CHAPTER IX
As a rule, there
is no surer way to the dislike of men than to behave well where they have
behaved badly. In this instance, happily, Malluch was an exception to the rule.
The affair he had just witnessed raised Ben-Hur in his estimation, since he
could not deny him courage and address; could he now get some insight into the
young man's history, the results of the day would not be all unprofitable to
good master Simonides.
On the latter
point, referring to what he had as yet learned, two facts comprehended it all -
the subject of his investigation was a Jew, and the adopted son of a famous
Roman. Another conclusion which might be of importance was beginning to
formulate itself in the shrewd mind of the emissary; between Messala and the
son of the duumvir there was a connection of some kind. But what was it? - and
how could it be reduced to assurance? With all his sounding, the ways and means
of solution were not at call. In the heat of the perplexity, Ben-Hur himself
came to his help. He laid his hand on Malluch's arm and drew him out of the
crowd, which was already going back to its interest in the gray old priest and
the mystic fountain.
"Good
Malluch," he said, stopping, "may a man forget his mother?"
The question was
abrupt and without direction, and therefore of the kind which leaves the person
addressed in a state of confusion. Malluch looked into Ben-Hur's face for a
hint of meaning, but saw, instead, two bright-red spots, one on each cheek, and
in his eyes traces of what might have been repressed tears; then he answered,
mechanically, "No!" adding, with fervor, "never;" and a
moment after, when he began to recover himself, "If he is an Israelite,
never!" And when at length he was completely recovered -”My first lesson
in the synagogue was the Shema; my next was the saying of the son of Sirach,
'Honor thy father with thy whole soul, and forget not the sorrows of thy mother.'"
The red spots on
Ben-Hur's face deepened.
"The words
bring my childhood back again; and, Malluch, they prove you a genuine Jew. I
believe I can trust you."
Ben-Hur let go
the arm he was holding, and caught the folds of the gown covering his own
breast, and pressed them close, as if to smother a pain, or a feeling there as
sharp as a pain.
"My
father," he said, "bore a good name, and was not without honor in
Jerusalem, where he dwelt. My mother, at his death, was in the prime of
womanhood; and it is not enough to say of her she was good and beautiful: in
her tongue was the law of kindness, and her works were the praise of all in the
gates, and she smiled at days to come. I had a little sister, and she and I
were the family, and we were so happy that I, at least, have never seen harm in
the saying of the old rabbi, 'God could not be everywhere, and, therefore, he
made mothers.' One day an accident happened to a Roman in authority as he was
riding past our house at the head of a cohort; the legionaries burst the gate
and rushed in and seized us. I have not seen my mother or sister since. I
cannot say they are dead or living. I do not know what became of them. But,
Malluch, the man in the chariot yonder was present at the separation; he gave
us over to the captors; he heard my mother's prayer for her children, and he
laughed when they dragged her away. Hardly may one say which graves deepest in
memory, love or hate. To-day I knew him afar - and, Malluch -”
He caught the
listener's arm again.
"And, Malluch,
he knows and takes with him now the secret I would give my life for: he could
tell if she lives, and where she is, and her condition; if she - no, THEY -
much sorrow has made the two as one - if they are dead, he could tell where
they died, and of what, and where their bones await my finding."
"And will he
not?"
"No."
"Why?"
"I am a Jew,
and he is a Roman."
"But Romans
have tongues, and Jews, though ever so despised, have methods to beguile
them."
"For such as
he? No; and, besides, the secret is one of state. All my father's property was
confiscated and divided."
Malluch nodded
his head slowly, much as to admit the argument; then he asked anew, "Did
he not recognize you?"
"He could
not. I was sent to death in life, and have been long since accounted of the
dead."
"I wonder
you did not strike him," said Malluch, yielding to a touch of passion.
"That would
have been to put him past serving me forever. I would have had to kill him, and
Death, you know, keeps secrets better even than a guilty Roman."
