For the Temple: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem Read online

  Chapter 5: The Siege Of Jotapata.

  "Well, Joab, what do you think, now?" John said, as he stood on thewall with his older companion, watching the seemingly endlesscolumn of the enemy. "It seems to me that we are caught here, likerats in a trap, and that we should have done better, a thousandtimes, in maintaining our freedom of movement among the mountains.It is one thing to cut a road; it would be another to clear off allthe forests from the Anti-Libanus and, so long as there was aforest to shelter us, the Romans could never have overtaken us.Here, there is nothing to do but to die."

  "That is so, John. I own that the counsel you urged would have beenwiser than this. Here are all the best fighting men in Galilee,shut up without hope of succor, or of mercy. Well, lad, we can atleast teach the Romans the lesson that the Jews know how to die;and the capture of this mountain town will cost them as much asthey reckoned would suffice for the conquest of the whole country.Jotapata may save Jerusalem, yet."

  John was no coward, and was prepared to fight to the last; but hewas young, and the love of life was strong within. He thought ofhis old father and mother, who had no children but him; of hispretty Mary--far away now, he hoped, on the slopes of MountHermon--and of the grief that his death would cause to them; and heresolved that, although he would do his duty, he would strain everynerve to preserve the life so dear to them.

  He had no longer any duties to perform, other than those common toall able to bear arms. When the Romans attacked, his place would benear Josephus or, were a sally ordered, he would issue out with thegeneral; but until then, his time was his own. There was no missionto be performed, now, no fear of plots against the life of thegeneral; therefore, he was free to wander where he liked. Save thenewly erected wall, across the neck of rock below the town, therewere no defenses; for it was deemed impossible for man to climb thecliffs that fell, sheer down, at every other point.

  John strolled quietly round the town; stopping, now and then, tolook over the low wall that bordered the precipice--erected solelyto prevent children from falling over. The depth was very great;and it seemed to him that there could be no escape, anywhere, saveon that side which was now blocked by the wall--and which would,ere long, be trebly blocked by the Romans.

  The town was crowded. At ordinary times, it might contain nearthree or four thousand inhabitants; now, over twenty-five thousandhad gathered there. Of these, more than half were men; but many hadbrought their wives and children with them. Every vacant foot ofground was taken up. The inhabitants shared their homes with thestrangers, but the accommodation was altogether insufficient; andthe greater part of the newcomers had erected little tents, andshelters, of cloths or blankets.

  In the upper part of the town there were, at present, comparativelyfew people about; for the greater part had gone to the slope,whence they watched, with terror and dismay, the great Roman columnas it poured down, in an unbroken line, hour after hour. The newsof the destruction which had fallen on Gadara had been brought in,by fugitives; and all knew that, although no resistance had beenoffered there, every male had been put to death, and the womentaken captives.

  There was naught, then, to be gained by surrender; even had anyonedared to propose it. As for victory, over such a host as that whichwas marching to the assault, none could hope for it. For, hold outas they might, and repel every assault on the wall, there was anenemy within which would conquer them.

  For Jotapata possessed no wells. The water had, daily, to befetched by the women from the stream in the ravine and, althoughstores of grain had been collected, sufficient to last for manymonths, the supply of water stored up in cisterns would scarcesuffice to supply the multitudes gathered on the rock for afortnight.

  Death, then, certain and inevitable, awaited them; and yet, anoccasional wail from some woman, as she pressed her children to herbreast, alone told of the despair which reigned in every heart. Thegreater portion looked out, silent, and as if stupefied. They hadrelied, absolutely, on the mountains and forests to block theprogress of the invader. They had thought that, at the worst, theywould have had to deal with a few companies of infantry, only.Thus, the sight of the sixty thousand Roman troops--swelled to nigha hundred thousand, by the camp followers and artificers--with itscavalry and machines of war, seemed like some terrible nightmare.

  After making the circuit of the rock, and wandering for some timeamong the impromptu camps in the streets, John returned to a groupof boys whom he had noticed, leaning against the low wall with acarelessness, as to the danger of a fall over the precipice, whichproved that they must be natives of the place.

  "If there be any possible way of descending these precipices," hesaid to himself, "it will be the boys who will know of it. Where agoat could climb, these boys, born among the mountains, would tryto follow; if only to excel each other in daring, and to riskbreaking their necks."

