As he slowly passed them, he speculated which could have been David's palace. He saw Herod's plainly enough. On his right he noticed the aqueduct from Solomon's Pool, and followed its course as far as the Tower of Hippicus northward. There he entered the city by the Gate of Gennath, and followed the valley of the Cheesemongers (or Tyropæon hollow) until he came to Ophal.
In the middle of a very narrow street in this low and crowded quarter, where the Romans afterward under Titus were repulsed, he met a file of people, some mounted, some on foot, led by a richly-dressed, haughty-looking, burly man, riding a mule.
So narrow was the street that either Paulus would have had to go back as far as the Tower of Marianne, or the richly-dressed and haughty-looking man about one-quarter of the distance, to the bridge between the street of the Cheesemongers and the court of the Gentiles. Paulus, always full of courtesy, amenity, and sweetness, was in the very act of turning his small Tauric horse, when the burly man in rich dress, who led the opposing file, called out, "Back! low people! Back, and let Caiaphas go by!"
"And who is Caiaphas?" demanded Paulus, instantly facing round again and barring the way.
"The high-priest of Jerusalem," was the answer, thundered forth in rude and minatory tones.
"I respect," said Paulus, "and even revere that holy appellation; but he who uses it at this moment, for some present purpose, has flung against me, who am a Roman general, the mandate of Back, low people. Where are the low people? I do not believe that I am a low person. Where, then, are the low people?"
"Come on," cried the imperious voice of Caiaphas.
He himself, being the file leader, began then to move forward, till he came immediately in front of the traveller who had so courteously spoken to him.
"If you want," said Paulus, "to pass me at once, I must get into the ditch, or throw you into it; which do you prefer?"
"I prefer," quoth Caiaphas, "that you should throw me into the ditch, if you either dare or can."