The man who, with
so much to avenge, could so calmly put such an opportunity aside must be
confident of his future or have ready some better design, and Malluch's
interest changed with the thought; it ceased to be that of an emissary in duty
bound to another. Ben-Hur was actually asserting a claim upon him for his own
sake. In other words, Malluch was preparing to serve him with good heart and
from downright admiration.
After brief
pause, Ben-Hur resumed speaking.
"I would not
take his life, good Malluch; against that extreme the possession of the secret
is for the present, at least, his safeguard; yet I may punish him, and so you
give me help, I will try."
"He is a
Roman," said Malluch, without hesitation; "and I am of the tribe of
Judah. I will help you. If you choose, put me under oath - under the most
solemn oath."
"Give me
your hand, that will suffice."
As their hands
fell apart, Ben-Hur said, with lightened feeling, "That I would charge you
with is not difficult, good friend; neither is it dreadful to conscience. Let
us move on."
They took the
road which led to the right across the meadow spoken of in the description of
the coming to the fountain. Ben-Hur was first to break the silence.
"Do you know
Sheik Ilderim the Generous?"
"Yes."
"Where is
his Orchard of Palms? or, rather, Malluch, how far is it beyond the village of
Daphne?"
Malluch was
touched by a doubt; he recalled the prettiness of the favor shown him by the
woman at the fountain, and wondered if he who had the sorrows of a mother in
mind was about to forget them for a lure of love; yet he replied, "The
Orchard of Palms lies beyond the village two hours by horse, and one by swift
camel."
"Thank you;
and to your knowledge once more. Have the games of which you told me been widely
published? and when will they take place?"
The questions
were suggestive; and if they did not restore Malluch his confidence, they at
least stimulated his curiosity.
"Oh yes,
they will be of ample splendor. The prefect is rich, and could afford to lose
his place; yet, as is the way with successful men, his love of riches is nowise
diminished; and to gain a friend at court, if nothing more, he must make ado
for the Consul Maxentius, who is coming hither to make final preparations for a
campaign against the Parthians. The money there is in the preparations the
citizens of Antioch know from experience; so they have had permission to join
the prefect in the honors intended for the great man. A month ago heralds went
to the four quarters to proclaim the opening of the Circus for the celebration.
The name of the prefect would be of itself good guarantee of variety and
magnificence, particularly throughout the East; but when to his promises
Antioch joins hers, all the islands and the cities by the sea stand assured of
the extraordinary, and will be here in person or by their most famous
professionals. The fees offered are royal."
"And the Circus - I have heard it is second
only to the Maximus."
"At Rome,
you mean. Well, ours seats two hundred thousand people, yours seats
seventy-five thousand more; yours is of marble, so is ours; in arrangement they
are exactly the same."
"Are the
rules the same?"
Malluch smiled.
"If Antioch
dared be original, son of Arrius, Rome would not be the mistress she is. The
laws of the Circus Maximus govern except in one particular: there but four
chariots may start at once, here all start without reference to number."
"That is the
practise of the Greeks," said Ben-Hur.
"Yes,
Antioch is more Greek than Roman."
"So then,
Malluch, I may choose my own chariot?"
"Your own
chariot and horses. There is no restriction upon either."
While replying,
Malluch observed the thoughtful look on Ben-Hur's face give place to one of
satisfaction.
"One thing
more now, O Malluch. When will the celebration be?"
"Ah! your
pardon," the other answered. "To-morrow - and the next day," he
said, counting aloud, "then, to speak in the Roman style, if the sea-gods
be propitious, the consul arrives. Yes, the sixth day from this we have the
games."
"The time is
short, Malluch, but it is enough." The last words were spoken decisively.
"By the prophets of our old Israel! I will take to the reins again. Stay!
a condition; is there assurance that Messala will be a competitor?"
Malluch saw now
the plan, and all its opportunities for the humiliation of the Roman; and he
had not been true descendant of Jacob if, with all his interest wakened, he had
not rushed to a consideration of the chances. His voice actually trembled as he
said, "Have you the practise?"
"Fear not,
my friend. The winners in the Circus Maximus have held their crowns these three
years at my will. Ask them - ask the best of them - and they will tell you so.
