BOOK SEVENTH
"And, waking, I beheld her there
Sea-dreaming in the moted air,
A siren lithe and debonair,
With wristlets woven of scarlet weeds,
And oblong lucent amber beads
Of sea-kelp shining in her hair."
THOMAS
BAILEY ALDRICH.
CHAPTER I
The meeting took
place in the khan of Bethany as appointed. Thence Ben-Hur went with the
Galileans into their country, where his exploits up in the old Market-place
gave him fame and influence. Before the winter was gone he raised three
legions, and organized them after the Roman pattern. He could have had as many
more, for the martial spirit of that gallant people never slept. The
proceeding, however, required careful guarding as against both Rome and Herod
Antipas. Contenting himself for the present with the three, he strove to train
and educate them for systematic action. For that purpose he carried the
officers over into the lava-beds of Trachonitis, and taught them the use of
arms, particularly the javelin and sword, and the manoeuvering peculiar to the
legionary formation; after which he sent them home as teachers. And soon the
training became a pastime of the people.
As may be
thought, the task called for patience, skill, zeal, faith, and devotion on his
part - qualities into which the power of inspiring others in matters of
difficulty is always resolvable; and never man possessed them in greater degree
or used them to better effect. How he labored! And with utter denial of self!
Yet withal he would have failed but for the support he had from Simonides, who
furnished him arms and money, and from Ilderim, who kept watch and brought him
supplies. And still he would have failed but for the genius of the Galileans.
Under that name
were comprehended the four tribes - Asher, Zebulon, Issachar, and Naphthali -
and the districts originally set apart to them. The Jew born in sight of the
Temple despised these brethren of the north; but the Talmud itself has said,
"The Galilean loves honor, and the Jew money."
Hating Rome
fervidly as they loved their own country, in every revolt they were first in
the field and last to leave it. One hundred and fifty thousand Galilean youths
perished in the final war with Rome. For the great festal days, they went up to
Jerusalem marching and camping like armies; yet they were liberal in sentiment,
and even tolerant to heathenism. In Herod's beautiful cities, which were Roman
in all things, in Sepphoris and Tiberias especially, they took pride, and in
the building them gave loyal support. They had for fellow-citizens men from the
outside world everywhere, and lived in peace with them. To the glory of the
Hebrew name they contributed poets like the singer of the Song of Songs and
prophets like Hosea.
Upon such a
people, so quick, so proud, so brave, so devoted, so imaginative, a tale like
that of the coming of the King was all-powerful. That he was coming to put Rome
down would have been sufficient to enlist them in the scheme proposed by
Ben-Hur; but when, besides, they were assured he was to rule the world, more
mighty than Caesar, more magnificent than Solomon, and that the rule was to last
forever, the appeal was irresistible, and they vowed themselves to the cause
body and soul. They asked Ben-Hur his authority for the sayings, and he quoted
the prophets, and told them of Balthasar in waiting over in Antioch; and they
were satisfied, for it was the old much-loved legend of the Messiah, familiar
to them almost as the name of the Lord; the long-cherished dream with a time
fixed for its realization. The King was not merely coming now; he was at hand.
So with Ben-Hur
the winter months rolled by, and spring came, with gladdening showers blown
over from the summering sea in the west; and by that time so earnestly and
successfully had he toiled that he could say to himself and his followers,
"Let the good King come. He has only to tell us where he will have his
throne set up. We have the sword-hands to keep it for him."
And in all his
dealings with the many men they knew him only as a son of Judah, and by that
name.
One evening, over
in Trachonitis, Ben-Hur was sitting with some of his Galileans at the mouth of
the cave in which he quartered, when an Arab courier rode to him, and delivered
a letter. Breaking the package, he read,
"Jerusalem,
Nisan IV.
"A prophet
has appeared who men say is Elias. He has been in the wilderness for years, and
to our eyes he is a prophet; and such also is his speech, the burden of which
is of one much greater than himself, who, he says, is to come presently, and
for whom he is now waiting on the eastern shore of the River Jordan. I have
been to see and hear him, and the one he is waiting for is certainly the King
you are awaiting. Come and judge for yourself.
