CHAPTER XV.
THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS.
The daring action of Judas at Modin was a defiance to the rulers atJerusalem, and felt to be so, not only by them, but by the whole country.It was followed up by active operations on the part of the patriotsagainst the smaller towns of south-eastern Palestine. The population beganto feel that it was safer to be on the side of the patriots than againstthem. Thanks to this feeling, to the genuine favour with which themovement was regarded, and to the perfect system of scouts which he hadorganized, Judas had early and trustworthy information of all themovements of the enemy. Apollonius had made up his mind that he must actif he was not to lose entirely his hold upon the country, and set aboutorganizing a force so overwhelmingly strong that it must, he thought,sweep the insurgents before it. This intention, and indeed, it may almostbe said, every detail of his preparations, was communicated to Judas. He,on his part, was determined that a heathen army should never again invadethe mountain sanctuary. He would not await attack. His military instincts,which, indeed, were extraordinarily fine and true, warned him thatboldness was now his best policy, and that he should go down and givebattle to the enemy.
It was on the eve of the departure of the patriot army, when Seraiah mighthave been seen making his way back from a conference of the chiefs to thecave which served him as a dwelling. He was now recovering from his wound,but he was still too weak to support the fatigues of a march. AccordinglyJudas had left him in command of the little garrison, scarcely, indeed,containing one able-bodied man, which was to protect the encampment. Whenhe reached his home he found his nieces, Miriam and Judith, sitting withhis wife, and watching the infant that was slumbering by her side.
"See," said Judith, as the child smiled in his sleep, "his angel iswhispering to him. Oh, uncle, have you ever seen the angel?"
She prattled on without waiting for an answer. "Father sees angels, andthey bring him words from mother, where she is in Paradise. And, do youknow, uncle, last night he had a wonderful dream about a sword? He told itto us this morning. He often tells us his dreams. Sometimes he seems as ifhe were talking to mother; and he says that Miriam is so like her."
"Well, Judith, and what was the dream?" said Ruth.
"Father saw a mighty angel--one of the cherubim, you know, that father saysGod sends abroad to do His errands--come flying down, and the angel had inhis hand a great sword. And he stood by father's bed, and showed him aname graven on the blade--it was the name which we may not speak, though itis part of father's name(8)--and when he had done this he put the hilt inhis hand and departed. Then father awoke, and found only his own old swordin his hand; and this, you know, is so hacked that it is not of much use,and is very weak, too, in the handle. Father never sleeps without it, andhe must have drawn it out in his sleep, without knowing it, from under thepillow where he keeps it. But he says the dream will certainly come true.And now, Miriam," she went on, turning to her sister, for the littlemaiden was of the true housewife temper, "we must be going back to getfather's dinner ready for him."
When they were left alone Seraiah said to Ruth, "It is as I feared--I am tostay behind."
Ruth felt a thrill of joy go through her, but was too wise a woman to showit.
"Old Reuben will not hear of my going. He says that I should be morehindrance than help, and perhaps he is right. The Lord's will be done,though I would fain have struck a blow in the battle that is to decide;for I am sure that as this battle goes, so will the end be. But I am to bein command of the garrison here."
"And you will not mind taking care of the women and children, dearhusband?" said Ruth.
"I should be ungrateful indeed if I did," said Seraiah, as he kissed her.
Meanwhile the excitement in the camp had risen to fever heat. Scouts hadcome racing in at headlong speed with tidings that the enemy's army hadstarted from Jerusalem, and that it numbered not less than twelve thousandregular troops, well-equipped, and furnished with a formidable supply ofthe engines of war. The patriots were in that state of exaltation in whichmen make little of the numbers opposed to them, and the disparity offorces roused no apprehensions. If any such were felt they gave way torage when the messengers added that the hated Apollonius himself was incommand of the hostile army.
Azariah and Micah were among a small company of chiefs who were standingoutside the tent of Judas, and were discussing the prospects of the war.
"The curse of God light upon him!" cried Azariah. "Surely He will so orderit that I may smite him down on the field of battle, and avenge theinnocent blood! Surely the blood of my wife and my child cries against himfrom the earth!"
"Nay, brother," broke in Micah, "the task of the avenger of blood liesupon me, for I am next-of-kin to Hannah."
"Surely," replied Azariah, with some heat, "there is no kinship so closeas the tie which binds husband to wife! 'Tis I that should be Hannah'savenger of blood."
"My brothers," broke in the voice of Judas, who appeared in the door ofhis tent, "you think too much of your private wrongs. Great they are, Iknow--none greater. But is there one soldier in this army that has not lostwife, or child, or father, or brother by the hand of this evil man? Wewill go, one and all, as avengers of blood, and the Lord will deliver himinto the hands of him whom He shall choose."
Next day the army set out. On the evening of the second day they came insight of the forces of Apollonius. Some of the more fiery spirits were foran instant attack, but the prudence of Judas, which was not lessconspicuous than his daring, restrained them. His men were wearied with along day's march, and they wanted food. And he himself had not had time toreconnoitre the enemy's position or receive any intelligence from hisscouts.
