Part 25 (1/2)

”Swear,” he said, in Greek, for he was ignorant of Latin, ”by your G.o.ds, to spare the Temple, or I will kill you.”

There was a moment's hesitation. The knife was already descending, when t.i.tus exclaimed, in the same language:

”I swear to do all in my power to save the Temple.”

John's knife fell from his hand. He tried to rise to his feet; then everything seemed to swim round, and he fell, insensible. t.i.tus rose to his feet. He was shaken by the fall; and he, too, had lost much blood. Panting from his exertions, he looked down upon his prostrate foe; and the generosity which was the prevailing feature of his character, except when excited in battle, mastered him.

”By Hercules,” he exclaimed, ”that is a gallant youth; though he is a Jew, and he has well-nigh made an end of me! What will Vespasian say, when he hears that I have been beaten in fair fight, and owe my life to the mercy of a Jew? How they think of their temple, these Jews! Why, I would not injure it, were it in my power to do so. Have not our emperors sent offerings there? Besides, we war not with the G.o.ds of the people we conquer.

”Ah, here come Plancus and the others! This will be a lesson to me not to trust myself, alone, among these mountains again. It is the first time I have done so, and it shall be the last.”

A messenger had, in fact, arrived at Carmelia, with an order from Vespasian for him to go to Hebron--as he had a desire to speak with him--and ordering Plancus, a centurion, to follow with his troop, t.i.tus had sprung on his horse, and ridden off at once.

The Romans were soon upon the spot, and were loud in exclamation of surprise and grief at seeing their commander covered with dust, and bleeding from several wounds, while his horse lay dead beside him.

To their inquiries whether he was seriously wounded, t.i.tus replied, lightly:

”I am more dirty than hurt. Though, had it not been for my armor, there would have been a different tale to tell, for these Jews fight like demons. As you see, he first slew my horse with his javelin, and then we fought it out on foot.”

”Was there only this one?” the centurion asked, in surprise, pointing to John's body.

”Only that one,” t.i.tus said, ”and he nearly got the best of it.

Fighting with these Jews is like fighting with wild cats, so fierce are they in the attack, and so quick are their movements. I tell you that, for a moment, my life was at his mercy.

”See if he is dead, Plancus.”

”No, he breathes,” Plancus said, stooping over him.

”Let four of the men make a litter, with their spears,” t.i.tus said; ”and take him down to Carmelia, and let my own leech attend him. I would gladly save his life, if I can. I began the fray and, truly, he has shown himself so gallant a young man that I would not that he should die.”

Accordingly, when John opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a Roman tent, where an old man was sitting by his couch; and a Roman sentry pacing, backwards and forwards, before the entrance of the tent.

”Drink this,” the old man said, placing a cordial to his lips. ”You need have no fear, you are in the camp of t.i.tus; and he, himself, has ordered that all attention shall be paid to you.”

John was too weak from loss of blood, and confused from the effects of the blow on his head, even to feel the sensation of wonder. He drank the potion, and closed his eyes again, and went off into a sleep which lasted for many hours. It was not until the next day that he thoroughly awoke. The leech continued to attend him and, at the end of four days, he was able to sit up.

Ill.u.s.tration: t.i.tus Brings Josephus to See John.

In the afternoon, he heard a clash of arms as the sentry gave the military salute and, a moment later, t.i.tus entered, accompanied by one whom John instantly recognized as Josephus. John rose to his feet.

”I told you he was but a young man,” t.i.tus said to Josephus; ”but now that I can see him more nearly or, at any rate, more calmly, I can see that he is little more than a lad; and yet, as you have heard me say, he is a man of valor, and defeated me in fair fight.”

”I seem to know his face,” Josephus said, and then addressed John in Hebrew.

”Who are you, young man?”

”I am that John whom you saved in the storm, on the Sea of Galilee, and who fought with you at Jotapata.”

”Is it possible?” Josephus exclaimed, in surprise. ”I thought that I, alone, was saved there.”

”I lay hidden with the boy Jonas, who told us of the track down to the water,” John said, quietly, ”and have since then been fighting the Romans. While you--”