What are you saying? What man dared do this?GuardI do not know. For there was no scar of a pickax to be seen
there, no earth thrown up by a
mattock. The ground was hard and dry, unbroken, not rolled over by
wheels. The doer was someone who left no trace. When the first
day-watchman showed it to us, a discomforting amazement fell on us
all. The dead man was veiled
from us—not shut within a tomb, but a light cover of dust was on him, as
if put there by the hand of one who shunned a curse. And no sign was
visible that any beast of prey or any dog had approached or torn him.
Then evil words flew thick and loud among us, guard accusing guard. It would even have come to blows
in the end, nor was there anyone there to prevent it: every man was the
culprit, and no one was plainly guilty, while all disclaimed knowledge
of the act. We were ready to take red-hot iron in our hands,to walk through fire and to swear oaths
by the gods that we had neither done the deed, nor shared knowledge of
the planning or the doing. At last, when our investigating got us
nowhere, someone spoke up and made us all bend our facesin fear towards the earth. For we did
not know how we could argue with him, nor yet prosper, if we did what he
said. His argument was that the deed must be reported to you and not
hidden. This view prevailed, and so it was that