"She has been taken captive by the Syrians," answered Simeon.
"How knoweth thou this?" asked Ezra.
"I will tell thee," said his neighbor. "But a little while ago a stranger did come to my house mounted upon my own ass. 'Be this beast thine?' he did ask me. Much astonished I replied that the ass were mine. 'And the maiden who rode it, was she thy daughter?' asked the stranger. I replied that she was not my daughter, but the little maid of my neighbor, Ezra. Then the stranger said to me, 'Go to thy neighbor Ezra and tell him that his little maid hath been taken captive by the Syrians; that she will be carried to Damascus and sold into slavery.'
"It doth appear," continued Simeon, as Ezra stood pale and speechless, "that this man was traveling on foot from Samaria when he saw approaching from the direction of Damascus, a company of Syrians. They were evidently bent upon plunder, and the man, fearing that they would take him captive, did hide himself. While in hiding he saw the Syrians fall in with a little maid mounted upon an ass. The maiden they did take captive, leaving the ass which is old and slow. When the Syrians had departed with the little maid, the stranger came forth and mounted the ass, turning its face in the direction from whence it came. And the ass returned home. It is with sorrow in my heart, neighbor, that I bring thee ill tidings of thy little maid."
"Ay, ill tidings indeed!" murmured Ezra, his head sunk in sorrow upon his breast. "The hand of the Lord hath fallen heavily upon me and mine. How shall I tell the lad, for whose sake she did journey towards Samaria, of the ill that hath befallen his sister? Alas! alas! our little maid captured by the Syrians! sold into slavery!" and Ezra rent his garments and wept bitterly.
Chapter III.
Naaman, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Army, was passing through the streets of Damascus in a magnificent chariot drawn by four snow-white horses. He was a man of great height and superb physique; he wore a robe of royal purple. But upon the proud face there rested a heavy shadow, and the dark, flashing eyes, which had looked death in the face unflinchingly so many times upon the battle-field, now drooped under the pitying and curious glances bent upon him.
A sigh of intense relief heaved his mighty chest when the chariot stopped before the gates of a stately palace. He stepped from the chariot and passed within.