>This messenger had scarcely gained the south road -leading to Gaza when the crowds of panic-driven -citizens burst through the northern and western -gates, some going to their houses, but many hastening -to the citadel, deeming the city walls too weak -to withstand the Maccabæan deluge they imagined -to be pouring after them.</p> - -<p>The bewilderment of Seron, and his declaration -that his defeat was brought about by unearthly -agencies, which neither generalship nor numbers -could resist, while designed to save his own reputation, -added to the consternation of the people. -Renegade Jews began to repent of their apostacy. -They increased the alarm of the foreigners by the -sudden revival of their own faith in the marvels of -Jewish history, and their Scriptural accounts of the -waves of the Red Sea, and the magic in the hands<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> -of Aaron and Hur when they upheld the arms of -Moses. Frightened credulity saw the afternoon -shadows that day grow shorter instead of longer, -as they did at the battle of Ajalon in Joshua's time. -Some averred that at nightfall the sun, as if to -make up for lost time, made a sudden plunge to his -setting, splashing the waves of the Great Sea until -like billows of blood they mingled with those of fire -along the horizon.</p> - -<p>The disastrous issue of the battle led Glaucon to -seek the secret closets in his own house, to conceal -in them his riches of coins and jewels, and certain -papers which would be more honored in Antioch -than in Jerusalem, if the Maccabæans should -enter. One such hiding-place he knew was in the -cellar. He had never opened it. From a lad he had -avoided dark places. Yet he thought he knew how to -distinguish the spot. It was the fourth stone from -the corner nearest the steps. He had often heard it -spoken of as the "trap." He felt his own pallor as -he descended the steps; but a chill that made his -flesh sensitively shrivel seized him when he lifted this -stone, for a damp air like the breath of ghosts issued -from the opening. Summoning all his courage, he -thrust his trembling hands down, feeling for alcoves -or shelves in the hollow dark space. Suddenly his -timid nerves failed him. There was a subterranean -sound; a rustling as of winding-sheets; footfalls -soft and muffled, such as ghosts might make. He -would probably have fainted had not his greed -given him strength. Clutching his bags he glided -away like a frightened lizard.</p> - -<p>A few moments later voices came out of the hole.</p> - -<p>"It is strange," said Caleb, "I smelt a light."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I, too, thought I saw a gleam," said Deborah. -"But, surely, I lowered the stone when I came down -the other day. Have you raised it since?"</p> - -<p>"I was down but once while you were away," -replied the lad, "and I know I closed it, for see! -here I pinched my finger in setting the great stone -back."</p> - -<p>"It was too heavy for you, child. You should not -have come down here," replied Deborah.</p> - -<p>"But I could not stay in the house, and you out -of it, sister; so I went through the quarries and -whistled for Meph at the wall, but he didn't come; -I played all day in the caverns."</p> - -<p>"What a place to play, my child."</p> - -<p>"Well, I couldn't see how bad it was, so I didn't -care."</p> - -<p>Caleb led the way up from the cellar. Huldah, -who had waited and listened for signs of her coming, -held Deborah in her motherly arms, and dropped -upon her face some tears well salted with memories -of by-gone years.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXIV<br /> - -<span class="smaller">LESSONS IN DIPLOMACY</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-i.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">In</span> the excitement of the great disaster no -one had inquired for Deborah, except -Glaucon, who received from the cautious -Huldah evasive replies regarding -her illness. The day following the battle -her brother insisted upon seeing her, since it -might be necessary to make sudden flight in the -event of the Maccabæans attacking the city.</p> - -<p>Deborah came from her chamber, walking with -difficulty. One would have said that she had received -a hurt or a wound from a fall. She, however, -spoke slightingly of the pain in the sinews which -sometimes came to her, an inherited disorder; at -least she had heard that her mother was at times -similarly attacked; but a few days' rest always -cured her. She now listened with surprise to the -story that a great battle had taken place, and upbraided -Glaucon and Huldah and Ephraim for not -telling her of it. She questioned every new-comer -with the eagerness of fright. Each fresh outcry in -the street seemed to deepen the blanch of her cheeks, -so that even Glaucon, though his face was pale and -his lips trembled, rebuked her timidity, and swore -great heathen oaths, such as befitted so valiant a -protector.</p> - -<p>"What shall we do if the rebels really take the -city?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"We will flee to Antioch."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span></p> - -<p>"But the Jews hold all the country to the north, -do they not?"</p> - -<p>"If the worst comes we can take ship at Gaza. I -have got as much gold as my belt will hold, and -our asses are ready to start at daybreak, if the -news then warrants our flight. But who comes?"</p> - -<p>Through the uproar in the street were heard cries -of the name of Dion. The curtains moved, and the -young Captain stood at the opening.</p> - -<p>Glaucon's welcome was enthusiastic. He embraced -his friend, and kissed him upon both cheeks. The -Greek did not return the salutation. He seemed -dazed, and stared steadily over Glaucon's shoulder. -Had he indeed gone daft? After gazing at a sunset -one is apt to see golden spots resembling the orb -wherever one looks at the sky. Had Deborah -wrought a similar illusion on his imagination? He -had seen her in his dreams, both waking and sleeping; -among the women of the Greek camp at the -Wady; and only yesterday in peasant garb amid the -dying on Bethhoron—yet she was here in her home! -He was beginning to question his own mental condition. -His hand came to his head as if to certify -that it was still upon his shoulders. Deborah -quickly proved that this time at least she was no -sprite out of the foam of fancy. With a suppressed -cry of surprise and gladness she sprang to meet him. -He would have been less than a man if he had not -extended both hands to embrace her. To her glorious -womanhood was added the frank joyousness of -a child. Her face caught the flash of her soul, and -was illumined by it.</p> - -<p>This was, however, but for the instant. The next -moment she drew back. Her face flushed, then be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span>came -of marble pallor. Dignity, hauteur, offence, -almost scorn were written upon her brow and lips. -It was as if a bursting rose-bush were suddenly encased -in wintry ice.</p> - -<p>Deborah realized that the surprise of Dion's coming -had thrown her off her guard. Had she not -solemnly determined, that night at the Wady, that -henceforth they two could have nothing in common? -This had been a conviction of her judgment and of -her sense of duty. That hour when she had used a -woman's wiles to accomplish a higher purpose she -had classed among her other practices of deceit as a -spy. She had scorned herself for it. Now that her -debt for his risking life in her behalf had been fully -paid—paid off by her risking her loyalty to her -country to save him—she had accustomed herself to -think of him only as an enemy; a Greek, either hating -the Jews and therefore persecuting them, or else -a mere soldier of fortune, indifferent to all right and -truth, as unfeeling as the point of his sword. In the -one case he was a man whom she, as a Jewess, -must treat as a foe; in the other case, he was a -man of such character that she, as a woman, must -despise him. She had resolved that if ever they did -meet—and she prayed God that they might not—it -should be with such frigid courtesy on her part that -former relations could not be resumed. She had -thought, too, that she could readily play this part. -Had she not schooled herself to absolute self-control? -Who could see through any mask she pleased to -wear? Not the shrewdest of the Greek generals in -whose tents she had been; not the suspicious eyes of -these women in Jerusalem. She had prided herself -that, whatever feeling might linger in her heart,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span> -her personality was buried within her patriot purpose.</p> - -<p>Yet just now her impulse on seeing this man had -been as uncontrolled as that of a child. What had -she done? She said: "I have betrayed myself." -Then she asked a deeper question on this line than -she had ever asked before: "How could I betray -myself? Am I not my own very self? Is there, then, -some deeper self with which I am not fully acquainted? -And is it true that that deeper, stranger -self, having never been consulted, has never consented -to the judgment I had formed regarding Dion?"</p> - -<p>She began to feel, what the Princess believed, that -there is a mysterious sense of kinship between certain -souls which asserts itself in spite of conditions, -which heeds no warning of judgment, and refuses -submission to other passions. If it were not so, -why had Dion's sudden coming made her do that -which no other surprise could have led her to do—make -her forget herself?</p> - -<p>But in a moment more she had recovered her self-possession. -She bowed Dion to a seat as coldly as -any stranger might have done, and bade him tell -the story of the battle.</p> - -<p>Captain Dion addressed himself solely to Glaucon, -for each glance at Deborah seemed to interrupt his -memory of events. Once and again he stopped midway -a sentence as he looked at her, until Glaucon -recalled him by repeating his last words.</p> - -<p>At length, fixing his eyes steadily upon her face, -he said:</p> - -<p>"We were defeated because we had on our side no—prophetess—to -inspire us to more than human -valor."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span></p> - -<p>But Deborah was now on her guard. That play -on Dion's part belonged to diplomacy, not sentiment, -and she rewarded his ruse by not so much as -a quivering eyelash or the shadow of a changing -hue.</p> - -<p>"Do the armies take prophetesses to their battlefields?" -she asked.</p> - -<p>"The Greeks do not," replied Dion. "Such holy -women as we have remain at home and consult the -entrails and stars. But it was reported that the -Jews were accompanied by some of theirs. I overheard -one say, 'The prophetess, the Daughter of -Jerusalem, is with us.'"</p> - -<p>His eyes searched hers, but could discover no sign -that she understood his deeper meaning.</p> - -<p>The diplomatic play between Dion and Deborah -was like the sword play of two expert fencers whose -blades cling together. Glaucon unwittingly relieved -the tension by inquiring:</p> - -<p>"As a soldier, do you advise my leaving the city, -Captain Dion?"</p> - -<p>"I as a soldier, or you as a soldier? Which do -you mean?" laughed the Captain.</p> - -<p>"I am not a soldier," said Glaucon. "My position -of influence is too great for me to take such risks."</p> - -<p>"If you were a soldier," said Dion, "I would advise -you to make your house a castle, and die behind -your parapets. But no, I think that one with -so many other interests had better take refuge in the -citadel or at Antioch. The fact is, our forces have -been utterly overthrown. The Jews are in pursuit -through the plain. Judas, I think, camped in our -camps at Lydda last night. But he will return; and -if he strikes us here we have not sufficient soldiers to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> -guard the entire walls. We can hold no more than -the citadel."</p> - -<p>"Then I will gather up all I can, and to-morrow -have it removed to the Tower of David," replied the -frightened man.</p> - -<p>"I commend your discretion," said the soldier, as -Glaucon, summoning his steward, left the apartment.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXV<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A JEWESS TAKES NO ORDERS FROM THE ENEMY</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-a.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">"And</span> you, Captain?" said Deborah, with -as much coolness as courtesy when -they were alone. "You will pardon -my seeming lack of hospitality, for you -know that you are ever welcome at -the house of Elkiah; but should you not return to -your duty? The riot in the street needs a strong -control. And are you not under orders from General -Seron?"</p> - -<p>"The General has forgotten what orders he has -given," replied Dion. "Or, if he remembers them, he -will have to enforce them with a new army from -Sheol, for Seron has fled thither. It was bravely -done, but terrible. The General has already taken -the only vengeance that remained for his defeat. He -has washed out his dishonor in his own blood. We -had scarcely entered the citadel when he turned to -me and said, 'Dion, this disgrace I shall never live to -hear told. Do as I do.' With that he struck his -dagger to the heart of his wife, then fell himself -upon his sword point. I did not obey his order. I -was too cowardly for that."</p> - -<p>Dion hesitated before he continued:</p> - -<p>"But no, I was not cowardly. Deborah, since -what has passed between us, I owe to you the confession -of my only reason for not following my -leader in his terrible deed. I thought of one very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> -dear to me, from whom I seemed to have been -separated by long years, so slow did the time creep -in her absence—now among a people foreign to me. -To this woman I had once bound myself with a -vow."</p> - -<p>Deborah felt the blood coming to her cheeks.</p> - -<p>Dion kept on: "While this woman lives, I must -live, unless she bids me die. But if she shall call -me coward I will disprove her words by dying at -her feet. Does the daughter of Elkiah bid me follow -my General? I will obey. Since the turn of affairs -at Bethhoron you will no longer need one of hated -race to protect you. As your Jehovah is my judge, -Deborah, I have lived for naught else since I felt the -touch of your hand at the Wady. I await your -word."</p> - -<p>How much one can live in a moment! The two -preceding years lay there in Deborah's memory like -a landscape under the lightning. She saw this man -in his sacrificial friendship. She thought that she -resented his personal affection; but, that being -eliminated, he was the noblest of souls: a Greek, -yet respecting her nation's faith even by the altar -in the Temple where he raised his protest in the -endeavor to protect her dying father; defending this -house because it was a home; more tender to her -Caleb than his own brother had been. She asked -herself, "Could even Judas have shown nobler manhood? -Would he befriend a household of his enemies -whose only claim should be their piteous need?"</p> - -<p>With all hauteur gone, she extended her hand and -said:</p> - -<p>"Forgive me, Captain Dion! I have wronged you. -I have been blind! I am blind still!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span></p> - -<p>She thought she had looked him frankly in the -face, and that she had pronounced these words very -calmly; she was unaware that she had blushed, that -tears came into her eyes, and that her hand trembled -in his.</p> - -<p>Dion was more astute. Like an expert soldier he -detected the favorable turn affairs had taken at this -critical juncture, and sought words to press his advantage. -But before he could speak Deborah had -lapsed into reserve. Was it her woman's pride that -felt somewhat of resentment? or was it the remnant -of her former resolution which came as a forlorn -hope to her rescue? She said:</p> - -<p>"You, sir, should be with your soldiers; and I—I -have much to think of."</p> - -<p>"But pledge me, Deborah, that you will not go -again to the army."</p> - -<p>At this she stood erect and haughty, as a captive -queen before her captor might have done. She -forced severity into her tone:</p> - -<p>"I am a Jewess, sir, and must not take orders -from the enemy."</p> - -<p>"I do not command, I entreat," replied Dion. -"By your own God, Deborah, I swear to you that -the slaughter of all the King's host is less to me -than that harm should come to a hair of your -head."</p> - -<p>"A very pretty speech," rejoined Deborah, with -simulated sarcasm, "but it is scarcely a speech befitting -a Greek soldier. Is your faith like a helmet -which can be changed at will, that you can swear -by a stranger's god?"</p> - -<p>"My faith! My faith!" exclaimed Dion. "We -Greeks have no such faith as yours. But a single<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> -faith have I—that all gods are one, or rather, as -your heroism has made me feel, that one God is all. -The God of Israel is the God of all nations. That -you have taught me. I have found my prophetess, -if Israel has none."</p> - -<p>"It is the true faith," said Deborah, "but how -should you know it? Is a girl's belief more to you -than all your boasted philosophy?"</p> - -<p>"Not a girl's belief, but a woman's life," cried the -Greek enthusiastically. "A life filled with the spirit -of her God, is most convincing. That has persuaded -me. And yet, Deborah, these thoughts are -not altogether new to me. From childhood I seem -to have had something of this faith. Voices have -spoken to me from an unknown world—a world -over this, as the sky domes all lands and seas. -Our Greek gods are to this God of yours as the -bright things about us are to the sun. Though the -sun's face be hidden by clouds all things get their -brightness from it. And strangely, these voices I -speak of seem to be recalling me to something I had -once known and forgotten, or to awaken something -born in me, but still latent and unintelligible. Your -father's clear faith, your own words, your devotion—these -have been an interpreter of what I have so -vaguely felt. Believe me, Deborah, I commit no -sacrilege when I swear my devotion to the God of -Israel."</p> - -<p>Deborah listened with a delight not concealed by -her expression of wonderment.</p> - -<p>"Tell me," she said eagerly, "tell me more of -yourself, Captain Dion. I pray you be seated. Did -not your father have something of this faith? Else -who has taught you?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span></p> - -<p>"My father I have hardly known," replied Dion. -"He was attached to the court of Philip of Macedonia. -When I was but seven years old he was sent -on an embassage to Rome, and never returned to -us. My mother had died four years before. Of her -I have but dim remembrance, or perhaps fancied -remembrance, prompted by this."</p> - -<p>He produced from his breast a small box enclosing -a beautiful face carved in relief upon ivory, and delicately -enriched with flesh tints.</p> - -<p>"This was the work of an Athenian who was -greatly skilled in such art. This face has ever been -in my thoughts. No other face of woman ever displaced -it from my constant dream by day and by -night, until——"</p> - -<p>"Speak no more of that," said Deborah. "Let no -stranger supplant your mother's image in your -love."</p> - -<p>"At my father's death," resumed Dion, "I was -made a page in the household of Perseus, who succeeded -Philip, until I was strong enough to carry a -sword. Since then the camp has been my home. I -fought for my King until he was utterly overthrown -by the Romans; then I became a wanderer. Hoping -that Antiochus would war against my old enemy -the Romans, I gave him my sword. I did not seek -such work as we have done here. But enough about -myself. Pledge me, Deborah, that you will not go -again to the army."</p> - -<p>"Again to the army?" exclaimed Deborah. "Why, -when you found me at the Wady, did you not entreat -me to return to my home here? And have I -not done so?"</p> - -<p>"And it was well," replied Dion. "But it was said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span> -that at the fight yesterday, the daughter of Elkiah -encouraged the Jews. Your name was heard -shouted like a battle cry by the Maccabæans."</p> - -<p>"My name!" said Deborah, in well-feigned amazement. -"Captain Dion, surely that bruise on your -brow tells of some more serious blow you must have -received, to have imagined that you heard my name. -And have you not found me here?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I can give the lie to the rumor about your -being in the battle; and I will swear by Jehovah -and all the gods, that I know to the contrary, if the -story should ever be repeated to your injury among -the people of the city."</p> - -<p>"Do not swear it, Dion. If you believe in our -God, keep His commandment which says, 'Thou -shalt not take the Name of God in vain,' and for a -Greek to swear as you propose to do would surely -be in vain."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXVI<br /> - -<span class="smaller">TO UNMASK THE PRINCESS</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> panic in Jerusalem soon gave place -to a sense of security. This was due -not only to the fact that the Maccabæans -had not followed up their victory -and attacked the city, but also in -large measure to the quieting counsel of Captain -Dion.</p> - -<p>"The defeat at Bethhoron," he declared, "was -owing not to any superior force of the Jews, but to -the folly of General Seron in marching his army so -as to invite assault. Indeed, when the forward -phalanges recoiled upon those coming after, the -Greeks defeated themselves. That disaster might -have occurred had no enemy attacked us. But the -force that Judas has, while sufficient to start a panic -by its sudden irruption under such circumstances, is -too small to attempt the capture of the city. His -men are only peasants, and without armaments of -siege. Upon the walls one man could withstand -many assailants; and from within the citadel a -woman might resist a company of men. Beside -this, intelligence has come that Lysias, the new -Governor, has despatched our most noted generals, -Ptolemy, Nicanor, and Gorgias, with a force of forty -thousand footmen and seven thousand horse to -utterly exterminate the Maccabæans. If the rebels -elude our new armies, it will be only by leaving<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span> -Judea, and taking refuge across the Jordan in the -mountains of Moab, where they will be as harmless to -Jerusalem as are the beasts which infest those wilds."</p> - -<p>Under such counsel the people were calmed. As -the terrible Judas did not appear at the gate of the -city—nor, as some imagined, like a bat as big as a -cloud, scale the walls with armed men under his -wings—life resumed its usual course among the inhabitants.</p> - -<p>The reaction from fright did not even stop with a -general sense of security. The pleasure-loving people -sought to recompense their days of abstinence by -extravagant indulgence.</p> - -<p>In this they were charmingly led by the Princess -Helena, whose grief for Apollonius had been completely -healed, if rumor were correct, by the attentions -of Glaucon. The enamored man had purchased -her favor by a relinquishment to her of his interest -in the estate of Shattuck. This transaction, told by -Helena in confidence to Lydia, had come to the -knowledge of her husband Menelaos, the High Priest, -who, claiming to be partner with the renegade Jew -in all ventures that paid, insisted upon Glaucon's -turning over to him, as through former agreement, -one-half the estimated prospective value of the estate. -An open breach between the two men was -prevented by a stroke of business shrewdness manipulated -by the two women. Glaucon was induced to -repurchase the claim by payment to the Princess of -a sum of ready money; which money, it is needless -to say, was shared by that gracious lady with the -High Priest himself, who still retained his half interest -in the Shattuck property.</p> - -<p>Glaucon was readily reconciled to his loss through<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> -this deal, not only by the affectionate rewards of his -mistress, but by new discoveries relative to the estate -of Shattuck. Its value was greater than he had -at first surmised, embracing heavy mortgages upon -adjacent property.</p> - -<p>All this time Glaucon's relations with the Princess -were an offense to Deborah which, with all her art, -she could scarcely conceal. She must tear the fair -veil from this hideous creature. But how could she -do so without confessing her own double life, since -it was in the spy's disguise she had discovered all -that she really knew of the woman? In her remonstrances -with Glaucon she dared not go beyond -interrogations and insinuations, which her brother -resented with warmth.</p> - -<p>"If we have not known her, others have," said he. -"Her coming to meet Apollonius in Samaria was an -event in the camp."</p> - -<p>"And excited no scandal?"</p> - -<p>"Scandal? Hera, the wife and sister of Jove, did -not escape the taunt of tongues. The fairer the -flower the fouler the insect that stings it. You -yourself, Berenice, have had unsavory things said of -you; but who would believe them?"</p> - -<p>"Still," interposed Deborah, "you know for a certainty -nothing about her lineage."</p> - -<p>"She has told me all," replied Glaucon. "The -blood of the great Alexander is in her veins, mingled -with that of the Ptolemies. But do you not see her -royalty in her very look and form and manner? -The gods do not make such caskets except for priceless -gems."</p> - -<p>"The hetæræ of Greece are the fairest women," -suggested Deborah, with a tone of contempt.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span></p> - -<p>"But have you not seen how choice she is in the -selection of her friends?" argued he. "In Jerusalem -she receives to her intimacy only those of the most -dignified position, like the house of Menelaos—and -the house of Glaucon."</p> - -<p>"But tell me, brother, how many talents has she -picked from your purse?"</p> - -<p>Glaucon colored, but smiled, as he replied: "Well, -is not that, too, a princely habit?"</p> - -<p>He quickly diverted the conversation from the uncomfortable -direction it was taking. The Princess -had humiliated him in his own eyes by outwitting -him in the Shattuck matter; and as a marred mirror -avenges itself by marring the reflection cast upon -it, so the image of Helena's virtue had now at -least one fault in Glaucon's judgment. She was over -sharp for him; an offense which at brief moments -fretted his love. But he was too proud to admit -that Deborah had touched a spot in him already -sensitive through irritation, and quickly resumed -the praise of the Princess.</p> - -<p>"How divinely she speaks! and upon what -themes! Only courts have such instructors as she -has had. Alexander was not better taught by -Aristotle."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps she sings and dances as well. Has she -exhibited these accomplishments also?" asked Deborah.</p> - -<p>"How should I know of these things? My little -sister, educated as you have been in the narrowness -of our former Jewish life, you have not learned that -a free-born Greek woman, much more one of aristocratic -family, is never allowed to reveal to the other -sex such accomplishments as you mention, even if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span> -she possesses them. These arts of singing and dancing, -beautiful as they are, are left to the slave caste -for performance. Athena is not Terpsichore. But, -by the way, there are some fine artists of that sort -in Jerusalem. Several women noted for their beauty -of voice and limb came from Antioch with the -officers of Seron. They were nearly trodden to -death in the flight. They were found near Bethhoron, -and brought to the city, where we need -entertainment. Meton, the chief of the city garrison, -had them at the castle last night; and I can -get them here. Our Princess Helena and Lydia, with -Menelaos, will make a company before which they -will be proud to display their parts."</p> - -<p>"Not here, Benjamin, in our father's house, not -here."</p> - -<p>"Then in the house of Menelaos."</p> - -<p>"Not there, I beg you; for Menelaos bears the -name of High Priest. Let us at least respect the -customs of Israel, if we no longer have its faith."</p> - -<p>"Let it then be in the Princess' house. She has no -such silly scruples," replied Glaucon petulantly. "It -is the custom of the aristocracy of Greece to hire -their entertainers; poets to recite, orators to declaim, -pantomimists, dancers, players on instruments -and singers. Helena will arrange it all, if I -ask her."</p> - -<p>"And if you pay for it?" suggested Deborah, as -Glaucon hurried away to carry out his new conceit.</p> - -<p>Deborah watched the curtain through which he -had passed. Dark shadows were flung upon her face -from darker thoughts within. She paced the floor as -restively as a caged panther. The convulsive movement -of her fingers was as if they were clutching<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -and stifling some hideous insect which defiled them, -and which she would fling away when she had killed -it.</p> - -<p>"How long is this to be?" she murmured. "But -that by my abiding here Jerusalem will be the -sooner rid of all this abomination, I would go to the -camp—or to the desert. But here I can best serve -Judas. Patience! Patience! But this impostor, -this Princess, forsooth! She must be unmasked."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXVII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE QUEEN OF THE GROVE</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> court around which the house of -Helena was built had, through liberal -draft upon the Princess' taste and Glaucon's -purse, been prepared for the entertainment. -The jet of water which -ordinarily rose in the centre of the court was turned -off, and the little marble basin in which the bronze -lotus leaves seemed to float was now covered over -with a platform extended and raised sufficiently to -display the performance.</p> - -<p>Helena's nose turned too much upward for a Greek -ideal when, late in the day, she contemplated the -meagre decorations. Glaucon had hired a number of -men and boys to gather wild flowers from the fields; -but the dread of the ubiquitous Judas had kept these -gleaners within a few rods of the city gate. Lamps -enclosed in bags of various-colored linen and silk -were substituted for the lanterns of brass and silver -and opalescent stones which anciently had been the -common adornment of the houses of the well-to-do -people.</p> - -<p>But whatever was lacking in these respects was -compensated by the brilliancy of the chamber which, -raised three steps above the pavement, opened upon -the court. This place was strewn with cushions -and skins of tiger and fox, so that the floor was -not unlike the body of a vast peacock lying with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span> -extended wings and tail. Amid these, and upon the -divans which ran round the three sides of the chamber, -reclined fair women; and hovering over them, -like humming-birds seeking the sweet of flowers, -stood high officers from the garrison, and a few of -the richest of the Greek priests in gala dress.</p> - -<p>Menelaos asserted the prerogative of his rank, and -reclined with the fair sex. Glaucon, as chief patron -of the show, and more than patron of the hostess, -assumed a similar privilege.</p> - -<p>"Is she not beautiful, my sister?" whispered the -Jew as Helena, having duly saluted her guests, with -a wave of the hand indicated the beginning of the -entertainment.</p> - -<p>Helena evidently overheard the compliment, and -rewarded Glaucon with a smile that would have -captivated any voluptuary, though he were not already -infatuated, as was her present victim.</p> - -<p>"She is very fair," replied Deborah.</p> - -<p>"A palm-tree is not more stately among juniper -bushes than Helena among women," said the enamored -man.</p> - -<p>"Rather say as graceful as a spotted serpent coiling -about a palm-tree," interjected his sister. "What -limbs for a dancer!"</p> - -<p>Glaucon interpreted her comment to apply to another -woman, who at the moment seemed to have -materialized out of the tangled lamp rays, and appeared -upon the platform in the court. This airy -being stood long enough to assure the spectators -that she was of real flesh and blood. Then, with -hands outspread, she pivoted herself upon the slender -point of her foot, and gyrated with as little apparent -muscular effort as that of the wand which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span> -a juggler twirls upon his finger. Two other women -joined her. Together they writhed in the set forms -of a dance, which was designed to show through -thin drapery the fine contour of their persons, the -proportion of their limbs, and grace of motion.</p> - -<p>"Bravo!" cried Menelaos, tossing a handful of -gold coins. As they rang upon the pavement, the -dancers, without stopping or marring their orderly -movements, picked up the gleaming spots.</p> - -<p>"Bravo!" echoed Glaucon. "I have never seen it -better done. I remember the same figures executed -by the famous Thessalian sisters at Antioch. You -recall the dance, do you not?"</p> - -<p>"I am not sufficiently versed in the art to recognize -the movements," replied the Priest.</p> - -<p>"The wine will clear your wits," responded Glaucon, -nodding to the Princess for approval, which -was so sweetly given that it proved sufficient intoxicant -to the Jew without need of any from the -cup. He clapped his hands, signalling to the servants, -who filled the great goblet.</p> - -<p>"This wine," said Glaucon, "I had sent from the -capital as a gift to our fair hostess. Let her first -spice it with a touch of her lips."</p> - -<p>The Princess acknowledged the excellence of Glaucon's -choice by quaffing deeply, and then passed the -golden vessel to her guests.</p> - -<p>The girls again appeared, one carrying a cythera, -another a tambour, the third castanets. The first -sang, to the accompaniment of her instrument, a -love song. Her voice had much natural sweetness, -and gave evidence of cultivation; but the notes soon -became husky and harsh, as if age-worn, although -the singer could scarcely have passed her first score<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span> -of years. It gave proof of the dissipation which -soon ends the career of women of her class, unless -they are possessed of sufficient ambition and will -to practise a measure of present self-restraint for -the sake of longer future indulgence. The two other -girls joined in the chorus with tambour and castanets, -and afterwards executed a dance which was -pantomimic of the song.</p> - -<p>Was it the gold that excited them, or is there a -spirit of the dance which resides somewhere in the -air or in the light, and enters the bodies of its votaries? -These women became ecstatic; they seemed to -emerge from themselves, and to become each a living -presence of Terpsichore. They closed their eyes -as if they danced in sleep. Their lips were parted -to inhale the intoxicating breath of their goddess, -who should thus supply the energy which physical -motion exhausted. The timing of their feet became as -pulse-beats, rhythmic, strong, flinging them through -the forms of the dance, as a fever throb whirls one -through the maze of fantastic visions. They bent -until their dishevelled hair touched the floor, like -stalks of grain beneath the weight of golden tassels. -Then, as the wind lifts the stalk and flings high its -bannered top, the women became erect. With instruments -above their heads, they swirled, each like a -glistening whirlpool, until the spectators were dizzied.</p> - -<p>During the performance Helena had spiced the -wine more than once with her lips as she passed -the cup to Glaucon.</p> - -<p>"The dance is shamefully poor," said she. "How -that girl mouthed her words, and failed to give the -right accent! The click of the castanets is not timed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span> -to her motions. And the movement of her ankles—as -awkward as if her legs were flail-sticks. The girls -are not artists. Let them sing again, and I will -show them how."</p> - -<p>She rose from the divan and, seizing the cythera -from the hand of one of the performers, rendered the -song with wonderful power. Now Helena's notes -floated as buoyantly as those of a lark, and anon -sank into exquisite softness and depth, as blue -wings sink into the azure. Then, dropping from her -shoulders her outer robe, with snapping fingers in -lieu of castanets, she gave the dance.</p> - -<p>Helena's figure had evidently once been of that -perfect balance which makes the impression of being -without weight, and which, with the aid of proper -draperies, gives the illusion of floating in the air. -But her body had clearly taken on solidity, and a -distribution of substance better adapted to one who -would pose in stateliness than to one who would -play the sylph. There is a grace of motion and -another grace of inertia. Very young persons ordinarily -monopolize the former; the latter is the compensation -which nature gives for advancing years. -Helena did not realize the grade she had attained -in beautiful womanhood—not an uncommon inadvertence -of her sex. Otherwise she danced with -faultless art—art evidently acquired only through -careful instruction and lengthened practice; the art -which, according to Glaucon, was forbidden to -princely personages and free-born women among the -Greeks. Her performance ended in an attitude illustrative -of the closing lines of the song, in which the -singer accepts the embrace of her lover. Helena's -face flushed with the excitement of the exercise. Her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span> -eyes flickered unsteadily through the effect of the -wine. As the last note died upon her lips she reached -out her hands to Glaucon.</p> - -<p>Whether the Jew was dazed by the superb acting, -or by the unexpected revelation on the part of the -actress, we may not say—but dazed he seemed, for -he sat stupidly still.</p> - -<p>His irresponsive look startled, if it did not sober, -the dancer. She gazed about her; put her hand to -her head, as if to realize her identity; and, tripping -upon the robe which she had dropped from her -hand, fell into her seat.</p> - -<p>"I must be ill," she said. "Give me—give me—some -wine."</p> - -<p>One by one her guests, with such semblance of -courtesy as the Princess' condition allowed them to -render, took their departure; but not until one of -the dancing women was heard to declare:</p> - -<p>"I will bet my garters that she is none other than -the great Clarissa herself; for I am sure that the -old Queen of the Grove of Daphne could not have -done it better. Did you catch the trill?"</p> - -<p>"Aye, and the long step and the short one. -'Beauty's Limp' they call it. Clarissa invented that, -and all the girls in the Grove practised it; but they -say that nobody could do it perfectly except herself."</p> - -<p>"I think that the Princess did it splendidly, except -that her flesh wobbled; she's too fat."</p> - -<p>"What became of the Queen of the Grove?"</p> - -<p>"I have heard that she went away with General -Apollonius. I will wager my silver anklets against -your bronze ones that Clarissa came down to Jerusalem -when Apollonius was killed, and that she has -been taken up by that fig-headed fellow who ordered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> -the drink. The Princess! Ha, ha! She's the Queen—our -Queen of Daphne! If she comes out again I -will fall down at her feet, and bite off a piece of her -big toe to carry back to Antioch as a memento; -that is, if we ever get out of this Jewish hole."</p> - -<p>"May the gods favor us as well as they have -Clarissa!" was her companion's reply.</p> - -<p>"Aye, when we get so heavy in the thighs, and so -stiff in the joints. When that comes I, too, will sell -what is left of me to a Jew. But let's have a -drink."</p> - -<p>She threw a kiss at a Greek officer leaving the -court, and bent over the wine crater, singing:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Inside heat for outside heat,</div> - <div class="verse">Good for both the head and feet.</div> - <div class="verse">Give me love and give me wine.</div> - <div class="verse">Give me both, or I'm not thine. Tra-la!