Again she waited till some feeling had come back into
her fingers, which were numb and like to mortify. Then she knelt down,
and drawing the leather bottle to her, held it between her palms, while,
with her teeth, she undid its thong. The task was hard, for it was well
tied, but at length the knots gave, and Miriam drank. So fearful was
her thirst that she could have emptied the bottle at a draught, but this
she, who had lived in the desert, was too wise to do, for she knew that
it might kill her. Also when that was gone there was no more. So she
drank half of it in slow sips, then tied the string as well as she was
able and set it down again.
Now the wine, although it was mixed with water, took hold of her who for
so long had eaten nothing save a mouldy crust, so that strange sounds
drummed in her ears, and sinking down against the column she became
senseless for a while. She awoke again, feeling somewhat refreshed and,
though her head seemed as though it did not belong to her, well able
to think. Her arms also were better and her fingers had recovered their
feeling. If only she could loose that galling chain, she thought to
herself, she might escape, for now death, however strong her faith, was
very near and unlovely; also she suffered in many ways.
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