“I must be off,” he said, “I have a lot to discuss. Thank you Anna dear, and Naomi. Good-night.” He stalked into the shadow of the trees, disappearing even more suddenly than he had first appeared. The lorry grumbled slowly on in the dense green and finally came to a halt in front of a large structure which looked like a depot for tractors. Anna kept the lights on until they had all disembarked and then plunged them into darkness. The doctor took charge of the party with a pocket torch and led the way (their steps once more lagged with fatigue) along a number of twisting paths. They were obviously in a settlement of some kind, for here and there they saw lighted bungalows, but they were all deeply surrounded with greenery. Finally great walls loomed up, which later Judith was to recognize as the remains of a Crusader fortress. They entered a courtyard and stood under a long wooden balcony where the doctor called softly: “Miss Peterson!” A door opened abruptly and a tall gaunt figure appeared in silhouette above them, looking down. A deep hoarse voice said “Naomi” and the doctor answered immediately: “Yes, we’re back, Miss Peterson.” The figure grunted. “We are in darkness for another hour at least,” it said in the same hoarse, rather thrilling voice. “There’s been a power failure but Tonio is mending it.”
“So I see.”
There was a long pause and then the figure said: “Is Judith Roth with you?” Judith jumped at the mention of her name.
“Yes,” said the doctor, and at once a torch flashed down upon them from the balcony, blinding them. “Which is she?” said the voice and the doctor answered: “Here she is,” pointing at her. Judith felt the light exploring her from the top of her clipped head to the soles of her ill-clad feet; it travelled slowly down her, and then once more settled on her face. Then it was abruptly switched off and the voice said, “Good. Now listen.” The deep authoritative tones brought the whole party to attention. The figure leaned further and said: “I have a meeting tonight and cannot receive you all as I wanted to. I shall welcome you tomorrow. Meanwhile, among the various other troubles of this settlement, the pump has broken and won’t be mended until morning. We can’t offer you hot water, but anyone who wants to can bathe in the Jordan. It runs through the end of this orchard.”
There was a pause. The Jordan! It seemed the strangest place and circumstance for this odd symbol to obtrude itself. The figure on the balcony stayed quiet for a moment, as if listening. Then it went on: “There is food in the dining-hall and all your quarters are ready for you. Eat well and sleep well. For there is a lot of work waiting for you here.” Nobody said a word. Then the voice went on. “And Naomi, I’d like to talk to Judith Roth but I am not sure if I shall be back tonight. Could you bring her back to the office after dinner, just to look in and see if I am?”
“Certainly.”
“Then that is all.” The dark figure turned and vanished, a door closed. The doctor turned to them smiling and said: “Well, I imagine nobody will want to bathe in the Jordan tonight…
“On the contrary,” said Judith suddenly. “I would.”
Two of the other girls after some hesitation also said they would, much to the doctor’s surprise. In the case of Judith it was pure superstition. She had a sudden idea that the river might cure the rash on her throat! The idea at any rate seemed to enliven them all, and the doctor, laughing, led them through the darkness of the groves to where they caught the murmur and flicker of the river. Here she dived into a shed and produced towels, before leading them down onto a wooden jetty where they began to undress. Only Judith and two of the others took the plunge into the water, groaning as the cold hit them. A thousand tree-frogs and water-tortoises slithered down from the banks, their eyes agleam in the light of the doctor’s torch. The fat woman washed her face and drank the legendary water in cupped hands. The doctor sat on the jetty, watching them and smoking.
Then, when they were dry, she led them once more across the maze of interweaving paths among the dim houses to where a gaunt building stood. As they entered it, the lights suddenly flashed on and a subdued cheer rose from the half-dozen or so late-comers who were finishing their dinners. The girls glanced curiously about them, half-blinded by the sudden illumination. Fifteen or twenty tough-looking men, mostly blonde, were eating their evening meal. They were clad in the traditional blue pants which Judith was to come to recognize as the uniform of these workers. They talked in low voices and smiled a greeting (“Shalom”) at the newcomers. It was a typical kibbutz canteen and several trolleys full of food circulated, pushed by girls and boys, some of whom were of another cast of feature with the long sallow faces of Sephardic Jews and their great dark eyes. The doctor took charge of the party, explaining everything in her cool detached voice: they fell upon their food ravenously and earned her smiling approval by their appetites.
Then the little party made its way outside. Judith stood still, inhaling the deep scents of the night and said to herself: “The stillness is the extraordinary thing.” The ordinary geography of the camp had now become much easier to comprehend, for with the restoration of the current the bulbs which lighted the curving intersecting pathways among the trees shone out clearly. A faint feeling of recognition came to the tired girls. The doctor led them to their quarters in a clean hut full of small single cubicles, each with a locker, a chair and a bed in it. She said good-night to the others and then, turning to Judith, said: “Would you care to come and see if Pete is back, or are you too tired?”
“No, I’ll come. I’m curious to know what she wants of me.”
“I don’t know, I’m sure.”
The two women made their way back towards the tall dark ramparts of the Crusader fort; now, with the light, its outline became clearer. It was obviously used as an administrative block, the houses and offices built cunningly into the ceinture of the ancient wall. She remarked on this, and the doctor said, “Yes, the old walls are still thick enough to stop a bullet.” It sounded a somewhat ominous remark. This time, they climbed the long wooden staircase and walked along the row of closed doors until they came to the end one. The doctor threw it open and they walked in. The light was on but the room was empty. Its only furniture was an old desk, a table, some files and a small old-fashioned safe. There was no ornament in the room save a small silver-framed photograph on the desk. Judith found herself gazing at it with amazement, hardly able to believe her eyes. She walked closer and stared. No, there could not be any mistake. She started out of her dream as the doctor spoke. “Well, she’s obviously not here and I don’t think she’d want to keep you hanging about, so let’s go.”
Without a word, Judith followed her along the landing and down once more into the courtyard, now feebly lit by a single electric bulb. She turned to the doctor and put an arm on her shoulder. “I can remember my way back to my billet,” she said with a smile. “You don’t need to show me. You must be sick of the sight of us all by now — and after all you’ve done too!” The doctor smiled and patted her elbow. “I admit to being tired, if you are sure you can find your way…