Aleph expressed his gratification at the meeting, and warmly seconded the lady’s request. So Shaphan beckoned to his brother, and the two followed the chair to the house of Miriam.
They found the door guarded by a stout servant of Alexander, and by bars still stouter. It appeared that Antis had lately been there, demanded admittance, and, on being refused, had become violent, tried to break open the door, and finally had gone away threatening to return shortly with authority and force that could not be resisted.
Aleph suggested that the sedan be brought within the house. Should violence be used it might be well to add the porters to the resisting force.
They found that Miriam had been so agitated by the attempt of her husband that she was unfit for the further conversation that Aleph desired. But with so many friends now about her she was in a restful state; and when Rachel proposed that, if it would not tire her too much, Shaphan and his brother should give an account of their visit to Palestine and Jesus, she declared that she could well endure it. Indeed, it would strengthen her. To hear of Jesus again would be as cool water to a thirsty soul.
So Shaphan told again the story with which we are already familiar—told it, however, with omission of the part relating to Malus; for Aleph had suggested that all the servants, excepting the door-keeper, should be present at the recital. “This was a matter that concerned everybody.”
When Shaphan had finished, his brother Nathan added substantially the following account:
After the departure of his brother, he had remained a few days longer with Jesus, listening to his teaching and seeing further examples of his wonderful power. Two of these examples were specially impressive.
One day, as the night drew on, Jesus, who had been teaching the people from a boat belonging to his disciples, was overheard saying to them, Let us go over to the other side. Whereupon they put out into the lake and headed for Gadara. Some of his hearers, of whom Nathan was one, hating to part company with him for even a short time, immediately sprang into another boat and followed. Soon the night shut down—one of the blackest nights ever known. Jesus’ boat could no longer be seen. Suddenly the wind rose into a gale. It wrestled with the sea like a giant; and the sea rose in its wrath and wrestled back again with a mighty outcry. For a moment they would lie breathless in each other’s arms; and then, reviving, fling themselves madly at each other in mortal duel. It was an awful scene. It seemed as if all the demons were abroad. The waters which, when they embarked, were almost without discernible wrinkle, were now furrowed into mighty chasms by the plow of the storm king. Up went the little boat to heaven on the thundering billow; down it went into a hell of waters as thunderous. The watery monsters shook their white manes and lashed their black sides and leaped at and over their prey with open jaws. They laughed to scorn oar and rudder and seamanship. They shouted, and howled and shrieked, and seemed to swear by the Eternal to the helpless crew, “We have you now; nothing can save you; to-morrow your corpses will be drifting silently about; no, nothing can save you, not even the mighty Christ.” Such blaspheming, frantic, frightful madhouse of the elements—who ever saw the like! Not Nathan and his companions. It seemed to them as if hell had emptied itself on the sea of Galilee; and that all the fiends, astride of whirlwinds and crested billows, were fiercely battling together for the privilege of drowning every living thing. They struggled. They prayed. They were in despair. Drenched, rudderless, oarless, they clung to the sides of the fast filling boat in a paroxysm of horror and helplessness. In a few moments all would be over. They commended their souls to God.
What noise was that? Off at their right, hidden in the darkness, evidently was another crew of affrighted and sinking men, crying out in their extremity. Can they be Jesus and his disciples? Are they too in the very jaws of death? Cannot he who has done such great things manage to save his own, to save himself? Or are these raging, howling elements a field to which his power does not extend? Such thoughts flashed through the mind of Nathan even as he seemed on the point of being swallowed up. But just then he distinctly heard (for the boats had neared each other) a distressful voice which he recognized as that of one of the disciples, exclaiming, Lord, save us, we perish!