The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times

by Alfred John Church

  CHAPTER XVII.

  THE BATTLE OF EMMAUS.

  The effort to wipe out the disgrace of the two defeats and to restore theGreek supremacy was not long delayed; and when it was made, it was madewith all the force which the lieutenants of Antiochus could command. TheKing himself was absent in Persia; but his vicegerent had _carte blanche_for the preparations which they were to make. Lysias, Governor of Syria,had collected forty thousand foot and seven thousand horse, and this forcehad been put under the command of Nicanor, Gorgias being his principallieutenant. This time, it was intended, the work should be donethoroughly. This Jewish people, so obstinately troublesome, was to beabsolutely extirpated. Not a single native inhabitant was to be left inPalestine, which was to be peopled in future by a more accommodating andmanageable race.

  This scheme, if it was to be carried out, would involve huge dealings inhuman flesh, and the slave-merchants of the sea-coast cities were,naturally, vastly interested in its success. Anxious to do the business ascheaply and effectively as possible, they formed what, in the language ofmodern commerce, would be called a "Syndicate," and sent parties ofdealers to follow the two armies, and act as their agents when the schemeshould begin to come into practical working.

  This was the occupation, then, of four repulsive-looking creatures who hadobtained permission to follow the army of Nicanor, and whom we may seediscussing a flagon of the best Chian wine--the trade was as profitable asit was odious--and canvassing the prospects of business.

  "Well," said one of the four, pursuing the narrative of an interview whichhe had just been having with Lysias, "we had a long debate about terms.The Governor was quite firm about one thing: there must be no picking andchoosing. 'No,' he said, 'either you buy them all, or they shall be put upin the open market.' 'But what,' I said, 'am I to do with the old and theweak?' 'And what am I to do with them?' he answered. 'No; you must buythem all or none.' There I could not move him. He could not be botheredwith detail. For so many prisoners, so many talents, half paid down, halfsix months credit. Old men and women at their last gasp, and new-bornbabes were all to be counted in. Those were his terms and I had to acceptthem, or we should not have come to an agreement."

  "That does not seem a good bargain," interrupted another member of thecompany.

  "Wait a moment," said the first speaker, "till you hear the price. I thinkyou will agree that there is no reason to complain. At first he wanted atalent(11) for every fifty. That of course was out of the question on the'take-all' terms, and I told our friend so quite plainly. 'No,' I said, 'atalent for every hundred is about the right price, and even then we mayvery well lose,' which, you will allow, was sailing very near the windindeed. Well, we had a long argument. First he would meet me half way. ButI held out. You know they _must_ have money. There is Antiochus--the'Glorious' they call him--gone off to Persia on a wild goose chase aftersome treasures he has heard of. I'll wager that he'll spend more than hegets by a long way. I have friends at Court, and they tell me that thetreasury is as empty as--well, we'll say a wine jar, after our friendNicias there has had it at his mouth for a minute. So I was firm. And atlast--to make a long story short--we came to terms at a talent for ninety.And I can't help thinking that it is not by any means a bad bargain."

  "And what are we to do with the worthless ones?" said one of the dealers."Surely having to keep them will take all the shine off our profits."

  "Keeping them! Who talks about keeping them? We shall only have to burythem, and that does not cost very much. You have not been long in thetrade, my good friend, and you don't know how soon their food seems todisagree with the poor wretches whom we can't sell."

  He smiled an evil smile, and the others burst out into a laugh, in which,however, the young man who "had not been long in the trade" did not join.

  "And what becomes of all the money?" said one of the dealers, who hadhitherto taken no part in the conversation.

  "Well, a part will be wanted for present expenses, pay of the troops,stores, and so forth; and that is to be paid in gold. But the greater parthas to go to Rome--the King, you know, owes a great deal on the indemnityaccount. For that we shall find bills of exchange."

  "Most of the money, then, is to go to Rome?"

  "Yes; and don't you see the advantage of the arrangement? Of course mostof it will come back into our pockets. Slaves from this part of the worldare quite the fashion in Rome now; and I am very much mistaken if theseJewish slaves don't turn out a great success. They are quite a novelty; Ishould think that they have hardly been seen in the Roman markets. Andthen they have a very distinguished look, and the girls are sometimesremarkably handsome. I don't like to brag--and of course this is allbetween ourselves--but I think that we shall make a _very_ good businessindeed out of this campaign."

  "If our side wins, that is," said the youngest of the dealers, who wasevidently a little discomposed by what he had heard.

