Part 10 (1/2)
”Well, come along with me, then. I have got a little room to myself, and you shall have as much to eat as you like.”
The room John occupied had formerly been a loft over a stable, in the rear of the house in which Josephus now lodged; and it was reached by a ladder from the outside. He had shared it, at first, with two of his comrades; but these had both fallen, during the siege. After seeing the boy up into it, John went to the house and procured him an abundant meal; and took it, with a small horn of water, back to his quarters.
”Here's plenty for you to eat, Jonas, but not much to drink. We are all on short allowance, the same as the rest of the people; and I am afraid that won't last long.”
There was a twinkle of amus.e.m.e.nt in the boy's face but, without a word, he set to work at the food, eating ravenously all that John had brought him. The latter was surprised to see that he did not touch the water; for he thought that if his stepmother deprived him of food, of which there was abundance, she would all the more deprive him of water, of which the ration to each person was so scanty.
”Now,” John said, ”you had better throw away that bit of sackcloth, and take this garment. It belonged to a comrade of mine, who has been killed.”
”There's too much of it,” the boy said. ”If you don't mind my tearing it in half, I will take it.”
”Do as you like with it,” John replied; and the boy tore the long strip of cotton in two, and wrapped half of it round his loins.
”Now,” he said, ”what do you want to ask me?”
”They tell me, Jonas, that you are a first-rate climber, and can go anywhere?”
The boy nodded.
”I can get about, I can. I have been tending goats, pretty well ever since I could walk and, where they can go, I can.”
”I want to know, in the first place, whether there is any possible way by which one can get up and down from this place, except by the road through the wall?”
The boy was silent.
”Now look here, Jonas,” John went on, feeling sure that the lad could tell something, if he would, ”if you could point out a way down, the governor would be very pleased; and as long as the siege lasts you can live here with me, and have as much food as you want, and not go near that stepmother of yours, at all.”
”And n.o.body will beat me, for telling you?” the boy asked.
”Certainly not, Jonas.”
”It wouldn't take you beyond the Romans. They have got guards, all round.”
”No, but it might enable us to get down to the water,” John urged, the sight of the unemptied horn causing the thought to flash through his mind that the boy had been in the habit of going down, and getting water.
”Well, I will tell you,” the boy said. ”I don't like to tell, because I don't think there's anyone here knows it, but me. I found it out, and I never said a word about it, because I was able to slip away when I liked; and no one knows anything about it. But it doesn't make much difference, now, because the Romans are going to kill us all. So I will tell you.
”At the end of the rock, you have to climb down about fifty feet.
It's very steep there, and it's as much as you can do to get down; but when you have got down that far, you get to the head of a sort of dried-up water course, and it ain't very difficult to go down there and, that way, you can get right down to the stream. It don't look, from below, as if you could do it; and the Romans haven't put any guards on the stream, just there. I know, because I go down every morning, as soon as it gets light. I never tried to get through the Roman sentries; but I expect one could, if one tried.
”But I don't see how you are to bring water up here, if that's what you want. I tell you, it is as much as you can do to get up and down, and you want both your hands and your feet; but I could go down and bring up a little water for you, in a skin hanging round my neck, if you like.”
”I am afraid that wouldn't be much good, Jonas,” John said; ”but it might be very useful to send messages out, that way.”
”Yes,” the boy said; ”but you see I have always intended, when the Romans took the place, to make off that way. If other people go, it's pretty sure to be found out, before long; and then the Romans will keep watch. But it don't much matter. I know another place where you and I could lie hidden, any time, if we had got enough to eat and drink. I will show you but, mind, you must promise not to tell anyone else. There's no room for more than two; and I don't mean to tell you, unless you promise.”
”I will promise, Jonas. I promise you, faithfully, not to tell anyone.”
”Well, the way down ain't far from the other one. I will show it you, one of these days. I went down there, once, to get a hawk I had taken from the nest, and tamed. I went down, first, with a rope tied round me; but I found I could have done it without that--but I didn't tell any of the others, as I wanted to keep the place to myself.