For the Temple Part 29

The main body of Roman cavalry, furiously a.s.sailed, and ignorant that t.i.tus was cut off from them, turned and fled. t.i.tus hesitated a moment. In front of him was an unknown country. He knew not whither the lane he was following led. Hedges rose on either side and, even did he burst through the crowd in front of him, he might be overwhelmed by missiles, as he rode on. Therefore, calling upon his men to follow him, he turned round and dashed into the crowd which barred his retreat.

He wore neither helmet nor breastplate for, as he had only advanced to reconnoiter, and with no thought of fighting, these had been left behind. Yet, though javelins flew around him in showers, and arrows whizzed close to him, not one touched him as he struck, right and left, among those who barred his pa.s.sage; while his warhorse, excited by the shouts and tumult, trampled them under his feet.

In vain the Jews, astonished at his bravery, and still more so at his immunity from harm amid the shower of missiles, strove to seize him. He and his little band cut his way onward, those in front drawing back with almost superst.i.tious fear from his attack. Two, only, of his followers were slain. One fell, pierced with numerous javelins. Another was pulled from his horse and killed but, with the rest, he emerged unharmed from among his a.s.sailants, and reached his camp in safety.

The soldiers of Simon--for it was his men who guarded this part of the wall--returned with mingled feelings. They were triumphant that they had caused the son of Caesar, himself, to fly before them.

They were humiliated that so great a prize should have escaped them, when he seemed in their hands; and they had a superst.i.tious feeling that he had been divinely protected from their a.s.saults.

From their lookout, Simon and John had seen the Roman cavalry turn off from the Damascus road into the lane, and had then lost sight of them. Then they heard the sudden din of battle, and the shouts of the combatants, and saw the Roman cavalry riding off in full speed; but the clamor had continued and, in a short time, another little party of hors.e.m.e.n were seen to issue from the lane, and follow their companions.

Simon laughed, grimly.

"We have taught the Romans, early, that the wasps have stings and that, if they think they are going to take the nest without trouble, they will be mistaken.

"And now, John, what do you advise? You were, they say, at Jotapata and Gamala; and you have since shown how well you understand the Roman tactics. I am a soldier, with an arm to strike but, so far, I have not had experience in the Roman tactics at sieges. Tell me, what would you do first, were you commander of this city?"

"There is no doubt what is the first thing to be done," John said.

"It is the duty of all within this city to lay aside their feuds, and unite in her defense It is for you, as the strongest, to make the first advance; and to send at once to John and Eleazar to propose that, so long as the Romans are before the city, there shall be a truce between you; and to arrange which part of the walls shall be held by the soldiers of each. You must also arrange to unite for common action, both in the defense and in attacking them without the walls; for it is only by disturbing them at their work, and by hindering them as they bring forward their engines of war, that you can hope to hold the city. Strong as your walls may be, they will crumble to ruins when the battering rams once begin their work against them."

Simon was silent for a minute, then he said:

"Your advice is good. I will send at once to John and Eleazar, and ask them to meet me on the bridge across the Tyropoeon, which separates our forces."

The sun was already setting, but the distance was short. Simon advanced to the bridge and, hailing the Zealots on the other side, said that he desired an interview with John, in reference to the defense of the city; and that he pledged his solemn oath that no harm should come to him. He sent a similar message to Eleazar. John shortly appeared for, from the summit of Antonia, he too had watched the advancing Romans, and felt the necessity for common action for defense of the town.

Eleazar refused to come. He would have trusted Simon, but to reach the meeting place he would have had to pa.s.s through the outer courts of the Temple held by John, and he knew that no confidence could be reposed in any oath that the latter might take. He sent word, however, that he was willing to abstain from all hostilities, and to make common cause with the others for the defense of the city.

John of Gischala advanced alone on to the bridge, a wide and stately edifice carried on lofty arches across the Tyropoeon valley, from a point near the Palace of Agrippa to the platform of the Temple.

"Come with me," Simon said to his companion.

John of Gischala paused in his advance, as he saw that Simon was not alone.

"Let one of your men come with you, if you like," Simon said, with a grim laugh at his hesitation; "or two, or six, if you like."

But John of Gischala knew that the eyes of the soldiers on both sides of the bridge were upon him and, having faith in the oath of Simon, he again advanced.

