THE SLUICE GATE
Cautiously and in silence they threaded their way from one branch of
the canal to another, through the fields of grain and vegetables that
spread like a vast garden for miles across the low country. Here and
there along the banks were farmers' huts, and occasionally they passed
through the estate of a Persian landowner who followed agriculture as
the noblest pursuit in which a man could engage, according to the
teachings of his religion. In many places the canal was shut in on
both sides by reeds which reached a height of ten, or even fifteen,
feet.
They had proceeded for perhaps two hours and had made so many turns
that the Greeks had long ago lost all idea of direction, when they
reached a cluster of date-palms. Nathan guided the boat to a
landing-place, and they stepped ashore.
"Jonathan, are you there?" he called softly.
"I am here," replied a guarded voice, and from among the trees stood
forth the figure of an old man. "Pull your boat ashore and follow me,"
he said briefly.
They lifted the boat out of the canal and concealed it carefully among
the rushes. The old man conducted them along a narrow path which
brought them to a group of farm buildings, among which stood a large
country house. They entered by the rear and passed through several
dark passages until they came to a door, before which Jonathan halted
and knocked. A deep voice from within bade them enter. They found
themselves in a large, dimly lighted room, the walls of which were
lined with cases filled with rolls of papyrus. On a long table stood a
shaded lamp among scattered papyri, half unrolled, and the materials
for writing.
A man of venerable appearance, with a spreading white beard, which
reached his girdle, rose from the table to greet them.
"This is Nehemiah, whose ancestor was Daniel the prophet, viceroy of
Babylon," Nathan said. "These are the Greeks, Clearchus of Athens and
Chares of Thebes, concerning whom I wrote thee," he added, turning to
the old man.
"You are welcome in this house," Nehemiah said gravely. "Jonathan,
bring food and wine."
He gathered the manuscripts tenderly from the table and laid them away,
setting chairs for his guests. While the refreshment was being
prepared Nathan related the adventures of their escape, to which the
old man listened with close attention.
"Thou hast done well," Nehemiah said, when Nathan came to the end. "I
have been considering that which thou told me, of the vision of the
viceroy in the third year of Belshazzar, at Susa, by the River Ulai,
and verily do I believe that thou art right. The rough he-goat is come
out of the West, and for the kingdom of Persia, the time of its end is
at hand. I have examined the writings of Daniel, in which, as Gabriel
ordered him, he shut up the vision two hundred years ago. The kingdom
of Israel is bound to the Archæmenian line; but if thou canst win for
thy people the favor of the he-goat, thou mayst be the means of saving
them."
"I shall try," Nathan replied simply.
"Thou wilt understand," Nehemiah continued, addressing himself to
Clearchus, "that if I am to aid you, it must be done in secret. It is
evident that you are in need of rest," he added, glancing at Chares,
who was nodding over the golden goblet that he had emptied. "A hue and
cry will be raised for you, but I think I can keep you safe until you
have gained strength for your long journey."
Having dismissed Jonathan, he took up the lamp and led them to a hidden
chamber in the upper part of the house, where he left them. They fell
asleep at daybreak and woke at nightfall. After they had eaten,
Nehemiah provided them with fresh garments and with horses of the
Nisæan breed, the fleetest in his stable, and gave them weapons. He
also furnished them with money for their flight.
"My men have brought me word from the city of your escape," he said,
"and the Great King is filled with wrath. Ten of the guard were
crucified this morning at the gates; but Boupares so far has not been
arrested. All the court is talking about Clearchus' plunge from the
wall. It is thought that Beltis herself must have borne him up, and it
is even said that the Goddess was seen in the air beside him. Her
priests will make the most of it, and, should you be taken, this may be
turned to account."
"What knowest thou of the pursuit, father?" Nathan asked.
"They have sent out a thousand horsemen to search the plain on this
side of the river," the old man replied. "Thou wilt use caution and
hold to the unfrequented ways until the chase slackens. For the rest,
put thy trust in the Most High. He will save thee out of their hands
if He so wills it. Farewell."
They rode into the night under the stars, bearing away from the river,
and keeping to paths known to Nathan among the reeds and groves. At
frequent intervals they came upon one or another of the canals which
intersected the plain in all directions. Chares and Clearchus were
filled with wonder at the enormous amount of labor that had been
expended in digging the great ditches which carried the water of the
river for irrigating the plain, and at the system of reservoirs by
which it was stored for the dry season. Some of these formed lakes of
considerable size, dammed by great gates built of timber that could be
raised or lowered by means of levers.
As they proceeded westward toward the desert which lay between them and
the land of Israel, the level country was broken by low ridges and
hills, between which wound the canals. Vegetation became less
luxuriant and the houses less frequent.
Twice at the beginning of their ride they heard parties of horsemen
near them, whom they took to be detachments of the searchers. Once
they turned aside into a crossroad just in time to avoid a meeting.
But as they approached nearer to the border between the waste and the
cultivated bottom lands, no sounds reached their ears excepting the
trampling of their own horses, and they began to hope that they had
left their pursuers behind.
"Tell me, Clearchus," Chares said, after a period of reflection, "is
there any truth in what they say about you?"
"What do you mean?" Clearchus replied.
"Why, about this Beltis, you know. Is it true that you are a modern
Endymion?"
"I don't know anything about her," Clearchus said.
