l it warm my body as thy love did
once warm my heart. Haste thee now--hast thee away, once my beloved.
The sun rises; soon the fishermen will gather and stones will be my
portion. Wilt thou go?"

"Yea, Sara, when thou lettest me know by whose hand this evil hath come
upon thee and me."

"By the hand of the soldier who smote thee into sleep and weakness and
stole me by force."

The face of the fisherman turned livid with anger. His fingers
twitched and his breath came hard as he drew from under his skirt a
shining blade and held it aloft shouting until the rocks gave back the
echo of his voice, "Look thee, Sara--once my betrothed! By the height
of the sky above me; by the depths of the sea beneath me; by the
distance that lieth between the East and the West and the hand that set
the stars, do I swear to bury this blade in the heart of the beast that
hath taken from me my Sara. May the God of my fathers lay me low in
the fires of Gehenna if I do less!" A moment the fisherman stood with
upraised arm. The rising sun fell on the gleaming steel like a fire
along its edge.

A sob from the shore broke the silence. "Go! Go!" cried the
half-naked creature by the water.

With a last look of pity and of horror, Jael seated himself, took up
the oars and passed from sight around the ledge of rock. In a few
moments, however, he returned, rowing swiftly. He pushed his boat up
on the sand and went ashore. There was no living thing in sight.
Whether Sara had fled to the rushes and willows or had cast herself
into the sea, he knew not. As he stood he heard his name spoken.
Looking around again, he saw no man, and yet again he heard a voice
saying, "Jael."

"Whose is this voice?" he questioned. "A strange voice yet it seemeth
I have somewhere heard it."

"Thy heart is troubled, Jael," the voice said. "Come unto me and I
will give thee help." From behind the rocks the words came. Hastening
into his boat he rowed around the narrow point and came upon a man of
about his own age who wore one of the garments of a Rabbi. "Dost thou
remember me?" the stranger said to Jael.

With dripping oar poised on the boat's edge, the half-naked fisherman
studied the face of the man on the rocks. Then he exclaimed with joy,
"Thou art Jesus of Nazareth! Yea, well do I remember thee and the
games of our childhood."

"Rest thy boat, Jael. I would talk with thee."

"The years have been many since we ran the streets of Nazareth,"