nd
sides, and flung it away; and then, mounting, resumed his course.
At the first house he came to he borrowed a shepherd's horn and, as
he approached the first village, sounded his signal for the assembly.

Two or three young men ran out from their houses, as he dashed up;
for there was not a village in those parts from which some of the
young men had not gone up to the mountains to join him, after the
fall of Gamala, and all were ready to follow him anywhere. He
rapidly gave them orders to go to all the villages round; and
instruct the young men to assemble, with all speed possible, at
their old trysting place near Jabez Galaad; and to spread the news
as they went, some from each village being sent as messengers to
others. Then he pursued his way at full speed and, by sunset, had
issued his orders in some twenty villages.

Being convinced that, by night, a sufficient number of men would
have gathered in the mountain for his purpose, he rode back to the
river, swam his horse across; and then, leaving it to shift for
itself, made his way up the mountain. Some seventy or eighty men
had already arrived at the appointed place, and fresh parties were
coming in every minute. Jonas was already there, John having
arranged with him to watch the movements of the Romans until the
sun set, and then to bring word to the place of meeting as to their
movements.

"Well, Jonas, what is your news?"

"The Romans have halted, for the night, at a spot about a mile this
side of where we left them. They remained where they were, until
the party who had ridden after you returned; then they went slowly
back, after having made a litter with their spears, on which four
of them carried the officer you threw from his horse--what a crash
he made! I heard the clang of his arms, as I was running. They
stopped near one of the villages they burned as we went past; and
when I turned to make my way here their fires were burning, so
there's no doubt they mean to halt there for the night."

"That is good news, indeed!" John said. "Before morning we will
rouse them up in a way they little expect."

John's followers arrived eager for the fight, for the news of the
devastations committed by this party of Romans had roused the whole
district to fury. As a rule the Romans, except when actually on a
campaign, abstained from all ill treatment of the inhabitants--the
orders against plundering and injuring the people being here, as in
other countries held