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Aut

JOSH UA,

A BIBLICAL PICTURE.

GEORC EBERS,

Author of " Uarda,'' ''An Egyptian Princess," etc., etc.

ONLY AUTHORIZED EDITION.

MONTREAL :

JOHN LOVELL & SON,

23 St. Nicholas Street.

Bntarad according t^ Act of Parliament in the year 1889, bf
Jolm LovtH 6* Son, in tht ofEce of the liiniitcr of AgriedtaM

and Statisticf at OtUwa.

JOSHUA.

CHAPTER I.

" Go down, grandfather. I will keep watch."

But the old man to whom the words were spoken shook
his shaven head.

•* But up here you will get no rest."

" And the stars ? — or even below ; rest, in such times
as these I Throw my cloak over me — rest in such a fear-
ful night ! "

** You are so cold ; and your hand and the instrument
shake."

*' Then steady my arm."

The lad willingly obeyed the request ; but after a short
space he exclaimed : " It is all in vain. Star after star is
swallowed up in black clouds. Ah, and the bitter cry of
the city comes up. Nay, it comes from our ow n house. I
am sick at heart, grandfather ; only feel how hot ray head
js. Come down, perchance they need help."

" They are in the hands of the gods, and my place is here.
But there, there I Eternal gods ! Look to the north across
the lake ! No, more to the westward. They come from
the city of the dead ! "

" Oh, grandfather, father, there ! " cried the youth, a
priestly neophyte, who was lending his aid to an elder
whose grandson he was, the chief astrologer of Amon-
Ra.

They were standing on the watchtower of the temple
of the god at Tanis, the capital of the Pharaohs, in the
north of the land of Goshen. As he spoke he drew away
his shoulder on which the old man was leaning. *' There^
there I Is the sea swallowing up the land ? Have the
clouds fallen on the earth to surge to and iro ? Oh, grand-
father, may the immortals have mercy ! the nether world

4 yjsnr.i.

is yawning ! The great serpent Apep is come forth from
the city of the dead ! It comes rolling past the temple. I
see it, I hear it ! The great Hebrew's threat is being
fulfilled ! Our race will be cut off from the earth. The
serpent ! Its head is set toward the soutlieast. It will
surely swallow up the young sun when it rises in the morn-
ing ! "

The old man's eyes followed the dirociion of the youth's
finger, and he, too, could discern IJiat a vast, black mass,
whose outline was lost in the darkness, came rolling through
the gloom, and he, too, heard with a shudder the creature's
low roar.

Both stood with eye and car alert, staring into the night,
but the star-gazer's eye was fixed not upward, but down,
across the city to llie distant sea and level plain. Over-
head all was silent, and yet not all at rest, for the wind
swept the dark clouds into shapeless masses in one i)lace,
while in another it rent the gray shroud, and scattered thi m
far and wide.

The moon was not visible to mortal ken, but the clouds
])laycd hide and seek with the bright southern stars, now
covering them, and now giving their rays free passage. And
as in the firmar.ient, so on earth there was a constant
change from p;illid light to blackest darkness. Now the
glitter of the heavenly bodies Hashed b' ighily down on the
sea and estuary, on the polished granite sides of the
obelisks in the temple ])recincts and the gilt coj^per roof
of the king's airy palace; and again, lake and river, the
sails in the harbor, the sanctuaries and streets of the city,
and the palm-strewn plain surrounding it were all lost is
gloom.

Objects which the eye tried to rest on vanished in am
instant, and it was the same with the sounds that met the
ear. For a while the silence would be as deep as though
all life, far anJ near, were hushed or dead, and then a
piercing sliriek of woe rent the stillness of the night. And
then, broken by longer or shorter pauses, that roar was
heard which the youthful priest had taken for the voice
of the seri)ent of the nether world ; and to that the grand-
father and grandson listened with growing excitement.

The dusky shape, whose ceaseless movements could be
clearly made out whenever the stars shot their beams be-
tween the striving clouds, had its beginning out by the cit^

yosniTA, 5

of the dcnd and the strangers' quarter. A sudden i)anic
luul fallen on the vold man as on the young one, Uut he was
quieker to recover himself, and his keen anil practiced eye
50on discovered that it was not a single gigantic form which
was rising from the necropolis to cross the ]>lnin. but a
muliitude of moving creatures who seem .1 to be surging
©r swaying to and fro on the meadow lantl. Xor did the
hollow hum and wailing come up from one juirticulnr si)ot,
but was audible now nearer and now more remote. Anon
he fancied that was risi'ig from the bosom of the earth,
and then again iliat it fell from some airy height.

Fresh terror came upon the old astrologer. He seized
his grand-on's hand in his right hand, and poiuiting with
his left to the city of the dead, he cried in a trembling
voice : " The dead are too many in number. The nelher
world overflows, as the river does when its bed is too
narrow for the waters of the south. Mow they swarm and
sway and surge on ! How they part, hither and thither !
These are the ghosts of the tliousands whom black death
hath snatched away, blasted by the Hebrew's curse, and
sent unburied, unprotected from corruption, to descend the
rungs of the ladder which loads to the world without end."

'' Yea, it is they ! " cried the other, in full belief He
snatched his hand from the old man's grasp and struck his
fevered and burning brow, exclaiming, though hardly able
to speak for terror : " They — the damned ! The wind has
blown diem lO the sea, and its waters spew them out and
cast them on the land again, and the blessed earth rejects
them and drives them into the air. The pure ether of
Shoo flings them back to the groimd, and now — look,
listen ! They are groaning as they seek the way to tlie
desert."

" To the fire ! " cried the elder. " Flame, purify them :
(vater, cleanse them ! "

The youth joined in the old priest's form of exorcism,
and while they chanted it in unison, the trap door was
lifted which led to this observatory on the top of tlie
highest gate of the temple, and a priest of humble grade
cried to the old man :

"Cease thy labors. Who cares now for the stars of
heaven when all that has life is being darkened on
earth ? "

The old priest listened speechless, till the messenger

6 JOSHUA,

went on to say that it was the astrologer's wife who had
S'^nt for him, and then he gasped out :

" Hora? Is my son then likewise stricken? "

The priest then bent his head, and both his hearers
wept bitterly, for the old man was bereft of his first-born
son, and the lad of a tender father.

But when the boy, trembling with fear, fell sick and
sorrowing on his grandfather's breast, the elder hastily
freed hims I from his embrace and went to the trapdoor ;
for although the priest had announced himself as the
messenger of death, it needs more than the bare word of
another to persuade a father to give up all hope of life for
his child. The old man went quickly down the stone
stairs, through the lofty halls and wide courts of the temple ;
and the lad followed him, although his shaking knees could
scarcely carry his fevered frame. The blow which liad
fallen within his own little circle had made the old man
forget the fearful portent which threatened the whole world
perhaps with ruin ; but the boy could not get rid of the
vision ; even when he had passed the first court, and was
in sight of the outermost pylons, to his terrified and
anxious soul it seemed as though the shadows of the
obelisks were spinning round, while the two stone statues
of King Rameses on the corner piers of the great gate beat
time with the crook in his hand.

At this the lad dropj)cd fever-stricken on the ground. A
convulsion distorted his features and tossed his slender
frame to and fro in frantic spasms ; and the old man,
falling on his knees, while he guarded the curly head from
striking the hard stone flags, moaned in a low voice : " Now,
it has fallen on him."

Suddently he collected himself and shouted aloud for
help, but in vain, and again in vain. At last his voice fell ;
he sought consolation in prayer. Then he heard a sound
of voices from the avenue of sphinxes leading to the great
gate, and new hope revived in his heart.

Who could it be who was arriving at so late an hour?

Mingled with cries of grief the chanting of priests fell
on his ear, the tinkle and clatter of the metallic sistrum
shaken by holy women in honor of the god, and the
measured footfall of men praying as they marched on.

A solemn procession was approachir^. The astrologer
raised his eyes, and after glancing at the double line of

granite columns, colossal statues ard obelisks in the great
court, looked up, in obedience to the habits of a lifetime,
at the starry heavens above, and in the midst of his woe a
bitter smile parted his sunken lips, for the gods this night
lacked the honors that were their due.

For on this night — the first after the new moon in the
month of Pharmutec — the sanctuary in former years was
wont to be gay with garlands of flowers. At the dawn of
day after this moonless night the high festival of the spring
equinox should begin, and with it the harvest thanks-
giving.

At this time a grand procession marched through the
city to the river and harbor, as prescribed by the Book of
the Divine Birth of the Sun, in honor of the great goddess
Neith, of Rennoot, who bestows the gifts of the 5(.ld, and
of Horus, at whose bidding the desert blooms ; bi t to day
the silence of death reigned in the sanctuary, whose r'.urt-
yards should have been crowded at this hour with men,
women and children, bringing offerings to place on the
very spot where his grandson lay under the hand of death.

A broad beam of lighc suddenly fell into the vast court,
which till now had been but dimly lighted by a few lamps.
Could they be so mad as to think that the glad festival
might be held in spite of the nameless horrors of the past
night?

Only the evening before, the priests in council had
determined that during this pitiless pestilence the temples
were to be left unadorned and processions to be prohibited.
By noon yesterday many had failed to attend because
the plague had fallen on their households, and the
terror had now come into this very sanctuary, while
he, who could read the stars, had been watching
them in their courses. Why else should it have been
deserted by the watchmen and other astrologers, who had
been with him at sunset, and whose duty it was to keep
vigil here all night ?

He turned once more to the suffering boy with tender
anxiety, but instantly started to his feet, for the gates
were opened wide, and the light of torches and lanterns
poured into the temple court. A glance at the sky showed
him that it was not long past midnight, and yet his fears
were surely well grounded — these must be the priests
crowding into the temple to prepare for the harvest
festival.

JOSHUA,

Not so.

For when had they come to the sanctuary for this
purpose, chanting and in i)ioccssion ? Nor were these all
servants of the divinity. The iJOpulacc had joined them.
In that solemn litany he could hear the shrill wailing of
women mingled witli wild cries of despair such as he had
never bcfo.e, in the course of a long life, heard within
these consecrated walls.

Or did his senses deceive him ? Was it the groaning
horde of unresting souls which he had seen from the
observatory who were crowding into the sanctuary of
the god ?

Fresh horrors fell upon him ; he threw uj) his arms in
interdiction, and for a few moments repeated the formula
against the malice of evil spirits ; but he presently dropped
his hands, for he marked among the throng some friends
who yesterday, at any rate, had been in the land of the
living. Foremost, the tall figure of the second prophet of
the god ; then the women devoted to the service of Amon-
Ra, the singers and the holy fathers ; and when at last,
behind the astrologers and pastophoroi, he saw his son-in-
law, whose home had till yesterday been spared by the
plague, he took heart and spoke to him. But his voice
was drowned by the song and cries of the coming multitude.

The courtyard was now fully lighted ; but every one was
so absorbed in his own sorrow that no one heeded the old
astrologer. He snatched the cloak off his own shivering
body to make a better pillow for the boy's tossing head,
and whi!: he did so,- with fatherly care, he could hear
among the chanting and wailing of the approaching crowd,
first, frantic curses on the Hebrews, through whom these
woes had fallen on Pharaoh and his people, and then,
again and again, the name of the heir to the crown. Prince
Rameses ; and the tone in which it was spoken, and the
formulas of mourning which were added, announced to all
who had ears to hear that the eyes of the first-born of the
king on his throne were also sealed in death.

As he gazed with growing anguish in his grandson's pale
face, the lamentations for the prince rang out afresh and
louder than ever, and a faint sense of satisfaction crept
into his soul at the impartiality of Death, who spared not
the sovereign on his throne any more than the beggar by
the wayside.

josnvA. ^,

He knew now what had brought this noisy throng to tljc
sanctuary.

He went forward with such haste as his old limbs would
allow to meet the column of mourners, but before he
could join them he saw the gatekeeper and his wife come
out of the gatehouse, bearing between them, on a mat, the
corpse of a boy. The husband held one end, his frail, liny
wife held the other ; and the stalwart man had to stooj) low
to keep their stiff burden in a horizontal position that it
might not slip down towards the woman. Three children
closed the melancholy party, and a little girl holding a
lantern led the way.

No one, perhaps, would have observed them, but that the
gatekeeper's wife shrieked forth her griefs so loudly and
shrilly that it was impossible not to hear her cries. The
second i)rophet of Anion turned to look, and then his compa-
nions ; the procession came to a standstill, and, as some
of the i)riests went nearer to the body, the father cried in
a loud voice : " Away, away from the plague-stricken !
Our first-born is dead ! "

The mother, meanwhile, had snatched the lantern from
her little daughter, and, holding it so as to throw a light
on the face of the dead boy, she shrieked out :

*' The god hath suffered it to come to jjass. Yes, even
under our own roof. But it is not his will, but the curse
of the stranger in the land that has come over us and our
lives. Behold, this was the first-born; and two emple
servants have likewise been taken. One is dead already ;
he is lying in our little room yonder ; and there — see,
there lies young Kamus, the grandson of Rameri, the star-
reader. We heard the old man calling and saw what was
happening, but who can hold another man's house up when
his own is falling about his ears? Beware while it is /-^t
time, for the gods have opened even the temple gates to
the abomination, and if the whole world should perish I
should not be surprised, and never complain — certainly
not. My lords and priests, I am but a poor and humble
woman, but am I not in the right when I ask : Are our
gods asleep ? Has a magic spell bound them ? Or
what are they doing, and where are they, that they leave
us and our children in the power of the vile Hebrew
race ? "

JOSHUA.

*' Down with them ! Down with the strangers I They
are magicians. Into the sea with Mesu,* the sorcerer ! "

As an echo follows a cry, so did these imprecations follow
the woman's curse ; and Hornecht, the old astrologer's
son-in law, captain of the archers, whose blood boiled over
at the sight of his dying, fair young nephew, brandished
his short sword, and cried in a frenzy of rage : " Follow
me, every man who has a heart ! At them ! Life for
life ! Ten Hebrews for each Egyptian whom their sorcerer
has killed ! "

A flock will rush into the fire if only the ram leads the
way, and the crowd flocked to follow the noble warrior.
The women pushed in front of the men, thronging the door-
way, and as the servants of the sanctuary hesitated till
they should know the opinion of the prophet of Amon,
their leader drew up in his majestic figure, and said deli-
berately :

'* All who wear priests' robes remain to pray with me.
The people are the instrument of heaven, and it is theirs to
repay. We stay here to pray for success to their ven-
geance."

CHAPTER H.

Baie, the second prophet of Amon, who acted as deputy
for the now infirm old head prophet and high priest Ruie,
withdrew into the holy of holies, and while the multitude
of the inferior ministers of the god proceeded to their
various duties, the infuriated crowd hurried through the
streets of the town to the strangers' quarter.

As a swollen torrent raging through a valley carries down
with it everything in its way, so the throng, as they rushed
to their revenge, compelled every one on tlicir road to join
them. Every Egyptian from whom dcalh had snatched
his nearest and dearest Wus ready to j.)i;i the swelling tide,
and it grew till it numbered hundred ; of thousands. Men,
women and children, slaves and free, borne on the wings
of their desire to wreak ruin and death on the detested
Hebrews, flew to the distant quarter wb.erc they dwelt.

# Mesu is the Egyptian form of the rame of Moses.

JOSHUA.

How this artisan had laid hold of a chopper or that
housewife had clutched an axe, they themselves scarcely
knew. They rushed on to kill and destroy, and they had
not sought the weapons they needed ; Ihe/ had found
them ready to their hand.

The first they hoped to fall upon in their mad fury was
Nun, a venerable Hebrew, respected and beloved by manjr
— a man rich in herds, who had don: much kindness to
the Egyptians ; but where hatred and revenge make them-
selves heard, gratitude stands shy and speechless in the
background.

His large estates lay, like the houses and huts of the
men of his race, in the strangers' quarter, to the west of
Tanis, and were the nearest oi them all to the streets inha-
bited by the Egyptians themselves.

At this morning hour Nun's flocks and herds were wont
to be taken, first to water, and then to the pasture ; so the
large yard in front of his house would be full of cattle, farm
men and women, carts and field implements. The owner
himself commonly ordered the going of his beasts, and he
and iiis were to be the first victims of the popular rage.

The swiftest runners had already reached his spacious
farm, and among them Hornecht, the captain of the arch-
ers. There lay the house and buildings in the first bright
beams of the morning sun, and a brawny smith kicked
violently at the closed door ; but there was no bolt, and it
flew open so readily that he had to clutch at the door post
to save himself from falling. Others pushed by him into
the courtyard, among them the archer chief.

But what was the meaning of this ?

Had some new charm been wrought to show the power
of Mcsu, who had brought such terrible plagues already on
the land, and display the might of his god ?

The yard was empty, absolutely empty ; only in their
stalls lay a few cattle and sheep, slain because they had
suflfcrcd from injury, while a lame lamb hcbbled away at
the sight of the intruders. Even the carts and barrows
had vanished. The groaning and bleating crowd, which
the star-gazer had taken to be the spirits of the damned,
was the host of the Hebrews, who had fled by night with
all their herds, under the guidance of Moses.

The leader dropped his sword, and it might liave been
thought that the scene btibrc him was to him an agreeable

JOSHUA.

surprise ; but his companion, a scribe from the king's
treasury, looked round the deserted courtyard with the dis-
appointed air of a man who has been cheated.

The tide of passions and schemes which had risen high
during the night, ebbed under the broad light of day.
Even the soldier's easily-stirred ire had subsided to compa-
rative calm. The mob might have done their worst to the
other Hebrews, but not to Nun, whose son Hosea (Joshua)
had been his comrade in battle, one of the most esteenud
captains in the field, and a private friend of his own. If
Hornecht had foreseen that Nun's farmstead would be the
first spot to be attacked, he would never have led the mob
to their revenge, and once more in his life he bitterly rued
that he had been carried away by sudden wrath to forget
the calm demeanor which beseemed his years. And now,
while some of the crowd proceeded to rille and pull down
Nun's deserted dwellings, men and women came running
in to say that no living soul was to be found in any of the
other houses near. Some had to tell of yelling cats squat-
ting on vacant heartlis, of beasts pact service found
slaughtered, and broken household gear, till at last the
angry crowd dragged forward a Hebrew with his fam'ly,
and a grey-haired, half-witted woman whom they had
hunted out among some straw. Tiie old woman laughed
foolishly and said that her people had called her till they
were hoarse, but Mehela knew better; and as for walking,
walking forever, as her people meant to do, that she could
not ; her feet were too tender, and she had not even a pair
of sandals.

The man, a hideous Jew, whom few even of his own race
would have regarded with pity, declared, first with humi-
lity, bordering on servility, and then with the insolent
daring that was natural to him, that he had nothing to do
with the god of lies in whose name the impostor Moses
had tempted away his people, but that he and his wife and
child had always been friends with the Egyptians. As a
matter of fact he was known to many, being an usurer, and
when the rest of his tribe had taken up their staves he had
hidden himself, hoping to pursue his dishonest dealings
and come to no loss.

But some of his debtors were among the furious mob ;
and even with ut them he had not a chance for his life, for
he was the fust object on which the excited multitude

JOSHUA.

»3

could prove that they were in earnest in their revenge.
They rushed on him with yells of rage, and in a few
minutes the bodies of the hapless wretch and his family
lay dead on the groun J. No one knew who had done
the bloody deed ; too many had fallen on the victims
at once.

Others who had remained behind were dragged forth
from houses or hovels, and they were not a few, though
many had time to escape into the country. These all fell
victims to the wrath of the populace ; and while their
blood was flowing, axes were heaved, and doors and walls
were battered down with beams and posts to destroy the
dwellings of the detested race from the face of the earth.

The glowing embers which some furious women had
brought with them were extinguished and trodden out, for
the more prudent warned them of the danger which must
threaten their own adjoining dwellings and the whole city
of Tanis if the strangers' quarter were set in flames.

Thus the homes of the Hebrews were spared from fire,
but as the sun rose higher the site of the dwellings they
had deserted was wrapped in an impenetrable cloud of
white dust from the ruins, and on the spot where, but
yesterday, thousands of human beings had iiad a lappy
home, and where vast herds had slak-.d their thirst by
fresh waters, nothing v/as now to be seen but hea[is of
rubbish and stone, while broken timber and splintered
woodwork strewed the scorching soil. Dogs and cats,
abandoned by the fugitives, prowled among the ruins, and
were presently joined by the women and children who
herded in the beggars' hovels on the skirts of the neighbor-
ing necropolis, and who now, with their hands over their
mouths, poked among the choking dust and piles of
lumber for any vessels or broken victuals which the He-
brews might have left behind and the plunderers have over-
looked.

In the course of the afternoon Baie was borne in his
litter past the scene of devastation. He had not come
hither to feast his eyes on the sight of the ruins, but because
they lay in the nearest way from the city of the dead to his
own home. Nevertheless, a smile of satisfaction curled his
grave lips as he noted how thoroughly the populace had
done their work. What he himself had hoped to see had
not indeed been carried out ) the leader of the fugitives had

JOSHUA.

I 1

CYaded their revenge; but hatred, though it is never
satiated, can be easily gratified. Even the smaller woes
of an enemy are joy, and the priest had just quitted the
mourning Pharaoh, and though he had not yet succeeded
in freeing him completely from the bonds laid upon him.
by the Hebrew soothsayer, yet he had loosened them.

Three words had the proud, ambitious man murmured
to himself again and again — a man not wont to talk to him-
self — as he sat alone in the sanctuary, meditating on what
had happened and on what had to be done ; and those
three words were : " Bless me also 1 "

It was Pharaoh who had spoken them, addressing the
petition to another ; and that other not old Ruie, the pon-
tiff and high priest, nor Baie himself, the only men living
whose privilege it could be to bless the king ; no, but the
worst of the accursed, the stranger, the Hebrew Mesu^
whom he hated as he haled none other on earth.

" Bless me also 1 " That pious entreaty, which springs
so confidingly from the human soul in anguish, had pierced
his soul like a dagger-thrust. He felt as though such a
prayer, addressed by such lips to such a man, had broken
the staff in the hand of the whole priesthood of Egypt, had
wrenched the panther skin from its shoulders, and cast a
stain on all the nation he loved.

He knew Mesu well for one of the wisest sages ever pro-
duced by the schools of Egypt ; he knew full well that
Pharaoh was spell bound by this man, who had grown up
in his house, and had been the friend of the great Rameses,
his father. He had seen the monarch pardon misdeeds in
Mesu which any other man, were he the highest in the
land, must have expiated with his life ; and how dear must
this Hebrew have been to Pharaoh — the sun-god on the
throne of the world — when he could compel the king,
standing by the death-bed of his son, to uplift his hands to
him and implore him : " Bless me also."

All this he had told himself and weighed with due care,
and still he, Baie, could not, would not, yield to the power-
ful Hebrew. He had regarded it as his most urgent and
sacred duty to bring destruction on him and his whole race.
To fulfil that duty he would not have hesitated to lay hands
on the throne ; indeed, in his eyes, by the utterance of
that blasphemous entreaty, "Bless me also," Pharaoh
Menephtah had forfeited his right to the sovereignty.

yosjjUAi

I '

Moses was the murderer of Pharaoh's first-born, whereas^
he himself and the venerable high priest of Amon held the
weal or woe of the deceased youth's soul in their hands.
And this weapon was a keen and a strong one, for he knew
how tender and irresolute was the king's heart. If the
high-priest of Amon — the only man who stood above him
—-did not contravene him in some unaccountable fit of
senile caprice, it would be a small matter to reduce Pharaoh
to submission, but the vacillating monarch might repent
to-morrow of what he resolved to-day, if the Hebrew
should again succeed in coming between him and his
Egyptian counselors. Only this very day, on hearing the
name of Moses spoken in his presence, the degenerate son
of Rameses the Great had covered his face and quaked
like a frightened gazelle, and to-morrow he might curse
him and pronounce sentence of death against him. He
might perhaps be persuaded to do this ; but even then by
the day after he would very surely recall him and beseech
his blessing once more.

Away with such a monarch ! Down with the feeble
reed who sat on the throne, down to the very dust ! Baie
had found a fitting successor among the princes of the
blood royal, and when the time should come — when Ruie,
the high priest of Amon, should cross the boundary of the
time of life granted to man by the gods, and close his eyes
in death — then he, Baie himself, would fill his place ; a new
life should begin for Egypt, and Moses and his tribes were
doomed.

As the prophet thus meditated a pair of ravens fluttered
tround his head, and then, croaking loudly, alighted on the
dusky ruins of one of the wrecked tenements. His eye
involuntarily followed their flight and perceived that they
had settled on the body of a dead Hebrew, half buried in
rubbish ; and again a smile stole over his cunning, defiant
features, a smile which the inferior priests who stood about
his litter could by no means interpret.

yOSHUA.

CHAPTER III.

HoRNECHT, captain of the bowmen, had b> this time joined
company with the prophet. He was, indeed, in his con
fidcncc, for the warrior likewise was one of the men of high
rank who had conspired to overthrow the reigning Pharaoh.

As they approached the ruined dwelHng of Nun the
priest pointed to the heap of destruction and said : " The
man to whom this once belonged is the only Hebrew I
fain would spare. He was a man of worth, and his son
Joshua "

" Ke will be true to us," interrupted the captain. " Few
better men serve in the ranks of Pharaoh's armies, and,"
he added, in a lower voice, *" I count on him in the day of
deliverance."

" Of that we will speak before fewer witnesses," replied
the other. " But I owe him a special debt of gratitude.
During the Libyan war — you know of it — I was betrayed
into the hands of the enemy, and Joshua, with his handful
of men, cut me a way of escape from the wild robbers."
TJien, dropping his voice, he went on in his didactic man-
ner, as though he were making excuse for the mischief
before them. " Such is life here below ! When a whole
race of men incurs punishment, the evil falls on the guilt-
less with the guilty. Not even the gods can in such a case
divide the individual from the mob ; the visitation falls
even on the innocent beasts. Look at that flock of
pigeons hovering ever the ruins ; they seek the dovecote
in vain. And that cat with her kittens ! Go, Bekie, and
rescue them ; it is our duty to preserve the sacred animal3
from starving to death."

And this man, who had contemplated the destruction of
so many of his fellow-creatures with barbarous joy, took
the kindly care of the unreasoning brutes so niucli to heart
that he made the bearers stop, and looked on while the
servants cauglit the cats. But this was not so quickly
done as he had hoped, for the mother fled into the nearest
cellar- opening, and the gap was so narrow as to prevent

'■%

yos/fVA.

»7

)med

con
"high
raoh.
\ the
« The
irew I
is son

" Few

and,"

day of

eplied

titiide.

jtrayed

and fill
bers."
man-
schicf
whole
guilt-
acase
falls
ock of
)vecote
ie, and
mimala

:tion of
took
o heart
lile the
quickly
nearest
revent

the men from following lur. However, the youngest of
them all, a slim Nubian, undertook to fetch her out ; but
he had liardly looked down into the opening when he
started l)ack and cried to his lord :

** A human being is lying there, and seems to be yet
alive. Yes, he beckons with his liand. It is a boy or a
youth, and certainly not a slave. His liair is long and
curly, and on his arm — for a sunbeam falls straight in — I
can see a broad gold band."

" One of the family of Nun, perhai)s, who has been for-
gotten," said the warrior, and 13aie eagerly added : " It is
the guidance of the gods ! The sacred beasts have led me
to the spot where I may do a service to the man to whom
I owe so much. Try and make your way in, ik^kie, and
fetcli the youth out."

The Nubian, meanwhile, had moved away a stone, which,
in its fall, had partly closed the entrance, and in a short
while he held u|; to his comrades a motionless young form,
which they lifted out into the open air and carried to a
well. There they soon brought him back to life wilh the
cool water.

As he recovered consciousness he rubbed his eyes,
looked about him in bewilderment as thouiih he knew not
where he was, and then his head fell on his breast as if
overcome by grief and horror, and it could be seen that at
the back of his head the hair was matted with dark patclies
of dried blood.

By the prophet's care the wound, which was deep, from
a stone which had fallen on the lad, was washed at the
well ; and when it was bound up he bid him get into his
own litter, which was screened from the sun.

The youth had arrived before sunrise, after a long walk
bf night from Pithom, called by the Hebrews Succoth, to
bring a message to his grandfather, Nun, but finding the
place deserted he had lain down in one of the empty rooms
to rest awhile. Awakening at the uproar of the infuriated
Egyptians, and hearing the curses on his race, which rang
out on every side, he had fled to the cellar, and the falling
roof, although he had been hurt, had proved his salvation,
for the clouds of dust which had hidden everything as it
crashed down had concealed him from tlie sight of the
plunderers.

The priest gazed at him attentively, and though the

yos/iUA,

youth was unwashed and jialc, with a blood-stained band-
age around his head, he could see that the being he had
restored to life was a handsome, well-grown lad, on the
verge of manhood. Full of eager sympathy, he mollified
the stern gravity of his eye, and questioned him kindly as
lo whence he came ar.d what had brought him to Tanis, for
it was impossible to tell from the youth's features even of
what nation he might be. He might easily have passed
himself off as an Egyptian, but he quiie frankly owned that
he was the grandson of Nun. He was eighteen years of
age, his name was Ephraim, like his ancestor the son of
Joseph, and he had come to see his grandfather. And he
spoke with an accent of steadfast self-respect and joy in
his illustrious descent.

When asked whethc. he had been the bearer of a message
he did not forthwith reply, but after collecting his thoughts
he looked fearlessly into the prophet's face and answered
frankly :

'* Be you who you may, I have been taught to speak the
truth. You shall know, then, that I have another kinsman
dwelling in Tanis — Joshua, the son of Nun, who is a captain
in Pharaoh's army, and I have a message for him."

"And you shall know," replied the priest, "that it was
for the sake of that very Josnua that I lingered here and
bid my servants rescue you alive from that ruined house.
I owe him thanks ; and although the greater number of
your nation have done deeds worthy of the heaviest
punishment, yet for his noble sake you shall dwell among
us free and unharmed."