Early next day the battle began. In one sense Judas was greatlyovermatched. The enemy were superior in numbers--almost in the proportionof four to one--and in equipment. But, on the other hand, the Hebrew leadercould rely implicitly on his soldiers. Anything that mortal man, inspiredby zeal and the burning sense of wrong, could achieve, they might betrusted to do. To such a temper, of course, the policy of attack is bestsuited. Judas massed his best troops on his right wing, which happened tobe opposed to what his eagle eye discerned to be the weakest part of theenemy's line. Apollonius saw his intention, and commenced a movement oftroops which was designed to strengthen the weak point in his array. Butsuch a movement in the face of a hostile force cannot be carried outwithout confusion. Judas saw his opportunity, ordered his men to advanceat the double, and closed fiercely with the foe.
The Greek line broke almost at once, and the chief danger now was that theconquerors might press on too eagerly. The Greeks were not anundisciplined mob which could be treated with contempt. Some of them, atleast, were veteran soldiers, in whom the sense of discipline was aninstinct, and who, if not very enthusiastic in the cause for which theywere fighting, were perfectly well aware that their best chance ofpersonal safety was to be found in keeping together and holding theirground. Judas, in whom native genius seemed to supply the want ofexperience, appreciated the enemy with whom he had to deal, and kept hisown men well in hand, though he was careful not unduly to check theircourage.
The fortune of the day continued to declare in favour of the patriots; butApollonius himself, surrounded by a picked force of mercenaries, stillheld his ground. Shortly after noon Azariah and Micah, who had kept closetogether during the battle, and had both performed prodigies of valour,gathering a company of their immediate followers, made a determined rushin his direction. The bodyguard, terrified by the fierceness of thisonset, wavered and fled, leaving but three or four faithful attendants,who refused to leave their commander.
The Greek recognized Azariah, and called to him by his name. "Azariah, ifyou think that I have wronged you, I do not refuse you the opportunity ofrevenge. Come out from your companions, and I will meet you alone. You area brave man, and would not take a soldier at unfair odds."
Azariah did not deign to answer; but one of his c
omrades replied, "Dog ofa heathen! you forget where you are. We are not contending in your foolishgames: we are the avengers of blood--the innocent blood which you haveshed; and we will slay you as men slay a venomous snake. Such equity asyou have dealt to others, we will show to you. Was it in fair fight thatyou slew women and children?"
Apollonius looked on the ring of scowling faces that surrounded him, andsaw that there was no mercy or even what he would have called the courtesyof war to be hoped from them. "I only wish," he said, "that I had rootedout the whole cursed brood from the earth, and burnt the den of thieveswhich you call your city, and laid the shrine of the demon whom you callyour God level with the ground!"
"Silence, blasphemer!" cried Azariah, as he whirled his sword over hishead.
It was not the almost worthless weapon, with its dented edge and brokenhilt, that he had carried into the battle. Early in the day he had cutdown a Greek officer, and taken the sword of the dead man in exchange forhis own.
As he spoke he beckoned to his countrymen. They stood back, even Micahrecognizing the right of the husband to strike the first blow at themurderer of his wife.
Apollonius raised his sword to parry the stroke which he expected to beaimed at his head. With a rapid change of movement his adversary changedthe blow into a thrust, and drove the point of his weapon through theGreek's heart.
Azariah was drawing out his weapon from the corpse, when Judas, who hadbeen hastening to the spot not without some hope of himself crossingswords with the hated Apollonius, came up.
"A mighty weapon that!" he exclaimed, as the conqueror wiped the blade onthe dead man's tunic. "Let me take it in my hands."
He poised it and judged its balance, tried the edge, and then narrowlyscanned the markings on the blade.
"Ah!" said he, "how came you by this sword? I had observed"--and indeed hiseagle eye noted every detail--"that yours was but a poor weapon, unworthyof your strength, and I wished to find something better for you."
Azariah told him how he had taken it from a Greek on the field of battle.
"And saw you this?" he went on, pointing to the Holy Name which had beenengraved on the blade. "Doubtless this belonged to some Hebrew warrior intime past, for the fashion of the letters is somewhat antique; the heathenwhom you slew had taken it, and now the Lord has given it back into thehands of the faithful."
Azariah then related his dream.
"The angel whom you saw," said Judas, "was, doubtless, the angel ofbattle, and the Lord has been faithful, as ever, to His promise."
He gave back the consecrated sword to Azariah, and took the weapon whichwas still grasped in the right hand of the dead Apollonius. "With this,"he said, "I will fight as long as I live." And he broke out into thetriumphal chant of the Psalmist--"The ungodly have drawn out the sword, andhave bent the bow to cast down the poor and needy. Their sword shall gothrough their own heart and their bow shall be broken."
_The Sword of Apollonius._]
The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times Page 16
