The Brook Kerith: A Syrian story

  CHAP. XIX.

  And when he returned with the lantern he had forgotten he threw himselfon his bed, remembering that he must not sleep, for to miss Esora as shecame downstairs would mean to leave Jesus in pain longer than he need beleft. But sleep closed his eyelids. Sleep! He did not know if he hadslept. The room was still quite dark, and Esora did not come down tilldawn; and, sitting up in his bed, he said: God saved him from death, orraised him out of death, but he has not raised him yet into heaven. Heis in the gardener's cottage! If only Esora can cure him of his wounds,he continued, he and I might live together in this garden happily.

  He closed his eyes so that he might enjoy his dream of Jesus'companionship, but fell into a deeper sleep, from which he was awakenedby the sound of footsteps on the stairs. It is Esora trying to descendwithout awakening me, he said. But nobody was on the stairs, and hestood listening on the landing, asking himself if Esora was at work soearly. And then it seemed to him that he could hear somebody in herpantry.... To make sure he descended and found her before her tablebrushing the clothes he had thrown off. You must have been in my roomand picked up my clothes without my hearing you, he said; it was nottill you were on the second flight of stairs that I awoke. I didn't knowthat you rose so early, Esora. It is still dusk. And if I didn't,Master, I don't know how the work would get done. But the Sabbath,Joseph rejoined; and incontinently began to discuss the observances ofthe Sabbath with her. But even on the Sabbath there is work to be done,she answered; your clothes--a nice state you brought them home in, andif they were not cleaned for you, you could not present yourself in thesynagogue to-day. But, Esora, Joseph answered faintly, I don't see whyyou should be up and at work at this hour and that girl, Matred, stillasleep. Does she never help you in your work? Esora muttered somethingthat Joseph did not hear, and in answer to his question why she did notrouse Matred from her bed she said that the young require more sleepthan the old; an answer that surprised Joseph, for he had never beenable to rid himself of his first impression of Esora. He remembered whenhe was a child how he hated her long nose, her long yellow neck and herdoleful voice always crying out against somebody, her son, herkitchen-maid, or Joseph himself. She used to turn him out of her kitchenand larder and dairy, saying that his place was upstairs, and onceraised her hand to him; later she had complained to his father of histhefts; for he brought his dogs with him and stole the larder key andcut off pieces of meat for them, and very often dipped jars into thepans of milk that were standing for cream. His father reproved him, andfrom that day he hated Esora, casting names at her, and playing manypranks upon her until the day he tipped a kettle of boiling water overhis foot while running to scald the wasps in their nest--one of theapes was stung; it was to avenge the sting he was running, and no onehad known how to relieve his suffering; his father had gone away for thedoctor, but Esora, as soon as she heard what had happened, came with herbalsam, and it subdued the pain almost miraculously.

  After his scalding Joseph brought all his troubles to her to be cured,confiding to her care coughs, colds, and cut fingers; and, as she neverfailed to relieve his pain, whatever it was, he began to look upon herwith respect and admiration. All the same something of his originaldislike remained. He disliked her while he admired her, and hissuspicion was that she loved him more for his father's sake than for hisown---- It was his father who sent her from Galilee to look after him.There was no fault to find with her management, but he could not rid hismind of the belief that she was a hard task-mistress, and often fell topitying the servants under her supervision, yet here she was up at fivewhile Matred lay drowsing. This testimony of her kind heart wasagreeable to him, for he had need of all her kindness and sympathy thatmorning--only with her help could Jesus be cured of his wounds and thestory of his escape from the cross he kept a secret. He was in herhands, and, confident of her loyalty to him, he told her that he hadleft his door open because he wished to speak to her before the otherswere out of bed.