  Thus thinking, he walked up to the group, who were from twelve tofifteen years old.

  "I suppose you belong to the town?" he began.

  There was a general assent from the five boys, who looked withconsiderable respect at John--who, although but two years thesenior of the eldest among them, wore a man's garb, and carriedsword and buckler.

  "I am one of the bodyguard of the governor," John went on, "and Idare say you can tell me all sorts of things, about this country,that may be useful for him to know. Is it quite certain that no onecould climb up these rocks from below; and that there is no fear ofthe Romans making a surprise, in that way?"

  The boys looked at each other, but no one volunteered to giveinformation.

  "Come!" John went on, "I have only just left off being a boy,myself, and I was always climbing into all sorts of places, when Igot a chance; and I have no doubt it's the same, with you. When youhave been down below, there, you have tried how far you can get up.

  "Did you ever get up far, or did you ever hear of anyone getting upfar?"

  "I expect I have been up as far as anyone," the eldest of the boyssaid. "I went up after a young kid that had strayed away from itsmother. I got up a long way--half way up, I should say--but Icouldn't get any further. I was barefooted, too.

  "I am sure no one with armor on could have got up anything like sofar. I don't believe he could get up fifty feet."

  "And have any of you ever tried to get down from above?"

  They shook their heads.

  "Jonas the son of James did, once," one of the smaller boys said."He had a pet hawk he had tamed, and it flew away and perched, agood way down; and he clambered down to fetch it. He had a ropetied round him, and some of the others held it, in case he shouldslip. I know he went down a good way, and he got the hawk; and hisfather beat him for doing it, I know."

  "Is he here, now?" John asked.

  "Yes, he is here," the boy said. "That's his father's house, theone close to the edge of the rock. I don't know whether you willfind him there, now. He ain't indoors more than he can help. Hisown mother's dead, and his father's got another wife, and theydon't get on well together."

  "Well, I will have a chat with him, one of these days. And you areall quite sure that there is no possible path up, from below?"

  "I won't say there isn't any possible path," the eldest boy said;"but I feel quite sure there is not. I have looked, hundreds oftimes, when I have been down below; and I feel pretty sure that, ifthere had been any place where a goat could have got up, I shouldhave noticed it. But you see, the rock goes down almost straight,in most places. Anyhow, I have never heard of anyone who ever gotup and, if anyone had done it, it would have been talked about, foryears and years."

  "No doubt it would," John agreed. "So I shall tell the governorthat he need not be in the least uneasy about an attack, except infront."

  So saying, he nodded to the boys, and walked away again.

  In the evening, the whole of the Roman army had arrived; andVespasian drew up his troops on a hill, less than a mile to thenorth of the city, and there encamped them. The next morning, atriple line of embankments was thrown up, by
the Romans, around thefoot of the hill where, alone, escape or issue was possible; andthis entirely cut off those within the town from any possibility offlight.

  The Jews looked on at these preparations as wild animals mightregard a line of hunters surrounding them. But the dull despair ofthe previous day had now been succeeded by a fierce rage. Hopethere was none. They must die, doubtless; but they would diefighting fiercely, till the last. Disdaining to be pent up withinthe walls, many of the fighting men encamped outside, and boldlywent forward to meet the enemy.

  Vespasian called up his slingers and archers, and these pouredtheir missiles upon the Jews; while he himself, with his heavyinfantry, began to mount the slope towards the part of the wallwhich appeared the weakest. Josephus at once summoned the fightingmen in the town and, sallying at their head through the gate,rushed down and flung himself upon the Romans. Both sides foughtbravely; the Romans strong in their discipline, their skill withtheir weapons, and their defensive armor; the Jews fighting withthe valor of despair, heightened by the thought of their wives andchildren in the town, above.

  The Romans were pushed down the hill, and the fight continued atits foot until darkness came on, when both parties drew off. Thenumber of killed on either side was small, for the bucklers andhelmets defended the vital points. The Romans had thirteen killedand very many wounded, the Jews seventeen killed and six hundredwounded.

  John had fought bravely by the side of Josephus. Joab and twoothers of the little band were killed. All the others were wounded,more or less severely; for Josephus was always in the front, andhis chosen followers kept close to him. In the heat of the fight,John felt his spirits rise higher than they had done since thetroubles had begun. He had fought, at first, so recklessly thatJosephus had checked him, with the words:

  "Steady, my brave lad. He fights best who fights most coolly. Themore you guard yourself, the more you will kill."

