Alroy, with his principal officers, visited the
wounded, and praised the valiant. The bustle which always succeeds a
victory was increased in the present instance by the anxiety of the army
to observe with grateful strictness the impending Sabbath.
When the sun set, the Sabbath was to commence. The undulating horizon
rendered it difficult to ascertain the precise moment of the setting.
The crimson orb sunk behind the purple mountains, the sky was flushed
with a rich and rosy glow. Then might be perceived the zealots, proud in
their Talmudical lore, holding a skein of white silk in their hands,
and announcing the approach of the Sabbath by their observation of
its shifting tints. While the skein was yet golden, the forge of the
armourer still sounded, the fire of the cook still blazed, still the
cavalry led their steeds to the river, and still the busy footmen braced
up their tents and hammered at their palisades. The skein of silk became
rosy, the armourer worked with renewed energy, the cook puffed with
increased zeal, the horsemen scampered from the river, the footmen cast
an anxious glance at the fading twilight.
The skein of silk became blue; a dim, dull, sepulchral, leaden tinge
fell over its purity.
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