an their
success in defending the wall, that discouraged the Romans; for the
Jews were utterly careless of their lives, and were well content to
die, when they saw that they had achieved their object of setting
fire to the Roman works.

Vespasian, at length, determined to turn the siege into a blockade;
and to starve out the town which he could not capture. He
accordingly contented himself by posting a strong force to defend
the embankment, and withdrew the main body of the army to their
encampment. He had been informed of the shortness of the supply of
water; and had anticipated that, in a very short time, thirst would
compel the inhabitants to yield.

John had taken his full share in the fighting, and had frequently
earned the warm commendation of Josephus. His spirits had risen
with the conflict; but he could not shut his eyes to the fact that,
sooner or later, the Romans must become masters of the place. One
evening, therefore, when he had done his share of duty on the
walls, he went up to the house which had been pointed out to him as
that in which lived the boy who had descended the face of the
rocks, for some distance.

At a short distance from the door, a lad of some fifteen years old,
with no covering but a piece of ragged sackcloth round the loins,
was crouched up in a corner, seemingly asleep. At the sound of
John's footsteps, he opened his eyes in a quick, watchful way, that
showed that he had not been really asleep.

"Are you Jonas, the son of James?" John asked.

"Yes I am," the boy said, rising to his feet. "What do you want
with me?"

"I want to have a talk with you," John said. "I am one of the
governor's bodyguard; and I think, perhaps, you may be able to give
us some useful information."

"Well, come away from here," the boy said, "else we shall be having
her--" and he nodded to the house, "--coming out with a stick."

"You have rather a hard time of it, from what I hear," John began,
when they stopped at the wall, a short distance away from the
house.

"I have that," the boy said. "I look like it, don't I?"

"You do," John agreed, looking at the boy's thin, half-starved
figure; "and yet, there is plenty to eat in the town."

"There may be," the boy said; "anyhow, I don't get my share. Father
is away fighting on the wall, and so she's worse than ever. She is
always beating me, and I dare not go back, now. I told her, this
morning, the sooner the Romans came, in the better I should be