The newcomers sat down and hungrily ate the fish that Simon handed them. "Zebedee says there may be riots if the wheat is poor," said Simon. "What do you think of the crop, Gideon?" Gideon squinted toward the hills as though looking at the fields that lay beyond them. "My guess is that there will be enough." He frowned. "Enough, that is, if the landlords don't grab it all." James glanced at Simon, concealing a smile. Old Gideon never got tired of scolding the big landowners. "Before I was forced off my farm we had plenty to eat, even in dry weather." He shook his finger. "And mind you, I had only five acres! Now look what has happened!" He pounded his knee. "A man can hardly feed his family with ten acres. Why? Taxes and more taxes!" He counted on his fingers. "First, Herod takes one fourth of all our grain. That goes into the bellies of the Romans. Then there is the tithe. That takes enough to feed a hired man! Then we pay the Temple tax to feed the priests. They get the first-born of all the sheep too. When a man's first son is born, he must make a big gift to the synagogue. Farmers have to give part of the wool at sheep-shearing; part of the wood at woodcutting; and the best of the fruit at harvest." He looked around and spat on the ground. "On top of that we pay for the schools and synagogues! Is it any wonder we have hardly enough left to feed ourselves?" "But religious taxes are paid for the sake of God, Gideon!" protested James. "Yes, yes ... I know." Gideon couldn't argue the point; for a moment he was silent. Then he looked sharply at James and snapped: "Do the landlords pay religious taxes? No!" His voice was bitter. "That tax-gatherer who bought me out knew ways to get out of paying the Temple tax!" "Was it when you sold your farm that you became a fisherman, Gideon?" asked James. "Yes. I almost had to serve a term of bondage." The gentile jerked up his head and said, "Were you a slave?" "No, but my brother bound himself for twelve years," answered Gideon, looking at the gentile curiously. "Do the bondslaves make much trouble here?" he asked. Zebedee looked at him very closely. "In Galilee the slaves do not cause riots. The Jews do." James explained. "In Palestine there are more free men than slaves. Hunger causes most riots. But in a way, our whole nation is a slave to Rome." His eyes challenged the gentile and no one missed his meaning when he spoke again. "A nation can't run away from its master the way a slave can." The gentile started. He glanced swiftly around the group. The men were looking at him suspiciously. "Are you a runaway slave?" demanded Zebedee point-blank. The man flushed and spoke shamefacedly. "Yes," he admitted. After a moment's silence, Andrew said: "The Romans treat us all the same way. No one here will betray you." The man's face showed his relief. "Perhaps you will tell us where you are from," suggested Simon.