</div> -</div></div></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXVIII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A PRISONER</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-c.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Captain</span> Dion was not at the house of -Helena the night of the entertainment. -He was more seriously engaged with -Meton, the Commandant at the citadel. -The two men sat on opposite -sides of a narrow oaken table. This was the only -furniture of the stone-encased apartment, except the -low stools the men occupied, some changes of armor -that hung from the bronze pegs in the walls, a soldier's -chest, and a tankard and goblets which stood -between the Commandant and his guest. The men -were in striking contrast. Meton was short, broad-shouldered, -square-headed, crab-eyed, with complexion -which might have been due to weather exposure -or overmuch indulgence in wine—doubtless to both.</p> - -<p>"I appreciate your feeling in regard to so fine a -woman," said the Commandant, "and I have no -doubt that she rewards your good offices with personal -favors. No offence, my friend, no offence! for -were I younger I should prize a woman's smile as -highly as you do. But I tell you, Captain, she must -be seized."</p> - -<p>"With proper deference to your opinion," responded -Dion, "I am not prepared to admit the force of your -reasons for suspecting her. Indeed, I am quite sure -that I can disprove what her enemies say of her. -But, passing that, it were impolitic to lay hands on -one so close to Glaucon and the High Priest."</p> - -<p>"Glaucon! He has not a shred of influence in Je<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span>rusalem -except as Menelaos allows him to pose under -his shadow. And listen, Captain,"—lowering -his voice and glancing furtively about the apartment—"Menelaos -is through with Glaucon. The -Jew has about wound up his tether, and is of no -more use to the Priest than a date pit is to the -pulp after it has ripened. It is the High Priest himself -who has secured evidence against the woman. -I do not praise his purpose; but Menelaos, the circumcised -hypocrite, would be as false to us Greeks -as he has been to his own race, if his greed led that -way. Just now he is weighting his dice to get possession -of the estate of Elkiah, which they say -includes that of Ben Shattuck. If this Berenice, or -Deborah, or whatever her name may be, can be -proved to be in league with the Maccabæans, it -will be sufficient for the King, which is another -name for the High Priest, to confiscate the property; -since he would not trust Glaucon, who harbors her -in his house. It was different when she was thought -to be dead."</p> - -<p>"But what evidence has been secured?" asked -Dion with simulated calmness, which one less stolid -than his companion would have seen to cover deep -excitement.</p> - -<p>"Evidence? Evidence in abundance! Though I -confess to you, Captain, I don't believe a word of -it any more than you do. The woman is scarcely -more than a child, and yet the Princess is ready to -swear that she was once a Jewish spy whom she -herself had seen about the camp of Apollonius before -his blunder at the Wady. Faugh! It is incredible. -If fawns were used as hounds to scent out -leopards, then Glaucon's sister might be a spy."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Is the Princess' word all we have for the accusation?"</p> - -<p>"No. We have caught two men who were with -Judas; they will swear for the sake of their lives—and -men will swear anything for that—that the -daughter of Elkiah was with the rebels just before -the battle of Bethhoron."</p> - -<p>"But I could swear that she was not, for I myself -saw her in her brother's house the very night of -the battle," cried Dion, bringing his fist down upon -the table that separated them. "I will put my word -against the two traitors; and which will you take, -General Meton?"</p> - -<p>"Quiet, Captain! quiet! or I will believe the report -that her black eyes have bewitched you. Whose -word will I take—yours or the Jews'? Why, theirs, -of course, since we will not allow you to testify at -all. Captain, you and I know that this is not an -affair of justice, but only a thread in some web the -High Priest and the Princess are spinning. But -what of that? Neither of us is big enough to withstand -Menelaos; and I, for one, will not attempt it. -The woman must be seized."</p> - -<p>"But does the law of our service permit an accused -woman no defendant?"</p> - -<p>"No defendant will be needed in this case. My -orders are peremptory. They come from General -Gorgias, that she shall be arrested, and held until -his arrival in the city, when he himself will judge the -case. But there is hope for her. She is marvellously -beautiful, though her eyes have too much -lightning in them for me. Gorgias is an artist in -flesh; and as the judges did in Phryne's case, he -will find as many witnesses of her innocence as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span> -she has charms. But, Captain, I can serve your -fancy. For your interest in the woman I will put -her custody into your hands until Gorgias comes. -You certainly will not object to that, or you have -colder blood than I credit your years with. You -may bring her to the citadel, or you may guard -her in her own house, in your arms if you want -to; but you know our laws—your life for hers if -she escapes. First, however, her accusation must be -published. On this the High Priest insists. Captain, -do you accept her custody, or shall I send another?"</p> - -<p>"Under such circumstances, of course I accept," -replied Dion, rising.</p> - -<p>"Well," said Meton, laughing, "then I command -you, for I see you want to. Only don't fall in love -with her overmuch, or I shall be jealous of my appointment -and revoke it. One cup more with me, -Captain; and speak a good word for me with the -Princess; for when this pup of a Jew, Glaucon, is -out of the way, I may myself forget that I am not -young, and play the suitor."</p> - -<p>Early the following morning a tall sarissa and -broad-brimmed hat sentinelled the house of Glaucon. -Another soldier was stationed just within the doorway, -while half a score lounged about the court, -under command of Captain Dion.</p> - -<p>The news of Deborah's arrest produced excitement -and some consternation throughout the city; for -while Glaucon was hated, even as he was envied, -for his ill-gotten successes, nearly all the renegade -Jews in Jerusalem were conscious of serving the -King from the same greedy motives, and feared for -themselves now that the High Priest had turned -against one of his own kind.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Who next?" was everywhere asked in whispers.</p> - -<p>Captain Dion had his headquarters in the familiar -guest room of the house of Glaucon. He made -known to Deborah the accusation against her.</p> - -<p>"Deborah, I am here to protect as well as guard -you," he protested. "You must escape. Let me go -with you, and if necessary die for you. What is one -soldier less to the armies of Antiochus? But a life -poured out in love's dear sake, ah! that would be -like a goblet of wine spilled upon an altar. Willingly -would I thus serve you, and I believe it would -be a sacrifice pleasing to your God."</p> - -<p>Deborah was a long time silent. At length she -said:</p> - -<p>"Dion, will you do anything, everything, for me?"</p> - -<p>"Anything, everything," exclaimed the eager man. -"Speak the word, and I will go with you to the -camp of the Jews, or I will flee with you to the -tents beyond Jordan. Anything, everything," cried -he, abandoning himself to the sway of his passion.</p> - -<p>"There is nothing I can ask that you will not do? -Are you sure? May I test you again?"</p> - -<p>"There is nothing, nothing that I will not do -for you. I swear it. Test me. I long to prove -myself."</p> - -<p>"Then, Dion, I command you to remain where you -are. Do your duty as a Greek soldier. Guard me if -you may. Lead me forth to execution if you must. -Let General Gorgias have his will with me. I will -not use your love to swerve you a hair's breadth -from your sworn duty to the service you are engaged -in."</p> - -<p>"But, Deborah, how could I do this? You are -falsely accused. Never was there a more damnable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> -lie. I myself can swear that you were not with the -Jews at the battle, for here I saw you."</p> - -<p>Deborah turned away and paced the apartment; -then quickly turned:</p> - -<p>"Dion, you are my custodian. More than that, I -make you my judge. You shall hear my confession. -I am not falsely accused. I am a Jewish spy. I -forbid that you swear to my innocence. Others may -speak untruth, but I will confess the facts before the -tribunal rather than your lips shall utter a word -that is false."</p> - -<p>Dion heard with amazement, not so much at her -statement, for he had more than suspected its truth, -but at this new revelation of Deborah's spirit. He -exclaimed ardently:</p> - -<p>"Then flee with me. Come! Come! This night -we may be far away, among your own people, -among the tribesmen beyond Moab; or we will go -to Egypt, or to Greece, or to Rome. My life is -yours, Deborah, whenever and for whatever you -may need me. Come! We can make safe flight."</p> - -<p>"No, Dion. Though I may not say I love you, I -esteem you too much as my friend, as my father's -friend, to let you sacrifice your good name for me. -Be true to your duty here, until God Himself give -deliverance to His people."</p> - -<p>"There is no deliverance for your people, Deborah," -cried the Greek in despair. "The King's armies are -already gathering for another ascent from the plain -of Sharon. Within three weeks they will sweep all -this land as the tide of the Great Sea covers the -sands when the north wind blows."</p> - -<p>"Then, why will not you go with your men?" exclaimed -Deborah, haughtily. "It is better to fight<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span> -on the high field than to be left behind to guard a -girl. Honor and fame are there—here nothing for a -great soul; nothing for one who has been trained in -the court of Philip and in the army of Perseus of -Macedon."</p> - -<p>Her attitude and voice were so dramatic that they -might have turned even Glaucon into a hero.</p> - -<p>Then her tones became taunting: "Has Dion, son -of General Agathocles, no ambition? Are you like a -new-born ant that has wings on its back, but suffers -them to be torn off by its sisters? Oh, Dion, if I -were a man, think you I would be content to play -the cat at a mouse-hole, as you are doing here, -when the hosts are marching? Go! Let Meton -send his citadel cooks. They will be sufficient to -watch me here. But not you, Dion! Give up your -custody, I beg you."</p> - -<p>Dion caught her martial spirit, and exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Ah, if you were a man, Deborah, I would love -you as your ancient Prince Jonathan did the heroic -David. Side by side we would fight even for the -Jews' cause. I swear it! But," he dropped his -voice, and, weighing every word with sincerity and -decision, added, "Deborah, I shall remain here with -you, unless you will go with me."</p> - -<p>Deborah's manner instantly changed. Her soldierly -enthusiasm became the transport of a prophetess.</p> - -<p>"Dion, believe me, the host of Gorgias will never -make the ascent to Jerusalem. I know it. The -sword of our God is in the hand of Judas. The -child Caleb sat yesterday looking toward the west, -his eyes expanded more largely than ever. 'What -do you see?' I asked; for in such moods I have -found him to be gifted with a seer's sight.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span></p> - -<p>"'I see,' said he, 'the armies of the Gentiles. They -swarm like bees toward the towers of Jerusalem. -Now they are at Emmaus. But the sword of the -Lord and of Judas gleams through the air. It -severs the flying host. See! see! The bees have lost -their guidance. They scatter everywhere. They dissolve -like smoke in the air!' I know not where the -child gets such visions, but more oft than otherwise -they come true."</p> - -<p>Dion shook his head.</p> - -<p>"Deborah, if your God shall again work miracles -this dream may become true; but if Judas were in -league with Egypt or Rome he could not stop the -advance of Gorgias. Any one of the three Greek -armies can destroy the Maccabæans, while the -others sweep the land, as freely as the breezes blow, -from Samaria to the South Desert. I thank God -that neither you nor I shall be in the coming battle. -Why, Deborah, should I fight? How can I care -whether Antiochus widen his empire, and rob more -lands to spend his revenues on new favorites, such -as those about us here? But I could fight for a -cause, for something I esteemed holy, as I do yours. -I believe that you could touch me and transform me -into—into a Jew. One thing I vow: If Judas escape -the oncoming armies I will believe in Caleb's -vision. I will offer your great champion my sword -at the gate of Jerusalem, and confess that he is the -long-promised Deliverer whom all people as well -as yours believe will some day come to restore right -boundaries and exalt good men. This I swear, and -make your sweet lips witness. Let them call me -traitor if I keep not this vow."</p> - -<p>"Did then," replied Deborah, "our blind seer dream<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span> -again correctly? He said that he saw Dion wearing -a Jew's shirt beneath his Greek toga. But, -Dion, do not follow such impulses. Your career is -that of a soldier. In that occupation you may acquire -renown, riches, power; for I myself once heard -one of your generals say that there was more genius -for command in Dion's head than in the whole war -councils of the King. Only be as just as you are -brave—such men are needed everywhere. But alas! -too well I know that, unless God helps, one will -find only poverty and suffering and death among -the Jews. Our reward is not here, but in that unknown -land where we believe our fathers who have -fallen asleep wake and walk. Without that sure -faith, Dion, you must not become a Jew. But we -must part. Call me when the swordsman or jailer -is ready—and I will forgive you."</p> - -<p>She retired into her apartment.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXIX<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A RAID</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-b.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Between</span> the conflict of his own thoughts -and Glaucon's outbursts of rage at the -indignity cast upon his house, the day -passed drearily for Captain Dion. But -the night brought new excitement.</p> - -<p>The narrowness of the streets made them dark -almost as soon as the glints of the setting sun had -climbed above the parapets and vanished into the -upper air. No lamps were now burning, as in peaceful -times, at the doorways of the houses. Upon the -city walls and at the great gates loomed the outlines -of the sentinels, the click of whose sarissas, -brought to the ground at each turn on their beats, -alone broke the stillness. The streets were deserted, -except as here and there a light blinked through -the opening door of some low resort, out of which -revellers stumbled into the night; or as some thief, -with bare and noiseless feet, evaded a house guard -who was sleeping before the gate of an official or -protected inhabitant.</p> - -<p>It was about the sixth hour when three shadows, -like so many condensations of the night itself, moved -up the Street of David from the direction of the -Temple. In a moment as many more followed. Others -came stealthily out of the alleys, and appeared -suddenly in the main street, as if they were exhalations -from the pools of water between the great<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span> -stones of the pavement. If one had owl's eyes one -might have detected more of these moving patches of -darkness, some taking covert behind the projecting -lattice-work of the bazaar windows, or within the -screening lintels of the doorways. At first they -seemed like common night waifs seeking places to -sleep; but as sticks in a whirlpool make each its -own gyrations, then float out through a common -channel, so all these men drifted toward the house -of Glaucon.</p> - -<p>The sentinel stationed there observed one such -shadow near him, and challenged it. While engaged -in attempting to unravel what he thought were -the comer's drunken accents into intelligible words, -a grip from behind was upon his throat, and before -he could utter an outcry a short sword had -entered his body.</p> - -<p>A rap on the door brought the challenge, to which -the Greek watch-word "Avenge Bethhoron" was -given. The cross-bar had scarcely lifted when in -poured a score of men. The door-keeper fell, and in a -few moments all the Greek guard were silent in their -blood, except Captain Dion who, standing at vantage -upon the platform of the room leading from the -court, by splendid sword-play held off his assailants. -The leader of the attacking party, after watching -for a moment the uneven fight, laid his sword across -the swords of the men.</p> - -<p>"Back, men! I will deal with this fellow."</p> - -<p>The speaker was a short but powerfully built -man. His head was protected by a helmet of thick -leather, which was in keeping with the black, coarse, -chain-knit, iron corsage that covered his upper person. -His form was as compact and as lithe as that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span> -of a leopard, and his pose that of equal alertness. -Without for an instant letting his sword drop from -its position for thrust, and holding Dion at guard -as the weapon seemed to search his body for a vulnerable -point, the man spoke:</p> - -<p>"You are in command here?"</p> - -<p>"When I had any one to command," replied Dion, -glancing at the dead bodies lying about the court. -"But who are you?"</p> - -<p>"No matter who," replied the invader; "I demand -the person of the daughter of Elkiah."</p> - -<p>"My life is forfeit for her," replied Dion. "Come -on."</p> - -<p>His challenge was not accepted by his antagonist, -who, holding his weapon in guard, asked, "Your -name, gallant Greek?"</p> - -<p>"Captain Dion, at your service, sir. Come on."</p> - -<p>The man lowered his sword.</p> - -<p>"Retire, men. Captain Dion, a word with -you."</p> - -<p>"Tell me first by whose authority you have entered -here," asked Dion.</p> - -<p>"By the authority of the God of Israel, and Judas, -son of Mattathias, we came. And now, as you can -see, since your comrades are dead, we remain here -by authority of our own swords. Twenty to one -is scarcely fair play, and we have that vantage of -you. Yield!"</p> - -<p>Captain Dion was not more persuaded by the -fighting odds against him than he was led by certain -other considerations to give up the fight. He -at once replied:</p> - -<p>"I yield upon one condition—that no harm shall -come to the lady Deborah."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Our purposes seem to be one," replied the stranger. -"Is the name of Jonathan, brother of Judas, -sufficient guarantee for her safety?"</p> - -<p>"Jonathan!" ejaculated Dion. "And yet your entrance -in spite of our guards might have made me -suspect one surnamed 'The Wily.' Have you Maccabæans -taken the city?"</p> - -<p>"It is enough that we have taken this house, and -that you are our prisoner. Will you deliver the -woman to us, or shall we take her out over your -body? The choice is yours."</p> - -<p>"I am a Greek soldier," said Dion. "My life will -be forfeit by our own rules if I yield. My honor -will at least be sustained if I fall guarding my -charge."</p> - -<p>He struck the attitude of defense.</p> - -<p>"I had rather fall beneath the hands of twenty -foemen, than be led out to die like a dog by my own -people. Come on! You have my answer."</p> - -<p>Jonathan did not move.</p> - -<p>"Guard yourself, then!" said Dion, advancing. -Jonathan made no sign of self-defense.</p> - -<p>Dion lowered his sword. "I cannot kill a man -who will not fight."</p> - -<p>"Plainly not. You are not a soldier of that sort, -and thus are unlike your fellow Greeks," said the -Maccabæan.</p> - -<p>"Do not taunt me," was the reply. "I believe that -the daughter of Elkiah will be safer with Jonathan -than with myself. For her sake I yield."</p> - -<p>He presented his weapon.</p> - -<p>"Not so, Captain Dion," replied the Jew. "Keep -your sword. You may need it to defend yourself -from others. Now lead me to the lady Deborah. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span> -respect her too highly to invade her privacy without -heralding by her appointed guardian. Use -your sword on me, Captain Dion, if I force her -to do aught against her will. We two will go -alone."</p> - -<p>Jonathan bade his men retire.</p> - -<p>The frightened servants had hidden away at the -first noise of the encounter; but as the two men -approached Deborah's apartment their way was -blocked by old Huldah, who stood with arms -akimbo, and behind her Ephraim.</p> - -<p>"The lady Deborah is ill, and no one can see her," -cried Huldah, as valiantly as if Ephraim were a -whole battalion supporting her.</p> - -<p>"Here is a military exigency which I fear the -tactics of neither Greek nor Jew is equal to," -laughed Jonathan. "We should have brought up -our battering rams."</p> - -<p>It is difficult to surmise what would have been the -issue of this impending collision between a noted -warrior and the puissant Huldah, had not little -Caleb appeared at the instant the battle was about -to be joined. Recognizing the voice of his friend of -the Rocks, he ran to him with a delighted cry:</p> - -<p>"Jonathan! Jonathan!"</p> - -<p>"My child!" cried the Maccabæan with equal -eagerness, as he caught the lad to his arms. "And -Deborah, where is she?"</p> - -<p>"Why, Deborah is gone two hours since," exclaimed -the child. "She is now far away as Mizpah, -or maybe Bethel. But, Jonathan, have we taken -the city yet? And was Gorgias killed as I saw in -my dream?"</p> - -<p>"The Lord grant that your dream may be as that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span> -of Gideon's soldiers the night before the destruction -of the Philistines, when a barley cake overturned a -tent," said Jonathan, kissing the blind eyes. "Deborah -is gone? Where then, Captain Dion, is your -boasted protection of this woman, whom you say -you were ordered to guard? If she could go and -come without your permission, why might not -others have captured her? It is well that I, a Jew, -have been ordered to relieve guard here to-night, -since you, a Greek, have not kept it."</p> - -<p>"Your words are deserved," replied Dion, bewildered -by Caleb's news. "I cannot account for it. -Deborah has not passed out by the court gateway -into the street, that I can swear. Nor do I think -she has flown through the air."</p> - -<p>"For aught you know, Sir Greek, she may have -done so. Remember that you are in the Jews' land. -Here you must be prepared to believe such things as -were never dreamed of by your people. This is, as -you have doubtless heard, a land of miracles. Every -hill and cave has a story, as true as that Deborah -has outwitted your senses. But pardon my mirth, -Captain. I see that your head sits lightly on your -shoulders for having let your bird break cage, and I -suggest that, if you do not care to submit your -neck to the whim of your superior officer, you go -with us. I doubt not we can put you again in -charge of your fair captive, or at least where you -will risk nothing if you avow that she escaped with -your connivance. I think, Captain, that you will -have to go with us. Come."</p> - -<p>Captain Dion put forth his hands.</p> - -<p>"You may bind me."</p> - -<p>"You are too brave a man for that," replied<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span> -Jonathan. "The name of Dion is not unknown to -us. You may bind yourself with your word. It -will suffice. Besides, you will need both hands in -scrambling out of this town, and maybe your sword, -for——"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXX<br /> - -<span class="smaller">FOILED</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-j.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Jonathan's</span> sentence was not completed. -There was a sudden sound of -the quick-timed, regular tramp of -many feet in the street. Meton, hearing -of the commotion in the house of -Glaucon, had sent thither a detachment from the -citadel. There were a few sharp words of command -outside, followed by the crashing in of the gate. -Then came a moment's silence. This was while the -Greek rescuers were forming for a dash through the -portal; for they knew that the foremost would fall -beneath the unseen swords that were ready to meet -them.</p> - -<p>Jonathan and his men were already in the breach. -Man after man dropped in his tracks as the Greeks -crossed the threshold. The assailants, though baffled, -kept the gate open by thrusting back of the -hinges a piece of timber which they had used as a -sort of battering ram. The passage was soon -choked with a pile of dead bodies. The Greeks then -massed a number of spearmen who, with their bristling -points thrust far ahead of them, essayed to -rush their antagonists. This ruse was unfortunate; -for no sooner were the spear-heads beyond the lintels -than they were grasped by strong hands, and -thrown upward, thus leaving the unprotected bodies -of those who had used them at the mercy of the -Jews' swords.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span></p> - -<p>The Greeks had surely lost the fight had not -Meton ordered another party of his men to enter the -adjacent houses, climb to the roofs, and from them -reach that of the house of Glaucon. Having gained -this advantage, they poured down in a torrent of -destruction. The Greek servants were spared. Huldah -and Ephraim in some mysterious manner disappeared. -Glaucon, or what was left of the living -man, since his fright had been well-nigh as fatal to -him as a stone from a catapult would have been, -was dragged from beneath a divan, but only to be -shoved back again as into a place of security, while -a soldier was set to prod him if he should attempt -to come out.</p> - -<p>An officer finding Dion, laid his hand upon his -shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Captain, I must put you under arrest. You will -harbor me no ill will if I obey my orders?"</p> - -<p>"Do your duty, Mercedes, or I myself will report -you," replied Dion.</p> - -<p>The Captain extended his hands, which were -quickly bound with his own belt.</p> - -<p>The uneven fight was soon over in the court. A -score of Jews were either slain or captured, though -more than twice that number of their antagonists -measured their lengths upon the pavement. One lay -with his head in the fountain basin at the feet of -Aphrodite, and stared with his dead eyes into the -face of the marble beauty that gazed down into -them.</p> - -<p>"Who is the leader of this gang of rebels?" asked -Meton.</p> - -<p>"The Lord of Hosts is our leader!" said one of the -captives.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span></p> - -<p>"The lord of the host?" queried Meton. "Has -then the great Judas fallen into my trap? Shade of -Apollonius! this is lucky for me. But where is your -lord of the host?"</p> - -<p>He turned over the bodies of the dead Jews to -look at their faces. "He is not here—nor here. -None of these have stature enough for the giant."</p> - -<p>Jonathan, anxious for the fate of Caleb, had gone -seeking for him in the upper part of the house. His -way was blocked by an immense Greek who strode -across a chamber carrying the blind boy beneath his -arm. No sooner had Jonathan spied him than the -man's dead hands dropped his burden. But a crowd -of soldiers had followed the daring Jew, and now -seemed to have him as their captive. Thrusting -Caleb behind him, Jonathan kept his assailants at -bay by the lightning movement of his blade.</p> - -<p>"This way, Jonathan! this way!" cried the lad; -and, so guided, Jonathan retreated step by step, -now between the opening curtains; now across another -chamber; then down a flight of stone steps. -At length he was in darkness.</p> - -<p>"This way, Jonathan!" sounded the thin voice of -the child from the cellar.</p> - -<p>The Greeks who came after stopped, being unable -to see any object; but thrust with their swords -through the darkness.</p> - -<p>"Hold off, men, we have him trapped!" shouted -one of the leaders. "Ten men guard this stairway. -The rest of you go with me to the cellarway -in the court. We will pick him out with our spear-points, -or burn him out like a fox in a hole; it -matters not which way the rascal wants to die. It -is the great Judas himself in spite of his size, for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span> -there is only one man who can handle the sword as -this fellow does. But for all that I would have had -the better of him just now were it not that that -blind brat can see in the dark. Indeed, I stuck him -once like a pig at the bottom of the steps."</p> - -<p>"You lie," said another. "You stuck me; and -but for my hand catching your blade you would -have hamstrung me with your jab—jab—jab at -everything and nothing. I tell you I had the Jew by -the throat, and would have throttled him but for you."</p> - -<p>"Had him by the throat?" shouted another. "You -had me by the throat. I was in front of you. I -shall claim the reward when we get him. I swear -it was I that drove him down these steps. I had -knocked up his sword, and was closing on him -when you put your camel's foot of a fist on my -throat."</p> - -<p>While some watched by the cellarways, and the -leaders consulted upon means to extricate their -valiant prey without danger to themselves, Jonathan -was being piloted safely by Caleb through the -subterranean passage. For a while he followed the -lad. They at length came to a place where the path -became two. Here Jonathan took the child into his -arms.</p> - -<p>"From this point I know the way," said he. -"When we came in by the crevice in the wall that -Meph told us of, we went up that passage until we -came out in the Temple court. And there, Caleb, -we swore before the broken altar of our Lord to -give our lives if need be for your and Deborah's -rescue."</p> - -<p>"But how did you know of our danger?" queried -the lad.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Old Ephraim told Meph of her being under arrest -in her house, and Meph brought us word at Mizpah. -But here is our change of uniform. Let me get out -of these vile Greek trappings before they give me -some plague. Alas, that our brave men could not -come back with us! But we will avenge them yet, -the Lord willing."</p> - -<p>"Will not Greek clothes serve you better when we -come into the fields?" asked Caleb.</p> - -<p>"No Greek dares to walk a furlong beyond the -walls in the night time," replied Jonathan. "The -whole country belongs to the jackals, the foxes, to -us, and to God."</p> - -<p>"Can you see God's eyes, Jonathan?" asked Caleb -as they emerged from the crevice.</p> - -<p>"No, not now; the stars are not out to-night; -but I can see God's smile, for the day is breaking -over Moab. You are tired, little brother. My -shoulder must be as hard a saddle as a camel's -hump."</p> - -<p>Jonathan took the blind child into his arms, and -Caleb, with his hands about the soldier's neck, and -face hidden in his thick beard, after awhile fell asleep. -The child's weight did not weary the strong man, -but his spirit, so gentle, so pure, so wise, seemed to -Jonathan to mingle with his own, as the water -purling from some mountain spring, cool and clean -and sweet, mingles with a muddied stream. There -were tears on the face of the man of battle, when, -just as the day dawned, he laid his sleeping burden -down in a nook between the rocks.</p> - -<p>A Jewish soldier went by; his iron helmet was -slung back. Touching his bared head, he gave the -sentinel's watchword, "As the Lord liveth," and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span> -passed on. And such as he were walking in every -by-path and ravine and on every hill-top from Jerusalem -to Samaria, watching over the land as faithfully -as the stars keep their nightly beats in the -heavens. Jonathan bent over the sleeping child, -and kissed the little hand that lay against the moss. -Then, signalling to another sentry, he pointed to the -spot and walked away.</p> - -<p>In an hour he returned.</p> - -<p>When Jonathan and Caleb reached the camp at -Mizpah, they were alarmed to learn that Deborah -was not there, nor had she been seen by any one.</p> - -<p>Many possible explanations of her absence were -suggested, which varied chiefly according to the degree -in which anxiety sank toward despair. Most -believed that she had failed to pass safely through -the cordon of guards, and had been captured by the -Greeks.</p> - -<p>Others inclined to the opinion that she had fallen -into the hands of marauding tribesmen, whose fleet -steeds were often seen between the city and the Maccabæan -camps. Sometimes a horseman and tall -lance would be silhouetted against the sky from -distant rising ground, then disappear as quickly as -the horned wild goats of the Lebanons at the slightest -movement to stalk them. Scouts reported that -similar shapes moved like shadows along the hillsides, -pausing only in spots where the color of the -rock or of tree clumps toned with that of the horse, -as by a similar ruse certain birds and lizards escape -the observation of their sharpest-eyed enemies.</p> - -<p>These apparitions gave credit to rumors that the -sheikhs of various tribes were preparing to side with -the Greeks. These rumors were at first without in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span>telligible -basis, for nothing had as yet occurred to -clearly prove any breach of neighborly relations between -the peasants of Judea and the herdsmen of -the Jordan and eastward. It was as when a coming -storm heralds itself to the instincts of birds and -cattle, and sets the tree-toads croaking before any -shred of a cloud appears in the sky.</p> - -<p>Judas sent his scouts eastward. They reported -the fleecy indications of unsettled political weather -in the multitude of tents which were gathered in -hitherto unoccupied positions in the valley of the -Jordan and the mountainous regions beyond. The -tribesmen were massing. For this there could be -but one purpose—to strike Judas' rear. This discovery, -which discouraged others, stimulated the -champion to keener thought and buoyancy. He had -the joy of a sailor at the prospect of high seas.</p> - -<p>Yet Judas had his times of moodiness. Jonathan -had often remarked to Simon that these spells were -never produced by danger, but either by something -in Judas' physical condition, or some mysterious sentiment -that made him its victim. The report that -Deborah had left the city, or something which timed -itself with that announcement, now plunged him -into the depths. He brooded stolidly. His alertness -of faculty took on a seeming lethargy. His -brethren tried to rouse him by the news of the -movements of the new Greek armies under Gorgias -and Nicanor and Lycias, who were reported to have -passed down the valley of the Litany, that portal -of Syria between the Lebanon ranges through which -the invaders of Israel had so often come.</p> - -<p>"We must put our men in motion," urged Jonathan.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Aye," was Judas' laconic response.</p> - -<p>"But when shall we move?" was eagerly asked.</p> - -<p>"When the time comes."</p> - -<p>"But when will the time come?"</p> - -<p>"When I say so." And Judas turned away.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXXI<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE SHEIKHS</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-d.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Deborah's</span> flight from the city had not -been for her own personal safety, else -she would have taken Caleb with her. -When she emerged from the crevice, instead -of going northward toward the -fastnesses of the Maccabæans, she turned to the -east, at first keeping close to the city wall. The -night was dark except for the occasional flashes of -lightning, the couriers of a coming storm. In the -momentary glare she took in the stations of the few -Greek sentinels who patrolled the immediate fields. -They were looking for no danger from the direction -of the walls, but peered outward, questioning -with spear-point every shadow which the sudden -flashes projected beyond the rocks and bushes.</p> - -<p>It was thus not difficult for Deborah to reach -without detection the extreme northeastern angle -of the city. She here sat down to watch for opportunity -to pass unobserved into the open ground beyond. -She thought of the old walls at her back, -worn by the storms of centuries, and broken by the -war-shocks of many generations; the armored forms -close to her, each one like the claw of the monster -power of Syria which was crushing, tearing, devouring -the nation; the great black sky overhead, like -some flying dragon, so vast as to cover and smother -the land. How little was she! Only a single fibre -in the writhing flesh of the victim! Her life was so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span> -insignificant! Doubtless before many days she would -lay it down, if she remained in the city; perhaps -sooner on this adventure.</p> - -<p>Her fingers felt between them a tiny berry. "I -am less than this," she thought, "for it may abide -when I am gone. Yet if I press this seed down into -the dirt, it will breed life in its decay. May I not -yield something if I fall? What now if I can bring -to Judas a hundred men! That will be worth dying -for! He would not allow me to make this venture -if he knew it. That is well; then that brave heart -cannot bear the blame if it miscarry. So I give my -life to God and His cause."</p> - -<p>She pressed the berry into the ground, and -smoothed the dirt above it with her hand.</p> - -<p>The lightning split the heavens with terrific shock. -A tower above the eastern gate caught the bolt -as a shield would ward a flaming dart. The rain -came down in torrents. The sentinels retired closer -to the walls, drawing nearer together as their line -shortened. In a moment Deborah would be discovered! -But while their eyes were dazed by another -crash she pushed boldly between them and ran.</p> - -<p>"What was that?" said a soldier. "I must have -stepped upon a jackal."</p> - -<p>"It was as big and black as a wolf," was his -comrade's reply. "They say the dead Jews' ghosts -come back to the city in wolf shapes."</p> - -<p>"I heard one the other night. He seemed, from -the noise he made, to be walking on two legs with -a crutch; but when I came to him he darted in -among the bushes, and back to Hades; for there -wasn't a sign of him above ground."</p> - -<p>Deborah sped down the long slope from the city<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span> -wall to the Kedron, and across it, and up the side -of Olivet. She did not see her way, yet kept it, following -every turn of the footpath; for she dared -not venture upon the high-road, knowing this to -be sentinelled. When she heard any sound on the -beaten track she crossed the fields, over ditches, -around boulders, past garden walls of dried clay. -She did not stumble, though she gave no heed to -where she stepped. Were her senses and muscles -preterhumanly alert, as those of a swallow skimming -the ground and striking nothing? Did instinct -assert itself over the slower-paced judgment, -as in the case of frightened deer and homing pigeons? -Did the angels bear her up in their hands -according to the promise? She asked not, nor did -she even wonder. The inner light of her purpose -was so strong that her soul dominated all physical -limitation—for a while. At length on Olivet, -midway the ascent, she fell utterly exhausted. Then -she first realized the weakness of the flesh, and -rebelled against it. How long it took to steady -the panting breath! and for the heart to stop its -violent beating!</p> - -<p>After a few moments' rest she rose. Her feet were -stones in weight. Would that they had been as -hard! for a sharp pain drew her attention to the -fact that one foot had broken its sandal, and was -bruised and bleeding. She could not run; she -trudged on.</p> - -<p>She came out upon the broad road, and passed -through Bethany. No one accosted her, for the -once happy village was now deserted. Even the -dogs had followed the people when they fled from -the invaders.