"All
Jerusalem is going out to the prophet, and with many people else the shore on
which he abides is like Mount Olivet in the last days of the Passover.
"MALLUCH."
Ben-Hur's face
flushed with joy.
"By this
word, O my friends," he said -”by this word, our waiting is at end. The
herald of the King has appeared and announced him."
Upon hearing the
letter read, they also rejoiced at the promise it held out.
"Get ready
now," he added, "and in the morning set your faces homeward; when
arrived there, send word to those under you, and bid them be ready to assemble
as I may direct. For myself and you, I will go see if the King be indeed at
hand, and send you report. Let us, in the meantime, live in the pleasure of the
promise."
Going into the
cave, he addressed a letter to Ilderim, and another to Simonides, giving notice
of the news received, and of his purpose to go up immediately to Jerusalem. The
letters he despatched by swift messengers. When night fell, and the stars of
direction came out, he mounted, and with an Arab guide set out for the Jordan,
intending to strike the track of the caravans between Rabbath-Ammon and
Damascus.
The guide was
sure, and Aldebaran swift; so by midnight the two were out of the lava fastness
speeding southward.
CHAPTER II
It was Ben-Hur's
purpose to turn aside at the break of day, and find a safe place in which to
rest; but the dawn overtook him while out in the Desert, and he kept on, the
guide promising to bring him afterwhile to a vale shut in by great rocks, where
there were a spring, some mulberry-trees, and herbage in plenty for the horses.
As he rode
thinking of the wondrous events so soon to happen, and of the changes they were
to bring about in the affairs of men and nations, the guide, ever on the alert,
called attention to an appearance of strangers behind them. Everywhere around
the Desert stretched away in waves of sand, slowly yellowing in the growing
light, and without any green thing visible. Over on the left, but still far
off, a range of low mountains extended, apparently interminable. In the vacancy
of such a waste an object in motion could not long continue a mystery.
"It is a
camel with riders," the guide said, directly.
"Are there
others behind?" said Ben-Hur.
"It is
alone. No, there is a man on horseback - the driver, probably."
A little later
Ben-Hur himself could see the camel was white and unusually large, reminding
him of the wonderful animal he had seen bring Balthasar and Iras to the
fountain in the Grove of Daphne. There could be no other like it. Thinking then
of the fair Egyptian, insensibly his gait became slower, and at length fell
into the merest loiter, until finally he could discern a curtained houdah, and
two persons seated within it. If they were Balthasar and Iras! Should he make
himself known to them? But it could not be: this was the Desert - and they were
alone. But while he debated the question the long swinging stride of the camel
brought its riders up to him. He heard the ringing of the tiny bells, and
beheld the rich housings which had been so attractive to the crowd at the
Castalian fount. He beheld also the Ethiopian, always attendant upon the
Egyptians. The tall brute stopped close by his horse, and Ben-Hur, looking up,
lo! Iras herself under the raised curtain looking down at him, her great
swimming eyes bright with astonishment and inquiry!
"The
blessing of the true God upon you!" said Balthasar, in his tremulous
voice.
"And to thee
and thine be the peace of the Lord," Ben-Hur replied.
"My eyes are
weak with years," said Balthasar; "but they approve you that son of
Hur whom lately I knew an honored guest in the tent of Ilderim the
Generous."
"And thou
art that Balthasar, the wise Egyptian, whose speech concerning certain holy
things in expectation is having so much to do with the finding me in this waste
place. What dost thou here?"
"He is never
alone who is where God is - and God is everywhere," Balthasar answered,
gravely; "but in the sense of your asking, there is a caravan short way
behind us going to Alexandria; and as it is to pass through Jerusalem, I
thought best to avail myself of its company as far as the Holy City, whither I
am journeying. This morning, however, in discontent with its slow movement -
slower because of a Roman cohort in attendance upon it - we rose early, and
ventured thus far in advance. As to robbers along the way, we are not afraid,
for I have here a signet of Sheik Ilderim; against beasts of prey, God is our
sufficient trust."
