Page 99 - The Prophet-statesman a Drama of Daniel

CHAPTER XXI

THE FINAL LAP

The last lap of the earth’s journey for King Nebuchadnezzar, was by far the best of
his career.

He had no more than returned to power before he set about to reform the

government and to correct the abuses that had appeared as a result of the
maladministration of the regime of Belgar. It was not necessary to remove from office
most of the officials of that regime, as the majority of them fled from the city and
hastened to distant parts of the empire. Except for those whom he found to have been

guilty of flagrant crimes against the state, the King made no effort to pursue them or
apprehend them. But there was a proscribed list of public criminals that the king
commanded to be tracked down in all parts of the province of Babylon. Heading this
list was the name of Adiel, the renegade Jew, who had been Belgar’s counsellor and

companion in crime. He had inaugurated the spy-system and organized the secret
police, and had been largely responsible for the mass beheadings of those deemed
hostile to the Belgar regime.

He had plotted to bring to execution Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, but
had hesitated only because he feared the people, knowing that these officials were
held in high esteem by the masses.

Adiel was discovered by the agents of the king in one of the cities of the
Ammonites in company with another reprobate by the name of Ishmael, the son of
Nethaniah, who was already engaged in suspicious activities, and a little later became
the assassin of Gedaliah, the governor whom King Nebuchadnezzar had placed over

the land of Judah. Adiel was seized and sentenced to death by military tribunal in
Trans-Jordan.

In a few short months after the restoration of Nebuchadnezzar to power, the
government of Babylon was completely reorganized and the wheels were turning with
perfect smoothness. Daniel was again in his office of premier and his three friends had
resumed their ministerial portfolios. Bigthan, the gentleman-farmer who had been the
benefactor of the king as soon as he had recovered his sanity, was brought in and

given an important post in the Peoples Department of the government. His function
was to be an officer between the peasants and the government. Constantly moving in