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span></p> - -<p>The day broke. The road grew white with its -dust, then ruddy with the coming light. Her faintness -told her that she hungered, and she remembered -that she had made provision for this. She -drew from her bosom a handful of bread and dates, -and ate. At a spring, where once had stood a khan, -she drank amid a circle of bewildered sheep, which -bleated and stared at this intruder of what for -many months had been their solitude.</p> - -<p>She must rest; yet what if she should be too late? -Already the tribesmen about Jericho might have begun -to fulfil their threat, and move against Judas. -These men had been the enemies of her people for -ages. Not since Joshua crossed their plain had they -been at peace, except at times when the degenerate -Jews mingled their blood in marriage with that of -these heathen. Toward the Chasidim, those extremists -who would purge the land of all but the -pure stock of Israel, these tribes had sworn special -hatred. Now that the Maccabæans were facing new -armies of Syria, the rumor of the fields became the -open boast in Jerusalem, that the whole population -of the Jordan valley was about to assail Judas' -rear; for Antiochus' gold had corrupted every -Sheikh from the Sea of Galilee to the Sea of Salt.</p> - -<p>And who was she, a girl, to turn these fierce -fighters from their remorseless purpose? A straw to -change the course of the Jordan! A child's hand to -divert from its path an avalanche on the slope of -Hermon. Yet a child's hand can give direction to -an avalanche, by breaking the frozen front in this -or yonder ravine. Doubtless the child would be -swept away by the descending mass; but what -mattered that?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span></p> - -<p>Though her limbs scarcely obeyed her will to rise, -Deborah could not rest. She might be too late. -This fear suddenly became almost a terrible conviction. -There were clattering hoof-beats on the -hard roadway. She concealed herself behind the -ruined wall of the khan. Two horsemen rode slowly -up, pausing upon an adjacent knoll, and inspecting -the country far and wide. Their horses were almost -hidden beneath their housings of network and -tassels. This, however, did not conceal the long -and slender limbs and narrow flanks of the beasts, -their broad, deep breasts and thick necks, which -showed that they were of that thorough breed for the -rearing of which the Arabs had already become famous.</p> - -<p>The two riders were swarthy, almost black. One -was young, his sparse beard fringing and breaking -the perfect oval of his face. The other was old, -unless the deep lines across his brow, like the valleys -and gorges about him, had been made by sudden -convulsions, the sharp crises of his life. The -youth's eyes were like the fountain beside which -they stopped—sparkling, yet calm and fully exposed. -The old man's eyes were like the pools which one, -standing on the cliffs, sees gleaming far down in -the deep gorge of the Kedron, as that stream cuts -its way through the mountains of rocks which -would bar its progress to the Sea of Salt.</p> - -<p>In dismounting the elder man seemed the younger, -so quick was his motion in taking the long lance -from its rest, and planting it in the ground as the -tether post for his steed.</p> - -<p>"Neither Jews nor Greeks are concerning themselves -with us to-day. That is clear, father," said -the younger man.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span></p> - -<p>"It is true, then," said the veteran, "that they are -both looking for a battle to the west. Judas' men -were only yesterday scouring this part of the country, -but they are now withdrawn. That means -that the Maccabæan expects another fight with the -Greeks speedily, for Judas never calls in his men -until he wants them to strike. They are like the -fingers on his hand; they turn into a fist only for -the blow. We will ride back, Nadan, and advise the -camps to move against the Maccabæan to-morrow."</p> - -<p>Deborah heard this with consternation. The man -was surely Sheikh Yusef, the Arab, the fiercest of the -tribesmen of the valley. She must act instantly.</p> - -<p>A slight groan attracted the attention of the men. -Turning the corner of the ruined wall they detected -her crouching form.</p> - -<p>"Who is here? By my beard, a woman!"</p> - -<p>Deborah rose, and with clasped hands, exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"Your pity! Do not harm me!"</p> - -<p>"Who are you?" said Yusef. "And what brought -you to such a place?"</p> - -<p>"I am fleeing from Jerusalem. I am the daughter -of Elkiah."</p> - -<p>"Elkiah's daughter a fugitive, and in such a -plight? Has your brother turned you out? We had -heard that he was in high feather with his new -friends."</p> - -<p>"Alas!" said Deborah, "my brother is himself endangered. -All are in danger there. Have you not -heard?"</p> - -<p>"We have heard nothing. Tell us."</p> - -<p>"Not heard!" said Deborah, in feigned surprise. -"The Romans, the strong people from the west,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span> -from over the Great Sea, from beyond Cyprus, beyond -Greece, are coming. It is reported that their -fleets are seen from the shore; that they have overcome -the Syrian ships; that they have made alliance -with Egypt; that vast armies, the armies that -destroyed Perseus, are about to march through the -desert, and come upon Syria by way of the valley. -The Greeks in Jerusalem distrust the Jews who have -submitted. They believe that my people have played -them false, and will turn to the Romans. Meton is -slaughtering us."</p> - -<p>The two Arabs looked at each other with faces -that showed perplexity. They withdrew to a little -distance. Deborah could not catch all their words, -but enough to know that her ruse was not altogether -futile. However well bribed with Greek gold, -the tribesmen would not risk the alliance of Antiochus -if this new power of Rome were to come upon -the scene. The Republic of the West was regarded as -invincible along the Great Sea, but had not yet -essayed to strike Asia. If the crash of empires were -to take place it were wise for the nomadic peoples -to throw themselves with neither Greek nor Roman -until there were some signs as to which power -would prove the stronger.</p> - -<p>The older man remounted.</p> - -<p>"But, father, we cannot leave the daughter of -Elkiah here," said the younger. "She must go with -us."</p> - -<p>Deborah had risen to her feet. The hood dropped -from her head. Was it her grateful look, or only her -surpassing beauty, that held the young Arab?</p> - -<p>"You will go with us? You can ride?" said he.</p> - -<p>"Nay, I must go to my kinsman, Ben Aaron of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span> -Masada. To seek refuge there I have fled. Tell me -the shortest way, I beg of you."</p> - -<p>"To Masada? That is a long journey, and rough, -and full of dangers. You cannot go there alone."</p> - -<p>Nadan held rapid speech with old Yusef, the conclusion -of which was this, on his part:</p> - -<p>"It is true we must not leave her here, nor can -we delay. Take you the woman, Nadan. Cross -the gorge of Kedron. By the night you can be at -Masada, and by the morning back with us. Nadan, -the woman is comely. Were I not needed with the -people, she should share my saddle, not yours. No -loitering, my son. My salutation to Ben Aaron, the -damned Jew!—but it is unwise to damn him in the -present emergency. His castle on Masada will be -the strongest in the wilderness—when we get it. -Speak him fair, and let the gift of his kinswoman be -a pledge of peace between us—until we see fit to -break it. That woman's breath on your cheek -ought to give you soft words for Ben Aaron."</p> - -<p>He placed his long lance in its resting strap, -bowed his head to the neck of his steed—both a -salaam to the woman and a signal of haste to the -beast—and disappeared over the hill like an autumn -leaf whirled away by the wind.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXXII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE CASTLE OF MASADA</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-n.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Nadan</span> would have been no true son of -Yusef if the commission to escort the -fair Jewess had not been a pleasing -one; for the old Sheikh was known -as the "Solomon of the Tents," and -many a Shulamite maiden had looked upon him as -"black but comely."</p> - -<p>The paternal badinage with his son about the -girl's breath upon his cheek was undoubtedly as -unwise as it was unnecessary. But Deborah herself -saved the young man from all temptation.</p> - -<p>When Nadan returned to her she was standing -with face uplifted, as when one is looking at some -far-distant object in the lower sky. Her eyes did -not rest on the summit of Nebo or Pisgah, whose -grayish-blue peaks rose like gigantic towers on the -agate wall of the mountains of Moab. Beyond -them, beyond all the earth, her soul seemed to be -drinking from fountains in the sky.</p> - -<p>Nadan's approach did not at once divert her rapt -attention. The youth felt something like resentment -at her indifference to his presence. Did not the -maidens of the valley sing and dream the praise of -Nadan? And if his comeliness had been less, was he -not the richest of the young lords of the tribes, and -their most daring rider?</p> - -<p>Just now, as he stood beside his splendid steed, -one hand upon the lustrous mane, the other grasp<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span>ing -the tall spear to draw it from its socket in the -ground, his attitude was such as to fascinate any -lover of a manly form. He was fully conscious of -this, and kept his pose at first in the hope that the -woman would notice him. Then he remained motionless -because the spell which held Deborah looking -heavenward also held him staring at her. His -feeling of slighted dignity passed away almost as -quickly as the shadow of a flying bird. Deborah -seemed more than a woman, some priestess illumined -with the light of her shrine, which was invisible to -all eyes but her own. The Arab felt himself drawn -to a kindred worship; at least, he worshipped the -worshipper.</p> - -<p>Slowly the rhapsody faded from her face. When -she turned toward her companion she was simply a -woman, with a girlish sweetness and timidity. -Nadan had seen a flower which, when the sunlight -fell upon it, burst at once from bud to glorious -fulness, and when darkness came closed its petals -again. Were human beings sometimes gifted with -such powers? All his Arab superstitions about -genii and other wonderful creatures who live on the -borderland between the visible and invisible world -were beginning to perplex and awe him, when Deborah's -simple and confiding manner reassured him -that he had only a human being to deal with, -though an exceedingly fascinating one.</p> - -<p>"I shall conduct you to Masada," said he, making -deep obeisance.</p> - -<p>"It need not be," replied Deborah.</p> - -<p>"It must be," said the youth, with a tone of -authority which, however, indicated that he was -commanding himself rather than her. "The way is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span> -full of dangers. Few ever cross the great gorge of -the lower Kedron; and none but those who know -the path. All the wild beasts, driven from the open, -find lair in its caves and thickets."</p> - -<p>"Then I will follow the highway to Jericho, and -there take the road by the sea," said Deborah.</p> - -<p>"Men might be more cruel than the beasts," was -the Arab's reply. "You cannot go alone. If I may -not accompany you, I must follow; for my father's -bidding I would not dare to disobey. He will require -of me an accounting of my safe conduct of you -to the fortress of your kinsman."</p> - -<p>"Not if I myself release you from the duty."</p> - -<p>"You cannot. Yusef is lord of these hills. Besides -you are his guest until the shadow of Masada itself -protects you. It shall never be said that ill has -befallen the daughter of Elkiah anywhere within the -echo of Yusef's or Nadan's bugle."</p> - -<p>Deborah replied with look and tone that completely -won her companion:</p> - -<p>"Sheikh Yusef is very gracious. The house of -Elkiah will ever remember his kindness this day, -and that of his son."</p> - -<p>Nadan fell upon one knee, and kissed the hem of -her garment.</p> - -<p>"I beg you then to lead the way at once," said -Deborah, "for we must hasten."</p> - -<p>The Arab readjusted the saddle.</p> - -<p>"I shall walk," said Deborah.</p> - -<p>"That cannot be," replied the young man, catching -a glimpse of her broken sandal. "And see, even -Emir forbids it."</p> - -<p>The horse had thrust his long nose into her hands.</p> - -<p>"Emir—the Prince—and does he not deserve the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span> -name?" said Nadan, who evidently shared his personal -conceit with his pride in his beast. "Emir's -stock is as old and pure as the fountain of Dûk by -the city of Jericho, whose waters they say your -prophet Elisha healed—Emir will have no other rider -to-day than yourself. See, he himself says so," for -the horse was rubbing his head against her shoulder.</p> - -<p>Nadan made his hand the stirrup, and lifted Deborah -to the saddle.</p> - -<p>"Were the daughter of Elkiah as ignorant of -horses as they say all Jerusalem women are, Emir -would carry you as safely as if he had arms, and -you lay within them. But you are no stranger to -the saddle. Come, Emir, we must be to-night at -Masada."</p> - -<p>He patted the head of the horse.</p> - -<p>"You remember, my Emir, the tournament you -had with Ben Aaron's Nagid, which means the same -as Emir? It was Prince against Prince indeed. -Our lady should have seen us that day. Eh, -Emir?"</p> - -<p>The horse shook his long mane, pawed the ground, -and whinnied his challenge, as if his master's words -were the promise of another contest.</p> - -<p>Nadan took the single rein and led the way. -Neither spoke for a long while. At length Deborah -gave a cry. Emir raised his head, and neighed like -the blast of a trumpet.</p> - -<p>They had climbed to the summit of a high hill. -Before them stretched the plain of the Jordan. To -the north a silver thread ran through a vast tapestry -of green. To the south was the Sea of Salt, like -a shield of bronze inlaid with variegated precious -stones, so many were the hues which the soft and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span> -cloud-flecked light painted upon its surface. The -plain of Jordan lay thousands of feet beneath them, -a picture bordered on the east by the cliffs of Moab, -whose many-colored rocks gleamed like piled fragments -of a rainbow, and to the north by the white -shoulders of Hermon, like those of a maiden who -has not yet learned to shun the eyes of men.</p> - -<p>Midway the scene were the gray walls and flattened -white domes of Jericho. Scattered here and -there, as far as the eye could reach, were clusters of -tents. In one group were hundreds of awning-like -structures made of black camel's hair. In another -group were pyramidal tents, some white, some -striped with orange or blue. In the distance these -flaxen towns, with green fig orchards or dusky -forests of olive for the background, gleamed like -dewdrops on outspread leaves.</p> - -<p>Deborah's cry had been evoked partly by the magnificent -vision. Had Emir's big eyes detected the -tents of his master in the distance?</p> - -<p>Nadan pointed out to Deborah the various camps. -The Jordan valley had become the rendezvous of the -warriors of many tribes, waiting the decision of the -Council of the Sheikhs for their contemplated raid -upon the Maccabæans.</p> - -<p>"The camps will not break up to-morrow, as had -been planned, of that I am sure," said the guide. -"There has been much division of opinion among the -Sheikhs. Some distrust the Greeks more than they -hate the Jews; and the news from Jerusalem that -the Greeks have broken faith with those who, like -yourself, have gone over to them, will destroy all -zeal for helping the foreigners, as the dead water of -the Sea of Salt yonder kills the bushes on the shore.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span> -I would rather make alliance with Judas, for every -Bedouin loves a hero."</p> - -<p>Nadan instantly repented this last sentence of his -speech, for he knew that the Hellenizing sect of the -Jews, to which he assumed that his companion belonged, -hated the Maccabæans. He glanced at her -face to meet her displeasure with apology. But no -frown was there. She even put her hand on Nadan's -shoulder as he stood by her saddle. He thought he -detected in her look a tender passion astir for himself; -for was he not a hero too?</p> - -<p>"It is true that Judas is a wonderful warrior," -said she. "And some claim more for him than skill -and bravery. His people deem him inspired. Even -in Jerusalem are those who avow that his victories -at the Wady and Bethhoron were given him by -Heaven. But what think you, Nadan? Is not all -genius to plan great deeds, and all heroism to execute -them, the gift of Heaven? I sometimes fear -lest, except among those Maccabæans, and your -own tribesmen, the world has forgotten how to be -great. Oh, to be a man, Nadan, and to wear armor, -and to ride a steed like Emir! It seems to me -that I would fight always in company with the -bravest and best, and call them the favored of -Heaven, whatever creed or kingdom they belonged -to. But it must be wrong to talk so."</p> - -<p>The young man was intoxicated with his companion's -spirit. He cried enthusiastically:</p> - -<p>"Wert thou a man! Ah, there were a chieftain I -would follow!"</p> - -<p>Then catching his reward from her smile, his gallantry -became two-fold, as he added, "And I could -swear allegiance to the daughter of Elkiah, even if -she were not a man."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span></p> - -<p>"You are my protector," said Deborah, with dignified -rebuke in her tones. "Let us hasten on, I beg -you."</p> - -<p>Nadan led the way. It was exceedingly rough. -They soon looked down into the awful gorge of the -lower Kedron, a gash hundreds of feet in depth, as -if some Titanic foe had endeavored to strike the -world to the heart. The eye could not detect room -for the path of a goat along its precipitous sides. -One might have said that an eagle would grow -dizzy in flying across the mighty chasm. But Nadan -led the way rapidly, followed by the sure feet of -Emir. The beast, as if mindful of the need of his -burden, picked his steps not only in the safest but -the easiest places. Down, down they went, from -ledge to ledge, through narrow crevices, now knee-deep -in the sandy débris lodged in seams of rock, -and now with sliding hoofs over brief declivities. -At the very bottom of the chasm they crossed the -fretting waters of the brook; then climbed the steep -wall of rock beyond.</p> - -<p>When they reached the top another magnificent -view burst upon them. They were just above the -Sea of Salt, its blue surface gleaming amid the white -saline shores like a turquoise set in a circlet of silver. -Down, down again they went, until, two hours -later, they struck the level roadway along the very -edge of this vast bituminous pool. The sun was -past meridian, and soon the bold headlands of the -mountains of Engedi to the west would shut out the -light. On Deborah's insistence Nadan mounted behind -her; and giving Emir the rein they sped rapidly -southward. The glowing Sea of Death on the one -hand, and the terrible cliffs on the other, would have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span> -suppressed desire of conversation even if Deborah -had not been preoccupied with her own thoughts.</p> - -<p>Dusk had already thickened the air about them, -leaving only the bright glow of fading daylight to -banner the mighty parapets of Moab across the sea, -when there arose by their side the tall pinnacle of -Masada—a single monolith penetrating the sky hundreds -of cubits above them. Its base was an immense -scarp ascended only by a narrow foot-path. -Here Emir was tethered, and sent his whinnying -salutation echoing among the rocks. Deborah -needed the strong hand of Nadan as they threaded -their way upward.</p> - -<p>Near the summit the whole peak seemed cut off -from access. A fringe of jagged peaks stood about -the central cone, like the tents of a body-guard protecting -the pavilion of a militant monarch. Within -these natural towers the ground fell into a deep -moat. This was crossed by a narrow neck of higher -ground, an artificial viaduct admitting passage only in -single file, and flanked by deep and perilous declivities.</p> - -<p>The travellers were fairly upon this natural bridge -when a score of forms rose behind them to dispute -their return, and as many more challenged their advance. -Ben Aaron lived in troublous times, and, as -a Jew among Moabite and Arabian tribes, held his -stronghold like an eagle's eyrie amid hostile beaks.</p> - -<p>To the challenge the young Arab answered with -his name. A moment later appeared a tall man, -slightly bent with years. His restless gray eyes -suggested one who succeeded rather by caution than -by courage. He passed through the guard on the -castle side of the causeway, and, making deep -salaam, kissed the Arab upon both cheeks.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span></p> - -<p>"The Lord be with thee, Nadan, son of Yusef! -What good intent has led you to climb so high? -There are no eggs in this nest for you to rob; and -if Ben Aaron had a brood of his own begetting they -would cackle their welcome to the boldest rider and -handsomest Sheikh of the plain. That Nadan knows -full well. Peace be with thee! But who have you -here? Some distressed soul of my people, I see from -her face. Yusef has a hard hand, but it is soft and -tender betimes. That I have often proved."</p> - -<p>"I have brought to your protection this kinswoman, -the daughter of Elkiah of Jerusalem. My -father bids me deliver her to your hands, in token -of the peace that shall ever be between us," replied -the young Sheikh.</p> - -<p>"Elkiah's daughter? Deborah? Child of Miriam -who was the child of Leah, our mother's sister?"</p> - -<p>"I am Miriam's child," said the fugitive.</p> - -<p>"I see it. I see it," replied Ben Aaron, pressing -the black locks back from her face. "And but that -Elkiah was richer than I, thou mightest have been -my daughter; and such thou shalt be now, for I -see there is need. Come, Nadan, you must break -bread with me."</p> - -<p>"My father's command is that I do not loiter," -replied the Arab. "Night is shutting in the way, -and I must be upon the high-road quickly, or even -my Emir's eyes will not find it."</p> - -<p>"Then the Lord go with thee! And Jotham and -Joshua shall see you safely down to the seashore."</p> - -<p>"It is not necessary."</p> - -<p>"True, not for thee, but for Ben Aaron's hospitality. -My love to the noble Yusef! and my thanks<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span> -for this new mark of his goodness in giving me my -kinswoman."</p> - -<p>The two men salaamed to the ground. Nadan -lifted the hand of Deborah to his lips. He looked -into her face as if he would have its fair features -stamped upon his soul, as a seal makes its impression -on wax.</p> - -<p>Her returning glance, and the warmth of her gratitude, -though expressed in briefest sentence, "I thank -you, good Nadan," sent him away with something -else than a warrior's pride in his heart.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXXIII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">WITH BEN AARON</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-a.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">As</span> the form of Nadan was lost behind -the battlement of rocks, Ben Aaron -turned to Deborah.</p> - -<p>"My child, why this coarse and torn -garb? I did not ask in the presence of -the Arab, lest the story might shame the good name -of the house of Elkiah. But come within, and tell -me in the confidence of our kinship; and as the Lord -liveth, if man hath harmed thee, I will plant my -spear before his tent ere the sun set again, though -he were Sheikh Yusef himself. But you are faint, my -daughter. You must rest; and, when refreshed with -the warm goat's milk and the meat, I must have -the tale of the happenings, even as if my ears were -those of Elkiah himself—the Lord rest his spirit!"</p> - -<p>"Adah! Zillah!"</p> - -<p>He clapped his hands, and serving-women came -from the low doorway of what was called the Castle -of Masada, but seemed to Deborah more like a covert -for cattle, so rude was the structure.</p> - -<p>"Adah will bring water; and Zillah fetch you -the garments of wool; aye, and the leben will bring -warmth to your cheek."</p> - -<p>Deborah evinced a moment's indecision. Her -wearied flesh clamored for the offered cheer, yet her -strong purpose prevailed.</p> - -<p>"My thanks, Ben Aaron, but I have come upon a -mission that may not be delayed even by your hos<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span>pitality. -As the good servant of our father Abraham -at the house of Laban, so I must say to you, -my father's kinsman, 'I will not eat until I have told -mine errand.' And this raiment and these bleeding -feet are fitting to my story. If I find not favor -for my cause, then let me depart. You know that -my father's house has sided with the Greeks."</p> - -<p>"And well; for why should they perish?" interrupted -her host.</p> - -<p>"Say not so. The Greeks have turned to be enemies -of our people. I myself was a prisoner in my -father's house, doomed to death. I fled to the wilderness, -to the Arabs, until these, our ancient enemies, -less cruel than the Greeks, have brought me -here to you. There is no hope for our people in -this alliance with those who destroy our altars. -God has brought to confusion and shame and destruction -those of us who have consented to worship -their false gods. He saves only His true people. -Our hope is in the sons of Mattathias."</p> - -<p>Ben Aaron raised his hand in protest.</p> - -<p>"Nay," continued the eager woman, "hear me. -The sons of Mattathias are the arrows of our God. -Already He has sped them with His strength. If -the arch of the sky were His bow and the lightning -His arrows, the Greeks had not been smitten -more disastrously. Without human aid Judas has -already overthrown two armies of the heathen. I -know that he will soon meet a third. If then Judas -be beaten, the Greeks swear by their gods that no -Jew, whatever may have been his alliance with -Antiochus, shall live in the land. This fortress, as -you know, is not safe even from the arrows and -swords of the valley Sheikhs; how can it withstand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span> -the engines of war with which the Greeks batter -down walls and towers? But if Judas be again -victorious, then the Romans will send armies to -his assistance. Of this he already has assurance. -The blood of Aaron and Elkiah is that of the sons -of Mattathias."</p> - -<p>"This is strange tidings," said Ben Aaron. "Come -within the lamp-light that I may see if fright has -not robbed you of your wits, my daughter."</p> - -<p>Deborah stood beneath the rays under the rude -portal. Ben Aaron caught the vision of her superb -face, as she said:</p> - -<p>"Think you that fright drove me through the wilderness -of the Kedron and Engedi, when I might -have fled to the camp of Judas? I have come, my -kinsman, because our faith, our blood, is one. My -father, Elkiah, said that Ben Aaron would protect -his children."</p> - -<p>"And so he will! And so he will!" cried Ben -Aaron vehemently.</p> - -<p>"It is impossible that I abide here," continued -Deborah. "This stronghold is itself doomed. The -Arabs of the valley are already gathering like eagles -waiting for a carcass. I myself heard Yusef mutter -curses on the name of Ben Aaron, and that, too, -in the ears of his son Nadan. Did not Nadan but -now refuse to break bread with you? Why should -he break bread with you when to-morrow his tribe -may feast here at will, and no Ben Aaron be living -to bid them either welcome or begone? What means -the gathering of all the tribes in the great plain? -Their tents gleam from Jericho to Galilee almost as -continuously as the sacred river itself. Will Ben -Aaron submit?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span></p> - -<p>The man stood rigid, his hands clenched, his eyes -drinking her spirit as he watched her and heard -her heroic appeal.</p> - -<p>"I have ten score men," said he, as if speaking -to himself. "Bethuel, too, has bidden me beware -the tribesmen. Bethuel is my Captain; a -braver or wiser man never threw spear. I would -have speech with him. You will tell me more, my -daughter, as we are at meat."</p> - -<p>"But tell me first," she insisted, "has my errand -found favor with you? If not, I will go alone to -the Maccabæans."</p> - -<p>"I cannot answer you nay, my daughter. But -you shall tell it all to Bethuel. Is it not enough -for the moment that Deborah has found favor with -her kinsman, and that his life shall be for hers -whether she go or stay? Aye, you have Miriam's -face. Know you, my child, that when you were -born your father pledged me that you should become -the bride of my Josiah, whom the Lord so soon -after took from me. Since the same plague struck -down the lad and his mother, Ben Aaron has lived -a lonely life, overlooking this Sea of Death, for so -it seemed fitting for one with a desolate heart, and -no wife nor child to cheer it. The Lord has sent -you to me, my child. No other angel have I seen -on this barren peak. Let Bethuel say why I should -not go with you."</p> - -<p>If care and kindly purpose could have recuperated -the strength of the traveller, the hands of Adah and -Zillah would have taken away all aches. But ablution -in the water cooled by filtering through the -coarse clay jars, and the savory supper, only allayed -her excitement. As she began to rest she for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span> -first time began to realize how utterly wearied she -was. She begged Ben Aaron that she might sleep -until the morning; in the meantime he and Bethuel -should consider the answer he was to give.</p> - -<p>The news Deborah had brought spread like fire -in the brambles throughout the little colony, for -such it was rather than a single household. Scores -of herdsmen that night gathered in the great central -chamber. This was built of unhewn and unmortared -stones, the débris of the storm-shattered -crags about the summit of Masada.</p> - -<p>It was the supper hour. Great pots steamed with -the parched corn boiling in milk. Two whole goats, -only the entrails having been removed, were being -roasted on great wooden spits over the fire in the -centre of the room. The savor of their flesh, mingled -with the smoke, poured through the opening in the -roof. This was an incense pleasing, if not to the -gods, surely to the thousands of rooks collected -upon the dried mud interlaced with sticks which -made the roof.</p> - -<p>Around the great chamber were sheds, from which -came the lowing of cattle and the cries of the milkers. -Without could be heard the clattering of wooden -shoes on the rocks as the herdsmen clambered up -from a lower plateau where the sheep were folded -for the night.</p> - -<p>Bethuel was closeted with his master in an adjacent -room. The noise of the feasters ceased until -each one threw himself down in his blanket upon -the earthen floor. Then the voices of Ben Aaron -and his chief broke the stillness. The debate had -evidently been serious, for Bethuel exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"It is the hour I have warned my lord must come.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span> -Our flocks are constantly stolen. Our herders are -assaulted except as they go in bands. The tribesmen -no longer keep faith with us. The Greeks—have -I not often said it?—could not protect us if they -would. The daughter of Elkiah has come to us as -the angel to the threshing-floor of Gideon. We need -no miracle of the dew on the fleece, and no fire -to burst from the rock, to tell us the will of the -Lord. Our God is with Judas and his brethren. -The maiden's voice is His call from afar."</p> - -<p>"Bethuel was always over-ready to fight," replied -Ben Aaron.</p> - -<p>"And," retorted Bethuel, "Ben Aaron has too long -been, as the Arabs are everywhere saying, like a -sick eagle on his nest. What is all the gold my lord -has stored between these walls? My master's wealth -and fame are like yonder nail that has rusted in -the wall, and will scarcely hold the weight of his -armor."</p> - -<p>"It is true. It is true. Bethuel, my grief has aged -me. I am but a rusted nail. But the words of -Bethuel and my kinswoman have touched me with -youth again. Bethuel, we will fight. Do you remember, -my son, how we used to fight? How we -won these heights for our castle? How many years -have gone? Summon my people, Bethuel. It were -better to fall in war than to die here. Summon the -people, Bethuel!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXXIV<br /> - -<span class="smaller">QUICK LOVE: QUICK HATE!</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-i.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">It</span> was the fifth day since Deborah's disappearance. -No tidings had come to -make even a rift in the cloud on Judas' -brow. Toward noon scouts, who had -been sent to the Jordan to discover any -possible trace of kidnapping by the tribesmen, returned -with the reports that the camps, which had -rapidly formed in the valley, had as suddenly broken -up, the Sheikhs retiring east or north to their separate -pasture lands.</p> - -<p>"The Lord be praised!" said Judas. "It can only -have been by the interposition of an angel; for -Yusef the Arabian, I know, had sworn to assail us, -and for this and this only the tribes were gathered. -Let us hope for the maiden."</p> - -<p>"How does this portend her safety?" asked Simon. -"If the tribesmen have gone, may they not have -taken her with them or slain her?"</p> - -<p>"True," replied Judas, "but if the Lord will that -we shall be delivered from their menace, then He has -not deserted our cause, as I confess my sins made -me fear; and why should He spare us, and allow -harm to come to the maiden?"</p> - -<p>Simon mused anxiously a moment before he answered:</p> - -<p>"Does Judas love the daughter of Elkiah? Has the -sentiment of swains turned her skirts into those of -an angel? Beware, my brother. Every man has his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span> -vulnerable spot. It is not timely for our Samson to -be shorn of his locks."</p> - -<p>Judas' face blazed with rage. His lips were -clenched as if their resolute keeper could with difficulty -bar the egress of lawless words. But slowly -the color faded from his countenance. He turned -away, addressing only himself:</p> - -<p>"She will come yet!"</p> - -<p>Scarcely had he spoken when, over the shoulder of -the hill of Gibeah, appeared the familiar outline of -the Bedouin steed and the thread-like lance. But -from the uplifted point floated the pennant denoting -the peaceful intent of the comer, who rode leisurely -on. Judas himself went to meet him.</p> - -<p>"Peace be to you!"</p> - -<p>"Peace!"</p> - -<p>The rider dismounted, and, planting his lance, -bowed low to the ground.</p> - -<p>"I am Nadan, son of Yusef. My father bids me -say, 'Let there be peace between him and the son of -Mattathias."</p> - -<p>"Let there be peace!" responded Judas.</p> - -<p>He picked from the ground a round stone, broke -it in twain upon a rock, and gave the half to -Nadan.</p> - -<p>"Nay, let me give better pledge of our covenant," -said the young man. "The highway from Jericho is -this hour filled with the herds of Ben Aaron of -Masada, and ten score men are coming to you."</p> - -<p>"The road is dangerous for so few," interjected -Judas.</p> - -<p>"Not so," replied Nadan, "since this——"</p> - -<p>He held in his hand a piece of stone not dissimilar -to that Judas had given him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Ben Aaron holds the other half. Is it enough?"</p> - -<p>Judas' face revealed an instant of incredulity; but -the eager frankness of the young man dispelled it.</p> - -<p>"It is enough," he replied. "When Masada falls of -its own weight into the sea then the covenant of the -son of Yusef may be broken."</p> - -<p>"My thanks," said Nadan, "and since I have -found some favor, I would ask for more."</p> - -<p>"You have but to speak it."</p> - -<p>"Son of Mattathias, the house of Elkiah in Jerusalem -is in alliance with the Greeks."</p> - -<p>"It is true."</p> - -<p>"That may be broken."</p> - -<p>"How?"</p> - -<p>"Elkiah's daughter is fair, and she pleases me," -said Nadan, a blush blending finely with his proud -mien.</p> - -<p>"You have seen her?"</p> - -<p>"She has been in my power."</p> - -<p>"Where is she?"</p> - -<p>Had not Nadan's eyes been upon the ground he -would have detected something in Judas which -would have halted his proposal; but he continued:</p> - -<p>"She has been in my power. I could have carried -her to my tent, yet I delivered her to her kinsman. -She comes with his men."</p> - -<p>A sunburst could not have changed Judas' aspect -more than did the glad news. Nadan quite naturally -misinterpreted it as an evidence of the favor -with which the Maccabæan received his proposal, -and he enthusiastically pursued his scheme.</p> - -<p>"I could have taken her to my tent, for she was -mine. But, son of Mattathias, I have wider -thoughts for us both. With the tribesmen as your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span> -allies you can hold this land. Quickly the city will -fall. Two thousand spears will follow the call of -Yusef or his son. These you may have if you give -me the daughter of Elkiah to wife, and assure me of -the property of that house as her dowry."</p> - -<p>"The woman is not mine to give," said Judas.</p> - -<p>"Then the easier it is to give her," was the Arab's -response. "When she was in my power I could have -made the alliance of the tribesmen with the Greek -on the same condition, for they have offered us ten -times the amount of Elkiah's estate for our aid -against you. Why did we not accept it? Because, -son of Mattathias, the tribesmen prefer to live in -fellowship with the Jews, for a thousand years our -neighbors in the land, bound to us by the ties of -intermarriage since the Moabite Ruth wedded the -ancestor of your great King David. The Greeks are -foreign to us. To make my marriage with this fair -woman the seal of perpetual peace with the Jews -by helping them reconquer this land, for this I gave -up the daughter of Elkiah as my spoil that I might -have her as a gift from your hands. I have already -the consent of her kinsman, Ben Aaron, waiting -only upon that of the son of Mattathias."</p> - -<p>Nadan awaited Judas' answer with bowed head, -an attitude of obsequious courtesy, which, however, -did not conceal the hauteur of the man, or his reserved -purpose of swift and vengeful retaliation if -his scheme were not acceded to.</p> - -<p>Judas pondered, and after some moments replied -slowly:</p> - -<p>"Son of Yusef, the tribesmen have been of old both -the foes and friends of my people. I would make -them only friends, that in peace we might both con<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[286]</a></span>tinue -to possess these lands our God gave to our -fathers. You have my pledge—if—if the woman -shall consent."</p> - -<p>"Of that I have no fear," replied the young man, -grasping Judas' hand. "Within a week I will return, -a hundred of my young men with me, to escort -the fairest of women to the wedding tent by the -bank of the Jordan. And then, son of Mattathias, -I will come again with thousands of our bravest; -aye, all the Moab and the north men from as far as -Bosrah and Bashan will come at the call of Yusef -and Nadan."</p> - -<p>The rhapsodic speech of the young Sheikh was -broken by the clatter of a crutch and an outcry:</p> - -<p>"They're coming! The men of Masada, and Deborah—Deborah's -with them!"</p> - -<p>Over the hill appeared the head of an advancing -company of men.</p> - -<p>The Jews ran in crowds to meet them.</p> - -<p>Ben Aaron was received with wild ovation. Every -man in his following was greeted with huzza and -embrace.