a crowd of people
rushed through. As there were only myself and two or three of the
gardeners who had run up we could do nothing to stop them. Just as
they reached the house your father came out into the portico and said,
'Good people, what will you have?'

"Those in front of him were silent a moment, abashed by his presence
and the calm manner in which he spoke, but others behind set up the
cry 'Where is the sacred cat? We will find it!' while others again
shouted out 'Down with the impious priest!' Ameres replied, 'You can
search the place if you will; though, indeed, it seems that you need
not my permission, seeing that you have taken the matter into your own
hands. Only I pray you enter not the house. There are the ladies of my
family and other women there, and I swear to you that neither alive
nor dead is the cat to be found there.'

"The cry was raised, 'Let us search the garden!' In all this it struck
me that there were two parties among the mob, the one ignorant and
bigoted, believing really that an offense had been committed against
their gods; the other, men who kept in the background, but who were
the moving spirits. I was not pleased when I saw the crowd so readily
abandon the idea of searching the house and scatter themselves over
the garden, for it seemed to me that from one of the gardeners or
others they might have obtained some sort of clew that might put them
on the road to discovery. I saw that several among the crowd had with
them dogs trained for the chase, and this made me more uneasy. I told
one of the men to run at once and summon the troops, and then followed
the crowd.

"I was the more uneasy to see that without wasting time in searching
elsewhere they made straight to the inclosure where the animals were
kept. No sooner did they get there than they began to search, urging
on the dogs to assist them. Suddenly I started, for there was a touch
upon my shoulder, and looking round I saw Ameres. 'Remember my
instructions, Jethro,' he said in a quiet voice; 'I commit Chebron to
your charge.'

"'Oh, my lord!' I exclaimed, 'why are you here? The troops are but a
short distance away. Why do you not place yourself under their
protection?'

"'Because I have done no wrong, Jethro,' he replied calmly. 'I have
not offended the gods, nor have I ever wronged one of my countrymen.
Why should I fly?'

"At this moment there was a yell of rage among the crowd, and I knew
that one of those accursed hounds