Suddenly, a Muslim youth sat down beside David. He looked at David carefully from head to toe with a derogatory gaze and said, ‘Has your heart not yet been illuminated with the light of Islam?’
With deep feeling. David replied, ‘The light of Islam can only reach the mountain peaks; it cannot penetrate the deep, dark valleys.’
The Muslim Arab’s name was Jamal. At this allegation he said sharply, ‘What do you mean by that?’
David said, ‘By this I mean that it is the higher class of Christians who may come into the fold of Islam out of greed for wealth or status or out of fear of punishment, but for the weak or indigent Christians, where in Islam is the Kingdom of Heaven that our revered Messiah has destined for them in his lap? Islam was spread by the might of the sword, not by the might of service.’
Affronted by the slight to his religion, Jamal got up angrily and said, ‘That is completely false. The power of Islam lies in its internal brotherhood and feeling of community, not in the sword.’
‘Islam has spilled enough blood in the name of religion to drown every mosque.’
‘The sword has protected the eternal truth.’
David, with an even temper, said, ‘That which has to take the protection of the sword is not truth.’
Jamal swelled with pride and said, ‘The sword will be necessary as long as disciples of falsehood remain.’
‘Truth that looks to the sword is itself falsehood.’
With his hand on his sword-hilt, the Arab said, ‘I swear to God, if you weren’t unarmed, I would let you taste the consequences of insulting Islam.’
David drew out the dagger he had concealed in his breast and said, ‘I am not weaponless. On the day I have that much trust in Muslims, I won’t remain a Christian. Go ahead, do what your heart desires.’
Both drew their blades and fell upon each other. The Arab’s heavier sword lagged before the lighter dagger of the Christian. One struck like the hood of a poisonous serpent while the other reared like a she-snake. One lashed like waves while the other glittered like fish. For a while both warriors suffered wounds. Suddenly the she-snake jumped up and drove the weapon into the guts of the Arab. He fell to the earth.3
As soon as Jamal fell people came running from all directions. They began to try to surround David. When David saw people coming at him with swords drawn, he tried to run for his life, but wherever he went his way was blocked by the garden wall. The wall was high; it would be difficult to get over it. It was a matter of life and death. No hope of shelter anywhere, no place to hide. And the Arabs’ blood lust was increasing by the moment. This was not just an attempt to punish a criminal. It was revenge for a communal insult. A subjugated Christian with the boldness to raise his hand against an Arab! What an offence!
David’s condition was that of a squirrel running helter-skelter from a pack of hounds, trying to climb a tree but falling again and again.
His breath became short from running, his feet heavy. It occurred to him several times to fall upon his pursuers and take down as many as possible as he died, but then seeing the numbers of his enemies he lost courage.
Sounds of ‘Take him, run, catch him!’ filled the air. At times the pursuers came so close that it seemed like the end was upon him, the sword would fall soon; but his constant running pace, his weaving and bobbing saved him by a hair from the bloodthirsty swords.
Now David began to find a sportsmanlike pleasure in the chase. It was certain that his life was a forfeit; Muslims knew no mercy. For this reason alone he was enjoying his manoeuvres. Now he got no happiness from the fact that his life was saved when somebody missed, rather he got pleasure from how he had foiled his would-be killer.
Suddenly, he saw that the garden wall was a little lower to his right. Aha! Seeing that, his feet found a new infusion of strength, new blood began to flow in his veins. Like a deer he ran in that direction and in one leap he reached the other side of the wall. There was but the distance of one step between life and death. Behind was death and ahead lay the open field of life. As far as he could see there were shrubs and bushes. The ground was rocky and uneven. There were large boulders at places. David sat down under one of the boulders.
In a breath the pursuers arrived and started searching here and there in the bushes, trees, hollows, and under the boulders. One Arab came and stood on the very boulder beneath which David was hiding. David’s heart was pounding. He was dead! If the Arab just peered a little lower then it was the end of him. Chance—his life now depended on mere chance. He stopped breathing, made not a sound. His fate would be decided with a single glance, so close was the gap between life and death.
But the Arabs didn’t have enough time to look carefully under the boulders. They were in a hurry to catch the murderer. The fate hanging over David’s head moved on. They left after peering into nooks and crannies.4
Darkness fell. In the sky the stars came out and with the stars David emerged from under the boulder. But he saw that even then there was commotion in