  She lifted her face till he saw her dim eyes, perhaps for the firsttime: but ye haven't been in bed, and there be dust on thy garments, andblood upon thy hands and sleeves. Yes, Esora, my cloak is full of dust,and the blood on my sleeve is that of a man who lies wounded in thegardener's cottage belike to death. But thou canst cure him and wiltkeep the secret of his burial if we have to bury him in the garden. Itmay be that some day I'll tell thee his story, but think now only howthou mayst relieve his suffering. Another time thou shalt heareverything; but now, Esora, understand nobody must know that a man is inthe gardener's cottage. It is a matter of life and death for us. I amhere to serve you, Master, and it matters not to me what his story maybe; but tell how he is wounded; are the wounds the clean wounds of thesword or the torn wounds of rods? If he have been scourged---- A cruelscourging it must have been, Joseph answered. Now, before we go, Esora,understand that I shall send the two men away, one to Galilee and one toJericho. Better both should go to Jericho, she said. I'd trust neitherin Jerusalem. Let them go straight from here as soon as the Sabbath isover, the journey is shorter, and they'll be as well out of the way inone country as in the other. Esora is wiser than I, Joseph thought, andtogether they shall go to Jericho, and with an important message. But towhom? Not to Gaddi, who might come up to Jerusalem to see me. I'll senda letter to Hazael, the Essene, and after having delivered the messagethey can remain at the caravanserai in Jericho. Some excuse that willsatisfy Gaddi must be discovered, Esora. I shall find one later. Boththe men are now in bed, but if for some reason one of them should comedown to the gardener's cottage! It isn't likely, Esora answered. Notlikely, Joseph replied; but we must guard against anything. If thouknewest the risk! I'll lock the door of the passage leading to theirrooms, and I'll do it at once. Give me the keys. She handed him thekeys, and, having locked the men in, he returned, saying: the woundedman, whom thou'lt cure, Esora, may be here for a month or more, and tillhe leaves us thou must watch the girl and see she doesn't stray throughthe garden. I can manage her, Esora answered. But now about the poor manwho is waiting for attendance in the gardener's cottage. What have yedone for him, Master? I picked from his back the splinters I could seeby the light of the lamp, and gave him some wine and water, and laid himon a linen cloth. The old woman muttered that the drawing of the clothfrom the wound would be very painful. I dare say it will, Josephreturned, but I knew not what else to do, and it seemed to relieve him.Can you help him, Esora? Yes, I can; and she began telling him of herown famous balsam, the secret of which was imparted to her by hermother, who had it from her mother; and her great-grandmother learnt itfrom an Arabian. But knowledge of the balsam went back to the Queen ofSheba, who brought the plant to King Solomon. Thou must have seen thebush in the garden in Galilee. It throws a white flower, like theacacia, and the juice when drawn passes through many colours, honeycolour and then green. The Egyptians use it for many sicknesses, and itheals wounds magically. The sweet liquor pours from cuts in thebranches, and care must be taken not to wound them too sorely. Thisplant fears the sword, for it heals sword wounds, so the cuts in thetree are best made with a sharp flint or shell, these being holier thansteel. If thou hast missed the bush in Magdala, Master, thou must haveseen it in Jericho, for I brought some seeds from Galilee to Jericho andplanted them by the gardener's cottage. Esora, all that thou tellest meabout the balsam is marvellous. I could listen to thee for hours, andthou'lt tell me about thy grandmother and the Arabian who taught her howto gather the juice of the plant, but we must be thinking now of myfriend's agony. Hast any of thy balsam ready, or must thou go to Jerichofor the juice?--you draw the juice from the tree? No, Master, Esoraanswered him, I have here in my press a jar of the balsam, and, going toher press, she held the jar to Joseph, who saw a white, milky liquid,and after smelling and liking its sweet smell he said: let us go atonce. But thou mustn't hurry me, Master; I'm collecting bandages of finelinen and getting this kettle of water to boil; for this I learnt from aman who learnt it from the best surgeons in Rome: that freshly boiledwater holds no more the hum
ours that make wounds fructify, and if boiledlong enough the humours fall to the bottom. I strain them off, and letthe water cool. Thou mustn't hurry me; what I do, I do well, and at myown pace; and I'll not touch a wound with unclean things. Now I'll getsome oil. Some hold Denbalassa is best mixed with oil, but I pour oilupon the balm after I have laid it on the wound, and by this means itwill stick less when it is removed. But is thy friend a patient man?Wounds from scourging heal slowly; the flesh is bruised and many humoursmust come away; wounds from rods are not like the clean cut of a sword,which will heal under the balm when the edges have been brought togethercarefully, so that no man can find the place. This balm will cure allkinds of coughs, and will disperse bile as many a time I have found.Some will wash a wound with wine and water, but I hold it heats theblood about the wound and so increases the making of fresh humours. Now,Master, take up the pot of water and see that ye hold it steady. I'llcarry the basket containing the oil and the balm.... It was the Queen ofSheba who first made the balm known, because she gave it to Solomon. Butwe must keep the flies from him; and while I'm getting these things goto him and take with thee a fine linen cloth; thou'lt find some piecesin that cupboard, and a hammer and some nails. I'm thinking there arefew flies in the gardener's cottage, half of it being underground; buthasten and nail up the linen cloth over the window, for the first sunray will awaken any that are in the cottage, and, if there aren't any,flies will come streaming in from the garden as soon as the light comes,following the scent of blood. No, not there, a little to the right, heheard her crying, and, finding a piece of linen and a hammer and somenails, he went out into the greyness still undisturbed by the chirrup ofa half-awakened bird.

