The Brook Kerith: A Syrian story

  CHAP. X.

  A very good guessing of his father's wonts and thoughts was that ofJoseph while riding from Tiberias, for as the horsemen came up the laneat a canter the old man was wending homeward from his counting-house,wishing Peter and Andrew, James and John and the rest good fortune withtheir nets, or else, he had begun to think, the order from Damascuscannot----- The completed sentence would probably have run: cannot beexecuted, but the sound of the hooves of Joseph's horse checked thewords on his lips and he had to squeeze himself against the ditch, toescape being trodden upon. Joseph sprang from the saddle. Father, Ihaven't hurt you, I hope? I was dreaming. Why, Joseph, it is you! Youhaven't hurt me, and I was dreaming too. But what a beautiful horse youare riding! Aren't you afraid he will run away? Up and down these laneshe would give us a fine chase. No, Joseph replied, he'll follow me. Andthe horse followed them, pushing his head against Joseph's shoulder fromtime to time; but Joseph was too much engaged with his father to do morethan whistle to Xerxes when he lingered to browse.

  As we rode past Tiberias, I had imagined you, Father, sitting in theverandah drinking sherbet. We will have some presently, Dan answered. Iwas detained at my business. Tell me, Father, how are the monkeys andthe parrots? Much the same as you left them, Dan answered, as he laidhis hand on the latch of the large wooden gate. A servant came forwardto conduct them, and Joseph threw his reins to him.

  A monkey came hopping across the sward and jumped on to Joseph'sshoulder. Another came, and then a third. Dan would have been annoyed ifthe monkeys had not recognised Joseph, for it seemed to him quitenatural that all things should love Joseph. You see, he continued, theparrots are screaming and dancing on their perches, waiting for you toscratch their polls. Joseph complied, and then Dan wearied of themonkeys, which were absorbing Joseph's attention, and drove them away.You haven't told me that you're glad to be back in Galilee in front ofthat beautiful lake. Jerusalem has its temple but God made the lakehimself. But you don't seem as pleased to be back as I'd like. Father,it is of thee I'm thinking and not of temples or lakes, Joseph answered,and for a moment Dan could not speak, so deep was his happiness, and sointense. Overcome by it, they walked a little way and Joseph followedhis father up the tall stairs on to the verandahed balcony, and whenthey had drunk some sherbet and Joseph had vowed he had not tasted anylike it, Dan interposed suddenly: but thou hast not told me, Joseph, howthou camest by thy beautiful horse. He came from Egypt, Joseph answeredcasually, and was about to add that he was an Egyptian horse, but onsecond thoughts it seemed to him that it would be well not to speak theword "Egypt" again: to do so might put another question into hisfather's mouth; he would not commit himself to a rank lie, and to tellthat he had gone to Egypt could not do else than lead him into anintricate story which would indispose his father to listen to Pilate'sprojects, or at least estrange Dan's mind from a calm judgment of them;so he resolved to omit all mention of Banu, Jesus and Egypt and to beginhis narrative with an account of his meeting with the camel-driverGaddi. But the camel-driver seemed to be the last person that Dan wasinterested in. But he's my partner! Joseph exclaimed, and it was he whosent me to Pilate. I'll tell thee about the Essenes afterwards. Andfeeling that he had at last succeeded in fixing his father's attentionon that part of the story which he wished to tell him, Joseph said: anexcellent governor, one who is ready to listen to all schemes for thefurtherance of commercial enterprise in Judea: he has ridded the hillsof the robbers; and his account of the summer in the desert with theRoman soldiers, smoking out nest after nest and putting on crosses thosethat were taken alive interested the old man. I wish he would start onSamaria, Dan mentioned casually; and Joseph replied, and he will as soonas he is certain that he can rely on the help of men like thee. Pilate'sfavour is worth winning, Father, and it can be won. I doubt thee not,but wilt tell how it may be won, my boy? By falling in with hisprojects, Joseph answered, and began his relation. And when he hadfinished, Dan sat meditating, casting up the account: Pilate's good willis desirable, he said, but a large sum of money will have to beadvanced. But, Father, the carrying trade has been a great success.Well, let us go into figures, Joseph. And they balanced the profitsagainst the losses. Without doubt thou hast done well this last halfyear, Dan said, and if business don't fall away---- But, Father, Josephinterrupted, think of the profit my account would have shown if we hadnot lost two convoys. The loss has already been very nearly paid off.There are no more robbers and the demand for figs is steady inJerusalem. Figs ripen much earlier---- Say no more, Joseph. My money isthy money, and if fifty camels be wanted, thou shalt have them. 'Tis theleast I can do for thee, for thou hast ever been a frugal son, Joseph,and art deserving of all I have. So Pilate has heard of my fish-saltingand maybe that was why he met thee on such fair terms. That has much todo with it, Joseph replied, and he watched the look of satisfaction thatcame into his father's face. But tell me, Joseph, has all this long timebeen spent smoking out robbers? Tell me again of their caves. Well,Father, the caves often opened on to ledges, and we had to lower thesoldiers in baskets.