On this the boy looked up at the priest with a flash of
eager pride ; but before he could speak, Bale went on with
encouraging friendliness :

" I read in your eyes, my boy, if I am not mistaken, that
you are come to seek service under your Uncle Joshua in
Pharaoh's army. Your stature should make you skillful in
handling weapons, -and you certainly cannot lack for
daring."

A smile of flattered vanity lighted up Ephraim's face,
and turning the broad gold bangle on his arm, perhaps
unconsciously, he eagerly replied :

" I am brave, my lord, and have proved it often in the
hunting-field. But at home there are cattle and sheep in
abundance, which I already call my own, and it seems to

JOSHUA.

had
the
ified
ly as
s,for
en of
issed
1 that
ars of
son of
aid he
joy in

cssage
oughts
swered

eak the
Lin small
captain

it it was
-icrc and
d bouse,
imber of
heaviest
1 among

flash of
on with

iken,tbat
Joshua in
skillful in
lack for

lim's face,
L perhaps

Iften in the
„ sheep in
It seems to

me a better lot to wander free and rule the shepherds, than
to do what others bid me."

" So, so," replied the priest. " Well, Joshua perhaps
will bring you to another and a better mind. To rule ! a
noble goal indeed for a youtli ! The piiy is that we who
have reached it are but servants, the more iieavily-bur-
dcned in proportion to the greater number of thoso w!io
obey us. You understand me, captain ; and you. boy,
will understand me later, when you have become such a
palm tree as your sapling growth ])romises. But time
presses. Who sent you hither to Joshua? "

The youth again looked down and hesitated ; but when
the prophet had broken in on liis st.jnce by saying, " And
that candor which you have been taught ? " he replied
firmly and decidedly : " I came to do i)leasure to a woman
whom you know not. Let that suffice."

'• A woman ! " echoed the prophet, and he cast an in-
quiring glance at Ilornccht. " When a valiant warrior
and a fair woman seek each other the Hathors are wont
to intervene and use the binding * cords, but it ill be-
seems a minister of the divinity to play spectator to such
doings, so I inquire no further. Take this boy under your
protection, captain, and help him to carry his errand to
Rosea. The only question is whether he is yet returned."

"No," replied the soldier, " but this very day he and
10,000 men are exjjected at the armory."

" Then may the Hathors, who favor lovc-mes.sages, bring
these two to a meeting no later than to-morrow ! " cried
the priest. But the youth broke in indignantly : '' I bear
no love-message from one to the other ! "

And the priest, who was well pleased by his boldness, re-
plied gayly : " I had forgotten that I am speaking to a shep-
herd-prince." 'i'hen he added more gravely, " When you
shall have found Joshua give him greeting from me, and
say to him tiiat Baie, the second prophet of Anion, whom lie
saved from the hand of the Libyans, believes that he is
paying some part of his debt by extending a protecting
hand over you, liis ne])hcw. You, bold youth, know not,
perhaps, that you were in other and greater danger than
that from your wound. The furious Egyptians would no
more have spared your life than would the choking dust

• Tlie Hathors were the Egyptian love goddesses. They are often
depicted with cords in their hands.

yosiiuA.

and falling houses. Bear that in mind, and tell Joshua,
moreover, from me, Baie, that I am sure that as soon as
he sees with his own eyes the misery wrought on ihc
house of Pharoah, to which he has sworn alloiiiance, and
with it on this city and on the whole land, by the magic
arts of one of your race, he will cut himself >.){{ in horror
from those cowards. For they have basely fled, after
slaying the best and dearest of those among whom they
have dwelt in peace, whose protection ihcy have enjoyed,
nnd who for long years have given them work and fed
them abundantly. If 1 know him at all, as an honest man
he will turn his back on those who have sinned thus.
And you may tell him likewise, that the Hebrew officers and
fighting men under the captainship of Aarsu, the Syrian,
have already done so of their own free will. This day — and
Joshua will have heard the tidings from others — thoy
offered sacrifice, not only to their own gods, Baal and Sei,
whom you, too, many of you, were wont to serve before
the vile magician, Mesu, led you astray, but also to Father
Anion and the sacred nine of our eternal gods. And if
he will do likewise, he and I. hand in h;)nd, will rise to
great power — of that he may be assured — and he is worthy
of il. The rest of the debt of gratitude I still owe him I
will find other means of paying, which as yet must remain
undiscovered. But you may promise your uncle from
me that I will take care of Nun, his worthy father, when
the vengeance oi the gods and of Pharaoh overtakes the
other men of your nation. Already — tell him this likewise
— is the sword set, and judgment without mercy shall be
done on them. Tell him to ask himself what can fugitive
shepherds do against the might of that army of which he
himself is one of the captains ? I.i your father yet alive,
my son ? "

*' No ; he was borne out long since,' replied Ephraim in
a broken voice.

Was it that the fever of his wound was too much for
him? That the disgrace of belonging to a race who
could do such shameful deeds overpowered his young
soul? Or was the youth true to his people, and was it
wrath and indignation that made his cheek turn pale, then
red, and stirred up such tunnoil in his soul that he could
hardly speak ? No matter. But it was clear that he was
no fift bearer of this message to his uncle, and the priest

JOSHUA,

ma,
n as
ihe
and
lagic
jrror
after
they
)ycd,
dfed
. man
thus.
•s and
yrian,
—and
-tbry
d Sci,
before
Father
And if
rise to
worthy

him I

remain

e from

when

es the
ikewise

hall be
fugitive
[hich he

;t alive,

Iraim in

luch for
ice who
young
was it
lie, then
le could
It he was
le priest

signed to the captain to come with him under the shade of
a broad sycamore tree. The Hebrew must at any rate be
retained with the army ; he laid his hand on iiis friend's
shoulder, saying : " You know tliat it was my wife who
won you over to our great scheme. She serves it better
and with greater zeal than many a man, and while 1 admire
your (laughter's beauty, she is full of praises of her win-
ning charm."

"And Kasana is to join the conspiracy?" exclaimed
the soldier in displeasure.

" Not as an active partner, like my wife — of course not."

*'She would hardly serve that end," replied the other in
a calmer tone. " for she is like a child."

"And yet she may "vin over to our cause n in;',.! \.lHjse
goodwi'l ai)pears lo be incsiimable."

"You mean losluia? " asked Hornecht, and again his
brow grew black, while the prophet went on.

"And if I do? Is he not a noble Hebrew, and can
you think it unworthy of the daughter of a warrior of
valor to give her hand to the man who, if our undertaking
prospers, will act as chief captain over all the troops of
the land ? "

" No, my lord," cried the archer. " But one of the
causes of my wrath against Pharaoh, and of my taking
part with Siptah, is that his mother was not of our nation,
while Egyptian blood flows in Siptah's veins. Now, the
mother determines a man's race, and Joshua's mother was
a Hebrew woman. I call him my friend ; 1 know how to
value his merits ; Kasana is well inclined to him "

"And yet you desire a greater son-in-law?" interrupted
Baie. " How can our ditticult enterprise prosper if those
who risk their lives in it think the very first sacrifice too
great? And your daughter, you say, is well inclined to
Joshua."

" She was ; yes. truly." the soldier put in. " Yes, her
heart longed after him. But I brought her to obedience ;
she became the wife of another ; and now that she is
a widow shall I be tlie one to offer her to him whom T co!n-
pelled her to give up — the gods alone know how hardly ?
When was the like ever heard of in Egypt ? "

" Whenever the men and women by the Nile have so
far mastered themselves as to submit to necessity in
opposition to their own wishes, for the sake of a great

JOSHUA.

cause," replied tlu' prit-st. '' Think of these things. VW
shall meet agaiji this evening — you know where. Mean-
while will you give hospitality to Joshua's nephew and
bespeak your fair daughter's care, for he seems to need it
sorely."

In fact, hunger, thirst, loss of blood and a long struggle
against suffocation had broken Kphraim's youthful
strength. On the skirts of the necropolis, where litters
stood awaiting the convenience of visitors, he was ])la(;ed
in one by himself and carried to his destination.

CHAPTER IV.

There was mourning in the house of Hornecht, as in
every house in the oily. The men had shaved their hods
and the women had strewn dust on their foreheads. The
captain's wife was long since dead, but his daughter and
her women met him with waving veils and loud wailing,
for their lord's brolher-ir-law was l)cr( ft both (if his fu'st-
born son and of his grandson ; and in how many houses of
their circle of friends had the plague claimed its victims.

However, tlie fainting youtli demanded all tlie women's
care ; he was washed, and the deej) wound in his head
was freshly bound \\\) ; strong wine and Ibod were set
before him, and then, refreslied and strengthened, he
followed at the bidding of his host's daughter.

The dust-stained and exhausted lad now stood revealed
as a handsome yo'.mg fellow. His scented hair flowed in
long, waving locks fi(jm beneath tlie clean, while bandage,
and his elastic, sunbiiriU limbs v.\ re <•< \ ered by Egyj,lian
garments embroidered with gold oit cf the wardrobe of
the captain's deceased son-in-law. He seemed pleased to
see himself in the handsome raiment, from wliich there
jiroceeded a fragrance of spikenard new to his experience,
for his black eyes brightly lighted up his well-cut features.

It was long since the captain's daughter had seen a
b?tter-favored youth, and she herself was full of great and
lovely charm. After a brief married life with a man she
had never loved, Kasana, within a year, had come back
a wi^ow to her father's house, where there was now no
mistress j and the great wealth of which she had become

yosiir.-i.

VVe-

aiid
•d it

a 3 in
ho lis
The
IX and
ailing,
Is firsi-
iises of
tims.
omen's
s head
ere set
ed, he

evealed
nved in
andage,
gyiAian
irobe of
jased to
ch there
lerience.
features,
seen a
Teat and
man she
ne back
now no
I become

possessed by her luisband's deatii cnnljlcd her to l)ring
mto the warrior's modc-st home the splendor and luxury
whicli to hei iuu.l become a necessity.

Her laUu'r, wlio in many a content had proved himself
a man of violent temper, now yielded to her will in all
things. In past time ho had rulhlessly asserted hi.s own,
and had forced her at the a:ie of fifieen into a marriage
with a man much older than herself. This he had done
because lie had observed ihal Kasana's yo^.tig heart was
set on Joshua, the man of war, and he <U'eme<l it benenth
him to accept the Hebrew, who at that time held no place
of honor in the ainiy, as a .son-in-law. An l'!L,yi)tian
could but obey her fnther without demur wJieii he chose
her a husband, and so Kasana luid siil)inilled, though dur-
ing the period of her betrothal she shed so many bitter
tears that the archer-captain uas glad indeed when she
had done his bidding and given her hand to the inisband
of his choice.

13ut even in her widowhood his daughter's heart clung
to the Hebrew ; for when the army was in the field she
never ceased to be ar/xious, and sijenther da} s and nights
in troubled unrest. When tidings came from the front she
asked only concerning Joshua, and ii v/as to her !v)Ve for
him ilmt Hornccht, with deep vexation, ascribed her
rei)eatLd rejection of suitor after suitor. As a widow she
had ihe right to dis[>ose of her liaiid, and ilii:-. gentle yield-
ing young creature would amazt^ her faihor by the abrupt
decisiveness with which she made her independence felt,
not alone to him and her suitors, bui likewise lo I'rince
Siptnh. whose cause her father had made his own.

This day Kasana expressed her satisfaction at Joshua's
home-coming so frankly aiul unreservedly, that ih • hot-
tempered man hastened out of tiie house lest he should be
led into some ill-consid(,'red act or speech. He lel't the
care of their young guest to his daughter ami licr faithful
nurse : and how delightful to the lad's sensitive soul was
the effeci of the warrior's home, Midi its loiiy, airy rooms,
open colonnades and bright, richly-colored paintings ; its
artistic vessels and ornaments, soft couches and all-j)er-
yading fragrance. All this was new and htrajige to the
son of a i)astoral patriarch, accrstonvd to live v/ithin
the bare, grey walls of a spacious, but perfectly grace-
less farm dwelling ; or^ for months at a time in canvas

a^.

JOSHUA.

tents, amid flocks and shepherds, and more often in the
open air than under a roof or shelter. He felt as
though by enchantment he had been transported to soil<
higher and more desirable world, and as though he becairr
it well in his splendid garb, with his oiled and pci-
fumcd curls and freshly-bathed limbs. Life, indeed,
was everywhere fair, even out in the fields among ihe
herds, or in the cool of the evening round the fire in
fronl of the tent, where the shepherds sang songs, ai d
the hunlcrs told tales of adventure, while the stars
siione brightly overhead. But hard and haled labor
had first to bo done. Here it was a joy merely to
gaze and breathe; and when presently the curtain was
lifted and the joung widow greeted him kindly and
n;a le him sit down by her, now questioning him and
now listening sympathetically to his replies, he almost
fancied that he had lost iiis senses, as he had done
under the ruins in the cellar, and that the sweetest of
dreams was cheating him.

riu: feeling wjiich now seemed to choke him, and again
and aj'.ain hintlered his utterance, was surely the ex'^ess of
bii..s poured down upon him by great Astarte, the partner
of liaal, of wlioiu he had heard many tales from the Phoe-
niciriu traders who supj^lied the shepherd settlers with
various good things, and of whom he was forbidden by
sle.ii Miriam ever to speak at home.

His i)eople had implanted in his young soul a hatred of
the Egyptians as the opi)ressors of his race ; but could they
be so evil, eouid he abhor a nation among whom there were
snch b ings to be found as the fair and gentle lady who
looked so softly and yet so warmly into his eyes ; whose
gr.ze set liis blood in such swift motion that he could hardly
boar it, as he ])resse<l his hand to Jiis heart to still its wild
throbbing?

There she- sat oj^posite to him, on a stool covered with
a ])anther skin, and drew the wool from the distaff. Hr
had taken lier tancy, and she had welcomed him warmly
because he was kin to the man she had loved from her
childhood. She believed she could trace a likeness in him
to Joshua, although the boy still lacked the gravity of the
man to whom she had given her yoimg heart, when and
how she herself could not tell, for he had never sued for
he~ loye.

JOSHUA.

'd with
He
warmly
lotn her
in him
of the
jen an4
liied for

A lotos-flower was fastened into her well-arranged waving
black hair, and ils stem lay in a graceful curve on her bent
neck, round which hung a mass of beautiful curls. When
she raised her eyes to look into his, it was as though two
deep wells opened before him to pour streams of bliss into
his young breast, and that slender hand, which spun the
yarn, he had already touched in greeting and held in his
own.

Prescnily she inquired of him concerning Joshua and the
woman M'ho had sent him a message — N^Iuther she were
young and fair, and whether there were any tie of love
between her and his uncle. At this K])hraim laughed
aloud. For she who had sent him was so grave and stern
that the mere idea of her Ijeing capable of a tender emo-
tion roused his mirth. As to whether she were fair, he
had never given it a thought.

The young widow took this laughter as the most wel
come reply she could hear, and with a sigh of relief she laid
aside the spindle she held and desired Ephraim to come
with her into the garden.

How sweet it was with scent and bloom, how well
trimmed were the beds, the paths, the arbors and the
pool 1 The only j)leasance of his simple home was a broad
courtyard devoid of ornament, full of pens for cattle and
sheep ; yet he knew that some day he would be ruler
over great possessions, for he was the only son and heir of
a rich father, and his mother was a daughter of the
wealthy Nim. The serving-men had told him all this
many a time, and it vexed his soul to see that his own
home was little better than the quarters for the captain's
slaves, which Kasana pointed out to him.

As they rambled through the garden she bid Ephraim
help her pluck some flowers, and when the basket which
he carried for her was full, she invited him to sit with her
in an arbor, and lend a hand in twining garlands. These
were offerings to the beloved dead. Her uncle and a
favorite cousin — somewhat like Ephraim himself — had
been snatched away during the past night by the pesti-
lence, which his folks had brought upon Tanis.

And from the street which ran along the garden wall the
wailinr; of women was incessantly heard, as they mourned
over the dead or bore a corpse to its burying; and, when
suddenly it rose louder and more woeful than before, she

JUSHLrA.

gently reproached him for all that the people of Tanis had
suffered for the sake of the Hebrews, and asked him if he
could deny that her nation had good reason lo hate a
race that had brought such plagues upon it.

To this he found it difficult to answer discreetly, for he
had been told that it was the God of hi."^ i)cople who had
stricken the Egyptians, to release His own from oppres-
sion and slavery, and he dare not deny or contemn his
own tlcsh and blood. So he was siiciu. ;i,ai hii might
neither lie nor blaspheme, but she gave him no pciircnnd
at last he made answer that all which ended in soriow was
repugnant to him, i.)ut that liis people had ih) fowcr over
health and hfe, and that when a Hebrew was sick he very
commonly applied to an Egyptian leech. VVliat had now
come to ]tass was no doubt the act of the gicat (Ic d of l.is
fathers, who was of more might than all other gods. He,
at any rate, was a Hebrew, and she might believe him
when he assured her that lio was guiltless of the pestilence,
and that he would gladly call her uncle and cousin back to
life again if he had it in his power. Eor her sake he was
ready to do anything, even the hardest task.

She smiled on him sweetly and said : " Poor boy ! If I
fmd a fault v\ you, it is only iliat you belong to a race to
whom patience nrid pity ore alike unknc wn. Alas ! for
our hapless and beloved dead. They must even be de-
prived of the songs ' f lamentation (;f those who mourn for
them ; for the house where tl.cy lie is plague-stricken and
none may enter there."

She dried h-. r eyes and said i";o hiure, but wcni (,n wind-
ing her garland ; but tear after tear rolled drvn her
cheeks. He knew not what more to say, and could only
hand her flowers and leaves. Whenever her hand chanced
to touch his, the blood coursed hotly through his veins.
His head and the wound began to ache violently, and now
and then he shivered. He felt that the fever was gaining
on him, as it had once before, when he had nearly lost hi&
life in the red sickness, but he was ashamed to confess it,
and held out against it.

When the sun was getting low the captain came out into
the garden. He had already seen Joshua, and, although
he was sincerely glad to meet his trusted friend once more,
he had been ill pleased and uneasy that, before all else, he
had 'made warm inquiry for his daughter. He did not

I \

yo.si/L .4.

jad

e a

r he
had
)res-
his
light

! If I

race to

as ! for
be de-
lurn for
ccn and

nwind-
wn her
Id only
;hanccd
is vein?;-
and now
i gaining
lost his-
nfess itr

out into

although

ce more,

I else, he

I did not

conceal this from Kasana, but the glare of his eyes
revealed the dissatisfaction with which Jie greeted her from
the Hebrew. Then he turned to Ephraim, and told him
that Joshua with his host had halted outside tlie city by
reason of the plague. They were to pitch their tents with-
out its precincts, between Tanis and the sea. They must
presently go fortli to the camp, and his \incle sent him
word that he was to seek him there in his tent.

When he saw the lad helping his daughter to wind the
funeral wreaths he smiled, exclaiming : " Only this morn-
ing this young lordling longed to be free and a ruler all
his life, and now he has entered your service, Kasana.
Nay, do not blush, my young friend. And if either your
mistress or your imcle can prevail upon you to become
' .le of us, and devote yourself to the noblest toil — that uf
warrior — it will be well for you. Took at me I For more
than forty years have I wielded the bow, and to this day
I rejoice in my calhng. I have to obey, to be sure, but I
have also to command, and the thousands that do my
bidding are not sheep and beasts, but brave men. Con-
sider the matter once more. He would make a splendid
chief of the bowmen ; what do you say, Kasana?"

" Certainly," replied the lady, and she had it in her
mind to say more, but beyond the garden walk the measured
tread of approaching troops fell on the ear. The bright
blood mounted to her cheeks, her eyes glowed with a.
flame which startled Ephraim. and. heedless of her father
or her guest, she flew past the pool, across the avenues and
flower beds, and up a turf-bank near the wall, to gaze with
eager eyes out into the road and on the armed host that
presently came past.

Joshua marched at its head in full armor. He turned
hif5 grave face as he came by the captain's garden, and
when he saw Kasana he lowered his battle-axe in friendly
greeting. Ephraim had followed with the captain, who
had pointed out Joshua, and said : '■ A bright weapon like
that would well become you. too. and when the drum is
beating and pipe squeaking, while the standards ride
high overhead, a man marches as lightly as though he had
wings. To-day the manial music is silenced by reason of
the dreadful grief that the malignant Hebrew has brought
upon us. Joshua, indeed, is of his race ; yet, little as I can
overlook that fact, I must confess that he is a thorough

L-

JOSHUA,

\ I

soldier and a model for the younger generation. Only tell
him what I think of him in this respect. Now, bid fare-
well at once 10 Kasana, and follow the troops ; the little
side gate in the wall is open."

As he spoke he turned to go back into the house, and
Ephraim held out his hand to bid the young woman fare-
well. She gave him hers, but instantly withdrew it, saying :
" How hot your hands. You are in a fever ! "

" Nay, nay," murmured the boy ; but even as he spoke
he dropped on his knees, and a cloud came over the suffer-
ing lad's soul, hunted as it had been from one emotion to
another.

Kasana was startled, but ohe at once rt ;overed her pre-
sence of mind and proceeded to cool his brow and the top
of his head with water out of the adjacent pool. And as
she did so she looked anxiously in his face, and never had
his likeness to Joshua struck lier so vividly. Yes, the man
she loved must have exactly rcncm])led this youth when he
himself was a boy. Her heart beat faster, and as she sup-
ported his head in her hands she softly kissed him.

She thought he was unconscious, but the refreshing
moisture had recovered him from his brief swoon, and he
felt the touch with a sweet thrill, but kept his eyes shut,
and would have lain thus for a lifetime, with his head on
her bosom, in the hope that her lips might once more meet
his. Instead of kissing him again she called loudly for help.
At this he roused himself, gave one more passionate, fervid
look into her face, and before she could stop him, tied like
a strong man to the garden door, pushed it open and was
gone after the host. He caught up the rear, soon over-
took the others, and at last, finding himself by the captain's
side, he called to his uncle and announced himself by name.
At this Joshua, in joy and surprise, held out his arms ; but
almost before Ephraim could fall upon his neck he again
lost consciousness, and strong soldiers carried the lad int«
the tent which the quarter-master had already pitched oa
a sandhill by the lake.

:irf

yOSHUA.

tell
ire-

ttle

and

arc-
ing :

pre-
2 top

nd as
r had
i man
icn he
t sup-

.•shing
,nd he
f, shut,
ad on
le meet
r help,
fervid
ed like
--d was
over-
plain's
■ name,
s; but
again
d int«
hed oa

CHAPTER V.

It was midnight. A fire burned before Joshua's tent and
he sat alone bctiide it, gazing sadly and thoughtfully first
into the flames and then out into the distance. The lad
Ephraim was lying inside the tent on his uncle's camp
bed.

The leech who accompanied the troops had dressed the
youth's wound, and having given him a strengthening
draught bade him remain quiet, for he was alarmed at the
high fever that had fallen on him.

But Ej^hraim found not the rest the physician had ad-
vised. The image of Kasana now rose before his imagin-
ation and added fire to his already overheated blood.
Then his thoughts flew to the advice that he should become
a warrior like his uncle ; and it seemed to him reasonable,
because it promised him glory and honor, as he would
fain persuade himself, though in truth he desired to follow
it because it would bring him nearer to her whom his soul
longed for.

Then again his pride rebelled when he thought of the
insult with which she and her father had branded those to
whom he belonged by blood and sympathy. He clinched
his fist as he remembered the ruined house of his grand-
father, whom he had always considered the worthiest of
men. Nor had he forgotten his message. Miriam had
said it over to Iiim several times, and his clear memory
held it word for word ; also at intervals he had repeated
it over to himself as he wandered on the lonely way to
Tanis. Now he endeavored to do so again, but before
he could get to the end, his mind carried him back to
thoughts of Kasana. The doctor had ordered Joshua to
forbid any talking, so when the patient tried to deliver
his message he bade him be silent. Then the soldier
smoothed his pillow as gently as a mother might, giive him
his medicine, and kissed him on the brow.

At last he sat down by the fire in front of the tent, and
only rose to give the youth a drink when the stars shoircd
him that an hour had passed.

=-^-yuS»«;ia^

! I

I I '!

11 :

I I

r3<^

JOSFIUA.

The flames lighted up Joshua's somewhat dark features,
and showed them to be those of a man who had faced
many dangers, and had vanquished them by stern perse-
verance and prudent forethought. His black eyes wore
a domineering expression, and his full, tightly-closed
mouth gave evidence of a hot temper, but even more of
the iron will of a determined man. His broad-shouldered
frame leaned against a sheaf of spears set crossing each
other in the ground, and when he drew his jjowerful hand
through his thick black hair, or stroked his dark beard
while his eyes lighted up with wrath, it was plain that his
soul was seething, and that he stood on the threshold of
some great resolve.

As yet the lion rests, but when he springs up his enemies
must beware.

His soldiers had often compared their bold, strong-
willed leader, willi his mane-like hair, to the king of beasts ;
and now a^ he shook his fist, and at the same time the
muscles of his brown arm swelled as though they would
burst the gold bands that surrounded ihem, bright flames
flashed from his eyes and he was an unapi)roachable and
awesome presence.

Out there in the west, whither he turned his gaze, lay
the city of the dead and the ruined strangers' quarters. A
few hours before, he had led his troops past his father's
dismantled house and on through the deserted town, round
which the ravens were flying.

In ?^,ilence, for he was still on duty, he had passed it by,
and it v/as not until they had halted, that quarters might
be found for his troops, that he learned the events of the
past night from Hornecht, the captain of the archers.
He had listened in silence and without moving a muscle
or asking one word of further information, and meanwhile
the soldiers had i)itched their tents ; but scarcely had he
gone to rest wlicn a lame girl, in spite of the threats of the
watch, forced her way in and besought him, in the name
of Eliab, one of the oldest slaves of his house, whose
granddaughter she was, to go with her to the old man. He
had been left behind, as feebleness and ill-health prevented
his wandering, and directly aflcr the de])arture of ins
people he and his wife had been brought on an ass to the
little cottage by the harbor which had been given to the
,o)v' servant by his generous master.

yos/ir I.

ires,

aced

erse-

vvore

losed

)re of

iered

each

hand
beard
.at his
old of

■vemies

strong-
Dcasts ;
me the
' would

; flames
ble and

aze, lay
tcrs. A

father's

i, round

:d it by,
s might
s of the
archers.
Li muscle
lean while
y had he
lits of the
he name
, whose
non. He
)re vented
c of his
ss to the
en to the

The girl, too, had been left to look after the infirm
couple, and now the heart of the old slave was longing to
see once more the lirst-born of his lord, vv-hom us a child
he had carried in his arms. He had bidden the girl tell
the captain that his father had promised that he, Joshua,
would leave the Egyptians and follow liis people. The
people of Ephraim. ye;!, the wiiolc race, had heard the
news with great rejoicing. The grandfather would give
him more news, for slie herself had been nearly out <if her
mind with trouble and anxiety. He would deserve the
richest blessings if he would only go with her.

Thj warrior perceived from the first that he must lulfil
this wish, but he had postponed the visit to the old man
until the next morning. The messenger, though in haste,
managed to i::l"oini him of several things that she had seen
or heard of from others.

At last she was gone. He made up the fire, and as
long as the flames blazed brightly he looked with a dark
and thoughtful gaze toward the west. It was not till they
had consumed the fuel, whose fiame flickered feeble and
blue over the charred wood, that he fixed his eyes on the
embers and the flying si)arks, and the longer he did so the
deeper and more insurmountable did he feel the discord
in his soul, which only yesterday had been set on a single
glorious man.

For a year and a half he had been far from home fighting
against Libyan rebels, and for fully ten months he had not
heard a word from his people. A few weeks since he had
been ordered home ; his heart beat with joy and hopeful-
ness, and he, a man of thirtv, had felt a bov aurain as he
drew nearer and nearer to Tanis, the city of Rameses,
famed for its obelisks.

In a few hours he would once more behold his beloved
and worthy father, who had only after deep consideration
and discussion with his mother — now long since de])arled
in peace — allowed him to follow his own inclinations and
devote himself to military service and Pharaoh's army.
This very day he had hoped t(^ siiri^risc lum with the news
that he had been promoted above other and older captains
of Egyptian race.

TIiu neglect which Nun had feared for his son had,
through the power of his ])resence, his valor, and, as he
modestly added, his good luck, been turned to advance-

JOSHUA.

ment ; and yet he had not ceased to be a Hebrew. When
he had felt the need of acknowledging a god wit/i sacrifice
and prayer, he had worshiped Set, into whose sanctuary
his own father had led him as a child, and whom, at that
time, all the Semitic race in Goshen had worshijjed. For
him, however, there was another god, and this was not the
Ood of hih fathers, but the god who was confessed by all
those Egyptir.ns who had received initiation, though he
remained hidden from the common people, who were not
able to comprehend him. It was not only the adepts that
knew him, but also most of those who were placed in the
service of the state and in the army — whether they were
ministers of the divinity or not. Every one, however,
knew what was meant when they spoke simply of " The
God," the '-Sum of All," the " Creator of Himself," or of
the '' Great Oiie." Hymns praised him, ej)itai)hs which
every one could read spoke of him, the only god, who
revealed himself in the world, who was co-cxisleni and
co-equal with the universe, immanent in all creation, not
merely as life exists in the body of man, but as being hin>
self the sum total of created things, the miverse itself in
its perennial growth, decay and resurrection, himself
obeying ihe laws he had laid down. His essence, dwelling
in every part of himself, dwelt likewise in man ; and. look
where he might, a mortal could perceive the presence and
action of the One. Without him nothing could be con-
ceived of, and thus he was one — like the God of his fathers.
Without him nothing could come into being nor any event
happen on earth. Thus, like the God of Israel, he was
almighty. Joshua had long been wont to think of these
gods as essentially the same, and differing only in name.
He who worshiped the one he deemed was the servant of
the other ; and so the captain of the host could, with a
clear conscience, have stood before his parent and have
told him that he had been as faithful to the God of his
people as he had been, as a warrior, in the service of the
king.

