One day a little Christian soldier--a Nazarene--disappeared from the ranks.

We never saw him again, but we learned that his sister, a very young girl, had been forcibly taken by a Turkish officer of the Nazareth garrison.

In Palestine, the dishonor of a girl can be redeemed by blood alone.

The young soldier had hunted for his sister, found her in the barracks, and shot her; he then surrendered himself to the military authorities, who undoubtedly put him to death.

He had not dared to kill the real criminal,--the officer,--for he knew that this would not only bring death to his family, but would call down terrible suffering on all the Christians of Nazareth.
[ILLUSTRATION: NAZARETH, FROM THE NORTHEAST] When I learned of this tragedy, I determined to get out of the army and return to my village at all costs.