  More than once, when Josephus--whose commanding figure, and evidentleadership, attracted the attention of the Roman soldiers--wassurrounded and cut off, John, with three or four others, made theirway through to him, and brought him off.

  When it became dark, both parties drew off; the Romans sullenly,for they felt it a disgrace to have been thus driven back, by foesthey despised; the Jews with shouts of triumph, for they had provedthemselves a match for the first soldiers in the world, and thedread with which the glittering column had inspired them had passedaway.

  The following day, the Jews again sallied out and attacked theRomans as they advanced and, for five days in succession, thecombat raged--the Jews fighting with desperate valor, the Romanswith steady resolution. At the end of that time, the Jews had beenforced back behind their wall, and the Romans establishedthemselves in front of it.

  Vespasian, seeing that the wall could not be carried by assault, ashe had expected, called a council of war; and it was determined toproceed by the regular process of a siege, and to erect a bankagainst that part of the wall which offered the greatest facilityfor attack. Accordingly the whole army, with the exception of thetroops who guarded the banks of circumvallation, went into themountains to get materials. Stone and timber, in vast quantities,were brought down and, when these were in readiness, the workcommenced.

  A sort of penthouse roofing, constructed of wattles covered withearth, was first raised, to protect the workers from the missilesof the enemy upon the wall; and here the working parties laboredsecurely, while the rest of the troops brought up earth, stone, andwood for their use. The Jews did their best to interfere with thework, hurling down huge stones upon the penthouse; sometimesbreaking down the supports of the roof and causing gaps, throughwhich they poured a storm of arrows and javelins, until the damagehad been repaired.

  To protect his workmen, Vespasian brought up his siege engines--ofwhich he had a hundred and sixty--and, from these, vast quantitiesof missiles were discharged at the Jews upon the walls. Thecatapults threw javelins, balls of fire, and blazing arrows; whilethe ballistae hurled huge stones, which swept lanes through theranks of the defenders. At the same time the light-armed troops,the Arab archers, and those of Agrippa and Antiochus kept up a rainof arrows, so that it became impossible for the Jews to remain onthe walls.

  But they were not inactive. Sallying out in small parties, theyfell with fury upon the working parties who, having stripped offtheir heavy armor, were unable to resist their sudden onslaughts.Driving out and slaying all before them, the Jews so often appliedfire to the wattles and timbers of the bank that Vespasian wasobliged to make his work continuous, along the whole extent of thewall, to keep out the assailants.

  But, in spite of all the efforts of the Jews, the embankment rosesteadily, until it almost equaled the height of the wall; and thestruggle now went on between the combatants on even terms, theybeing separated only by the short interval between the wall andbank. Josephus found that in such a conflict the Romans--with theircrowd of archers and slingers, and their formidable machines--hadall the advantage; and that it was absolutely necessary to raisethe walls still higher.

  He called together a number of the principal men, and pointed outthe necessity for this. They agreed with him, but urged that it wasimpossible for men to work, exposed to such a storm of missiles.Josephus replied that he had thought of that. A number of strongposts were prepared and, at night, these were fixed securely,standing on the wall. Along the top of these, a strong rope wasstretched; and on this were hung, touching each other, the hides ofnewly-killed oxen. These formed a complete screen, hiding theworkers from the sight of those on the embankment.

  Illustration: Heightening the Walls of Jotapata under Shelter of OxHides.

  The hides, when struck with the stones from the ballistae, gave wayand deadened the force of the missiles; while the arrows andjavelins glanced off from the slippery surface. Behind thisshelter, the garrison worked night and day, raising the posts andscreens as their work proceeded, until they had heightened the wallno less than thirty-five feet; with a number of towers on itssummit, and a strong battlement facing the Romans.

  The besiegers were much discouraged at their want of success, andenraged at finding the efforts of so large an army completelybaffled by a small town, which they had expected to carry at thefirst assault; while the Jews proportionately rejoiced. Becomingmore and more confident, they continually sallied out in smallparties, through the gateway or by ladders from the walls, attackedthe Romans upon their embankment, or set fire to it. And it was thedesperation with which these men fought, even more than theirsuccess in defending the wall, that discouraged the Romans; for theJews were utterly careless of their lives, and were well content todie, when they saw that they had achieved their object of settingfire to the Roman works.

