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The City of Delight

Page 62

"I have been told they are only common stock," the boy remonstrated

gravely, "but you may be right. Howbeit, they are not mine and I can

not leave them."

"You have been misinformed," the decurion said gravely, while his men,

circling around the growling dog, went on with their work. "These are

Roman sheep, with the Flavian coat of arms and the mark of the army in

black on their hides--if you shear them. But if you make away as fast

as you can I shall not tell Titus which way you went."

The sheep had started pell-mell toward the Roman road. The decurion

turned back to his horse. The shepherd released his dog, which ran

after the flock, and stepped into the decurion's way.

"However these sheep look when they are sheared," he said, "this seems

to be robbery to me."

"Robbery!" the good-natured decurion exclaimed. "This is but a

religious rite that Mercury got out of the cradle at two days to

establish. Only he took Apollo's cattle while we are contenting

ourselves with the sheep of mortal ownership. Robbery! What an

inelegant word!"

Meanwhile the stampeded sheep were making in a cloud of dust back over

the road toward the west from which the Romans had come.

"What shall I say to the citizens of Pella?" the little shepherd

shouted, pursuing the decurion who was making back to his horse as

fast as he could go.

"Salute them for me," the decurion shouted back, "and make them my

obeisances, and say that I shall report on the flavor of the sheep by

messenger from Jerusalem."

In a moment the boy sprang into the decurion's way so suddenly that

the soldier almost fell over him.

"Be fair!" the boy exclaimed. "At least leave me half!"

The decurion was losing patience and the shepherd had grown more than

ever serious.

"Fair!" the Roman echoed. "Why, I have been indulgent! This is war! It

is almost a breach of discipline to argue with you. Out of the way!"

"The Roman army has all the world to feed it; Pella has only its

sheep. We, then, must face hunger and cold because your appetites

crave mutton this day!" the boy returned resentfully.

The decurion pointed down the road.

"Why waste your breath! There go the sheep."

The boy's dark eyes filled with tears. The decurion swung around him

and went back to the horses that waited in the road. He knotted their

bridles together and, leading one of the number, remounted and rode

west after the receding cloud of dust which hid the flock.

The shepherd's head sank on his heaving breast and he stood still.

"Lord Jesus, I pray Thee, give me my sheep again!" he prayed.

A deep prolonged thunder that had been filling the hills with sound

began to multiply as the nearest slopes caught it and tossed it from

echo to echo. It was not loud but immensely prevalent. Those wayfarers

who had fled came back to the brink of the hill and those who had

stood their ground walked out into the grass to look back. Around the

curve of a buttress of rock that stood out at the line of the road,

the head of a column of Roman cavalry appeared. The superb

color-bearer bore on his hip the staff supporting the Imperial

standard.

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