  "_If_, indeed! There is no 'if' in the matter. You don't suppose this setof ragged beggars can stand against the army of Lysias?"

  "Well, they stood against Apollonius, and killed him; and they stoodagainst Seron."

  "Yes, but this is another matter altogether. Lysias has got fifty thousandas good troops as there are in the world, barring, of course, the Romans;and they _must_ win. And then we shall all make our fortunes as sure asthe sun is in the sky."

  And, indeed, as viewed from without, the prospects of success which seemedto lie before the forces of Antiochus were very great. The army waspowerful--it numbered nearly eight times as many as that of the patriots--itwas thoroughly well equipped, and it was led by men who at least had thereputation of being good soldiers.

  This time it was judged expedient to avoid the difficult pass ofBeth-horon and to advance by the easier road of Emmaues. At Emmaues,accordingly, Nicanor had pitched his camp for the night, intending to moveearly the next day on Jerusalem, to occupy that city with overwhelmingforce, and to carry on the operations of the campaign from that base. Hewas the more hopeful of success because he had received exact informationof the position of the patriot general. Benjamin had never forgiven thepainful wound which he had received from the arrow of one of the Chasidimafter the battle of Beth-horon. The injury had galled him all the morebecause his feelings had been really touched by the appeals of Seraiah,and he had seriously meditated throwing in his fortunes once more with thecause of his countrymen. He now made his way to the camp of Nicanor, andtold him all that he knew of the position of Judas. The Greek generaldespatched his lieutenant with a picked force to attack him. While theenemy was thus occupied he should be able, he thought, to make the passageof the mountains without hindrance or loss.

  Judas was at Mizpeh, in command of a force more numerous than any he hadbefore been able to collect, but still not amounting to more than sixthousand men. But the sight that this six thousand saw from the Mizpehridge--the watch-tower, as it was called--was such as to rouse to fury thehearts of all who beheld it. For there, lying before them, was the city oftheir love, the city of David, of Solomon, of Josiah, of Hezekiah, ofEzra, and Nehemiah, and they could see, only too plainly in the clearsunset light, the horror of its desolation. The streets were empty; thewalls, in old time thronged at evening by crowds of citizens and theirfamilies, were deserted; the gates were shut. The Temple could be seen,but its courts were silent and empty. And, rising above, in the City ofDavid, in the very heart of the Jewish kingdom, was the fort of the Greekgarrison--the hateful sign of the domination of the heathen. Then followeda touching ceremony, by which the servants of the Lord, banished from thecourts of His House, yet sought to show the reverence and the love whichthey felt for its sacred precincts, for the Holy Place which they couldsee with their eyes, though they might not tread it with their feet. Anumerous company of mourners, chosen to represent the whole people, rangedthemselves on the ridge which commanded the prospect so sad and yet sodear. They were clad in garments of black sackcloth, itself ragged andtatte
red, and had strewn ashes on their heads. They spread out copies ofthe Law--that Law which the heathen had silenced in its own peculiar seat,and which they had insulted and profaned, picturing on its very pages thecruel and lustful demons whom they worshipped; the functions of thepriests had ceased, but they could at least display within sight of theSanctuary the garments which they wore; the sacrifices could not beoffered, but they could at least show the bullocks and rams, thefirstfruits of the cornfield and the vineyard, and present them in heartand will; vows could not be performed, but the Nazarites, with theirunshorn locks, could stretch out their hands to the Sanctuary, anddedicate themselves in intention. And then from the whole multitude rosethe cry, "What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them?For Thy Sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and Thy priests are inheaviness and brought low. And lo! the heathen are assembled togetheragainst us to destroy us; what things they imagine against us, Thouknowest. How shall we be able to stand against them, except Thou, O God,be our help?"

  This done, the trumpets sounded, as if to remind the mourners that theywere soldiers again, and the whole multitude fell at once into militaryorder. Judas carefully inspected his force. Mindful of the old indulgencegiven by the Law, he proclaimed that any among his followers who werebuilding a house, or planting a vineyard, or had left behind him at home anewly-married wife, should depart. Those were not days when houses werebeing built or vineyards planted, for the land, save for some barrenmountain ranges, was in the power of the heathen; nor was it a time formarrying or giving in marriage. Scarcely a man out of the whole arrayclaimed the exemption. And when the leader went on, "If any man be timidor of a faint heart, let him turn back, while there is time," only two orthree slunk away.

  To those that remained Judas addressed a few stirring words. "You haveseen," he said, "the city of your fathers from afar, how it lies desolateand dishonoured. Be bold and quit you like men, and the Lord will deliverit into your hands, for He can deliver both by many and by few. Armyourselves at dawn, and we will fight with those nations who have defiledour sanctuary and have now come out to destroy us."

