"There are deeply cut runes upon it," he said. "Canst thou read them?"
"Nay, but I know that they are Chaldee," said the Jew. "This altar is exceedingly old. Who shall say what men and what gods have been dwellers in this cave!"
"We may now do no more," said the jarl. "We will return to the men. It is a good prudence, every way, that we leave a mark of blood at the entrance."
"Even so!" exclaimed Ben Ezra. "They were robbers, but also are the Samaritans the enemies of my people. Now am I sure that Jehovah is with thee, and I remember that which is written of such as thou art, that he maketh the heathen his sword."
Ulric was thinking of another matter.
"The burdens of the men will still be heavy," he said, "but not now will they carry any weight of provisions. We will obtain pack beasts when we may. And now we have need for haste lest evil come upon us."
They went out of the cave together and returned to the camp, but Sigurd met them.
"O jarl," he exclaimed. "Lysias hath disappeared and the men are angry. We had thought he would for a while go with us."
"We will guard our own heads, O Sigurd, the son of Thorolf," replied Ulric. "We are better without the Greek. He hath gone on an errand. We will but eat and then we will depart, for the Romans come quickly. The Jew hath a guiding for us."
Nevertheless, the Saxons all were angry, and they ate in silence. Their jarl was too soft with strangers, they said to each other. He avoided too much the shedding of dangerous blood.