  On either side of the shelving lawn or interspace were woods, theremains of an ancient forest that had once covered this hillside; pathswound sinuously through the woods, and, taking the one he had followedovernight, he passed under sycamore boughs, through some woodland to theterrace that he had crossed last night with a naked man on hisshoulders. And he remembered how hard it had been to keep to the pathovernight, and how fortunate it was that the gardener's cottage was notlocked, for if he had had to lay Jesus down he would never have beenable to lift him up again on to his shoulder. He had done all he couldto relieve his suffering. But Jesus, he said to himself, is lying inagony, and if he has regained consciousness he may believe himselfburied alive. I must hasten. Yet when he arrived at the cottage he didnot enter it at once, but stood outside listening to the moans of thewounded man within, which were good to hear in this much that they werean assurance that he was still alive. At last he pushed the door openand found Jesus moving his head from side to side, unable to rid himselfof a fly that was crawling about his mouth. Joseph drove it away andgave Jesus some more weak wine and water, which seemed to soothe him,and feeling he could do no more he sat down by the bedside to wait forEsora. A few minutes after he heard her steps and she came into thecottage with balsam and bandages in a basket, divining before anyexamination Jesus' state. He is in a bad way; you've given him wine andwater, but he'll need something stronger, and, taking a bottle from herbasket, she lifted Jesus' head so that he might drink from it. It willhelp him to bear the pain of the dressing, she said. Now, Master, willyou roll him over on to his side, so that I may see his back. The pain,she said, looking up, when we remove this cloth on which you have laidhim will almost kill him, but we must get it off. The water with whichI'll cleanse the wound, you'll find it in that basket: it is cool enoughnow to use. Take him by the wrists and pull him forward, keeping him ina sitting position. Which Joseph did, Esora washing his back the whileand removing the splinters that Joseph missed overnight. And, takingpleasure in her ministrations, she steeped a piece of linen in the balm,and over the medicated linen laid a linen pad, rolling a bandage roundthe chest; and the skill with which she wound it surprised Joseph andpersuaded him that the worst was over and there was no cause for furtherfear, a confidence Esora did not share. He'll rest easier, she said, andwill suffer no pain at the next dressing; for the oil will prevent thebalm from sticking. We can roll him on his back now, and without askingany question she dressed his hands and feet.

  Joseph thanked her inwardly for her reticence, and he nailed up the finelinen cloth before the window, saying: now he is secure from the flies.But one or two have got in already, Esora answered, and one or two willtrouble the sick man as much as a hundred. We can't leave him alone;one of us must watch by his side; for he is still delirious and knowsnot yet what has befallen him nor where he is. If he were to return toclear reason and find the door locked he might lose his reason for goodand all, and if we left the door open he might run out into the garden.It isn't safe to leave him.

  And perceiving all she said to be sound sense, Joseph took counsel withher, and his resolve was that the two men-servants should remain intheir house till the sunset That I should send them away to Jericho onmy own horses will surprise them, he said to himself, but that can't bealtered. A long, weary day lies before us, Esora, and we shall have totake it in turns, and neither can be away for more than two hours at atime from the house. Matred will be asking for instructions whether sheis to feed the poultry or to kill a chicken. Though it be the Sabbath,she'll find reasons to be about because we would have her indoors. Andwhen I'm watching by the sick man, Esora returned, she'll be asking:where, Master, is Esora? Thou'lt have to invent excuses. We've forgottenthe servants, Esora. Give me the key. I must run with it and unlock thedoor of the passage. Do you wait here till I return.

  He hoped to find his servants asleep, and his hopes were fulfilled; andafter rousing them with vigorous reproof for their laziness, hedescended the stairs, thinking of the letter he would devise for them tocarry to Jericho. These men, Sarea and Asiel, were his peril. Once theywere away on their journey to Jericho he would feel easier. But allthese hours I shall suffer, he said. But, Master, they know the cottageto be empty. One never can think, my good Esora, whither idle men willbe wandering, and the risk is great. Having gone so far we must havecourage, Esora answered. Now give me the key, and I'll lock myself inwith him; we'll take it in turns, and the day will not be as longpassing as you think for. It is now six o'clock, he answered: twelvehours will have to pass away before the men start for Jericho. And thenthe night will be before us, replied Esora. I hadn't thought of thenight, Joseph answered, and she reminded him that it might be daysbefore his friend, who had been scourged, could recover sufficiently forhim to leave. For he won't always remain here, she added. No! no! Josephreplied, and gave her the key of the cottage, and returned to the houseto tell Sarea and Asiel that he hoped they would remain indoors duringthe Sabbath, for he wished them to start for Jericho as soon as theSabbath was over. They shall ride my horses, he said to himself, andbear letters that will detain them in Jericho for some weeks, and ifJesus be not well enough to leave me, another letter will delay theirreturn. It can be so arranged, with a little luck on our side!

  The lantern suddenly flashed into his mind. He had left it on the tablein his room and Esora would see it. But why shouldn't she see thelantern? The centurion and the carrier and Martha and Mary all knew thathe had brought from Jerusalem a sheet in which to wrap the body ofJesus, and a lantern to light their way into the tomb. It would be inagreement with what he had already said to tell that he brought thelantern back with him, nor would it have mattered if he had not returnedto the tomb to fetch the lantern. The lantern would not cast anysuspicion upon him. But he had done well to refrain from closing thesepulchre with the stone, for the story of the resurrection would riseout of the empty tomb, and though there were many among the Jews whowould not believe the story, few would have the courage to inquire intothe truth of a miracle.

  A faint smile gathered on his lips, and he began to wonder what theexpression would be on the faces of Martha and Mary when they came tohim on the morrow with the news that Jesus had risen from the dead.