  And the tale how one great cavern was besieged amused the old man tillhe was nigh to clapping his hands with delight and to reminding Josephof the time when he used to ask his grandmother to tell him stories.Were she here she'd like to hear thee telling thy stories. Thou wast inher thoughts to the last and now we shall never see her any more,however great our trouble may be; and in the midst of a great silencethey fell to thinking how the same black curtain would drop between themand the world. She has gone away to Arimathea, Joseph, whence we cameand whither I shall follow her. We go forward a little way but to goback again. But I can't talk of deaths and graves. Go on telling meabout Pilate and the robbers, for I've been busy all day in thecounting-house adding up figures, and to listen to a good tale is a raredistraction. Yet I wouldn't talk of them either, Joseph, but of thyselfand thy horse that all the country will be talking about the day afterto-morrow, when thou'lt ride him into the town. And now say it, Joseph:ye are a wee bit tired, isn't that so? Nay, Father, not a bit. We havecome but twenty miles from the last halt, and as for the telling of mystory, maybe the loose ends which I've forgotten for the moment willunravel themselves while we're talking of fish-salting--of the manyextra barrels you've sent out. Now, Father, say how many? At it, Joseph,as beforetimes, rallying thy old father! Well, I've not done so badly,but a drop in the year's trading is never a pleasant thought, though itbe but a barrel. And he began again his complaint against the governmentof Antipas, who had never encouraged trade as he should have done. Now,if we had a man here such as thy friend Pilate, I'd not be saying toomuch were I to say that my trade could be doubled. But Pilate has noauthority in Galilee. Joseph thought that Pilate's authority should beextended. But how can that be done? Dan inquired, and being embarrassedfor an answer, Joseph pressed Dan to confide in him, a thing which Danshowed no wish to do; but at last his reluctance was overcome, and shylyhe admitted that his despondency had nothing to do with Antipas nor witha casual drop in the order from Damascus, but with a prophet that wastroubling the neighbourhood. A very dangerous prophet, too, is this one;but I am afraid, Joseph, we don't view prophets in exactly the samelight. Joseph was about to laugh, but seeing the smile coming into hiseyes, his father begged him to wait till he heard the whole story.

  He called up all his attention into his face, and the story he heard wasthat the new prophet, who came up from Jordan about a year ago, waspreaching that the Lord was so outraged at the conduct of his chosenpeople that he had determined to destroy the world, and might begin thewrecking of it any day of the week. But before the world ends there'llbe wars. Joseph said: but there has been none, nor have I heard rumoursof any. We don't hear much what's going on up here in Galilee, Dananswered, and he continued his story: the new prophet had persuaded manyof the fishers to lay down their nets. Simon Peter, thou rememberesthim? Well, he's the prophet's right-hand man, and now casts a net butseldom. And thou hast not forgotten James and John, sons of Zebedee?They come next in the
prophet's favour, and there are plenty of otherswalking about the village, neglecting their work and telling of thejudgment and the great share of the world that'll come to them when theprophet returns from heaven in a chariot. Among them is Matthew, apublican, the only one that can read or write. You don't remember him?Now I come to think on it, he was appointed soon after thou wentest toJerusalem. Soon after I went to Jerusalem? Joseph asked; was the prophetpreaching then? No. It all began soon after thy departure for Jerusalemabout a year ago; a more ignorant lot of fellows thou'st be puzzled tofind, if thou wert to travel the world over in search of them. Theprophet himself comes from the most ignorant village inGalilee--Nazareth. But why look like that, Joseph? What ails thee? Goon, Father, with thy telling of the prophet from Nazareth. He started inNazareth, Dan answered, but none paid any heed to him but made a mock ofhim, for he'd have us believe that he is the Messiah that the Jews havebeen expecting for many a year. But it was predicted that the Messiahwill be born in Bethlehem; and everybody knows that Jesus was born inNazareth. There's some talk, too, that he comes from the line of David,but everybody knows that Jesus is the son of Joseph the Carpenter. Hismother and his brothers tried all they could do to dissuade him frompreaching about the judgment, which he knows no more about than thenext one, but he wouldn't listen to them. A good quiet woman, hismother; I know her well and am sorry for her; but she has better sons inJames and Jude. Joseph her husband, I knew him in days gone by--aGod-fearing honest man, whom one could always entrust with a day's work.He doted on his eldest son, though he never could teach him to handle asaw with any skill, for his thoughts were always wandering, and when anEssene came up to Galilee in search of neophytes, Jesus took his fancyand they went away together. But what ails thee? As soon as Joseph couldget control of his voice, he asked his father if the twain were goneaway together to the cenoby on the eastern bank of Jordan, and Dananswered that he thought he had heard of the great Essenes' encampmentby the Dead Sea. A fellow fair-spoken enough, Dan continued, that hasbewitched the poor folk about the lakeside. But, Joseph, thy cheek islike ashes, and thou'rt all of a tremble: drink a little sherbet, myboy. No, Father, no. Tell me, is the Galilean as tall or as heavy as Iam, or of slight build, with a forehead broad and high? And does he walkas if he were away and in communion with his Father in heaven? But whatails thee, my son? What ails thee? He came from the cenoby on theeastern shores of the Jordan? Joseph continued; and has been here nearlytwo years? He received baptism from John in the Jordan? Isn't that so,Father? I know naught of his baptism, Dan answered, but he'll fall intotrouble. I was with Banu, Joseph said, when the hermit saw him in avision receiving baptism from John; but though I ran, I was too late,and ever since have sought Jesus, in Egypt and afterwards among thehills of Judea. I can't tell thee more at present, but would go out intothe garden or perhaps wander by myself for a little while under thecliffs by the lake. Thou'lt forgive me this sudden absence, Father?

  Dan put down his glass of sherbet and looked after his son. He had beenso happy for a little while, and now unhappiness was by again.