And there was something else which had made his heart
beat faster and more gladly as he saw from afar the pylons
and obelisks of Tanis, for in his endless marches across
the silent desert and in many a lonely camp-tent the image
had haunted his vision of a maiden of his own people,
whom, he had first known as a strange child stirred by

yos/iUA.

ifice
uaiy

that

For

)t the
)y all
gh he
i not
s that
in the
were
vever,
" The
' or of
which
, who
ii and
)n, not
g him^
self in
limself
.veiling
. look
ce and
e con-
athers.
event
he was
these
name,
ant of
with a
d have
of his
of the

lis heart
pylons
across
le image
Ipeople,
Irred by

wondrous thoughts, and whom he had seen agam as a
woman grown, unai)pr()achable in her dignity and severe
beauty, not long before he liad last led his liost to the
Libyan war. SJie had come from Succolh to Tanis to his
mother's burial ; her image had been deeply stamped on
his heart, and his— lie dared to hojie — on hers. She had
non- become a prophetess, liearing the voice of ( lod. While
other daughters of Israel were strictly secluded, siie had
asserted her freedom, even among men and in si)ile of jier
hatred for the I"-gyptians, and for his j.lace among them,
she had not concealed from Joshua tiiat to part from Iiim
was grief, and that she would never cease to think of him,
His wife, when be should wed, must be as strong antl grave
as himself, and Miriam was both, and cast an .ihcr and
brighter image, of which he once had loved to dream,
quite into the shade.

He was fond of children, and a sweeter child than
Kasana he had never seen, eitlier in Kgypt or in distant
lands. The symi)alhy with which this fair daughter of his
comrade-in-arms had watched his acliievements and his
fortunes, and the modest, tender affection whicli the much-
courted youngs widow had since shown him, had brought
him n.ach joy in times of peace. Before her marriage he
had thought of her as growing up to be his wife ; but her
union with another and her father's repeated declarations
that he would never give his daughter to wife to a foreigner,
had wounded his pride and cooled his ardor. Then he
had met Miriam, and she had inspired him with a fervent
desire to call her his own. And yet, though as he marched
homeward the thought of seeing Kasana once more had
been pleasing to him, he was well content that lie no longer
wished to marry her, for it must have led to much vexation.
The Egyptians and Hebrews alike deemed it an abomina-
tion to eat at each other's table, or to use the same seats
or knives, and though as a fellow soldier he was accepted
as one of themselves, and had often heard the young
widow's father speak kindly of his people, still " the
strangers " were hateful in the sight of Hornecht and his
household.

In Miriam he had found the noblest helpmate. Would
that Kasana might make another happy. Henceforth she
could be no more to him than a delightful child, from whom
we look for nothing but the pleasure of her sweet presence.

JOSHUA.

I: I I

: I

He had learned to ask nothing of her beyond a glad smile,
always at his service. Of Miriam he demanded herself,
in all her lofty beauty, for he had long enough endured
the loneliness of a camp life, and now that no mother's
arms were open to the home-comer, he felt the imptiness
of his single state. He longed once more to feel glad in
times of peace, when he laid down his arms after perils
and privations of every kind. It was his duty to take a
wife home to dwell under his fiither's roof, and to provide
that the noble race of which he was the only male
descendant should not die out. Ephraim Vv^as only his
sister's son.

His heart uplifted with such glad thoughts as these, he
had come back to Tanis, and had almost reached the goal
of his holies and wislr s, when be*liokl ! there lay before
him, as it were, a field of corn destroyed by hail and swai ms
of locusts.

And, as though in mockery, fate brougliL him first to what
had been the home of his fathers. Where the house had
once stood in which he had grown up, and fur which his
heart had longed, there lay a dust-heap of ruins. Where
those near and dear to him had proudly watched him depart,
beggars were searching for booty in the rubbish.

Kasana's lather was the first to hold out a hand to him
in Tanis, and instead f^f a glance of kindly welcome he had
from him nothing but a tale of woe that had cut him to ihe
heart. He had dreamed of fetching home a wife, and the
house in which she should have been mistress was level with
the earth. The father whose blessing he craved, and who
was to have rejoiced over his jjromolion, was by this time
far away, and tlie foe henceforth of the sovereign to whom
he himself owed his elevation.

It had been a proud thought that, in sj^ite of his birth,
he had risen to power and dignity, and that now, as the
leader of a great army, he might indeed show of what great
deeds he was capable. There was no lack of schemes in
his fertile brain, plans which, if they nad been ratified by
the authorities, might have led to good issues ; and now
he was in a position to carry them out at his own pleasure,
and he himself the motive i^ower instead of the tool. All
this had roused a delightlul exultation in his breast, and
had lent wings to his feet on the homeward march ; and
no'w, when he had reached the longed-for goal, was to turn

josirvA.

mile,

r?o\f,
ill red
ihor's
tiness
lad in
perils
lake a
rovide
■ male
nly bis

ese, he

he goal

before

sNvaims

to what

)use had

rhich his

Where

11 depart,

to him
he had
ini to ihe
, and the
i^;velwith
and who
this time
to whom

his birth,

ow, as the

what great

chemes in

ratified by

and now

n pleasure,

"tool. All
»reast, and
arch ; and
as to turn

back, to become the comrade of shcplierds and masons ?
By birth, indeed, he belonged to them (and how hard a
fortune (Hd that ai this moment seem), though there was
no denying tiiat they were now as aUen to him as the
Libyans against whom he had taken the field. On almost
every p(;int for which he cared he had nothing whatever in
common with them. To his father's question as to whether
he had returned still a IlL'brew, he had believed he might
truly answer, yes ; but now he felt that it would be against
liis will, a less than half-hearted adhesion.

Mis soul clung to the standards under which he had
marchi d to battle, and which he now might himself lead to
victory. Was it jjossiblc to tear himself from them, and
forfeit all he had won bv his own merit? But had he not
heard from the grandchild (jf his old slave, I'Llial), that his
people cxjiccted him to quit the army and follow them?
\. incsscnf^cr must ere louLr arriw from his father — and
among the Ilcbrev.'S a son might not resist a jKircnt's com-
ma n^l.

\'el ihere was another to whom he owed strict obedience
— riiaraoh, to wiioni he had s^\■orn that he would serve him
faithfully and follow his cail without hesitation or reflection
through fire and water, by night or day. How many a
time hid he stigmatized a soldier who should go over to
the foe or rebel against the orders of his chief as a wretch
devoid of honor, and many a one who had deserted from
his standard had perished shamefully on the gallows under
his own eye. And should he now commit the crime for
which ho had scorned others or done them to death. Ho
was known for his swil't decisiveness throughout the arm\',
for even in the greatest straits he could arrive at the rigiit
detornunationand reduce it to action ; but in this dark and
lonely hour he seemed to himself as a bending reed, as
helj^iess as a deserted orphan.

A gnawing rage against himself possessed him wholly,
and when he i)rescntly thrust his spearhead into the fire, so
that the glowing brands fell in and the sparks danced
brigl:tly up into the night, it was fury at his own vacillating
mi: ^ ':hat spurred his hand.

If ij events of the i)ast night had called him to the
manly task of revenge, all hesitation and doubt would have
vanished, and his father's call would have determined him to
act ; but who had here been the victims of ill-usage? Be-

II!

3«

JOSHUA,

I ! I

'I ;

yond doubt the Kgyplians, who had hccn bereft by Moses'
curse of thousands of j)re(ious Hves, while his peojjlc had
escaped their veiigeauce by llighl. To find the home of
his fathers dcslrcjyed by the J'^gypliaus had, indeed, roused
his wrath; but he saw no just eausc for a bloody revenge
wiu-n he relU-ctrd on the unutterable woe whi( h had come
\\\i()\\ riiaraoh ;'.nd his subjects through ihe Hebrews.

No. ][e luid no revenge lo lake; he could only look
Upon himself as one who sees his father ;ind mother in
danger of their lives, and knows that he cannot save both,
but if he risks his own life to rescue one the other n\ust
certainly ]K'rish. Jf he obeyed tlie call of his i)eople lionor
was lost — that honor which he had kept as bright as the
brass of his liclmet — and with it all he most hoped for
in life; if he remained faithful to Tharaoh he was betray-
ing his own blood, liis father's curse would darken ihe liglU.
of all his days, and he must renounce all his fairest dreams
for the future ; for IMiriam was a true daughter of lier race,
and woe to him if her lofty soul could hate as bitterly as it
could fervently love.

Her image rose before his mind's eye, tall and beautiful,
but with a dark look and warning mien, as he sat gazing
across the dying I'lre out into the night; and his manly
pride surged up, aiul it seemed to him a mean thing to
throw away everything tliat is dear to the warrior's heart
for fear of a woman's wr-ith and blame.

" No, no," he murmured to himself, and the scale which
held duty, and love, and filial obedience, and the ties of
blood, suddenly kicked the beam. He was what he was
— the captain often thousand in the king's army. He had
sworn allegiance to him and to none other. His ijeojjle !
Let them run away if ♦hey chose from the Egyptians' yoke !
He, Joshua, scorned llight. Bondage had lain heavy on
him ; but as for him, the mightiest in the land had treated
him as their equal and held him worthy of honor. To
repay their goodwill with treason and desertion went
against him, and with a deep sigh lie started to his feet,
feeling as though he had chosen righ*'- A woman and a
weak desire for love to fill his heart should never lead him
to be false to grave duty and the highest aims of his exist-
ence.

/' I remain," cried a loud voice in his breast. " My
father is wise and kind, and when he hears my reasons he

yosi/ci.

y look

her in
; \H)lh,
r must
; honor
L as ihc
pcd i"of

\)cu-ay-

,hc liglU

drcan^s

^or race,

crly i^^ i^

jcautil'id,

It ga/ing

is manly

thing 10

or's heart

:ale ^vhich
l^,e ties of
at \vi ^vas
He had
is ijeo\)le I
ans' yoke 1
heavy on
ad treated
lonor. '1 o
rtion went
his feet,
jman and a
er lead him
f his exist-

ast. " My
reasons he

will approve them, and instead of cursing he will bless me.
1 will write to him, and the boy that Miriam sent to me
3liall be my messenger.''

Aci ■ from the tent made him start ; looking at the stars
he found he had neglected his duty toward the sick youth,
and went (piickly to his bedside.

Kphraim was silling uj) expecting him, and cried to him :
" I have been wanting you a long time. .So much has
passed through my mind, and, above all, the message from
Miriam. Till I have delivered it I shall not find any rest,
so hear me now."'

Joshua nodded to him, and after the youth had taken the
healing draught that he handed him, be began :

"Miriam, the daughter of Amram and Jocliebed, sends
greeting to ihe son of Xiin, of the tribe of Mphraim. Joshua,
or the Helper, is thy name, and the Lord thy (lod hath
chosen thee to be the helper of his people. And hence-
forth thou shall be called Joshua,* the Holpen of Jehovah.
For the Clod of her fathers, who is the (lod of thy fiithers
also, hath sjjoken by Miriam, His handmaid, commanding
ihee to be the shield and sword of thy people. In Him is
all power, and His promise is to strengthen thine arm that
He may smite the enemy."

The lad began in a low tone, but his voice gradually grew
stronger, and the last words rang out loud and solemn in
the silence of the night.

Thus had Miriam si)okcn to him, and had laid her hands
on liis head and looked earnestly into his eyes with her
own, which were as black as the night, and as Kphraim
repeated them he had felt as though some secret power
compelled him to cry them aloud to Joshua, as he had heard
them from the mouth of the j^rophetess. 'i'hen he breathed
a sigh of relief, turned his face to the white canvas wall of
the tent, and said quictlv :

"Now I will sleep."

But Joshua laid his hand on iiis shoulder and said in
commanding tones : ".Say it again."

The lad did h.is bidding, but this time he repeated the
words uiiheedingly and in a low tone to himself. Then he
said imploringly : " Leave me to rest," put his hand under
his cheek and shut his eyes.

• More Correctly Jehoshua.

yosnuA.

!l i

i'liii

Joshua let him have his own way. He gently laid a fresh
wet bandage over his burning head, put out the Hght and
cast more logs on the dying fire outside ; but the keen,
resolute man did it all as in a dream. At last he sat down,
resting his elbows on his knees and his head on his hand,
with his eyes fixed on vacancy or gazing at the flames.

AVho was this God who called him through Miriam to be,
by His aid, the sword and shield of liis jieople.

He was to bear a new name, and to the Egyptians the
name was the man. " Honor to the name of Pharaoh ! "
not " to Pharaoh," was written in every inscription and
document ; and if henceforth he was to l)e called Joshua,
this involved a command to cast the old man off and to
become a new man. This, which Miriam had declared lo
him as the will of the God of his fathers, was nothing less
than a bidding to cease to be an Egyptian, as his life had
made him, and become a Hebrew again, as he had been as
a boy.

How could he learn to act and fj'^l as a Hebrew ?

And Miriam's message required him to go back to his
own tribe. The God of his nation, through her, bid him
to do ".vhat his father expected of him. Instead of the
Egyptian host, which he must make haste to forget, hence-
forth he should lead the sons of Israel when they went
forth to battle ; this was the meaning of her words ; and
when thathipjli-souled maiden and prophetess declared that
it was God Himself who spoke by her mouth, it was no
vain boast \ she was certainly obeying the voice of the
Most High. And now the image of the Woman whom he
had dared to love appeared to him as unapproachably-
sublime ; many things which he had heard in his childhood
of the God of Abraham and His promises, recurred to his
mind ; and the scale which till now had been the heavier
gradually rose. What had but just now seemed firmly
settled was no longer sure, and once more he stood face to
face with the fearful abyss which he fancied he had over-
leaped.

How loud and mighty was the call he had heard ! The
sound in his ears disturbed his clearness and peace of
mind. Instead of calmly weighing the matter as he had
done before, memories of his boyhood, which he had fancied
long since buried, lifted up their voices, and disconnected
flashes of thought confused his brain.

JOSHUA.

L fresh
It and

keen,
down,

hand,
es.

to be,

ms the
raoh ! "
3n and
l^osliua,
and to
ared to
ing less
life had
been as

c to his
bid him
I of the
t, hence-
ley went
is ; and
ired that
: was no
of the
,vhom he
oachabljr

hildhood
ed to his
heavier
sd firmly
)d face to
lad over-

H ! The
peace of
IS he had
id fancied
:onnected

Sometimes he felt prompted to turn \\\ prayer to the God
who called him, but as often as he made i!ic attempt he
remembered the oath he must break, ai.d tlic vast host he
must leave behind him to become the leader, no more of
a well-trained, brave, obedient troop of brothers in arms,
but of a miserable horde of cowardly serfs, and wild,
obstinate shej)herds accustomed to the rule of oi)pression.

It was three hours past midnight. The men on guard
had been relieved, and he began to think of giving himself
a few hours' rest. He would think the matter out again
by daylight with his wonted rational decisiveness, which
no\v he felt he could not attain to. But as he entered the
tent, and Ephraim's steady breathing fell on his ear, in
fancy he heard again the lad's solemn delivery of his mes-
sage. It startled him, and he was about to re])eat the
words to himself when he heard a tumult among the out-
posts, and a vehement dispute broke the stillness of the
night.

The interruinion was welcome. He hurried out to
where the guards were ])osted.

CHAriKR VI.

HoGLAH, the granddaughter of the old slave Eliab, had
come to entreat Joshua to go with her forthwith to see her
grandfather, whose strength had suddenly failed liim, and
whO; feeling death near at hand, could not die without
Feeing him and blessing him once moie. So tiie captain
bade her wait, and after assuring himself that Ephraim
slept peacefully, he charged a man he could trust :o keep
watch over the lad, and went with Hoglah.

As she led the way she carried a small lantern, and when
the light fell on the girl's face and figure, he saw how ill-
favored she was, for slave's toil had bent the ])oor child's
back before its time. Her voice had the rough tones
which a woman's tongue often acquires when her stiength
is too unsparingly taxed ; but all she said was loving and
kind. Joshua forgot her aj>j)earancc as she told him that
she had a lover among the men who had gone forth, but
that she had remained behind with her grand])arcnts, for
she could not bring herself to leave the old folks alone ;

yosrnr,i.

that as she was not fair to look upon, no man had coveted
her as his wife till Asser had conic, and he did not look to
apjiearanccs, because lie was hardworking, as she herself
was, and had expected that she would lielp to save his
earnings. 1 le would have been willing to stay behind with
her, but iiis father had <:oniniandcd him to set out with
him ; so he had no choice, but must obey and part from
lier forever.

The tale was simply told, and in a harsh accent, but it
struck to the heart of the man who, for his part, meant to
go his own way in opposition to his father.

As they presently came in sight of the harbor, and
Joshua looked d(^wn on the quays and the huge fortified
storehouses, built by the hands of his own people, he
thought once more of the gangs of ragged laborers whom
he had so often seen cringing before the Egyptian overseer,
or, again, fighting madly among themselves. He had
marked, too, that they did not hesitate to lie and cheat in
order to escape their toil, and how hard it was to compel
them to obey and do their duty !

The more odious objects among these hapless hundreds
rose clearly l.)efore his mind ; and the thought that perhaps
his fate in the future might be to lead such a wretched
crcv.' came over him as a disgrace which the humblest of
his subalterns, the captain of fifty, would fain be spared.
There were, of course, among the mercenaries of Pharaoh's
armies many Hebrews who had won a reputation for
courage and endurance, but diey were all the sons of
owners of herds, or of men who had been shepherds. The
toiling multitudes whose clay hovels could be overturned
with a kick formed the greater mass of those to whom he
was bidden to return.

Firmly resolved to remain faithful to the oath which
bound him to the standard of the Egyptian host, and yet
stirred to the dejUhs of his soul, he entered the slave's hut,
and his vcxaiii.Mi was increased when he found the old
man sitting up and mixing some wine and water with his
own hand. So he had been brought away frcm his
nephew's Inxlside en a false pretense, and deprived of his
own night's rest that a slave, who, in his eyes, was scarcely
a man at all, should have his way. Here he himself was
the victim of a trick of that cunning selfishness which, in the
Egyptians' eyes, was the reproach of his people, and which.

yosi/CA.

) voted
00k to
lieiselt
Lve his
,d with
it with
rt from

, but it
eaiit to

or, and
fortified
)plc, he
rs whom
overseer,
He had
cheat in
D compel

hundreds
X perhaps
wretched
niblcst of
spared.
Pharaoh's
,at;on for
sons of
Ids. The
erturned
whom he

Lth which

\, and yet
/c's hut,
the old
.r with his
frcm his
red of his
IS j-cavcely
ImseU" was
[ich, in the
md which,

indeed, did not attract hinr to them. Hut the wrath of the
clear-sighted a;"id upright man was soon a])i)eascd as he
saw the girl's unfeigned dehi^ht at her grandfather's rapid
recovery ; and he then learned from the aged wife that
Hoglah had hardly set out on her {|ucst when they remem-
bered that they liad some wnie in the house, and after the
first draught her husband got belter and belter, though she
had before thought he had one foot already in tlic grave.
Now he was mixing some more of the ])lessed gift to
strengthen himself with a draught of it every now and
then.

Here the old man himself broke in, and said that lie
owed this and iiuich thai was better to the goodness of
Nun, Joshua's lather ; for besides this hut and wine and
meal for bread, he had given him a milch cow and likewise
an ass, on wliich he could ride out and take the air, and he
had left him iiis granddaughter and some silver, so that he
could look forward with contentment to their end, all the
more so as they had a i)atch of land behind the house,
which Hoglah would sow with radishes, onions and leeks
for their i)olUigc. i'ut best of all was the written deed
which made them and the girl free forever. Aye, Nun was
a true lord and father to his people ; and his good gifts
had brought with them the blessing of the j\Iost High, for
immediately afier llie dei)arturc of tiie Hebrews, by the
help of Asser, Hoglah's betrothed, he and his wife had
been conveyed hither without any demur or diflRculty.

" We old folks."' the old woman added, "will die heic
But Asser has promised Hogiah to come back for her when
she has done her duty to her parents to the very last."
And turning to the girl she said in an encouraging tone :
. I " And it cannot be for much longer ^.ow."

At this iloglali bog.m to wipe her eyes with the skirt of
-^her blue gown, aiul cried: " Long, long may it be I [
&-.*am young. 1 can wait."

Joshua heard these worus, and it seemed to him as
though the poor, ill-favored, deserted girl was giving him
a lesson.

He had let the old folks talk on, but his time v>ms
precious, and he now asked whether it was for any special
cause that Eliab had sent for him.

"I could not help sending," was the answer, "and not
only to case the longing of \\\y old heart, but because my
lord N'.m had bidden me to do so.

JOSHUA.

\\ 11

" drcat and noble is thy manhood, and now art thou
become tlie hope of Israel ! Thy father, too, hath jjromised
the men and women of his house that after his death thou
shalt be their lord and their head. His s])eec]i was full of
tliy glory, and great was the rejoicing wheii he declared
that thou wouldst follow the de])arling tribes. And 1 am
he whom my lord vouchsafed to command that, if thou
shoiddsl return before his messenger could leach thee, I
was to say that Nun. thy father, awaited his son. By
sunrise, or at latest b\' midday, tliy jieople sludl stay to
rest by .Succolh Me would hide a writing in the hollow
sycamore before liie house of Aniinachd .which should tell
thee whither next tliey take their way. }Iis blessing and
the blessing of oiii- (loil be with thee in the M'ay ! "

As the old man pronounced the last words Joshua bent
his head, as thougli an invisible hand were in\iting him to
kneel. Then he thanked the old man, and asked in a
subdued voice whether ;'!1 had bce;i willing to obey the call
to quit house and home.

The old woman clasped her hands exclaiming: "No,
no, my l(»rd ; by no means. \\ hat a wailing and weeping
there was l)ef(U-c they dei)arted ! Many lebelled, others
escaped or sought some hole or corner in which to hide.
Hut in vain. In the house of our neighbor, Deuel — you
know him — his young wife had been lately brought to bed
with a bt-y, her fnst-])or!i. How could the poor creature
set forth to wander? At fust she we])t bitterly, and her
husband blasphemed ; but there was no help for it. She
and her infant were laid in a cart, and as things went for-
ward they got over it, he and she both, like all the rest;
even Phincas, who cre])t into a pigeon-house with his wife
and five children, and even old crippled Graveyard Keziah
— you remember her, Adonai — she had seen her father and
mother die, her husband, and then five well-grown sons ;
everything the Lord had given her to love, and had laid
them one after another in our graveyard ; and every
morning and evening she would go to the resting i)lace,
and as she sat there on a log of wood which she had
rolled close to the tombstone her lips would always be
moving ; but what she muttered was not prayer ; no — I
have listened to her many a time when she did not heed
me — no ; she talked with the dead as if they could hear her
in the tomb, and could understand her speech like those

yosin'A.

ut thou
romised
ath thou
IS full of
declared
aul 1 am
, if thou
h ihee, I
son. By
11 slay to
lie hollow
;hould tell
;ssing and

)shua bent
ing him to
Lskcd in a
Dcy the call

,g: "No,
nd weeping
lied, others
ch to hide,
^euel— you
light to bed
)or creature
rly, and her
for it. She
gs went for-
all the rest ;
vith his wife
yard Keziah
r father and
^rown sons ;
nd had laid
and every
.sting place,
|ich she had
always be
layer; no— I
iid not heed
mid hear her
h like those

who live in <hc h'ght of the sun. She is nigh upon three-
score ycais old, and for three limes seven years she has
been known to tlie folk about as Graveyard Ivc/.iah. It
was a senseless way she had, but for that very reason
prrhaps it was doubly liard to her to give it up; and she
would not go, but liid away behind the slinibs. When
Abiczer, the head of the house, dragged lier forth, her
wailing was enough to make your heart aclie. Dut wiien
it came to the last she plucked uj) coiirage and could not
bear to stay behind any more than tlie rest."

"What had come over the i)0()r wretches? What
possessed them ? " Joshua here broke in, interrupting the
old womaii's flow of words ; for liis fancy again i)ictured
the people tluit he ouglit to, nay, that he must, lead, as
surely as he held his jatlior's blessing of price above al/
else; and he saw them in all tlieir misery. The old
woman started, and, fearing lest she might have angered
the first-born son of her master, this proud and lordly
Warrior, she stammered out :

" What possessed them, my lord ? Aye, well — 1 am but
a ])oor, simple slave-woman ; but indeed, my lord, if you
had but seen them also "

"Well, what then?" cried the soldier roughly and
iminitiently : for now, for ihe first time in his life, he found
himself compelled to act against his inclinations and con-
victions.

f At this the old man tried to come to his wife's rescue,
Saying timidly :

" Nay, my lord, tongue cannot tell of it nor the under-
standing conceive of it. It came ujjon Israel from the
Lord, and even if I could describe how mightily He

Worked in the souls of the people "

: ''Try," said Joshua, " but my time is short. Then they
"(irere forced to dei)art? It was against their will that they
took up their staff? That they have followed Moses and
Aaron for some time past, as sheep follow the shepherd, is
known even to the Egyptians. And have those men, who
brought down the pestilence on so many innocent beings,
Worked a miracle to blind the eyes of you and your wife
Here?"

The olJ man lifted supplicating hands to the warrior,
<Mid replied, much troubled, in a tone of humble entreaty :
*0h, my lord, you are the first-born son of my master, the

I li

JOSHUA.

greatest and noblest of his house, and if you will you can
tread me in the dust like a beetle ; and yet will I lift up my
voice and say to you they have told you falsely. You have
been among strangers all this year, while mighty signs have
been wrought ui)on us. You were far from Zoan* as I
have heard when the people went forth. For any son of
our race who had beheld this thing would sooner that his
tongue should wither in his mouth than laugh to srorn the
mighty things which the Lord has vouchsafed to us to
behold. If you had i)aticnce, indeed, and could grant me
to tell the story "

" Sj)cak," cried Joshua, amazed at the old man's fervor ;
and h!lial:> thanked liim with a glowing look, and cried :

"Ah ! would that Aaron, or Eleazar, or my lord Nun,
your father, were here; or that the Most High would
grant me the gift of their speech ! But as it is, well.
And, indeed, meseems as though I saw and heard it all,
as tliough it were all happening again ; and yet how may I
tell it? But by God's help I will try."

He paused, and as Joshua saw that the old man's lips
and hands trembled, he himself reached him the cup, and
the old man thankfully emptied it to the bottom. Then
he began with half-closed eyes, and his wrinkled features
grew more keenly eager as he proceeded with his tale :

" What befell after that it became known what command
had come to the people my wife has already told you ;
and we, too, were among those who lost heart and mur-
mured. ]3ut last night we all who were of the house of
Nun were bidden to the feast — even the shei)herds and
the slaves and the poor — and tliere we ate of roast lamb
and fresh unleavened bread, and had plenty of wine, more
than usual at the harvest festival which begins on that
night, and which you yourself have often witnessed as a
boy. There we sat and enjoyed ourselves, and my lord,
your fatlicr, spoke words of encouragement and told us of
the Clod of our fathers and of the great things He had
done for his i)cople. Now, said he, it was the Lord's will
that we should set forth and depart out of this land, where
we have borne contempt and bondage. This was no such
sacrifice as that for which Abraham had sliarpened his
knife to shed the blood of his son Isaac withal, at the bid-

• The I lebrew name for Tanis.

JOSHUA.

[ you can
lift up my
You have
signs have
oan* as I
any son of
er that his
) sroin the
d to us to
i grant me

,n's fervor ;
id cried :
^ lord Nun,
licrh would
it is, well,
icard it all,
i how may 1

1 man's lips
he cup, and
.torn. Then
vied features
his tale :
lat command
y told you ;
art and mur-
the house of
e\)herds and
,f roast lamh
,f wine, more
gins on that
itnessed as a
j-id my lord,
,nd told us of
ings He had
he Lord's will
lis laml, where
s was no such
,harpcned his
.al, at the bid-

ding of the Most High, although it would fall hardly on
us to leave a lujinc grown dear to us, and many an old
custom. Nay, it would at last bring much happiness on
us all. I'or, cried he, we we-rc not to wander forth into
the unknown, but toward a lordly land which God himself
had set before us. He had i)romised us a new home
instead of this land of bondage, where we should dwell as
free men on fruitful meadowr., and fuie rich pastures where
a man and his household miglil be fed and their hearts
made glad. Just as a man nuisi work hard to earn his
wage, so were we to endure a brief space of privation and
sorrow to earn that beautiful new homo for ourselves and
our children, as the Lord had promised. A land of God
it must surely be, since it was the gift of the Most High.

" 'i'hus he spoke, and thus he blessed us all; and pro-
mised that you, too, would shake the dust from off your
feet and join yourself to the i)eople, and fight for them with
a strong arm. as an experienced warrior and an obedient
son.

" Hereupon we all shouted for joy, and when we were
all gathered in the markct-])lace and found that all the
bondsmen had been able to escape from the overseers our
courage rose. Then came Aaron into our midst and stood
upon the salesman's bcnch^ and all that my lord Nun had
spoken at the feast w^i now heard from his lips, and the
words he spoke sounded now like rolling thunder and now
like the sweet tones of the lute : and we all knew that it
Was the Lord our God who spoke by him, for he touched
the hearts even of the rebellious, so that they murmured
and complained no more. And when at last he proclaimed
to the multitude that no erring man, but the Lord God
Himself, would be our Captain ; when he described the
beauty of the promised land, whose gates he would open
before us. and where we should dwell as free and happy
men, released from all bondage, owing no obedience to any
but to the God of our fathers and those whom we may
choose for our leaders, it was as though every man there
was drunk with new wine, and as if the way that lay be-
fore them, instead of a barren track across the desert into
the unknown, led to a great feast spread for them by
the Most High Himself. Nay, and even those who had
not heard Aaron's words were likewise filled with marvel-
ous confidence, and men and women were all more cheer-

' ^ 'I

JOSHUA,

ful and noisy than their wont at the harvest feast, for all
hearts overflowed with pure thankfulness. It even seized
the old folks. Old Elishama, the father of Nun, who is a;i
hundred years old, and, as you know, has long sat bent and
silent in his seat, rose up with a light in his eyes and spoke
f;ery words. The spirit of the Lord had come upon him
as u])on us all.