  But the struggle was to come sooner than any one had looked for it.Azariah had been setting the sentinels who were to watch the northern sideof the encampment, when he heard a voice that seemed to have a familiarsound.

  "Azariah!" it said, in a penetrating whisper.

  "I am here; say on;" and he felt sure that he recognized the voice ofBenjamin.

  "Tell your captain that Gorgias has come out of the camp of Nicanor withsix thousand men, the very choicest of his army, and that he will attackhim this night. Farewell!"

  And before Azariah could answer he was out of sight and hearing. A quickremorse had overtaken the robber for his treacherous act, and he had donehis best to remedy the wrong.

  Judas, on hearing the news, lost no time in making his resolve. It wasbold, even audacious. He would not wait to be attacked, but would himselfattack, and that not the detachment under Gorgias, which it was quitepossible he might have some difficulty in meeting, but the main bodyitself. Here he would certainly have the advantage of being utterlyunexpected. And a victory over this would be almost, if not absolutely,decisive.

  Accordingly he left his camp at Mizpeh without attempting to remove any ofhis belongings. In truth, they were scanty enough, and, if things wentwell with him, he should secure spoil of a hundredfold more value than allthat he had left. With nothing but their arms, and such scanty provisionas they could carry in their pouches, his men marched through the darknessdown into the plain.

  The day was dawning when he came within sight of the camp of Nicanor.Though not regularly fortified, it was a place of considerable strength,which an army far more numerous and better equipped than that which Judashad under his command might hesitate to attack. The cavalry had bivouackedoutside; the infantry were within the lines, but might be seen passing outof the gates.

  So formidable a task did it seem to attack a fortified camp, held by avastly superior force, that even Judas's band of heroes hesitated for amoment. He felt it at once, and at once addressed himself to check it. Hecalled a halt, and bidding the ranks close in to as small a space aspossible, he addressed them, sending his mighty voice in the still air ofthe morning with so commanding a power that it reached the very extremityof the crowd. In a few stirring words he reminded them of the deliveranceswhich God had wrought in old time for His people. He spoke of the threehundred of Gideon, how they had discomfited the host of the Midianites, ofthe angel that had smitten with an unseen sword the legions of the haughtySennacherib. He told them of the day when Macedonian and Jew had stoodside by side against the Gallic invaders of Asia, and of how the Jew hadstood firm while the Greek had fled before the fury of the barbarianonset. Finally he reminded them of the victories which they themselves hadso lately won against overwhelming odds.

  When he had finished his harangue, he divided the host between himself andhis brothers, John, Simon and Jonathan. Eleazar was to recite the HolyBook, and to give his name as the watchword of the day. These arrangementsmade, he gave a signal to the trumpeters. They blew a piercing blast.Then, with a shout, "The Help of God! The Help of God!"(12) the patriotscharged. It might have seemed to an onlooker the strategy of despair, butit was successful, as it had been many a time in history before, as it hasbeen many a time since.

  The Greeks stared at them, as they advanced, with astonishment. Were thesemen madmen, or were they fired by some Divine fury? In either case theywould be dangerous antagonists. As the patriots drew nearer, without asign of hesitation or holding back, the terror which had been creepingover the minds of the Greeks became insupportable. They broke and fled,and did not even, so complete was their demoralization, attempt to holdtheir camp. Though pursuit was shortened by the approach of the Sabbath,which Judas would not suffer to be infringed upon even to complete hisvictory, more than three thousand fell, and as the Greek line had notwaited to receive the onset of the patriots, all of them perished in theflight.

  The work was not yet done, for the detachment under Gorgias had still tobe accounted for. This, however, gave the conquerors very little trouble.That general had found the camp of Judas empty, and had naturallyconcluded that its occupants had been frightened away by his approach. Hestarted in pursuit, but without being able to find any clear traces of theroute which the supposed fugitives had taken. Probably, he thought, thiswould be in the direction of the mountain retreat from which they hadissued. It was long before he satisfied himself that he was mistaken; butthe peasants whom he questioned were evidently truthful when they declaredthat they had seen nothing of the force of which he was in search. He hadto retrace his steps, and could not do this till he had given his men arest, wearied as they were with almost incessant marching for a night anda day. It was late in the afternoon before he arrived in sight of the campof the main body, and by that time Judas's victory had been won. He wasastonished and alarmed to see that part of it was on fire. Shortlyafterwards a fugitive from the defeated army came in with news of what hadhappened. Neither Gorgias nor his men were in any humour to encounter thepatriots; they hastily turned and made the best of their way to Jerusalem.

