hy are you doing that, brother?" said Barabbas. "We'll lead them to
our castle. The simoon may be blowing up. There they'll have shelter
for the night."

He tore the bridle from Dismas's hand, and led the ass bearing the
mother and child down between the stones to the cave, Joseph saw the
men's weapons, and followed gloomily.

When the shades of evening fell, and the desert was shut out and the
sky dark, when the blocks of stone and the cone-shaped rocks resembled
black monsters, the wanderers were settled in the depths of the cave.
The ass lay in front of it sleeping, his big head resting on the sand.
Near by lurked the robbers, and ate their plunder.

"Now we'll share our guests in brotherly fashion," said Barabbas. "You
shall have the old man and the child."

"They are father, mother, and child," replied Dismas; "they belong
together, we will protect them."

"Brother," said Barabbas, who was in high good humour at the ease of
the capture, "your dice. We'll throw for them. First, for the ass."

"Right, Barabbas."

He threw the eight-cornered stone with the black marks, and it fell on
his outspread cloak. The ass was his.

"Now for the father and son!"

"Right, Barabbas."

The dice fell. Barabbas rejoiced. Dismas was winner.

"A third time for the woman!"

"Right, Barabbas."

He threw the dice; they fell on his cloak.

"What is that? The dice have no marks! Dismas, stop this joke!
You've changed the dice."

When he took them up in his hand the black marks were there again all
right. They drew a second and a third time. As before the dice had no
marks when they fell.

"What does it mean, Dismas? The dice are blind."

"I think it's you who are blind, Barabbas," laughed Dismas. "Here,
drink these drops, and then lie down and sleep."

The strong man soon rolled on to the sand beside the ass, and snored
loudly.

Then Dismas crawled into the cave and woke the strangers, in order to
get them away from the libertine. For he dared not venture a trial of
strength with Barabbas. He had some trouble with Joseph, but at last
they were beneath the starry sky, Mary and the child on the ass, Joseph
leading it. Dismas walked in front in order to show them the way.
They went slowly through the darkness; no one spoke a word. Dismas was
sunk in thought. Past days, when he had rested like this child in his
mother's arms and his father had led them over the Arabian desert, rose
before him. Man