*' I felt myself quite young again in body and soul ; and
as I passed by the carts which were made ready for their
departing I saw Elisheba with her babe in a litter, and she
looked as happy as on the day of her marriage, and pressed
her infant to her heart and blessed his lot in growing up in
the i^romised land and free. And her husband, Deuel, who
had blasphemed the loudest, swung his staff and kissed his
wife and child with tears of joy in his eyes, and shouted
for joy like a vintager at the pressing, when jars and wine
skins are too small to hold the blessing. The old woman,
too, Grave^ ard Keziali, who had torn herself away fioni
the tombs of her race, sat with other feeble folk in a char-
iot, and waved her veil and joined in the hymn of praise
which l^lkanah and Abiasaph, the sons of Korah, had
begun. And thus they set forth. We who were left
behind fell into each otlier's arms, and knew not whether
the tears we shed flowed from our eyes for grief or for
overjoy at seeing the multitude of those we loved so ghu:
and full of hope. Thus it came to y)ass.

" Such torches were carried in front of the multitude.
seeming to light it up more brightly tlum the great blaze o;
lamps which the Egyptians light t:]) at the gates of tlu
temple to Ncith ; and it was not till they were swallowed v.i
in the darkness tliat we set forth, so as not to keep Asser tfi<
lo.ig behind the rest. As we made our way tlirough tlie
night, the streets were full of the mourning cry of theciti
zens, but we sang softly the hymn of the sons of Korah
and great joy and ])eace fell upon us, for we knew that tlii
Lord our God would kee[) and lead His peojile."

Here the old man ceased, but his wife and the girl, whc
had hearkened to him with eager eyes, drew closer to e;ic!
other, and without any word between them they boil
together began the hymn of praise, and the old woman'-
thin voice mingled with pathetic fervor with the hai.'^i
tones of the girl, ennobled as they were with lofty enthU'
siasm.

si
el

JOSHUA.

sast, for all
even seized
n, who is avi
sat bent and
;s and spoke
z npon him

id soul ; and
ady for then-
ittcr, and she
:, and pressed
^rowing up ''^
d, Deuel, who
md kissed his
, and shouted
'jars and wine
ic old woman.
,clf away fioni
folk in a chai-
lymn of praise
,f Rorah, had
who were leti
•w not whether
for grief or for
loved so glac

the multitude'.
c great blaze o:
c gates of dK
vf; swallowed v-l
. keep Asser toe
ay through tlu-
r cry of theciti
sons of Korah
c knew that tbA
.ople."

Ind the girl, wbc
w closer to eaci
Ihem they boil
be old womai-
with the haisi-
ith lofty enthU'

Joshua felt thai it would be wicked to break in on this
overflow of full hearts, but the old man presently bade
them cease and looked up at his master's first-born son
with anxious inquiry in his grave features.

Mad Joshua understood?

Had he made it plain to this warrior wlio served IMia-
raoh how that the Lord God Himself had ruled the souls
of His people at their departing ?

Was he so fallen away from his own nation and their
God, so led away by the i'^gyptians, that lie W(nild dare
to defy the wishes and commands of his own f'lther ?

Was he, in whom they had set the highest hopes, a
deserter and lost to his own people ?

7'o these ([uestions he miglU have no answer in words;
but when Joshua took his lioiiiy old hand between his
own, and shook it as that of a friend when he bade him
farewell, his eyes glistening with moisture, and murmured,
*' You shall hear of me ! " he felt that this was enougli, and
overcome by vehement joy he kissed the soldier's arm and
clothing again and again.

CHAPTER Vn.

Joshua returned to his tent witii a bowed head. The
•discord in his soul was resolved. He knew now what
burthen he must take up. His father called him and he
must obey.

And the God of his people I As he listened to the
old man's tale all he had heard of that God ir his
■childhood now reawakened in his soul, and he knew now
that He was another than Set, the god of the Asiatics
in lower Egypt; another than the "One," the "Sum
of All," of the adepts. The prayer he had been wont
lo say on going to rest, the story of the Creation which he
had never been weary of hearing, because it so plainly
showed how everything which existed in heaven and on
€arth had gradually come into being till man came to take
possession of it and to enjoy it all ; the history of father
Abraham, of Isaac and Jacob, Esau and his own forefather
Joseph — how gladly had he hearkened to all this as it was
told him by the gentle mother who had borne him, by his

' i ■

JOSHUA,

nurse, and his grandfather Elishama ; and yet he seemed
long since to have forgotten it. But under his old slave's
humble roof he could have repeated the tale word for word,
and he now knew of a surety that there was indeed one God,
invisible, almighty, who had chosen Israel to be 11 is own
people^ and had promised to make them a great nation.
That which the I'lgyptian priesthood kept secret as the
greatest mystery was the common ])osscssion of his people ;
every beggar, every slave, might lift his hands in prayer
to the one invisible Ood who had revealed Himself to
Abraham and promised him great things. Over-wise
heads among the Egyptians, who had divined His exist-
tence, had overlaid His essence with the monstrous births
of their own imaginings and their own thoughts, and had
shrouded Him in a thick veil, and hidden Him from the
multitude. It was only among His chosen peoi)k' thai He
lived and shewed forth His jjower in its mighty and awful
greatness.

This God was not nature, though the initiated in the
temples confounded them ; no, the God of his fathers was
enthroned on high, above all created things and the visible
universe, above man, His last and most ])eifect work,
created in His own image ; and all creatures were subject
to His will. He, the King of Kings, ruled all that had life
with just severity ; and although He hid himself from the
sight of man who was His image, and was beyond man's
apprehension, yet was He a living, thinking, and active
Being even as men were, save that His term of life was
eternity, His mind was omniscience. His realm was
infinity.

And this God had instituted Himself^the leader of His
people. There was no captain who could dare to defy
His power. If Miriam wjre not deceived by tlie Spirit of
prophecy, and if He had indeed called Joshua to be His
sword, how could he resist, or what higher place could he
fill on earth ?

And His people ; the rabble crowd of whom he had
thought with scorn, how transfigured they seemed by the
power of the Most High now that he had heard old Eliab's
tale ! Now he only longed to lead them ; and on his way
back to the camp he stayed his steps on a sandy knoll, from
whence he could see the limitk s waters gleaming under
the lamps of heaven, and for the first time for many

yosiirA

seemed

d slave's
"or word,
;)nc Clod,

His own
It nation,
-t as the
s people .;
ill prayer
imself to
L)ver-\vise
His exist-
ous births
^, and had
1 from the
le that He

and awful

ited in the
"athers was
the visible
ifcct work,
tcre subject
at had life
from the
ond man's
and active
of life was
realm was

ader of His
la re to defy
lie Spirit of
a to be His
:c could he

om he had
■mod by the
i old Eliab's
on his way
knoll, irom
ing under
for many

long years uplifted his arms and eyes to the God whom he
had found again.

He began with a simple prayer which his mother had
taught him; but then he cried to the Lord as to a mighty
counselor, and besought Him with fervent entreaty to show
him the way in which he should walk without being
disobedient to his father, or breaking the oath he had
sworn to the king, or becoming a traitor in the eyes of
those to whom he owed so much.

" Thy people glorify Thee as the God of truth, punish-
ing those who break their oath 1 " he cried. " How canst
Thou bid me to be faithless and to be false to the pledge
I' have given? All I am or can do is Thine, O Lord, and
lam ready to give my blood and my life for my brethren.
But rather than cast me into dishonor and i)crjury let me
die, and give the task Thou hast chosen me, Thy servant,
to do, to a free man bound by no oath ! "

Thus he prayed, and he felt as though he clasped in his
arms a friend whom he had accounted as lost. Then he
walked on in silence through the diminishing darkness, and,
as the grey dawn stole up, the high tide of passion ebbed
in his soul, and the clear-headed warrior could think
calmly.

He had vowed to do nothing against the will of his
father or his God ; but he was no less resolved never to
be a traitor and oath-breaker. What he liad to do he now
saw plainly and clearly. He must quit Pharaoh's service,
and declare before the face of his superiors that, as a duti-
ful son, he must obey the commandments of his father, and
go forth to share his fortunes and the fortunes of his
people.

But he did not conceal from himself that his demand
might be refused ; that he might be kept back by force ;
and perhaps, if he persisted unmoved in his resolve, be
threatened with death, or, if it came to the worst, be hand-
ed over to the executioner. But even if this should be his
doom, if his deed cost him his life, he would have done
what was right, and his comrades in arms, whose esteem
was dear to him, would still think of him as their worthy-
mate ; his father and Miriam would not be wroth with him ;
nay, but would mourn for the faithful son, the true man
who preferred death to treason.

Calm and elevated in spirit, he gave the watchword to
the sentry with proud composure, and went into his tent.

23i

70Sl/{ -A .

iillilii

Ephraiin siill lay sleeping and smiling as though wrapped
in sweet dreams. Joshua lay down on a mat near him
to seek strength for the hard day before him. His eyes
soon closed, and after sleeping an hour he awoke of his
own accord and called for his handsomest raiment, his hel-
met and gilt armor which he was wont to wear only 'at
high festivals or in the king's presence.

Meanwhile Ephraim, too, awoke, gazed at his uncle from
head to foot with delighted curiosity as he stood before
him in stalwart manliness and shining warlike splendor,
and cried as he started up :

** It must be a fine thing to be dressed like that and feel
oneself the leader of thousands."

The elder man shrugged his shoulders and replied :

** Obey the Lord thy God, and give no man, whether
great or small, the right to regard you with anything but
respect, and then you may carry your head as high as the
proudest hero in his purple robe and gilt breast-plate."

'* But you have done great things among the Egyptians,"
the lad went on. "They hold you in high esteem — even
Hornecht the great captain, and his daughter Kasnna."

** Do they?" said the warrior with a smile ; a'" ie bid
his nephew to lie down and keep quiet ; for I row,

though less burning than it had been the night before, was
still very hot.

" Do not go out of doors," Joshua added, " till the leech
has been to see you, and await my return."

" And will you be long away ? " asked the boy.

At this Joshua paused in thought, looked kindly in his
face and then gravely replied :

" The man who serves a master never knows how long
he may be detained." Then, changing his tone, he added
less emphatically : *' To-day, this morning, I may perhaps
get through my business quickly and iCturn in a few
hours. If it should not be so, if I should not be with you
by this evening, or early to-morrow morning, then," and he
laid his hand on the boy's shoulder, ** then make your way
home as fast as you can. If when you reach Succoth the
people have gone on before you, look in the hollow syca-
more before the house of Aminadab and you will find a
letter which will tell you whither they have gone ; and
when you come up with them greet my father and my
grandfather Elishama, and likewise Miriam, and tell them

■;'*

JOSH r A.

car him
lis eyes
^e of his
, his hel-
only at

[icle from
)d before
splendor,

it and feel

)Ued :

^1^ whether

,y thing but
high as the
I -pi ale."
Kgvi)tians,"
icVm— even
Kasnna." _

a'- le bid
r 1 row,

before, was

Itill the leech

)oy. . , .
Lindly m his

.„'s how long
|ne, he added
may perhaps
Irn in a few
t be with you
then," and he
lake your way
Succoth the
hollow syca-
pu will find a
[e gone ; and
ither and my
d tell them

and all the people that Joshua will ever be mindful of the
commands of (Jod and of his father. Henceforth he will be
called Joshua by all men — Joshua and not Hosea. Tell
this to Miriam first of all. Finall) , say to them that if I
,stay behind, if I am not allowed to follow them as I fain
would do, it is that the Most High hath dealt otherwise
with me, and hath broken the sword which He had chosen
before He had used it. Do you understand me, boy? "

And Kphraim bowed his head and said : *' You mean
that death alone can keep you from obeying the call of
God and your father's commands ? "

" That was my meaning," replied his uncle. " And if
they ask you why I have not stolen away from Pharaoh
and escaped from his jjowcr, answer that Joshua would
fain enter on his office as a true man unstained by i)crjury,
or, if it be God's will, to die true. Now rehearse the mes-
sage."

Ephraim obeyed, and his uncle's word > must have sunk
deep into his soul, for he neither forgo' nor altered a single
word ; but he had no sooner ended his task of repetition
than he seized Joshua's hand with vehement urgency, and
implored him to tell him whether he had indeed any fear
for his life.

At this the warrior clasped him in a loving embrace, and
assured him that he hoped that he had given him this mes-
sage only to be forgotten.

" Perhaps," he added, " they may try to keep me by
force ; but by God's help I shall soon be back v;ith you
again, and we will ride forth together to Succoth."

He turned and went out without heeding his nephew's
questions, for he heard the sound of wheels without, and
two chariots with five horses came rapidly up to the tent
£ad stopped in front of the entrance.

CHAPTER Vni.

Joshua was well acquainted with the men who stepped out
of the chariots ; they were the head chamberlain and one
of the king's chief scribes, and they had come to bid him
to the High Gate, as the palace of the Pharaohs was called.
No hesitancy or escape was possible, and he got into the

JOSHUA.

second chariot with che scribe, surprised indeed but not
untiisy. Both officials wore mourning robes, and instead
of a white ostrich phime, the insignia of office, a black
plume fixed on the brow. The horses, too, and the runners
were decked with badges of the deepest woe ; and yet the
king's messenger seemed to be cheerful rather than
dejected, for the noble bird which they were charged to
bring int'^ Pharaoh's i)resence had come out at their call ;
and they had feared to find the nest deserted.

The long-limbed bays of royal breed carried the light
vehicles with the swiftness of the wind across the uneven
eandy way and the smooth high road beyond, towards the
palace.

Ephraim with youthful inquisitivencss had gone out of
the tent to see the unwonted scene that met his eyes. The
soldiers were well pleased that Pharaoh should have sent
hio own chariots to fetcli their captain, and he even felt
his vanity flattered when he saw his uncle drive away.
But he had not long the pleasure of watching liim, for
thick clouds of dusi soon hid the chariots from view.

The hot desert wind iiad risen which so often blows in
the Nile-valley during the spring months, and whereas all
night and in the morning the sky had been clearly blue, it
was now not clouded but veiled, as it were, with white
haze.

The sun locked down, a motionless globe, like a blind
eye above the heads of meii, and the fierce heat it shed
seemed to have burnt up its beams which to-day were
invisible. The eye protected by the mist could look up
at it unhurt, and yet its scorching power was as great as
ever. The light breeze which commonly fanned the brow
in the early part of the day touched it now like the hot
breath of a raging beast of prey. It was loaded with the
fine scorching sand of the desert, and the pleasure of
breathing was turned to torture. The usually fragrant air
of a March-day in Egypt was now an oppression both to
man and beast, choking their lungs and seer^ing indeed to
weigh on the whole frame and check its joy m life.

The higher the pale and rayless orb rose in the sky, the
denser grew the mist, the heavier and swifter rolled the
sand clouds from the desert.

Ephraim still stood in front of the tent gazing at the
spot where Pharaoh's chariots had vanished in the dust.

JOSHUA.

but not
[ instead
a black
; runners
d yet the
ner than
barged to
heir call ;

I \he ligl^t
he uneven
)Nvards the

rone out of
'eyes. The
i have sent
e even felt
Irivc away,
ig hun, fo'^
\ view,
ten blows in
whereas all
early blue, it
, with white

Uke a blind

heat it shed

to-day were

,uld look up

as great as
,ed the brow
like the hot
4ed with the
» pleasure of
[y fragrant air
Ission both to

ing indeed to

in life.

n the sky, the
[ter rolled the

, gazing at the
U in the uusl.

His knees sliook, but he attributed this to the wind sent
by Set-Typhon, at whose blowing even the strongest was
aware of a weight about his feet.

Joshua was gone, but he might return in a few hours,
and then lie would be corai)elled to follow him to Succoth.
There the fair dreams and hopes which yesterday had
brought liim, and whose bewitching charms his fever had
enhanced, would be lost to him for ever.

In the course of the night he had quite made up his
mind to enter Pliaraoh's army, to the end that he might
remain near Tanis and Kasana; but although he had not
more than half understood Joshua's message, he could
clearly infer thai lie meant to turn his back on Egypt and
his high office, and that he counted on taking him,
Ephraim, with him, unless meanwhile he could make good
his escape. So then he must give \\\> his desire to see
Kasana once more. But this thought was more than he
could endure, and a voice within whispered to him that he
had neither father nor mother, and was free to act as he
choose. His guardian, the brother of his deceased father,
in whose house he had been brought up, had died not long
since of an illness, and no new guardian had been
appointed to him, as he was now past childhood. He
was destined l)y-and-l)ye to become one of the chiefs of his
proud tribe, and until yesterday he had never wished for
anything better.

VVhen, yesterday, he had rejected the priest's challenge
to become a warrior under Pharaoli, with the pride of a
shepherd-prince, he had followed the impulse of his heart ;
but now he said lo himself that he had been foolish and
childish to reject a thing of which he knew nothing, which
had always and intentionally been represented to him in a
Idlse and hideous light in order to attach him more closely
to his own people. The Egyptians, he had always been
told, were his enemies and oppressors ; and how delight-
ful, on the contrary, had everything seemed in the first
house of an Egyptian warrior which he had happened to
enter.

And Kasana ! What would she think of him if he
quitted Tanis without a word of greeting or leave-taking?
Would it not be a perpetual vexation and regret to him
that he must dwell in her memory as a clumsy peasant
shepherd? Indeed, it would be actually dishonest not to

—

JOSHUA,

restore the costly garments which she had lent him. Gra-
titude was accounted among the Hebrews, too, as the
holiest duty of a noble heart. He would be a hateful
wrelch all his life long if he did not go to see her once
more.

Only he must make haste, for when Joshua should
return he must find him ready to set out.

He began forthwith to strap the sandals on his feet, but
he did it but slowly, and he could not understand what it
was that made everything so difficult to him to-day.

He crossed the camp unimpeded, the pylons and obel-
isks in front of the temples showed him the way, though
they seemed to quiver in the heated, sand-filled air, and he
presently came out on the broad road which led to the
town market-place. A panting Egyptian, whose ass was
carrying wine-skins to the cam]), directed liim on his way.

The path was deep in dust, and dust wrapped him as he
went ; the sun overhead i)oured a flood of fire down on his
bare head, and his wound again began to ache ; the sand
filled his eyes and .nouth and stung his face and bare limbs.
He was overpowered by thirst, and more than once lie was
forced to stop for his feet felt strangely heavy. At last he
reached a well, dug for wayfarers by a pious Egyptian, :ind
although it was graced with the image of a god, and Miriam
had taught him that it was an abomination to turn fir)m the
way to such images, he drank nevertheless, drank at-ain and
again, and thought he had n^-'ver enjoyed such a refreshing
draught.

He got over his fear of loL.ing his senses, as he had done
yesterday, and though his feet still dragged he walked on
briskly to the tempting goal. But presently his strength
again failed him, the sweat streamed from his brow, there
was a throbbing and hammering in the cut on his head, and
he felt as if his skull was being crushed in an iron fillet.
Now his usually keen sight was failing, for the things he
tried to see seemed to float in dancing dust, the horizon
rocked before his eyes ; and suddenly he felt as though the
hard i)avementhad turned to a bog beneath his feet. Still,
all this troubled him little, for his fancy had never glowed
so brightly within him. The things he thought of rose
before him with marvelous vividness. Image after image
stood before the wide-oi)ene(l eyes of his soul, and not at
his bidding, but as if raised by a will outside himself. Now

Gra-
IS the
lateful
r once

should

let, but
what it

id obel-
thoujh
•, and he
i to the
ass was
his way.
lim as he
vn on his
the sand
lie limbs,
ce he was
At last he
ptian. and
^d Miriam
1 f om the
attain and
reVreshing

had done

walked on
strength

row, there
head, and
iron fillet,
things he
le horizon
though the
feet. Still,

Ivcr glowed
ht of rose
fter image
and not at

Bnself. Now

JOSHUA.

he beheld himself lying at Kasana's feet, his head fondly
laid on her laj) while he gazed up into her lovely face — then
it was Joshua who stood before him in splendid armor, as
he had just now seen him, only more gorgeous, and in
ruddy fire-light instead of the dim light in the tent. Then
again all the finest oxen and rams of his herds passed in
front of him ; and mingling with all these, sentences of the
message he had learned passed tliough liis mind, nay, he
fancied that they were being shouted in his ears ; but before
he could be quite sure of their meaning some new and
dazzling vision, or a loud, rushing sound filled his mmd's
eye and ear.

And on he went tottering like one drunk, with the sweat
standing on his brow and a ])arc]ied mouth. Now and
then he mechanically lifted his hand to wi})e the dust from
his burning eyes, but he cared little that ihey failed to shew
him clearly what was passing around him. for nothing could
be more delightful than what he beheld when he looked
within. Every now and then, to be sure, he was conscious
of acute suffering, and he felt inclined to fling himself on
the ground in sheer exhaustion, but then again a strange
sense of relief kept him up. At last the delirium was
too much for him ; his head seemed growing and swelling
till it was as large as the head of the colossus he had seen
yesterday in front of a temple ; then it rose to the heiglit
of the palm-trees by the road side, and at last it reached
the mist over the firmament, and higher and higher yet.
Then this head, which was still his head, was as wide as
the horizon, and he pressed his hand^ to his temples and
held his brow, for his neck and shoulders were too weak
to bear the burthen of so huge a head, till, possessed with
this madness, he shrieked aloud, his knees gave way, and
he sank senseless in the dust.

CHAPTER IX.

At this same hour a chamberlain was leading Joshua into
the hall of audience.

Though subjects bidden to attend the king commonly
had hours to wait, the Hebrew's patience was put to no
severe test. At this time of deep mourning the spacious

'^1

I')

'i<ii

JOSHUA.

Ilili

I U

rooms of the palace, in which a gay and noisy throng were
wont to move, were as still as the grave ; for not the slaves
and sentries only, but many persons of superior rank in
immediate attendance on the royal pair, had lied from the
pestilence and escaped without leave.

Here and there a solitary priest or official leaned against
a pillar or cowered on the ground, hiding his face in his
hands, while awaiting some command. Soldiers went
about trailing their arms and in silent brooding. Now and
then a few young priests in mourning robes stole through
the deserted rooms, and speechlessly swung the silver cen-
sers, which shed a pungent perfume of resin and junipers.

It was as though a terrible incubus weighed on the
palace and its inhabitants; for, added to the loss of the
king's beloved son, which came home to many hearts, the
fear of death and the desert-wind had crushed the energies
of mind and body alike.

I fere, under the shadow of the throne, where of yore all
eyes had glittered with hope, ambition, gratitude or fear,
devotion or hatred, Joshua saw to-day only bowed heads
and downcast looks.

Haie, alone, the second prophet of Anion, seemed un-
touched by sorrow, or the terrors of the night, or the
enervating influences of the day ; he greeted the captain
in the anie-chamber as frankly and cheerfully as ever, and
assured him, though in an undertone, that no one dreamed
of calling him to account for the sins of his people. But
when the Hebrew, of his own free will, acknowledged that
at the moment when he was sent for by the king he was
in the act of going to the superior captains of the army
to beseech them to release him from his service, the priest
interruj)ted him to remind him of the debt of gratitude
which he. Bale, owed to him. And he declared that, for
his part, he would do his utmost to keep him with the
army, and to prove to him that an Egyptian knew how to
honor faithful service without respect of persons or consi-
derations of birth, nay, even against Pharaoh's will ; and
of this he would presently speak with him in secret.

But the Hebrew had no time to reiterate his purpose,
for the head chamberlain interrupted them to lead Joshua
into the presence of the " kind god." *

An euphemistic title of the Pharaohs.

JOSHUA,

ig were
t slaves
rank in
rom ihe

i against
ce in his
rs went
Now and
; through
ilver cen-
junipeis.

1 on the
3SS of the
icarts, the

2 energies

of yore all
le or fear,
wed heads

eemed un-
ht, or the
:he captain
s ever, and
lie dreamed
ioplc. But
ledged that
ing he was
3f the army
e, the priest
of gratitude
■ed that, for
am with the
cnew how to
■ns or consi-
s will ; and
ecret.

his purpose,
lead Joshua

Pharaoh awaited him in the smaller reception hall,
adjoining liic royal apartments. It wa:; a noble room, and
looked more sjiacious to-day than when, as usual, it was
filled with a crowd. Only a few courtiers and i)riests, with
some of the ([uccn's ladies, formed a small group, all in
deep mourning, round the throne ; opposite the king,
squatting in a circle on the ground, were the king's coun-
cillors and scribes, wearing each his o-^trich plume.

All wore badges of mourning, and the monotonous
chant of the wailing women, broken now and then by a
loud, shrill, tremulous outcry, came pealing out from the
inner rooms and found its way to the great hall, a token
that death had claimed a victim even in the palace.

'i'he king and cpiecn sat on a couch under a canopy of
black ; the throne itself was of ivory and gold. Instead
of their splendid state attire they were clad in dark robes,
and the royal wife and mother, who bewailed her first-born,
leaned motionless and with downcast head against her
husband's shoulder.

Pharaol), too, kept his eyes fixed on the ground, as if
lost in a dream. The sceptre had fallen from his hand
and lay in his laj).

The queen had been torn from the corpse of her son,
which was now given over to the embalmers, and it was
not till she entered the audience hall that she had been
able to control her tears. But she had not thought of
resistance, for the unrelenting ceremonial of cour^ life
made the queen's i)rescnce indispensable at any audience
of high importance. And to-day of all days she certainly
would fain have cscajicd, Init that Pharaoh had command-
ed her to appear. She knew what counsel was to be
taken, and api)roved of it beforehand ; for she was wholly
possessed by her dread of the power of Mesu the Hebrew,
called by his own people Moses, and of his God, who had
brought such terrors on Egypt. Alas ! for she had other
children to lose, and she had known Mesu from his child-
hood, and knew in what high esteem the learning of this
stranger had been held by the great Rameses, her hus-
band's father and predecessor, who had brought him up
with his own sons.

Oh, if it were but possible to make terms with this man !
But Mesu had departed with his people; and she knew
his iron will, and that the terrible foe was armed not alone

I'lf

JOSHUA.

against Pharaoh's threats but even against her passionate
supplications.

Now she would meet Joshua ; and he, the son of Nun,
and the most noble of the Hebrews of Tanis, could succeed,
if any man could, in carrying out such measures as she and
her husband might think best for all parties, in concert
with Ruie, the venerable high priest and chief prophet of
Anion, the pontiff of all priesthood of Egypt, who com-
bined in his own person the dignities of chief judge, treas-
urer and viceroy of the realm, and who had come with Uie
coui c from Thebes to Tanis.

When she had been sent for to the audience chamber she
was winding a garland for the beloved dead, and lotos
flowers, larkspurs, mallow and willow leaves were handed
to her as she required them. They lay before her nov/ on
a table and in her lap, but she felt paralyzed, and her
hand, as she put it forth, refused its service.

Ruie, the chief prophet of Amon, sat on his heels on a
mat to the left of the king ; lie was a very old man, long
past his ninetieth year. A pair of shrewd eyes, shaded by
a pent-house of thick white eyebrows, looked out of his
brown face, which was as gnarled and wrinkled as a bark
of a rugged oak, like bright flowers from withered foliage,
and their brilliancy was startling in such a shrunken, hud-
dled, stooping figure.

This old man had long since left all active conduct of
affairs to the second prophet. Bale, but he clung stoutly ta
his dignities, to his place at Pharaoh's side, and his seat in
the council; and rarely as he spoke, his opinion more
often carried the day than that of the eloquent, fiery and
much younger second prophet.

Since the pestilence had invaded the palace the old man
had not quitted Pharaoh's side, yet he felt more alive than
usual to-day, for the desert wind, which made others lan-
guish, revived him. He was wont to shiver continu:illy
in spite of the panther skin which covered his back and
shoulders, and the heat of the day warmed his sluggish old
blood.

The Hebrew Mesu had been his pupil, and never had
he bad the guidance of a grander nature or the teaching
of a youth more richly graced with all the gifts of the
spirit. He had initiated the Hebrew into all the highest
mysteries, and had expected the greatest results for Egypt.

JOSHUA,

59'

ion ate

f Nun,
icceed,
he and
;oncert
phet of
o com-
;, treas-
ivith the

fiber she
id lotos

handed

nov/ on
and lier

eels on a
lan, long
haded by
lut of his
xs a bark
■d folia ge»
ken, hud-

Dnduct of
stoutly ta
his seat in
lion more
fiery and

ie old man

alive than

)thers lan-

:ontinuAlly

back and

uggish old

never had

le teaching

ifts of the

the highest

s for Egypt.

and tlie priesthood ; and when Mesu had one day slain an
o\erseer who was unmercifully flogging one of liis fellow
Hebrews, and had lied into the desert. Rule had bewailed
the rash deed as deeply as if his own son had committed
it and was to suffer the consequences. His intercession
had procured Mesu's pardon, but when Mcsu had returned
to Egyi)t, s.i\(\. that change had been wrought in him which
his friends in the temple called his aj^ostasy, he liad caused
his old master a keener grief than by his flight. If Ruie
had been younger he would have hated the man who had
cheated his dearest hopes ; but the old priest, to whom
the human Ivjart was as an open book, and whose sober
impartiality enabled him to put himself in the place of h'b
fellow-man, confessed to himself that it was his own fault
that he had failed to foresee this falling away. Education
and dogma had made of Mesu, the Hebrew, an Egyptian
priest after his own heart and jjleasing to the divinity, but
when once he had raised his hand to defend one of his own
race against those to whom he had been allied only by
human agencies, he was lost to the Iv.^yi^tians. He was
henceforth a true son of his people ; and v/hithersoever this
high-minded and strong-willed man might lead, others
" must inevitably follow.