Ben-Hur bowed and
said, "The good sheik's signet is a safeguard wherever the wilderness
extends, and the lion shall be swift that overtakes this king of his
kind."
He patted the
neck of the camel as he spoke.
"Yet,"
said Iras, with a smile which was not lost upon the youth, whose eyes, it must
be admitted, had several times turned to her during the interchange of speeches
with the elder -”Yet even he would be better if his fast were broken. Kings
have hunger and headaches. If you be, indeed, the Ben-Hur of whom my father has
spoken, and whom it was my pleasure to have known as well, you will be happy, I
am sure, to show us some near path to living water, that with its sparkle we
may grace a morning's meal in the Desert."
Ben-Hur, nothing
loath, hastened to answer.
"Fair
Egyptian, I give you sympathy. Can you bear suffering a little longer, we will
find the spring you ask for, and I promise that its draught shall be as sweet
and cooling as that of the more famous Castalia. With leave, we will make
haste."
"I give you
the blessing of the thirsty," she replied; "and offer you in return a
bit of bread from the city ovens, dipped in fresh butter from the dewy meadows
of Damascus."
"A most rare
favor! Let us go on."
So saying, Ben-Hur
rode forward with the guide, one of the inconveniences of travelling with
camels being that it is necessarily an interdiction of polite conversation.
Afterwhile the
party came to a shallow wady, down which, turning to the right hand, the guide
led them. The bed of the cut was somewhat soft from recent rains, and quite
bold in its descent. Momentarily, however, it widened; and erelong the sides
became bluffs ribbed with rocks much scarred by floods rushing to lower depths
ahead. Finally, from a narrow passage, the travellers entered a spreading vale
which was very delightful; but come upon suddenly from the yellow, unrelieved,
verdureless plain, it had the effect of a freshly discovered Paradise. The
water-channels winding here and there, definable by crisp white shingling,
appeared like threads tangled among islands green with grasses and fringed with
reeds. Up from the final depths of the valley of the Jordan some venturous
oleanders had crept, and with their large bloom now starred the sunken place. One
palm-tree arose in royal assertion. The bases of the boundary-walls were
cloaked with clambering vines, and under a leaning cliff over on the left the
mulberry grove had planted itself, proclaiming the spring which the party were
seeking. And thither the guide conducted them, careless of whistling partridges
and lesser birds of brighter hues roused whirring from the reedy coverts.
The water started
from a crack in the cliff which some loving hand had enlarged into an arched
cavity. Graven over it in bold Hebraic letters was the word GOD. The graver had
no doubt drunk there, and tarried many days, and given thanks in that durable
form. From the arch the stream ran merrily over a flag spotted with bright
moss, and leaped into a pool glassy clear; thence it stole away between grassy
banks, nursing the trees before it vanished in the thirsty sand. A few narrow
paths were noticeable about the margin of the pool; otherwise the space around
was untrodden turf, at sight of which the guide was assured of rest free from
intrusion by men. The horses were presently turned loose, and from the kneeling
camel the Ethiopian assisted Balthasar and Iras; whereupon the old man, turning
his face to the east, crossed his hands reverently upon his breast and prayed.
"Bring me a cup,"
Iras said, with some impatience.
From the houdah
the slave brought her a crystal goblet; then she said to Ben-Hur,
"I will be
your servant at the fountain."
They walked to
the pool together. He would have dipped the water for her, but she refused his
offer, and kneeling, held the cup to be filled by the stream itself; nor yet
content, when it was cooled and overrunning, she tendered him the first
draught.
"No,"
he said, putting the graceful hand aside, and seeing only the large eyes half
hidden beneath the arches of the upraised brows, "be the service mine, I
pray."
She persisted in
having her way.
"In my
country, O son of Hur, we have a saying, 'Better a cupbearer to the fortunate
than minister to a king.'"
"Fortunate!"
he said.
There were both
surprise and inquiry in the tone of his voice and in his look, and she said
quickly,
"The gods
give us success as a sign by which we may know them on our side. Were you not
winner in the Circus?"