</p> - -<p>For Deborah the reception was as reverent as it -was joyous. The little mule upon which she was -seated could hardly keep his feet as the multitude -thronged about her, seeking her hand, patting the -beast, and gazing with tearful eyes upon the woman -whom they had learned almost to worship as an -impersonation of their nation's cause.</p> - -<p>Nadan stood far aside, perplexed by this scene. -"This woman," he said to himself, "cannot be the -person she claimed to be. No Elkiah's daughter, -no fugitive from Jerusalem is she. A spy of the -Maccabæans! I see it all."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[287]</a></span></p> - -<p>When Deborah recognized him, her manner was -so warmly and frankly grateful to her protector -that the Arab became bewildered, and reversed his -thoughts. He deemed it impossible that one so -fair, with those eyes lustrous with sincerity, could -be aught else than what she said. Who? What was -she?</p> - -<p>Nadan's indecision was ended quickly when Judas -saluted her. While the champion observed due formality, -he was also as familiar as her father or a -lover might have been in the presence of others. -Nadan's own sense of enchantment by her beauty -made him keen to detect what he thought to be the -same feeling in Judas.</p> - -<p>"Well did the wily Jew leave the choice to the -woman herself, for he knew her decision," Nadan -thought almost aloud. "Why did I not test the -success of my errand by casting some gift into the -spring of Dûk? The sacred dragon of the waters -would have drifted it away, and thus I should have -known of the deceit."</p> - -<p>The Arab leaped upon his horse. With almost the -celerity of a whirling simitar he turned Emir about -in a circle. Rising in his stirrups, he twirled the -spear around his head, and hurled it.</p> - -<p>"Death to the Maccabæan!"</p> - -<p>The weapon sped like a gleam of light to the spot -where Deborah and Judas stood together. Before -the crowd were fully aware of his movement the -Arab had dashed through them, and was in flight. -A single arrow close to his head sang its reply to -his taunt.</p> - -<p>Judas had seen the launching of Nadan's spear, -and thrust Deborah behind him. He fended the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[288]</a></span> -missile by instantly bending, and with his arm diverted -its direction. The spear glanced upward -from his cuirass, and, curving like a swallow in the -air, fell with broken shaft amid the rocks a hundred -cubits beyond.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[289]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXXV<br /> - -<span class="smaller">WORSHIP BEFORE BATTLE</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-d.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Deborah's</span> story of her adventure, of -the diversion of the tribesmen from -their purpose of attacking Judas, and -the strengthening of the Maccabæans -by the addition of the men of Masada, -would have filled the remainder of the day and -night with interest, without the other and more -startling news that was brought them. Scouts -came in with the report that General Gorgias had -made forced marches through Galilee, and was already -upon the plain of Esdraelon, so often the -battle-field in the history of Israel's resistance to -northern nations. A day's march would bring the -Greek armies as far south as Emmaus, nearly west -of the Maccabæan encampment.</p> - -<p>The imminence of another battle now filled Judas -with a strange gladness. He was possessed by a -presentiment of victory. Others could not understand -the change that had taken place in him, but -all caught his spirit. He was called the "Heart of -Israel," and as the quickness or sluggishness of the -natural heart is registered in every nerve, even to the -extremities of the body, so the great leader seemed -to impart his own personality to every soldier.</p> - -<p>To those immediately about him he thus accounted -for his confidence:</p> - -<p>"God is surely with us. Nothing less than a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[290]</a></span> -miracle could have preserved the life of the maiden -and scattered the tribesmen; for well I knew the -preparations they had made to strike us."</p> - -<p>"But will they not reassemble at Nadan's call?" -asked Jonathan.</p> - -<p>"Not in time to harm us in the coming battle. -See how the Lord will turn the skill of man to his -discomfiture. General Gorgias is a fast fighter. He -is famed for the rapidity with which he hurls his -armies. He will not loiter in the plain. If I mistake -not his tactics, he will essay to strike our camps -even before he has made his own. If he were an -Apollonius or a Seron it might be days before he -would hazard a battle, in which event the tribesmen -could have time to gather. But Gorgias will -be too quick for them to help him. But here is the -maiden."</p> - -<p>"Have you heard from Micah of Hebron?" asked -Deborah. "I brake bread with him some weeks ago, -when I was supposed to be nursing my convenient -malady under the care of Huldah."</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied Judas, "four score of his men reached -us yester nightfall. They are the best archers in the -south country."</p> - -<p>"And the men from Kirjath-jearim?"</p> - -<p>"They, too, have joined us. They will fight on -familiar ground, for Gorgias will certainly take the -broad ascent from the plain, and not repeat Seron's -mistake on the high-road."</p> - -<p>"The physician Samuel," added Deborah, "has -also done us some service. His fame called him as -far north as the Waters of Meron, and he saw most -of the herdsmen between here and there."</p> - -<p>"And some of them have joined us," replied Judas,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[291]</a></span> -"but I do not trust them as I do those of the southern -country. They have not felt the King's cruelty -as others have. They are, however, of splendid -spirit. I have assigned them some desperate work, -for in a man naturally brave nothing breeds loyalty -like danger."</p> - -<p>At that moment one came hastily reporting that -a change was being made in the disposition of the -Greek forces. Judas held a brief conversation with -the scout. Turning, he said:</p> - -<p>"Gorgias will undoubtedly climb the ascent to-night. -I must away. One thing I ask of you, Deborah."</p> - -<p>"Your wish is your command to me, Judas."</p> - -<p>"You must not linger near this battle."</p> - -<p>"I am not afraid."</p> - -<p>"Would God that you were afraid, Deborah; that -in this one respect you were like other women."</p> - -<p>"Would you esteem me more, Judas, if I were like -other women?"</p> - -<p>"Deborah, if you were like other women, like any -other woman in the world, the world would be less -to me. No, be your own self; only do not remain -here. If harm should come to you, I should lose -heart. You cheer me. You inspire me. Take no risk."</p> - -<p>"But have I not cared for myself at other times?"</p> - -<p>"True: yet the battle to-morrow will not be as -the others. Gorgias is experienced, the most tactful, -the most desperate of all the Greek generals. He -will not stand on the defensive, but make his own -battle. If in the night he should get his forces to -the ridge, the fight will be here, or between this -and Jerusalem. If he should be worsted, he will -be succored by two other armies as great as his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[292]</a></span> -own. Promise me that you will not even see this -battle, for I know too well that if you so much as -look you will be drawn into some danger."</p> - -<p>"For your sake, Judas, I will be as other women. -The Lord gird you with His strength for the morrow!"</p> - -<p>"Your prayer is a prophecy. It gives me strength -already. Farewell!"</p> - -<p>Deborah sat with little Caleb's hand in hers. The -sun was going down. The red orb hung over the -Great Sea, transforming the watery horizon into a -glorious carpet fitting the feet of the King of Day, -and making the sky his canopy of gold.</p> - -<p>"Where are we now, sister?" asked the lad. "I -hear a rustling as if the trees were moving together."</p> - -<p>"Not trees, brother, but men are gathering. By -the side of us is Mizpah, where, in the time of the -prophet Samuel, the whole nation came together. -I would that your eyes were open to see."</p> - -<p>"But your eyes are mine, sister. What shall I -look at?"</p> - -<p>"Well, stand so. Now we see toward the sunrise -the far-away mountains of Gilead and Moab. How -beautiful! The great wall of rock rises into the sky. -It flashes with color, almost like the floor of heaven -which Moses and the seventy elders saw. Now turn—you -are facing the north."</p> - -<p>"Aye, I see old Hermon with his helmet of snow, -and the cloud plumes floating from the top of it," -cried the lad, as if his eyes had really opened.</p> - -<p>"Now turn again—you are looking south. Here, -almost at our feet, lies Jerusalem. Yet it was a -long way to come, wasn't it?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[293]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Not when Jonathan carried me, and I was -asleep," laughed Caleb.</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied Deborah, "the white roads and the -black stones in the fields, the gray of olive and the -green of fig-trees between here and the city walls, -look like a dream floating between two waking moments. -And beyond the city is Bethlehem. And -now turn this way—the way the sun is going. -Down there we can see Lydda, as a pearl on a gray -robe; and way off is Joppa, a dot on the shore of -the Great Sea which looks like a blazing serpent -with his back in the sky. Here is the plain of -Sharon filled again with soldiers under the great -generals Gorgias and Ptolemy and Nicanor. We -can see the smoke, for they are making their camps. -And we are on the side of Mount Mizpah, where -once the Holy Tabernacle stood before Solomon -built the Temple. And look, child; everywhere the -brave men of Israel are coming—for Judas has bidden -the people with him to spend the rest of the -day in prayer. Listen! Quite near us is a company -of soldiers. They have laid down their spears -and bows and swords, and have covered their heads -with dust. They are repeating together the Psalms -of Penitence, and praying God not to visit the sins -of Israel upon the land. Let us go nearer. They -are now spreading on the ground the copy of the -Books of the Law, that which Dion brought me one -day, and which he found in the High Priest's house; -the one in letters of silver and gold once encased in -the beautiful ark with clasps of precious stone, -but now with its holiest words cut out, and the -margins covered over with pictures of heathen gods. -Now the men are praying that the land may be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[294]</a></span> -restored to Israel; and they vow—every man—to -keep all the precepts of the Law as our fathers did.</p> - -<p>"Now what are they doing? They are holding up -toward heaven some garments which belonged to -the priests whom the Greeks have murdered."</p> - -<p>"I can hear their words!" said the boy. "It is -'Lord, so perish the priests of the heathen!' How -wild their cry is! Is any one coming to attack -them?"</p> - -<p>"No, my child. Their voices are harsh, being tuned -for battle-cries on the morrow."</p> - -<p>"But, listen, sister, some one is reading in a mocking -voice."</p> - -<p>"That," replied Deborah, "is a proclamation of -the King which is posted on the gates of Antioch, a -copy of which has found its way into our camp."</p> - -<p>A soldier read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p class="center">"SCHEDULE FOR SALE OF CAPTIVES.</p> - -<table summary="Captive Pricing List"> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">One able-bodied Jew</td> -<td class="tdl">2</td> -<td class="tdl">shekels.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">One male child (sound)</td> -<td class="tdl">3</td> -<td class="tdc">"</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">One woman (married)</td> -<td class="tdl">2</td> -<td class="tdc">"</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">One woman (virgin)</td> -<td class="tdl">4</td> -<td class="tdc">"</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p>"Purchasers guaranteed protection while returning to Antioch, -Tyre, Sidon, Berytus, Damascus, and to the mines within the -King's domain.</p> - -<p class="center"> -"By order of the King.</p> -<p class="right"> -"GORGIAS, Commandant." -</p> -</div> - -<p>"But now they have changed," said Caleb. "Now -they are wailing."</p> - -<p>"Yes, Simon, son of Mattathias, has piled together -all the tithes of fruits, which the men have brought, -and they are begging the Lord with tears to accept -them, though they have no altar on which to put -the offering."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[295]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I hear the words they are saying," said Caleb. -"'Lord, Lord, what shall we do with these things -since the heathen have broken down thine altars?' -Shall we go and pray with them, sister?"</p> - -<p>"Let us pray here," said Deborah.</p> - -<p>Long time they bowed to the earth, the lad kneeling -by her side, his arm thrown about her, and the -blind eyes flashing with his imagination of armies -and victories.</p> - -<p>"Come, let us go!" said Deborah, rising.</p> - -<p>"Where shall we go?"</p> - -<p>"To Jerusalem."</p> - -<p>"Why, sister! Not again to the city. Dion is -gone, and our brother Benjamin too, and only Greek -soldiers are waiting to kill you."</p> - -<p>"Yes, child, to the city, to our father's house. I -believe—Lord help my faith!—that on the morrow -Israel will triumph, and we will welcome Judas the -Deliverer, perhaps as the Messiah—for such he seems -to me. But if we triumph not, there will be no need -to flee elsewhere. The sons of Mattathias will first -perish in the battle, and all the hosts of Israel with -them; and we will perish too. But let it be in our -father's house. Yet whether we live or die I owe it -to our friend, the good Dion, to go back to Jerusalem. -He is in peril for our sakes. The Greeks may -slay him for letting me go. But if I show them that -I have not escaped, Dion may be saved."</p> - -<p>"Then let us go to Jerusalem," said Caleb, grasping -his sister's hand. "Let us go."</p> - -<p>They went a little way in silence except for the -murmur of the multitude at worship, which at -length died away in the distance. They sat down to -rest amid the gray stones of the hillside.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[296]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Hark!" said the lad, "that's Meph!"</p> - -<p>"I hear nothing," replied Deborah. Caleb put his -fingers to his mouth, and imitated the three notes of -the quail.</p> - -<p>"He hears. He is answering. There he has stumbled -and dropped his crutch. He's up again now."</p> - -<p>"I hear nothing," repeated Deborah; but in another -moment a sun-faded mat of hair was projected -from over an adjacent rock.</p> - -<p>"I thought that would bring you," shouted the -lame boy, "that is, if you were anywhere on the -outside of your stone cage—that's what I call Jerusalem. -I have been whistling for an hour, like a -bird left behind when the flock has flown southward, -and I couldn't call up a mate. But my! it's -good to see you, Caleb, and to-morrow Judas is -going to whack the Greeks again. He knows how -to fight. Did you ever see—of course you didn't, -but I did—a little red ant fight a big black ant? -Before black ant can turn, red ant rushes at him -and bites him in two in the middle where his back -is as thin as his legs; then he falls to and eats up -the pieces. That's the way Judas fights. You'll see -to-morrow or next day; for the Greeks are coming, -sure; and Judas is lying for them, just as he did at -Bethhoron."</p> - -<p>So Meph's tongue and his crutch rattled on for an -hour.</p> - -<p>Nearing the city, Deborah and Caleb concealed -themselves behind the rocks, or wandered, as the -women and children do picking dried brambles for -kindling. Meph in the meanwhile acted as a scout, -and gave warning of every moving shadow in the -distance. Only once did he sound any real alarm.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[297]</a></span> -It was when several horsemen dashed from the direction -of Emmaus, and made for the west gate of -the city. After a while our wayfarers cautiously -approached the northwest corner of the wall, and -disappeared in the crevice. Meph came out alone, -and after beating the bushes wildly with his crutch -hobbled off, muttering all sorts of imprecations on -game that will not stand to be caught.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[298]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXXVI<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE TEMPTRESS</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t2.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> house of Elkiah had been measurably -cleansed when Deborah emerged from -the cellar and passed unobserved -through the concealed stairway to her -own chamber. Next day she came -down into the court. A fawn could not have been -more timid amid its captors than Deborah seemed -as, with apparent surprise and startled look, she -emerged amid a group of Greek soldiers whom -Meton had left to guard the property. Equally -amazed were the soldiers.</p> - -<p>"Do not harm me. I will go back," cried Deborah, -with tremulous voice.</p> - -<p>"We'll not harm you," said an awkward man -who was in command of the squad. He attempted -a courtesy, which was half a military salute and -half an act of gallantry such as in his peasant days -he had practised upon country maidens. In executing -these difficult tactics he let fall his sarissa, the -iron head of which came in such perilous proximity -to Deborah that it seemed to belie his words.</p> - -<p>"We'll not harm you, lady. We have no orders -about you, seeing that the General didn't know you -were here."</p> - -<p>"You will be kind to me, truly?" she begged.</p> - -<p>"By all the gods, yes! Stand back, men!"</p> - -<p>"I was afraid to come out of the place Captain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[299]</a></span> -Dion hid me in when the Jews took the house. I -heard the men shouting, and thought they were -searching for me." She trembled like a child.</p> - -<p>"No, lady, we were not looking for you, for we -supposed you had got away," replied the good-natured -pikeman. "We have taken out the dead -soldiers which were piled pretty thick hereabouts, -and some of them stuffed into corners where they -have died like rats in their holes. But it's all cleaned -up now, except the smell—blood smell always lasts -until the moon changes. The cracks between the -pavement stones are red, but we'll have them -scraped too. But it was a pity to have knocked the -arm off Aphrodite. The man that did that will -never win himself a wife—or the goddess has no -more blood in her than her statue has. It might -have been your arm, lady, if Captain Dion hadn't -hid you. I'll off to the citadel and tell the General -that the Captain didn't let you escape. I knew he -wouldn't. Captain Dion is the bravest of the whole -garrison, and Meton ought never to have ordered a -better man than himself under arrest. When Governor -Lysias hears of it he ought to give Dion the -castle, and send Meton to command the camels and -ass drivers."</p> - -<p>Deborah went to Glaucon's apartment. As she -approached she heard voices. A glance between the -curtains gave a picture of the pale face of her -brother, and close to it that of the Princess. She -was beautiful; yes, Deborah thought, as the head of -a serpent on its arching neck, with its rainbow eyes -charming its victim. The Princess' right arm was -about the Jew's shoulder; her left hand on his, -which gripped tightly a silken bag. This Deborah<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[300]</a></span> -recognized as that in which the jewels of the house of -Elkiah were always kept.</p> - -<p>"There is no other way, my dearest Glaucon, than -that I propose," said Helena, half embracing him. -"Menelaos is determined to have all you possess. -Give me these—no, I will not ask that—but let me -care for them. I can conceal them on my person. -We will leave Jerusalem. In Antioch we can live -together. The races, the dances, the wines, and all -the pleasures of the world are there. If we tire of -these things as they are in Syria, we may go to -Rome, where half of what we have here will suffice -for a lifetime. In Rome princes and princesses are -known by their jewels and equipages, and no one -searches for ancestry any more than for the pedigree -of a beautiful horse."</p> - -<p>Glaucon clutched the bag. At length he opened it.</p> - -<p>"You may have some of them," he said. "This -brooch of pearls was once worn by Arsinoë, sister of -the great Ptolemy Philadelphus, King of Egypt. It -came to my grandfather, who had made many loans -of convenience to the house of Ptolemy, which were -never paid. This cluster of diamonds belonged to -the great Joseph, the tax-gatherer, whose palace of -white marble is beyond Jordan. He needed a vast -sum of ready money in order to buy the office of -farmer of the revenues of Syria when our land was -under Egypt. He outwitted a whole company of -merchants from Tyre by offering single-handed more -than they all together. It was my grandfather who -advanced to Joseph the needed gold—which, of -course, never was returned, as our possession of his -jewels shows. Joseph had nothing finer than these -in all his marble castle."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[301]</a></span></p> - -<p>One by one the gems slipped from Glaucon's fingers -into those of the Princess.</p> - -<p>"And that! Oh, how magnificent!" cried she, as -he drew a necklace of scores of precious stones, and -spread it into shape upon the ebony table.</p> - -<p>"That I must never part with. It was my -mother's, and now is Debor—Berenice's," said Glaucon, -gripping the necklace with hesitating fingers.</p> - -<p>"But she can never claim it, now that she has -gone over to the traitors, and is herself outlawed," -argued the temptress.</p> - -<p>"Yet it is hers," replied Glaucon, his voice softening -as if a tear was diffused through it. "I cannot -part with it."</p> - -<p>"Glaucon, my love!" cried the Princess, taking his -face between her hands, and kissing him upon the -lips.</p> - -<p>Deborah threw aside the curtain, and stood before -the frightened couple.</p> - -<p>"You monster!" cried she.</p> - -<p>Both started from the seat. Deborah grasped the -jewels which had fallen from the fingers of the -startled Princess. The woman quickly recovered her -self-possession.</p> - -<p>"The traitress! The traitress! Ho, guards!"</p> - -<p>"The strumpet of Antioch, how dare she come -into the house of Elkiah?" retorted Deborah.</p> - -<p>"By better right, I take it, than the Jewish spy," -replied Helena.</p> - -<p>"Glaucon, command her to leave this house," cried -Deborah.</p> - -<p>The coward imitated the chameleon, which -changes its color according to the object that reflects -the light upon it; for, as he looked from one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[302]</a></span> -to the other of these women, he became for the moment -the victim of each, and dared to decide for -neither.</p> - -<p>"If Glaucon will not purge his house of this refuse -of the camp of Apollonius, then will I, that our -mother's memory be not polluted. Begone!" She -raised the curtain and pointed to the exit.</p> - -<p>The Princess' dignity gave way before the indignant -gaze of Deborah, as weak plants wither in -the scorching rays of the sun. Still she moved -not.</p> - -<p>"Must I compel you?" Deborah exclaimed. She -dexterously drew from Glaucon's side his sword, -ere he could interpose, and poised it at the throat -of her enemy.</p> - -<p>"Your paramour Apollonius once quailed before -the sword of the daughter of Elkiah. How shall -I spare this miserable remnant of——"</p> - -<p>The terrified woman did not wait for the completion -of either the sentence or the threatened action. -She ran shrieking from the chamber, and fell into -the arms of—Dion.</p> - -<p>For a moment the Captain held her; his surprise -and the dimness of the passageway not being favorable -to the clear vision of one who had emerged -from the brilliant light of the open court. The Captain -was the soul of gallantry to all of the fair sex, -but the Princess and Deborah were in such utter -contrast in his mind that the discovery of the unexpected -personality in his arms wrought a spasmodic -revulsion in his feeling. He loosened her embrace -and flung her from him. This time she found -a more solid anchorage for her fright—in the arms -of Thersites, a Greek common soldier, who held<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[303]</a></span> -also a mop with which he had been cleansing the -statue of Aphrodite.</p> - -<p>Thersites, being just then of less perturbable temper -than Dion, or perhaps being more experienced -in catching fleeing women, retained his captive long -enough to grunt his gratitude with a kiss upon her -cheek, entirely oblivious to the fact that such privileges -the fair Helena had often sold as high as three -shekels apiece in the market of Antioch.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[304]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXXVII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">"IF I WERE A JEW"</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> mutual welcome of Deborah and Dion -was in briefest words, for each knew -more of its occasion than either cared -to express; therefore the appearance of -the Princess upon the scene served as a -convenient diversion for both. Deborah told of the -woman's attempt to beguile her brother, without -intimating how she herself had come just in time to -save this human moth from shrivelling his wings -in the flame.</p> - -<p>"How could she have thought to deceive you, -Glaucon," said Dion, "after she had so completely -unmasked her character at the dance? None but a -stupid fool, or one as wicked as herself, would be -tempted by her wiles after that."</p> - -<p>The speaker did not notice that the Jew winced -under his words.</p> - -<p>"You may mistake her," replied Glaucon, as soon -as he had ceased to shrink into himself, and recovered -enough outward wit to say anything. "That -she danced is no more against the dignity of a -Princess, than it is for Antiochus to play the buffoon -along the streets of Antioch, as we both saw -him do in the great procession."</p> - -<p>"Whatever she may be, she goes out of the city -very soon," replied Dion. "The kinsfolk of Apollonius -have heard of her claim, and have denounced -her to the Governor Lycias."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[305]</a></span></p> - -<p>Glaucon, having gathered up the scattered jewels, -wrapped them each in its linen covering, and put -them into the bag; then withdrew with mutterings, -which it is uncertain if they were against his -mistress or her exposers.</p> - -<p>The shell fringes of the curtain had not ceased -their jangling as Glaucon passed through them before -Dion cast himself at Deborah's feet.</p> - -<p>"Tell me, Deborah, are you human, or a divinity? -You are risking your life to save me from harm. -Is this from a woman's misjudgment, or from a motive -which only the gods can understand and give?"</p> - -<p>"Dion," replied she, with offended mien, "rise. -You shall not assume such an attitude before a -girl of the Jews—a mere child, whose gratefulness -you have chanced to win by your kindness."</p> - -<p>"But why, Deborah, why this awful sacrifice you -are venturing? Soon General Gorgias will be here. -He is as cruel as an avalanche when his purpose -moves, and he has sworn to leave not so much as -a bone of a Jewish child outside the valley of Hinnom. -That you are the daughter of Elkiah, chief -of the Sanhedrin, is sufficient to excite his vengeance, -even without the stories of your escapades as a spy, -with which Menelaos' party are filling all ears. -There is no hope for you here. Vanish again, I beseech -you, as mysteriously as you will, for I cannot -endure that you should become a sacrifice for me. -I entreat it, Deborah. Go away again!"</p> - -<p>"Why," replied she, "that would make the matter -worse, my good friend. It is known, or soon -will be, that I am now here; but if I disappear -again it will bring new accusation against you for -being in some collusion with me."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[306]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I care nothing for such accusation. I would -willingly die in the tower with the sweet thought -that you were safe from insult and danger," cried -the soldier passionately.</p> - -<p>"But, my dear Dion, I think there is need of -neither of us playing tragedy. Maybe, as you say, -I can vanish at will. If so, I shall always be safe, -and then, when you are in danger, I can reappear, -and they will say, 'Dion has guarded his prisoner -faithfully!'"</p> - -<p>Deborah became quite merry with her pleasant -conceit.</p> - -<p>Dion could not help catching some of the lighter -manner of his companion. He took both her hands.</p> - -<p>"I pray you, do not vanish quite yet. Tell me -what motive led you to do this desperate deed in -my behalf? You will not love me?"</p> - -<p>He paused, gazing quizzically at her, but drew -from her face not a flicker of such sentiment as certain -past experience had led him to hope for.</p> - -<p>"Then, since you do not love me, your action was -prompted only by humane motives, to save a -wretched Greek from some inconvenience; and for -this you risk your life? I cannot understand you."</p> - -<p>"Dion," replied Deborah, all mirth now gone from -her manner, "Dion, I am a Jewess. Think not that -our people's vows are only to save our land and -nation. We serve these because these stand for -Jehovah's law of righteousness and justice. Would -it be right for me to leave you to suffer unjustly for -my sake? I would be unfaithful to Jewry to so -treat even a Greek. Your philosophy may teach -you how to evade such questions, but our Jewish -law is simple and plain. It commands us to 'do<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[307]</a></span> -justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our -God.' We need speak of no other sentiment."</p> - -<p>Her eyelashes did quiver a little as she said this.</p> - -<p>Then, looking him fairly in the face and returning -the strong grasp of his hands, she added: "If -my sense of duty were not sufficiently strong, my -gratitude to my noble friend and protector would -prompt me so to act, and so to speak.</p> - -<p>"Dion, we have been, though of hostile blood, -too much to each other during these terrible days to -doubt that we are led by the same hand of Providence. -I cannot see His will. I must not prejudge -it. I can only act upon each duty that I see, and -as I see it. But this much is plain to me—and you -will not mistake my meaning, good friend—I can -have no such interests as other women may feel while -my people are enslaved. To this I have vowed before -my nation's God. The redemption of Israel -from the hand of him whom you by your soldier's -oath have vowed to serve, that fills my heart. That -is my only sentiment; my only passion; but it is a -passion of fire. All else must burn away before -it."</p> - -<p>"But," replied Dion, speaking very slowly, as if to -hear the echo of each word from the depth of her -heart before venturing another, and watching her -eyes for indication, as boys watch the ripples their -pebbles make when dropped into a well, "if—I—were—a—Jew -it might be otherwise? You could love me -if I were only a Jew? Deborah, I am a Jew in my -faith—since you have taught me that faith. I am a -soldier of fortune, and have sold my sword to the -lord of Antioch, but I would willingly give it to -your people, were it not that I foresee the hopeless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[308]</a></span>ness -of your cause. But with your love I could die -for Judaism."</p> - -<p>"Noble Dion, these words are ill-considered. The -leopard cannot change his spots, as says our Scripture; -nor can a Greek become a Jew. And surely not -so light a thing as a passing fancy for a Jewish girl -should lead you to think to attain the impossible."</p> - -<p>"But if—I—were a Jew?" queried he. "If you will -tell me that if Dion were a Jew you could love him, -that will be my happiness even as we part."</p> - -<p>"If Dion were a Jew," replied Deborah, "he were -worthy of being brother to the sons of Mattathias, -and worthy the love of any woman." With which -words she ran from the room.</p> - -<p>Captain Dion stood looking at—nothing, while the -sand ran half out of the glass.</p> - -<p>"Am I a Jew or a Greek? I am surely a Jew inwardly, -and," glancing into a polished steel mirror, -"my nose is not, as I have often heard it said, as a -good Greek's should be, perfectly straight with my -forehead. By Jove! I could wish that a sabre cut -might bend it more. But, Greek though I am, my -sword and my wit are my own, and shall have but -one duty when Gorgias takes the city—to guard -this house and the woman who—would—love—me—if—I—were—a—Jew. -So much is clear, clear as the -Jew's law. Let me see if I can be a Jew. First 'to -do justly.' Yes, it will be only downright justice to -give my life for hers, since she has offered hers for -mine more than once. Secondly, 'to love mercy.' -Of course I do—in this case. Thirdly, 'to walk humbly -with my God.' Well, if I knew who God is, I -would. God of Jew or Greek teach me that! -Amen!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[309]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXXVIII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE POISONER</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-d.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Deborah</span> retired to the roof of the house. -She gazed long to the west.</p> - -<p>"Caleb, do you hear any sounds far -away?"</p> - -<p>"None, but there is a great mist rolling -up from the Great Sea over Sharon, and up the -mountains toward our city. Now a wind from the -east rushes against the mist. I think it is a wind. -Can you see a wind, sister?"</p> - -<p>"One can see the dust it drives."</p> - -<p>"That's it; a little cloud of dusty wind. And it -drives away the mist. The mist rolls down the -long hills and away—away. Now it is lost in the -Sea. The dusty wind is Judas, I know."</p> - -<p>A servant brought to Deborah a basket of fruit. -Ripened pomegranates glowed ruddy beside tawny -oranges in a bed of white blossoms which loaded the -air with delicious spicery. Cakes of figs compressed -with almonds were scattered through the tempting -heap.</p> - -<p>Caleb caught the odor; his face became a resistless -appeal, which his sister answered by putting into -his hand the largest of the luscious fruits.</p> - -<p>Deborah recalled the servant to ask the donor of -the fruit. Ephraim could not say, as it was brought -to him by one of the Greek guards in the court who -had taken it in at the gate. Deborah examined the -basket, and recognized the pattern of its inwoven<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[310]</a></span> -withes as one that the Princess had taught Lydia, -the wife of Menelaos, and herself to make. She -quickly turned to Caleb.</p> - -<p>"Do not eat, my child."</p> - -<p>But the child had eaten. Almost immediately he -fell sick. His face became ashen pale.</p> - -<p>Deborah carried the lad to his bed, and laid him -there. The physician Samuel was sent for in eager -haste; but that worthy man was beyond the city, -in the labor which absorbed him day and night, as -the case of no single patient could have done—the -critical condition of his nation. To whom could she -turn?</p> - -<p>"Call Captain Dion," she bade Huldah.</p> - -<p>A long time Dion watched the face and felt the -hands of the child.</p> - -<p>"I know well these signs," he said. "And good -reason have I to remember them. When a lad I fell -sick very much as Caleb has done. The physician of -King Philip of Macedonia, at whose court I served -as page, declared my illness to be due to a peculiar -poison concocted by Alexandrian alchemists. For -weeks I lay, while the Fates' scissors fretted my life -thread. Again, when I was just a man, a similar -disorder came upon me. This time I was a soldier -in King Perseus' guard. But for the skill of a certain -physician, Theron, an adept in the arts of the -poisoner, and on that account retained in the King's -household, I had certainly perished. This second -secret attempt upon my life led Theron to counsel -me to forsake Macedonia. This I could not do. I -loved my King Perseus, and stood with him, until -some four years ago he was overthrown by the -Romans in that terrible fight at Pydna. But even<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[311]</a></span> -in this remote region I seem to be pursued by the -poisoner, for I doubt not that this which Caleb has -taken was intended for myself, since it is known -that I am here."</p> - -<p>"But," said Deborah, "this basket is like the -handiwork of the Princess."</p> - -<p>"Of the Princess!" cried Dion, examining the basket. -"You are right; this is such work as one finds -in the bazaars at Antioch. Deborah, this was intended -for neither Caleb nor me, but for yourself."</p> - -<p>He noted more closely the fruit. "These fruits are -not all such as grow in these lands. The figs and -almonds thus pressed together I have seen only in -the capital, and one place else—in the house of -Menelaos. It is a favorite with the Priest. Deborah, -I see through the damnable plot. Menelaos, -to accomplish his purpose on the property of Elkiah, -must leave no scion of the house alive. I swear that -this is that villainous Priest's design, executed too, -by a practised poisoner, and she—Heaven forbid -that I make a false charge!—she is none other than -the Princess. Before the sun sets I will probe the -secret with my knife, though it lies at the bottom -of this Priest's black heart."</p> - -<p>"Give the child tepid water," he added. "Watch -him that he does not sleep; but that I think will -not be possible for some hours yet. The poison -rather stimulates wakefulness until the life is burned -out with its fires. I have at the Citadel some of the -medicine Theron bade me always keep with me."</p> - -<p>As Dion left the apartment a great uproar rose in -the streets. Cries filled the air.</p> - -<p>"The Jews have fled before Gorgias. They are -being driven into the city."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[312]</a></span></p> - -<p>"The Jews are not fleeing, sister," said Caleb. -"They have been pursuing. I see a mighty eagle. -He has swirled above a flock of doves, but, quick as -the lightning flashes, a little bird has darted upon -him. He has mounted upon the eagle's back. His -beak is sharper than a sword, and cuts the eagle -through. The great bird falls. Surely the little bird -is Judas."</p> - -<p>Whether Caleb's vision was the vagary of his fever-heated -brain, or a true prognostication from inner -sight granted him in compensation for his outer -blindness, one may not say, since we have not ourselves -passed through the borderland of the world -of sense.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[313]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XXXIX<br /> - -<span class="smaller">BATTLE OF EMMAUS</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-m.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Meph's</span> simile of the stratagem of the -little red ant which bites his antagonist -into two will give our club-footed -friend a place among the wisest -critics of military affairs; for this was -the plan of the battle of Emmaus as executed by -Judas.</p> - -<p>The Greek armies gathered near Emmaus numbered -about fifty thousand men, under leaders who -were rendered expert by wars in many lands. The -Maccabæans had not more than one-tenth that -number. This little army was further reduced by -Judas' command dismissing all newly married men, -and all whose ripening crops might divide their attention -between peace and war, and all whose lack -of zeal made them hesitate or question the wisdom -of the call to battle. Not more than three thousand -bowed in prayer and consecration as the sun -went down on Mizpah.</p> - -<p>When the night fell General Gorgias executed a -movement which would have increased his already -great fame as a strategist, had it not been countered -by an exploit of deeper subtlety and boldness on the -part of his antagonist.