In the last great games the emperor himself offered me his patronage if I would
take his horses in hand and run them against the entries of the world."
"But you did
not?"
Malluch spoke
eagerly.
"I - I am a
Jew" - Ben-Hur seemed shrinking within himself as he spoke -”and, though I
wear a Roman name, I dared not do professionally a thing to sully my father's
name in the cloisters and courts of the Temple. In the palaestrae I could
indulge practise which, if followed into the Circus, would become an
abomination; and if I take to the course here, Malluch, I swear it will not be
for the prize or the winner's fee."
"Hold -
swear not so!" cried Malluch. "The fee is ten thousand sestertii - a
fortune for life!"
"Not for me,
though the prefect trebled it fifty times. Better than that, better than all
the imperial revenues from the first year of the first Caesar - I will make
this race to humble my enemy. Vengeance is permitted by the law."
Malluch smiled
and nodded as if saying, "Right, right - trust me a Jew to understand a
Jew."
"The Messala
will drive," he said, directly. "He is committed to the race in many
ways - by publication in the streets, and in the baths and theaters, the palace
and barracks; and, to fix him past retreat, his name is on the tablets of every
young spendthrift in Antioch."
"In wager,
Malluch?"
"Yes, in
wager; and every day he comes ostentatiously to practise, as you saw him."
"Ah! and
that is the chariot, and those the horses, with which he will make the race?
Thank you, thank you, Malluch! You have served me well already. I am satisfied.
Now be my guide to the Orchard of Palms, and give me introduction to Sheik
Ilderim the Generous."
"When?"
"To-day. His
horses may be engaged to-morrow."
"You like
them, then?"
Ben-Hur answered
with animation,
"I saw them
from the stand an instant only, for Messala then drove up, and I might not look
at anything else; yet I recognized them as of the blood which is the wonder as
well as the glory of the deserts. I never saw the kind before, except in the
stables of Caesar; but once seen, they are always to be known. To-morrow, upon
meeting, I will know you, Malluch, though you do not so much as salute me; I
will know you by your face, by your form, by your manner; and by the same signs
I will know them, and with the same certainty. If all that is said of them be
true, and I can bring their spirit under control of mine, I can -”
"Win the
sestertii!" said Malluch, laughing.
"No,"
answered Ben-Hur, as quickly. "I will do what better becomes a man born to
the heritage of Jacob - I will humble mine enemy in a most public place.
But," he added, impatiently, "we are losing time. How can we most
quickly reach the tents of the sheik?"
Malluch took a
moment for reflection.
"It is best
we go straight to the village, which is fortunately near by; if two swift
camels are to be had for hire there, we will be on the road but an hour."
"Let us
about it, then."
The village was
an assemblage of palaces in beautiful gardens, interspersed with khans of
princely sort. Dromedaries were happily secured, and upon them the journey to
the famous Orchard of Palms was begun.
CHAPTER X
Beyond the
village the country was undulating and cultivated; in fact, it was the
garden-land of Antioch, with not a foot lost to labor. The steep faces of the
hills were terraced; even the hedges were brighter of the trailing vines which,
besides the lure of shade, offered passers-by sweet promises of wine to come,
and grapes in clustered purple ripeness. Over melon-patches, and through
apricot and fig-tree groves, and groves of oranges and limes, the white-washed
houses of the farmers were seen; and everywhere Plenty, the smiling daughter of
Peace, gave notice by her thousand signs that she was at home, making the
generous traveller merry at heart, until he was even disposed to give Rome her
dues. Occasionally, also, views were had of Taurus and Lebanon, between which,
a separating line of silver, the Orontes placidly pursued its way.
In course of
their journey the friends came to the river, which they followed with the
windings of the road, now over bold bluffs, and then into vales, all alike
allotted for country-seats, and if the land was in full foliage of oak and
sycamore and myrtle, and bay and arbutus, and perfuming jasmine, the river was
bright with slanted sunlight, which would have slept where it fell but for
ships in endless procession, gliding with the current, tacking for the wind, or
bounding under the impulse of oars - some coming, some going, and all
suggestive of the sea, and distant peoples, and famous places, and things
coveted on account of their rarity. To the fancy there is nothing so winsome as
a white sail seaward blown, unless it be a white sail homeward bound, its
voyage happily done. And down the shore the friends went continuously till they
came to a lake fed by back-water from the river, clear, deep, and without
current. An old palm-tree dominated the angle of the inlet; turning to the left
at the foot of the tree, Malluch clapped his hands and shouted,
"Look, look!
