“By Hercules, Cornelius!”
“Porcius!” He clapped a hand on the other’s shoulder. “I didn’t know you were quartered here.”
“I’ve come since you left, Cornelius. I heard you were out pursuing a gang of those Zealots. Did you overtake any of them?”
“Yes, and killed several. But we didn’t capture any.”
“This morning they crucified two of the ones you captured last week.”
“Three, you mean, don’t you? Bar Abbas and two of his company.”
“But Pilate released Bar Abbas.”
“Released him? Bar Abbas?”
“Yes, released him. It’s amazing, isn’t it? But the mob demanded his release as the Passover prisoner—you know, don’t you, that the Procurator each year, in accordance with tradition, releases one prisoner at Passover time?”
Cornelius nodded. “But weren’t there three men crucified?”