Silence fell upon the assembly below, and from every street men came hurrying in to hear the strange tidings.

“In the name of Allah, hear!” called Abu Jahl in loud tones.  “Ye of the tribe of Koreish, hear!  Ye who love Abu Sofian, hear!  Ye who have friends or goods in the great caravan from Syria, hear!  Ye above whom the arch-impostor, Mohammed, aspires, and whom he would fain crush beneath his feet as the vile serpent in the dust, hear!  He hath beset our friends in the fastnesses of the mountains.  He swoopeth upon them as the eagle upon the defenceless lamb out of the fold!  Who, then, among you, will follow Abu Jahl to deliver them?”

An approving murmur rose, long and loud; then a hush fell as the aged man continued, appealing to the courage of his hearers: 

“Ye who fear not the foul rebel’s sword, ye who would uphold the honor of your wives and little ones, nor send your children out upon the world as the offspring of cowards, beseech your gods for blessing, then mount, and meet me as soon as may be outside the temple gates.  In the name of Allah, good-speed!”

A shout of assent arose.  The thoroughly excited multitude swayed and surged like the waves of the sea.  Hundreds hurried off to do the behest of their leader, and, returning, hastened to perform Tawaf about the Caaba before setting out on their perilous journey.

Yusuf, as a Christian, dared not enter the temple; but he heard the news from without.  His heart was moved with compassion for the poor, defenceless traders, caught like mice in a trap, and he decided to fall into the ranks of the rescue party, intending, if his life were spared, to pay a visit to Amzi, at Medina.

While the recruits were gathering, Henda, the wife of Abu Sofian, rushed up, her face wild and haggard with terror, her long black hair streaming on the wind, her eyes flashing with excitement, and her lips drawn back, exposing her yellow, fang-like teeth.  A tigress she looked in her fury, and it was with difficulty that Abu Jahl prevented her from going with the expedition, which, in the cooler shades of evening, started off at a rapid pace, leaving her to nurse her vengeance until a later day.

Hurried, yet long and tedious, was the journey, and the anxiety and impatience of the volunteers made it seem almost interminable.

[Illustration:  The youth made a quick lunge, piercing the priest’s shoulder.—­See page 46.]

At length news was brought of the safety of the caravan, and of its deviation towards the sea.  But the blood of the Meccans was up, and the fiery old leader was determined to punish Mohammed for his misconduct, and thus, perhaps, prevent him from committing similar atrocities in the future.  Accordingly he sent part of his troops for protection to the caravan, and commanded the rest, about nine hundred in number, to push on; and among those ordered forward to the field was Yusuf.