John looked with curiosity at the man of whom he had heard so much; and who, having been a scourge to Upper Galilee with his horde of robbers, had now brought such misery upon Jerusalem. Without approaching his rival in size and strength, John of Gischala was a powerfully-built man. He did not shrink from danger, and had upon occasion shown great bravery; but he relied upon craft, more than force, to gain his ends. He possessed great power of oratory, could rouse men's pa.s.sions or calm them, at will. He could cajole or threaten, persuade or deceive, with equal facility; was always ready to break an oath, if it was inconvenient to keep it. Although fond of power, he was still more greedy of gain. But in one respect, he and Simon agreed: both hated the Romans, with an intense and bitter hatred; both were ready to die in defense of Jerusalem.

"I think it is time, John," Simon said, "to cease from our strife, for the present, and to make common cause against the enemy. If we continue our dissensions, and the Romans in consequence take the city, our names will be accursed, in all generations, as the men who gave Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans."

"I am ready to agree to a truce," John of Gischala said. "It is you who have been attacking me, not I who have been attacking you; but we need not talk of that, now. Is it to be an understood thing that, if the Romans retire, we shall both occupy the positions we hold now, whatever changes may have taken place; and we can then either come to an understanding, or fight the matter out?"

"Yes, that is what I would propose," Simon replied. "Whatever changes may take place, when the Romans retire we occupy exactly the positions we hold now. Will you swear to that, by the Temple?"

"I will," John said.

The two men each took a solemn oath to carry out the terms they agreed upon and, throughout the siege, to put aside all enmity towards each other; and to act together, in all things, for the defense of the city. They then arranged as to the portion of the wall which each should occupy, these corresponding very nearly to the lines which they at present held.

Simon held the whole of the third wall which, commencing from Hippicus, the tower at the north corner of the high town, ran northward to Psephinus--or the Rubble Tower--then eastward to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and again south to the Temple platform. The second wall, inclosing the inner low town--or Inner Acra, as it was sometimes called--was divided between the two. Simon also held the first wall, from Hippicus right round at the foot of Zion across the lower end of the Tyropoeon Valley, and round the outer low town as far as the platform of the Temple. John held the Temple platform, the middle low town, and some parts of the city immediately adjacent, both on the south slope of Mount Moriah--or Ophel, as this portion of the hill was called--and part of the inner low town.

The line, therefore, which Simon had to defend was vastly greater than that held by John's troops but, in fact, the whole line bordering the valleys of Hinnom and Jehoshaphat was practically una.s.sailable--the wall being built along the edge of precipices, where it could not be attacked either with battering rams or by escalade--and it was really the north face of the city, only, that was exposed to serious a.s.sault. The outer wall on this side--that against which the a.s.sault would first be made--was entirely occupied by Simon's troops; but it was not antic.i.p.ated that any successful resistance could be made here, for the walls, hastily raised by the Jews after turning out the Romans, were incapable of offering a long resistance to such a force as was now to a.s.sail it.

It was, then, at the second wall that the first great stand would be made; and John and Simon's troops divided this between them, so that the division was fair enough, when it was considered that Simon's force was more than double that of John.

When this matter had been arranged, John of Gischala said to Simon:

"Who is this young man who accompanies you?"

"He is one who has done much more for the cause than either you or I, John of Gischala; and indeed, hitherto it may be doubted whether we have not been the two worst enemies of Jerusalem. This is John of Gamala, of whom we have heard so often, during the last three years."

"This, John of Gamala!" John repeated, in a tone of incredulity; "you are mocking me, Simon."

"I mock no one," Simon said, sternly. "I tell you this is John of Gamala; and when we think that you and I--men of war--have as yet struck no single blow against the Romans, since I aided in the defeat of the legion of Cestius--for you fled from Gischala like a coward, at night, while I have been fighting for my own land, down here--we may well feel ashamed, both of us, in the presence of this youth; who has for three years hara.s.sed the Romans, burning their camps, driving out small garrisons, hindering pillagers from straying over the country, cutting off their convoys, and forcing them to keep ever on the watch.

"I tell you, John, I feel ashamed beside him. He has brought here six hundred men of his band, all picked and determined fellows, for the defense of the city. I tell you they will be no mean a.s.sistance; and you would say so, also, had you seen how they drew up today, in solid order, ready to withstand the whole of my force.

