looked first at the youth and then on the ground, and muttered
unintelligible words into his grey beard as they walked on. Suddenly he
drew himself up and nodded decisively; he would make an attempt to save
Hermas, and faithful to his own nature, action trod on the heels of
resolve. Where the little level ended the road divided, one path
continued to lead upwards, the other deviated to the valley and ended at
the quarries. Petrus was for taking the latter, but Hermas cried out,
"That is not the way to our cave; you must follow me."

"Follow thou me!" replied the senator, and the words were spoken with a
tone and expression, that left no doubt in the youth's mind as to their
double meaning. "The day is yet before us, and we will see what my
laborers are doing. Do you know the spot where they quarry the stone?"

"How should I not know it?" said Hermas, passing the senator to lead the
way. "I know every path from our mountain to the oasis, and to the sea.
A panther had its lair in the ravine behind your quarries."

"So we have learnt," said Petrus. "The thievish beasts have slaughtered
two young camels, and the people can neither catch them in their toils
nor run them down with dogs."

"They will leave you in peace now," said the boy laughing. "I brought
down the male from the rock up there with an arrow, and I found the
mother in a hollow with her young ones. I had a harder job with her;
my knife is so bad, and the copper blade bent with the blow; I had to
strangle the gaudy devil with my hands, and she tore my shoulder and bit
my arm. Look! there are the scars. But thank God, my wounds heal
quicker than my father's. Paulus says, I am like an, earth-worm; when it
is cut in two the two halves say good-bye to each other, and crawl off