</p> - -<p>The Greek General did not await the arrival of -his full army at Emmaus, but, making there a formidable -camp, well guarded by thousands of heavy-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[314]</a></span>armed -troops, he pushed on with five thousand -horsemen and light-armed foot-soldiers to take the -Jews unawares in their camp at Mizpah. Under -the darkness of the night this advanced guard -stealthily and swiftly climbed the heights. Not a -solitary spot of the long crest was found sentinelled. -Surely the wily Maccabæan was caught sleeping. -Under order of perfect silence the Greeks glided on -toward Mizpah. So rapidly did the army pass that -even wild beasts were caught between the companies, -and prodded to death amid the feet of the -soldiers. On the assailants sped, that they might -come within striking distance of the Jewish camp -before daylight should reveal their approach. Thus -with one swoop in the first light of morning, Gorgias, -who was known as the "Hawk of Syria," -would annihilate the whole brood of rebels.</p> - -<p>At length dawn poured its ruddy lustre upon the -high hill of Mizpah. Rocks and thorny shrubs, here -a stunted juniper and there a pile of stone which -had been a camp kitchen, stood clear in the light,—but -not a Jewish tent or soldier was to be seen.</p> - -<p>With rage and shame the outwitted Greek gave -orders for retreat to his own camp twenty miles -away. The chagrin of the leader became the disgust -of the soldiers as they retraced their steps -along the dusty road. Some, who would be wiser -than others, told of the probable flight of Judas -over the hills and beyond Jordan, scared by the -very number of so many valiant feet which would -have trampled his little host into the earth had he -awaited their coming. Gorgias professed his conviction -that the war was over, and that the Maccabæans -had disbanded. He talked aloud of turning<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[315]</a></span> -southward and resting his soldiers within the walls -of Jerusalem. But, mindful that he was dealing -with the strange man who had outgeneraled both -Apollonius and Seron, he deemed it more prudent -first to rejoin the armies of Ptolemy and Nicanor, -which he assumed were gathering about his camp -at Emmaus.</p> - -<p>The day was well spent when, looking down -from the great ridge that might be called the Parapet -of Palestine, the Greek General saw in the distance -the smoke of his own burning camp; while -far away toward the fortress of Gezer in the northwest -two moving dust clouds indicated the position -of the Greeks pursued and of the Jews in hot -chase.</p> - -<p>Judas had discovered Gorgias' movement toward -his camp at Mizpah as soon as it was begun.</p> - -<p>With greater celerity than that of the Greek, he -abandoned his own stronghold, pushed his band -westward, slipped by his antagonist on a more -southerly road, and, in a line as straight as that -of a swarm of bees, and with as little sound in the -going, made for the camp of Gorgias at Emmaus. -Here was the slender waist of Meph's big ant, with -Gorgias' advance for its head, and the detachments -of Ptolemy and Nicanor for its legs.</p> - -<p>The early dawn which had revealed to the Greek -the unoccupied Jewish camp at Mizpah, showed to -Judas a splendid canvas city near Emmaus; the -open plain bossed with tents of various colors, -gleaming with the polished paraphernalia of horses -and the burnished armor of still sleeping men. Here -were gathered, not only the stores of Gorgias' army -and those awaiting the great hosts of Ptolemy and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[316]</a></span> -Nicanor, still in the rear, but bales of woollen and -silken wares, boxes of jewels and bags of silver coin; -for in sure expectancy of victory the Greeks had allowed -to come with them a great number of merchants -who were to make Jerusalem a second Damascus -of trade, when it should be delivered from -the menace of the Jewish insurgents.</p> - -<p>The first intimation the Greeks in this splendid -camp had of danger was the sound of the silver trumpets -of the Jews, which from the ancient days of -Israel had rung out the battle-call. The notes -floated through the chill morning air with little -more speed than Judas' men skimmed the ground -in their agile assault. The Greeks fell on every hand, -some with casque half on, and most having scarcely -grasped sword. The mass of them precipitately -fled. Judas had his men so well in hand, and such -was their zeal of patriotic devotion, that no man -thought of the wondrous opportunity for his own -enriching, but obeyed the command, "Be not greedy -of spoil, for there may still be battle betwixt us -and the night." The Jews pursued the fleeing -Greeks, until news that Gorgias was returning recalled -them.</p> - -<p>Judas then so quickly and skilfully placed his men -about the unguarded camp at Emmaus that Gorgias, -deeming such an accomplishment the work -of an army many-fold that of the Jews, dared not -make attack. His men became panic-stricken, and -scattered in every direction, to gather only far -away to the west within the lines of Ptolemy and -Nicanor, and there to spread consternation by the -marvellous stories with which they accounted for -their defeat.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[317]</a></span></p> - -<p>Judas assembled his fellow-religionists amid the -heaps of spoil. Before they laid hand to the reward -of their valor, they acknowledged the favor of Jehovah. -Then rang out the words of the old psalm, -"Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good. -His mercy endureth forever."</p> - -<p>Laden with the fruits of victory, the patriot army -moved over the hills to their sacred city, and without -challenge from the foe, gathered before the -western gate.</p> - -<p>As the soldiers deposited their burdens of spoil -they took their places in groups of tens and hundreds -according to the ancient arrangement of the -army of Israel—the order in which they had already -gone into the battle. The instant the morning -rays touched the Temple walls, the silver trumpets, -which yesterday had sounded the onset, gave -out the time notes of the antiphonal chant of Israel, -the Te Deum of victory during many ages of -faith:</p> - -<p>"Lift up your heads, ye gates, and be ye lifted -up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall -come in. Who is this King of Glory?</p> - -<p>"The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory."</p> - -<p>As the chant died away the great gate by the -tower of David was swung open. In the shadow -of the portal stood Deborah. She had arrayed herself -in richest apparel. Her chiton was of glistening -white silk and dropped to her feet. It was -girdled high beneath the breasts; opening deep -above, exposing a neck that needed no circlet to -adorn it. From her shoulders fell a purple robe. -This was matched by a purple cap that rose high -from her forehead and was banded with pearls.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[318]</a></span> -Strings of these gems were pendent against her -black hair, which, unclasped, fell about her shoulders.</p> - -<p>This contrast with the remembrance of her in the -cheap attire of the Fort of the Rocks, and as with -bleeding feet she flitted over the stony fields on her -many secret missions, wrought the patriot soldiers -to the highest pitch of enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>"The Daughter of Jerusalem! the Daughter of Jerusalem!" -The shout was taken up by one company -after another. It echoed from the walls and floated -over the hills.</p> - -<p>By Deborah's side was a Greek. He was in full -uniform of a Captain in the King's service. Judas -quickly confronted him. The contrast between the -two men was extreme. The Greek was the model for -an Apollo, such was his grace of pose and motion. -His muscles were full, yet long, exquisitely moulded -by the practice of the gymnasium and by the fencer's -art. The Jew was a Hercules of gigantic stature; -"badly put together," would have been the -comment of a gymnasiarch; long arms, legs short, -muscles knotted. The Greek was clean-shaven, his -locks oiled; the Jew's head covered with reddish -hair bleached by exposure. The Greek was handsome, -a woman's ideal. The Jew's face, overhung -by heavy brows, based in a broad, square chin, and -covered with short, untrimmed beard, might have -been an unpleasant one, but for the kindly brightness -of his eyes, which would have won the confidence -of a child.</p> - -<p>The Greek made obeisance to the conqueror.</p> - -<p>"Judas, son of Mattathias, I, though esteemed a -heathen, have made a vow before your God, that,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[319]</a></span> -if Jehovah granted you victory in this battle, I -would serve Him and you."</p> - -<p>"I am not commissioned to receive the service of -any but the men of Israel," replied Judas firmly, -but with a courtesy that could awaken no resentment.</p> - -<p>"Then know that Dion, son of General Agathocles -of Macedon, forswears the service of Antioch, and -vows loyalty only to the cause of the Jewish -people."</p> - -<p>Judas glanced at Deborah. "Is this the friend of -the house of Elkiah? For thy sweet sake, daughter, -it shall be as he wills."</p> - -<p>He grasped the hand of Dion.</p> - -<p>While this scene was transpiring at the western -gate a very different one might have been witnessed -at the south gate. The street within was packed -with a motley multitude impeding one another's -way in their eagerness to escape from the city. Men -and women, rich and poor, young and old; some -bruising the backs of their neighbors with the chests -they carried upon their shoulders; others with their -palanquins forcing the crowd asunder, commanding, -entreating, shouting imprecations, and crying with -hurts, choked the gateway.</p> - -<p>"Way! way for the High Priest!" sounded above -the din.</p> - -<p>A giant Nubian with his gnarled arms threw -the people to right and left and opened a passage -for Menelaos and Lydia, whose blanched faces -peered out from the purple curtains of their vehicle.</p> - -<p>Amid this scurrying crowd, amid tattered wealth -and paupers bedizened with their stolen finery, -went an exquisite carriage, in which, covered with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[320]</a></span> -the robes at the feet of Clarissa, the harlot dancer -and poisoner of Antioch, crouched the form of Glaucon, -son of Elkiah.</p> - -<p>Jonathan begged permission to dash upon the -fugitives and make an end of them, even as his -father had slain the renegade Jew at the gate of -Modin.</p> - -<p>But Judas refused. "Let them depart. Let the -wound of Israel slough off its foulness; it will the -sooner heal."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[321]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XL<br /> - -<span class="smaller">"A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM"</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-w2.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">When</span> the overthrow of Gorgias became -known in the city, many of the soldiers -of Antiochus fled even more precipitately -than did the traitorous Jews. -The grim towers beat upon the fugitives -with shadows like the wings of an avenging -spirit, which, indeed, some declared they saw descend -from the sky. A few companies under Meton's closer -discipline kept within the Citadel. Even that -Commandant's courage had been well shaken by the -previous disaster to Seron, and his nerves permanently -disordered by the tragedy of the General's -suicide in his presence. The new discomfiture of the -more famous Gorgias—a defeat so thorough that -even that great soldier's genius seemed utterly paralyzed, -so that he did not attempt a retaliatory -blow—completed the demoralization of Meton, so -that he gave no orders for the defence of the city at -large, being fully content to keep his own skin unpunctured -within the walls of his castle. Judas, -having no artillery for assailing the fortifications -which had withstood every assault since the days of -Nebuchadnezzar, was equally content to let Meton -be his own jailer.</p> - -<p>The house of Elkiah became the resting-place of the -Jewish hero on the few and brief occasions when he -rested anywhere. He was incessant in his watch.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[322]</a></span> -For days he would be absent with his brothers -scouting the country to the eastward. He commissioned -the brightest men as messengers to the -tribes not yet allied with him, offering them either -peace or war as their Sheikhs might elect. Envoys -were sent to the Romans, to the Egyptians. He -laid out extensive plans for the restoration and fortification -of the city walls. In this he was aided by -Dion, who had already attained a certain celebrity as -an engineer among the Greeks.</p> - -<p>For such projects there was urgent call, and for -all the resources of Judas' fertile brain. Lycias, the -new Governor of Syria, was collecting the remnants -of Gorgias' army, compacting them with those of -Nicanor and Ptolemy, and enlarging them by daily -arriving contingents sent from all parts of Antiochus' -kingdom. The Governor quickly marshalled -a force of sixty thousand, ready to renew the war.</p> - -<p>Even these public and threatening affairs did not -entirely absorb the attention of Judas. When in -Jerusalem he came daily and watched the failing -life of the blind child. As the lad's body grew -emaciate the blind eyes gained in lustre, the light of -his soul flooding them from within, like stars bursting -through a fleecy cloud. Judas would sit by the -bedside of the sufferer, gazing upon the thinning -and whitening face, while his own thoughts were -far away among the problems of statecraft and -strategy.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he one day said to Dion, "Caleb's eyes are -my oracles, as my father used to say Deborah's -were to him. They are to me what I imagine the -water of the deep springs is to your Greek priests. -In them I sometimes seem to see the lines of coming<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[323]</a></span> -battle, and the shadows of great events that heaven -is preparing to bring to pass."</p> - -<p>At times Judas would throw himself upon the bed -beside his little friend, whose restlessness was calmed -when he could pass his tiny, shrunken fingers over -the face of the champion. Suddenly the soldier -would kiss the child's hot lips, and, without a word, -hasten away to the towers or the fields, as if -prompted by some inspiration.</p> - -<p>One day the lad said to Judas:</p> - -<p>"Big brother, carry me as you used to do in the -Fort of the Rocks."</p> - -<p>"Where shall I take you, little brother?"</p> - -<p>"Take me to the roof, that I may see the clouds -with your eyes—God's banners, father used to call -the clouds with their white and gold. And I would -see, too, the mountains full of the chariots and -horses of God; and hear the winds talk, and tell -their strange stories of what is happening everywhere -they go. Take me, big brother."</p> - -<p>The lad lay in Judas' arms behind the parapet, his -fingers feebly twining in the thick beard of his giant -playmate. The wind came softly from the south.</p> - -<p>"What was the wind saying to you, little -brother?"</p> - -<p>"It comes from Bethlehem, that I know; and it -talks about Bethlehem."</p> - -<p>"And what does it say about Bethlehem?"</p> - -<p>"It says that you, Judas, were born in Bethlehem."</p> - -<p>"How so?"</p> - -<p>"Why, it repeated the words of the prophet, 'And -thou, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, art not the -least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[324]</a></span> -shall come a Governor that shall rule my people -Israel.'"</p> - -<p>"Say not such things, my child," said Judas, "I -was born here in Jerusalem."</p> - -<p>"Do you remember it?" said Caleb.</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Then I think you are mistaken."</p> - -<p>For a while they were both silent. Suddenly -Caleb cried:</p> - -<p>"Look! Look, Judas! A star!"</p> - -<p>"There are no stars now, little brother; it is daytime."</p> - -<p>"A star! A star! There it floats over Moab. -Now it passes over Jordan. There! There! A star -out of Jacob, which Balaam saw."</p> - -<p>The thin hands were stretched out, the eyes fixed, -the whole frame of the child shook with convulsion.</p> - -<p>Judas gazed into Caleb's eyes—his fountain of -divination—but the depths were covered, as when a -spring is frozen over. Tears from his own eyes -dropped upon the face of the child, which gave back -no response. He pressed his lips against those of the -lad. Was it to breathe into them his own abundant -life? or to take from them the sweetness of the life -that was failing? Judas had been called to ponder -great problems, questions involving the fate of a -nation, the solution of which he believed to be the -fulfilment of prophecy and the turning of the highways -of history. But here was a deeper study than -statecraft or war—that of the issue of a child's -life. Whither was it going? On what wings would -the spirit rise as now it was disentangling itself -from the frail flesh which had held it down for a -little while? "What," he thought, "is love—the love<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[325]</a></span> -by which this little one has held my soul close to -his, calming my turbid nature, taming my ferocity, -and making me think of and feel the nearness of God -himself!"</p> - -<p>A slight tremor ran through the tiny frame. -Judas carried Caleb within the upper chamber, and -laid him upon the couch. Then, burying his face in -the pillow, this strongest of men wept with a breaking -heart over a dead child.</p> - -<p>Deborah quickly came, and Dion too; for the tidings -sped. As they gazed upon the beautiful face, -which seemed but the shadow of the soul that still -hovered over it, Judas repeated Caleb's last words, -about the star.</p> - -<p>"It is prophecy," said Deborah. "What saith the -Scripture of these words of Balaam? 'He hath said -which heard the word of God, and knew the knowledge -of the Most High, which saw the vision of the -Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes -open,' even as Caleb did, 'I shall see Him soon, but -not now. I shall behold Him, but not nigh. There -shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall -rise out of Israel.' Of whom are these things said, -son of Mattathias?"</p> - -<p>"I know not, Deborah." For a long time Judas -sat with his head bowed upon his hands. Neither -spoke, but worshipped silently by the altar of their -grief. At length Judas said: "But I know that He -shall come. I too 'shall see Him, but not now. I -shall behold Him, but not nigh.' Of whom the -words are spoken God knows. It is enough for us -that we be found faithful."</p> - -<p>Dion stood by. He looked from the champion to -the heroine as they spoke thus together. Then he,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[326]</a></span> -too, kissed the dead child, and without a word -went away.</p> - -<p>That day, as the sun was going down, a long procession -wound its way through the streets, and out -of the north gate to the rock-hewn tomb where lay -many generations of the house of Elkiah. There -they placed the body of the "little Prophet of -Israel," as the people fondly called him. As they -rolled the stone back in its groove, and thus covered -the mouth of the sepulchre, the multitude gazed -upon the giant form of their chieftain. But Judas -turned away, and laying his hand upon the shoulder -of Dion, as they walked together back to the city, -said:</p> - -<p>"Captain Dion, have you anything in your Greek -books so beautiful as this from our prophet Esaias? -He is speaking of the days of Messiah, days to -come, when such peace shall fall upon the earth that -the 'wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the -leopard shall lie down with the kid—and a little -child shall lead them.'"</p> - -<p>"In Messiah's days?" responded Dion. "It is already -fulfilled, for this little child has led us both; -both you and me."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[327]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XLI<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A STRANGE VISITOR</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">There</span> were strange visitors in Jerusalem -during these days—Sheikhs from -beyond the Dead Sea, with turbans -as big as cartwheels, which might furnish -linen, if not enough for a tent to -live in, at least for one's winding-sheet when dead; -chiefs from beyond the Lebanons, with silken head-housing -of flaming colors, bound about the temples -with ropes of wool inwoven with silver and gold -threads; men wearing helms of leather, which capped -closely their thick, short hair, and having short -tunics bound about their loins with belts of hide -from which hung heavy half swords—these last -from the west, where Rome was challenging both -Alexandria and Antioch for the mastery of the world. -Such persons were drawn to Jerusalem by the fame -of Judas; for men wondered if a new star had appeared -which would change the shape of the constellation -of the nations.</p> - -<p>Very different in bearing from these warlike and -courtly visitors were two persons who one day accompanied -Judas on the street, going toward the -house of Elkiah—a lame lad clattering on his crutch -and an old man tottering on his staff.</p> - -<p>"I found him a day's journey—for a fox—to the -north—nigh on to Bethel," said Meph, his sentences -broken by the slipping of his crutch from project<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[328]</a></span>ing -stones into mud-holes, of which things in about -equal proportion the pavement of the streets of Jerusalem -then consisted. "I treed him——"</p> - -<p>"Treed him? Our friend doesn't look like a climbing -animal," replied Judas, laughing.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I treed him; that is, I got him under a tree. -I knew that a man like him—would rest more than -he would walk—and—I believe—I got my eyes on -every tree big enough to cast shadow over a cony—between -here and Bethel before I spied him. I -thought he was dead—for he didn't hear me come, -and I make as much noise—Jonathan says—as a -broken-wheeled chariot. And he would have died—sure—but -for some of this stuff"—producing from -his jacket next the skin some fragments of black -bread. "But even then he couldn't talk until I had -given him—but, Judas, you won't put me under -arrest if I show you something?"</p> - -<p>"No, Meph; you are not enrolled as a soldier, so -have a right to whatever you find."</p> - -<p>"Then look at this!" said he, jerking from somewhere -under his shirt a flask of bluish bronze inlaid -with patterns of mother of pearl. "I found -this on the crest above Emmaus. Phew! Isn't it -fine? I'll wager you that General Gorgias himself -dropped that. Well, I knew there was something -good in it—so I just put it to the old man's mouth. -My! it oiled up his tongue so that he talked faster -than I can—on these stones. And he told me of -sailing on the sea—and riding camels on the desert—and -of beasts bigger than houses—with tails -on both ends—which trampled to death whole companies -of soldiers with a single step on them."</p> - -<p>"Elephants," interjected Judas. "The old man<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[329]</a></span> -has travelled far if he has seen these monsters. They -say the King has sent some of them to Governor -Lycias for his next fight with us."</p> - -<p>"Whew!" whistled the boy. "Can I go and see -them?"</p> - -<p>"Maybe——"</p> - -<p>"Well," resumed Meph, "when the liquor had dried -out of his throat—the old man stopped—and I -couldn't get another word out of him except 'Dion! -Captain Dion!' I told him I knew a Captain Dion. -Then he got up and went with me—for about a furlong -when—he fell down—and so up and down—up -and down—we went all day—and all night, too—for -he wouldn't stop until he got here."</p> - -<p>The old man was stumbling on with Judas' strong -arm beneath his shoulder, now and then putting -his hand to his ear, trying to catch what Meph was -saying.</p> - -<p>A few moments later they were within the house. -The stranger was utterly exhausted, but, though -unable to rise from the couch upon which they had -laid him, his eyes were alert to everything. He -studied the furniture as if it had memories stored -in its carvings. The faces about him seemed to disappoint -him, but each swing of the curtain of the -chamber riveted his attention. He ate and drank -a little of what Deborah brought him; then fell -asleep, muttering in his dream:</p> - -<p>"It's Dion I want. Don't take it, my child. Wait—wait; -I will find you. The sea is not wide enough -nor the mountains high enough—for Gideon ben Sirach -is strong yet."</p> - -<p>Though broken, his sleep was long. The sun went -down, the night passed, and still he slept.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[330]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I fear he will not awake again," said Samuel, -the physician. "The breathing is heavy, and grows -shorter. His secret is his and God's."</p> - -<p>"So let it be!" said Dion. "I don't know how it -can concern me. I do not care to know any mystery -that may have been over my past life, since -now I have come into a clearer light. I could well -wish that all the past were forgotten, and that life -could begin to-day."</p> - -<p>"So it may, friend Dion," replied the physician. -"If God can forget anything, will not that make it -as if it had never been? Read our Scriptures. How -often the Lord says, 'I will not remember.' Where -go the clouds when the north wind blows upon -them? But saith the Lord, 'I will blot out as a -thick cloud thy transgression.'"</p> - -<p>"It is a good word," said Dion. "I would trust -it. But see, our pilgrim stirs."</p> - -<p>A slight tremor ran through the old man's frame.</p> - -<p>"This is death!" whispered Samuel.</p> - -<p>The physician's look, which had hitherto denoted -only anxiety for his patient's recovery, quickly -changed. It was now not less eager, but one merely -of curiosity. He held the patient's wrists, and -brought his face close for a study of death.</p> - -<p>Though Samuel knew that the flight of a soul -cannot be followed, he gazed intently as if to detect -its direction in starting, or at least to note which -fibres of flesh longest retained their grasp of a departing -spirit.</p> - -<p>But he was baffled. The sleeper suddenly threw -his arms above his head, hard knit his hands, then -drew in a deep breath and expelled it with a -groan.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[331]</a></span></p> - -<p>"No! He lives! The sleep has only refreshed -him!" cried Samuel.</p> - -<p>"Has Gideon ben Sirach rested well?" he asked, -bending over him.</p> - -<p>The man gazed stupidly at the physician, then -with a yawn fell asleep again.</p> - -<p>"Well, let him rest, and when he wakes we will -have his story, if it takes some of the medicine from -Gorgias' flask to start it."</p> - -<p>"Doubtless," said Dion, "his story will prove only -a dream that has oozed out from some crack in his -brain. We shall need one of your Josephs or Daniels -to interpret it."</p> - -<p>"If it is so obscure as that we will summon -Meph," replied the physician. "That boy seems able -to solve riddles with a punch of his crutch."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[332]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XLII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A CLOSE CALL FOR DION</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-i.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">"If</span> the Lord give me strength to end it," -said Gideon ben Sirach the day following, -as he sat up on the edge of the -couch, and rested his hands on the top -of his staff. "If the Lord give me -strength, I will tell the tale—if such you may call -it—which has never yet passed my lips."</p> - -<p>His black eyes, far sunken beneath his long and -bristling brows, gleamed sharply with the effort to -penetrate their partial blindness, and scan the faces -of his auditors.</p> - -<p>"As the Lord liveth! I may trust my words in -your ears, Judas, son of Mattathias, whose father -has a score of times taken from my hands the -Passover Lamb, and slain it for the feast in my -master's house. And in whom can I confide if not -in the daughter of Elkiah, the just man, Nasi of our -Sanhedrin in days when not even the gold of Egypt -or Syria could bribe it to wrong judgment? And if -this man be not Dion, page of King Philip of Macedon, -and Captain in the army of his son Perseus, -may my words be deafness evermore in his ears if he -listens to them."</p> - -<p>"Amen!" responded Dion. "I am your man so -far."</p> - -<p>"Aye, and let thy Amen be the anathema of an -old man whose eyes in Sheol may soon look upon -the face of my master, to whom and to God I go<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[333]</a></span> -to render my account. My son, put thy hand beneath -my thigh, and swear that thou art he."</p> - -<p>Dion obeyed. As he did so Gideon put his hand -upon the young man's brow, and pushed back the -thick curling locks. He felt with his long thin -fingers beneath the hair; then suddenly cried, with -excitement that barely allowed distinct utterance:</p> - -<p>"Thou art Dion, but not the Greek."</p> - -<p>"I am Greek for as many generations as thou art -Jew," replied Dion, laughing. "I swear, old man, -that I am a Greek."</p> - -<p>"The Lord forgive your oath!" replied Sirach. -"But what was I saying? Had I told my tale?"</p> - -<p>"No, good man, you had not yet begun it. We -are waiting to hear it and to believe it, if it be not -too incredible, for your memory seems as tangled as -your tongue."</p> - -<p>"Aye, and believe it you shall. There was once in -Alexandria, in the days of Ptolemy called Euergetes—that -damnable king who bade them gather all the -Jews in the hippodrome that they might be trampled -to death by the feet of his elephants—there was -among these sons of Abraham one named Nahum, -son of Nahum of Jerusalem. By a miracle from the -hand of the Lord the infuriated beasts were tamed -and harmed not one of our people, even as the lions -in the presence of Daniel."</p> - -<p>"We have heard the story," said Dion, impatient -at the old man's prolixity.</p> - -<p>"Nahum escaped death; but, having been a leader -of our people against the tyrant, Ptolemy followed -him and his children with persecution. He seized the -estates, and sought to kill all his lineage. Nahum -fled.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[334]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Sara, daughter of Nahum, was befriended by a -noble Greek of Macedon, who took her as a child to -his own house. She grew fairer than the flower of -the lotus, her mind brilliant as the diamond, her -virtue white as the pearl. By most she came to be -esteemed a Greek, for her father's friend bestowed -upon her all the culture of his people. But the God -of Isaac and Rebecca, of Jacob and Rachel, was -with her. There came to Alexandria a son of the -faith, as Isaac the patriarch came to Padan Aram. -My master, Shattuck, espoused this woman, Sara. -She bore him a son. But upon the child's face the -father never looked. Journeying to Alexandria -Shattuck was lost, whether by the hand of the robbers -of the desert, or through the jealousy of others, -I may not say—for I am too old a man to speak the -thoughts which it were well to bury with my body. -The child's life was sought, I know not by whom; -but this," Gideon bared his arm, across which was -the scar of a wound that had well-nigh severed it -near the shoulder, "this arm took part of the stroke -which, but for it, would have exterminated my -master's house."</p> - -<p>Dion had been listening not only with incredulity, -but with some disposition to make sport of Sirach's -story. He now took the hand of the old man, and -gazed upon the scar as if it were an object of religious -reverence. He then pushed his fingers through -his own hair in a manner that was not his habit -even when deeply thinking.</p> - -<p>"Old man," said he, "if I were the baby for whom -you took that slash, I would build you a tomb as -big as Absalom's down there in Siloa. That cut -would have taken the top off a man's head."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[335]</a></span></p> - -<p>Sirach continued: "These arms carried the boy to -the house of the noble Greek, always the friend of -Nahum's daughter. This man suddenly disappeared -from Alexandria, taking with him Sara and her -child. I learned that they went into Macedonia; -and that he might shield the repute of Sara he -claimed her as his wife and the lad as his own son. -Meanwhile I was in charge of the wealth of Shattuck -my master.</p> - -<p>"The property of my master in Alexandria was -of great value. For many years—God is my witness—Gideon -ben Sirach has guarded it. Not a shekel -of it all has passed to others. Faithful men of -our race have stood with me against those, high -in the King's favor, who would have taken it. So -long as the death of the child cannot be proved the -estate remains. His death established, all will be -alienated to the state, which in Alexandria means -to those whose favor the King buys by granting -them the liberty to rob whom they will.</p> - -<p>"The child of Sara I have searched for far and -wide. While the Greek lived he could not be induced -to confess that he was not the lad's father. His -pride and contumely for our race—no, I will not -say such words—his love for the boy forbade it.</p> - -<p>"When the noble Greek died a few years later, -the child disappeared. I traced him to the court of -Philip, where he was in waiting, and afterward, -as he grew to be a man, to the camps of Perseus, -and at last into the service of Antiochus. Wherever -the armies of Syria have gone Gideon ben Sirach -has followed, but with too slow a foot. When this -new Antiochus—the Lord rot his bones!—poured his -legions into our Holy Land, I pursued. But, as a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[336]</a></span> -Jew, I have been expelled from his camps—until -now—the Lord's name be praised! My eyes behold -the son of Shattuck."</p> - -<p>Sirach reached his hands toward Dion to embrace -him. The young man recoiled as if from defilement.</p> - -<p>"Sirach is demented! Ha! ha! Dion a Jew! Dion -ben Shattuck! Oho! But take no offence, friend, -at my words. I have no doubt that Shattuck was -more worthy of my paternity than I am of inheriting -his shekels. But the whole thing is a dream of -Sirach. His memory is as confused as his tracks -have been while searching for his Dion. That I -may have been taken for such a waif is quite possible, -since I have been a homeless fellow—just the -one to gather myths, as the crooked oak on Olivet -draws flocks of wild pigeons to its dead boughs. -But there is nothing in it. I am not your Dion, -my good man, for all I like your story."</p> - -<p>"Thou art not Dion? True, true," said Sirach, -"thou art not Dion, because thou art Gershom; for -so Sara, thy mother, called thee; for she said, 'He -is a stranger amid a strange people,' as thy name -Gershom signifies."</p> - -<p>"Is there such a name among the Jews?" asked -Dion. "I have never heard it. But what sign, Sirach, -have you? I surely was never circumcised." -He burst into laughter.</p> - -<p>"Sign? Sign?" cried Sirach. "By the scar on thy -forehead which my fingers felt when thou knelt, I -know thee."</p> - -<p>Dion was for the instant startled, and felt again -amid his curled locks. At length he burst again into -loud laughter.</p> - -<p>"I have now the clew of Sirach's credulity. As a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[337]</a></span> -child I was known for my crown jewel, as my playmates -called the scar on my head. As a page they -dubbed me 'Prince' because of it, and now my cock's -comb of a scar has been good Sirach's decoy. Ha! -ha! I bethink me there was a fellow in Philippi, a -Jew adopted by a Greek, who wore a split scalp. -I got my decoration in this way. As a child I -played with my father's great sword. One day it -fell on me, and but for the hand of some god as -helpful as the arm of Sirach to his little Gershom, -I had never lived to become the hero of such a -pretty tale as our friend has told. But now, Sirach, -I will give you a challenge in turn—tell me the -name of the good Greek who so befriended your -little Gershom's grandfather, Nahum, in the hippodrome."</p> - -<p>Sirach sat staring at Dion, as if his words had -stunned him.</p> - -<p>"Tell us the noble Greek's name, Sirach—the Greek -who was Sara's father's friend."</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes," said the old man, "Nahum's friend -was Ctesiphon, Ctesiphon——"</p> - -<p>"But I—I am the son of Agathocles," fairly shouted -Dion. "I am not son of any Ctesiphon."</p> - -<p>The old man rose. He attempted to speak, but -his throat gave no utterance. His face twitched as -if pulled by strings. He sank back upon the couch. -His eyes followed Dion; otherwise he was motionless.</p> - -<p>"He would tell us more," said the Greek, and -bent above him, held by a strange fascination. But -the lips did not move again. An intense longing -came into his eyes, as if the soul would speak without -need of voice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[338]</a></span></p> - -<p>"It is a stroke of God," said Samuel. "He will -tell us no more. I surely thought he had you, Dion, -for as good a Jew as the rest of us."</p> - -<p>"But for my father, Agathocles', memory I had -not cared," replied Dion. "If my sword be Jew, -why not the hand that holds it?"</p> - -<p>"I will send my servants," said the physician, -"and have Gideon removed. He is taken in dumb -palsy, a disorder I would study. In my house he -shall have comfort while life abides in his frame, -which will not be long; although I have known -such to live for many moons."</p> - -<p>"He shall remain here," commanded Deborah. -"He is a true Jew, servant to my father's friend."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[339]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XLIII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">BATTLE OF BETHZUR</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-l.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Little</span> thought was given to Sirach or -his story during the next few weeks. -The nation was summoned to a sudden -life-and-death-struggle with the Syrian -Empire. Lycias, the Governor, menaced -the Sacred City with sixty thousand men. -Profiting by the failure of his predecessors in the -three "Battles of the Passes"—the Wady on the -north, the Heights of Bethhoron, and the slopes of -Emmaus on the west—this cautious General passed -to the south, and then swung his armies eastward -to the neighborhood of Hebron. It was a masterful -stroke, since from that region there were many -roads which converged to a point not far from the -city. Upon any one of these open ways the invaders -might mass, or with their greater numbers they -might advance in force by all of them. The choice of -approach being with the invaders, the defender was -forced to abide an attack very near the city walls, -unless by strategic insight he could divine his antagonist's -plan almost before he began to execute it. -Judas was therefore compelled to sentinel every spot -of ground from Bethshemesh on the west to Hebron -on the south. His sharp-eyed peasant soldiers signalled -by flying arrows in the day and fire-flashes at -night the slightest change in the disposition of the -Greek forces. The instant Lycias' advance turned -into the open valley of Elah, and began its wary<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[340]</a></span> -movement northward, the Jewish leader saw that -the enemy would essay the narrow pass between the -rocky slope of Bethzur and the cliff of Halhul, some -twelve miles from the city. He therefore gathered -his men secretly a little north of that gateway of the -hills and waited. Judas was mindful that these -slopes and wadies through which the Greek legions -would have to approach were memorials of the -valor of David, the shepherd king of Judah, in his -wars against the Philistines. He bade his men bow -for worship, and himself led the prayer:</p> - -<p>"Blessed art Thou, O Saviour of Israel, who didst -break the violence of the mighty by the hand of Thy -servant David, and didst deliver up the camp of the -stranger into the hands of Prince Jonathan. Shut -up now this army of the invaders in the hands of -this Thy people Israel, and let them be confounded -in all their host."