laying his hand upon the man's arm, and saying, "I am the son
of Arrius, the duumvir, and thou?"

"I am Malluch, a merchant of Antioch."

"Well, good Malluch, the trumpet, and the gride of wheels, and the
prospect of diversion excite me. I have some skill in the exercises.
In the palaestrae of Rome I am not unknown. Let us to the course."

Malluch lingered to say, quickly, "The duumvir was a Roman, yet I
see his son in the garments of a Jew."

"The noble Arrius was my father by adoption," Ben-Hur answered.

"Ah! I see, and beg pardon."

Passing through the belt of forest, they came to a field with a
track laid out upon it, in shape and extent exactly like those
of the stadia. The course, or track proper, was of soft earth,
rolled and sprinkled, and on both sides defined by ropes,
stretched loosely upon upright javelins. For the accommodation
of spectators, and such as had interests reaching forward of the
mere practise, there were several stands shaded by substantial
awnings, and provided with seats in rising rows. In one of the
stands the two new-comers found places.

Ben-Hur counted the chariots as they went by--nine in all.

"I commend the fellows," he said, with good-will. "Here in the
East, I thought they aspired to nothing better than the two;
but they are ambitious, and play with royal fours. Let us study
their performance."

Eight of the fours passed the stand, some walking, others on the
trot, and all unexceptionably handled; then the ninth one came on
the gallop. Ben-Hur burst into exclamation.

"I have been in the stables of the emperor, Malluch, but, by our
father Abraham of blessed memory! I never saw the like of these."

The last four was then sweeping past. All at once they fell
into confusion. Some one on the stand uttered a sharp cry.
Ben-Hur turned, and saw an old man half-risen from an upper seat,
his hands clenched and raised, his eyes fiercely bright, his long
white beard fairly quivering. Some of the spectators nearest him
began to laugh.

"They should respect his beard at least. Who is he?" asked Ben-Hur.

"A mighty man from the Desert, somewhere beyond Moab, and owner of
camels in herds, and horses descended, they say, from the racers of
the first Pharaoh--Sheik Ilderim by name and title."

Thus Malluch replied.

The driver meanwhile exerted himself to quiet the four, but without avail.
Each ineffectual effort excited the sheik the more.

"Abaddon seize him!" yelled the patr