fear, went home to God, and they brought his head to the princess who
gave it to her mother. The king's feast ended in gloom, and the poor
girl, who only obeyed her wicked mother, had nothing but a dreadful
memory to keep forever as the king's gift.

And the king himself--what trouble followed him during the rest of his
life! Riches and honors were all taken from him, and he was sent out
of his own country, while John had gone to his Father's house in the
Heavenly Country to suffer no more forever.

John's disciples buried the body of their beloved master, and then went
and told Jesus. Only Jesus can give real comfort in trouble.

The disciples--now called apostles, or teachers--who had been out
teaching among the villages, heard, perhaps, of the death of John the
Baptist, and came back to Jesus two by two, as they had gone out. They
had been preaching, healing the sick, and casting out evil spirits.
They often said "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand," and the people
wondered if it would not be best to rise up and make Jesus their king.

Herod heard of the work of Jesus and the apostles, and was afraid. He
half believed that John whom he had killed had risen from the dead. He
tried to see Jesus, but the One who had come to preach the gospel to
the poor had no time to give to Herod.

As Peter, and John, and Andrew and all the rest came back they were
full of stories of the wonderful things that had been done through the
power that the Lord had given them. Many came with them to find Jesus.
He saw that they needed to come away from the crowds that were always
around them so that He could speak to them of their work, and so that
they could rest, and think, and pray.

They took a boat and crossed the Lake. The shore was crowded with
people who wished to be with Jesus, and when they knew that He was
going to Bethsaida-Julias at the northern end of the Lake they resolved
to follow Him, for it was only a few miles away.

At the end of the Lake they entered the Jordan river, and sailing up a
little way to the landing-place they saw the people coming, some in
boats, and more in groups along the shore--men, women and children--and
Jesus, filled with love and pity for them, led them to a green hillside
where He sat down to teach them as He had often done before.

It was spring, and the grass was like a great green carpet sprinkled
with bright wild-flowers, while the river, lined with bushes flowed
below, and beyond