</p> - -<p>Scarcely had the muttered "Amens" ceased when -the clatter of horsemen was heard beyond the pass.</p> - -<p>The Greeks were not aware of the presence of the -Jews, since the latest of their scout reports placed -the patriots in unsuspicious ease behind their city -walls. They, therefore, moved incautiously into the -narrow valley of Bethzur.</p> - -<p>Judas silently watched until their masses and armaments -were at the point where the hills gave them -least freedom of movement, then his signal poured suddenly -the entire patriot army upon the advancing -foe. They struck the Greek column in front. When -Lycias had succeeded in deploying to meet the attack -from that direction, his agile assailants slipped -to either side, and, scaling the hills, descended upon -him as a flood makes every depression its channel.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[341]</a></span> -Everywhere the Jews had advantage of higher -ground, each cubit of which was familiar to them. -They knew the outlet of every pathway, as deer -know their runways to water. Their captains had -marked the rocks which companies of tens or threes -could use as breastworks. They had gauged the -distance for arrow or spear or slingstone between -these natural forts and the open spaces the foe -must cross, so that their aim was unerring. The -Greeks, attempting to turn from the threatened impact -in front, were met at disadvantage by half-concealed -Maccabæans, whose deadly shots slaughtered -them before they could locate the source of -attack. Upon the hastily formed roofs of linked -shields, the noted phalanx of the Greek, the Jews -hurled great boulders, crashing through brass and -bone. The air was darkened with flying missiles, -which dropped like a storm of hail upon those in -that open valley.</p> - -<p>The cry "Mi-camo-ca-ba" echoed seemingly from -the very sky. In their blind rage to open ways of -reaching the enemy or of flight, the Greeks assailed -one another, as the scorpion stings itself to death. -Before nightfall the army of Lycias was shattered -beneath the strokes of the Hammer of Israel.</p> - -<p>Just previous to the battle Dion had asked permission -to join in the fray. Judas replied:</p> - -<p>"I have no orders except for my own and kindred -people. The victory will be of the Lord, and that -He will give only to the children of the faith." He -put his hand familiarly upon Dion's arm, as he -added: "Had old Gideon ben Sirach's tale ended -differently, as I had hoped, I would have given you -command of a thousand men."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[342]</a></span></p> - -<p>To this Dion responded with somewhat of resentment: -"Is not your faith, Maccabæan, mine? Do -you distrust my word of honor, which I gave you -at the gate? I beg that you let me prove my sincerity -in the sight of our two nations."</p> - -<p>"I may give you no charge," replied Judas, "but -I take it that before another sunset one who would -fight for Jewry will find his own opportunity. And -I pledge you, Dion, not to forget your service, -though I may not direct it."</p> - -<p>"It is enough," rejoined the Captain, as he hastened -toward the battle, divining at a glance where -it would be thickest.</p> - -<p>No spot in all the bloody field was more hotly -contested than a little green glade about a spring. -Jew and Greek fought desperately for possession of -its cooling waters. The holders of the ground at -one moment were slaughtered at the next by new -assailants. More than a score of times the spring -alternated its owners. Its veins seemed to spurt -out blood, so thickened had the water become.</p> - -<p>At this spot toward the close of the day two men -glared at each other over their sword points. One -was Dion; the other wore the badge of high honor -among Lycias' officers. He was faint from long -exertion; but even Dion, master of sword-play -though he was, could not find a spot in his antagonist's -body unguarded by his quick ward. It was -evident, however, that Dion would soon get from his -foe's exhaustion what he could not wrest by his skill.</p> - -<p>"Yield!" he cried.</p> - -<p>The man slightly lowered his sword.</p> - -<p>"That voice is not a Jew's," came from the Greek -helmet.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[343]</a></span></p> - -<p>"The sword is," was Dion's reply.</p> - -<p>"Yet played as never was a Jew's," came the response -between wards and panting breaths. "If I -am to fall, thank the gods it is by a Greek's hand, -though he be a traitor to his blood!"</p> - -<p>"Traitor!"</p> - -<p>The taunt fired all the fiend in Dion's soul. With -one stroke he sent his opponent's sword ringing -among the stones, and his body backward to the -ground, while a tremendous blow on his head completed -his discomfiture.</p> - -<p>The displaced helmet revealed white hair and -beard. Dion did not strike again.</p> - -<p>"I will not take the life of one of your years. -So valiant an arm must have done better service -than this in which it is now engaged. Rise! You -are my prisoner."</p> - -<p>"I will not be prisoner to a Jew," said the prostrate -man. "But I swear by all the gods, that -stroke was of no Jew's arm."</p> - -<p>"Taunt me not again," shouted the victor, "or, -by Jove! the sword, be it Jew or Greek, will find -your heart."</p> - -<p>"'By Jove!' Why, man, you have not been Jew -long enough to learn new oaths. Now strike if you -will. My life is yours, but first"—the man assumed -an utter indifference of tone and manner—"first I -would have a drink of the spring. It is hard to -let out one's last breath through a throat so -parched."</p> - -<p>"That boon is well earned," said Dion, his rage -tempered instantly by the man's grim humor.</p> - -<p>He helped unclasp his antagonist's helmet, and -gave his hand as he tottered over the dead bodies<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[344]</a></span> -which lay in heaps about the spring, and through -the mud made by the many feet that all day had -trampled the ground soaked with water and blood.</p> - -<p>"Faugh!" said the man. "I cannot drink this -stuff. It is not wise to mix wines, and mixed bloods -are worse. Cut my veins, my friend, and let me -drink something at least clean and pure. A draught -of life—good Greek life—to die by—ha! ha! Help -me, ghost of Socrates!"</p> - -<p>Dion cleared the surface of the fountain on the -side where it came trickling up from the earth and -mingled its white beads with the red foulness. Using -his helmet for a vessel, he dipped a quantity.</p> - -<p>"I have seen a fairer goblet at a feast," said he, -offering it with a courtesy that was real for all its -seeming mockery.</p> - -<p>"Which again proves that you are a Greek," was -the stranger's response.</p> - -<p>"Why repeat that?" said Dion.</p> - -<p>"Because," said the old man, "it is true. Would -you know how I detected it?"</p> - -<p>The two became interested in each other's faces.</p> - -<p>"Go on," said Dion.</p> - -<p>"Why, as I said, I knew you by your sword play. -And not only are you a Greek, but I swear you are -a Greek of Macedonia. Do I not know it? Never -before was my sword tricked out of my hand either -in play or fight. No man could have done that, -had he the strength of Heracles, but in one way—and -that way you learned in the school of Philippi."</p> - -<p>"The Jews travel far. They learn what pleases -them," said Dion, with suppressed amazement.</p> - -<p>"But no Jew ever learned that guard and thrust -in one movement." The stranger imitated the mo<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[345]</a></span>tion -with his hand. "It was my own invention."</p> - -<p>"You!" gasped Dion in amazement. "You! If -you take that man's name falsely, you die like a -dog! Who are you?"</p> - -<p>The officer sprang to his feet. He put his hands -upon the young man's shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Gods! Can this be?"</p> - -<p>A swirl in the battle-tide brought others to the -spring. Dion and the stranger moved away. They -were closely watched by a party of Jews, some of -whom were ordered to keep them under constant -surveillance.</p> - -<p>"It is that Greek," said their officer. "See, he is -in communion with the enemy. Take them alive, -but if they try to escape kill them both."</p> - -<p>The two turned from the open glade to a covert -among the rocks. Scarcely had they begun to converse -when they were seized by overpowering numbers, -who could not have more stealthily performed -the exploit if they had been leaves of the overhanging -trees which turned into men as they fell. The -arms of the captives were quickly pinioned behind -their backs, and under guard they were marched to -the city.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[346]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XLIV<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A WIFE?</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> following day the excitement in Jerusalem -was intense and clamorous. -As band after band of the Jewish heroes -returned from the pursuit of the -Greeks they were met at the city walls -with such cheers that the Kedron valley echoed as -if the generations of the dead entombed along its -rocky sides had awakened to greet the valor of the -living. Companies vied with one another in relating -the marvels of prowess they had performed; -but through all the boasting ran a vein of reverent -recognition of the heavenly leading of affairs, and -almost as worshipful praise of the strange man by -whose hand Jehovah had wrought this new deliverance.</p> - -<p>Those who had captured Dion at the spring of -Bethzur gave full credit to their own shrewdness -and courage in that exploit.</p> - -<p>"All Greeks are treacherous," was one comment. -"Judas is so true himself that he suspects no one -else; but he ought not to have allowed the Macedonian -to remain in the city after the rest of his -kind had been chased out by their own heels."</p> - -<p>"Think of his impudence! He even asked for a -command. To command us—us! Jonathan was -for trusting him; but Simon, the Wise, advised caution. -No doubt this Greek traitor had planned an -ambush for us. The other Greek is of high rank;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[347]</a></span> -his face would show that without the gold in his -sword-hilt."</p> - -<p>"But Captain Dion fought splendidly," interjected -another. "I myself saw him make five Greeks bite -the dust."</p> - -<p>"That is true," observed one, "and but for his -advice at one time it might have gone hard with -my company. We were wedged in between the hills, -and the Greeks were about to link shields—and when -they do that they will move through the gate of -hell—but Captain Dion gave me the hint, and himself -posted us so that we took them on the flank, and -buried them under their own metal. But, as I have -thought of it since, I remember that I didn't move -our men exactly as Dion advised me, or we might -have come out right in front of the phalanx and -been trampled to pieces. It must have been a trick -on the part of the traitor."</p> - -<p>"No doubt," was the response. "The Greek has -been playing us false throughout; but his toes are -in the trap now."</p> - -<p>This popular estimate of Dion was repeated in -higher places.</p> - -<p>Judas took no part, except as a listener, in the -council of his brethren as they debated the matter.</p> - -<p>Simon repeated his former warnings, which now -seemed justified. Eliezar recalled several other instances -in which Dion's actions might have had -a sinister intent. John attributed to him some -secret advice which he must have sent to Lycias, -and which led the Greek General to make the assault -upon Jerusalem from the south, the only direction -in which Judas had looked with any fear. That -plan was shrewdly laid, and but for the swiftness<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[348]</a></span> -with which Judas made his counter plan, and the -rapid succession of his blows upon the enemy before -they got through the hills of Bethzur, the Greeks -had surely taken the city.</p> - -<p>These insinuations brought to the face of Judas -no sign of his being influenced by them; but a certain -word that fell from Jonathan was met by a -quick flash in the champion's eyes.</p> - -<p>"If Captain Dion proved treacherous, perhaps the -daughter of Elkiah can explain it. She could have -made the Greek a Jew with a breath."</p> - -<p>Jonathan touched Simon's hand as he said this. -Judas mused a moment, his face reddening as it did -only under deep emotion, generally of some resentment. -His response was laconic:</p> - -<p>"The Greek shall have justice."</p> - -<p>"Justice should not go with lagging feet," said -Simon.</p> - -<p>"Nor leap," replied the chieftain. "Only God can -give judgment with lightning."</p> - -<p>"True, but men should be quick to see a storm -coming, my brother," said Simon. "Let the men be -summoned at once. There may be other treasons -for aught we know. We have caught but two serpents -in the nest. If others are there we will start -them to squirming. I will have the prisoners -brought."</p> - -<p>"Let them wait," was Judas' decision.</p> - -<p>"Wherefore wait, my brother? We can discover -who and what these men are very quickly."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps," said Judas; "but it may take time to -know ourselves."</p> - -<p>"Going into one of his moods again," remarked -Eliezar, and the brethren went away.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[349]</a></span></p> - -<p>The two prisoners were generally forgotten in the -popular excitement of a few days immediately following -the victory of Bethzur. Mountains of spoil -had been brought into the city and distributed—for -Judas insisted that his men should share equally the -fruits of their bravery. Bethzur was fortified against -the possible return of Lycias, who raged in his disgrace -like a wounded tiger. Even if he should not -repeat his venture, the nomadic people to the south -were making hostile demonstration; indeed, all the -tribesmen, south, east, and north were in commotion. -Yusef, the Arab, had stirred up all tentdom to -avenge the insult which Nadan had reported, and -even the defeat of Lycias did not altogether discourage -the purpose which the coming of that -General had led them to make.</p> - -<p>Said Yusef one day, watching a fight of insects:</p> - -<p>"Let the Greeks bite the Maccabæans; we will -come later and be the sting."</p> - -<p>The black tents of the Bedouins were again seen on -all sides, like mildew on a fair fabric. Couriers with -long lances and head cloths streaming in the wind -circled about Jerusalem at a safe distance, as Meph -sagely remarked, "Like a lot of spiders webbing in a -big bug they dare not yet attack."</p> - -<p>These things would have sufficiently engaged the -time of the Maccabæan leaders had not very different -matters also claimed their attention. The far-flashing -fame of Judas startled the nations. Envoys -from various kingdoms came to Jerusalem to study -the meaning of the new power, which seemed to -rise as mysteriously as the armed men who sprang -from the ground sown with the fabled dragon's -teeth. The Governor of Phœnicia and Cœle-Syria<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[350]</a></span> -proposed terms of alliance with Judas. Demetrius, -a nephew of King Antiochus, an aspirant for the -succession to the Syrian throne, now a hostage in -Rome, sent secret emissaries pledging the independence -of Palestine as the price of Judas' assistance in -accomplishing his ambition. From Athens, on the -other hand, came those who would bribe this new -sword for the help of Greece against the Romans. -These, again, were met on their way by the agents -of Rome, who were also coming to offer rank and -power to the new kingdom of Israel as a province -of the great republic of the West.</p> - -<p>Judas and his counsellors had thus to consider -many wider problems than that of manœuvring an -army. It was clear that Jerusalem was to become -again a capital, and the scattered people a nation.</p> - -<p>"Judas must be our King," said Jonathan.</p> - -<p>To this all agreed, with a solitary exception. -Judas indignantly replied:</p> - -<p>"I am but as the hand of a Gideon; would you -have me play the part of Abimelech? A bramble -king, indeed, would you find me. I am fit only to -be a scourge to the enemies of the Lord. Let me be -but as a soul within a sword until the Lord sheathes -me, as I know He soon will. Are we not near the -time of the coming of Him who is promised as -the Prince of Peace? Search the records, Simon; the -books of the prophets, and the genealogies of families -of Judah, for Messiah is to be a branch of -David—that surely is not of the house of Mattathias."</p> - -<p>Jonathan replied:</p> - -<p>"The words of the Prophets are hard to interpret, -my brother, while the events of Providence lie open,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[351]</a></span> -like these hills in the sunshine. Only the blind fail -to see the signs of the times. Woe to the man among -us who cannot recognize the trumpet call of the -Lord, when every blast of it has already destroyed -an army of the enemy, as the rams' horns made the -walls of Jericho fall down. Least of all should -Judas shut his eyes to the light because it happens -to fall in front of his own feet."</p> - -<p>When Judas was not present his brethren spoke -together freely, assuming the kingship to be inevitable. -They concerned themselves only with schemes -for founding and strengthening the new monarchy.</p> - -<p>"Judas must marry," said Simon. "The nation -can be built upon no one man."</p> - -<p>"Surely not upon a single man like Judas," replied -Jonathan, "whose life must be in perpetual hazard -of battle; for well I see that war will be our condition -for many years to come. The little land of -Judea is not wide enough for a kingdom. We must -conquer all the ancient lands of our fathers."</p> - -<p>"And Syria, Phœnicia, Cœle-Syria also," rejoined -Simon, "until Solomon's empire, 'from the river to -the end of the earth,' from the Euphrates to the -Great Sea, shall have been restored. Judas must -found a family to whom this work shall be committed."</p> - -<p>"It will be possible to make alliance by marriage -with one of the great powers," suggested Jonathan. -"I would not despair of a princess of Egypt -even."</p> - -<p>"It were a sin to think of such a thing," replied -Simon, indignantly. "Did not the Lord rebuke Solomon -for his foreign wives? The men who sit upon -the Maccabæan throne must be of blood as pure as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[352]</a></span> -that of Judas himself, untainted, as we know, in a -thousand years. There is but one woman for Queen -of Jerusalem, the daughter of Elkiah. The glory of -the High Priests' house has departed. What house -comes next? Is it not that of the last Nasi, Elkiah -the martyr? Besides, Judas has already set his heart -upon the maiden."</p> - -<p>"She will never be the wife of Judas," said Jonathan.</p> - -<p>"Deborah not the wife of Judas? What woman in -Jewry would refuse such honor?"</p> - -<p>"One woman."</p> - -<p>"To utter such suspicion is treason," cried Simon, -in a towering rage.</p> - -<p>"Not to speak as one sees would be treason far -worse."</p> - -<p>"And you have seen—what?" cried both Simon -and Eliezar.</p> - -<p>"I have seen—well, I have seen a cat play with a -dog, and both forget that they were made to tear -each other."</p> - -<p>"This is no matter for mirth, nor for silly parables, -in which Jonathan is given to hiding his -thoughts. What have you seen?"</p> - -<p>"Well, then, I have seen a Jewess and a Greek. -Ask me no more," and Jonathan turned away.</p> - -<p>For a while neither of the remaining men spoke. -At length Simon said:</p> - -<p>"Do you believe this?"</p> - -<p>"I have heard it on the street," replied Eliezar. -"And it is said that, since the taking of that Dion -in the very act of treachery, Deborah has not been -beyond her house. She certainly has had no part -in any public rejoicing over our great victory. Not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[353]</a></span> -a scrap of color has been hung from her parapet."</p> - -<p>"Does Judas suspect such a thing?"</p> - -<p>"He has not been within the house of Elkiah since -the battle. And that is strange. He was always -there."</p> - -<p>"It is well," added Simon, "that the Greek must -die. Whatever favor the daughter of Elkiah has -shown him, the clear evidence we have of his villainy -will open her eyes. But Jonathan's thought -is beyond credulity. It is a trick of him they well -call the Wily. Jonathan is bent upon our making -alliance with the heathen, and would divert us from -the course which patriotism and religion demand; -aye, and that which Judas' own inclination would -favor. Did you not notice his manner when Jonathan -mentioned the name of the Greek in connection -with Deborah? I tell you, Judas will make a quick -end of this proselyte when he learns what men are -saying of the traitor's friendship for the maiden."</p> - -<p>"And I shall see to it that he hears it," replied -Eliezar.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[354]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XLV<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE TRIAL</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> morning after this conversation the -two prisoners were summoned. The -court was held in the open portico of -the gymnasium on Ophel. Captain -Dion and his companion were brought -there, their arms still bound. Judas had been pacing -the portico, absorbed with his own thoughts.</p> - -<p>"The prisoners, sir," said their custodian.</p> - -<p>Judas sat down upon a fallen statue of Hermes, -near it a rusted discus. Slowly he raised his head, as -if loath to so much as look upon one taken in such -shame as that of Captain Dion. He glanced first into -the face of the older prisoner. In spite of his unkempt -condition this man was imposing. His erect attitude -belied his wrinkles as a token of age. The blood -from an undressed wound still clotted his brow, but -this could not hide the rare nobility of his features.</p> - -<p>Judas studied the man a long time in silence. He -seemed fascinated by the stranger's appearance. If -what the Greek orators had on this very spot declaimed -were true, that a goodly physical endowment -is the outweaving of goodness of soul, Judas' -decision had been an instant discharge of the prisoner.</p> - -<p>He turned to Dion. Before his eyes rested upon -the Captain, Judas forced a look of severity, knitting -his features into hardness. As when a soldier -puts a chain corselet over his breast, so Judas had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[355]</a></span> -evidently determined to guard his sense of strict and -merciless justice against any temptation that might -come from his former liking for the culprit. The -muscles of his face were set like linked steel.</p> - -<p>Captain Dion returned his judge's gaze with perfect -self-possession. There was neither blush nor -pallor, nor flicker of fear, nor sign of resentment.</p> - -<p>"Take off those ropes," commanded Judas. Then, -turning to a soldier:</p> - -<p>"Your report, Captain Jacob!"</p> - -<p>Captain Jacob related the events attending the -capture, as he himself, in charge of the company that -made the arrest, had witnessed them. He stated -that Dion and his accomplice were caught in apparent -hiding, engaged in conversation which betokened -familiarity and mutual understanding. Several -others confirmed Captain Jacob's evidence, and -added details which deepened the color in the picture -of the plotters, and, at the same time, brought -out the shrewdness and courage of their captors.</p> - -<p>The clouds massed more heavily on Judas' brow -as he listened. There were moments with this -strange man when, without uttering a word, his -aspect became almost as terrible as when shouting -his battle-cry, "Mi-camo-ca-ba!" At such times his -friends would turn away, dreading the outburst -when the hot lava of his soul should reach his lips.</p> - -<p>When the testimony against the prisoner was ended, -Judas remained for a long time silent. At length -he spoke. The words came slowly, as if each were -compelled to halt and answer the challenge of a -sentinel placed before the door of his lips.</p> - -<p>"Has Captain Dion any explanation of what is -charged against him?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[356]</a></span></p> - -<p>Dion's coolness matched that of his interrogator. -There was neither stoical bravado nor shame in his -confession:</p> - -<p>"Maccabæus, every word these men have spoken -is true."</p> - -<p>A murmur of rage at the prisoner's audacity ran -through the crowd, as they pressed close about him.</p> - -<p>"Is not this enough?" cried Simon, putting his -hand to his sword as if he himself would serve as -executioner on the spot.</p> - -<p>Judas raised his hand. The angry multitude -moved back, yet every man stood ready to be the -minister of Judas' vengeance the moment the signal -should be given.</p> - -<p>"Captain Dion," said the judge, "I did not ask -you to either confirm or deny what these true men -of Israel have said. Your confirmation would not -add a feather's weight to their veracity, nor would -the denial of ten thousand Greeks shake our confidence -in them. I ask not your testimony, but your -explanation."</p> - -<p>"We need no explanation," muttered Eliezar.</p> - -<p>"Let him explain when his dead lips can talk; -they can't lie. But the Greek who is to be believed -does not live," said another.</p> - -<p>"Silence!" cried Judas, and his men slunk away -under his indignant look, as hounds when whipped -back from the prey they have caught and are waiting -to tear.</p> - -<p>Judas again addressed the prisoner:</p> - -<p>"Captain Dion, by the gateway after Emmaus -you gave me your hand in voluntary alliance. No -one compelled that act. I then believed yours to -be an honest hand. I will not now fling it from me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[357]</a></span> -unless you yourself shall show that it is unworthy -another honest man's touch. Explain your conduct -at Bethzur."</p> - -<p>Dion advanced a step. He bowed very low.</p> - -<p>"My thanks, Maccabæus! An honest man can -ask no more than you have granted me."</p> - -<p>He then put his arm about the shoulder of his -fellow-prisoner.</p> - -<p>"This man, Maccabæus, is my father, General -Agathocles, the commander of the last phalanx of -your foes to fly from the field of Bethzur. Do with -us what you will."</p> - -<p>The crowd surged in again, and stared at the -noted captive. A huzza broke forth. Was it in self-gratulation -that so important a foeman had fallen -into their hands? Or was it elicited by the dramatic -nature of the scene, as father and son thus stood -defenceless except for their mutual embrace? Judas -rose from his seat.</p> - -<p>"God forbid that even in war there should be -such miscarriage as that a son's hand should be -raised against him who begat him."</p> - -<p>Simon interposed, "If they be father and son, it -does not disprove their treason."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps accounts for it," said Eliezar, with a -shrug.</p> - -<p>"Silence, my brothers!" commanded Judas.</p> - -<p>Turning to the elder prisoner, he asked:</p> - -<p>"Are you General Agathocles? Does Dion speak -truth?"</p> - -<p>The venerable Greek stood erect, yet trembled with -rage, as he replied:</p> - -<p>"Maccabæus, never before has man questioned the -truthfulness of either Agathocles or his son without<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[358]</a></span> -biting the dust. Give me my sword, and let the -gods decide betwixt us."</p> - -<p>"Your pardon," instantly replied Judas. "God -forbid that I should wrong one in bonds!"</p> - -<p>The Greek as quickly rejoined, and with equal -courtesy:</p> - -<p>"Your pardon, Maccabæus! I forget that I am -your prisoner, and that the question is right. Let -me speak further. There has been no treason to -either Jew or Greek. I was fairly taken in fight. -Dion's sword, wielded in your service, conquered -mine. This wound"—pointing to the bruise upon -his forehead—"is the witness. But one sword, Maccabæus, -could have accomplished this—not your -own, though so famed for its skill and weight. Only -the arm that Agathocles has trained could get the -better of Agathocles himself—if it be not bombast -for an old man to say such things. I was first my -own Dion's captive before I became yours. Treat -me as any other whom your men have taken. War -asks no mercy. Do with me as you will. And for -Dion, I ask only your justice, Maccabæan."</p> - -<p>"Both shall have justice," replied Judas. "But -what is justice? God is just, and we—we are only -men."</p> - -<p>He sat down again upon the broken statue of -Hermes, and with his sword-point drew lines upon -the ground.</p> - -<p>"In one of his moods again," whispered Simon.</p> - -<p>But the spell was quickly off. He stood up. His -sword trembled in his hand from the nervous tension -with which he grasped it.</p> - -<p>"General Agathocles, you are my prisoner. I must -maintain discipline."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[359]</a></span></p> - -<p>"That is just and wise, if an old man of many -wars may counsel a younger one. Maintain discipline, -or abandon the art of war. Do with me according -to your custom."</p> - -<p>"We have no custom in this regard," replied Judas. -"It is not our wont to take prisoners. But I will -imitate a custom of your own service, hard and -cruel though it often is. With the Greeks the captive -is the spoil of his captor, to kill, sell, or keep -as his slave. Is it not so?"</p> - -<p>"It is so," replied Agathocles.</p> - -<p>"Then," said Judas, "Captain Dion, do with this -man what you will. He is your prisoner."</p> - -<p>There was a murmur of dissent from the crowd. -Judas walked away. He picked up the rusted discus, -and flung it ringing along the pavement until -it turned upon its edge and rolled out of sight -down the slope of Ophel.</p> - -<p>"Humph!" ejaculated Jonathan, as he watched -him. "He has been fighting with himself to-day, -Simon, and as usual he got the worst of it. Well, -Judas is the only man that can conquer Judas, -thank the Lord!"</p> - -<p>"But why," said Simon, "should Judas be an -enemy to himself? There are surely enough other -foes for him, without his throwing away his own -interests. He has put a scorpion into his sandal in -sparing these Greeks. If your surmise about Deborah -and Dion be correct, he would better have -made way with them both."</p> - -<p>"If my surmise be correct," replied Jonathan, -"making way with Dion would not make way for -Judas with a woman like the daughter of Elkiah."</p> - -<p>Judas on leaving Ophel strode through the Cheese<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[360]</a></span>makers' -Street, turned into the Street of David, and -went to the house of Elkiah.</p> - -<p>Deborah was pale as one worn with some great -care or long watching. Judas scarcely noted this. -Indeed, he forgot the usual formality of salutation -as he was admitted into her presence, but burst -through the curtained doorway, his big voice ringing -out the news like a trumpet announcing victory.</p> - -<p>"Dion is not a traitor! He is exonerated!"</p> - -<p>He grasped both her hands in the eagerness with -which he told the turn of affairs. Her beaming -gratification led him to more enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>"Agathocles is like Dion. Though in a Greek, -good blood will tell. It is like a spring in a muddy -lake."</p> - -<p>"But tell me more of the evidence in his favor," -she asked. "The circumstances surely seemed -against Dion. Everybody condemned him. Tell me -everything. How was it proved that there was no -collusion between the father and son? Who testified -for them?"</p> - -<p>"Why, nobody testified on their side," said Judas, -as if the need of such testimony had occurred to him -for the first time. "My brothers were for condemning -them both."</p> - -<p>"And you had secret knowledge of their innocence?"</p> - -<p>"None—and yet, Deborah, there were two things -which persuaded me. The one was the bearing of -the men. I cannot weigh arguments, but I know -men. Goodness, honesty, honor—I feel these things -in men. I have never been betrayed where I have -given my confidence. Sincerity is like sunshine; it is -its own evidence."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[361]</a></span></p> - -<p>"True; and the other thing which persuaded you -to Dion's innocence?" she asked.</p> - -<p>Judas mused for a while; then he said:</p> - -<p>"Dion had an advocate."</p> - -<p>"Who?" exclaimed she. "I thought all were -against him."</p> - -<p>"Not all, Deborah. As I sat there to judge, you -yourself seemed to stand before me. You said, 'I -have trusted this man; and will trust him. One -who has done such things for my father's house -cannot be untrue to any one or to any cause.' And, -Deborah, you won your case—as you always do -with me."</p> - -<p>"Judas," replied she, "God is in this matter. I -was with you, though I knew it not. I was in -prayer. I used the very words you have just spoken. -I said, 'O Lord, I have trusted this man. One who -has done such things for my father's house cannot -be untrue.' I prayed that Heaven would send his -vindication."</p> - -<p>"Deborah," replied Judas, "are we two so near to -each other that soul speaks to soul without words?"</p> - -<p>"God is near to us both, Judas. This I know. -He leads me, and He leads you, as He leads all men -by you. And what think you, my brother—for such, -and father, too, you are to me—is not God near to -some Gentiles—to Dion? He has given this man -our faith, our spirit of sacrifice, though he is separated -from us in blood."</p> - -<p>The conversation was broken into by a loud outcry -in the court, which rang through the house and -seemed to fall back again in shatters out of the -sky.</p> - -<p>"Dion's free! Dion's free!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[362]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was Meph. The only check to the lad's joy was -the fact that he was not the first to bring the tidings, -as he supposed he was—and rightly, from the -way he had exercised his crutch in getting over -from Ophel. His disappointment was only partially -mitigated by the fact that he had been outstripped -as a herald by no one except the great Judas himself.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">[363]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XLVI<br /> - -<span class="smaller">DISENTANGLED THREADS</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-a.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">As</span> Dion and Agathocles went their way -from the trial scene on Ophel, they -narrated to each other the events of -the score of years of their separation.</p> - -<p>During Dion's childhood the war between -Macedonia and Rome was in progress. General -Agathocles had been commissioned by King -Philip to proceed to Italy, and there, if possible, -negotiate terms of peace. During his journey he was -set upon by bandits, his credentials from the King -stolen with his baggage. Entering Roman territory -he was seized by the military authorities, who had -been warned of his coming as a Macedonian spy; -and, having no documents to disprove the charge, -he was sentenced to the life of a quarry slave in one -of the many isles which the blustering Republic was -constantly adding to its domains. Here he remained -for a score of years, until the overthrow of Philip's -ill-fated son, Perseus, at the battle of Pydna, made -Macedonia no longer a menace to Roman dictation -over the entire country between the Adriatic and -Ægean. Since the veteran warrior was supposed to -have no longer cause in which to draw his sword, it -was restored to his hand.</p> - -<p>But the years of his degradation and cruel maltreatment -had grown in the gallant man such -hatred of Rome that he quickly sought an occasion -in which to display it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">[364]</a></span></p> - -<p>At his liberation Greece was helpless at the Roman's -feet, but the kindred Greek monarchy of Syria -presented itself as an obstacle to further conquest -of the republic in the east. Agathocles therefore -hastened to offer his service to Antiochus.</p> - -<p>Had not this political motive actuated the old -warrior, a more tender incentive would have been -sufficient for his joining the Syrians. In Macedonia -he learned that Dion was still living, and that he -had joined the army of Antiochus. Agathocles soon -traced his son to the forces operating against Palestine; -and, after campaigning for awhile in Persia -and Cœle-Syria, he secured his own transference to -the army under Lycias. This Governor hailed the -old soldier, whose reputation had survived the years -of his supposed death, and gave him command of -a Macedonian contingent.</p> - -<p>"But how came you, Dion, to join with these -Jews?"</p> - -<p>"My father, I have never forgotten the words you -spoke to me when a child—though your face and -form had faded from my memory. You taught me -always to hate a tyrant. Then Rome was the taskmaster -of Macedonia. In hatred of Rome I gave my -sword to Antiochus just as you did. In my ignorance -I imagined that he might some day come to -be the avenger of our country's disgrace. But Antiochus -is himself a monster, such as even Italy cannot -breed. In his army here I found myself a tool -of an atrocious despot. Father, it was because I -am son of an Agathocles that I gave myself to these -poor people who are defending their land, their -homes, their altars, from this ravening beast."</p> - -<p>"Had you no other thought, my son?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">[365]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Not at first," said Dion, "but I have since learned -to believe in the religion of these people. They worship -with sincerity. We are hypocrites. What Greek -would shed a tear if his carved god were taken -away? But these Jews bleed at the heart for the -sacrilege Antiochus offers in Jerusalem. I have seen -old men drop dead beside their desecrated altars—dead -from the shock of their grief at the dishonoring -of their God. I have seen others die with such -tranquillity of mind amid outward torture that I -could not but believe that their souls were drawn -from their bodies by the kiss of the divinity they -prayed to. Father, I have seen peasants who had -never practised foil or been in a battle, suddenly -gifted with skill to overthrow the armies of Apollonius -and Seron and Gorgias and Lycias. What -is the meaning of such things as you and I saw at -Bethzur, but that this Judas hurls the very bolts -of Jove or of his Jehovah of Hosts, as the people -call their God? I have seen a woman of the Jews, -a mere girl in years, do deeds such as are scarcely -invented in our stories. She is possessed of more -wisdom in council than a tentful of our Generals. -She believes that her God helps her—and so do I."</p> - -<p>"Is she a beautiful woman?" queried Agathocles, -with a knowing glance at his companion.</p> - -<p>"Aye, the fairest of women, father. Pygmalion -would have thrown away his chisel if he had seen -the daughter of Elkiah."</p> - -<p>"I do not doubt it, since my Dion has evidently -thrown away his Greek sword for her sake."</p> - -<p>"Not for her sake, father; but for the sake of a -cause which produces such a woman and such men, -such faith and such heroism."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">[366]</a></span></p> - -<p>"And such beauty. Eh, my boy? Have I not -been young? Dion, you are in love with this woman, -up to your eyebrows, and therefore can see nothing -except through her shape. The mists on the shore -make pebbles look like castles, so the witchery of -this beauty magnifies everything Jewish. Hush, -boy! I know it. I have been as young as you."</p> - -<p>Both lapsed into silence, except for an occasional -ejaculation from Agathocles: "A Jewess! Well, why -not? One must love something."</p> - -<p>Was the old soldier merely tantalizing the young -man, or was he voyaging over the seas of memory? -At length he put his hand upon Dion's shoulder.</p> - -<p>"This Jewess, my boy; is she very fair? Is she -like the picture of your mother?"