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towards the palace wall, to a gate leading to the smoothly paved square at whose end could be seen the columns and statues of the Jerusalem hippodrome. As soon as the group entered the square and began climbing up to the broad temporary wooden platform raised high above the square, Pilate assessed the situation through narrowed eyelids. The cleared passage that he play it again sports fairbanks had just crossed between the palace walls and the scaffolding platform was empty, but in front of Pilate the square could no longer be seen--it had been devoured by the crowd. The mob would have poured on to the platform and the passage too if there had not been two triple rows of soldiers, one from the Sebastian cohort on Pilates left and on his right another from the Ituraean auxiliary cohort, play it again sports fairbanks to keep it clear. Pilate climbed the platform, mechanically clenching and unclenching his fist on the useless buckle and frowning hard. The Procurator was not frowning because the sun was play it again sports fairbanks blinding him but to somehow avoid seeing the group of prisoners which, as he well knew, would shortly be led out on the platform behind him. The moment the white cloak with the blood-red lining play it again sports fairbanks appeared atop the stone block at the edge of that human sea a wave of sound-- Aaahh --struck the unseeing Pilates ears. It began softly, far away at the hippodrome end of the square, then grew to thunderous volume and after a few seconds, began to diminish again. They have seen me, thought the Procurator. The wave of sound did not recede altogether and began unexpectedly to grow again and waveringly rose to play it again sports fairbanks a higher pitch than the first and on top of the second surge of noise, like foam on the crest of a wave at sea, could be heard whistles and the shrieks play it again sports fairbanks of several women audible above the roar. That means they have led them out on to the platform, thought Pilate, and those screams are from women who

were crushed when the crowd surged forward. He waited for a while, knowing that nothing could silence the crowd until it had let loose its pent-up feelings and quietened of play it again sports fairbanks its own accord. When that moment came tlie Procurator threw up his right hand and the last murmurings of the crowd expired. Then Pilate took as deep a breath as he could of the hot air and his cracked voice rang out over the thousands of heads : In the name of imperial Caesar! . . . At once his ears were struck by a clipped, metallic chorus as

the cohorts, raising lances and standards, roared out their fearful response: Hail, Caesar! Pilate jerked his head up straight at the sun. He had a sensation of green fire piercing his eyelids, his brain seemed to

burn. In hoarse Aramaic he flung his words out over the crowd : Four criminals, arrested in Jerusalem for murder, incitement to rebellion, contempt of the law and blasphemy, have been condemned to the most shameful form of execution--crucifixion! Their execution will be carried out shortly on Mount Golgotha The names of these felons are Dismas, Hestas, Bar-Abba and Ha-Notsri and there they

stand before you! Pilate pointed to the right, unable to see the prisoners but knowing that they were standing where they should be. The crowd responded with a long rumble that could have been surprise play it again sports fairbanks or relief. When it had subsided Pilate went on : But only three of them are to be executed for, in accordance with law and custom, in honour of the great feast of Passover the emperor Caesar in play it again sports fairbanks his magnanimity will, at the choice of the Lesser Sanhedrin and with the approval of the Roman government, render back to one of these convicted men his contemptible life! As Pilate rasped out his play it again sports fairbanks words he noticed that the rumbling had given way to a great silence. Now not a sigh, not a rustle reached his ears and there even came a moment when it seemed to Pilate that the play it again sports fairbanks people around him had vanished altogether. The city he so hated might have died and only he alone stood there, scorched by the vertical rays of the sun, his face craning skywards. Pilate allowed the silence to continue and then began to shout again: The name of the man who is about to be released before you . . . He paused once more, holding play it again sports fairbanks back the name, mentally confirming that he had said everything, because he knew that as soon as he pronounced the name of the fortunate man the lifeless city would awaken and nothing more that he might say would be play it again sports fairbanks audible. Pilate turned and walked back along the platform towards the steps, glancing only at the parti-coloured wooden blocks of the steps beneath his feet to save himself from stumbling. He knew that play it again sports fairbanks behind his back a hail of bronze coins and dates was showering the platform, that people in the whooping crowd, elbowing each other aside, were climbing on to shoulders to see a miracle with their own eyes--a man already in the arms of death and torn from their grasp! They watched the legionaries as they untied his bonds, involuntarily causing him searing play it again sports fairbanks