by Lew Wallace
CHAPTER II
It was Ben-Hur's purpose to turn aside at the break of day, and finda safe place in which to rest; but the dawn overtook him while outin the Desert, and he kept on, the guide promising to bring himafterwhile to a vale shut in by great rocks, where there were aspring, some mulberry-trees, and herbage in plenty for the horses.
As he rode thinking of the wondrous events so soon to happen,and of the changes they were to bring about in the affairs ofmen and nations, the guide, ever on the alert, called attentionto an appearance of strangers behind them. Everywhere aroundthe Desert stretched away in waves of sand, slowly yellowing inthe growing light, and without any green thing visible. Over onthe left, but still far off, a range of low mountains extended,apparently interminable. In the vacancy of such a waste an objectin motion could not long continue a mystery.
"It is a camel with riders," the guide said, directly.
"Are there others behind?" said Ben-Hur.
"It is alone. No, there is a man on horseback--the driver, probably."
A little later Ben-Hur himself could see the camel was white andunusually large, reminding him of the wonderful animal he hadseen bring Balthasar and Iras to the fountain in the Grove ofDaphne. There could be no other like it. Thinking then of thefair Egyptian, insensibly his gait became slower, and at lengthfell into the merest loiter, until finally he could discern acurtained houdah, and two persons seated within it. If they wereBalthasar and Iras! Should he make himself known to them? But itcould not be: this was the Desert--and they were alone. But whilehe debated the question the long swinging stride of the camelbrought its riders up to him. He heard the ringing of the tinybells, and beheld the rich housings which had been so attractiveto the crowd at the Castalian fount. He beheld also the Ethiopian,always attendant upon the Egyptians. The tall brute stopped closeby his horse, and Ben-Hur, looking up, lo! Iras herself under theraised curtain looking down at him, her great swimming eyes brightwith astonishment and inquiry!
"The blessing of the true God upon you!" said Balthasar, in histremulous voice.
"And to thee and thine be the peace of the Lord," Ben-Hur replied.
"My eyes are weak with years," said Balthasar; "but they approveyou that son of Hur whom lately I knew an honored guest in thetent of Ilderim the Generous."
"And thou art that Balthasar, the wise Egyptian, whose speechconcerning certain holy things in expectation is having so muchto do with the finding me in this waste place. What dost thouhere?"
"He is never alone who is where God is--and God is everywhere,"Balthasar answered, gravely; "but in the sense of your asking,there is a caravan short way behind us going to Alexandria; and asit is to pass through Jerusalem, I thought best to avail myselfof its company as far as the Holy City, whither I am journeying.This morning, however, in discontent with its slow movement--slowerbecause of a Roman cohort in attendance upon it--we rose early,and ventured thus far in advance. As to robbers along the way,we are not afraid, for I have here a signet of Sheik Ilderim;against beasts of prey, God is our sufficient trust."
Ben-Hur bowed and said, "The good sheik's signet is a safeguardwherever the wilderness extends, and the lion shall be swift thatovertakes this king of his kind."
He patted the neck of the camel as he spoke.
"Yet," said Iras, with a smile which was not lost upon the youth,whose eyes, it must be admitted, had several times turned toher during the interchange of speeches with the elder--"Yeteven he would be better if his fast were broken. Kings havehunger and headaches. If you be, indeed, the Ben-Hur of whommy father has spoken, and whom it was my pleasure to have knownas well, you will be happy, I am sure, to show us some near pathto living water, that with its sparkle we may grace a morning'smeal in the Desert."
Ben-Hur, nothing loath, hastened to answer.
"Fair Egyptian, I give you sympathy. Can you bear suffering alittle longer, we will find the spring you ask for, and I promisethat its draught shall be as sweet and cooling as that of the morefamous Castalia. With leave, we will make haste."
"I give you the blessing of the thirsty," she replied; "and offeryou in return a bit of bread from the city ovens, dipped in freshbutter from the dewy meadows of Damascus."
"A most rare favor! Let us go on."
So saying, Ben-Hur rode forward with the guide, one of theinconveniences of travelling with camels being that it isnecessarily an interdiction of polite conversation.
Afterwhile the party came to a shallow wady, down which, turning tothe right hand, the guide led them. The bed of the cut was somewhatsoft from recent rains, and quite bold in its descent. Momentarily,however, it widened; and erelong the sides became bluffs ribbedwith rocks much scarred by floods rushing to lower depths ahead.Finally, from a narrow passage, the travellers entered a spreadingvale which was very delightful; but come upon suddenly from theyellow, unrelieved, verdureless plain, it had the effect of afreshly discovered Paradise. The water-channels winding here andthere, definable by crisp white shingling, appeared like threadstangled among islands green with grasses and fringed with reeds.Up from the final depths of the valley of the Jordan some venturousoleanders had crept, and with their large bloom now starred thesunken place. One palm-tree arose in royal assertion. The bases ofthe boundary-walls were cloaked with clambering vines, and undera leaning cliff over on the left the mulberry grove had planteditself, proclaiming the spring which the party were seeking.And thither the guide conducted them, careless of whistlingpartridges and lesser birds of brighter hues roused whirringfrom the reedy coverts.