</p> - -<p>"No, father; she is very different. Yet in soul they -must be like; for surely the gods—surely the Lord -could not make two so faultless without repeating -the model."</p> - -<p>"And she a Jewess! Well! well!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">[367]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XLVII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A QUEEN OF ISRAEL?</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-t1.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> victory at Bethzur betokened a -lengthened peace, for campaigns in -other parts of his wide empire were -absorbing the mind and resources of -Antiochus. Judas took the opportunity -to renovate Jerusalem as befitted the capital -of the new nation. The immense spoils of recent -victories went far toward providing means for refurnishing -the Temple and palace; while the repute -of Judas brought him such offered alliances as assured -the safety and growing importance of his -rule.</p> - -<p>Some would have installed the hero in the office -of High Priest, and thus combined all civil and religious -authority in the one person. To this he -would give no ear. The multitude hailed him with -the title of King. This also he repudiated, saying, -"I am not of the house of David, and none but the -predicted One shall come to His throne." But no -disclaimer on his part could prevent the enthusiastic -huzzas when he passed along the streets or visited -the camps on the hillsides. At times the word -"Messiah" was heard. It never failed to bring such -rebuke that the same lips dared not repeat the acclaim. -The people after a time acquired the habit -of greeting him with silent obeisance, for they knew -that his great heart was hurt rather than elated -by their praise.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">[368]</a></span></p> - -<p>Yet ambition was not foreign to the soul of Judas -Maccabæus. If God had given him power, was -he not to use it? If Israel was again resplendent, -should not the chieftain of Israel wear the dignity? -One thing he saw with special clearness—it was -that authority must be centralized and compactly -knit if it were to endure the fraying of factions; -and, further, that it must be perpetuated in orderly -descent if it were to outlive the generation which -created it.</p> - -<p>This latter consideration, that of an hereditary -leadership, was incessantly urged by his brethren. -At length Judas gave signs of yielding to their importunities.</p> - -<p>"I see it," said he. "The rule of new Israel must -descend from father to son. Then let Simon be King, -or Jonathan."</p> - -<p>"We dare not," replied Simon. "While Judas lives -it were blasphemy to speak another name. The -sword of the Lord is the sword of Judas. That -Israel and its enemies know full well. King Judas!" -cried he, waving his sword.</p> - -<p>Every sword in the little circle was uplifted, while -a reverent "Amen!" went round.</p> - -<p>"I want no such thing as a crown," said Judas.</p> - -<p>"Nor," rejoined Jonathan, "did you want to lead -us in the field. For how many moons did you refuse -to command, until it was clear that the people -would follow none other? Judas is brave; but not -Judas himself dare fight against the will of heaven."</p> - -<p>"Well! A King! What then?" replied he after a -pause.</p> - -<p>"To marry. To found the Maccabæan dynasty," -said Simon, glancing for approval around the circle.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369">[369]</a></span></p> - -<p>Judas seemed staggered by the burden which was -being bound upon him.</p> - -<p>"Let him alone awhile," suggested Simon. "He -sees the necessity, and will conquer himself in this -as in other matters."</p> - -<p>The day following Judas went to the house of -Elkiah.</p> - -<p>Long time he and Deborah conversed about the -new hopes of Israel. Judas told of the embassage -he was sending to Rome, of the service General -Agathocles might render in Egypt, where the veteran -was favorably known and where the age-long -jealousy of the Ptolemies against the Seleucidæ was -always ready to burst into hostilities. They spoke -together with pious enthusiasm of the restored glory -of the Temple, and the restitution of the ancient -dignity of the priesthood.</p> - -<p>The clouds were for the time lifted from the brow -of the champion. Deborah noted the change. She -had never thought of her friend as of prepossessing -appearance; but now his strong and rugged features -grew softer. There was a boyishness in his tone -and manner which better suited his years than they -did his experiences of exploit and care. She began -to regard him as handsome. Deborah, in her modesty, -as little suspected the cause of this transformation -in her guest as the sun is conscious of his -agency in brightening the objects he shines upon.</p> - -<p>"The Lord has blessed me in two respects especially," -said Judas, giving free rein to speech and -feeling. "The spirit of our father, Mattathias, has -been given to my brethren, any one of the four being -fitted to take up the leadership if I should lay -it down. With Simon to counsel, and Jonathan to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370">[370]</a></span> -plan, and Eliezar and John to strike, I am like one -with four right arms. And, Deborah, God has given -me your companionship. Without that I should -have lost heart."</p> - -<p>"Your words give me great joy," replied she, "for -during these terrible years I have had one prayer -deeper than all others—it has been for you; and -that I might, however humbly, cheer and sustain -you as became a daughter of Israel."</p> - -<p>"And you will continue your sweet and helpful -ministry, will you not?" he asked eagerly. "In this -day of our prosperity I shall need you even more -than in the past. I am accustomed to war; I have -become, perhaps, too self-reliant there. But I know -not how to organize peace. My hands are too hard -for anything but swinging the sword. Alas! as Solomon -said on coming to his throne, 'I am as a little -child, and know not how to go out or come in.' -Deborah, promise me that you will still——"</p> - -<p>She interrupted him with eager, almost passionate, -remonstrance: "Promise you? Judas, do I need to -promise you anything? Do you not know that your -own heart is not truer to our cause than mine is -to you? If Judas should doubt me, it would kill -me. Tell me some desperate venture by which I -can prove my loyalty. Test me, I beg you."</p> - -<p>"Some desperate venture? I know of one that will -test us both. It is so desperate that I hesitate to -speak it to the bravest woman of all Jewry."</p> - -<p>What sublime audacity there was in her tone as -she replied: "If the champion of Israel is afraid, -let him not speak it. But know that the daughter -of Elkiah dares to hear and to do whatever Judas -may think."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">[371]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Such words would make any coward brave," replied -he. "Deborah, the Jews would make me -King."</p> - -<p>"A King! Why not? You are already the King, -by right of sword, by right of your people's love, -and, if Heaven's will ever had reflection from earth, -by the will of our God."</p> - -<p>"You believe in me overmuch, Deborah."</p> - -<p>"No! no!" she responded eagerly, "but Judas has -this one great weakness, that he will not believe -in himself. Can you not see that Israel must have -a King, and that there is but one head on which -the people will allow a crown to rest?"</p> - -<p>"But, Deborah, I could not endure such an honor -and such responsibility—alone. Will you share the -venture with me? Will the Daughter of Jerusalem -be its Queen?"</p> - -<p>Deborah started as if he had struck her. The -flush on her face became deathly pallor. She trembled -as the most timid girl might have done before -her captor in war.</p> - -<p>"Forgive me, Deborah. I was too rude in testing -your loyalty."</p> - -<p>The blood came back to her cheeks. "Loyalty! -Say not that word. Let Maccabæus as King command -me, and I will die at his feet. But——"</p> - -<p>She sat upon the couch and burst into tears.</p> - -<p>"Forgive me! Forgive me!" he cried. "What -have I said? I was blind and stupid. Loyalty? -Loyalty I know is not love."</p> - -<p>After a moment's silence she said: "Judas, we -are both speaking we know not what. I, too, am -but a child, and know not the way of my own -thoughts. Do not take offence, my dear friend; but I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">[372]</a></span> -would be alone. Pray for me. And I will pray for -you, as I have always prayed—one prayer for us -both. God will give us light."</p> - -<p>"Your will shall be mine," he responded, but his -manner betokened a struggle for submission such -as no one had ever before seen in this strongest of -men. He stood with bowed head. "We are but -two children lost in the woods. God forbid that -we must now find our way by different paths."</p> - -<p>He went away.</p> - -<p>Deborah remained for a long time in the spot -where Judas left her.</p> - -<p>"A Queen! A Queen of Israel! The Queen of the -most kingly of men, though he were uncrowned!" -What problems of political import were thus thrust -upon her! What tides of ambition swept over her! -The highest, deepest, purest ambition. She grew -dizzy with the confusion of her thoughts. Their -very weight seemed to paralyze her brain. She -ceased to think, and sat down like one distraught.</p> - -<p>At length her mind, rested by its brief vacuity, -began again its working.</p> - -<p>"A Queen!"</p> - -<p>She dismissed this consideration; for, momentous -as was the destiny it involved, there was something -else that appealed more urgently for decision. She -was a woman. To her a throne seemed but a passing -circumstance. There was a deeper issue.</p> - -<p>"Love is the abiding thing. Can I be—the wife -of Judas? Could this man, noble as he is, possess -my life, my soul? Is admiration, or even reverence -and self-sacrificing devotion—is this love? Or does -the soul have depths as well as heights; and does -worshipful regard dwell on the heights, and love<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_373" id="Page_373">[373]</a></span> -in the depths, so that they may be utterly remote -from each other, indeed, antagonistic? Dion is not -comparable with Judas. Judas is on the heights; -nothing higher, save God Himself. But Dion—he -has his place, too; but where?"</p> - -<p>She now remembered that the beginning of Gideon -ben Sirach's story, which had so nearly made a Jew -of the Greek, started in her a glow of happiness, -and that she had felt a strange disappointment at -its conclusion, which still left him a Greek. What -did this experience mean? Did she really love this -alien? As one of foreign blood he could never come -into her life. The laws of her people, especially as -interpreted by the Jewish purists, would forbid -such a thing as marriage with him. She had been -taught this doctrine by her father. It was one of -the underlying occasions of the war. The Maccabæans -regarded pure blood as next to the purity -of worship.</p> - -<p>So she said, "Dion cannot come into my life."</p> - -<p>Then, having settled the matter so far, she thought -of Judas:</p> - -<p>"What other woman of Israel would presume to -decline such a proposal? And who am I to set an -example of conceit?</p> - -<p>"The Queen of Israel!"</p> - -<p>Deborah felt the flush of womanly pride mantle -her face. It was a moment when almost any other -woman would have turned first to her mirror, and -then dropped upon her knees to thank God.</p> - -<p>But even as she framed the image of the popular -hero within the thought of her personal possession -of him, the figure of the Greek intruded itself -into the picture. His image was in the background,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_374" id="Page_374">[374]</a></span> -it is true; but there it was, nevertheless. She could -not help following him with the eyes of her fancy. -Was not Dion's soul as fine-fibred as that of Judas?</p> - -<p>Judas had sublime faith; but this he had inherited -from his fathers. It was wrought through and -through his nature by training in the Law since -childhood. But Dion now had the same faith. And -this he had himself acquired, without gift of birth, -education, or circumstance. Is it not even nobler -to force one's mind through a thousand errors to -the truth than to have the truth born in one, to -discover one's pearl after delving the seas for it, -than to find it in one's ancestral treasure-box?</p> - -<p>Judas had risked his life for the cause of Israel. -But had not Dion done as much in abandoning -what seemed to him all the good of life in order -to cast in his lot with the people of God?</p> - -<p>Perhaps Deborah did not deliberately and of intent -carry on this comparison. The thought of the -Greek came into her mind of itself. She drove it -out as she would have frightened a sparrow away -from the lattice.</p> - -<p>She then indulged the reminiscence of the various -ways in which, since she had dedicated her life to -her country, she had been useful to Judas. She did -not doubt, even in her humility, that he spoke honestly -when he said that he needed her. But the -sparrow came back to the lattice. Had not God -also led her to help this Greek to his better faith? -And did not he need her?</p> - -<p>She drove the sparrow away. She said that it -should never come again. But, even as she said -so, the sparrow twittered at the lattice.</p> - -<p>She became puzzled with her question, "Why can<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_375" id="Page_375">[375]</a></span> -I only by positive effort exclude this man from my -mind? Why are his face, and form, and accents, -and traits, and offered love always with me? Why -does he press upon me as the daylight against the -window, to be excluded only by drawing close the -curtain?"</p> - -<p>She had often observed a spring in the meadow, -which the herdsmen tried to fill up and destroy; -yet it broke out again, because its veins were deep -and full beneath the earth. Was there such a spring -of love for the Greek in her heart?</p> - -<p>Then her problem became one of casuistry. -Would it be right for her to give herself to Judas -when she could not exclude another man from her -thoughts, though he could not come into her life? -Would not that be essential meretriciousness?</p> - -<p>She had schooled herself to the habit of quick -decision. So now she would pronounce judgment. -Judges on the bench sometimes grow pale when -they realize the immense consequences of their renderings; -so Deborah, rapidly as her mind worked, -passed an hour in a tragedy. She rose from the -controversy strangely unnerved, until she steadied -herself with her indomitable will. She stood out in -the light that came through the latticed window, -streaming in the last ray of the sunset. She hesitated -to say the fateful words, which she knew -must not be recalled, for she could not endure a repetition -of the debate. Her face was uplifted to the -sun-gleam; her hands tightly clenched behind her -back—just her attitude, she remembered, when she -made up her mind to become a spy three years ago, -there in the ravine by the Fort of the Rocks. Her -lips moved. Her words came heavy and cold, as if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_376" id="Page_376">[376]</a></span> -she had been changed from a living woman into a -speaking statue:</p> - -<p>"The Greek cannot come into my life. Nor—can—my—life—enter—into—that—of—Judas. -God help -me!"</p> - -<p>She threw herself upon the divan, and the sun -went down.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_377" id="Page_377">[377]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XLVIII<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A BROKEN SENTENCE FINISHED</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-g.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">General</span> Agathocles recognized the -magnanimity of Judas in granting him -the alternative of remaining in Jerusalem -under the honorable guard of -Dion, or of joining his own people. He -chose the latter course. Yet from day to day he -postponed his departure. It was whispered that his -fatherly affection and authority would ultimately -win back his son from his Jewish allegiance; but a -few, among them Jonathan, shook their heads at -this.</p> - -<p>At length the General must take up his journey.</p> - -<p>"My son, it may be—but the gods forbid it—that -we shall not meet again. I would always keep you -in my mind as in a mirror. It will not be enough -that I learn of your welfare, and your doings; I -would make your very thoughts my own, and so -live within your life, be it glad or sorrowful. You -have revealed to me that much of your thought -will be given to this woman you have learned to -love. May she prove all that your partiality has -dreamed her to be! But beware! We do not love -our ideal, so much as we idealize what we love. I -would see this woman, so that I may know more -of yourself, since it is evident that her image moulds -itself in you as a seal in wax. If I can see her, I -will more plainly see you."</p> - -<p>Together they sought the house of Elkiah. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_378" id="Page_378">[378]</a></span> -outer door being ajar they entered the court without -announcement, and without being observed by -the actors in a scene at the moment transpiring. -Dion would have advanced, but Agathocles laid his -hand upon his arm and detained him.</p> - -<p>The fountain statue of Aphrodite had been removed. -The water shot up as of old in a thin -shaft, and fell in spray upon the surface of the -broad lower basin, glistening like the dust of gold -in the morning sunshine. Beside the fountain in a -great chair sat Gideon ben Sirach. Deborah was -with him. The old man's eyes seemed enchanted by -the play of the sparkling water. He extended his -hands and clutched as if to hold the warmth of the -sun that fell upon them. His features were drawn -out of shape by the palsy. Dion thought of a house -from which the occupant is about to remove, its -furniture displaced, much of it already gone; for -Sirach's face was empty of the old expression of his -soul. It was evident that much of the meaning of -his life, the furniture of his mind, had been removed -even from his memory. Deborah sat upon a little -bench, where Sirach's feet also rested. She took his -withered hands, and rubbed them as if to impart to -them some of her own vitality.</p> - -<p>"You can hear to-day, Gideon?"</p> - -<p>His eyes turned toward her, but his features were -as immobile as a death-mask.</p> - -<p>"You have no pain, Gideon? And God's own -peace is with you? Yes, I can read it in your eyes. -Judas is now lord of Jerusalem; do you understand? -He bids me say that your master's property shall be -sacredly kept until its rightful owner comes home. -He and I will seek him. You hear, and understand?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_379" id="Page_379">[379]</a></span> -Gideon, you are an old man, and near to the life of -the blessed. Let me put your hands upon my head, -that the daughter of Elkiah may have the blessing -of her father's friend. Here, by this very fountain, -my father and your master have often sat in the -years that are gone."</p> - -<p>She bowed her head, and lifted Sirach's thin white -fingers to her black hair. So white were they that -they seemed like points of light, radiating the blessing -they would impart.</p> - -<p>Agathocles whispered to Dion: "Come away! -This is no place for a stranger."</p> - -<p>They walked far down the street before either of -them spoke. At length Dion awoke his father from -his reverie.</p> - -<p>"You have seen her, father."</p> - -<p>"There was never but one fairer woman," replied -Agathocles. "Dion, with such a woman to love -you, I could leave you willingly in Jerusalem or in -the desert. Does she give you her favor? If so, here -abide. If she will not love you, Dion, flee; flee with -me—to the wars, over the seas, anywhere; and pray -that the gods give you every day a drink from -Lethe's waters of forgetfulness. That woman, my -boy, will fill a man's heart or break it. Does she -love you?"</p> - -<p>"I would that I knew, father."</p> - -<p>"Then find out, and at once. If so, stay here. -Become a Jew, an Arab, or what she bids you. -Her answer will make Jerusalem either Elysium or -Tartarus for you."</p> - -<p>"But," replied Dion, "I would that you knew her. -I may not tell her that my father left the city without -caring to speak a word with her. Though she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_380" id="Page_380">[380]</a></span> -love me not, I have been too intimate in the house -of Elkiah for so unkindly a departure."</p> - -<p>"It shall be as you say," replied the General. -"What women these Jews have! Dion—but no—I will -not say it; for what slips down from the lips never -climbs back again. Let us go again to the house -of Elkiah. An old Greek never loses his gallantry. -If your heart fails you, Dion, I will pay my own -homage at her feet. Does that prick you? -Come."</p> - -<p>When they re-entered the court, Deborah had -risen. She stood by the chair, holding Sirach's -hands and gazing closely into his eyes. Hearing -footsteps, and supposing them to be those of the -servants, she did not turn to look, but cried:</p> - -<p>"Quick! Help! Sirach is stricken. See! His eyes -do not follow one. I fear he is dead. Sirach! Gideon! -Alas, he does not hear."</p> - -<p>The two men drew near. Deborah, absorbed with -the face that was growing rigid, and with the hands -that were becoming as lead in her grasp, did not -recognize the visitors. Agathocles startled her. Forgetting -that he was a stranger, and caught by sudden -emotion, he exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"By all the gods! It is Sirach, servant of Shattuck! -How came this man here? Dion, tell me, -knew you this man?"</p> - -<p>Then, the first surprise past, the General made -his obeisance to Deborah, as Dion announced his -name:</p> - -<p>"My father, General Agathocles, begs to salute -the daughter of Elkiah before he leaves the city."</p> - -<p>Deborah rose. The gracefulness of her courtesy -as she recognized her visitors matched her beauty.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_381" id="Page_381">[381]</a></span> -The Greek afterward said it was as fitting as the -light is to the flame which emits it.</p> - -<p>"You are welcome to our home, sir, both for -your own sake and the sake of Dion. But do you -know this good man whom God has just taken -from us?"</p> - -<p>"I knew him," replied the Greek, bowing beside -the stiffening form. "I knew Gideon ben Sirach. -And aye for a good man too."</p> - -<p>He raised the deformed arm of the dead man, and -pressed it to his lips. He drew up Sirach's loose -sleeve, and looked long upon a terrible scar that -lay among the shrivelled muscles. Then, speaking -to himself, seemingly unaware that he was uttering -his thoughts aloud:</p> - -<p>"To this poor hand, good Gideon, do I not owe -more than to any other, living or dead? These arms -brought me my greatest treasure—the only treasure -I would live for, or die for."</p> - -<p>Then, raising his face as if to discern the spirit -of Sirach hovering above his body, as it was believed -by many in that age that newly departed -spirits were loath to venture suddenly out upon -the great unknown journey, and remained for a -while near to their former house of clay—he said:</p> - -<p>"Gideon, let me speak the gratitude that I have -longed these years to tell into your living ears. Sirach! -Alas, I have found him too late. My thanks, -good lady, to all in this house that such a man -came to no want in his last days."</p> - -<p>Agathocles noted the surprise upon his son's face, -and, looking anxiously from one to another, asked:</p> - -<p>"Did Sirach ever tell his story in this house?"</p> - -<p>"We know his story," replied Deborah. "Never<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_382" id="Page_382">[382]</a></span> -was man more faithful to man than this man has -been."</p> - -<p>Agathocles took from her words more than she -had meant.</p> - -<p>"O Gideon! Gideon! why were not your lips -stricken dumb before they had uttered it?"</p> - -<p>He shook the dead body in anger. "Gideon, you -gave me my boy. Why did you steal him away -from me?"</p> - -<p>He turned back and paced the court in his excitement. -Suddenly he stopped before Dion.</p> - -<p>"Now I know why you would be a Jew. It was -because you knew that you are one. But I swear -by all the gods! I swear by the memory of my -sweet Agnes! Dion, you are mine. Sirach lied to -you. Believe him not. Dion, you are my boy."</p> - -<p>He held the young man fast as he would some -captive seeking to escape.</p> - -<p>"And ever shall be yours, my father," replied -Dion.</p> - -<p>"Father? Say it again, Dion. That is a sweet -word from your lips—sweet as were the kisses of -your mother. Swear to me, Dion, that not even -Gideon's story shall separate us."</p> - -<p>"I swear it by Sirach's corpse that you are my -father, and ever shall be."</p> - -<p>"Well, then"—taking Dion's cheeks between his -hands—"then believe Sirach. He has spoken the -truth."</p> - -<p>"But this is strange," replied the young man. -"Gideon mentioned not your name, father. He told -us a story of Ctesiphon, the friend of one Nahum."</p> - -<p>"He spake not my name at all? He told you not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_383" id="Page_383">[383]</a></span> -that Agathocles was not your father? Then, Gideon, -you were faithful to me. But why, now, did not -those still lips open and check mine before they had -uttered the fatal words? But let it be so, since -Dion is still my own."</p> - -<p>"But who, then, was Ctesiphon, father?"</p> - -<p>Agathocles stood a moment in thought. He then -took Dion's arm and led him away.</p> - -<p>"Come, my boy; this is no place for us. Pardon -me, my lady; let us not intrude these matters of -our privacy. We will come again, and take part -in honoring Sirach in his burial."</p> - -<p>But what change had come over the fair woman? -As the Greek had seen her sitting by the side of the -dead man, he noted how pale she was within the -hood of her raven hair; how Niobe-like was her -attitude. Now she was transformed, radiant; the -blood tingeing her cheeks like sunshine on snow. Her -lips seemed to be about to utter some passionate -cry. Her hand clasped that of Dion.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>There was another who saw this tableau and -knew its meaning. Judas Maccabæus had entered -the court at the moment, and, as his custom was, -without heralding. He paused by the entrance. He -took in at a glance all the scene,—and saw also -some things which were not outwardly acted. Noting -that he had been unobserved, he went silently -out, and with bowed head tramped along the Street -of David, through the Cheesemakers' Street, and -out to the Hill of Ophel, where he sat long upon -a ruined coping of the Gymnasium, and gazed down -the Valley of Kedron, and over the slopes of the -mountains of the Wilderness. But, as Meph, who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_384" id="Page_384">[384]</a></span> -had followed him, said to a comrade, "Judas looked, -but he saw nothing."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Deborah had led her visitors into a room adjacent -to the court. Here Agathocles narrated that part of -Sirach's story which the old servant's sudden infirmity, -many days before, had cut short.</p> - -<p>"Ctesiphon! Well did Sirach give him praise. It -was Ctesiphon who dared to plead for the Jews -before the raging Ptolemy. It was he who, when the -elephants were about to trample the Jews in the arena, -went in among them, and dragged Nahum away.</p> - -<p>"Nahum's daughter, Sara, was at the time concealed -at my house. I had loved my neighbor's -child alway, though we were of different races. -After King Ptolemy's rage had abated—thanks -chiefly to Ctesiphon's influence with the King—the -Jews often came to my house when they visited their -kinsman Nahum. Thus I often saw your father, -Shattuck. He was a princely fellow; of wondrous -gentility; and withal as much shrewdness as any of -his race. My money I left with him, sure of its -proper usury. He soon won the affection of Sara, -and they were betrothed and wedded according to -their nation's custom. The coming of Sara's child, -and the death of Shattuck, her husband, were near -together. The attempt upon little Gershom's life -led me to take Sara and her babe to my home. To -better protect her from unknown enemies I brought -her to Macedonia. There she became my wife. She -took the name of Agnes for better concealment of -her identity. Her child Gershom she consented to -call Dion. But this is no place to open the memories -of a broken heart."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_385" id="Page_385">[385]</a></span></p> - -<p>He rose to go away. Deborah besought him to -remain.</p> - -<p>"No, no!" he replied, and he passed into the -street, leaving Dion to piece together the story as he -might; or, if he cared, to begin his own life-story -anew.</p> - -<p>An hour later a horn sounded from the parapet of -the house of Elkiah; for such was the custom of the -Jews, that the passers-by might know that death -was within the walls. They washed the body of -Sirach, trimmed the hair and nails, and wrapped -him in new white linen. They laid the form upon a -bier. A rabbi came, and spoke words of eulogy over -a faithful servant. Women entered the court, with -dishevelled hair, and, to the accompaniment of flutes, -chanted a weird mourning dirge, and cast dust of -ashes toward the body.</p> - -<p>About sunset a little procession emerged from the -house. Ephraim would have taken the position of -chief mourner, as befitted his condition at a fellow-servant's -burial; but Agathocles displaced him, and -walked nearest to the bier. Dion went by his side.</p> - -<p>Thus they buried Gideon ben Sirach on the slope -of the vale of Jehoshaphat, in the family tomb of the -house of Shattuck—for so Dion, now Gershom ben -Shattuck, ordered it to be.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_386" id="Page_386">[386]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>XLIX<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE HIDDEN HAND</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-f.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">From</span> the burial of Gideon ben Sirach, -Dion and Agathocles walked leisurely -back toward the city. They had much -to talk about, both of the past and -future, and took a path less frequented -than the common road.</p> - -<p>Not far from the city gate stood a beggar. His -filthy hair matted itself about his head, and fell upon -his bare and begrimed shoulders. His chief garment -might have been the remnant of a wine-skin, which -was tied with strings about the upper part of his -body. His legs and feet were bare—an advantage -to such creatures, for his lower limbs at least would -get a bath of air and sunshine, and that of an -occasional shower. About his neck hung a basket -which made its mute solicitation for alms.</p> - -<p>"These fellows are as proud as priests," said Dion. -"They will ask nothing of us, and will thank us for -nothing we give."</p> - -<p>"He poses like the statue of a god I once saw in -Cyprus," commented Agathocles. "They had just -dug it up out of the mud, and hadn't scraped it."</p> - -<p>"Don't go near him," replied Dion. "His filth -doubtless has wings. Yet it is well to give him a -stater. He is supposed to mumble a blessing, and I -need one."</p> - -<p>Dion advanced toward the man, and put his hand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_387" id="Page_387">[387]</a></span> -into his bosom to draw his purse. The beggar -sprang upon him with a cry of fury.</p> - -<p>"At last I have you, you damned whelp of Shattuck!"</p> - -<p>He drew a knife from beneath his dirty sheep-skin, -and aimed a blow at the breast of Dion. The thrust -had surely done its intended work, but for the quick -evasion of the practised soldier. Before the wretch -could repeat the blow Dion had closed with him, -grasped the uplifted arm with his left hand, and -with a dexterous wrench bent his assailant until his -head and heels nearly touched; then laid him on the -ground.</p> - -<p>Agathocles started to help. He was instantly confronted -by another person who darted from behind -a great olive-tree. But the General had drawn his -sword. The villain, though armed with a dagger, -dared not venture the encounter. He turned to flee; -but the weapon of Agathocles was through his -body.</p> - -<p>Dion stood a moment over the beggar he had felled.</p> - -<p>"What madness is this?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Kill the wretch," cried Agathocles.</p> - -<p>"Nay, father, my sword would not drink such -foul blood."</p> - -<p>They tied the wrists of the living man with the -stout cords of his beggar's basket.</p> - -<p>"Why this assault?" asked Dion. "Were you mad -with hunger?"</p> - -<p>"Aye, hunger for you," replied the man.</p> - -<p>"Who are you?" asked Dion.</p> - -<p>"The scar on your forehead knows me, if you do -not. But for the man you have just buried, you -had never had tongue to ask who I am."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_388" id="Page_388">[388]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I ought to know this man's face," said Agathocles, -studying him closely. "For years I have seen -these eyes, like those of a panther as it slinks away -from one it dares not attack. In Alexandria, in -Macedon, in Rome, I have seen these same eyes -spying on me. Let me squeeze his secret out of -him."</p> - -<p>The General's hands were upon the man's throat.</p> - -<p>"I am Cleon. Do you know me now?" gasped the -wretch.</p> - -<p>"Cleon? There was a Cleon in Alexandria, a vile -procurer for the beastly Ptolemy. Yes, those eyes -are Cleon's, as sure as ever snake owned his. But -I never harmed you, Cleon. Why do you pursue -me?"</p> - -<p>"You lie!" wheezed the man. "You were always -in my way. You call me a snake. Well! have you -not both writhed when I bit you? You, Dion, have -drunk my poison; and the great Agathocles was in -the mines in Sicily, where I—I—Cleon sent him. I -have had my vengeance. Now take yours."</p> - -<p>"I see it all," said the General. "This Cleon, panderer -to the vilest folk of Alexandria, was the agent -of those who would have stolen the estate of Shattuck, -but for the influence of Ctesiphon and myself, -and the help of Gideon. It was Cleon's hand that -struck you, Dion, when a babe; the mark of which -blow Gideon carried to his grave. It was the same -hand that mixed the poison for us both in Macedonia. -It was this man's tongue, black with perjury, -that gave the lying information against me to the -Romans."</p> - -<p>"Well, now you know me," said the man with -assumed indifference, "you can only kill me."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_389" id="Page_389">[389]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Let us take him into the city," said Agathocles. -"This man is so false that I can hardly believe his -damning confession against himself without better -evidence."</p> - -<p>"Not into the city! Not into the city!" cried the -captive. "Not into the city! For God's sake, kill -me here."</p> - -<p>He writhed, not seemingly to break his cord, but -rather to wrest his soul from the grip of his own -body, and thus escape from life ere some deeper -curse should befall him.</p> - -<p>"Not into the Holy City! Not near to the Temple! -O God of Abraham! Mercy! Mercy! Not into the -city!"</p> - -<p>He raised his head, and, before his captors were -aware of his purpose, he dashed it against a stone, -as if to make an exit for the spirit that felt itself -being consigned to perdition.</p> - -<p>"Ah, Cleon," said Dion, "there is a worse poison -than you have mixed for us; poison that no medicine -will purge from the blood. You have swallowed -your own memories, and they grip hard, do they? -But why should you pray to the God of the Jews? -Such a scoundrel as you cannot be Jew."</p> - -<p>The man's response was a compound of the most -dreadful oaths and vilest expletives known to the -tongues of Jew or Greek.</p> - -<p>"You tempt me to kill you," said Agathocles; -"but that might end your misery. We will let you -live. If you dread the Temple, then to the Temple -you shall go."</p> - -<p>The commotion had drawn a crowd. Among -them was Ephraim, the old servant of Elkiah. He -at once identified Cleon as a Jew who in his youth<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_390" id="Page_390">[390]</a></span> -had been driven from Jerusalem by the libertine set -of young men, as one infected with vices which were -too fetid for even their debauched tastes. One of -his unconscionable pranks had been the defiling of -some of the sacred vessels of the Temple—which -doubtless accounted for his dread of dying near the -holy precincts. In Alexandria—so Ephraim had -heard—he had been refused admission to the Synagogue, -and had openly apostatized, assuming the -Greek name of Cleon instead of his own, Naaman.</p> - -<p>The dead accomplice of the false beggar could not -be identified. He was clearly not a Jew. On his -body were found several letters written in Aramaic, -the common language of Syria and adjacent -countries. One of these read as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"More money? Not an obole until your job is finished. We -cannot depend upon the fool Cleon. Go with him. Stick to his -heels. He cannot be trusted by himself. Ben Shattuck is in -Jerusalem. He is called Dion,—a captain once in the Greek -guard. But he has scented out his own Jewish blood, and will -go back to it, like a dog to his vomit. Send proof that you -have executed your business with him, or, by the tail of Satan, -I will have you accused of the crimes you have already committed."</p></div> - -<p>This letter was unsigned.</p> - -<p>"I should know that writing," said Dion. "It is -none other than that of Menelaos."</p> - -<p>"The same, no doubt," said Ephraim, studying it -carefully. "I could tell you more of that Priest than -has yet been published. But bring not this reprobate -into the city. Maccabæus is cleansing the -place, and would not abide such foulness. My -counsel is that you deal with him here."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_391" id="Page_391">[391]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Leave him to us," shouted the crowd.</p> - -<p>In spite of Dion's remonstrance they tied the living -man to the body of his dead confederate, and carried -them both down to the Valley of Hinnom.</p> - -<p>What things were there done may not be written.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_392" id="Page_392">[392]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>L<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE VENGEANCE OF JUDAS</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-i.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">It</span> required no especial acuteness on the -part of Judas to discern the meaning -of that tableau he had witnessed in -the court of Elkiah's house, when -Deborah stood hand in hand with Dion. -It was clearly as significant to him as the fabled -scene in which Eros awakens Psyche with a kiss -would have been to Agathocles. He had also overheard -enough of the General's story to discover -that, if Dion were his rival for the affection of -Deborah, he himself, though of the blood of Mattathias, -which had been kept pure from foreign taint -through all generations, had in this respect no advantage -over his competitor. As Gershom ben -Shattuck, Dion could satisfy the strictest interpreter -of the Law. The Prophet Nehemiah himself -could have found no flaw in Shattuck's line, with -all that Reformer's zealotry against mixed marriages.</p> - -<p>Strong man that Judas was, the keen eyes of -Meph, who had watched him as he came out of -Elkiah's doorway that day, noted that the giant -staggered a little, just for an instant. Others remarked -that the great man seemed unusually absorbed -with his own thoughts, and did not return -their salutation as was his custom.</p> - -<p>"A big raid, doubtless, to clean out the tribesmen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_393" id="Page_393">[393]</a></span> -from around Hebron; or a campaign in the direction -of Antioch itself," a captain of the guard was overheard -to say.