The Orchard of Palms!"
The scene was
nowhere else to be found unless in the favored oases of Arabia or the Ptolemaean
farms along the Nile; and to sustain a sensation new as it was delightful,
Ben-Hur was admitted into a tract of land apparently without limit and level as
a floor. All under foot was fresh grass, in Syria the rarest and most beautiful
production of the soil; if he looked up, it was to see the sky paley blue
through the groinery of countless date-bearers, very patriarchs of their kind,
so numerous and old, and of such mighty girth, so tall, so serried, so wide of
branch, each branch so perfect with fronds, plumy and waxlike and brilliant,
they seemed enchanters enchanted. Here was the grass coloring the very
atmosphere; there the lake, cool and clear, rippling but a few feet under the
surface, and helping the trees to their long life in old age. Did the Grove of
Daphne excel this one? And the palms, as if they knew Ben-Hur's thought, and
would win him after a way of their own, seemed, as he passed under their
arches, to stir and sprinkle him with dewy coolness.
The road wound in
close parallelism with the shore of the lake; and when it carried the
travellers down to the water's edge, there was always on that side a shining
expanse limited not far off by the opposite shore, on which, as on this one, no
tree but the palm was permitted.
"See
that," said Malluch, pointing to a giant of the place. "Each ring
upon its trunk marks a year of its life. Count them from root to branch, and if
the sheik tells you the grove was planted before the Seleucidae were heard of
in Antioch, do not doubt him."
One may not look
at a perfect palm-tree but that, with a subtlety all its own, it assumes a
presence for itself, and makes a poet of the beholder. This is the explanation
of the honors it has received, beginning with the artists of the first kings,
who could find no form in all the earth to serve them so well as a model for
the pillars of their palaces and temples; and for the same reason Ben-Hur was
moved to say,
"As I saw
him at the stand to-day, good Malluch, Sheik Ilderim appeared to be a very
common man. The rabbis in Jerusalem would look down upon him, I fear, as a son
of a dog of Edom. How came he in possession of the Orchard? And how has he been
able to hold it against the greed of Roman governors?"
"If blood
derives excellence from time, son of Arrius, then is old Ilderim a man, though
he be an uncircumcised Edomite."
Malluch spoke
warmly.
"All his
fathers before him were sheiks. One of them - I shall not say when he lived or
did the good deed - once helped a king who was being hunted with swords. The
story says he loaned him a thousand horsemen, who knew the paths of the
wilderness and its hiding-places as shepherds know the scant hills they inhabit
with their flocks; and they carried him here and there until the opportunity
came, and then with their spears they slew the enemy, and set him upon his
throne again. And the king, it is said, remembered the service, and brought the
son of the Desert to this place, and bade him set up his tent and bring his
family and his herds, for the lake and trees, and all the land from the river
to the nearest mountains, were his and his children's forever. And they have
never been disturbed in the possession. The rulers succeeding have found it
policy to keep good terms with the tribe, to whom the Lord has given increase
of men and horses, and camels and riches, making them masters of many highways
between cities; so that it is with them any time they please to say to
commerce, 'Go in peace,' or 'Stop,' and what they say shall be done. Even the
prefect in the citadel overlooking Antioch thinks it happy day with him when
Ilderim, surnamed the Generous on account of good deeds done unto all manner of
men, with his wives and children, and his trains of camels and horses, and his
belongings of sheik, moving as our fathers Abraham and Jacob moved, comes up to
exchange briefly his bitter wells for the pleasantness you see about us."
"How is it,
then?" said Ben-Hur, who had been listening unmindful of the slow gait of
the dromedaries. "I saw the sheik tear his beard while he cursed himself that
he had put trust in a Roman. Caesar, had he heard him, might have said, 'I like
not such a friend as this; put him away.'"
