pardon, saying that he had done this thing on compulsion. ‘Nay,’ said Mattathias, ‘the compulsion was of thy own evil and greedy heart. Thou hast sinned beyond all mercy of man; but the mercies of the Lord are past all measure. Die thou must; but I would have thee die in the faith of a son of Israel.’ Then the poor wretch—I had never thought to pity him, for he turned my own mother, when she lay dying, on to the public road, but no one could have refused him pity then—the wretch, I say, repeated with a stammering tongue, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord.’ And now he said, ‘I give thee for thy prayers to the All-Merciful, till the shadow of this staff come so far,’ and he planted a staff in the ground. And when the time was spent, the old man took his sword, and sheared off the wretch’s head with one blow. I had not thought that there was such strength in his arm. Then they brought the deputy and his soldiers to Mattathias. First he dealt with the deputy. ‘Slay him,’ he said, ‘for he has made the people of the Lord to transgress.’ So they slew him. Then they made the soldiers stand before him. Four out of their number were Jews. These he commanded to be slain, after giving them the same grace that he had given to Menahem. To the others he said, ‘You have not sinned as these your fellows, for you were born in darkness. Take, therefore, your choice: depart, and take good heed not to fall into our hands again, for, if you so fall, you die without further mercy; or, if ye will, stay with us. Only you must follow our ways, so far as it is commanded that the stranger should follow them.’ Half chose to depart, and half to stay. “After this, Mattathias chose some of the young men to go as messengers to the villages round about, and carry the tidings of what had been done, and to say, ‘The Lord hath lifted up His ensign; gather yourselves together unto it.’ Also he appointed a place where they should meet—that is to say, Michmash.” “And when may we look for his coming?” asked Seraiah. “Doubtless he will come to-morrow.” That night there was much rejoicing in the little colony. No one, indeed, deceived himself with the thought that he could look forward to easy and pleasant days. All knew perfectly well that a time of struggle and suffering was before them. But there was hope. The darkness had parted, and they saw a far-off gleam of light. At the least they would have the chance of striking a blow for their country and their God. CHAPTER XII. THE PATRIOT ARMY.