Page:Ben-Hur a tale of the Christ.djvu/539

Rh his blood from their children? It must not be—’tis time to fight!&quot;

His face brightened with resolution, and he clapped his hands.

&quot;The horses—and quickly!&quot; he said to the Arab who answered the signal. &quot;And bid Amrah send me fresh garments, and bring my sword! It is time to die for Israel, my friends. Tarry without till I come.&quot;

He ate a crust, drank a cup of wine, and was soon upon the road.

&quot;Whither would you go first?&quot; asked the Galilean.

&quot;To collect the legions.&quot;

&quot;Alas!&quot; the man replied, throwing up his hands.

&quot;Why alas?&quot;

&quot;Master&quot;—the man spoke with shame—&quot;master, I and my friend here are all that are faithful. The rest do follow the priests.&quot;

&quot;Seeking what?&quot; and Ben-Hur drew rein.

&quot;To kill him.&quot;

&quot;Not the Nazarene?&quot;

&quot;You have said it.&quot;

Ben-Hur looked slowly from one man to the other. He was hearing again the question of the night before: &quot;The cup my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?&quot; In the ear of the Nazarene he was putting his own question, &quot;If I bring thee rescue, wilt thou accept it?&quot; He was saying to himself, &quot;This death may not be averted. The man has been travelling towards it with full knowledge from the day he began his mission: it is imposed by a will higher than his; whose but the Lord’s! If he is consenting, if he goes to it voluntarily, what shall another do?&quot; Nor less did Ben-Hur see the failure of the scheme he had built upon the fidelity of the Galileans; their desertion, in fact, left nothing more of it. But how singular it should happen that morning of all others! A dread seized him. It was possible his scheming, and labor, and expenditure of treasure might have been but blasphemous contention with God. When he picked up the reins and said, &quot;Let us go, brethren,&quot; all before him was uncertainty. The faculty of resolving quickly, without which one