"It would be
but shrewd judgment," Malluch replied, smiling. "Ilderim is not a
lover of Rome; he has a grievance. Three years ago the Parthians rode across
the road from Bozra to Damascus, and fell upon a caravan laden, among other
things, with the incoming tax-returns of a district over that way. They slew
every creature taken, which the censors in Rome could have forgiven if the imperial
treasure had been spared and forwarded. The farmers of the taxes, being
chargeable with the loss, complained to Caesar, and Caesar held Herod to
payment, and Herod, on his part, seized property of Ilderim, whom he charged
with treasonable neglect of duty. The sheik appealed to Caesar, and Caesar has
made him such answer as might be looked for from the unwinking sphinx. The old
man's heart has been aching sore ever since, and he nurses his wrath, and takes
pleasure in its daily growth."
"He can do nothing,
Malluch."
"Well,"
said Malluch, "that involves another explanation, which I will give you,
if we can draw nearer. But see! - the hospitality of the sheik begins early -
the children are speaking to you."
The dromedaries
stopped, and Ben-Hur looked down upon some little girls of the Syrian peasant
class, who were offering him their baskets filled with dates. The fruit was
freshly gathered, and not to be refused; he stooped and took it, and as he did
so a man in the tree by which they were halted cried, "Peace to you, and
welcome!"
Their thanks said
to the children, the friends moved on at such gait as the animals chose.
"You must
know," Malluch continued, pausing now and then to dispose of a date,
"that the merchant Simonides gives me his confidence, and sometimes
flatters me by taking me into council; and as I attend him at his house, I have
made acquaintance with many of his friends, who, knowing my footing with the
host, talk to him freely in my presence. In that way I became somewhat intimate
with Sheik Ilderim."
For a moment
Ben-Hur's attention wandered. Before his mind's eye there arose the image,
pure, gentle, and appealing, of Esther, the merchant's daughter. Her dark eyes
bright with the peculiar Jewish lustre met his in modest gaze; he heard her
step as when she approached him with the wine, and her voice as she tendered
him the cup; and he acknowledged to himself again all the sympathy she
manifested for him, and manifested so plainly that words were unnecessary, and
so sweetly that words would have been but a detraction. The vision was
exceeding pleasant, but upon his turning to Malluch, it flew away.
"A few weeks
ago," said Malluch, continuing, "the old Arab called on Simonides,
and found me present. I observed he seemed much moved about something, and, in
deference, offered to withdraw, but he himself forbade me. 'As you are an
Israelite,' he said, 'stay, for I have a strange story to tell.' The emphasis
on the word Israelite excited my curiosity. I remained, and this is in
substance his story - I cut it short because we are drawing nigh the tent, and
I leave the details to the good man himself. A good many years ago, three men
called at Ilderim's tent out in the wilderness. They were all foreigners, a
Hindoo, a Greek, and an Egyptian; and they had come on camels, the largest he
had ever seen, and all white. He welcomed them, and gave them rest. Next
morning they arose and prayed a prayer new to the sheik - a prayer addressed to
God and his son - this with much mystery besides. After breaking fast with him,
the Egyptian told who they were, and whence they had come. Each had seen a
star, out of which a voice had bidden them go to Jerusalem and ask, Where is he
that is born King of the Jews?' They obeyed. From Jerusalem they were led by a
star to Bethlehem, where, in a cave, they found a child newly born, which they
fell down and worshipped; and after worshipping it, and giving it costly
presents, and bearing witness of what it was, they took to their camels, and
fled without pause to the sheik, because if Herod - meaning him surnamed the
Great - could lay hands upon them, he would certainly kill them. And, faithful
to his habit, the sheik took care of them, and kept them concealed for a year,
when they departed, leaving with him gifts of great value, and each going a
separate way."
"It is,
indeed, a most wonderful story," Ben-Hur exclaimed at its conclusion.
"What did you say they were to ask at Jerusalem?"
"They were
to ask, 'Where is he that is born King of the Jews?'"
