s
as though I were a robber? Day after day I was in the Temple
teaching--you never tried to arrest me there!"

For an instant the torches ceased waving. Then the mob surged all the
more angrily upon Peter and Jesus. Peter snatched his short sword from
his belt and struck a wild blow. A man cried out sharply. The captain
shouted a command: soldiers pushed through the rabble and seized Jesus.
A burly soldier knocked Peter backward; he fell heavily and lay still.

When Peter came to his senses, he was breathing hard. He had no idea how
long he had been stretched on the ground half stunned. He lifted himself
on one elbow. Torches were moving down the road. The sound of the mob
was faint in his ears.

For the first time Peter realized that he was alone. The Master was
gone! What would he do without him? Loneliness swept over the fisherman.
He leaped to his feet and dashed headlong through the trees where the
soldiers had led Jesus. He tripped over a root and plunged to his knees;
branches lashed his face when he arose, but in his panic he did not feel
them. He burst out onto the road. In the distance the tiny lights were
going out, one by one, as the procession entered the gate of Jerusalem.
With a cry of helpless despair, Peter ran down the hill toward the
city.

[Illustration]

17. THE DARKEST HOUR OF ALL

As Peter ran he realized that he did not know where the Roman soldiers
were taking Jesus. What if he should lose sight of them? He was gasping
for breath by the time he reached the city gate.

The Temple was closed. Would they lead the Master to Pilate? In the
darkness, Peter could barely make out the massive bulk of the fortress
of Antonia, the Roman prison. No sound broke the silence within its
walls. Peter ran a few steps and stood panting at the first street
crossing. Desperately he glanced one way and the other. If only there
were someone to tell him which way they had gone with Jesus! Would they
go to the house of the high priest himself? Peter turned and ran toward
the south side of Jerusalem, his sandals clattering on the stone paving.

At every turn in the winding street Peter peered into the darkness,
hoping to see the wavering light of torches ahead of him. He did not
notice a dark figure standing against the wall of a house that closed in
the narrow street until he ran into him. Startled but glad to see
someone, Peter asked, "Sir, have you seen soldiers and men with clubs
passing this way?"