Aye, and the high priest knew full well what it was that
the apostate hoped to give to his people ; he had confessed
to Ruie himself that it was the faith in One God. Mesu
had denied that he was guilty of perjury, and had pledged
himself never to betray the mysteries to liis people, but
only to lead them back to the God whom their forefathers
had served before Joseph and his kindred had ever come
into Egypt. The One God of the initiated was, no doubt,
in many respects like the God of the Hebrews, and that
was precisely what had reassured the ancient sage ; for he
knew by experience that the common folk would not be
Content with a god, one and invisible, such as many of the
Jnore advanced of his own disciples found it difficult to
conceive of. The men and women of the masses required
sensible images of everything of which they perceived the
effects in and about them, and tin's need tlic religion of the
Egyptians gratified. V.'hat comfort c:;iild a love-lorn maid
find in an invisible and creative Power governing the
course of the universe ? She would be drawn to the gentle
Hathor, who held in her beneficent grasp the cords which

;'4

JOSHUA.

bind heart to heart, the fair and powerful goddess of pro-
creation before whom she could pour forth in full confi-
dence all that weighed on her soul. Or a mother who
longed to snatch a darling child from death — how could
her small sorrows concern the incomprehensible and
almighty Being who ruled the whole world ? ]kit Isis, the
gracious mother, who herself had wci)t in such deep
anguish, she could understand her grief! And how often
in Egypt it was the wife who inlluenced her husband's
attitude to the gods !

And tlic high priest had frequently seen Hebrew men
and women worshipping devoutly in the sanctuaries of
Egypt. Even if JNIcsu should succeed in persuiiding them
to acknowledge One God, he, the experienced old man,
foresaw with certainty that they would ere long turn away
from the invisible Spirit who must ever remain remote and
unreal to their apprehension, and Hock back in hundreds
to the gods they could understand.

Now, Egypt was tiireatcncd with the loss of the husband-
men and brickmakers she so greatly needed. Still Ruie
believed he could lure them back.

*' When kind words will do the work let sword and bow
lie idle," he had said to his deputy, Baic, who had urged
that the fugitives should be pursued and slain. '' We have
more corpses than enough already ; what we lack are
workers. Let us try to keep our hold on what we are so
likely to lose."

And this milder counsel had been quite after the heart
of Pharaoh, who had had enough of lamentation, and who
would have thought it less rash to go unarmed into a lion's
cage than to defy the terrible Hebrew any further.

So he had turned a deaf ear to the incitements of the
second prophet, whose decisive and energetic nature had
an influence all the more powerful as his own was irre-
solute, and had approved old Rule's proposal that Joshua,
the man of war, should be sent to his people, to treat with
them in Pharaoh's name — a plan which had calmed his
fears and inspired him with new hopes.

Baie himself had at last agreed to thi? suggestion. It
gave him a further chance of undermining the throne he
hoped to overthrow ; and if once the Hebrews were re-
established in the land. Prince Siptah, in whose eyes no
punishment was 100 severe for the Hebrews, who hated

JOSHUA.

;s of pro-
full confi-
)ther who
10 w could
sible and
Lit Isis, the
juch deep

how often

husband's

cbrew men
ictuaries of
luding them
;d old man,
T turn away
demote and
in hundreds

he husband-
. Still Ruie

ord and bow
o had urged
" We have
^vc lack are
uat we are so

ftcr the heart
ion, and who
d into a Uon's
irther.

■ments of the
ic nature had
own was irre-
that Joshua,
to treat with
.d calmed his

figgestion. It
the throne he
>rews were re-
whose eyes no
ws, who hated

him, might very probably seize the sceptre of the cowardly
Menephtali. J^ut first the fugitives must be stopped, and
for this Joshua was the ri[;ht man. No one, lUiie thought,
was better fitted to win the confidence of an unsuspicious
soldier than Pharaoh Jiimsclf and his royal wife.

The old high i)ricst was on thi^ \)()\\\X. of the same
opinion, although he had nothing to do with the conspiracy ;
and thus the sovereigns had determined to interrupt the
lamentations for the dead and tliemselves speak with the
Hcbrev/.

Joshua fell on his face before their feet, and when he
rose the king's weary face was bent on him, sadly indeed,
but graciously.

The father who had lost his first-born son liad, according
to custom, sacrificed his hair and beard to the razor.
Tliey had formerly framed Iiis face in glossy black, but near
twenty years of anxious rule had turned them grey, and
his figure had lost its upright bearing and had a languid,
senile stoop, though he was scarcely past fifty. His regular
features were still handsome, and there was something
pathetic \\\ their melancholy softness, evidently incapable
of any severe tension, especially when a smile lent be-
witching charm to his mouth. The indolent deliberate-
ness of his movements scarcely detracted from the natural
dignity of his person, though his voice, which was agree-
able, generally had an exhausted and plaintive sound. He
was not born to rule j thirteen brothers, older than he,
had died before the heirship to the throne had devolved
upon him, and he, meanwhile, as the handsomest youth in
all the land, the darling of the women and a light-hearted
favorite of fortune, had lived a life of unbroken enjoyment
till he had almost arrived at manhood. Then he had
succeeded his father, Rameses the Great ; and hardly had
he grasped the sceptre when the Libyans, with strong
allies, had rebelled against his rule. The veteran troops
and their captains, schooled in his lather's wars, helped
him to conquer. But in the twenty years which had now
elapsed since his father's death his armies had rarely had
any rest, for rebellions had constantly to be quelled, now
in the East and now in the West ; and instead of dwelling
in Thebes, where he had spent many happy years, and
living in the most gorgeous of palaces, as he would fain
have done, enjoying the blessings of peace and the society

i.i 1

II !

yos//r\i.

of the illustrious students and poets who wore at that time
to l)c found there, lie was forced sometimes to lead his
armies into the field, and sometimes to reside at 7"anis.
Thus only could he settle the difiiculties that disturbed the
border province, and in this he yielded v/illinjdy to the coun-
sels of Ruic. Jn the later yc-arsof his father's reign the
national sanctuary at Thebes, and, consi'quenlly, its hi{j,li
priest, had attaiut-d greater wealth and i)0wer than the
royal fauiily, and it suited Menephtah's indolent nature to
be an instrument rather than a master, so long as ho
abdicated none of the external honors due to Pharaoh.
These he guarded with a resolute care which he ,vas inca-
pable of exerting when more serious matters demanded it.

Thegracious condescension with which the king received
him gratified Joshua, and at the same time roused his
suspicions. However, he had the courage to declare
freely that he desired to be released from his ofFice aiul
from the oath he hatl taken to his sovereign lord.

Pharaoh listened unmoved, and it was not till the soldier
had confessed that his father's conmiands h;id moved l.iin
to take this ste^) that Pharaoh signed to the high prie; t,
who then spoke in scarcely audible toneii :

'* A son who sacrifices greatness tliat he may contimio
dutiful to his father must be one of the most faithful of
Pharaoh's servants. Go then, do the bidding of Nun. Tie
child of the sun, the lord of Upper and Lower ]''gyp.t, .sc Is
you free. But on one condition, which J, as the minister
of his master, declare to you." ;

'* And what is that? " inquired Joshua.

And again the king signed to the old priest ; then l;c
sank back on the throne, while Ruic fixed his piercing eyes
on Joshua and went on :

** That wliich the Lord of both worlds requires of you bj
my mouth is easy to fulfill. You must return, tc be hi;
servant and one of us again, as soon as your i)eoplc arc
their chief, who brought such woe on this land, shall hav;
taken the hand of the divine son of the Sun which he voud
safes to hold forth to them in pardon, and shall have coir:
back under the shadow of his throne. He, of his divir.
mercy, is ready to attach them to him and to his land aga:
with rich gifts, as soon as they come home from the destr
whither they are gone forth to sacrifice to their f;fi
Mark me well ! All the oppressions which weighed on t^

'^^,.

yos//L/A.

that lime
,0 lead Ui^
. at 'ranis,
turbid the
o the couu-

s r- i^i^ ^^^^
,ly, lis hiuU
jr diau the
■it luvlvirc to
long as hi-
10 I'havaoh.
I^c vas inca-
K-niandcd it.
.iin; received
L3 roused bi:i
> 1(1 declare
\\^ office aiul

ord. ^.

tin the BoUiioi
icl moved l.ii^^
ic high pi-1^"-^

may contirAio

.lost faithfid 0!

of Nun. '11^

■cr K!;yi't»;'^''

,s the minister

.riest ; then \a
[is piercing cye>

uiircs of you J)
Icturn, to be hii
lour people rJ.C
land, shall ha^
which he voud
shall have coir;.
le, of his divir.
to his land aga
from the desei
.e to their g^;
Ih weighed on I.

people to whom you belong shall be lifted from them. Tlie
divine King will make a new law granting them much free-
dom and many privileges, and all that we promise them
shall be written down and witnessed on our |)arl and on
yours, as a new covenant binding on our cJiildrcM and our
children's children. Now when this sluill iiave been done,
with an honest purjjose to abide by it forever on our part,
and when your |)eople shall have agreed to accept it, will
you tin 11 consent to be one of us once more ? "

*' Take ujion yourself the ollice of mediator," the queen
here broke in, in a low voice, and her sad eyes were fixed
beseechingly on the Hebrew's face. " I quail before Mesu's
wrath, and all that may be done shall be df)ne to win back
his former friendshij). Sj)eak to him in my name, ..nd re-
mind him of the days wlien J, Isis Nefcrt, would learn of
him the names of the plants 1 carried to him, and he taught
me and my sister their uses or their poisonous powers when
he came to see the queen, his second mother, in the
women's (juarlers. The wounds he lias inflicted on our
hearts shall be forgiven and forgotten. Be our ambassador,
JosJiua; do not refuse our prayer ! "

" Such words from such gracious lips are a command,"
replied the warrior, " and arc sweet to the heart. 1 will be
mediator."

At this the old high priest nodded approval, and said :
** Then I hope that the fruit of this short hour may be a
long period of peace. But mark me. Where medicine
may avail we avoid the knife and cautery ; where there is
a bridge over the river a man does not rashly try to swim
through the whirlpool."

" Yes, verily, we will avoid the whirlpool," said the king,
and the queen repeated his words ; then she again fixed
Jier eyes on the flowers in her lap.

Then a formal council was held.

Three private scribes sat down on the ground, close to
the high priest, to enable them to hear his low tones, and
the interpreters and counselors, in their places, took out
their wridng things, and, holding the papyrus in their left
liands, wrote with reeds or brushes, for nothing might
lemain unrecorded which was discussed and decided in
iPharaoh's presence. Hardly a whisper was to be heard in
the hall while this went on ; the guards and courtiers
remained motionless in their places, and the royal couple

JOSHUA.

sat rigid and speechless, gazing into vacancy, as if in a
dream.

Neither Pharaoh nor his wife could possibly have caught
a word of the murmured colloquy of the speakers, hut the
Egyptians never ended a sentence without glancing up at
the king, as if to make sure of his approval. Joshua, who
was accuslouied to the scene, followed their exami)Ief
speaking like the others in a sul)dued voice, and when
l)reiently the voice of the second prophet, or of the chiet
interpreter, sounded rather louder, Pharaoh raised his head
and repeated the high priest's last saying : " Where there
is a bridge over the river a man does not try to swim the
wliirlpool," for this exactly expressed his wishes and the
queen's. No fighting. Peace with the Hebrews, and res-
pite from the wrath of their terrible leader and of his god,
without losing the thousand diligent hands of the fugitive
tribes.

Thus matters proceeded, and when the muttering of the
speakers and the scratching of the pens had gone on for
fully an hour, the queen was still sitting in the same atti-
tude j but Pharaoh began to stir and raise his voice, for
he knew that the second prophet hated the man whose
blessing he had received and whose hostility filled him with
such dread, and he feared but he should be requiring some
impossible conditions of the envoy.

Still, all he said was again a repetition of the counsel as
to the bridge ; but his inquiring glance at the chief inter-
preter moved that official to assure him that all was
proceeding favorably. Joshua had merely demanded thai
the overseers, who kept guard over the men at work, should
not, for the future, be watchmen of IJbyan race, but He-
brews themselves, to be chosen by the elders of their people
under the sanction of the Egyptian government.

At this Pharaoh cast his look of anxious entreaty at Baie
and the other councillors. The second prophet only
shrugged his shoulders regretfully, and, feigning to defer
his own opinion to the divine wisdom of Pharaoh, conceded
this point to Joshua. The god enthroned on earth acknow-
ledged this submission with a grateful bow, for Bale's will
had often crossed his ; and then, when the herald or
rehearser had read aloud all the clauses of the treaty,
Joshua was required to take a solemn oath that he would
,in any case come back to Tanis and report how his people
had received the king's advances.

yosiJCA.

,s if in 3,

,re caught
i, but the
:ing up at
shua,wh<f

and when
f the chiet
jd his head
,'hete there
o swim the
,cs and the
kvs, and res-

of his god,

the fugitive

•ering of the
gone on fol-
ic same atti-
lis voice, for
> man whose
iled him with
iquiring some

le counsel as
e chief inter-
that all was
emanded thai
work, should
race, but He-
Df their people

ent. .

treaty at Baie
prophet only
rning to defer
aoh, conceded
earth acknow
for Baie's will
the herald or
of the treaty,
. that he would
how his people

But the cautious warrior, who was vvcU aware of all the
snares and traps with whicli tlie State was only too ready,
took this oath most unwilli'.igly, and only when lie had
obtained a written ])ledge that, whatever the issue, his free-
dom should be in no way interfered with as soon as he
could give them his word that he had done his part to in-
duce the leader of his people to .iccept these terms.

At last rharaoh held out his h.\nd for the captain to kiss,
and when he had also pressed to his lips the hem of the
queen's robe, Ruie signed to the monarch, who understood
that the moment was come when he should withdraw.
And he did so with goodwill and a sense of encouragement,
for he believed that he had acted for the best for his own
welfare and that of his people.

A bright radiance lighted up his handsome, languid
features, and when the queen rose and saw him smile, con-
tent, she did the same. At the door the king drew a
breath of relief, and turning to his wife he said : " If Joshua
does his errand well we shall get across the bridge."

'* And not swim the whirlpool," replied the queen in the
same tone.

" And if the Hebrew captain can pacify Mesu," Pharaoh
Went on, " and he persuades his people to remain in the
land "

*' Then you must adopt this Joshua into the royal family.
He is well favored and of a lordly mien," his wife broke
in.

But at this Pharaoh suddenly abandoned his stooping
and indifferent attitude.

"Impossible!" he eagerly exclaimed. "A Hebrew!
If we raise him to be one of the ' friends,' or a fa,nbearer,
that is the highest he can hope for. In such matters it is
very difficult to avoid doing too much or too little ! "
• As the royal couple went forward toward the private
apartments the wailing of the mourners fell more loudly on
the ear. Tears started afresh to the queen's eyes, while
Pharaoh continued to deliberate precisely what position in
the court Joshua might be allowed to fill if he succeeded in
his embassy.

. '! '

VMMlii

i1 pi

JOSHUA,

mm
iiiii

I !>]

>! I

CHAPTER X.

Joshua had now to hasten if he was to overtake the
Hebrcv's in time, for the further they had got on their way
the more difficult it might be to persuade Moses and the
heads of the tribes to return and accept the terms offered
them.

The events of this morning were to him so marvelous
that he regarded the issue as a dispensation of the god lie
had found once more \ also he rememl)ercd the name of
Joshua, that is to say, " holpen of the Lord," which liad
been laid upon him by Miriam's message, whereas he had
hitherto been called Hosea. He was willing to bear it,
although he felt it hard to deny the sovereign who had
raised him to honor. Many of his fellow-warriors had
assumed similar names, and his had proved itself nobly
true. Never had the help of '"lod been more clearly with
him than it had been this d.iy. He had gone into Pha-
raoh's palace in the expectation of losing his freedom or
being handed o'^er to the executioner as soon as he de-
clared his wish to follow his people ; and how easily had
the ties been severed which bound him to Egypt. And
he had been charged with a task, in his eyes so great and
noble, that he could not forbear believing that i.ie God of
his fathers had called him to fulfill it.

He loved Egypt. It was a glorious land. Where could
his people find a fairer dwelling place ? The conditions
only under which they had dwelt there had been intoler-
able. Better days were now before them. The Hebrews
were to be permitted to return to Goshen or to settle in
the lakeland \vcst of the Nile, a district v.'hose fertility was
well known to him. No one henceforth might compel
them to serfdom, and if they laid their hands to labor for
the State, Hebrews only v/ere to be their ta':;kmasters, and
not the hard and cruel >^ .ranger. That his people must re-
main subject to Pharaoh was a matter of course. Joseph.
Ephraim and his sons, Joshua's forefathers, had called
themselves so, and had been well content to be regarded

yOSHUA.

•take the

their way

and the

ns offered

marvelous
lie god he
e name of
^vhich I'^d
MS he had

to bear it,
;n who had
iirriors had
itself nobly
clearly with
e into Pha-

freedom or
,n as he de-
easily had

giypt. And

,0 great and^
lae God of

^^here could
c conditions
peen intoler-
fhe Hebrews
Ir to settle in
J fertility was
light compel
Is to labor for
^masters, and
lople must re-
Irse. Josepb.
}s, had called
be regarded

as Egyptians. If his embassy came to a good end, the
eldcrc of the tribes were to be allowed to rule the domestic
affairs of the people. Moses must be the chief ruler in the
new settlement, in spite of the second prophet's objections,
and h^ himself would be captain of the united force which
should defend its frontiers, and form fresh legions of those
Hebrew mercenaries who had already proved their valor
in many wars. Before he left the palace the second
prophet had given him several mysterious hints which had
remained unsolved, but from which he inferred that Baie
was big with portentous schemes, and proposed to give
him some important charge as soon as the conduct of the
State should fall from the hands of old Ruie into his own ;
perhaps the chief captaincy of the whole army of mercen-
aries, a post at present held by a Syrian named Aarsu. This
disturbed rather than gratified him ; but on the other hand
it was a great satisfaction to him t( have made it a con
dition that the eastern frontier should, every third year, be
thrown open to the Hebrews, that they might go forth to
the desert to offer sacrifices to their God. On this Moses
had insisted most strongly, for, as the law now stood, no
one was permitted to cross the eastern limit line, which
was fortified at all points, without the express consent of
the authorities. This concession to their great leader's
desires might perhaps gain his assent to a treaty so favor-
able to his people.

All through these transactions Joshua had felt keenly
how far he had been cut off from his tribe ; he could not
€ven say what was the aim of this worship in the desert.
He had frankly confessed before Pharaoh's council that
he knew nothing of the comi)laints or demands of the
Hebrews, and he did so advisedly, reserving their right to
alter and amplify the proposals of which he was the bearer.
But what could the people or their chief hope for better?

The future lay before him full of hope for his nation and
himself. If the covenant should be concluded the time
Would come for him to found a family, and the image of
Miriam rose before him in all its lofty beauty. The
thought of winning this noble woman was an intoxicating
One ; and he asked himself whether he were indeed worthy
of her, and if it were not too bold to sue for the possession
of this superb inspired maiden and prophetess.

He knew life well, and understood how little trust could

■11

iifl

■ !

'<!

' »

!"«!'

I I!

JOSHUA.

be placed in the promises of the irresolute man for wiiose
weak hand the sceptre was too heavy. But he had taken
precautions, and if the elders of the people could only be
pacified, the covenant, clause by clause, would be graven
on metal tablets, like every other compact between Egypt
and a foreign nation, and hung up in the national temple
at Thebes, signed by Pharaoh and by the representatives of
his people. Such a document — as he had learnt from the
treaty of peace concluded with the Kheta— secured and
prolonged the brief " forever " of international comj)acts.
He had omitted nothing that might protect the Hebrews
against treason and faithlessness.

Never had Joshua felt stronger, more confident, more
glad of life, than when he once more stepped into Pharaoh's
chariot to take leave of his subalterns. Even Bale's mys-
terious hints and confessions did not disturb him, for he
was wont to leave the cares of the future to the future day ;
but in the camp a trouble awaited him which darkened
the present hour, for he there heard to his surprise, wrath,
and distress, that Ephraim had quitted the tent and stolen
away, telling no man whither. His hasty questions
elicited the fact that the lad had taken the road to Tanis,
so Joshua charged his faithful shield-bearer to seek the boy
out in the town, and if he found him to bid him follow his
uncle to Succoth.

Then, as soon as the captain had taken leave of his men,
he set forth, followed by his old squire.

It was a pleasure to him to see that the Adones* and
other inferior officers who had served with him, hard
warriors, with whom he had shared all he possessed in war
and peace, in peril and privation, so frankly showed their
grief at parting. The tears rolled down the brown cheeks
of many a man grown grey in battle as he shook hands
with him for the last time. Many a bearded lip was
pressed to the hem of his garment, or his feet, and the
shining coat of the Lybian charger which bore him through
the ranks with arched neck and eager prancing, though
firmly held in by his rider. His own eyes were moist for
the first time since his mother's death, as shouts of honest
regret and farewell wishes broke from the manly hearts ot
his troops and echoed along the lines. Never had he felt

•Answering to our adjutants.

JOSHUA.

: wiiose
d taken
only be
> graven
n Kgypt
I temple
natives of
from the
J red and
lompacts.
Hebrews

lent, more
Pharaoh's

3aie's mys-
tiim, for he
future day ;
1 darkened
rise, wrath,
: and stolen
ir questions
ad to Tanis,
.eek the boy
m follow his

I of his men,

.denes* and
, him, hard
jessed in war
[showed their
,rown cheeks
shook hands
rded Up was
feet, and the
^ him through
ficing, though
Were moist tor
DUts of honest
lanly hearts ol
rer had he tell

so deeply as at this moment. How closely his heart was
knit to those men, and how precious to him was his noble
calling.

But the duty which lay before him was high and noble,
too ; and the God wlio had released him from his oath and
made his way plain to obey his father's behest, and yet be
true and faithful, would perhaps lead him back to his com-
rades in arms, whose farewell he could fancy still rang in
his ears when he was long since out of hearing.

Still, the full glory of the work intrusted to him — the
exalted frame of mind of a man v.lio goes forth with a higli
moral purpose to fulfill — a difficult task — the perfect bliss of
a lover who flies with well-grounded hopes to crown the
^>urest and dearest wish of his heart — did not wholly
possess him till I had left the town behind him and was
hastening, at a bri k trot, across the level plain dotted with
palm groves and pools that lay to the southeast.

So long as he had kept his horse at a moderate pace
along the streets of the town and about the harbor, his
mind was so full of the immediate past and of anxiety for
the missing youth that he had paid small heed to the scene
around him ; the numerous vessels lying at anchor, the
motley throng of shii)s' captains, merchants, sailors and
porters of the most diverse races of Africa and Western
Asia, who here sought their fortunes, or the officials, soldiers
and supplicants who had followed the court from Thebes
to Tanis.

And he had also failed to observe two men of higher
rank, though one of them, Hornecht, the captain of the
bowmen, had snluted him as he passed. They were
standing back under the gateway of the temple of Set for
shelter from a cloud of du blown along the road by the
■wind from the desert. Ana as the archer vainly endea-
vored to attract the rider's attention, Baie, his companion,
■said to him : " It matters not ; he will learn soon enough
where his nephew has found refuge."
. '"By your coalman.!," replied the soldier. Tlien he
went on eagerly with what he had been saying : " The lad
looked like a lump of clay ii; the potters' slied when he
was brou;/ht in."

'* And no wonder," interrupted the priest. " He had
t)een lying quite long enough in Typhon's dust. Butwhat
<Hd your steward want among the soldiers? "

•■'I

— ■"~-*

JOSHUA,

*' My Adon, whom I had sent out last evening, brought
word that the poor lad was in a high fever, so Kasana
packed up some wine and her nurse's balsam, and the old
woman went with them to the camp."

'* To the boy or to the captain ? " asked the prophet,
with a cunning smile.

" To the sick lad," replied the soldier, decisively, with
an ominous frown. But he checked himself and went on,
apologetically : " Her heart is as soft as wax, and the
Hebrew boy — you s w him yesterday "

*' A handsome fellow — quite after a woman's heart,"
laughed the priest. '* And stroking the nephew down
cannot hurt the uncle."

"She can hardly have had that in her mind," said Hor-
necht sharply. " And the unembodied God of the Hebrews,,
it would seem, is no less mindful of his own than the
immortals you serve, for when he led Hotepoo to the spot
the boy was very nigh unto death. And the old man
would have ridden past him, for the dust had alread} "

** As you said, turned him into a lump of pollers clay.
But what then ? "

" Then the old man saw something golden gleam in the
grey mass."

" And for gold the stiffest back will bend."

"Very true! So did my old man. The broad gold
bracelet, glittering in the sun, saved the boy's life once
more."

" And the best of it is that we have got him alive."

" Yes. I, too, was glad to see him open his eyes again.
He quickly got better and better, and the leech says he is
like a young cat and nothing will kill him. But he is in a high
fever and talks all sorts of nonsense in his ravings, which
even my daughter's old nurse, a woman from Ascalon, does
not understand. But she believes she can distinguish
Kasana's name."

" A woman once more at the bottom of the mischief."

" Cease jesting, reverend father," replied the warrior,
and he bit his lip. " A decent widow and this downy-
cheeked boy ! "

" At his tender years," the priest went on, in the same
tone, "full-blown roses tempt young beetles more than
buds do, and in this case," he added, more gravely^
"nothing could be more fortunate. We have Joshua's

JOSHUA,

Drought
Kasana
the old

prophetf

ely, with

went on,

and the

i heart,"
iw down

said Hor-
Hebrews,.
1 than the

the spot

1 old man

£;ad}

tiers clay.

earn in the

broad gold
s life once

alive."
eyes again.

1 says he is
; is in a high
ings, which
scalon, does

distinguish

mischief."
the warrior,
this downy-

in the same

more than

Dre gravely

ive Joshua's

nephew in our net, and now it is your part not to let him
escape the toils."

"You mean," cried the soldier, "that we are to keep
him a prisoner? "

" As you say."

'• But you esteem his uncle highly? "

" Certainlv, but higher still the State."

"But this' lad "

" He is a most welcome hostage. Joshua's sword was an
invaluable weapon ; but if the hand that wields it is
guided by that man whose power over greater men than
he we know too well "

" You mean Mesu, the Hebrew ? "

" Joshua will wound us as deeply as heretofore our
enemies."

" But I heard you yourself say that he was incapable of
treachery."

" And I say so still ; and he has proved my words this
very day. It was simply to procure his release from the
oath of fealty that he this day put his head into the
crocodile's jaws. But if Joshua is a lion, in Mesu he will
find his tamer. That man is Egypt's arch foe, and my
gall rises only to think of him."

" The cries of woe within these gates are enough to-
keep our hatred alive."

" And yet the feeble creature who fills the throne
postpones revenge and sends forth a pacificator."

" With your consent, I believe ? "

" Quite true," replied the priest, with a sardonic smile.
" We have sent him forth to build a bridge ! A bridge, for-
sooth ! The dried-up wisdom of an ancient sage recommends
it, and the notion is quite after the heart of that contemptible
son of a great father, who, for his part, never shrunk from
swimming the wildest whirlpool, specially when revenge
was in view. Well, Joshua may try to build it. If the
bridge over the torrent only brings him back to us, I will
give him a warm and sincere welcome. But we, who
alone have any spirit in Egypt, must make it our business
to see that as soon as this one man has recrossed to our
shore the piers shall give way under the tread of the leader
of his nation."

" Yes, yes. But I fear, that we should lose the captain,
if his people met the fate they deserve."

•m

BiMrfM

7»

JOSHUA.

" It may seem so."

"You are \vi ;cr tlian I."

"But, still, in tliis case you think lam mistaken."

" How could [ iiKike so bold I "

" As a member of the Council of War it is your duty to
express your own opinion, and I regard it now as my part
to show you whither the road leads along which you liave
come so far with bandaged eyes. Listen, then, and be
guided by what I tell you when it is your turn to apeak in
the assembly. Ruie, the high priest, is very old."

" And you already exercise half his prerogatives."

"Would that he might soon lay down the rest of the
burden I — Not for my own sake, I love a contest, but for
the welfare of our country. It has become a deeply-
rooted habit to accept as the language of wisdom all that
age decides and rules; thus there are few among the
councillors wh.o do not adhere to the old man, and yet his
statecraft, like himself, goes only on crutches. All that
is good gets lost in a fog under his weak and half-hearted
guidance."

" On this point you may count on my support," cried
the warrior. " I will lend both hands to overthrow the
dreamer on the throne and his senseless counselor."

At this the prophet laid his finger to his lip in warning,
went close up to his companion, and said in low, rapid
accents : "I am now expected at the palace, so hearken
only to this much : If Joshua effects a reconciliation, his
people, the guilty with the innocent, will all return, and
the guilty will be punished. Among the innocent we may
reckon the whole of Joshua's tribe, the tribe of Ephraim,
from old Nun, the father, down to the boy in your
house."

'• They may be spared ; but as Mesu is a Hebrew, what-
ever is done to him "

" It will not be done in the open street ; and there is
never any difliculty about sowing the seeds of discord
between two men whc have an equal right to rule in their
own circle. I will take care tliat Joshua shall wink at the
death of the other, and then Pharaoh, whether his name
be Menephtah or" (and here his voice fell to a murmur)
*' or Siptah, shall raise him to such a giddy height — for he
deserves it — that his bewildered eye will never see any-
thing we choose to hide from him. There is a dish of

aty to
,y part
,1 have
^rA be
)cak in

t of the
but for

deepb'-

all that
^ong the
id yet his

All that
If-hearted

,rt," cried
throw the

lor." .
1 warning,

o\v, rapid
o hearken
A, his
eturn, and
nt Nve may
Ephraim:
in your

■>y

brew,what-

and there is
of discord

rule in then-
wink at the

ler his name

a murmur)

igl,t-for he

■ver see any-

' is a dish of

JOSHUA.

which no man can cease to eat who has once tasted it, and
that meat we shall serve liim withal."

"A dish—meat? "

" Power, Hoinecht. Immense power. As governor of
'<x province, or ca},'tain-genera] over all the mercenary troops
in Aarsu's place, he will beware of quarreling with us. I
know him. If we can but make him believe that Mesu
has done him a wrong — and that overbearing man will of
a certaintv irive us some ground — and if he can but be
convinced that the law prescribes such punishment as we
may inflict on the magician an.d the worst of his followers,
he will not merely consent, but approve."

