ey him." Andrew had nothing to say.

"There is a well not far ahead," remarked John. "We must water the
animals." Under a dusty palm over the next hill they found the well. The
stranger drew water for the donkeys and they drank noisily. Then he drew
water for the men. They had no sooner finished than Andrew urged: "Let's
hurry. We are not far from the place where John is baptizing."

The road led down the slope and across the plain toward the river, which
had cut a deep gorge. At the edge the men paused to look. A hundred feet
below flowed the Jordan. It seemed sluggish now; but in the rainy season
it was swift and treacherous. The water was yellow and gray and only a
few shrubs clung to the banks. A short distance away the river turned
and disappeared behind the opposite cliff.

"The crossing is below that bend," explained John to the stranger. "The
Prophet should be there." He gave his donkey a cut with the whip, and
the stolid animal moved faster. A few minutes later he cried out:
"There! See down there?" People were gathered at the edge of the river.
It did not take the men long to reach the gully through which the road
descended to the river. The fishermen tied their donkeys with the other
animals that stood tethered to bushes and small trees. In their haste
they forgot their companion.

"Do you see the Prophet?" inquired Andrew, looking eagerly about. John
jerked at his sleeve.

"There! By that rock on the bank!" They climbed up the slope where they
could see.

John could not tell why he felt the way he did. It might have been the
appearance of John the Baptizer. He wore a rough camel-hair tunic and a
leather belt. None of the people who were there for the first time had
ever seen such a man before. He was very thin. His skin was tanned brown
and his hair and beard were long. Like the poorest people in Palestine,
he lived on grasshoppers and wild honey. Just then John the Baptizer
spoke. He looked old, but his voice showed that he was young and strong.

"It is time you begin to show some sign that you are God's chosen
people," he cried out. "But you are just like your ancestors--you pay no
attention to God. You don't listen to the prophets. God is not going to
wait much longer. The time has come to repent! The Kingdom of Heaven is
near!"

The crowd stirred. What was this? Could it be true that the end of the
world was coming soon?

"Isaiah the Prophet said, 'Everyone shall see the saving power of God,'"