Out of the Triangle | Page 9

with
Christians!"
"Who art thou that thou shouldest own the Christian?" demanded the
first, angrily gazing up at the presumptuous rider. "Did I not find him?"
The mounted camel-rider laughed, and tossed something toward the
irate speaker. The man caught the object, a ring of gold, containing a
scarabaeus.
"Take it," said the giver to the appeased rival. "The Christian is mine."
The unconscious Timokles was taken up at a sign from the camel-rider
to one of his servants, and the cavalcade proceeded on its way. As his
camel paced forward, Pentaur, the purchaser, glanced back twice or
thrice.
"Truly," he assured himself with much complacency, as he perceived
Timokles being carried, "I follow the maxim of Ptah-hotep: 'Treat well
thy people, as it behooveth thee; this is the duty of those whom the
gods favor.'"
As Pentaur, for that moment, thought of the dread hour when, after
death, according to Egyptian belief, he should stand before the
judgment-seat of Osiris, the camel-rider felt convinced that he would
have merl which might stand him in good stead in that ordeal.
Little by little, Timokles regained consciousness. He marveled to find
himself carried. He had expected to be killed where he fell. The many
painful welts of the lash's stripes stung him with keen pain.

"O mother! mother!" Timokles' heart cried silently.
Had she indeed lost all love for him, since she had told him she wished
he had died rather than become a Christian?
"Lord Christ," cried Timokles' breaking heart now, "I have left all for
thee!"
The company pushed on rapidly. At length, after morning with its heat
had come, the party halted, and the slave who had carried Timokles
flung him on the sand, the slave comforting himself that possibly the
evil of the Christian's touch might be warded off by a symbolic eye of
Horus that the pagan wore tied to his arm by a slender string. Such eyes
were often used by Egyptians as amulets and ornaments.
When the hot hours of the day were past, the caravan again made, ready
to go on. The merchant, Pentaur, summoned Timokles, and with
condescending good-nature, demanded his history. Timokles told it.
"Why shouldest thou be a Christian?" commented Pentaur. "See, we
come to-night to Ammonium the oasis. Every camel-step doth lead thee
farther toward Carthage! Thou wilt perish there! Carthage doth hate
Christians!"
Timokles looked into Pentaur's eyes.
"Yea, I know that Carthage hateth them," the lad answered. "I heard
that four years ago, when the proconsul Saturninus persecuted the
Christians; and when a number were brought from the little town of
Scillita to Carthage to appear before the tribunal of Saturnin, one man
called Speratus spoke frankly and nobly for his brethren. When the
proconsul Saturninus invited Speratus to swear by the genius of the
emperor, the proconsul promising the Christians mercy if they would
do this and return to the worship of the gods, Speratus answered, 'I
know of no genius of the ruler of this earth, but I serve my God who is
in heaven, whom no man hath seen nor can see. I render what is due
from me, for I acknowledge the emperor as my sovereign; but I can
worship none but my Lord, the King of all kings and Ruler of all

nations.' So were the Christians taken to the place of execution, where
they knelt and prayed, and were then beheaded."
Timokles' eyes. fell. His voice trembled.
"O Lord Christ," he added, reverently, "I also would be faithful unto
thee!"
The merchant's piercing look regarded Timokles for a few minutes.
"There were women among those twelve Christians who were brought
from Scillita to Carthage to die," continued Timokles, "three women,
called Donata, Secunda, and Vestina. When they were brought before
the proconsul, he said to them, 'Honor our prince, and offer sacrifice to
the gods.' Donata answered, 'We give to Caesar the honor that is due
Caesar: but we adore and offer sacrifice to God alone.' Vestina, said, 'I
also am a Christian.' Secunda said, 'I also believe in my God, and will
continue. faithful to him. As for thy gods, we will neither serve nor
adore them.'
"O my master," continued Timokles, with trembling voice," thinkest
thou not that the God who so strengthened three women that they did
not shrink from death for his sake, could strengthen me to meet death,
also?"
CHAPTER III.
Pentaur looked fixedly at the lad, who stood with no air of bravado
about him, but with an expression of humble trust that the merchant
could not fathom.
"Why shouldest thou risk death?" questioned the merchant. "Death will
defeat a Christian."
"Nay, O master!" exclaimed Timokles eagerly. "Death may be glorious
victory!"
Pentaur smiled.

"Oh!" broke forth Timokles earnestly, "I know a death that was a
glorious victory!