His cheeks began
to flush.
"That was
one sign. There is another. In a combat with swords you slew a Roman."
The flush
deepened - not so much for the triumphs themselves as the flattery there was in
the thought that she had followed his career with interest. A moment, and the
pleasure was succeeded by a reflection. The combat, he knew, was matter of
report throughout the East; but the name of the victor had been committed to a
very few - Malluch, Ilderim, and Simonides. Could they have made a confidante
of the woman? So with wonder and gratification he was confused; and seeing it,
she arose and said, holding the cup over the pool,
"O gods of
Egypt! I give thanks for a hero discovered - thanks that the victim in the
Palace of Idernee was not my king of men. And so, O holy gods, I pour and
drink."
Part of the contents
of the cup she returned to the stream, the rest she drank. When she took the
crystal from her lips, she laughed at him.
"O son of
Hur, is it a fashion of the very brave to be so easily overcome by a woman?
Take the cup now, and see if you cannot find a happy word in it for me"
He took the cup,
and stooped to refill it.
"A son of
Israel has no gods whom he can libate," he said, playing with the water to
hide his amazement, now greater than before. What more did the Egyptian know
about him? Had she been told of his relations with Simonides? And there was the
treaty with Ilderim - had she knowledge of that also? He was struck with
mistrust. Somebody had betrayed his secrets, and they were serious. And,
besides, he was going to Jerusalem, just then of all the world the place where
such intelligence possessed by an enemy might be most dangerous to him, his
associates, and the cause. But was she an enemy? It is well for us that, while
writing is slow, thought is instantaneous. When the cup was fairly cooled, he
filled it and arose, saying, with indifference well affected,
"Most fair,
were I an Egyptian or a Greek or a Roman, I would say" - he raised the
goblet overhead as he spoke -”O ye better gods! I give thanks that there are
yet left to the world, despite its wrongs and sufferings, the charm of beauty
and the solace of love, and I drink to her who best represents them - to Iras,
loveliest of the daughters of the Nile!"
She laid her hand
softly upon his shoulder.
"You have
offended against the law. The gods you have drunk to are false gods. Why shall
I not tell the rabbis on you?"
"Oh!"
he replied, laughing, "that is very little to tell for one who knows so
much else that is really important."
"I will go
further - I will go to the little Jewess who makes the roses grow and the
shadows flame in the house of the great merchant over in Antioch. To the rabbis
I will accuse you of impenitence; to her -”
"Well, to
her?"
"I will
repeat what you have said to me under the lifted cup, with the gods for witnesses."
He was still a
moment, as if waiting for the Egyptian to go on. With quickened fancy he saw
Esther at her father's side listening to the despatches he had forwarded -
sometimes reading them. In her presence he had told Simonides the story of the
affair in the Palace of Idernee. She and Iras were acquainted; this one was
shrewd and worldly; the other was simple and affectionate, and therefore easily
won. Simonides could not have broken faith - nor Ilderim - for if not held by
honor, there was no one, unless it might be himself, to whom the consequences
of exposure were more serious and certain. Could Esther have been the
Egyptian's informant? He did not accuse her; yet a suspicion was sown with the
thought, and suspicions, as we all know, are weeds of the mind which grow of
themselves, and most rapidly when least wanted. Before he could answer the
allusion to the little Jewess, Balthasar came to the pool.
"We are
greatly indebted to you, son of Hur," he said, in his grave manner.
"This vale is very beautiful; the grass, the trees, the shade, invite us
to stay and rest, and the spring here has the sparkle of diamonds in motion,
and sings to me of a loving God. It is not enough to thank you for the
enjoyment we find; come sit with us, and taste our bread."
"Suffer me
first to serve you."
With that Ben-Hur
filled the goblet, and gave it to Balthasar, who lifted his eyes in
thanksgiving.
Immediately the
slave brought napkins; and after laving their hands and drying them, the three
seated themselves in Eastern style under the tent which years before had served
the Wise Men at the meeting in the Desert. And they ate heartily of the good
things taken from the camel's pack.
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