The water started from a crack in the cliff which some loving handhad enlarged into an arched cavity. Graven over it in bold Hebraicletters was the word GOD. The graver had no doubt drunk there, andtarried many days, and given thanks in that durable form. From thearch the stream ran merrily over a flag spotted with bright moss,and leaped into a pool glassy clear; thence it stole away betweengrassy banks, nursing the trees before it vanished in the thirstysand. A few narrow paths were noticeable about the margin of thepool; otherwise the space around was untrodden turf, at sight ofwhich the guide was assured of rest free from intrusion by men.The horses were presently turned loose, and from the kneeling camelthe Ethiopian assisted Balthasar and Iras; whereupon the old man,turning his face to the east, crossed his hands reverently uponhis breast and prayed.
"Bring me a cup," Iras said, with some impatience.
From the houdah the slave brought her a crystal goblet; then shesaid to Ben-Hur,
"I will be your servant at the fountain."
They walked to the pool together. He would have dipped the waterfor her, but she refused his offer, and kneeling, held the cup tobe filled by the stream itself; nor yet content, when it was cooledand overrunning, she tendered him the first draught.
"No," he said, putting the graceful hand aside, and seeing onlythe large eyes half hidden beneath the arches of the upraisedbrows, "be the service mine, I pray."
She persisted in having her way.
"In my country, O son of Hur, we have a saying, 'Better a cupbearerto the fortunate than minister to a king.'"
"Fortunate!" he said.
There were both surprise and inquiry in the tone of his voice andin his look, and she said quickly,
"The gods give us success as a sign by which we may know them onour side. Were you not winner in the Circus?"
His cheeks began to flush.
"That was one sign. There is another. In a combat with swords youslew a Roman."
The flush deepened--not so much for the triumphs themselves asthe flattery there was in the thought that she had followed hiscareer with interest. A moment, and the pleasure was succeeded bya reflection. The combat, he knew, was matter of report throughoutthe East; but the name of the victor had been committed to a veryfew--Malluch, Ilderim, and Simonides. Could they have made aconfidante of the woman? So with wonder and gratification hewas confused; and seeing it, she arose and said, holding thecup over the pool,
"O gods of Egypt! I give tha
nks for a hero discovered--thanks thatthe victim in the Palace of Idernee was not my king of men. And so,O holy gods, I pour and drink."
Part of the contents of the cup she returned to the stream,the rest she drank. When she took the crystal from her lips,she laughed at him.
"O son of Hur, is it a fashion of the very brave to be so easilyovercome by a woman? Take the cup now, and see if you cannot finda happy word in it for me"
He took the cup, and stooped to refill it.
"A son of Israel has no gods whom he can libate," he said,playing with the water to hide his amazement, now greaterthan before. What more did the Egyptian know about him? Hadshe been told of his relations with Simonides? And there wasthe treaty with Ilderim--had she knowledge of that also? He wasstruck with mistrust. Somebody had betrayed his secrets, and theywere serious. And, besides, he was going to Jerusalem, just thenof all the world the place where such intelligence possessed by anenemy might be most dangerous to him, his associates, and the cause.But was she an enemy? It is well for us that, while writing is slow,thought is instantaneous. When the cup was fairly cooled, he filledit and arose, saying, with indifference well affected,
"Most fair, were I an Egyptian or a Greek or a Roman, I would say"--heraised the goblet overhead as he spoke--"O ye better gods! I givethanks that there are yet left to the world, despite its wrongsand sufferings, the charm of beauty and the solace of love, and Idrink to her who best represents them--to Iras, loveliest of thedaughters of the Nile!"
She laid her hand softly upon his shoulder.
"You have offended against the law. The gods you have drunk to arefalse gods. Why shall I not tell the rabbis on you?"
"Oh!" he replied, laughing, "that is very little to tell for onewho knows so much else that is really important."
"I will go further--I will go to the little Jewess who makes theroses grow and the shadows flame in the house of the great merchantover in Antioch. To the rabbis I will accuse you of impenitence;to her--"
"Well, to her?"
"I will repeat what you have said to me under the lifted cup,with the gods for witnesses."
He was still a moment, as if waiting for the Egyptian to go on.With quickened fancy he saw Esther at her father's side listeningto the despatches he had forwarded--sometimes reading them. In herpresence he had told Simonides the story of the affair in the Palaceof Idernee. She and Iras were acquainted; this one was shrewdand worldly; the other was simple and affectionate, and thereforeeasily won. Simonides could not have broken faith--nor Ilderim--forif not held by honor, there was no one, unless it might be himself,to whom the consequences of exposure were more serious and certain.Could Esther have been the Egyptian's informant? He did not accuseher; yet a suspicion was sown with the thought, and suspicions, as weall know, are weeds of the mind which grow of themselves, and mostrapidly when least wanted. Before he could answer the allusion tothe little Jewess, Balthasar came to the pool.
"We are greatly indebted to you, son of Hur," he said, in hisgrave manner. "This vale is very beautiful; the grass, the trees,the shade, invite us to stay and rest, and the spring here has thesparkle of diamonds in motion, and sings to me of a loving God.It is not enough to thank you for the enjoyment we find; come sitwith us, and taste our bread."
"Suffer me first to serve you."
With that Ben-Hur filled the goblet, and gave it to Balthasar,who lifted his eyes in thanksgiving.
Immediately the slave brought napkins; and after laving theirhands and drying them, the three seated themselves in Easternstyle under the tent which years before had served the Wise Menat the meeting in the Desert. And they ate heartily of the goodthings taken from the camel's pack.
