Hebrew warriors with all the frank
confidence of a volunteer into their ranks; and the Greek's first
emotion was that of amazement, when he found himself suddenly the
object of universal indignation and hatred. There was no mistaking the
expression of the angry eyes that glared upon him from every direction,
nor the gestures of hands raising javelins on high, or unsheathing keen
glittering blades.

"Here he is, the traitor, the Gentile, led hither to die the death he
deserves!" exclaimed Jasher.

"What mean ye, Hebrews--friends? Slay me not unheard!" cried Lycidas,
raising on high his voice and his hand. "I am a proselyte; I renounce
my false gods,--"

"He has their very effigies on his arm!" yelled out Jasher, pointing
with frenzied action to the silver bracelet of Pollux worn by the
Greek, on which had been fashioned heads of Apollo and Diana encircled
with rays.

Here was evidence deemed conclusive; nothing further was needed. "He
dies! he dies!" was the almost unanimous cry. The life of Lycidas had
not been in greater peril when he had been discovered at the midnight
burial, or when he had wrestled with Abishai on the edge of the cliff.
In a few moments the young Greek would have lain a shapeless trampled
corpse beneath his murderers' feet, when the one word "Forbear!"
uttered in a loud, clear voice whose tones of command had been heard
above the din of battle, stayed hands uplifted to destroy; and with the
exclamation, "Maccabeus! the prince!" the throng fell back on either
side, and through the ranks of his followers the leader strode into the
centre of the circle. One glance sufficed to inform him sufficiently
of the nature of the disturbance; he saw that he had arrived on the
spot barely in time to save his Athenian rival from being torn in
pieces by the crowd.

"What means this tumult? shame on ye!" exclaimed Maccabeus, sternly
surveying the excited throng.

"We would execute righteous judgment on a Greek--an idolater--a spy!"
cried Jasher, pointing at Lycidas, but with less impassioned gesture;
for the fanatic quailed in the presence of Maccabeus, who was the one
man on earth whom he feared.

"He is a Greek, but neither idolater nor spy," said the prince. "He is
one of a gallant people who fought bravely for their own independence,
and can sympathize with our love of freedom. He has come to offer us
the aid of his arm; shame on ye thus to requite him."

"I doubt but he will play us false," m