“You sound as though you condone the terrorists.”
“Sometimes I am in complete sympathy with them. Sometimes I detest them. Yet I would not want to be the judge of their actions. Who are you and I to say that Dov Landau is not justified? You know what they’ve done to him. You are wrong about something else. If he is brought back he can only bring more pain to that girl. Dov must do what he must do.”
Kitty got down from the wall and brushed her skirt and they walked toward the gate. “Ari,” she said at last, “you are right.”
Sutherland joined them as they walked outside to his car. “Are you going to be around long, Ben Canaan?” he asked.
“I have a few things to attend to in Safed. I better get them done.”
“Why don’t you come back and join us for dinner?”
“Well, I…”
“Please do,” Kitty said.
“Very well. Thank you.”
“Good. Come on back up just as soon as you are through in Safed.”
They waved as he drove down the hillside, past the Taggart fort and out of sight.
“He who guards Israel shall neither rest nor sleep,” Kitty said.
“Good Lord, Kitty. Have you gotten around to Biblical quotations?”
They opened the gate and walked back toward the patio.
“He looks exhausted.”
“I think he looks fine,” Sutherland said, “for a man who works a hundred and ten hours a week.”
“I’ve never seen such dedication … or would you call it fanaticism? I was surprised to see him here, Bruce. I didn’t know you were mixed up in this business.”
Sutherland stuffed a pipe full of tobacco. “I’m not really actively engaged. The Haganah came to me and asked me to make an appraisal of the Arab armies’ strength outside Palestine. They simply want a professional, nonpartisan point of view. See here, Kitty, don’t you think it is time you became honest with yourself in this matter?”
“I told you I’m not going to be partial to either side.”
“Kitty, I’m afraid you’re acting like an ostrich. You’re sitting in the middle of a battlefield and saying ‘Don’t hit my house, my blinds are drawn.’ ”
“I’m getting out, Bruce.”
“Then you’d better do it quickly. If you believe you can stay on much longer the way you have then you are living in a fool’s paradise.”
“I can’t bring myself to it just yet. I must have a little more time until Karen has recovered from this.”
“And is that the only reason?”
Kitty shook her head. “I guess I’m afraid of a showdown. There are times when I am sure I have beaten this thing of her and Palestine-and other times, like right now, I’m terrified of putting it to a test.”
From Sutherland’s villa before dinner they could see the enormous full moon hanging over the city.
“ ‘Three great gifts hath the Lord granted Israel, but every one of them will be won by suffering. One of them is the
Land of Israel,’” Sutherland said. “Those are the words of Bar Yohai two thousand years ago. I would say he was a wise man.”
“Speaking of wise men, I am going to the Sea of Galilee tomorrow. Have you been there yet, Kitty?” Ari asked.
“No, I’m afraid my travel has been rather restricted.”
“You should see it for sure. You’d better go soon. It will be too hot in a few weeks.”
“Why don’t you take her?” Karen said quickly.
There was an embarrassed silence.
“That … that’s really a good idea,” Ari said. “I could work my schedule around to take a few days off. Why don’t we all go, the four of us?”
“I don’t care to,” Karen said. “I’ve hiked there twice already with the Gadna.”
Bruce Sutherland picked up Karen’s cue. “Not me, old chap, I’ve seen the lake a dozen times.”
“Why don’t you go with Ari?” Karen said.
“I think I’d better stay here with you,” Kitty answered.
“Nonsense,” Sutherland pressed. “Karen and I will get on just fine by ourselves. As a matter of fact it will be a pleasure to get rid of you for a few days, not to mention the fact that Ari looks as though he could stand a bit of a rest.”
Kitty laughed. “Ari, I smell an underhanded plot. It appears we have a pair of matchmakers trying to make a shiddoch.”
“Listen to her!” Karen cried in excitement.
“Shucks, I’m just a sabra at heart. It looks as though you’re trapped, Ari.”
“That suits me fine,” he said.
CHAPTER TEN: Early the next morning Ari and Kitty drove to the Sea of Galilee. They entered the Genossar Valley which ran along its northern shores. Across the lake the browned-out hills of Syria loomed over this low point on the earth and the warm, sultry air hung still.
This is God’s own sea, Kitty thought. Once again she was alone with Ari Ben Canaan and once again she felt the timelessness of the land close in on her as she had felt it in the Judean hills. Why was she more affected when she was with Ari, she wondered?
At the edge of the sea he took her to the ruins of the synagogue of Capernaum. Here, Jesus walked and taught and healed. Words came to Kitty’s mind that she thought she had forgotten. Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee and saw two brethren, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother cast—
ing a net into the sea … And they went into Capernaum and straight away on the Sabbath He entered into the synagogue and taught.
It was as though He had never left. On the water’s edge fishermen cast their nets into the sea and a small flock of black goats grazed and the ages had not passed.
From there Ari took her to the church which marked the place of the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes a short distance from Capernaum. The floor of the church held a Byzantine mosaic depicting cormorants and herons and ducks and other wild birds which still inhabited the lake.
And then they moved on to the Mount of Beatitudes to a little chapel on the hill where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness” sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
These were His words spoken from this place. As she saw the Christian holy places the thought came to confuse her that Ari Ben Canaan and David Ben Ami and her own Karen seemed to live with a closeness to all this that she could never attain.
They sped past the sleeping Arab village of Migdal, the birthplace of Mary Magdalene, and then beneath the Horns of Hattin, which held the tomb of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses and the chief prophet of the Druses, but Kitty’s attention was distracted by her mental turmoil.
Then the car turned away from the plains of Hattin and into a flat field where a burst of scarlet hit their eyes. The field was a red carpet of wild flowers.
“How red it is,” Kitty said. “Stop the car for a moment, Ari.”
He pulled over to the side of the road and Kitty got out. She picked one of the flowers and as she looked at it her eyes narrowed. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she whispered in a shaky voice.
“The ancient Maccabees lived in caves around here. It is the only place in the world this flower grows. It is called Blood of the Maccabees.”
Kitty examined the red bloom closely. It did look like little droplets of blood, She dropped the flower quickly and rubbed her hand on her skirt.
This land and everything about it was closing in on her! Even the wild flowers will not let you forget for a moment It
creeps into you from its very earth and its very air and it is damning and tormenting.