" But if the embassy should fail ? "

" Still he will come back to us : for he never would
break an oath. But in the event of his being forcibly de-
tained by Mesu, who is capable of anything, the boy will
prove useful ; for Joshua loves him, his people set great
store by his life, and he is a son of one of their noblest
families. Pharaoh shall at any rate threaten the lad ; we,
on our part, will protect him, and that will bind us more
closely than ever to his uncle, and join him to those who
are wroth with the king."

'• Admirable ! "

'* And we shall yet more certainly gain our end if we
can bind him by yet another tie, and now I beseech you
to be calm, for you are too fiery for your years. In short,
our brother in arms, the man who saved my life, the best
warrior in all the army, and who consequently must rise
to the highest honors, must be your daughter's husband.
Kasana loves the Hebrew — that I know from my wife."
. The frown once more knit the archer's brow and he
struggled painfully to be calm. He felt that he must sub-
due his aversion to calling this man his son-in-law ; for
indeed he liked and esteemed him, though he was averse
to his nationality. He could not, indeed, refrain from
muttering a curse, but his reply to the priest was calmer
and more reasonable than Bale had ex])ect'^d. If Kasana
y.'as so possessed by demons as to be -Irawn to this
stranger, then she should have her way. But joshua, as yet,
had not wooed her. ••And," he added furiously, " by the red
god Set and his seventy fellows ! neither you nor any other
man shall ever move nie to force my child, who has suitors
by the score, on a man who, though he calls himself our

JOSHUA.

CHAPTER XI.

.,, innumerable stars, spread

floated above ^^-^^^'±1^^ watered the l>a;t«^j"'J^^,
and mcaaowa ^^^^ norm vh-s ^ ^

^'"^^^^^rhv the tHcl ha.e which -^^, ^^^'^.^^d, w^^^^^
shrouded by tne u» gj^^^ly, dtseri wu ,

Hkes by the isthmus. ^^^^^ "" ' ^^^i^sty grass; the deseu
u\K^:y "J . viown over Lnc t>"' j ^ , ipnts of v5iic-

spectacle. X>\\'° -.t ■ but it no longer tower ^^^^

spac.ous a"" - ,,hite, Um'=-«="'"'-" ""^ered in deall
i„g tnbes of Shaso ^_^ ^^ ^.^^

yo^m A.

own

g his
r how
r son-
ib\e of
^grow

s, spread
e eastern
i^s caUed,
oC Toom.
hite mists
bondsmen,
^sture-\and

as the eye
,orizon was
the broad
wind, which
. the desert
^nts of Suc-
e chiU hour
rpt, was very

,etween i^f

ah its squal^

portant buv d
3d Toom, ^i
ed a suaiv.-

Us g^^.^^,'^.t
vexed mde^^t^

out It was St
St the V'^^fl
l^ay round tl)«

, desert ad)oii^

outworks of the isthmus, and an Egyptian garrison dwelt
within its indcstruclil)lc walls, which could easily be held
against very superior numbers.

This morning it might have been supposed that the sons
of the desert hvid taken it by storm ; but the men and
women who were so busy round the walls antl on the broad
marble parajjct of the huge building were not Shasoos, but
Hebrews. With shouts and demonstrations of joy they
were taking i)ossession of the thousands of measures of
wheat and barley, rye and doorah, lentils, dates and onions,
which th'iy had found in those vast lofts, and had set to
work before sunrise to empty the storehouse and ])ack the
contents into sacks and ])itchers and skins, into kneading-
troughs, jars antl sheets, let down from the roof by cords
or carried uj) and down on ladders.

The chiefs of the tribes, indeed, look no part in the work,
but in spite of the early hour, children of all ages might
be seen, as busy as the rest, carrying as much as they
could lift in pots and bowls — their mothers' cooking
vessels.

Above, close to the open trap-doors of the lofts, into
which the stars shone down, and round the foot of the
ladders below, women held lanterns or torches to light the
others at their work. Flaring pilch-brands were burning
in front of the ponderous closed doors, and armed shep-
herds were pacing up and down in tic light of the blaze.
When, now and again, there was a sound within as of a
Stone thrown, or a kick against the brass-bound door, and
of threatening words in the Egyptian tongue, the Hebrews
outside were ready enough with words of mockery and
scorn.

On the day of the harvest festival, at the hour of the
first evening watch, certain swift runners had come to
Succoth and had announced to the sons of Israel who
dwelt there, and whose numbers were twcntyfold as great
as those of the Egyptians, that they had started from
Tanis early that morning, that their people were to depart
thence that night, and that their kindred of Succoth were
to make ready to fly with them. At this there had been
great rejoicing among the Hebrews. They, like their
fellow Israelites of Tanis, had assembled together that
night of the new moon after the spring equinox, when the
hftrvest festival began, to a solemn feast ; and the heads

!•!: \

Ml* 1

1 ■.

JOSHUA.

of their households had dcclarod to tncm that the day of
freedom was now at hand, and that the Lord was about to
lead Ihcni forth to the ])romised land.

Here, as at Tanis, many had been faint-hearted and
rebelHous, and others had attempted to sejiarate their lot
from that of the rest and so remain behind ; but here, too,
they had been carried away by the multitude. And as
Aaron and Nun had addressed the people at Tan is, so
here I'-lea/ar, the son of Aaron, and Nahshon and Hur,
the Iieads of the tribe of Judali, iiad done the same. And
Miriam, the maiden sister of Moses, had gone from house
to house, and with her glowing words had lighted and
fanned the llames ol enthusiasm in the hearts of the men,
and persuaded the women that, with the morning's sun, a
day ofuladness, plenty and freedom would dawn on them
and on their children.

Few had turned a deaf ear to the prophetess, and there
was something majestic and commanding in the presence
of this maiden, whose large black eyes, overarched by
thick, dark eyebrows which ' t in the middle, seemed to
read the hearts of tho.e th^y gazed on, and to awe the
refractory with their grave gleam.

When the feast was over each household had retired to
rest with hopeful and uplifted hearts. But the next day
and the following night and dawn had changed everything.
It was as tliough the desert-wind had buried all courage
and confidence in the sand it swept before it. The dread
of wandering through the unknown had crept again into
every soul, and many a one who had brandished his staff
with the high spirit of enterprise, now clung obstinately to
the house of his fathers, to his web tended garden plot,
and to the harvest in the fields, of which no more than
half was yet garnered.

The Egyptian garrison in the fortified stone house had
not indeed failed to observe that some unusual excitement
prevailed among the Ihbrews, but they had ascribed it to
the harvest feast. The commander of tlie fort had heard
that >i0ses desired to lead his people forth into the
deser., there to sacrifice to thjir Clo ], and lie liii''. asked
for reinforcements. ])Ut he knew nothing more, for till
the w'ljrning when the hot wind had arisen no Hel)rew
hajl betrayed his brethren's j)uri)ose.. On that day, how-
ever, as the heat oppressed them more and more, the

td
til

n
ml

yos//r,i.

y of
It tf>

and
Iv lot
, too,
nd as

lis, so

Hin-,
And

bouse
,ed and
le men,

svin, a
)U them

Lid tlv-re
presence
ched by
ecmed to
, aNVC the

retired to
next day

yerytbing-
\ courage
The dread
again into
d Ins stall
t\nate\y to
vden plot'
n.ore than

bouse had
excitement

icribed it to
It had heard

Ih i^'^to

the

ha<\ ashed
hore. for tiU

lat day, ho^^
more, tw

greater grew the dread of the territlea people of inarching
ever onward ihrougli the scorching sandy and waterless
waste. This fearful day was hut i foretaste of what lay
before tlicm, and when toward midday the dnst cloud was
yet dense, and the air more suffocating, a Hebrew dealer,
from whom the l.gyplian soldiers would purchase small
wares, stole into the storehouse and instigated the captain
to hinder his fellow IL .mcv/s from rushing to destruction.

F^vcn ;.'non<: the better sf); i tlie Noicc of discontent had
been loud. Izchar and Michael and their sons, who dis-
liked the iK)wer of Moses and Aaron, had gone from one
lO another and tried to incite them to call die elders
together again before they set forth, and ask them whether
it would not be wiser to make terms with the Egyptians.

While these malcontents had succeeded in assembling
many followers, and the iraitor hvid gone to die captain of
the Egyptian garrison, two more runners had come in
with a message to say that t!ie mult "tude of the Hebrew
fugitives would arrive at Succoth between midnight and
dawn.

Breathless and speechless, bathed in sweat ind bleed-
ing at the mouth, the elder of the two messengers dropped
on the threshold of the house of Aminadab where Miriam
just now was dwelling. 'I'he exhausted men had to be
revived with wine and food before even the less weary one
could speak coherently ; and dien, in a husky voice, but
overflowing with thankfulness and enthusiasm, he had told
all that had happened at their departing, .cud how that the
God of their fathers had filled all hearts with His spirit,
and infused fresh confidence into the most faint-hearted.

Miriam had listened with flashing e)es to this inspiring
talc^ and then, flinging her veil about her head, she bade
the servants of the house, who had collected about the
runners, to gather all the people together under the syca-
more, whose broad boughs, the growth of a thousand years,
sheltered a wide space from the scorching sun.

The hot wind was still blowing, but the glad tidings
seemed to have broken it power over the spirits of men,
and thousands had come pouring out to assemble under
tile sycamore. Miriam gave her hand to Eleazar, the son of
her brother Aaron, sprang on to the bench which stood
close to the huge, hollow trunk of the tree, and in a loud
voice prayed to the Lord, raising her hands and eyes to
Heaven, as though in ecstasy her eyes beheld Him.

^is^atm

jo.^nrA.

Then she bade the messenger speak, and when he had
once more declared all that had befallen in Zoan, a loud
cry went up from the multitude. Then Eleazar, the son of
Aaron, described in glowing words all that the T.ord had
done f(jr his people and had iiromised to them and their
children, and their children's children.

Kvcrv word from the speaker's eager lips had fallen on
the hearts of his hearers like the fresh dew of morning (»n
parched grass. The believers had shouted greeting to him
and to Miriam, and the faint-hearted had found new w in.L',s
of hope. Izeharand Michael and their folhwers nuirmurcd
no more ; nay, most of them had caught the general ei:
thusiasm, and when presently a Hebrew soldier of the
garrison stole out from the storehouse and revcal'.d to them
that his chief had been informed of what was going forward.
Eleazar, Nahshon, llur and some others had held a council
with the shepherds present, and had urged them in fiery
language to show now that they were men and not afraid
to fight, with God's mighty helj), for their nation and its
freedom. There was no lack of axes, staves, sickles and
brazen pikes, of heavy poles and slings, the shepheids'
weajjons against the beasts of the desert, though of bows
and arrows they had none. A strong force of powerful
herdsmen had collected round Hur, and they at once had
marched upon the Egyptian overseers who were in author-
ity over some hundreds of Hebrew bondsmen toiling at
the earthworks.

With the cry, " They are coming ! Down with the o|)-
pressors ! The Lord our God is our captain ! " they threw
themselves on the Libyan guard, scattered them abroad
and released the Hebrew laborers and stone-hcwers. The
noble Nahshon had set the example of clas])in_t' one of the
hapless serfs as a brother to his heart, and then the others
embraced the men they had set free, and thus the she lit:
" They are coming! The Lord God of our fathers is our
captain ! " rang out far and wide. When at last the hand-
ful of shepherds had swollen to a thousand Hur had led
them on to meet the Egyptian warriors, whose numbeis
were far inferior.

The garrison, indeed, was but a handful ; the Hebrew
host was now beyond counting.

. The Egyptian archers had shot a flight of arrows, and
the slings of the stalwart Hebrews had sent a shower 01

yosnuA,

had

loutl

ion of

d bad

t ibeir

lien on
■ vo bim

ivnuii'd

ieva\ <^»
r of t^ic
.1 to Ibcn-i
fovwavd

a coun

ci\

n m b<-0,
not afraid
on and Us
icUcs and
sbepbeids
gh of bows
=( povverfu
once bad
In auvbor-
toiling av

witb ibe ov-
tbey tl^r^^.
btm abroad

cwers. y^^

;, one of d^e
■n tbe otbers
18 tbe she Alt.
fathers is out
last the hand^
Hur bad kd
,osc num\ici^

the Hebvov

lof arrows, and
K a shower d

deadly i)cl)bl(s among the foremost of the foo, when a
trumpet-call was heard calling the parly of soUlk-rs hack
into the shelter of the scarped walls an'l stout door-;. 'I'he
Egyptian chief had judged the Hebrew force too great, and
his first duty was to hold the fort till reinforcements should

arrive.

IJutlliirhad not been content with this first victory.
Success Iiad fniuud ihe courage of lii-. followers as a new
breeze fans a sinoldering lire; whenever an I'-gNptian
showed himself on the roof of the storehouse a smf)oth
pebble hit him sharply from ih.-.' sling of a shepherd marks-
man. IJy Nahs'ion's orders hulders were l)roii:.:lit out. In
an instant the besiegers were swnrming up the building on
all sides, and after a short and bloodless struj.',gle the stones
were in the hands of t!ie Hebrews. The iv;yi)tians could
only keep i)ossession of the adjoining stronghold.

Meanwhile the wind had fallen. The more furious of the
released bondsmen had piled straw, timber and brusliwood
before the door of the little fort into which the l"/;yplians
had ivtirerl, and they could without difficulty have destroyed
the foe to the last man by fire ; but Hur, Nahshon and
the other wiser heads among the Hebrews had not i^ermitted
the destruction of the victuals laid up in the great store-
house

It had, indeed, been no easy matter to kcej) the younger
men among the oppressed serfs from this deed of \'engeance ;
but they all belonged to some family in the settlement, and
.as Hiir's prohibition was supported by the commands of
their parents, they were soon not merely pacified but ready
to help in distributing the contents of the granaries among
the households, and in loading them into carts or on to
beasts of burden, to be carried off by the fugitives.

All this took ])lace by the flaming light of torches, and it
■$oon had assumed the character of an orgie, for neither
Nahshon nor Elcazar had been able to hinder the men and
women from opening the wine skins and jars. However,
they succeeded in saving the larger part of the precious
booty for the time of need, and although there, indeed, too
many were drunk, the strong juice of the grape and their
.glee at securing so much plunder moved the multitude to
thankfulness. When at length Elenzar went among them
■once more to speak to them of the Promised Land they
yere ready to listen to him with uplifted hearts, and joined
in a hymn of praise started b}' Miriam.

•\\^

itHtSm

JOSIIIW.

ill I

As in Zoan the spirit of the Lord had ta!!cn c i thj
people ill the liour of their departing, so now in Succoth.
When some ancient men ar'l women who had hidden them-
selves in the tem}jle of Zoan heard the song of triumpli,
the\' caniL forth and joined the rest, and packed up their
possessions with as much glad hope and confidence in the
God of their fathers as if thev had never murmured at
departing.

As the stars faded, joy and excitement increased. Men
and women went out in troops on the road to Tanis to meet
their brethren. Many a father led his youthful son by the
hand, mai,y a mother' carried her infant on her arm : for
there were kindred to greet in the coming multitude, and
this day must bring some moments of solemn joy in which
all who were near and dear must share, and which even the
youngest child would remember when he himself had
children and grandchildren.

None sought h.'s bed in the tent, hut or houses, for every
hand »vas needed to finish the work of packing. The crowd
of toilers in the storehouse had diminished, and most house-
holds were furnished with as much food as they could carry
away.

In front of the tents and hovels men and women, ready
to depart, were camping round hastily lighted fires, and in
the farm yards ilic cattle were being driven together, and
such beasts and sheep as were unfit to march were at once
slaughtered. Outside many of the liouses men plied the
axe and hammer, and the sound of sawing was heard, for
litters and couches had to be hastily constructed for the
sick and feeble. Here, again, chariots and wagons were
still being loaded, and husbands had no small trouble with
their wives ; for it is always hard to forfeit a possession,
be it great or small, and a woman's heart often clings more
fondly to some worthless trifle than to the most precious
object she owns. When Rebecca was eager to carry away
the roughly-made cradle in which her infant died rather
than the beautiful ebony chest inlaid with ivory which her
husband had taken in pledge from an Egyptian, who could
blame her? Lights shone from every window and tent
door, and torches or lanterns blazed from the roof of all the
better dwellings to welcome the coming host.

At the feast which had been held on the night of the
harvest festival not a table had lacked its lamb roast with

yOSHUA.

:otb.
hem-

their
n tbe
ed at

Men
3 meet
by the
m: for
k, and
^ which
;ven the
elf had

or every
ic crowd
stbouse-
uld carry

n, ready
, and in
ther, and
e at once
^,Ued the
heard, for
d for the
gons were
)ubk witb
possession,
Vingsmore
it precious
arrv away
ied ratbcr
which her
who couid
and tent
iofofaUthe

light of the
roast wim

fire, but in this hour of waiting the housewives again offered
such food as they had ready.

The narrow street of the little town was alive with stir;
the waning stars had never before looked down on such
joyful faces, such briglit and eager eyes, such beaming looks
of hope and hai)py faith.

CHAPTER XII.

Whkn morning dawned all those who had not already
gone forth to greet the wanderers were gatliered on the
roof of one of the largest house? in Succotli, where the
coming Hebrews were to make ih^.ir first long halt.

Hurrying on before tliem fleet-footed men and boys,
one after another, arrived in the town. Aminadab's house
was their goal. It consisted of two buildings, one of which
was inhabited by N;ihshon, the son of tlie owner, and his
family. In tlie other and larger part, besides the master
of the house and his wife, his son-in-law, Aaron, dwelt with
his wife, children and grandchildren, and also Miriam.

The old man, a prince of the tribe, who had given over
the duties connected with his i)Osition to his son Nahshon,
stretched out his trembling hands toward each messenger,
and listened to his story with sparkling eyes that w^re
nearly blmded by tears. He had persuaded his old wife
to sit in the armchair in which she was to be carried after
their people, so that she might become accustomed to it,
and for the same reason he was reclining in his.

When the old woman heard the messengers announce

that the glorious future that had been promised the people

was now within reach, her eyes sought her husband and

she cried : "Aye through Moses!" For she held the

brother of her daughter's husband in high esteem, and it

• pleased her to see his prophecies fulfilled. She looked

..also with pride on Aaron, her son-in-law: but above all

pshe loved Eleazar. her grandson, in whom she looked for-

Iward to the development of a second Moses. She had

pfbund Miriam, after the death of her parents, a very wel-

iiiCome house companion. But the warm-hearted old folks'

affection for the grave young maid never grew to parental

tenderness, and Elisheba, Aaron's busy wife, would not

■'i^a

M ill'
""mI' 'ill!

■, ^i iji;il!|

liliffijiiili'iill

ffi"l! i

share the cares of the great household with Miriam ; nor
did their son Nahshon's wife need her help, for she, indeed,
lived with her nearest of kin under their own roof. But
the old people were gratef;:l to Miriam for her care of their
grandchild, Milcah, the daughter of Aaron and Elisheba,
whom a great misfortune had clinngcd from a happy child
into a melancholy woman, for whom all joy was dead. A
few days after her marriage with a beloved husband he had
allowed himself, in a fit of wrath, to lift his hand against an
Egyptian tax-gatherer, who, when Pharaoh was passirg
eastward by Saccoih, wanted to drive off a large herd of his
finest oxen for the kitchen of the lord of two worlds. I»
consequencj cf tliis self-redress the unfortunate man had
b-en taken as a State ])risoner to work in the mines, and
it was well known that the convict there must 'XMish, body
and soul, of torturing overwork. Through the inflicnce
of Nun, Joshua's f;ithcr, the prisoner's wife and house ho:d
were spared from sharing this punishment. She, however,
pined away more and more, and the only one who under-
stood the way to rouse the pale, silent wife from her
brooding was Miriam. To her had the deserted W( man
attached herself, and she followed Miriam where she ] lac-
ticed the medical knowledge that she hrd learned, and
cariied remedies and ahns into the huts of the poor.

The last messengers, whom Aminadab and his wife re-
ceived on the roof, jjainted in dark colors the pain and mise-
ry of wandering of which he had been a witness, but when
a soft-hearted creature among them wept alcud at the great
sufferings the women and children had undergone during
the gale from the desert, and gloomily foretold f c r th,e future
horrors not less than those he so vividly remembered, the
old man spoke words of comfort to him, rtmirdirg him of
the almighty power of God. and of the force cf habit, which
would also help them. His wrinkled face exj lessed sin-
cere hope, whereas in Miriam's beautiful but stern features
there was little expression of the religious trust of whick
youth usually has more than age.

While the messengers went and carne she did not stir
from the side of the old people, ai^d left it to her sister-in-
law, Elisheba. and her serving maids to give refreshments
to the f-itigued wanderers. She listened to them intently
and wit' deep-drawn breath, though it appeared to ler
that aii she learned forbode trouble. For she knew that

^r;

taJ

•trd
/«a|

yOSHUA.

\or

ed.
But
hctr
eba,

. A

ist an M

ofVas «

^. I»

n V.ad
■s, ai^d
i.bocly
flv.crxe
ascbo'.d
oNvevcr,
) under-
cB^ bet
I \v( ma»
ibcivac^
:.cd, and

)0V.

s wife TC-
and mise-
lAit wbc»
tbc gieat

tV.e future
,crcd, tbe
^.g bitri of
>b\t, ^^bich
lessed sin-
^■11 features
^t of wbicia

lid rio^ ^^^^
.r sister-in-
.fresbmerts
L, mtcrt.y
[red to bet
knew t^at

only those who were attached to her brothers, the leaders
of the people, would have found their way into the house
that sheltered Aaron,

Now and then she would ask a question, as well as the old
man, and as she spoke the messengers, who heard her voice
for the first time, looked up at her in surprise, for it was
indeed sweet, though singularly deep.

After several runners had assured her, in answer to hef
inquiry, that Joshua, the son of Nun, had not come with
the others, she d'"opped her hca*l, and asked no more,
until pale Milcah, who followed her everywhere, cast a
besv:eching looked from her black eyes and whispered
" Reuben,'' the name of her imprisoned husband. Then
the young girl kissed the lonely child and looked at her as
tho.ig'i she had neglected somethip.g, and asked the mes-
sen^ -s with ])ressing eagerness if they had heard anything
of Reuben, who had been carried away to the mines.
But onlv one had lieard from a released criminal that
Milcah's husband was alive in the copper mines in the dis-
trict of Beck, near I\It. Sinai. The news encouraged the
young prophetess to assure Milcah with vivid warmth that
when ihe pcojjle should march eastward they would cer-
tainly go to the mines to release the captive Hebrews
wh ) were there.

These were good words, and Milcah, who was leaning oa
the iMcast of her comforter, would gladly have heard more,
but those who were looking out into the distance from
Aniinadab's roof were now in great excitement. From the
north came a dark cloud, and directly after a wonderful
muttering, then a loud roar, and lastly a thousand-voiced
cry and shout, with bellowing, neighing and bleating, su'.:h
AS b.ad never been heard before — and the multitudinous
ran 1 many-voiced mass of men and herds came rolling
along in that interminable stream which the a ;trologcr's
grandson, when watching from the temp'lo at Tanis, had
taken for the serpent from the nether world.
^ Even now, by tlie light of dawn, it was easy to mistake
|t for an army of disembodied si;irits driven from the
Stronghold of the dead ; for a pale grey column of dust
teaching to the blue heavens swej^t before them, and no
single figure could be distinguished among the immense
fiwaiming, noisy throng wliich was enveloped in the cloud.
Every now and again tiie sunbeams caught the metal point

t M

JOS Hi' A.

!; a lance or of . brass «-;i^n^n!'^l' '-i'^^T^
?oud shout of one vouccouUUcK j^^^^, ,.^^^,,|

iS^^^^n^lrir^onlofwhiCW-----

'^:::::X «,>, on. ana ^^ ^^^ :x^-

,v.ilca like a mountain lake vvl en. ' .^. u.c nanow

seen in the bUue °Vn a ilk 'le tent after ten wa.

s read, cows fetwi';'l-,''^'f,„ , f^es of women, carrymg
v^' ter and fnes lighted, 1 « ^'^ ,,; „■„„ easily and
[as on d-eir heads which they bala. ^^^^ ^^.^^ |^^,^,„j ^le

bcanlifnllyeurved arms, l''^^;^,';" ;,.,,,,st canal. ,

old yc^'"<"'--' "■■ "^"^ ''^".\ .? work d y a humped ox turned
° 'To-day, as on every "' J" ^^ ^'^,,t ind that the owner o
the water wheel. It '"'8at<-'l " ^j,^ ^,^„,. hat

n. was a good hour ^^f^^^tX^^

-:i:l:«oS^es3t iw^^
--:tbt^---"-'^«'"'^"^"7

away her eyes. „ ,enly all she saw, for u

She dared not tell "« °'", , hopefulness. . ,

„ould have destroyed his ^^'^^^^ ^..^or of an inspia^

Vi ' 1

yosiii \i.

he vs.
vact 1)1"
;d ainl

. \)ioad,
proccs-
Ucie U^c
Acd.

AC cUnul ,
ere to ^>«^
^nd asses,

Sahsbon's
Ics ; po^^^

3 driven U)
1

carryi'^'f^

eas'ly and
behind d^^'

d ox turned
^-^^. owner ot
', slave that

no one bin-
.as used u;-

adsit-wonw

L crowd bad
.described to
UK enough o
•,elow. beheld
have turned

jhe saw, for ii

)f an inspivc^^
yesterday '^}^^
had certainly
IS and heanub

words no one else could comprehend. This generally took
place in her dreams, but also in lonely hours when she
fixed her mind in meditation ow the ])ast and the future.

'Die message from the isLost J ligh whic.i Kphraim had
carr'' 1 to Joshua in her name had couk W> her from
invisible lips as she sat under tiie syca.more, thinking; of
the exfxlus, and of the man she had lovxl from her child-
hood ; and this very morning, between midnight and
dawr., as she l.iy under the venerable tree, overpowered by
fatigue, it seemed to her that she had again heard the same
voice. The words had vanished from her mind as she
woke, but she knew that they liad been sad and ominous.

Vague as the warning liad been, it still haunted her
painfully, and the ciy whicii ( aine up from the ])lain was
ccrtauily no shout of joy at liaving lia|)iuly reached their
l)rethren and the fust stage of their wanderings, as the old
man at her side believed; nay, it was the angry cry of
fierce, ungoverned men wrangling and fighting for a
jjleasant spot in the meadow whereon to pitch their tents,
or for a good watering j>lace for their beasts by the well or
on the banks of the rivulets.

Rage, disap]H)intme:U and despair were heard in that
cry ; and presently, looking round for the spot whence it
rose the loudest, she beheld a woman's corpse borne along
by some bondsmen on a sheet oi tent cloth, and a pale
babe, touched by the finger of dea'h, which its father, a
wild-looking fellow, carried in one arm, whilv he shook his
clenched left hand, which was free, with threatening
gestures in the direction of her brothers.

And in a moment she saw an old man, bent with hard
labor, lift up his hand against Moses, whom he would have
struck to the ground if others had not dragged him away.

She could no longer bear to stay on the roof. Pale and
panting she Hew out to the camp. Milcah followed her
closely, and wherever they met people belonging to Sue-
coth they were greeted with respect. The people of Zoan,
and those of Pha-gos, whom they met in the way, did not
know Miriam ; still, the prophetess' tall figure and noble
dignity made them move aside for her, or reply to her
questions.

Then she heard terrible and evil tidings, for tlie multi-
tude which had set forth so joyfully on the first day had
<:rept along in dejection and woe on the .second. The hot

If i

:|» J'W

liiii'MilillliJi

ill P:

I
I

16 JOSHUA.

wind had broken the spirit and strength of mr'^y who hacf
started in high health, and other siqk folks esides the
bondsman's wife and infant had fallen sick oi /ever from
the choking dust and scorching heat, and the speaker
pointed to a procession making its way to the Hebrew
burying place of Succoth. Nor were those who were being
borne to the rest whence there is no return women and
children only, or such as their kindred had brought away
sick rather than leave them behind ; but likewise men, who
only yesterday had been strong, and who had either sunk
■nder too heavy a burden or had heedlessly exposed them-
selves to the sun's rays as they drove their herds onward.

In one tent Miriam found a young mother, who lay
trembling with fever, and she bade Milcah go fetch her
case of medicines. The forlorn wife gladly and quickly
departed on this errand. On her way she stopi)ed many
a passer-by to inquire timidly for her captive husband, but
she could get no news of him. Miriam, however, learned
from Nun, Joshua's father, thatEliab, thefreedman hehad
left behind, had sent him word that his son was ready to-
follow his people. She also heard that Ephraim had been
hurt and had found shelter in Joshua's tent.

Was the lad seriously ill, or vhat could it be that
detained his uncle in Tanis ? The question filled Miriam's
heart with fresh anxiety, yet she dispensed help and com-
fort wherever it was possible with unflagging energy.

Old Nun's hearty greeting had cheered her, and no more
stalwart, kind, or more lovable old man could be imagined.
The mere sight of his noble head with its thick, snow-white
hair, and beard, and the bright eyes which sparkled with
youthful fire in the handsome face, had done her good, and
when he expressed his joy at seeing her once more in his
yivid and winning manner, pressing her to his heart and
kissing her brow, : he told him that she had bidden his son,
in the name of the Lord, henceforth to bear the name of
Joshua, and had called upon him to be reunited to his
people and to be the captain of their host. Then she felt,
indeed, as though she had found a father in the place of
him she had lost, and applied herself with renewed vigor
to the stern duties v.'hich called her from every side.

