Jason's Miracle by Beryl Lieff Benderly

Author:Beryl Lieff Benderly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

VII

JUDAH MACCABEE, deep in conversation with several of his officers, looked up eagerly as Aaron and Jason approached the campfire circle. “Back so soon, boys? How was it in Bet Tzur?”

“Interesting, General,” Aaron answered with a grin.

That’s one way of putting it, Jason thought, remembering their narrow escape.

“And we really made good time on the way back,” Aaron went on. Jason estimated that it was well past midnight. He couldn’t accurately tell the time from the sky the way his new friends could, but he did have some notion of how long he and Aaron had been traveling since they left Menachem’s.

“We have great information,” Aaron added enthusiastically. And, to the amazement of all, Jason read off his list of numbers and locations, giving Judah a complete rundown of the enemy’s strength in Bet Tzur. During the recitation, Aaron beamed with pride, almost as if the astonishing piece of paper were his own invention.

“Remarkable,” Judah said at last, shaking his head reverently. “Just remarkable. I have no doubt now that Bet Tzur will be ours, and when it is, the road to Jerusalem will lie open.”

The officers nodded in agreement. They all wore dazed expressions, as if they had watched a magic trick they could not possibly explain.

“That is an unbelievable day’s work,” said Judah.

“But there’s more!” Aaron blurted out joyfully. “A letter from Menachem!” And he thrust the precious papyrus into Judah’s hand.

The general carefully unrolled it. He squinted at the writing, trying to make out Menachem’s message by the wavering firelight. Jason stepped over beside him and snapped on the flashlight. A gasp went up as the yellow beam fell on the slip in Judah’s hands. The men all stared at Jason and at the bright orange cylinder in his hand.

“It’s just a kind of lantern we use back where I come from,” Jason explained. “Please, General, read the letter. I don’t want to keep it on too long. It wastes the battery.” They stared at him, mystified. “I mean, it uses up all the fuel.”

“That’s how we got back here so quickly,” Aaron added. “Joseph’s wonderful lantern showed us the fastest way.”

Judah let his eyes rest a long moment on Jason’s face and then turned them toward the letter. He frowned as he read it. “This is very serious,” he said when he finished reading and Jason had snapped off the light. “Menachem warns us of a great army under the Syrian commander Gorgias, encamped not far from here. He says that a very reliable source—I suspect he means his wife, Sarah—guesses their strength at about six thousand men, including a thousand horsemen. And they are very confident that they will defeat us. Menachem writes that their general has even invited slave dealers to follow his army because he’s so sure that he’ll take lots of us prisoner. A force so much bigger than ours is a real threat to our plans.”

The officers all nodded gravely.

“They really have us greatly outmanned,” Jonathan said. “There’s no way we can match those numbers.

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