  Information of this retreat was soon brought to Judas by his scouts, andhe felt that now at last he and his followers might enjoy their victory.The Sabbath was given, as usual, to rest and devotion. A great service washeld, a prominent feature of it being the chanting of the great Psalm ofThanksgiving,(13) "O give thanks unto the Lord, for His mercy endureth forever." The marvels of creation, the deliverance from Egypt, the passage ofthe hosts of the Lord through the Red Sea, the fall of the Amorite kingswho had sought to stop their way to the Promised Land, the possession ofthe inheritance which had been promised to the fathers--all these blessingswere enumerated, and after each new theme, given by the clear voices ofthe singers, rose the thunderous chorus of reply from the multitude, "ForHis mercy endureth for ever."

  On the first day of the week the spoils were divided. The divisio
n wasmade with scrupulous fairness, and with a reverent regard to theinjunctions of the Law. The wounded received a special consideration fortheir sufferings; a share was reserved for the widows and orphans of theslain; and those to whom had been given the unwelcome duty of stayingbehind to guard the encampment were not forgotten. The rich furniture ofthe officers' tents, the gold and silver plate, the many-coloured silks,and robes of Tyrian purple, with a well-furnished pay-chest, made togethera splendid booty.

  Among the prisoners was the party of slave-dealers to whom our readerswere introduced at the beginning of this chapter.

  "Who are you?" cried Judas, when they were brought before him, "and whatdo you here?"

  "We are merchants," said their spokesman, "brought by business into thecamp of his Excellency Nicanor."

  "And in what merchandize do you deal?" asked Judas, though, as may besupposed, he was perfectly well acquainted with their occupation.

  "We deal in the prisoners of war," answered the man. "Permit me, sir," hewent on, "to congratulate your Excellency on the splendid victory that youhave won, and to beg the favour of your custom. We offer the best ofprices for goods, and pay in ready money or in bills on the best houses,quite as safe as cash, I can assure you, and far more convenient tocarry."

  "Do you know this document?" asked Judas, holding up a piece of parchmentwhich had been found among the property of the slave-dealers.

  The man turned pale and said nothing.

  Judas then proceeded to read aloud: "It is hereby covenanted between themost excellent Lysias, Governor of Syria, on the first part, and Theronand his Company, dealers in slaves, on the second part, that the saidLysias shall hand over, and that the said Theron and his Company shalltake all persons that shall be captured in the operations now about to bebegun by the army of the said Lysias. And it is further covenanted thatthe said Theron and Company shall pay to the said Lysias or such otherpersons as he shall appoint, the sum of one talent of gold for everyninety persons delivered alive into the hands of the said Theron andCompany. Furthermore it is agreed that the said Theron and Company shallhave no claim for a drawback for any such persons dying after they havebeen once delivered; but that a drawback shall be allowed at the rate ofsix _minae_(14) for every person, who, as being a loyal subject of our lordand king Antiochus, or of any prince in friendship and alliance with him,shall have been wrongfully taken prisoner."

  "Know you this document?"

  Theron stammered an assent. "It is but a common matter of business, mylord. Such covenants must be drawn up, and, doubtless, they sound somewhatharsh."

  "Ye have digged a pit, and are fallen into the midst of it yourselves,"said Judas, in a voice of thunder. "Let them be taken with the followersof the camp to the slave-market of Sidon."

  "Mercy, my lord!" cried the dealers, falling on their knees.

  "Such mercy as you have shown yourselves you shall have, and no more. Leadthem away."

  "Nay, my lord," cried Theron, struggling away from the soldier who hadgrasped him by the arms, "you do ill to deal so harshly with men that havenot borne arms against you."

  "You have done tenfold worse," was the answer. "I know your works. Yousell our youths to the mines, where the young man grows old and decrepitbefore he has reached to middle age, and the maidens you sell to shame;and the old and sick you slay with the sword or poison. Take them away."

  "Listen once more, my lord," cried the man, in an agony of despair. "Wehave money; not here, of course, but with those whom we represent; if youshould want a loan, we can find it for your Excellency, and at lowinterest, lower than you will find elsewhere."

  "Take them away!" thundered Judas.

  And taken away they were, still screaming out, as they were dragged off,offers of ransom, or loans at five per cent. interest, or no interest atall.

  The next day Judas and his army, richly laden with spoils of every kind,returned to the sanctuary among the hills.