“A voice from the East! a voice from the West!
a voice from the four Winds! a voice against Jerusalem
and against the Temple! a voice against the bridegrooms
and the brides! a voice against the whole people!
Woe, woe to Jerusalem!”
Now he was upon them, yes, and marching through them
as though he saw them not, although they shrank to
one side and the other of the narrow street to avoid
the touch of this ominous, unclean creature who scarcely
seemed to be a man.
“Fellow, what do these words mean?” cried
Benoni in angry fear. But, taking no heed, his
pale eyes fixed upon the heavens, the wanderer answered
only, “Woe, woe to Jerusalem! Woe to you
who come up to Jerusalem!”
So he passed on, still uttering those awful words,
till at length they lost sight of his naked form and
the sound of his crying grew faint and died away.
“What a fearful greeting is this!” said
Miriam, wringing her hands.
“Ay!” answered Nehushta, “but the
farewell will be worse. The place is doomed and
all in it.”
Only Caleb said, striving to look unconcerned:
“Have no fear, Miriam. I know the man.
He is mad.”
“Where does wisdom end and madness begin?”
asked Nehushta.
Then they went on towards the gates of the Temple,
always through the same blood-stained, empty streets.
THE ESSENES FIND THEIR QUEEN AGAIN
They went on towards the gates of the Temple, but
many a long day was destined to go by ere Miriam reached
them. The entrance by which they were told they
must approach if they sought speech of the high priest,
was one of the two Huldah Gates on the south side of
the Royal Cloister, and thither they came across the
valley of Tyropaeon. As they drew near to them
of a sudden that gate which stood most to the east
was flung wide, and out of it issued a thousand or
more of armed men, like ants from a broken nest, who,
shouting and waving swords, rushed towards their company.
As it chanced, at the moment they were in the centre
of an open space that once had been covered with houses
but was now cumbered with hundreds of blackened and
tottering walls, for fire had devoured them.
“It is the men of John who attack us,”
cried a voice, whereon, moved by a common impulse,
the little band turned and fled for shelter among the
ruined houses; yes, even Caleb and Benoni fled.
Before they reached them, lo! from these crumbling
walls that they had thought untenanted save by wandering
dogs, out rushed another body of savage warriors,
the men of Simon who held the Lower City.