Nor was it a small effort to the lofty-minded maiden to
devote herself with loving kindness to her fellow-creature!),
wbosc wild and coarse demeanor pained her soul. The

JOSHUA,

•r

) bad
s the

from
)eakct
ebrcw
; being
;n and
t away
n, who
i\ sunk
\ them'
)nward.
vho lay ^

itch her

qulcUy
sd many
,and, but |
, learned
m he had

ready to-
had been

t be that
, Miviam'i*
and com-

|d no more
imaguied.
mow-white
jkled with
good, and
loie in his
heart and
lenhisson,
the name of
.lited to his
[len she feU,
he place of
icwed vigor
: side.
|d maiden to
v-crcatureb,

soul. The

women, indeed, were glad of help, but to the men, who
had grown up under the overseer's wliip, modesty and
consideration were unknown. Their minds were as
savage as their manners. As soon as they knew who she
was they reviled her because her brother had tempted them
forth to leave endurable woes and rush to a fearful f;ite ;
and as she heard their curses and blaspheming, and saw
the fierce black eyes that glittcr«d in those brown faces all
hung about with rough, curling black hair and beard, her
heart shrank within her. And yet she was able to con-
trol her fear and aversion ; her pulses throbbed and she
was prepared for the worst, yet she did but commend the
men who were so repulsive to lier to the God of their
fathers and His promises, though womanly weakness
prompted her to flee.

Now, indeed, she understood wliat the sad, warning
Yoice forboded which she had heard under the sycamore,
and as she stood by the bed of a young mother sick unto
death she lifted up her hands and heart to the Most Iligh,
and made a vow that she would dedicate all her powers to
fight against the faint-hearted want of faith and the wild
insubordination which threatened to bring her people into
great straits. The Lord Almighty had promised them a
fair land, and the short-sighted p^ide of a few erring ones
should not cheat them of it. And God himself could
hardly be wroth with a race which was content so long as
the bodies were supplied with the food they needed, and
which had endured scorn and blows as unresistingly as
cattle. The multitude did not yet understand that they
must live through the night of their present woes to be
worthy of the day which awaited them.

Her medicines seemed to relieve the sick woman, and
jhe quitted the tent in revived spirits to seek her bro-
thex's.

In the camp matters were no better, and again she wit-
nessed many scenes which shocked her soul and made her
regret that she had brought with her the tender-hearted
Milcah.

Certain evil-doers among the bondsmen, who had laid
hands on the cattle and goods of others, had been caught
and tied up to a palm tree 3 and the ravens which had
followed the tribes, and had found ample food by the way,
were already croaking greedily round the hastily contrived
«allows tree.

i'li

ti!i I I

JOSHUA,

None knew who was judge or executioner of the
sentence ; but the owners wlio were assisting in the deed
thought themselves fully justified and gloried in it. With
hasty steps and averted head, Miriam drew the trembling
Milcah away and placed her in the charge of her uncle,
Nahshon, to be conducted home. Nahshon was just part-
ing from the man who shared with him the rank of prince
of the tribe of Judah. This was that same Hur who had
won the first victory against the Egyptians at the head of
the shei)herds, and he now led the maiden with happy
pride toward a man and a youth — his son and [grandson.
They had both been in the service of the Egyptians, and at
Memphis had worked as goldsmiths and brass founders to
Pharaoh. The elder, by reason of his skill, had received
the name of Uri, or the Great ; and the son of this father,
Hur's grandson, Bezalecl, was said to be Xi jre gifted even
than his father, though as yet hardly more than a youth.

Hur gazed at his child and grandchild with justifiable
pride, for although they had both risen to high esteen
among the Egyptians they had followed without demur at
their father's bidding, leaving behind them much to which
their hearts clung, and which bound them to Memphis, to
join the wandering people and share their uncertain fate.

Miriam warmly greeted the newcomers, and the men
before her, representatives of three generations, afforded
a picture on which no kindly eye could fail to rest with
pleasure. The grandfather was nigh on threescore, but.
although there was much silver mingled with his ebony
black hair, he still held himself as straight as a young man,
and his thin, sharply-cut features revealed an unbending
determination, which sufficiently accounted for the readi-
ness with which his son and grandson had obeyed his call.
Uri, too, was a well-grown man, and Bezaleel a lad in whom
it could be seen that he had made good use of his nineteen
years, and could already stand firmly on his own feet. His
artist's eye si)arkled with a peculiar light, and when
presently he and his father took leave of Miriam to pay
their respects to Caleb, their grandfather and greatgrand-
fatlier, slie heartily congratulated Hur, her brother's truest
friend, on having such descendants to keep up the noble
race.

At this Hur, taking her hand, exclaimed with a grateful
fervor, which sprang from his heart, and which was usually

■:f

«t

J'el

liel
yi\\

JOSHUA.

the
iecd
rVilh

ncle,
part-
)rincc

bad
cad of
happy
ndscn.
and at
ders to
eceived
i father,
ed even

:^ youth.

Ls titrable

1 esteen
demur at
to which
mphis, to
itaui fate.

the men
, afforded
rest with
score, buv
ebony
lung man,
.mbending
the readi-
ed his call.
^d in whom
,is nineteep
feet. His
and when
■iam to pay
rveatgrand-
dier's truest
|p the noble

Ih a grateful
was usually

foreign to the stern, imperious nature of this chief of an
unruly tribe of lierdsmen : '' Vcs, they have ever been
good and true arul dutiful. God hath protected them and
granted me to see this joyful day. Now it lies with you
to make it a high feast day. You must long since have
seen that my eye was ever on you. and that you are dear
to my heart. I am a man, and you as a woman are
pledged to do all that is best for the peojjle and their wel-
hxre, and that constitutes a bond between us. But I would
fain be bound to you by a yet stronger tie, and whereas
your parents are dead, and I cannot go to Amram with
the bride gift in my hand and pay him for you, I ask
you of yourself in marriage, noble maiden. And before
you say me yea or nay let me tell you that my son and
grandson are ready to honor you as the head of our house ;is
they honor me, and that I have your brother's permission
to approach you as a suitor."

Miriam had listened to this proposal in speechless sur-
prise. She held the man who pleaded so warmly in high
esteem, and was well inclined towarc him. Notwithstand-
ing his ripe age he stood before her in all the strength of
manliood and lofty dignity, and the beseeching of his
eyes, more wont to command, went to her soul.

But she looked for another with ardent longing, and her
only rejjly was a regretful shake of the head.

But this man, the head of his tribe, v/ho was accus-
tomed to go straight to the end of anything he had
resolved upon, was not deterred by this silent rejection,
and went on more fervently than before : '' Do not in one
moment overthrow the clierished hopes of many years !
Is it my age that repels you ? "

And once more Miriam shook her head. But Hur
^^Again spoke :

"That, indeed, was what troubled me, although in
Strength and vigor I could measure myself against many a
Jrounger man. And if you could but overlook your suitor's
%x(iy liairs you might perhaps bring yourself to consider his
Jrecpicst, Of the truth and devotion of my suit I will say
iiothing. No man sues to a woman at my age unless his
heart urges with great power. V>vX th.ere is another thing
"Whicli to me seems of no less woi;:]U. I would fain, as [
liave said, take you home to my house. Ther it ^;ianfls ;
It is strong and roomy enough j but from to-morrow a

lif,

(1 1 1

Ml I I

f» JOSHUA,

lent must be our roof, a camp our dwelling place, and
wild deeds will be done there. Look only on the hapless
creatures they have bound to that palm tree. There is no
judge to try the accused : tlie hasty impulse of the people
is their only law. No one is secure even of his life, least
•f all a woman, however strong she may feel herself, who
casts in her lot with those against whom the multitude
niarmur. Your parents are dead, your brothers cannot
protect you, and if the multitude should lay hands on
them the stone over which you hoped to cross the flood
will drag you to the bottom."

" And if I were your wife, drag you with me," replied
Miriam, iind her thick, black brows were gloomily knit.

'* That danger I am prei)ared to face," answered Hur.
*'Our lot is in the hands of the Lord \ my faith is as firm
as yours, and behind me stands the whole tribe of Judah,
which follows me and Nahshon as a flock follows the
shepherd. Old Nun and the Ephraimites are faithful to
ms, and if it came to the worst it would be our duty to
perish as God wills, or, after reaching the Promised Land,
to wait in patience for our latter end in faithful union, in
wealth and power."

At this Miriam looked him full and fearlessly in the
eyes, and laid her hand on his arm, saying :

" Such words are worthy of the man I have revered
from my childhood, the father of such sons. Yet I cannot
lie your wife."

" You cannot ? "

" Nay, my lord, I cannot."

" A hard saying, but I must be content," replied Hur,
and he bowed his head sadly.

But Miriam went on :

" Nay, Hur, you have a right to ask the reason of my
refusal, and inasmuch as I honor you I owe you the simple
truth. My heart is set on another man of our people. I
first saw him while I was but a child. Like your son and
grandson, he joined himself to the Egyptians. But he,
like them, has heard the call of God and of his father, and
if he, like Uri and Bezaleel, has obeyed them, and still
desires to have me to wife, I will go to him if it be the
Lord's will, whom I serve and who grants me of His grace
lo hear His voice. But I will ever think thankfully of
jrou." As she spoke the girl's large eyes glistened through

JOSHUA,

replied
knit,
ed Hur.
s as firm
f Judah,
lows the
aithful to
ir duty to
sed Land,
union, "^

sly i"t

the

re revered
;t 1 cannot

plied Hur,

lason of tny
1 the simple
I people. 1 ^
lour son ana
IS. But he,
, father, and
^m, and sull
,, if it be the
of His grace
thankfully o
>ned through

tears, and her grey-haired suitor's foice qniyered as he

asked her shyly and hesitatingly :

" But if the man you wait for — I do not seek to know
kis name — if he turns a deaf car to the call that has p;onc
fcrth to him, if he refuses to throw in his lot vs.th the
•ncertain lot of his nation? "

'• That can never be ! " cried Mirram \ but a cold chil{
fan through her veins, as Hur exclaimed :

" There is no never, no certainty save with God. And
if in spite of your high faith, things fall out other than
you expect — if the Lord deny you the desire which first
grew up in your heart when you were yet but a foolish
ehild?"

•* Then will He show me the right way by which He
kith led me until now."

" Well, well," said Hur, •' build on that foundation, and
if the man of your choice is worthy of you pnd becomes
your husband my soul shall rejoice without envy, if the
Lord shall bless your union. But if, indeed, God wills it
otherwise, and you shall crave a strong arm on which to
Jean, here am I. The heart and the tent of Hur will be
•ver open to you."

He hurried away. Miriam gazed after him, lost in
thought, till the proud and princely figure was out of
sight.

Then she made her way back toward the home of hei
protectors ; but as she crossed the way leading to Tanis
•he paused to look northward. The dust was laid and
the road could be traced far into the distance \ but he, the
one who should be riding toward her and toward his
people, was not in sight. It was with a heavy sigh and
drooping head that she went on her way, and the sound
fi her brother Moses, deep voice made her start as she
leached the sycamore.

'T-

CHAPTER XHL

Aaron and Eleazar in stirring words had reminded the
■aurmuring disheartened people of the might and promises
of their God. Those who had stretched themselves out
f^ictly to their rest, after being refreshed by drink and food,

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* :iili

ft JOSHUA,

found their lost confidence revived. The freed bonds-
men remeinbered the cruel slavery and degrading blows
from which they had escaped, acknowledging, as the
others did, that it was by God's providence tliat Pharaoh
was not i)ursuing them. The ricli supplies, which were
still being distributed from the plundered storehouse, con-
tributed not a little to reanimate their courage, and the
serfs and lepers — for they, for the most part, had marched
forth also, and were resting outside the camp — in short,
all those for whose maintenance Pharaoh had provided,
knew that for some time they were secure from need and
want. Nevertheless there was no lack of discontented
spirits, and now and then, without any one knowing who
had started the question, it was asked if it would not be
wiser to turn back and trust to Pharaoh's forgiveness.
Those who uttered it did so secretly, and had often to take
a sharp or threatening answer.

Miriam had come out to meet her brothers and shared
their anxiety. How quickly had the spirit of the people
been broken in this short march by the hot desert wind !
How discontented, how distrustful, how hostile they had
shown themselves at the very first adversity. How
unbridled in following their own wild impulses !

When they had been Jled together for prayer on the
way, a short time before sunrise, some had turned toward
the sun as it rose in the east, some had pulled out images
of the gods which they had brought with them, and others
again had fixed their eyes on the acacia trees by the road,
which were regarded as sacred to many of the provinces
by the Nile. What, indeed, could they know of the God
who had commanded them to leave so much behind them
and to carry such a burden ? Many of them were even
now quite disheartened, and as yet they had faced no real
danger, for Moses had purposed to lead his people by the
direct road to Philistia into the Promised Land of Pales-
tine, but their demeanor forced him to give up this place
and to think of another.

In order to reach the highway which connected Asia
and Africa, it was necessary to pass over the isthmus
which really divides rather than it unites the two conti-
nents ; but it was well defended from invaders, and the
way was secure from fugitives, partly by natural and
partly by artificial obstacles. A succession of deep lakes

yOSHUA.

)ond8-
blows
as the
laraoh
[\ were
e, con-
Lud the
larched
1 short,
ovidcd,
^ed and
ntented
ing who
I not bt
;iveness.
1 to take

i shared
e people
irt wind !
they had
r. How

broke the level land, and where these did not check the
wanderers' march, strong fortifications towered up in
which lay Egyptian troops ready to figlu.

Khetam, or, as tlie IsraeHtes called it, Elham, was the
name of this range of forts, and the nearest and strongest
could be reached in a few hours by the tribes who were
marching from Succoth.

With the people full of the spirit of their God, inspired
and prepared for the worst, freed from their chains and
rejoicing in their newly gained liberty, rushing along
toward the Promised Land, Moses and the other leaders
with him had intended that, like a mountain torrent burst-
ing through dams and sluices, they should annihilate and
destroy all who came in their way. With this inspirited
throng, whose bold advances might achieve the highest
triumphs, and to whom cowardly retreat could have meant
nothing but death and destruction, they had expected to
overthrow the works of the Etham frontier like a pile f
brushwood. But now that a few short hours of weariness
and suffering had quenched the fire in their souls, now
that on every side could be seen for every hapj)y, elated
man, two indifferent and five discontented or frightened,
the storming of the Etham lines would have cost streams
of blood and wou'd have risked all that they had already
gained.

The conquest of ihe little garrison in the storehouse at
Pithom happened under such favorable circumstances as
liiey could not expect to occur again, and so the original
]ilan had to be altered and an attempt made to get round
the fortress. Instead of marching north-east the people
turned toward the south.

These things were discussed under the sycamore tree in
front of Aminadab's house, and Miriam listened, a mute
witness.

When the men held counsel, the women, and she also,
had to be silent, but she found it hard to hold her peace
when they came to the conclusion that they must avoid
attacking the forts, even if Joshua, the man skilled in war
and chosen by the Lord Himself to be the sword of Jeho-
vah, should return.

"Of what avail is the bravest leader when there is no
army to obey him ? " cried Nahshon, the son of Amina-
dab, and the rest had been of his opinion.

.f4 JOSHUA,

When at length the assembled elders parted Moses took
leave of his sister with brotherly tenderneiis. She knew
that he had it in his mind to go forth into fresh dangers,
iind iu the modest way she always used when she ventured
to speak to the man who, in body and mind, was so far
above all others, she told him of her fears. He looked
her in the lace with kindly reproof, and with right l,an4
pointed to heaven. She understood him, and kissed his
hand wilh grateful warmth, saying: "Thou art under the
shield of the Most High, a' d I fear no longer."

He pressed his lips to her brow, and taking her tablets
from her, wrote on them a few words and cast ihem int9
the lr;llow stem of the sycamore.

'' For Hosea — nay, for Joshua," said he, " if he should
come while I am absent. The Lord hath great tilings for
him to do when he shall have learned to trust in Him rather
than i:i the mighty ones of the earth."

He quitted her; but Aaron, who, as being the elder,
was the head of the family, remained with Miriam ar.d told
her that a worthy man had asked for her to wife ; she
turned pale and answered : " I know it."

He looked her in the face much surprised, and went o«
in a tone of grave warning :

" It must be as you will, but it would be well that yoi
should reflect that your heart belongs to God and to your
people ; the man whom you marry must be as ready as
yourself to serve them both, for two become one when
they are wed, and if the highest aim of one is as nought t*
the other they are no more one, but two. The voice of
the senses which called them together is presently silent,
and what remains is a gulf betwi.en them.'"

AVith these words he left her, and she, too, turned to
quit the assembly, for perhaps now, on the eve cf their
departing, she mi:;ht be needed in the house cf which fhe
was an inmate ; but a new incident arose to keep her by
the sycamore, as if she were bound and fettered to it.

What could the ])ncl;ing matter, and the care for perish-
able treasure and worldly goods, when questions here were
raised which stirred her whole soul. There was Elishcba,
Nahshon's wife, and any housewife or slave woman could
do the home work ; hrre there were other matters to de-
cide, the -weal or woe of the nation.

Certain men of the better sort from among the people

JOSHUA.

ook

new
gcis,
urea
io far
(okcd
l,att4
dhis
cr the

nblets
m into

shoulA
ngs for
[I rather

: eUkr,
and told
ife ; she

went om

that yo»
1 to your
ready as
ne Nvhea
nought to
voice of
■ly silent,

turned to
cf their
1,'hich jhe
bp her by
lio it.
Dr perish-
hicre were
lElishcba,
jian could
lers to de-

ttie

people

had by this time joined themselves to the elders under the
sycamore, but Hur had depared with Moses.

Now Uri, the son of Hur, came into the group. He, as
a metal worker, but just come from Egypt, had at Mem-
phis had dealings with many about the court, and he had
heard that the king would be willing to relieve the Hebrews
of their heaviest burdens, and to grant them new privi-
leges, if only M'^scs would entreat the God he served to
be favorable to Pharaoh, and persuade the people to retura
so soon as they shuuld have sacrificed in the desert. So
the assembly now proceeded to discuss whether envoysj
should not be sen* to Tanis to treat once more with the
" High Gate."

This proposal, which he had not, indeed, dared to lay
before his father, had been made by Uri in all good faith
to the assembled elders, and he hoped that its acceptance
might save the Hebrews much suffering. But hardly had
he ended his very clear and persuasive speech when old
Nun, Joshua's father, wno had with difficulty held hii
peace, started up in wrath.

The old man's face, usually so cheerful, was crimsott
with anger, and its deep hue was in strange contrast with
the thick, white hair which hung about it. Only a short
while since he had heard Moses reject similar proi)osali
with stern decision and the strongest arguments ; and now
must he hear them repeated. And by many signs of
approval on the part of those assembled he saw that the
great undertaking for which he, more than any one, had
staked and sacrificed his all, was imperilled. It was too
much for the vehement old man, and it was with a flashing
eye and threatening fists that he exclaimed :

" What words are these ? Shall we reknit the ends of
the cord which the Lord our God hath cut ? Are we to
tie it, do you say, with a knot so loose that it will hold
just so long as the present mood of an irresolute weakling,
who has broken his word to Moses and to us a score oif '
times? Would you have us return into the cage from
which the Almighty hath released us by a miracle ? Are
we to stand before the Lord our God as false debtors ?
Shall we take the fahe gold which is offered us rather
than the royal treasure which He hath promised us ? Oh,
man ! You who have come from the Egyptian ! I would
I could **

yoa/iUA.

And the fierce old man shook his fist ; but before he
had spoken the threat which was on his lips he ceased and
his arm fell, for Gabriel, the elder of the tribe of Zcbulon,
called out :

" Remember your own son, who at this day is still con-
tent to dwell among the enemies of Israel ! "

The blow had told ; but it was only for a moment that
the fiery patriarch's high spirit was quelled. Above the
hubbub of voices which rose in disapproval of Gabriel's
malice, and the lesser number who took i)art with him.
Nun's was heard : " It is by reason of the fact that, besides
the loss of the ten thousand acres of land wliich I have left
behind, I may, perchance, have also to sacrifice my noble
son in obedience to the word of the Lord, that I have a
right to speak my mind." His broad breast heaved sorrow-
fully as he spoke, and now his eyes, beneath their thick,
white brows, fell with a milder gleam on tlie son of Hur,
who had turned pale under this violent address, and he
went on : "This man is indeed a good son and obedient
to his father, and he, too, has made a sacrifice, for he has
come away from his work, in which he won great praise,
and from his home in Memphis, and the blessing of the
Lord rest upon him ! But inasmuch as he has obeyed that
bidding, he ought not to try to undo that which, by the
Lord's help, we have begun. And to you, Gabriel, I say
that my son is of a surety not content to dwell with the
enemy; nay, that he will obey my voice and join himself
to us, even as Uri, the first-born son of Hur. Whatever
keeps him back, it is some good reason of which Joshua need
not be ashamed, nor I, his father. I know him. I trust
him for that : and he who looks for aught else from him
will of a surety, by my son's dealings, sooner or later, be
shown to be a liar."

He ceased, pushing his white hair back from his heated
brow ; and as no more contradicted him he turned again
to the metal worker, saying with hearty kindness : " It was
not your meaning, Uri, which roused my ire. Your will is
good ; but you have measured the greatness and glory of
the God of our fathers by the standard of the false gods of
the Egyptians, who perish and revive again, and, as Aaron
has said, are but a small part of Him who is in all and
through all above all. Till Moses showed me the way I,
too, believed I was serving the Lord by slaying an ox, a

JOSHUA.

nt that
)ve the
abrieVs
th him,
besides
lave left
ly noble
L have a
. sorrow-
ir thick,
of Hiir,
1, and he
obedient
31- he has
It praise,
ig of the
eyed that
:h, by the
riel, I say

with the

11 himself

[whatever

Ishua need

I trust

from him
I- later, be

lamb or a goose on an altar, as the Egyptians do, and
nuw, if your eyes are opened, as mine uvrc by Mones, to
behold Him who rules the world and who hatli c:!ioscn us
to be His people, you, like me and all of us — yea, and ere
long my own son — will feci the fire kindled f'»r sacrifico in
your own hearts — a fno that never dies out. and (:on;u!nos
everything which does not turn to love and truth and faith
and worship of Him. For the Lord hath promised us great
things by the word of His servant Moses : Redemption
from bondage, that we may be free lords and masters
henceforth on our own soil and in a fair land which is ours
and our children's forever ! We arc on our way to this
gift, and whosoever would delay us on our way, or desires us
to return and crawl hack into the net whose meshes of
brass we have burst asunder, counsels the i)cople to become
as sheep who leap back into the fire from which they have
escaped. I am not wroth with you now, for I read in your
face that you know how greatly you have erred, but hereby
ye all shall know that I heard from the lips of Moses but a
few hours since that whosoever shall counsel a return or any
covenant with the Egyptians, he himself v.ill accuse as
condemning the Lord Jehovah our God, and as the des-
troyer and foe of his people."

At this Uri went up tc the old man, held out his hand,
and, deeply persuaded in his heart of the justice of his
reproof, exclaimed : " No dealings, no covenant with the
Egyptians ! And I am grateful to you. Nun, for having
opened my eyes. The hour is at hand when you, or
another who stands nearer to Him than I, shall teach me
to know more perfectly the God who is my God likewise."

Hereupon he went away with the old man, who leaned
his arm upon his shoulder.

Miriam had listened with breathless eagerness to Uri's
last appeal, and when he gave utterance to the wish to
know more perfectly the God of his fathers, her eyes shone
with inspired ecstasy. She felt that her spirit was full of
the greatness of the Most High, and that she had the gift of
speech wherewith to make known to others the knowledge
she herself possessed. But the custom of her people
required her to be silent. Her heart burned within her, and
when she had again mingled with the crowd, and assured
herself that Joshua was not yet come, as it was now dusk,
she went up to the roof, there to sit with the others.

yosffr.'.

None seemed to have missed her, not even poor, forlorn
Milcah, and slie felt herself alone indeed in this house. If
Joshua might but come. If only she might find a strung
breast on which to lean, if this sense of being a stranger
among her kindred might have an end — this useless life
under the roof which she nnisi call her home, although she
had never felt at home there !

Moses .111(1 Aaron, her brolhers. luid departed, and had
taken witii tliem Hiir's graiilson ; ami she, who lived and
breathed only for her jjcople and iheir well-being, had not
been found worthy to be told more ])articulnrly whither
they were faring, or to what end. Ah ! why had the
Almighty, to whom she had devoted herself, body and soul,
given her the spirit and mind of a man in the form of a
woman ?

She waited awhile as if to see whether, of all this circle
of kind hearts, her kith and kin, there w.-.s not one to love
her, listening to the chatter of old and young who sur-
rounded her ; but Elea/ar's children gathered about their
grandjjarents, and she had never had the art of attracting
the little ones. Dame Elisheba was directing the slaves
who were ])utting the finishing touches to the baggage.
Milcah sat with a cat in her lap, gazing into vacancy, and
the bigger lads were out of doors. No one noticed her or
spoke to her.

Bitter sorrow fell upon her. After eating her supper
with the others, making a great effort not to cast the gloom
of her own dark mood over the happy excitement of the
children, who looked forward with great glee to their
departing, she felt she must get out into the free air.

Veiling her face closely, she crossed the camp alone.
But the scenes she saw there were ill-fitted to lift the burden
that weighed upon her. It was still astir, and although
here and there pious songs rang out, full of triumph and
hope, there was more quarreling to be heard, and rebellious
uproar. Whenever threats or reviling against her great
brothers met her ear she hastened forward, but she could
not run away from her anxiety as to what might happen at
sunrise, when the people were to set forth, if the malcon-
tents gained the upper hand. She knew that the multitude
must necessarily move onward ; still she had never been
able to siibdue her fears of Pharaoh's mighty army. It was
personified to her in Joshua's heroic f^rm. If the Lord of

JOSHUA.

Hosts Himself were not with the ranks of these .> retched
bondsmen and shci)herds who were squabl)ling and fighting
all about her, how should they be able to stand against the
tried and well-armed troopN of Kgypt, with their chariots
and hordes ?

She hud heard that men had been placed on guard at
every i)art of t'le camp, and ordered to blow a blast on a
horn or drum or a meial i)latc in the event of the enemy's
approach, till the Hebrews should have come together at
the spot where tiie alarm should be first sounded.

She stood for some time listening for some such call, but
yet more eagerly for the hoofs of a solitary horse, tb" firm
tread and the deep voice of the warrior for whom she
longed.

Looking for him she made her way to th.e northern side
of the camj) next the road to Tunis, where, too, by Moses'
order the larger j)ortion of the fighting men had pitched
their tents. Here she iuid hoped to find nothing but con-
fidence ; but as she listened to the talk of the men-at-arms,
who sat in large ])arties round the w.itch-fires, she shuddered
to hear that UrI's counsel had reached even to them.
Many of them were husbands and fathers, had left a house
or a plot of land, a business or an oftlcc, and although
many s]>oke of the commands of the Lord, and of the fair
land promised them by (lod, others were minded to turn
back. She would gladly have gone among them and have
called up(m these blind hearts to obey the bidding of the
T^ord and of her brother. liut here again she must keep
silence. However, she might at any rate listen, and she
was most tempted to linger where she might expect to hear
rebellious words and counsels.

There was a mysterious charm in this painful excitement.
She felt as though she had been robbed of a j^lcasurc when
the fires died out, the men retired to rest and silence fell.

Now, for the last time, she gazed out on the way from
Tanis, but nothing stirred except the watch i)acing to and
fro.

As yet she did not despair of Joshua's coming, for the
bidding she had sent him, in the full conviction that it was
the Lord Himself who had chosen her to deliver it, must
certainly have reached him ; now, however, as she read in
the stars that it was past midnight, she began to reflect
how many years he had dwelt among the Egyptians, and

lOO

yosin'A.

that ho might think ii unworthy of a man to hearken to ih>»
call of a woman, even wlun slie spoke in tlie name of the
Most HiL^li. She had in(h4re(l much hun ihation this day ;
why should not this also he hanging over her ? To the man
she loved, likewise, she ought, i)erhai)s, to have kept
silence, antl have left it to her brothers to declare the
Lord's behests to him.

CHATTKR XIV.

Much disturbed and grieved by such thoughts as these,
Miriam turned her steps homeward to retire to rest ; but
as she reached the threshold she stayed her steps and
listened once more, gazing northward whence Joshua must
come. Nothing was to be heard but tiie tramp of a
watchman and the voice of Hur, as he went the rounds
of the camp with a company of armed men. He, too,
had found it impossible to rest within.

The night was mild and blight with stars, the hour meet
for silent dreaming under the sycamore. Her seat was
vacant under the ancient tree, so, with a bowed head, she
made her way to the favorite spot which on the morrow
she must quit forever. Cut she had not reached the bercli
when she suddenly stopped, raised her ht.'ad, and pressed
her hand to her panting bosom. She had heard the tramp
of hoofs, she was sure of it, and the sound came from the
north. Were the chariots of Pharaoh hurrying down to
fall upon the Hebrew camp ? Should she shout to wake
the men-at-arms ? Or could it indeed be he whom she so
passionately longed for ? Yes, yes. It was the step of a
single horse, and it must be some new arrival, for there
was a stir among the tents, and clapping of hands and
shouts and eager talking came nearer and nearer as the
horseman approached.

It was Joshua, she felt certain.

That he should have ridden forth through the night and
torn asunder the ties which bound him to Pharaoh and his
brethren in arms was a proof of his obedience. Love had
steeled his will and lent speed to his steed, and t1 (. ij.inks
which lovt alone can ,>Tive, the reward which lov r.lonc can
bestow, should no longer be withheld from him. He

y<is7/f',i.

lOI

ay;

nan
ihe

; but

5 and
I must
, of a
•ounds
c, too,

ir meet
:at was
;ad, s^e
imoriow
Ic bei ch
pressed
\c tramp
from the
Pown to
to wake
n she so

icp ot ^
or there
Inds ai^d
r as the

ight and

and his

,ove had

hnuks

hlone can

lim. He

should loam in hoi arms that, though he had given up
mudi. it was to earn somelliing sweclrr and fairer. She
felt as tliou^'h the nigh' about her v/as as bright ns noonday,
whrn her ear told lu-r that tiie rider was in.ilxing straight
for Aniiuadab's dwelling. Uy that she knew that it was
her call that had brought him to seek her before going to
his father, who had found a lodging in the empty, roc^my
lious(« belongiii", l'> his grandson l'",|)hraim.

b)shu.i would gladly Iiave llown to her side as fast as his
horse could carry him, but it was not safe to ride at too
brisk a pace through the camp. Oh, how long the
minutes seemed till at last she saw the horseman, till he
leaped from the saddle, a)id his companion Hung the reins
to another mai^. who came behind.