  Vespasian, at length, determined to turn the siege into a blockade;and to starve out the town which he could not capture. Heaccordingly contented himself by posting a strong force to defendthe embankment, and withdrew the main body of the army to theirencampment. He had been informed of the shortness of the supply ofwater; and had anticipated that, in a very short time, thirst wouldcompel the inhabitants to yield.

  John had taken his full share in the fighting, and had frequentlyearned the warm commendation of Josephus. His spirits had risenwith the conflict; but he could not shut his eyes to the fact that,sooner or later, the Romans must become masters of the place. Oneevening, therefore, when he had done his share of duty on thewalls, he went up to the house which had been pointed out to him asthat in which lived the boy who had descended the face of therocks, for some distance.

  At a short distance from the door, a lad of some fifteen years old,with no covering but a piece of ragged sackcloth round the loins,was crouched up in a corner, seemingly asleep. At the sound ofJohn's footsteps, he opened his eyes in a quick, watchful way, thatshowed that he had not been really asleep.

  "Are you Jonas, the son of James?" John asked.

  "Yes I am," the boy said, rising to his feet. "What do you wantwith me?"

  "I want to hav
e a talk with you," John said. "I am one of thegovernor's bodyguard; and I think, perhaps, you may be able to giveus some useful information."

  "Well, come away from here," the boy said, "else we shall be havingher--" and he nodded to the house, "--coming out with a stick."

  "You have rather a hard time of it, from what I hear," John began,when they stopped at the wall, a short distance away from thehouse.

  "I have that," the boy said. "I look like it, don't I?"

  "You do," John agreed, looking at the boy's thin, half-starvedfigure; "and yet, there is plenty to eat in the town."

  "There may be," the boy said; "anyhow, I don't get my share. Fatheris away fighting on the wall, and so she's worse than ever. She isalways beating me, and I dare not go back, now. I told her, thismorning, the sooner the Romans came in, the better I should bepleased. They could only kill me, and there would be an end of it;but they would send her to Rome for a slave, and then she would seehow she liked being cuffed and beaten, all day."

  "And you are hungry, now?" John asked.

  "I am pretty near always hungry," the boy said.

  "Well, come along with me, then. I have got a little room tomyself, and you shall have as much to eat as you like."

  The room John occupied had formerly been a loft over a stable, inthe rear of the house in which Josephus now lodged; and it wasreached by a ladder from the outside. He had shared it, at first,with two of his comrades; but these had both fallen, during thesiege. After seeing the boy up into it, John went to the house andprocured him an abundant meal; and took it, with a small horn ofwater, back to his quarters.

  "Here's plenty for you to eat, Jonas, but not much to drink. We areall on short allowance, the same as the rest of the people; and Iam afraid that won't last long."

  There was a twinkle of amusement in the boy's face but, without aword, he set to work at the food, eating ravenously all that Johnhad brought him. The latter was surprised to see that he did nottouch the water; for he thought that if his stepmother deprived himof food, of which there was abundance, she would all the moredeprive him of water, of which the ration to each person was soscanty.

  "Now," John said, "you had better throw away that bit of sackcloth,and take this garment. It belonged to a comrade of mine, who hasbeen killed."

  "There's too much of it," the boy said. "If you don't mind mytearing it in half, I will take it."

  "Do as you like with it," John replied; and the boy tore the longstrip of cotton in two, and wrapped half of it round his loins.

  "Now," he said, "what do you want to ask me?"

  "They tell me, Jonas, that you are a first-rate climber, and can goanywhere?"

  The boy nodded.

  "I can get about, I can. I have been tending goats, pretty wellever since I could walk and, where they can go, I can."

  "I want to know, in the first place, whether there is any possibleway by which one can get up and down from this place, except by theroad through the wall?"

  The boy was silent.

  "Now look here, Jonas," John went on, feeling sure that the ladcould tell something, if he would, "if you could point out a waydown, the governor would be very pleased; and as long as the siegelasts you can live here with me, and have as much food as you want,and not go near that stepmother of yours, at all."

  "And nobody will beat me, for telling you?" the boy asked.

  "Certainly not, Jonas."

  "It wouldn't take you beyond the Romans. They have got guards, allround."

  "No, but it might enable us to get down to the water," John urged,the sight of the unemptied horn causing the thought to flashthrough his mind that the boy had been in the habit of going down,and getting water.

