CHAP. XXXIX.
It was as Jesus had said, the bats kept coming in and going out all thenight through, and their squeakings as they settled themselves to sleepa little before dawn awakened Paul, who, lifting his head from thesheepskin that Jesus had rolled into a comfortable pillow for him, spiedJesus asleep in a corner, and he began to ask himself if he shouldawaken Jesus or let him sleep a little while longer. But myself, hesaid, must escape from the stifle of this cave and the reek of the bats,and, dropping on his hands and knees, he crawled into the air.
It was a great joy to draw the pure air into his lungs, to drink a deepdraught, and to look round for a wild cat. One may be lurking, he said,impatient for our departure, and as soon as we go will creep in andspring among the roosts and carry off the flopping, squeaking morsel.But if a cat had been there licking her fur, waiting for the tiresomewayfarers to depart, she would have remained undiscovered to Paul'seyes, so thick was the shadow, and it was a long time before the valleylengthened out and the rocks reassumed their different shapes.
He was in a long narrow valley between steep hills, with a pathzigzagging up the hillside at the farther end, among rocks that set Paulthinking of the little that would remain of his sandals before theyreached Caesarea.
A long day's march of twelve or thirteen hours lay before him, one thathe would have been able to undertake in the old days without a thoughtof failure, but it was over and above his strength to-day. But was it?It seemed to him that he could walk a long way if the present breezethat had come up with the day were to continue. It came up the valley,delicious as spring water, but suddenly he recognised in it the smell ofa wild animal; the sour smell of wolves, he said to himself, and lookingamong the rocks he spied two large wolves not more than fifty yardsdistant. It is fortunate, he said, that the wind is blowing from them tome, else they would have scented me; and Paul watched the lolloping gaitof the wolves till they were out of sight, and then descending from therock he returned to the cave, thinking he had done wrong to leave it,for he had entrusted himself to Jesus, and perforce to clear hisconscience had to confide to him he had been out in the valley and seentwo wolves go by. But they did not scent me, the wind beingunfavourable. If they had, and been hungry, it might have gone hard withthee, Jesus said, and then he spoke of Bethennabrio, a village within adozen miles of Caesarea in which Paul would sleep that night. Thou canstnot get to Caesarea to-night, Jesus affirmed to him, and they resumedtheir journey through a country that seemed to grow more arid andmelancholy as they advanced.
Paul complained often that he had come by a more direct and a better waywith Timothy, but Jesus insisted that the way they were going was notmany miles longer than the way Paul had come by. Moreover, the way hewas taking was safer to follow. The Jews of Jericho had had many hoursin which to lay plans for his capture, but Jesus thought that if Paulwould believe in him he would be able to get him in safety to thevillage of Bethennabrio, where Paul thought he would be safe; the Jewswould not dare to arrest a Roman prisoner, one who had been ordered byFestus to Italy to receive Caesar's judgment within a few miles ofCaesarea. Thou'lt be within two hours of Caesarea, Jesus said, and canlook forward to seeing your comrade Timothy the next day. Jesus' wordsbrought comfort to Paul's heart and helped him to forget his feet thatwere beginning to pain him. But a long distance would still have to betraversed, and his eyes wandered over the outlines of the round-backedhills divided by steep valleys, so much alike that he asked himself howit was that Jesus could distinguish one from the other; but his guideseemed to divine the way as by instinct, and Paul struggled on,encouraged by a promise of a half-hour's rest as soon as they reachedthe summit of the hill before them. But no sooner had they reached itthan Jesus said, come behind this rock and hide thyself quickly. Andwhen he was safely hidden Jesus said, now peep over the top and thou'ltsee a shepherd leading his sheep along the hillside. What of that? Paulanswered, and Jesus said, not much, only I am thinking whether it wouldbe well to let him go his way without putting a question to him, orwhether it would be better to leave thee here while I go to him with theintention of finding out from him if there be tidings going about thatone Paul of Tarsus, a spreader of great heresies, a pestilential fellow,a stirrer-up of sedition, has been seen wandering, trying to find hisway back to Caesarea.
The shepherd was passing away over the crest of the hill when Jesussaid, the pretext will come to me on my way to him. Do thou abide heretill I return, and Paul watched him running, lurching from side to sideover the rough ground towards the shepherd, still far away. Will heovertake him before he passes out of sight and hearing? he askedhimself.
The sheep were running merrily, and the breeze carried down to Paul'sear the sound of the pipe, setting him thinking of the Patriarchs andthen of his guide; only mad, he said, in one corner of his brain,convinced that he returned to the Essenes because he had said inJerusalem that he was the Messiah. A strange blasphemy, he muttered, andyet not strange enough to save the brethren from the infection of it. Itwould seem that they believe with him that he suffered under Pilate,without knowing, however, for what crime he was punished; and a terriblecuriosity arose in Paul to learn the true story of his guide's life,who, he judged, might be led into telling it if care were taken not toarouse his suspicion. But these madmen are full of cunning, he said tohimself, and when Jesus returned Paul asked if he had discovered fromthe shepherd if an order was abroad from Jericho to arrest two itinerantpreachers on their way to Caesarea. Jesus answered him that he had put nodirect question to the shepherd. He had talked to him of the prospect offuture rains, and we were both agreed, Jesus said, that the sky lookedlike rain, and he told me we should find water in the valley collectedin pools among the rocks; he mentioned one by a group of fig-trees whichwe could not miss seeing. Thou art safe, Paul, have no fear for thy safearrival at Caesarea at midday to-morrow. If a search had been ordered toarrest two wayfarers my shepherd would have heard of it, for it wasabout here that they would try to intercept us, and we shall do well toturn into a path that they will overlook even if they have sent outagents in pursuit of thee and Timothy.