Page:Ben-Hur a tale of the Christ.djvu/75

Rh &quot;Who?&quot;

&quot;Everybody; it is common talk.&quot;

&quot;Does anybody believe it?&quot;

&quot;This afternoon three men came across Brook Cedron on the road from Shechem,&quot; the speaker replied, circumstantially, intending to smother doubt. &quot;Each one of them rode a camel spotless white, and larger than any ever before seen in Jerusalem.&quot;

The eyes and mouths of the auditors opened wide.

&quot;To prove how great and rich the men were,&quot; the narrator continued, &quot;they sat under awnings of silk; the buckles of their saddles were of gold, as was the fringe of their bridles; the bells were of silver, and made real music. Nobody knew them; they looked as if they had come from the ends of the world. Only one of them spoke, and of everybody on the road, even the women and children, he asked this question—'Where is he that is born King of the Jews?' No one gave them answer—no one understood what they meant; so they passed on, leaving behind them this saying: 'For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.' They put the question to the Roman at the gate; and he, no wiser than the simple people on the road, sent them up to Herod.&quot;

&quot;Where are they now?&quot;

&quot;At the khan. Hundreds have been to look at them already, and hundreds more are going.&quot;

&quot;Who are they?&quot;

&quot;Nobody knows. They are said to be Persians—wise men who talk with the stars—prophets, it may be, like Elijah and Jeremiah.&quot;

&quot;What do they mean by King of the Jews?&quot;

&quot;The Christ, and that he is just born.&quot;

One of the women laughed, and resumed her work, saying, &quot;Well, when I see him I will believe.&quot;

Another followed her example: &quot;And I—well, when I see him raise the dead, I will believe.&quot;

A third said quietly, &quot;He has been a long time promised. It will be enough for me to see him heal one leper.&quot;

And the party sat talking until the night came, and, with the help of the frosty air, drove them home.