  "Well, I will tell you," the boy said. "I don't like to tell,because I don't think there's anyone here knows it, but me. I foundit out, and I never said a word about it, because I was able toslip away when I liked; and no one knows anything about it. But itdoesn't make much difference, now, because the Romans are going tokill us all. So I will tell you.

  "At the end of the rock, you have to climb down about fifty feet.It's very steep there, and it's as much as you can do to get down;but when you have got down that far, you get to the head of a sortof dried-up water course, and it ain't very difficult to go downthere and, that way, you can get right down to the stream. It don'tlook, from below, as if you could do it; and the Romans haven't putany guards on the stream, just there. I know, because I go downevery morning, as soon as it gets light. I never tried to getthrough the Roman sentries; but I expect one could, if one tried.

  "But I don't see how you are to bring water up here, if that's whatyou want. I tell you, it is as much as you can do to get up anddown, and you want both your hands and your feet; but I could godown and bring up a little water for you, in a skin hanging roundmy neck, if you like."

  "I am afraid that wouldn't be much good, Jonas," John said; "but itmight be very useful to send messages out, that way."

  "Yes," the boy said; "but you see I have always intended, when theRomans took the place, to make off that way. If other people go,it's pretty sure to be found out, before long; and then the Romanswill keep watch. But it don't much matter. I know another placewhere you and I could lie hidden, any time, if we had got enough toeat and drink. I will show you but, mind, you must promise not totell anyone else. There's no room for more than two; and I don'tmean to tell you, unless you promise."

  "I will promise, Jonas. I promise you, faithfully, not to tellanyone."

  "Well, the way down ain't far from the other one. I will show ityou, one of these days. I went down there, once, to get a hawk Ihad taken from the nest, and tamed. I went down, first, with a ropetied round me; but I found I could have done it without that--but Ididn't tell any of the others, as I wanted to keep the place tomyself.

  "You climb down about fifty feet, and then you get on a sort ofledge, about three feet wide and six or seven feet long. You can'tsee it from above, because it's a hollow, as if a bit of rock hadfallen out. Of course, if you stood up you might be seen by someonebelow, or on the hill opposite; but it's so high it is not likelyanyone would notice you. Anyhow, if you lie down there, no onewould see you. I have been down there, often and often, since. Whenshe gets too bad to bear, I go down there and take a sleep; or liethere and laugh, when I think how she is hunting about for me tocarry down the pails to the stream, for water."

  "I will say nothing about it, Jonas, you may be quite sure. Thatplace may save both our lives. But the other path I will tellJosephus about. He may find it of great use."

  Josephus was indeed greatly pleased, when he heard that a wayexisted by which he could send out messages. Two or three activemen were chosen for the work; but they would not venture to descendthe steep precipice, by which Jonas made his way down to the top ofthe water course, but were lowered by ropes to that point. Beforestarting they were sewn up in skins so that, if a Roman sentrycaught sight of them making their way down the water course, ontheir hands and feet, he would take them for dogs, or some otheranimals. Once at the bottom, they lay still till night, and thencrawled through the line of sentries.

  In this way Josephus was able to send out dispatches to his friendsoutside, and to Jerusalem; imploring them to send an army, at once,to harass the rear of the Romans, and to afford an opportunity forthe garrison of Jotapata to cut their way out. Messages came backby return and, for three weeks, communications were thus kept up;until one of the messengers slipped while descending the ravineand, as he rolled down, attracted the attention of the Romans who,after that, placed a strong guard at the foot of the water course.

  Until this discovery was made, Jonas had gone down regularly, everymorning, and drank his fill; and had brought up a small skin ofwater to John, who had divided it among the children whom he sawmost in want of it--for the pressure of thirst was now heavy. TheRomans, from rising ground at a distance, had noticed the womengoing daily with jugs to the cistern, whence the water was doledout; and the besiegers directed their mi
ssiles to that point, andmany were killed, daily, while fetching water.

  A dull despair now seized the Jews. So long as they were fighting,they had had little time to think of their situation; but now thatthe enemy no longer attacked, and there was nothing to do but tosit down and suffer, the hopelessness of their position stared themin the face. But there was no thought of surrender. They knew toowell the fate that awaited them, at the hands of the Romans.