"Was that
all?"
"There was
more to the question, but I cannot recall it."
"And they
found the child?"
"Yes, and
worshipped him."
"It is a
miracle, Malluch."
"Ilderim is
a grave man, though excitable as all Arabs are. A lie on his tongue is
impossible."
Malluch spoke positively.
Thereupon the dromedaries were forgotten, and, quite as unmindful of their
riders, they turned off the road to the growing grass.
"Has Ilderim
heard nothing more of the three men?" asked Ben-Hur. "What became of
them?"
"Ah, yes,
that was the cause of his coming to Simonides the day of which I was speaking.
Only the night before that day the Egyptian reappeared to him."
"Where?"
"Here at the
door of the tent to which we are coming."
"How knew he
the man?"
"As you knew
the horses to-day - by face and manner."
"By nothing
else?"
"He rode the
same great white camel, and gave him the same name - Balthasar, the
Egyptian."
"It is a
wonder of the Lord's!"
Ben-Hur spoke
with excitement.
And Malluch,
wondering, asked, "Why so?"
"Balthasar,
you said?"
"Yes.
Balthasar, the Egyptian."
"That was
the name the old man gave us at the fountain today."
Then, at the
reminder, Malluch became excited.
"It is
true," he said; "and the camel was the same - and you saved the man's
life."
"And the
woman," said Ben-Hur, like one speaking to himself -”the woman was his
daughter."
He fell to
thinking; and even the reader will say he was having a vision of the woman, and
that it was more welcome than that of Esther, if only because it stayed longer
with him; but no -
"Tell me
again," he said, presently. "Were the three to ask, 'Where is he that
is to be King of the Jews?' "
"Not
exactly. The words were BORN TO BE KING OF THE JEWS. Those were the words as
the old sheik caught them first in the desert, and he has ever since been
waiting the coming of the king; nor can any one shake his faith that he will
come."
"How - as
king?"
"Yes, and
bringing the doom of Rome - so says the sheik."
Ben-Hur kept
silent awhile, thinking and trying to control his feelings.
"The old man
is one of many millions," he said, slowly -”one of many millions each with
a wrong to avenge; and this strange faith, Malluch, is bread and wine to his
hope; for who but a Herod may be King of the Jews while Rome endures? But, following
the story, did you hear what Simonides said to him?"
"If Ilderim
is a grave man, Simonides is a wise one," Malluch replied. "I
listened, and he said - But hark! Some one comes overtaking us."
The noise grew
louder, until presently they heard the rumble of wheels mixed with the beating
of horse-hoofs - a moment later Sheik Ilderim himself appeared on horseback,
followed by a train, among which were the four wine-red Arabs drawing the
chariot. The sheik's chin, in its muffling of long white beard, was drooped upon
his breast. Our friends had out-travelled him; but at sight of them he raised
his head and spoke kindly.
"Peace to
you! - Ah, my friend Malluch! Welcome! And tell me you are not going, but just
come; that you have something for me from the good Simonides - may the Lord of
his fathers keep him in life for many years to come! Ay, take up the straps,
both of you, and follow me. I have bread and leben, or, if you prefer it,
arrack, and the flesh of young kid. Come!"
They followed
after him to the door of the tent, in which, when they were dismounted, he
stood to receive them, holding a platter with three cups filled with creamy
liquor just drawn from a great smoke-stained skin bottle, pendent from the
central post.
"Drink,"
he said, heartily, "drink, for this is the fear-naught of the
tentmen."
They each took a
cup, and drank till but the foam remained.
"Enter now,
in God's name."
And when they
were gone in, Malluch took the sheik aside, and spoke to him privately; after
which he went to Ben-Hur and excused himself.
"I have told
the sheik about you, and he will give you the trial of his horses in the
morning. He is your friend. Having done for you all I can, you must do the
rest, and let me return to Antioch. There is one there who has my promise to
meet him to-night. I have no choice but to go. I will come back to-morrow
prepared, if all goes well in the meantime, to stay with you until the games
are over."
With blessings
given and received, Malluch set out in return.
