"O gladiator of Caius of Thessalonica," suddenly responded a legionary of the guard of the gate, "thou art but a sword. What careth Pontius the Spearman for a mob of women and children? We know thee that thou art accounted trustworthy, and thou doest well to inquire concerning any tumult of the Jews, but this is no affair of either thine or ours."
"I meddle not," said the jarl. "I am under orders from the centurion and from the procurator, but I may watch this matter."
"Watch," said the officer. "Thou art in thy duty. We hinder thee not. But who art thou?"
The man whom he now addressed was plainly a Jew, in sordid raiment, tall and strong, but who was eyeing the jarl with an evil eye, and his manner was insolent.
"I am a servant of the high priest and I am here by his command," said the Jew. "There is an order for the arrest of this gladiator."
"Let no accursed Jew take upon him that business," laughed the officer. "Thy high priest hath enough to settle with the procurator. But whither goest thou from hence?"
"I go to the gate of the valley of Hinnom," replied the Jew, "and thou mayest not detain me."
"O officer," said Ulric, who had been searching the Jew with keen inspection, "I have an errand to that gate and know not the way overwell. I pray thee that thou command him to guide me after I have seen this present matter."
"I object not to that," said the Jew, with a fierce glitter in his eyes, "so that he touch me not to render me unclean against the Passover feast."