When they learnt the truth, however, these people returned and heard their story in silence, for in those days such tales were common enough.

As it came to an end a withered, sunburned woman advanced to Nehushta, and, laying one hand upon her arm, pointed with the other at Miriam, saying: "Tell me, friend, is that the babe I suckled ?" Then Nehushta, knowing her to be the nurse who had travelled with them to the village of the Essenes, greeted her, and answered "Yea," whereupon the woman cast her arms about Miriam and embraced her.
"Day by day," she said, "have I thought of you, little one, and now that my eyes have seen you grown so sweet and fair, I care not--I whose husband is dead and who have no children--how soon they close upon the world." Then she blessed her, and called upon her angel to protect her yonder in Jerusalem, and found her food and an ass to ride; and so they parted, to meet no more.
As it happened, they were fortunate upon that journey, since, with the armed guard of twenty men who accompanied Caleb, they were too strong a party to be attacked by the wandering bands of thieves, and, although it was reported that Titus and his army had already reached Caesarea from Egypt, they met no Romans.

Indeed, their only enemy was the cold, which proved so bitter that when, on the second night, they camped upon the heights over against Jerusalem, having no tents and fearing to light fires, they were obliged to walk about till daylight to keep their blood astir.

Then it was that they saw strange and terrible things.
In the clear sky over Jerusalem blazed a great comet, in appearance like a sword of fire.

It was true that they had seen it before at Tyre, but never before had it shown so bright.