  They were therefore seized with rage, and indignation, when theyheard that Josephus and some of the principal men were thinking ofmaking an endeavor to escape. John, who had hitherto regarded hisleader with a passionate devotion--although he thought that he hadbeen wrong in taking to the fortified towns, instead of fightingamong the mountains--shared in the general indignation at theproposed desertion.

  "It is he who has brought us all here," he said to Jonas--who hadattached himself to him with dog-like fidelity--"and now heproposes to go away, and leave everyone here to be massacred! Icannot believe it."

  The news was, however, well founded for, when the inhabitantscrowded down to the house--the women weeping and wailing, the mensullen and fierce--to beg Josephus to abandon his intention, thegovernor attempted to argue that it was for the public good that heshould leave them. He might, he said, hurry to Jerusalem, and bringan army to the rescue. The people, however, were in no wayconvinced.

  "If you go," they said, "the Romans will speedily capture the city.We are ready to die, all together--to share one common fate--but donot leave us."

  As Josephus saw that, if he did not accede to the prayers of thewomen, the men would interfere by force to prevent his carrying outhis intentions, he told them he would remain with them; andtranquillity was at once restored. The men, however, came again andagain to him, asking to be led out to attack the Romans.

  "Let us die fighting," was the cry. "Let us die among our foes, andnot with the agonies of thirst."

  "We must make them come up to attack us, again," Josephus said. "Weshall fight to far greater advantage, so, than if we sallied out toattack them in their own intrenchments--when we should be shot downby their archers and slingers, before ever we should reach them."

  "But how are we to make them attack us? We want nothing better."

  "I will think it over," Josephus said, "and tell you in themorning."

  In the morning, to the surprise of the men, they were ordered todip large numbers of garments into the precious supply of water,and to hang them on the walls. Loud were the outcries of the women,as they saw the scanty store of water, upon which their livesdepended, so wasted; but the orders were obeyed, and the Romanswere astonished at seeing the long line of dripping garments on thewall.

  The stratagem had its effect. Vespasian thought that the news hehad received, that the place was ill supplied with water, must beerroneous; and ordered the troops again to take their station onthe walls, and renew the attack. Great was the exultation among theJews, when they saw the movement among the troops; and Josephus,ordering the fighting men together, said that now was theiropportunity. There was no hope of safety, in passive resistance;therefore they had best sally out and, if they must die, leave atleast a glorious example to posterity.

  The proposal was joyfully received, and he placed himself at theirhead. The gates were suddenly opened, and they poured out to theattack. So furious was their onslaught that the Romans were drivenfrom the embankment. The Jews pursued them, crossed the lines ofcircumvallation, and attacked the Romans in their camp; tearing upthe hides and penthouses behind which the Romans defendedthemselves, and setting fire to the lines in many places.

  The fight raged all day. The Jews then retired to the city, only tosally out again, the following morning. For three days the attackswere continued; the Jews driving in the Romans, each day, andretiring when Vespasian brought up heavy columns--who were unable,from the weight of their armor, to follow their lightly-armedassailants. Vespasian then ordered the regular troops to remain incamp, the assaults being repelled by the archers and slingers.

  Finding that the courage of the Jews was unabated, and that histroops were losing heavily in this irregular fighting, hedetermined to renew the siege, at all hazards, and bring the matterto a close. The heavy-armed troops were ordered to be in readiness,and to advance against the walls with the battering ram. This waspushed forward by a great number of men; being covered, as itadvanced, with a great shield constructed of wattles and hides. Asit was brought forward, the archers and slingers covered itsadvance by a shower of missiles against the defenders of the wall;while all the war machines poured in their terrible shower.

  The Jews, unable to show themselves above the battlements, or tooppose the advance of the terrible machine, crouched in shelteruntil the battering ram was placed in position.

  Then the ropes by which it swung from the framework overhead wereseized, by a number of soldiers, and the first blow was deliveredat the wall. It quivered beneath the terrible shock, and a cry ofdismay arose from the defenders. Again and again the heavy ramstruck, in the same place. The wall tottered beneath the blows; andwould soon have fallen, had not Josephus ordered a number of sacksto be filled with straw, and let down by ropes from the walls, soas to deaden the blows of the ram.

  For a time the Romans ceased work; and then, fastening scythes tothe ends of long poles, cut the ropes. The Jews were unable to showthemselves above the walls, or to interfere with the men at work.In a few minutes the sacks were cut down, and the ram recommencedits work of destruction.