The Bronze Bow - Elizabeth George Speare [73]
As he went down the trail footsteps came pounding after him. "Daniel—w-wait!" It was Joktan. "W-what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to get Joel."
"By yourself?"
"No. There are nineteen of us."
"T-twenty," said Joktan. He had drawn himself up to his last skinny inch. "Let me go with you!" he pleaded, before Daniel could refuse.
Daniel decided quickly. "Come then," he said. "You can't be worse off."
Even in his haste he felt a sharp disappointment and regret. He had hoped that the footsteps were Samson's. He would have liked to say good-bye to the big man, to clasp the man's hand, to try to tell him not to watch anymore. But this too he must put behind him.
He and Joktan had the trail to themselves. But as he went down, the uncanny feeling grew on him that someone was behind. Had Rosh sent someone to follow him? Time and again he whirled about, but he could see nothing. His skin kept prickling. He quickened his stride till Joktan was running to keep pace.
In the watchtower twelve boys waited in the darkness, making no sound. One by one others crawled through the field to join them. Kemuel had summoned every boy in the city.
"What is Rosh going to do?" they greeted Daniel, their faces sober.
They read the answer in his silence.
"Nothing?" Nathan cried out, incredulous. "After Joel has—" His voice broke.
The others stared at Daniel, too stunned and angry to speak. I have failed them all, he thought. They trusted me!
"What does it matter?" Kemuel suddenly lashed out with scorn. "We don't need your Rosh—your great leader! We'll do without him."
Tumult exploded in the watchtower, anger flaring instantly into new hope.
"Wait," Daniel silenced them. "Let's have one thing clear. Maybe some of you think as Rosh does—that every man answers only for himself."
"We answer for each other!" Nathan spoke swiftly. A dozen voices echoed him with passion. Kemuel cut sharply across the clamor.
"Do you have a plan?"
"Yes," said Daniel. At once every boy was quiet.
"For nineteen against a Roman force?"
"Twenty," said Daniel, his hand on Joktan's shoulder. "If we use our heads, we can make twenty count for a hundred. We won't try to fight them. We will only get Joel."
"How?" Confidence had come back to their voices.
"On the road." Daniel's mind was working clearly now. "We can't break into the garrison. We can't afford to meet the Romans face to face. We can go south, beyond Magdala, and wait in the pass near Arbela. On the cliff we can spread out and throw down rocks so that they won't know how many we are. The Romans have no reason to expect an attack. When we have stirred up as much confusion as we can, then we take Joel."
"How?" they questioned. "He will be chained."
"That's a blacksmith's job."
There was a silence. "One cannot do that alone," said Nathan. "I'll go down with you."
"Before we go on," said Daniel, "we must have a leader. Up till now we have all been equal."
"We have already chosen," said another boy. "You have always been the leader."
"Not by a vote."
"There's no need to vote," said Nathan. "Does anyone here question who is our leader?" Not a whisper challenged him.
"Then you will obey my orders," said Daniel sternly. He felt no pride or glory that he was their leader, as he had once dreamed. Only a cold heaviness.
"The time has not come to fight the Romans," he told them. "We have no right to waste lives that are needed for the cause. Even for Joel. You are to stay on the cliff and distract the soldiers while I free Joel from the chains. Then you will all retreat as fast as you can. I don't think the Romans will follow. They'll be leery of a trap."
This time they kept silent, not questioning his command.
"Take all the weapons you have," he ordered. "We'll start now and find our place." He hesitated, feeling awkward but compelled to speak. "Joel is the one