He is not of my party, or of yours; he comes simply to fight against the Romans and, as I understand him, when the Romans retire, he will leave, also."

"That is certainly my intention," John said, quietly; "but before I go, I hope that I shall be able to act as mediator between you both, and to persuade you to come to some arrangement which may free Jerusalem from a renewal of the evils which, between you, you have inflicted upon her. If you beat back the Romans, you will have gained all the honor that men could desire; and your names will go down to all posterity as the saviors of Jerusalem and the Temple.

If you desire treasure, there is not a Jew but that will be ready to contribute, to the utmost of his power. If you desire power, Palestine is wide enough for you to divide it between you--only beware, lest by striving longer against each other, your names go down as those who have been the tyrants of the land; names to be accursed, as long as the Hebrew tongue remains."

The two men were silent. Bold as they were, they felt abashed before the outspoken rebuke of this stripling. They had heard him spoken of as one under the special protection of Jehovah. They knew that he had had marvelous escapes, and that he had fought single-handed with t.i.tus; and the air of authority with which he spoke, his entire disregard of their power, his fearlessness in the presence of men before whom all Jerusalem trembled, confirmed the stories they had heard, and created an impression almost to awe.

"If we three are alive, when the Romans depart from before the city," Simon said, in his deep voice, "it shall be as you say; and I bind myself, beforehand, to agree to whatever you shall decide is just and right.

"Therefore, John of Gischala, henceforth I shall regard this not as a truce, but as the beginning of peace between us; and our rivalry shall be who shall best defend the Holy City against her foes."

"So be it!" John of Gischala replied; "but I would that Eleazar were here. He is an enemy in my midst; and just as, whenever I was fighting with you, he fell upon me from behind; so will it be that, while I am struggling with the Romans, he may be attacking me from the inner Temple. He has none of the outer walls to defend; and will, therefore, be free to choose the moment when he can fall upon me, unawares."

"Make peace with him, at any price," John said, "only put an end to this strife, and let there be no more bloodshed in the Temple. How can we hope for G.o.d's a.s.sistance, in defending the city, when his altars are being daily desecrated with blood?"

"I will see what I can do," John said. "Somehow or other, this strife must be brought to an end; and it shall be done without bloodshed, if possible."

"There is another thing, John," Simon said. "Our comrade here has been telling me that, from what he saw at Jotapata and Gamala, he is convinced that by pa.s.sive resistance, only, we cannot defeat the Romans, but that we must sally out and attack them in their camps, and at their work; and therefore let us agree that we will meet here, from time to time, and arrange that, issuing together through the gates in our portions of the wall, we may unite in falling upon the Romans."

"The counsel is good," John of Gischala said. "It will keep up the courage of men, to fight in the open. Whenever an opportunity presents itself, my men shall act with yours. You have given t.i.tus a lesson, today. The next time, we will divide the honor."

Chapter 15: The Siege Is Begun.

The Fifth Legion--which had been stationed at Emmaus, halfway between Jerusalem and Jaffa--marching the greater part of the night, joined the Twelfth and Fifteenth at their halting place at Gaboth Saul and, the next morning, the three advanced together. The Twelfth and Fifteenth marched halfway down the Hill of Scopus, and encamped together on a knoll; while the Fifth Legion encamped three furlongs to their rear so that, in case of an attack by the Jews, its weary soldiers should not have to bear the brunt of the conflict. As these legions were marking out their camp, the Tenth Legion--which had marched up from Jericho--appeared on the Mount of Olives, and t.i.tus sent word for them to encamp there. Thus Jerusalem was overlooked, throughout its length and breadth, by the Roman camps on the hills to the north and east sides.

John had, at the earnest request of Simon, taken up his residence with him in the Palace of Herod and, from the top of the Tower of Phasaelus, watched the Roman legions at work.

"It seems to me," he said to Simon, "that now is the time for us to make an a.s.sault. The Romans raise veritable fortifications round their camp and, when once these are completed, we can scarcely hope to storm them; whereas, if we fall suddenly upon them, now, we can fight on even terms. The legion on the Mount of Olives is widely separated from the rest; and we might overcome it, before the others could come to its a.s.sistance."

"I agree with you," Simon said; "let us strike a blow, at once."