"Nay, thou art a truculent and unbelieving fellow at heart," said Peter easily. "Didst hear how the Master answered the priests but now? I could have laughed aloud to see them slink away like whipped curs."
"Like whipped curs--yes," muttered the other. "But they will return anon like ravening wolves, unless he declare himself. 'Tis folly--folly!" He turned and plunged hastily into the crowd, and Peter, left to himself, began to smite his great hands softly together. "He hath the power to put them all to silence," he said half aloud. "He will do it--let no one fear!"
"I fear," said Tor, suddenly speaking at the fisherman's elbow. "I fear--_for him_."
"What now, small one," quoth Peter, staring down at the child with a displeased shrug. "Have I not told thee to keep thy distance?"
"Yes, but I will not," said Tor doggedly. "Listen, Galilean. I heard the men in long robes speak of _him_. They hate him. They will kill him, if they can. Take care of him--_thou_."
"My Master can take care of himself, boy," said Peter boastfully. "He is a King; also, I am his servant."
"Where is thy sword, servant of a King?" demanded Tor, eyeing him doubtfully.
"My sword--my sword?" stammered the fisherman. "I have no sword."
The Galilean shook his great shoulders doubtfully as he stared after the small, agile figure of the boy, darting and doubling, twisting and turning through the huddled masses of people gathered about his Master. "By the double veil--" he began, and stopped short with a perplexed frown. "'Swear not at all,' saith my Master, yet my unruly tongue doth ever betray me. Truly, the tongue is a fire, tamed by no man, not even its owner."
There was some new excitement brewing, for the fisherman was thrust rudely to one side by a guard of brawny temple police, who advanced as before, crying out to the people to fall back in the name of the Sanhedrim. The group of men which followed close on the heels of the guard forced another profane exclamation from the unguarded lips of the Galilean. "Herodians!" he muttered, "and Pharisees. Now, what doth this portend?"
The question was answered by Judas, who reappeared at the moment, his dark face distorted by a savage sneer. "Wouldst know why these courtiers of Herod have come to the Nazarene, fisherman? Well, I can tell thee. Our chosen Master hath of late permitted himself to be hailed King of the Jews, yet hath he not pledged the nation to the support of his claim, nor even armed us, his chosen followers. What then? Herod is a paltry tetrarch of Galilee, he plots and schemes at Rome for his father's crown. Thou mayst know, fisherman,--unless thy head be too thick for understanding--that the pretensions of the carpenter's son have been widely noised abroad, and have already reached the ears of royal Herod. Jesus of Nazareth must take heed to himself or he will presently be dealt with after the manner of John the Baptist--or worse."