"I thought you had more confidence in me," the Theban continued
reproachfully. "If you think I shall say anything about it when we
reach Tyre, you are mistaken. I hope I know enough to hold my tongue
about such delicate matters. Is she as handsome as they say she is?"
"Listen!" whispered Nathan, holding up his hand and drawing rein.
The others came to a halt. They had been riding up a shallow valley
along one of the canals. Beside them rose a low ridge which separated
them from the next depression. Beyond this ridge they could hear the
beating of hoofs and the jingling of bridles. From the sound they
judged that twenty or thirty horsemen were advancing in a direction
parallel to their own.
"The roads join half a mile farther on," Nathan whispered. "It is more
than likely that they will turn back along this one."
"Then we must make a dash for it and get there first," Chares said.
"Come on, I feel as though a race would do me good!"
"We might cross the ridge and fall in behind them," Clearchus suggested.
"Don't spoil sport; and besides, they would surely see us," Chares
replied. "Forward! Is not thy Beltis with us?"
Without waiting for a reply he struck in his spurs and darted forward,
with the others thundering at his heels. The party beyond the ridge,
hearing the hoof-beats, also broke into a gallop, evidently being
acquainted with the fact that the roads converged. Their horses,
however, were no match for the Nisæans. Neck and neck, with long, even
strides, they raced up the road and swept past the meeting point while
the pursuers were still a hundred yards away.
Nathan looked back and recognized the uniform of the palace guard. The
detachment consisted of men who, he knew, were both brave and skilful,
and who would not relinquish the chase while a chance of success
remained. Their numbers made it impossible to think of facing them.
There was nothing for it but to keep on.
Beyond the point where the roads joined the ridges became higher and
steeper, drawing together until there was barely room for the track
beside the canal. It was no longer practicable to leave the valley,
because to climb the acclivity that shut them in on either side would
have been difficult work for a footman, and it was out of the question
for horses. The gorge turned and twisted between the hills. Although
Nathan had never travelled this road before, he drew comfort from the
fact that the canal still flowed sluggishly beside them. It must lead
them eventually, he believed, to more open country.
They had ridden a little more than a mile through this defile, which
seemed once to have been the bed of a stream, when Chares, who was in
the lead, drew up with a cry of dismay. Further progress was barred by
a steep dam of earth and stone. In the middle of the dam was the usual
gate, built of heavy timbers and planks. The water spurted through the
cracks into the bed of the canal.
"It looks as though we should have to make a stand here," the Theban
cried. "We cannot surmount this."
"Are you anxious to die?" Clearchus said. "They would get above us on
the banks and spear us like so many frogs."
Nathan had thrown himself from his horse. He ran to the gate. As he
had expected, he found a narrow foot-path leading upward beside it.
"Come along," he cried. "Here is a way up. Leave the horses where
they are."
Down the valley behind them they could hear the shouting of the guards,
racing with each other in the narrow road in their eagerness to claim
the great reward that Boupares had offered for the capture of the
fugitives.
Clearchus and Chares dismounted and scrambled after Nathan up the path.
Their horses, deserted by their riders in the darkness, neighed shrilly
and strove to follow, digging their hoofs into the sand and gravel,
which fell in showers into the canal.
At the top of the path a large reservoir spread placidly far to the
right and left in a basin surrounded by low hills.
Nathan ran to the gate and knocked out the wooden pins that held it in
place. It rose a few inches, and the water began to gush and gurgle
beneath it. The Israelite seized a lever and thrust it into its notch,
calling to Clearchus and Chares to do the same on the other side.
The pursuit had almost reached the foot of the gate when the leader of
the detachment, a young man with a handsome face, saw that his horse
was splashing through the rising water and realized the danger that
threatened them. He gave a sharp command to halt. He glanced quickly
forward, and then back along the way they had come, as though
considering what course to take.
No time was allowed him for decision. Nathan, Clearchus, and Chares
strained at the levers.
With a sharp creak the heavy gate was loosened, and the flood that
rushed beneath it helped to force it upward.
Roaring angrily, the water foamed into the gorge, filling it from side
to side with a torrent ten feet deep that dashed impatiently against
the walls of the tortuous channel.
The guardsmen had no chance to escape. Like men of straw, they were
lifted, horse and rider together, whirled over and over, and swept down
the valley on the crest of the yellow wave. Their cries were choked in
the rush of the water.
Nathan and Clearchus dropped their levers and stood gazing at the
surface of the turbid stream. Chares joined them.
"It is a pity," he said regretfully. "They deserved a better death. I
wish we could have had a bout with them; but it may be all for the
best. Let them go as a sacrifice to My Lady Beltis. By Dionysus, she
has given us back our horses, too! Look here!"
One of the Nisæans had gained the top of the dam and another was close
behind him. The third had been overtaken by the flood and was
struggling piteously for a foothold with his fore feet. Chares caught
him by the bit and dragged him up to safety. They mounted and struck
off at random among the hills, seeking to get as far away as possible
before daylight should break.
This was the only direct encounter that they had with the soldiers of
the pursuit. Skirting the desert, they made their way northward and
westward until all danger of capture had passed. Once, in seeking to
cross an arm of the sandy waste, they went astray and nearly perished
from thirst. On another occasion they were surrounded by a band of
robbers, from whom they barely escaped. This last adventure took place
on the eastern slope of Mount Amanus on the borders of Cilicia, where
they arrived after a month of wandering. It was here that they began
once more to hear the name of Alexander and to feel the currents of the
mighty storm that was gathering on the flank of the empire of Darius.