</p> - -<p>"Or something as momentous," was the reply of -a comrade, "for it takes a heavy project to press -Judas' head that far down upon his shoulders."</p> - -<p>Judas shut himself up in his private chamber.</p> - -<p>The building and the great court before the old -palace on Sion were thronged with people. Many -of these had been especially summoned by the Messiah -Malhamah, the "Anointed for War," as the nation -were content to call their leader until such -time as he was disposed to take the crown. Here -thronged priests, some greatly renowned for wisdom -and piety, but who had been long in hiding. -They came wearing the rich robes of their office -which they had treasured with their lives; though -some of these were in ragged semblance of their -former estate, having lost everything while they -were enrolled in the patriot army. There were also -in the crowd learned rabbis, who had been summoned -to give their counsel regarding the reorganization -of the state, restoring the Temple and reordering -the grades of priests according to the ancient -ritual. The bravest of the captains were there, -for Judas had announced his intention of widening -the scope of army operations, since he foresaw that -the defence of Judea depended upon the possession -of far larger areas of territory on every side.</p> - -<p>Hours passed, and Judas did not appear, to meet -those whom he had summoned.</p> - -<p>Simon and Jonathan at length ventured into his -presence. The champion sat by his table—an affair -of ebony and gold, once the writing-desk of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_394" id="Page_394">[394]</a></span> -Syrian commandant, now but a fragment of its -former elegance. Its dilapidation was not out of -keeping with the aspect of the man who leaned upon -it. The powerful frame of Judas was bent as if he -had lost some thought and was seeking to rediscover -it somewhere amid the scratches on the ebony -polish. He gave his guests no greeting. One might -have imagined him a dead man but for the intent -look upon his face, and that his clenched hand now -and then beat upon the table.</p> - -<p>The coming even of his brethren was an evident -intrusion, and they withdrew.</p> - -<p>"What now?" said Jonathan. "I have not seen -our brother so distraught in his moodiness since -the old days in the Fort of the Rocks. There was -need of his brooding then, but not now when all -things are coming our way, as when the quails -were blown by the east wind and covered the land -to feed our fathers in the desert."</p> - -<p>"But have you not noted?" asked Simon, "how -Judas comes out of his black clouds? He is always -brighter afterward, and shows us something that -none but he could have thought of. He will accept -the kingship."</p> - -<p>"Brother Simon," replied Jonathan, "I like not -the look of Judas' face. He is not meditating as is -his wont. He is struggling with some rage. I once -before saw that same look on him. It was when -he crushed the skull of a Greek spy who had got -within our lines at Mizpah. A word in your ear, -Simon."</p> - -<p>"It will be as safe as under an altar."</p> - -<p>"A man has crossed his path."</p> - -<p>"Who?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_395" id="Page_395">[395]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Dion."</p> - -<p>"Faugh! A feather crossing the rush of a torrent! -A partridge flitting through the lair of a lion! What -cares Judas for the Greek?"</p> - -<p>Jonathan took playfully the beard of Simon. -"You are called the Wise; and yet methinks you -are dull-witted. We have insisted that Judas should -be King. That is well. But you have blocked the -way of the project by insisting that he should marry -the daughter of Elkiah. This, have I not said, he -will never do."</p> - -<p>"And you believe, Jonathan, that that Greek -stands in his way?" replied Simon. "This I would -not credit unless you should tell me that you yourself -had caught them in dalliance."</p> - -<p>Jonathan shrugged his shoulders. "Listen!" said -he, "ears open and teeth tight, for I have never -breathed this to living man before. The night before -the battle in the Wady I followed her, for I -feared that her daring would bring her to harm. -I tracked her into the very camp of Apollonius. -May the rising moon there shatter my wits forever -if I speak not the truth! I saw this Dion come to -her. I would have slain him and her. But when -I drew to strike I overheard their words. I saw -that she was stealing this man out of the fight, -lest in the vengeance we were about to take on -Apollonius he, too, should fall. She risked her life -to give us the victory—that we know; and I know -that she risked her life for this man at the same -time. If ever woman loved a man, she loves him. -I saw that she accepted his love from the touch of -his lips."</p> - -<p>Simon turned fiercely upon the speaker. "Jona<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_396" id="Page_396">[396]</a></span>than, -dare you impugn the loyalty of the daughter -of Elkiah? She is not a Glaucon, though she has -his blood."</p> - -<p>"Her loyalty?" replied Jonathan. "I laud it. This -woman is so true to us and our people that not -even her love for this man made her swerve. And -why should she not love the Greek? He is as good -a fellow as any since the day when Father Abraham -was himself a heathen in the land of the Chaldees. -I have mingled much with the Greeks in Jerusalem -without giving them a chance to cut my -throat. I have been more than once, as you know, -in this palace when Apollonius was its master. I -have learned much of Dion from the lips of his fellows -in camp and field. He was the pride of the -Greek service; could have had high rank, but he -risked it all for the safety of Deborah. He won her -gratitude by saving her from foul dealing. I say, -Jew that I am, Deborah ought to love Dion. And, -further, I will say that Deborah ought not, and -will not, marry Judas. It was not alone for the -benefit of foreign alliance that I spoke of our brother -seeking a wife from the courts of other nations; I -foresaw that he could not marry within Judaism, -since he would marry none save Deborah; and she -is an impossibility, unless I know nothing of the -soul of this woman. Now mark me further, my -over-wise Simon. Did you not note that when -Judas was brooding over the kingship he went to -the house of Elkiah? And since his return he has -been behind what you call his thunder-cloud. I tell -you that when Judas' lightning flashes, it will not -be with the light of statecraft, but against Dion. -Judas, generous, self-yielding, patriotic, is one man;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_397" id="Page_397">[397]</a></span> -Judas in love is a different man. I would that the -Greek were far away from Jerusalem."</p> - -<p>Judas still sat by his table. The light faded in -the high window beneath the cedar rafters of the -great chamber. A star gleamed through the aperture, -then floated on to look into a million other -chambers where men and women sat with bowed -heads or lay upon restless couches. The moon -looked in, and hung her white veil on this wall of -the chamber, and then on that, but evoked no response -from Judas, except an occasional smile that -relieved the harshness of his features.</p> - -<p>By and by the sun rose. Jonathan came and saw -him fast asleep with his head resting on his clasped -hands. When his brother woke him, his face showed -the marks of suffering. Years seemed to have put -wrinkles about his eyes and mouth, as time cracks -timber and lime walls and almost everything else. -Why not a man's face?</p> - -<p>Judas ate a little of the meal which the servants -brought, responding only in briefest words to their -questions. Then, as if a spring had uncoiled somewhere -within his body, he suddenly rose.</p> - -<p>"Brother Jonathan, bring the Captains here at the -sixth hour—and the Priests at the ninth; for we -have pressing business to-day."</p> - -<p>Without another word he passed through the great -doorway into the palace plaza, and thence into the -street.</p> - -<p>"What news?" asked a guard. "Maccabæus is as -wrathful this morning as a starved lion. Are the -Syrians marching again upon the city?"</p> - -<p>"If not, then the devil has broken loose, and challenged -our Goliath to fight. The Lord have mercy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_398" id="Page_398">[398]</a></span> -on the man he runs against this time! Look at -him! The very stones shake under his feet."</p> - -<p>Judas turned into a by-street. He stopped before -a small building. He did not wait to have his -heavy rap on the door answered from within, but -entered, and went straight to a side chamber.</p> - -<p>"Captain Dion!" he thundered out.</p> - -<p>He was confronted by both Agathocles and Dion. -The presence of the Greek General seemed to remind -him of his forgotten courtesy.</p> - -<p>"Your pardon, sirs! But I would talk to this -man alone."</p> - -<p>Agathocles withdrew, but not without a wondering -glance at their unceremonious visitor and a look -of inquiry at Dion, who, however, was as amazed -as his companion.</p> - -<p>When they were alone, and the door closed, Judas -said:</p> - -<p>"Dion, I once took your oath of allegiance at the -gate."</p> - -<p>"True. And the oath has not been broken," replied -the young man, with some resentment in his -tone excited by the apparent suspicion in Judas' -abrupt manner.</p> - -<p>In loud voice Judas exclaimed: "As Dion the Greek -you have kept your oath; but that is no longer -binding; for you are not Dion, but Gershom ben -Shattuck. As a Jew you have sworn no allegiance."</p> - -<p>"Do the Jews swear allegiance to their commander?" -replied he. "Are we like the Romans? Is it -not enough that our allegiance is to the Lord, who -is over us all? Did Judas ever before ask an oath -of any Jew to serve him?"</p> - -<p>"From no other man," said Judas; "but from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_399" id="Page_399">[399]</a></span> -son of Shattuck I would require it. The Jews would -make me King of Jerusalem."</p> - -<p>"And rightly," responded the other. "And to King -Maccabæus I will swear to be loyal in everything -that man should do for man."</p> - -<p>Judas repeated his words, "'Everything that man -should do for man.' A wise and well-turned oath. -I like it. Shattuck, they would make Elkiah's -daughter the Queen of Jerusalem."</p> - -<p>Dion staggered as if the Maccabæan had smitten -him. But he quickly recovered his self-possession. -He spoke slowly:</p> - -<p>"Maccabæus, I will swear loyalty to Elkiah's -daughter as Queen,—when she shall ask it of me. -But until she herself speaks that word no man, -though he be Maccabæus, shall exact it from me. -At her feet I will take the vow, but not under any -man's hand. You have my answer."</p> - -<p>Shattuck's form seemed swollen with his wrath -until it matched that of the giant who confronted -him. Judas looked at his challenger as a lion-tamer -might have returned the wild glare of his beast -which he knows must succumb to his own dominant -will. Yet there was in his eyes the flicker as -of a light that came from some deeper recess of his -soul than that of his present passion. A smile -quickly overspread his features. He laid his great -hand on the shoulder of his competitor.</p> - -<p>"Dion—Ben Shattuck—though I be King, as man -to man, we stand on equal footing. Your challenge -proves it. But, if you had sworn allegiance -to me in putting the crown upon the head of Elkiah's -daughter without her command, I would -have felled you in your tracks. Here we stand—<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_400" id="Page_400">[400]</a></span>man -and man; and that woman is the queen of us -both. You have been her protector. I know all -the story of these years. Protect her still from Greek -and from Jew. I swear with you, Shattuck, that -no will but her own shall be over her. Come with -me to her."</p> - -<p>The two men went together into the Street of -David, and entered the house of Elkiah. As Deborah -glanced from one to the other, Judas seized her -hand and placed it in Dion's,</p> - -<p>"The God of Israel bless you both!" he said.</p> - -<p>Before they could find voice to reply Judas was -gone.</p> - -<p>As he came out into the street Meph met him -with the great news.</p> - -<p>"Dion is a Jew! Dion is a Jew! My old Sirach -was right. Deborah herself told me. And, Judas, -she was as glad as I was to find it out, almost."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_401" id="Page_401">[401]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>LI<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A KING, INDEED</span></h2> -</div> - -<div> - <img class="drop-cap" src="images/drop-w2.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">When</span> Judas returned to his palace he -found his brethren in waiting. Their -manner told the anxiety with which -they anticipated his decision of the -momentous question of the kingship. -Judas relieved them of the necessity of putting their -thoughts into words.</p> - -<p>"Do you still believe that I should be King?"</p> - -<p>"It is the will of the nation," said Simon.</p> - -<p>"And yours?"</p> - -<p>"And ours," said all, making low obeisance.</p> - -<p>"You swear me absolute obedience?"</p> - -<p>"Obedience absolute. There can be no other sort -of kingship."</p> - -<p>One by one his brethren took his hand; then -ranged in a circle about him. There was no need of -a crown to give majesty to this man: his form -towering; his face imperious; and around him the -very atmosphere almost visibly radiant with the -prestige of victories such as Heaven had never before -given to man. Nor did his brethren need princely -robing to make them feel due pride in this hour of -the founding of the new Dynasty.</p> - -<p>"I thank you, my brothers, worthy all of the -blood of our father Mattathias. Hear, then, my -command. I exact no vow, but trust your love to -guard your loyalty."</p> - -<p>"Our brother's word is our law," said Simon.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_402" id="Page_402">[402]</a></span></p> - -<p>"His word our law," went round the little circle.</p> - -<p>"Gather close about me," said Judas.</p> - -<p>Then lowering his voice: "This is my will. Let the -word King never again be heard in our council. -Nor let the daughter of Elkiah be spoken of except -as the wife of Gershom ben Shattuck."</p> - -<p>"Ben Shattuck!"</p> - -<p>The exclamation burst vehemently from all lips.</p> - -<p>Judas had no need to explain his words; for at the -moment Meph's voice rang across the plaza:</p> - -<p>"Dion is a Jew! Dion is a Jew! The son of -Agathocles is the son of Shattuck."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Judas left little time for any to dispute his decision. -His tremendous energy was imparted to every -man about him. Priests were loaded with questions -regarding their ancient customs, which absorbed -their study day and night, for Judas would immediately -reorganize their order according to the -Aaronic ideal. Such artisans as were still to be -found among the people, builders in stone, carvers of -wood, and women skilled in needlework, were given -their part in the problem of the renovation of the -Temple. The city walls were to be strengthened, -new citadels built in the surrounding villages, cordons -of forts placed around the entire land, the army -to be reorganized for more systematic defence, and -new campaigns planned to effectually awe the surrounding -tribesmen.</p> - -<p>Every day saw the mark of the master-hand of -their leader. The rubbish heaps outside the gates -were ornamented with the shattered pieces of pagan -statuary. The sacred courts on Mount Moriah were -purged of every stain of the heathen Abomination.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_403" id="Page_403">[403]</a></span> -A new altar rose on the site of the ancient one. Its -stones were untouched by chisel, only laid together -symmetrically, as befitted a memorial to Him who -created all things without the help of human hands. -The stones of the ancient altar, which had been -desecrated by the foul offerings of the Greeks, were -laid away until the great Messiah should come.</p> - -<p>The crowning act of Greek pollution had taken -place three years before, on the twenty-fifth day of -the month Chisleu, which corresponds with the -Roman month of December. Judas appointed the -same date for the Feast of Dedication, which has -been annually repeated ever since throughout the -Jewish world.</p> - -<p>For eight days the streets of the city and all the -highways leading to its gates from valley and hill -were thronged with processions bearing palm -branches, and shouting the old Hallel psalms. In -many groups were those who had not touched hands -for years; men who had come out of hiding-places -where they had taken covert from the incessant persecution. -Some came laden with their goods, making -willing offerings of coins and jewels to swell the -fund for the glorious work.</p> - -<p>At each nightfall every house gleamed like a constellation -with crowded lights in doorway and window, -and on parapet and dome. The Temple plaza -blazed with great fires which sent beams of hope -far over the Judean hills, and by the glare in the -sky proclaimed the triumph of Israel to the camps -of the enemy beyond the borders.</p> - -<p>One house outshone all other private dwellings on -the third night of the Feast of Dedication. It stood -near to the western gate, close by the Tower of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_404" id="Page_404">[404]</a></span> -David, with the city's breadth separating it from the -Temple. The fires on the roof of this house saluted -as with waving hands of flame the blazing glory of -the Temple Mount. This was the old mansion of -Shattuck, for years deserted, but now reoccupied by -its new-found inheritor.</p> - -<p>Between this house and that of Elkiah the streets -were densely crowded on that third night. At the -middle hour a cry rent the air:</p> - -<p>"She comes! She comes!"</p> - -<p>Close back against the houses the people were -massed. There was no need of official command, for -the populace was moved by a common gladness and -reverence.</p> - -<p>There was but one instance of what would have -seemed to a stranger a breach of decorum. Down -the street came Meph waving his crutch like the -baton of a marshal, and shouting:</p> - -<p>"Make way! Make way for the Daughter of -Jerusalem! Way for the bride of Ben Shattuck!"</p> - -<p>No one rebuked the lad, for the story of his part -in bringing about the regeneration of the popular -Greek into a Jew was well known. "Bless the boy!" -was the only comment heard as his heels conducted -both himself and the pageant that followed.</p> - -<p>The procession was more artistically heralded by -bands of players on flute and tabor, succeeded by -those leading the multitude in the ancient marriage -song of the people.</p> - -<p>Amid a hundred torches was seen the gigantic -form of Judas together with his brethren. For this -hour at least all traces of solemnity and care were -banished from his face, as he led the "friends of the -bridegroom," who, according to the time-honored<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_405" id="Page_405">[405]</a></span> -custom, were conducting the bride to the house of -her husband.</p> - -<p>As Deborah appeared surrounded by her maidens -the cries, "Long live Judas Maccabæus!" were -quickly changed.</p> - -<p>"Joy! joy to the daughter of Elkiah! Long live -Deborah, the Daughter of Jerusalem!" rang from a -thousand lips.</p> - -<p>The happy crowd hurried along as if impelled by -their own huzzas, until the bride disappeared within -the portal of the house of Shattuck.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>An hour later Judas sat alone in his chamber in -the palace on Sion. The stars as they floated by -looked through the high window, but did not disturb -the soul which at that hour was moving -through depths as profound as theirs. The gray -dawn alone aroused him—in which there was a -poetic propriety; for since the day-spring summons -all nature to activity, why should it not awaken -the tremendous forces of this great heart for its -work in resurrecting a nation?</p> - -<p>Judas reached out his hand and struck the bronze -gong—the same that Apollonius had rung three -years before when he was vanquished by the spirit -of Deborah in this same hall.</p> - -<p>"Call the Captains!"</p> - -<p>His chief officers came with evidence of hasty toilet—for -celerity never waited upon formality in the -councils of Judas. His sentences, as he addressed -them, were laconic, as if he assumed that his hearers -had listened at his brain and already knew -his thoughts.</p> - -<p>"Friends, I learn that the men of Edom are mov<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_406" id="Page_406">[406]</a></span>ing -from their camps on the south. The tribesmen -of the Jordan and beyond are preparing to strike -us. Tyre and Sidon are enrolling their trained -bands. Every man, then, in readiness by the turn -of the moon!"</p> - -<p>With a wave of his hand he dismissed them.</p> - -<p>The result of this order belongs to history, which -tells how the invincible men of Judas, beginning -on the south, swung to east, then from east -to north, then from north to west, and then from -west to south again—the swing of the mighty Hammer -of Israel—crushing a hostile tribe at every -stroke, until Judah lay quiet within all its desolate -borders.</p> - -<p>No sword gleamed brighter in those days than -that of Gershom ben Shattuck, and no foeman gave -more desperate battle than Nadan, son of Yusef, -Sheikh of Jericho.</p> - - -<p class="center smaller mt4"><i>Printed in the United States of America</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_407" id="Page_407">[407]</a></span></p> - -<div class="mt4 blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Note.</span>—Judas fell in battle three years later. The still sceptreless -rule was then taken by Jonathan, who, with the title of -High Priest, consolidated the religious and secular orders, and -laid wide and deep the foundation of the Asmonean power—a title -taken from the family name of Mattathias, the father of the -Maccabees. On the death of Jonathan, Simon the Wise accomplished -his purpose of kingship for Israel, and crowned himself. -In the seed of Simon the dynasty endured until the last -diluted drops of Maccabæan blood drained from the veins of the -Herods, and the eyes of the world were turned to one whom -they called, not Messiah Malhamah, "The Anointed for War," -but Christ, "The Prince of Peace."</p> - -<p>For the descriptions of the battles of Judas mentioned in this -book the writer has been compelled to supplement with his own -imagination very meagre historic materials. The place of the -fight with Apollonius (The Wady) is unidentified by chroniclers. -The affair at Bethhoron follows only the general topography of -the region. The stratagem of Judas at Emmaus is, however, -well known, and was imitated by Bonaparte. The method of -"The Hammer" at Bethzur cannot have differed greatly from -that described. The result of all these battles is as historic as it -was marvellous.</p> - -<p>If injustice has been done to any of the real characters involved, -Antiochus Epiphanes, Mattathias and his five sons, the priest -Menelaos, or the various generals commanding the hosts overthrown -by the heroic patriots, the writer is prepared to make the -personal <i>amende honorable</i> if he should ever meet them in the -shades.</p> - -<p>For the other characters, Deborah and Dion, Caleb and Meph, -it is sufficient to say that they are the children of his own fancy, -over whom he exercises the ancient paternal right of absolute disposal. -Of Glaucon and Clarissa, the report that Agathocles, on -his return to Antioch, met them as the keepers of a wine shop -near the bridge over the Orontes, is as true as were all the other -declarations of that veracious Greek.</p> - -<p>The student of the Maccabæan period may profitably consult the -Books of the Maccabees in the Apocryphal Bible (for traditional -accounts); "The Histories of Polybius" (for contemporaneous -history of other nations); Prideaux's "Connections of Old and -New Testaments" (for relation of Jews and Gentiles); Stanley's -"Jewish Church," volume iii. (for summary of men and events); -Conder's "Judas Maccabæus" (for topography); Church's "The -Hammer" (for local color, customs, etc.); Riggs' "Jewish People."</p></div> - - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h3>IN OTHER LANDS</h3> -</div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>PROF. EDWARD A. STEINER</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>Old Trails and New Borders</b></p> - -<p class="indent">In Press.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>The new book by the author of "On the Trail of the -Immigrant" is a revelation of conditions today in the -countries of Europe from which the ranks of the immigrant -have been largely recruited.</p></div> - -<div class="figright"> -<img src="images/i_409.jpg" alt="The Case of Korea Book Image" /> -</div> - -<p class="larger u"><i>HENRY CHUNG</i></p> -<p> -<i>Korean Commissioner<br /> -to America and Europe</i> -</p> - -<p class="indent"><b>The Case of Korea</b></p> - -<p class="indent">A Collection of Evidence -on the Japanese Domination -of Korea, and on the -Development of the Korean -Independence Movement. -Illustrated.</p> - -<p class="right"> -$3.00 -</p> - - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A masterly indictment of the -Japanese Government before the -bar of modern civilization. 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A striking picture of the -ideals for which the Christian Church in that country -continues to stand, despite the opposition of Japan.</p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>EDWARD NORMAN HARRIS</i></p> - -<p><i>Missionary of American Baptist Foreign Mission Society</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>A Star in the East</b></p> - -<p class="indent">An Account of American Baptist Missions -to the Karens of Burma. Illustrated.</p> - -<p class="right"> -$1.75 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><i>Dr. Howard B. Grose</i> (<i>Editor of "Missions"</i>) says: -"Have read this book with exceeding interest. It strikes -me as quite out of the usual order of missionary books. -It is enlightening and unusually readable, clearly broad-spirited -and with an intellectual grasp of conditions."</p></div> - - - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h3>FICTION</h3> -</div> - - -<div class="figright"> -<img src="images/i_410.jpg" alt="Prodigal Daughters Book Image" /> -</div> - -<p class="larger u"><i>JOSEPH HOCKING</i></p> -<p> -<i>Author of "The Passion for Life"</i> -</p> - -<p class="indent"><b>Prodigal Daughters</b></p> - -<p class="right"> -$1.75 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Another tale which, like "The -Passion for Life," will hold the -reader spell-bound until the last -page is reached. It is a frank, -up-to-date story of what Henry -van Dyke calls "this generation -of butterflies". A powerful piece -of writing in which the famous -novelist graphically describes the -struggle against the flood of new -morals and ethics and dress of -the younger generation.</p></div> - - - -<p class="larger u"><i>DAVID HOWARTH</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>The Valley of Gold</b></p> - -<p class="indent">A Tale of the Saskatchewan. Illustrated</p> - -<p class="right"> -$1.75 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>A rip-roaring story of the great North-West country -by a brand new writer. A "RALPH CONNORESQUE" -story replete with incident—tests of strength, keen rivalries -between farm-crews and wheat farmers, and hot-blood -developments arising therefrom. There is, of -course, a fine love story intertwining the rougher happenings, -together with the other elements which go to -make a big, gripping story.</p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>JOSEPHINE HOPE WESTERVELT</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>The Lure of the Leopard Skin</b></p> - -<p class="indent">A Story of the African Wilds.</p> - -<p class="right"> -$1.75 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>A stirring tale of adventure in that part of Africa in -which Theodore Roosevelt did his hunting for big game. -In a letter received by the author, that great American -said: "That must have been an exciting hunt; and I -congratulate you about the leopard. It sounds like old -times to hear that a train had run into a giraffe, and -was stopped for an hour in consequence."</p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>DANIEL FREDERICK FOX</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>The Vindication of Robert Creighton</b></p> - -<p class="indent">A Tale of the South-West.</p> - -<p class="right"> -$1.75 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>A strong, upstanding story with scenes laid in the -South-West—full of action, and marked by deft characterization -and genuinely human interest. Dr. Fox knows -his country, his types, and how to develop his plot naturally. -A fine, interesting piece of work.</p></div> - - - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h3>FICTION AND JUVENILE</h3> -</div> - - -<div class="figright"> -<img src="images/i_411.jpg" alt="In His Steps To-Day Book Image" /> -</div> - -<p class="larger u"><i>CHARLES M. SHELDON</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>In His Steps Today</b></p> - -<p class="indent">What Would Jesus Do -Regarding the Problems of -Today?</p> - -<p class="right"> -$1.25 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Read with eager interest. It -will awaken many fellow-Christians -to see new fields in which -to apply all the Christianity -there is."—Prof. Graham Taylor -in <i>Chicago Commons</i>.</p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>WILLIAM S. WALKLEY</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>Three Golden Days</b></p> - -<p class="indent">Tan-Bark Tales—Illustrated.</p> - -<p class="right"> -$1.25 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>With marked fidelity the author reproduces the atmosphere -of the Big Tent with its tan-bark ring, lumbering -elephants, prancing horses, and mirth-provoking clown.</p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>MARGARET E. SANGSTER</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>The Island of Faith</b></p> - -<p class="indent">A Story of New York's East Side.</p> - -<p class="right"> -$1.25 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"For it is a girl's story and one that can safely be put -into the hands of awakening womanhood, since it will -not only give them the romance girls crave, but will -show them what one girl's fine, high visions did for -humanity."—<i>Examiner.</i></p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>DUDLEY OLIVER OSTERHELD</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>What the Wild Flowers Tell Us</b></p> - -<p class="indent">Nature Talks With Young People. Thirty -Illustrations by the Author.</p> - -<p class="right"> -$1.50 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>A series of short talks suitable for use among young -folk. Each fascinating story draws a moral and spiritual -lesson from the flower subjects, all suggestive of many -highly desirable qualities of mind and heart.</p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>MABEL HAWLEY SCOTT</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>Billee</b></p> - -<p class="indent">The Story of a Little Boy and a Big Bear.</p> -<p class="indent">Illustrated.</p> - -<p class="right"> -$1.50 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"It is a story for boys, old and young, a really delightful -animal story without the faults that some of them -have—pleasing—well-written—entertaining throughout."</p> - -<p> -<i>Syracuse Sunday Herald.</i> -</p></div> - - - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h3>BIOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL</h3> -</div> - -<div class="figright"> -<img src="images/i_412.jpg" alt=""Pussyfoot" Johnson Book Image" /> -</div> - -<p class="larger u"><i>F. A. McKENZIE</i></p> - -<p> -<i>Author of "Korea's Fight for Freedom"</i> -</p> - -<p class="indent"><b>"Pussyfoot" Johnson</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Crusader—Reformer—A -Man Among Men</span></p></div> - -<p class="indent">With Introduction by Dr. -Wilfred T. Grenfell.</p> - -<p>Illustrated, 12mo, net $1.50.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'Let Johnson alone—more -power to his elbow,' No doubt -Roosevelt when he said this appreciated -Johnson's manliness, -his fearlessness, his loyalty to -high ideals and that good nature -which is a pledge of fairness. -Lovers of adventure will enjoy -this book."—<i>Boston Transcript.</i></p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>DANIEL BLISS</i></p> -<p> -<i>First President of the Syrian<br /> -Protestant College, Syria</i> -</p> - -<p class="indent"><b>Reminiscences of Daniel Bliss</b></p> - -<p class="indent">Missionary and Educator. Edited and Supplemented -by His Eldest Son. Illustrated, net $2.25.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>The story of his early days; his term of service, as -missionary of the American Board, in the Lebanon; his -share in the formation of plans which led to the creation -of the Syrian Protestant College; his work of collecting -funds for its endowment and equipment, and his more -than sixty years of association with the famous Beirut institution, -as President and President-Emeritus.</p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>MARGARET McGILVARY</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>The Dawn of a New Era in Syria</b></p> - -<p class="indent">Illustrated, 12mo, net $2.50.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>A deeply interesting account of what happened in Syria -during the past five years. Not a mass of hearsay evidence, -but authentic data vouched for by reliable and -credible witnesses, and, in the main, within the personal -knowledge of the author. This book possesses historical, -missionary and political significance of more than ordinary -value.</p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>MRS. ARTHUR PARKER</i></p> -<p><i>London Missionary Society<br /> -Trivandram, India</i> -</p> - -<p class="indent"><b>Sadhu Sundar Singh</b></p> -<p class="indent smaller"><b>(Called of God)</b></p> - -<p class="indent">Illustrated, 12mo, net $1.25.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"His story, ably told by Mrs. Arthur Parker, reads like -a book of Apostolic adventure. Paul's perils of waters -and of robbers, by his own countrymen and by the heathen, -in the city and in the wilderness, were Sundar Singh's -also. Rejected by his family he has become India's foremost -evangelist."—<i>S. S. Times.</i></p></div> - - - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h3>BIOGRAPHY AND REMINISCENCES</h3> -</div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>JAMES M. LUDLOW, D.D., Litt.D.</i></p> - -<p> -<i>Author of "The Captain of the Janizaries," "Deborah," etc.</i> -</p> - -<p class="indent"><b>Along the Friendly Way</b></p> - -<p class="indent">Reminiscences and Impressions. Frontispiece. -12mo, cloth, net</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Dr. Ludlow has observed keenly, and thought wisely -and deeply; he has read extensively, traveled widely, and -rubbed elbows and wits with men great and little of many -nations and under varying conditions. He is the "full -man" of which the philosopher speaks. And all these -intellectual and spiritual riches garnered from many harvests -he spreads before the reader in a style that is remarkable -for its felicity of phrasing, the color of its varied -imagery, and its humor, warmth, and human sympathy.</p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>HERBERT H. GOWEN, F. R. G. S.</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>The Napoleon of the Pacific: -Kamehameha the Great</b></p> - -<p class="indent">Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, net</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>The history of the great chieftain who, in the closing -years of the eighteenth century, effected the union of the -eight islands of the Hawaiian Archipelago and welded -them into a kingdom. Both student and general reader -will find THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC a richly-stored -mine of deeply interesting information, extremely -difficult to come at in any other form.</p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>CLARA E. LAUGHLIN</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>Foch the Man</b></p> - -<p class="indent"><i>New Revised and Enlarged Edition with Additional -Illustrations.</i> Net</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>W. B. McCormick in the <i>N. Y. Sun</i> says: "Miss Laughlin -has let nothing escape her that will throw light on the -development of his character. A revelation of the man -who at sixty-seven put the crowning touch to the complete -defeat of Germany's military pretensions."</p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>FREPERICK LYNCH, D.D.</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>The One Great Society</b></p> - -<p class="indent">A Book of Recollections. 12mo, cloth, net</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Records or some personal reminiscences and recollections -of the author, who, as preacher, editor and prominent -member of one or two international organizations, -has met many of the world's prominent men in the fields -of divinity, philanthropy, literature and reform.</p></div> - - - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h3><i>NEW EDITIONS</i></h3> -</div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>JOSEPH HOCKING</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>The Passion for Life</b></p> - -<p class="indent">"Shall a Man Live Again?" <i>Third Edition. -25th Thousand.</i></p> - -<p class="right"> -$1.75 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"One of the finest, most significant and most absorbing -stories of to-day."—<i>Pittsburgh Chronicle-Telegraph.</i></p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>CLARICE E. RICHARDS</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>A Tenderfoot Bride</b></p> - -<p class="indent"> -Illustrated, Net $1.50 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A romance of real experiences of a girl-bride, -suddenly plunged into the 'wild and woolly West.'" <i>Nashville Banner.</i></p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>VICTOR MURDOCK</i></p> -<p> -<i>U. S. Federal Trade<br /> -Commission.</i> -</p> - -<p class="indent"><b>China the Mysterious and Marvelous</b></p> - -<p class="indent">Illustrated.</p> - -<p class="right"> -$2.50 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Albert Shaw</span>, in the <i>Review of Reviews</i>, says:</p> - -<p>"One of the most refreshing and fascinating books -of travel that have appeared in a long time.... All the -more instructive for being so astonishingly entertaining."</p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>F. A. McKENZIE</i></p> - -<p class="indent"><b>"Pussyfoot" Johnson</b></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Crusader—Reformer—A Man Among Men</span></p> - -<p class="indent">With Introduction by Dr. Wilfred T. -Grenfell. Illustrated</p> - -<p class="right"> -$1.50 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'Let Johnson alone—more power to his elbow.' -No doubt Roosevelt when he said this, appreciated -Johnson's manliness, fearlessness and loyalty."—<i>Boston -Transcript.</i></p></div> - - -<p class="larger u"><i>ROGER W. BABSON</i></p> -<p> -<i>President Babson's<br /> -Statistical Organization</i> -</p> - -<p class="indent"><b>Fundamentals of Prosperity</b></p> - -<p class="indent">What They Are and Where They Come -From.</p> - -<p class="right"> -$1.00 -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Just the right tonic for a sick world, without any -doubt."—<i>George W. Coleman</i>, Advertising Expert.</p></div> - - - -<div class="transnote mt2"><h3>Transcriber's Notes:</h3> - <p>Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully - as possible, including obsolete and variant spellings, non-standard - punctuation, inconsistently hyphenated words, and other - inconsistencies.</p> -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Deborah, by James M. 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