from the anchorage when a small boat was to be seen making its way towards us. A single man occupied it, rowing with might and main. I had acquired sufficient power of discrimination to recognise by his dress and appearance that he was a co-religionist of my new companion. As he came nearer it was evident that terror and perturbation were stamped on his features. Like Priam’s or Lady Percy’s messenger he forestalled utterance.
Presently he sent forth a cry on the waters, shouting as sailors are wont to shout, and in a style totally unintelligible to me.
What could have been the words? They were few and brief, but had produced a manifest effect on my companion. He seemed to be stricken with sudden fear, and, at the same time, with astonishment and perplexity. Our one boatman pricked up his ears and began to look excited, though not frightened. From neither of them could I obtain any explanation: one could not speak any Frank tongue, and the other appeared for the moment to be dumb.
At the same time unusual symptoms were manifested on the Molo. I saw that it swarmed with people, many of whom were gesticulating fiercely, and all in great commotion. They seemed to be shaking their fists and performing a regular war-dance.
“Daniel, my good friend,” said I, “what on earth is the matter?”
“Ah, your excellence”—(it was a disagreeable feature of conversation with these fellows that they would be giving one titles)—“dreadful news!”
Much more communication had passed between the friends all this time, and the boatman had fired up to the most vivid interest.
It was, however, an interest of no very pleasing character, for I heard him muttering words which were among the few I had learned to know by sound, and which were words of imprecation:
“Dogs! and the sons of dogs!” was about the equivalent of what he ground between his teeth.
And now I began to obtain some light on the matter. It was only, however, after considerable explanation by Daniel, that I came to have a distinct notion of what was in progress.
A great calamity was threatening the Jewish population of Rhodes. One of those violent outbreaks of superstitious hatred to which they are exposed in semi-civilised countries, was at that moment culminating. The event is historical, so that some who read may remember the fact, or remember to have heard the tradition. Alas! such is human nature, that since that time there may have been other similar scenes enacted. There will always, I fear, be the liability to them so long as the antagonistic characteristics of Greek Christians and Jews are brought into contact under oriental rule.
I mentioned that it was just at the time of the Passover. There seems to be a fatality about this particular festival, for the poor children of Abraham. Whether it be that at this season there is an especial quickening of zeal among the orthodox, which zeal is supposed to find its legitimate expression in persecuting the Jews, I cannot say—but it is likely enough. They who have witnessed the working of the feuds at Easter between Latins and Orthodox, may conceive what would be the likely virulence, on any decent pretext, against such a defenceless set of religious foes as the Jews.
Christians in the East are generally ready to charge crimes on the Jews. Murder and kidnapping are not uncommon counts in their indictments. But they do not stop at mere murder. They charge them with positive cannibalism—cannibalism as a direct consequence of their religion, and as an act of high obedience to their Doctors. The allegation is that at Passover time they will always, if possible, kidnap a Christian child, and sacrificing him, mingle his blood with their Passover cakes. It is in vain that one may urge the manifest folly of such an accusation, since the Jews are not permitted to eat the blood of any animal whatsoever. It is in vain that you challenge them to cite the passage in the Law of Moses enjoining this practice. They cover themselves from all attacks by asserting, that the injunction does not come from Moses, but from the supplementary writings of the Rabbis,—that it is in the Talmud. As very few of us have ever seen the Talmud, or know anything of the Rabbinical writings, they are but few who can establish the negative on their positive knowledge. It would be but of little use if they could; for the refuted of to-day, would to-morrow take their theory elsewhere; and before fresh auditors produce it as incontrovertible.
I had heard something of all this before, and remembered reading in the public papers about disturbances in Syria on this very account. This was however some years since, and one hoped the world was growing wiser. A child had disappeared, and the whole population, Christian and Mahometan, had conspired to accuse the Jews of kidnapping and murder. The unfortunate people were kept in their quarter, in a state of obsession, and the most serious results would no doubt have followed on this popular exasperation, had not the missing child turned up in the very nick of time.
Now the same madness had fallen on the people of Rhodes. How it was, and who it was that was missing, Daniel’s friend could not tell. All he knew was that the entire population was in uproar, and giving vent to words and acts which might well be the prelude of a massacre. The account he gave of himself was that, being unable to reach the Jews’ quarter before retreat was cut off, and knowing also that Daniel was likely to be returning about that time, he had watched for the boat, and managed to steal off to warn him against the danger of attempting to land on the Molo under present circumstances.
I could judge myself what this danger would be. The Greek boatman looked as if he would fain have pitched the pair of them into the sea,—this, though it was one against two, with myself presumed to be neutral. At Daniel’s entreaty I had ordered the boat’s head to be put off from shore. It would have been conniving at murder to allow them to venture among the madmen we there saw. I therefore determined to venture to claim Quillet’s hospitality for the two Israelites, till better times haply should arrive. We neared the vessel, and