It was, indeed, Joshua. But Ins c( mrade — whcm she
saw quite plainly, and started at the s ght — was Hur, the
very man who a few hours since had asked her to be his
wifj.

There they stood, side by side in the starlight, the two
men her suitors, their figmcs lighted up the blazing pine
torches which were still burning by the carts and litters
where they stood ready for the next morning's march.

The elder Hebrew, a splendid man, was much taller than
the younger and no less strongly built warrior, and the lord
of many herds held his head no less high than the Egyptian
hero. Both spoke with grave decision ; but her lover's
voice was the deeper and fuller. Now they were so close
to her that she could hear what they were saying.

Hur was telling the newcomer tha<" Moses had gone
forth to reconnoitre, and Joshua expressed his regret, as
he had a matter of importance to discuss with him.

In that case he would have to set forth with them at
daybreak, Hur observed, for Moses thought to meet the
people on the way. Then he i)ointed to the house of
Miriam's protector, Aminadab, which lay in total darkness,
unbroken by a single twinkling light, and desired Joshua
to come with him and si)end the remainder of the night
under his roof, for no doubt he would fain not rouse his
father at so late an hour. At this, as Miriam saw, her
friend hesitated and looked inquiringly up at the women's
rooms and the roof, and then, knowing whom he sought
and unable any longer to resist the impulse of her heart,
she went forward from under the shadow of the sycamore

loa

yosiiUA,

and warmly bid Joshua welcome. He, too, scorned to-
conceal the joy cf his heart, and Hur, standing by, saw the
reunited pair clasp hands, at first in silence and then with
eapfcr words of greeting.

" I knew that you would come ! " cried Mirian', and
Joshua replied with glad emotion: "That you might
easily know, O prophetess, for one of the voices that bid
me hither was your own." Then he added more calmly :
*' I hoped lo find your brother here wiih you, for I am the
bearer of a message of the greatest imi)ortance to l.im. to
us and to the people. I find all made ready for dcpaiiing,
and I should be sorry if your venerable protectors were
roused from their rest and hurried forward to a perilous
adventure which it still seems jjossible to avert."

" You mean ? " asked Hur, and he came closer.

" I mean," replied Joshua, " that if Moses persists iiv
leading the multitude forth eastward, there will be much
useless bloodshed to-morrow, for I heard at Tanis that the
garrisons of Etham have orders not to let a single man
pass, much less this countless multitude, whose riumbers
dismayed me as I rode through the camp. I know Apoo,
who commands the ])lace, and the legions who ser\e under
him. There will be a fearful and fruitless butchery among
our unarmed and undiscii)lined tribes — in short I must
speak strongly to Moses, and immediately, to avert the
worst, before it is too late."

*' We have not failed to fear all that you can warn us of,**
replied Hur, " and it is expressly to avert it that Moses has
set forth on a perilous journey."

"Whither?" asked Joshua.

" That is the secret of the leaders of the people."

" Among them my father ? "

" No doubt, and I am ready to lead you to him.
thinks fit to inform you

»»

If he
Who

" If that is contrary to his duty he will be silent
leads the marching host to-morrow ? "

" I do."

" You ? " cried Joshua in surprise, and the other quietly
replied :

'* You are amazed that a shepherd should be so bold as
to lead an- army, but the Lord God of Hosts, in whom we
put our trust, is indeed our captain, and I look for His
guidance."

■}".s7/r.i.

'03

•' It is well," replied Joshua, "but I too believe that the
(iod of our fathers, who called me hither by the voice of
Miriam, has intrusted me with a message of great imi)or-
tance, I must find Moses before it is too late.''

•* Vou have been told that till lo-morrow, or even till the
day after, he is beyond our reach, even mine. Will you
meanwliile sjjeak with Aaron?"

'' Is he in the camp ? "

•* No ; but we look for his return before the departingnf
the peoi)le — that is to say, in a few lunirs."

"Has he the right of deciding (picstions of importance in
the absence of Moses? "

" No ; he only delares to the jK'ople in eloriucnt words
that which his great brother commai ds."

At this the disappointed warrior gazed thoughtfully on
the ground ; but after a moment's relUciion he eagerly
went on : " It is to Moses that the Lord our (iod declares
His will ; but to you, too. his noble, virgin sister, to you,
too, the Most High reveals himself."

"Oh, Joshua I" tlie projihctcss broke in, lifting her
hands to him with an ini])loring and deprecating gesture ;
but the captain paid no heed to her interruption and went
on in ail earnest tone : '* The Lord Oocl charged you to
call me, His servant, back to His i)eople. He commanded
you to give me the name I am to bear instead of that given
me by my father and mother, and which I have i orne in
honor for thirty years. In obedience to your bidding I
have cast from me all that could make me great among
men. It was when I was in the way to face death in Egypt,
with my God and your image in my heart, that the message
came to me which I am here to deliver, and I therefore
believe that it was laid upon mc by the >.. -^t^ High. I am
constrained to deliver it to the leader of the nation ; so, as
I cannot find Moses, I can do no better than to deliver it
to you, who, next to your brother, dwells nearest to God.
I pray you now to hear me ; but the words I have to speak
are not yet ripe for any third hearer. At this Hur drew
himself up. Breaking in on Joshua's speech he asked
Miriam whether it was her desire to hear what the son of
Nun should say without witnesses, and she replied in a
low voice, " Yes."

Hur turned to the warrior and said, with (old pride :
'' I believe that Miriam knows the will of the Lord and

104

JOSHUA.

illil

'lii'i

likewise her brotlier's, and tliat she is aware of what beseems
a woman of Israel. If I am not mistaken it was under
tliis very tree that your own father, the venerahU; Nun,
repeaud to my son I'ri the only reply which Moses will
give to the bearer of such message as yours."

" Do you know it, th.-n ? '' asked the soldier,, sternly.

" No/' replied the other, " but I guess iis purport. See
here." lie stooped with youthful agilily, raised two large
stones so tliat they sui)pi)rted each othe:, rolled a few
smaller stones mUi a heaj) around them, and then, in
breathless eagerness, he sjjoke as follows :

"This heap shall be a witness between me and thee,
like the heap of Mizpah which Laban and Jacob made
wlien Laban called upon the Lord lo watch between him
and Israel : so do I now, and I show thee this heap that
thou mayest remember it when we are absent one fr( m
another. I lay my hand on this heap of stones, and I
declare that I, Hur, the son of Calel) and Ephratah, ]nit
my trust in none other but only in the Lord, the God of
our fathers, and am ready to do His bidding by which He
calk.th us out of the land of Pharaoh to the land which He
liath promised us. And thou, Joshua, the son of Nun, do
I ask, and the Lord our Godheareth thee : Dost thou look
for any help other than that of the God of Abraham, who
chose thy nation to be His own people? Moreover, thou
shalt answer and say whether henceforth thou wilt hold
the Egyptians who oppressed us, and out of whose hand
the Lord our God hath piromised to redeem us, as the foes
forever of thy God and thy jjcoplc.^ "

There was a dark look in the warrior's bearded face, and
he was inclined to kick down the heap of stones and
dismiss the overbold questioner with a wrathful reply : but
Miriam had laid her hand on the top of the heap, and.
seizing liis right hand, she cried :

'' He inquires of thee in the sight of our God and Lord
who is oiu" witness ! "'

Joshua was able to control his wrath, and pressing the
maiden's hand as he held it he answered with due solemnity :
*' He asks me, but I cannot answer him ; for ' yea ' and
' nay ' say little in this case. Yet I call God to witness on
my part, and here by this heap of stones you, Miriam,
shall hear- what I have in my mind and wherefor I am
come. And thou, Hur, see here I Like thee I lay my hand

yos/iTA.

105

ems

;i(lcr

<un,

will

See

large
a few
:n, in

thee,

made
iw him
p that
e fi< m
, anil I

\h, r^i^

God of
-lich He
lich He
N^m, do
iiou look

m, who
thou

ilt hold

se hand
the foes

[ace, and

Ines and

)ly ; but

ap, and.

nd T^ord

;smg the
Icmnity :
rca ' and
luness on
Miriam,
^for 1 am
[my hand

on the hcvip and tcsliiy lluit 1, Joshua, tlic son (f Nun, put
in\' trust ill none other but o;il}" in the Lord (lt;(.l of our
failicrs. He shall stand belw.'cn thee and inc as a witness,
and decide whetlier my way :, His way or the wa\- of an
erring man. I \.iil walk in His way as He hath tlechired it
to Moses and to tills nol)k maiden. That 1 swear »vilh an
oaili. and to ilKit (iod he my witness."

Hur hail listened eag'-rly, and now. persuaded by the
gravit}' of Joshua's s])eech, he cried :

'• 'IT.e 1-oid ourCiod hear mine oath! And I, too. by
this heaj", \\iii lake an oath I If the hour should come
w'v'u, r.niemberinL; this hea{), thou shalt give the testimony
which thou liast refused me, no wrath henceforth shall
come between us ; and if it bo the will of the Lord I
will deliver into thy hands the leadershij), for thou in many
wars hast learnetl more skill than I, who have ruled only
over herdsmen and flocks. And thoi;, Miriam, bear in
mind that this heap is a witness of the words you twain
shall speak here in the sight of (iod. Call to mind the
wrathful words we heard spoken under this tree by this
man's father ; yea, and 1 call God to witness that I would
have darkened the life of Uri, my beloved son, who is the
joy of my heart, if he had spoken to the ])eople to persuade
them by the message which he delivered to us, for it would
have turned away those of little faith from their God.
Remember this, maiden, and again hear this : If thou
needcst me thou canst fmd me. The door I opened, come
what may, will never be shut."

And he turned away from Miriam and the soldier.

Something, they knew not what, had come over them.
He, wl^o all througji his long ride, beset with many dangers,
had longed with biirning ardor for the moment which
should see him reunited to the maid he loved, stood look-
ing down in confu ion and deep anxiety. Miriam, who,
at his apjiroach, had been ready to bestow on him all that
a woman has of l>est and sweetest '.o reward truth and love
w-ithal, Iiad sunk on the ground in front of the awful h ao
of stones close to the sycamore tr.'e, and was pressing her
head against its old liollow trunk.

io6

JOSHUA,

CHAPTER XV.

FoK some time nothing was lobe heard under the syeamoic
but the young girl's low sobbing and the impatient step nl
the warrior, who. while struggling for eomposure himsiil.
did not venture to address her. He <'ould riot fully
understand what this was that h;ul suddenly come like a
mountain between him and the woman he loved.

He had learned from Hur's speech that Moses and his
own fatlur had each, severally, rejeeied all mediation ,
and Net lo him the jironnses he was empoweretl to make
seemed a grace and gift from Heaven. As yet none of his
nation had heard them, and it Moses were the man he
believed him, the Lurii vaust of a s.:ielyoi)en his eyes and
show him diat He had chosen bv^i-.u.i lo guide the peoi)lr
to a hapjiier future : nor did he doubt that he could easily
win over his father, Nun. It was ii full conviction that
he had again sworn that it was indeed the Most High who
had shown him this way ; ar.d al"ter thinking all this over
as Miriam at length rose, he went toward her with renewed
hope. The love in his heart prompted him to clasp her
in his arms ; but she drew back, and her voice, usually so
pure and full, sounded harsh and husky as she asked him
wherefore he had tarried so long, and what ii was that he
})ur]>osed to reveal to her.

As she knelt under the sycamore she had not merely
been praying and struggling for composure ; she had
looked into her soul. She loved Joshua, but her heart
misgave her that he had some proposal to make such as
l"''ri's, .and old Nun's wrathful words rang in her ears loudei
than ever. Her fear lest her lover had gone astray inui
an evil way, and Huf's startling proceedings, had lulled
the surges o^'her jxission ; and her spirit, brought back to
calmer reflection, now craved above all else to know what
could so long have detained him whom she had sent for in
the name of the Lord, and wherefore he had come alone
without Ei)hraim. The clear sky, glorious with stars.
instead of looking down on the bliss of a pair of reunited

yos/fcj.

lovers, was witness only to the anxious (lucstioning of a
tiMiifu'd woman and the impatient answers of a liot
spiiited and bitteily-disappoinled man. lie began by
muing lii: love, and that he had tome to make her his wifi-,
but she, t!u>iigh she suffered him to hold her hand, im-
l>lored him to postpone his wooing, and to tell her first all
she wanted to know.

On his wav hither he had he.ird news of I'.phraim from
a fellow soldier from 'Tanis. lie was therefore able to tell
her that he had gone into the town in disobediem f to
orders, siek and weary as he was, and moved, it would
seem, by curiosity, ami that he had found (are ;ind shelter
under a frii>ndly roof. This, however, ditl not comfort
Miiiam, who blamed herself as she tiiought of the
inexp^-rienced and fatherless lad, who had grown \ip under
her ow n eyt's, and whom she lu-rself had sent ft.rth among
strangers, as a guest untler an Egyptian's roof. lb)wever,
loshua assurcil her that he would take upon himself to
iuing the boy back to his peojjle, and when she still was
not satisfied he asked her whether he had indeed lost all
her trust and love. But she, instead ofgiving him a word
ol comfort, began to (piestion l.im further, desiring to know
what had delayed his coming, so he was forced to tell his
tale, though greatly disturbed and cut to the heart, begin-
ning in fact with the end of his story.

While she listened to him, leaning against the trunk of
the sycamore, he, distraught by love aiul im|)atien( e, pai ed
up and down, or else, hardly able to control himself, stood
(lose to her, face to face. At this moment tiothing seemed
to him W()rthy to be clothed in si)eech but the passion nnd
the hoi)es which fdled his being. Had he been convint ed
that her heart was estranged from him he would have lied
from the camp as soon as he had unburdened his soul to
his father, and have ridden away into the unknown in
search of Moses. All he cared for was to win Miriam and
to keep clear of dishonor ; and important as the events
and hopes of the last few days had been, he answered her
questions hastily, and as though the matters involved were
but a light thing. He began his tale in broken sentences,
and the oftener she interrupted him the more impatient
he bec.ime and the deeper the frown which knit his
brows.

Joshua had been riding southward for some few hours, in

1 *

i*^

io8

JOSHUA.

III '

high spirits and full of blossoming hopes, when shortly
before dusk he perceived a large crowd of men marching
on in front of him. At first he had taken them to l;e the
rear p;uard of the fugitive Hebrews, and he had hastened
his horse's pace. liut before he came up with the wan-
derers some peasant folk and drivers, leaving their carts
and beasts of burden in the lurch, had flown to met him
with loud shrieks and shouts of warning, telling him th.at
the troops in front were the multitude of lejjers. And their
warning was but too well justified, for the first who met
him with the heart-breaking cry, "■ Unclean ! unclean ! "
bore the tokens of those who were a prey to the terrible
disease, their dull eyes staring at him from faces devoid of
eyebrows and covered with the white, scurfy dust peculiar
to leprosy,

Joshua presently recognized one and another of them,
among them here and there an Egyptian priest with shaven
head, and Hebrew men and women. He questioned them
with the calm severity of a warrior chief, and learned that
they had come from the quarries opposite Memphis, their
place of exile on the eastern shore of the Nile. Certain
Hebrews among them had heard that their people had fled
from Egypt to seek a land which the Lord had promised
them. On this, many had determined to put their trust in
the mighty God of their fathers and to follow the wander-
ing tribes ; and the Egyptian priests even, whose affliction
had cast in their lot with the Hebrews, had set forth with
them, fixing on Succoth as the goal of their wanderings,
whither, as they heard, Moses was first to lead the people.
But every one who might have told them the road had fled
at their approach. Thus they had gone too far to the
northward, even almost as fas as the fortress of Tabnae.
It was at a mile from that place that Joshua had overtaken
them, and had counseled their leaders to return forthwith
and not to bring misfortune on the host of their brethren.
During their parley a company of Egyptian soldiers h.ad
come out from the citadel to meet the lepers and clear the
road of their presence ; however, the captain, who knew
Joshua, had used no force, and the two warriors had
persuaded the leaders of the unclean to lei tliemselves be
guided to the peninsula of Sinai, whe:e tliere was already
a colony of lepers among the mountains, net far from the
mines. They had yielded to this proposal because Joshua

yosi/CA.

109

had promised ihcm that if the Israelites wandered eastward
they would visit them and receive all who should be
healed; but even if the Hebrews remained in Egypt the
pure air of the desert would bring health to many sufferers,
and every one who recovered was free to return to his
people.

All this consumed much time ; and then other delays
had occurred, lor as Joshua had been in such near neigh-
borhood to the lepers he had been compelled to go to
Tabnac, where he and the cai)tain of the troops, who had
been with him, were sprinkled with the blood of birds,
clothed in clean linen, and obliged to go through certain
ceremonials which he himself had deemed necessary, and
which could only be performed in broad sunlight. His
squire had not been suffered to leave the citadel ; the soft-
hearted fellow, seeing a kinsman among the hapless
wretches, had clas])ed his hand.

The cause of this detention was saddening and sicken-
ii^f, and it was not till he had quitted Tabnae at noonday
a:^d turned his face toward Succoth that the hope and joy
of seeing Miriam again, and of delivering so cheering a
message, had revived in Joshua's breast.

Never had his heart beat higher with glad anticipation
than as he rode on through the night, each step bringing
him nearer to his father and his beloved, and at his
journey's end, instead of the highest bliss, naught had he
found till now but the most cruel disappointment.

He had related his meeting with the lepers briefly and
reluctantly, although he had done, as he believed, what was
best for these hapless folk. Any one of his I'cllow-soldiers
would have had a word of praise for him, but she, whose
approbation was dearer to him than all else, pointed, as he
ended, to a certain spot in the camp, saying mournfully •

" They are of our blood ; our God is their God. The
lepers of Zoan, Phakos and Phibeseth followed the rest at
a reasonable distance, and their tents are pitched outside
the camp. Those of Succoth likewise — they are not many
— are to journey with them, and when the Lord promised
the p ■ pie the land for which they longed it was to great
and small and poor alike, and, of a surety, to those poor
wretches who now arc left in the hands of the enemy.
Would you not have done better to divide those of our
race from the Egyptians and bring them hither ? "

:t;

yos/iUA.

At this the soldier's manly pride rebelled, and his reply
was grave and stern.

** In war a man learns to sacrifice hundreds that he may
save thousands. Even the shepherd removes the rotten
sheep to save the flock."

" Very true," replied the girl eagerly, '* for the shepherd
is but a man, who knows no remedy against the evil. Dut
the Lord who hath railed all His peoi)le will not sufTcr
them to come to harm through obedience."

•'.So women tliink ! " retorted Joshua. ''But the
counsels of iom})assion which move them must not \k
suffcMcd to weigh loo heavily in those of men. You aii'
ready to follow the dictates of your heart, as indeed is
most fitting, so long as you do not forget what beseem-,
you and your sex.

Miriam's cheeks Hushed crimson, for she felt the stab
that was hidden in this speech with a double pang, since
it was dealt by Joshua. How much had she this day i)een
forced to renounce for her sex's sake ? And now she
was to be made to feel that she was not his equal, thatslic
was but a woman In the presence of the heap of stone?,
which Hur had built uji, and on which her hand at this
moment rested, he had appealed to her judgment as
though she were one of the leaders of the people ; and
now he roughly set her in her place — her, who felt herself
second to no man in gifts and in spirit.

Rut he, too, had been wounded in his pride, and her
demeanor warned him that this hour would decide whether
in their future union he or she should get the mastery. He
stood up in front of her in all his pride and high determi-
nation — never, indeed, had she thought him so manly or
so desirable. Yet the instinct to fight for her injured
womanly dignity was stronger than any other impulse, and
5nally it was she who broke the painful silence which had
followed his words of reproof. With a degree of composure
which she only achieved by the exertion of her utmost
power of will she began :

" But we are both forgetting what keeps us here at this
hour of the night. You were to reveal to me what brought
you hither, and to hear from my lips the judgment of the
Lord — not that of Miriam, the foolish woman."

" I had hoped to hear the voice of the maiden m whose
love I trusted," he gloomily replied.

JOSHUA.

Ill

"You shall hear it," she said, taking her hand frc.n off
the heap of stones. " But it may bcfiill that I cannot
consent to the judgrient of the man whose power and
wisdom are so far greater than mine, and you have laught
me that you cannot brook a woman's contradiction — not
even mine."

"Miriam!" he exclaimed, reproachfully, but she went
on more vehemently :

•' I have felt it deeply ; and as it would be the greatest
sorrow of my life to lose your heart, you must understand
mc fullv before you call upon me to pronounce judgment."

" But hrst hear my message."

" ^o — no I " she eagerly replied. •' The answer now
would (lie on my lips. First, let me tell you of th-j woman
who, though she has a loving heart, knows something
which she holds far above love. Vou smile ? And you
have a right to smile till you know that which I will reveal
to you."

" Speak, then 1 " he broke in, in a tone which betrayed
how hard he felt it to keep patience.

•' Thanks for that," she said, warmly. Then, leaning
against the tree trunk, while he sat down on the bench
and looked into her face and now on the ground, she
spoke :

'' I have left childhood behind me, aye, and my youth
will soon be a thing of the i)ast. While 1 was still but a
little child I was not very different from other girls. I
played with them, and although my mother taught me to
pray to the God of our fathers, still I was well content to
hear what other children would tell me of Isis. As ot"ten
as I could I would steal into her temple, buy spices and
strip my little garden for her ; would pour oil on her altar
and offer her flowers. I was taller and stronger than
many maidens of my age, and the daughter of Amram to
hoot, so that the others were ready enough to obey me
and do all I proposed. When I was eight years old we
moved hither from Zoan. Before I had found a playfellow
here you came to stay in the house of Gamaliel, your
sister's husband, to be healed of a wound from a Libyan's
lance. Do you remember that time, when you, a young
man, made a comrade of the little girl ? I fetched you all
you needed ; I chattered to you of all I knew, and you
told me tales of bloody fights and victory, and described

112

JOSHUA.

the splendid armor and the horses and chariots of the
soldiers. You showed me the ring you had won by your
valor, and when the wound in your breast was healed we
wai^dered about the meadows together.

' Isis, whom you worshiped, had her temple here also,
and how often would I steal secretly into its courts to pray
for you and carry her my holiday cakes. I had heard so
much from you of Pharaoh and his magnificence, of the
Egyptians and their wisdom, skill and luxurious lives, that
my little heart longed to dwell among them in the capital ;
it had moreover come to my ears that my brother Moses
had been treated with great kindness in the king's palace,
and had become a man held in high honor among tlie
priesthood. I could no longer be content with my own
folk, who seemed to me in all respects far behind the
Egyptians.

'Then came the parting from you, and as my little
heart was piously inclined, and looked for all good lo
come from divine power, by whatever name it was called,
I prayed for Pharaoh and for his army with which you
were fighting.

" My mother would sometimes speak of the God of our
fathers as of a mighty Defense who had done great things
of old for His people, and she told me many fine tales of
Him ; still ^he herself often sacrificed in the temple of
Set, or carried clover flowers to the sacred bull of the
Sun-god. She had kind thoughts, too, of the Egyptians,
among whom our Moses, iier pride and joy, had risen to
such high honor.

" Thus I came to be fifteen years old and lived hap])ily
with the rest. In the evening, when the herdsmen had
come home, I sat round the fire with the young ones, and it
pleased me when the sons of the great owners preferred
me above the others and paid court to me ; but I rejected
therri all, even the Egyptian captain who commanded the
guard in charge of the storehouse, for I always thought of
you, the companion of my childhood. The best I had to
give would nut have seemed too much for a magic si)ell
which might have brought you to my side, when at high
festivals I danced and sang to the tambourine, and the
loudest praise was always for me. Whenever I Lar.g before
others I thought of you, and as I did so I pouicH r, :[ O.
that filled my heart as a lark might, so that my song was

yosiiUA.

113

ots of the
311 !)>• your
. healed we

■I here ab;o,
arts to pray
d heard so
nee, of the
s Hves, that
the capital ;
3thcr Moses
,ng's palace,
among the
•ith my own
• behind the

as my little
all good lo
t was called,
h which you

e God of our

t great things

r Ime tales of

he temple of

bull of the

e Egyptians

had risen to

[lived happily
-rdsmen had

ones, and it
Lrs preferred
fut I rejected
iimanded the
Is thought of

3est I had to
magic spell
[•hen at high
}ine, and the

I Lar.g before

)Ulcd (- :t -il

Imy song ^v:^=

to you and not to the praise of the Most High, to whom it
was dedicated."

At this a fresh glow of passion possessed the man to
whom his beloved confessed such gladdening trutii. He
sprang up and held out his arms to her, but she forbade
him with stern severity, tluit she herself might remain mis-
tress of the longing which threatene<l to be too much
for her.

Iler deep voice had a different .ing in it as she went on,
at first quickly and softly, but ])rescntly louder and more
impressively :

"And so I came to be eighteen, and I could endure Suc-
coth no longer. An unutterable yearning, not for you only,
came over my soul. Things that had formerly brought me
joy now seemed empty, and the monotony of my life here
in this remote frontier town, among flocks and herdsmen,
seemed to mc dreary and wri'tched.

" Kleazar, Aaron's son, had taught me to read, and
brought me books full of tales which could never have been
true, but which nevertheless stirred my heart. Many of
them contained praises of the gods and ardent songs, such
as lovers sing one to another. These took deep hold on
me, and when I was alone in the evening or at mid-day,
when all was still and the shepherds and herdsmen were
away at pasture, I would rehearse these songs or invent
new, mostly hymns in prai.se of the Divinity, in honor of
Amon, with his ram's head, or of Isis, with the head of a
cow ; but often, too, of the Almighty Lord who revealed
Himself to Abraham, and of whom my mother spoke more
often as she grew older. And this was what I loved best
— to think in silence of such songs of praise, and wait for
visions in which I saw God's greatness and glory, or fair
angels and hideous demons. From a merry child I had
become a pensive maiden who let her life go as it might.
There was no one to warn or to hinder mc ; my parents
were now dead, and I lived alone with my Aunt Rachel, a
misery to myself and no joy to any one else. Aaron, my
eldest brother, had gone to dwell with his father-in-iaw,
Aminadab, for the old home of Amram, his inheritance,
was too small for^him, and he had bestowed it on me. My
companions even avoided me, for all gladness had depart-
ed from me, and I looked down upon them in sinful scorn
because I could compose songs and see more in my
visions than ever they saw.

'1^

h si

IT" ,

114

JOSHUA,

" Now I was nineteen, and on the eve of my birthday,

which no one remembered save Milcah, Elcazar's daughter,

the Lord for the first time gave me a message. He

appeared in the form of an angel and bid me set the house

in order, for a guest was on the way wliom I loved greatly.

" It was very early in the morning and I sat under tl.is
tree \ so I went into the house, and with old Rachel's help
I set the house in order and made ready a bed, and i)re-
l)ared a meal with wine and all that we welcome a guest
withal. Ijut noon came, and the afternoon and the even-
ing became night, and the night morning again, and still I
waited for the guest. However, as the sun was getting
low that day the dogs began to bark loudly, and when J
went forth to the gate a tall man came hurrying toward me.
His hair was grey and in disorder, and he wore a priest's
white robe all in tatters. The dog shrank from him
whining, but I knew him for my brother Moses.

"Our me. Ling again after such a long time brought me
more fear than pleasure, for Moses was fleeing from his
pursuers because he had slain the overseer. But this you
know.

"Wrath still flashed from his sparkling eyes. He
appeared to me to resemble the god Set, and each of his
slow words was engraved on my mind as with a hammer
and chisel. He remained three times seven days and nights
under my roof, and since I was alone with him and deaf
P.achel — for he had to remain hidden — no one came be-
tween us, and he taught me to know Him who is the God
of our fathers. I listened to his burning words with fear
and trembling, and his weighty speech fell, as it seemed to
me, like rocks upon my breast when he impressed on me
what the Lord God expected of me, or when he described
the wrath and the greatness cf Him whom no mind can com-
prehend, and whose name none may utter. Yes, when he
spoke of Him and of the Egyptian gods, it appeared as
though the God of Israel stood forth like a giant whose
brow touched the heavens ; while the other gods all
crouched at his feet in the dust like whimpering hounds.

" He also taught me that we alone, and no others, were
the Lord's chosen people. Now, for the first time, I was
filled with pride that I was a scion of Abraham, and that
every Hebrew was my brother and every daughter of
Israel my sister. Now, too, I understood how cruelly

JOSHUA.

birthday,
daughler,
age. He
the house
d greaily.
ndcr tl.is
;hcrs help
, and i>K-
ic a guest

the evcn-
and still 1
■as getting
id when 1
:oward me.
; a priest's

from him

)iought me
g from his
ut this you

eyes. He

each of his
a hammer
and nights
ii and deaf

ic came be-
is the God
s with fear
seemed to

[ssed on me
described
id can com-
;s, when he
ppeared as
;iant whose
ir gods all

hounds.

jthers, were

Itime, I was

n, and that

[aughter of

low cruelly

tho.se of my own kindred had been tortured and oppressed.
I had hitherto been bliivi to the anguish of my j)eople, but
^[oses oi)cned my eyes and sowed the seeds of hatred in
mv heart — a great hatred of the tyrants of my bretliren \
and frcjm that hatred grew love for the oppressed. I
vowed that I would cling to my brother and wait on the
voice of the Lord, and, behold! Me did not tarry; the
voice of Jehovah spoke to me as with tongues.

" About that time old Rachel died, and by Moses' desire
I did not live alone, but followed the bidding of Aaron and
Amiuadab and became a guest under their roof. Still, even
then I lived a life apart. Nor did they hinder me ; and
this s^'oamore in their field became, as it were, my place.
It was under its shade that God bid mc call thee and name
thee nolj)en of Jehovah — and thou, Joshua, and no
longer Rosea, hast done the bidding of the Lord thy God
and of His prophetess 1 "

At this point the soldier interrupted the damsel's tale,
to which he had listened earnestly, though with growing
disappointment.

" Yes," he said, " I obeyed you and the Lord God !
What it cost me to do so you care not to inquire. You
have told all your story down to the present hour, but you
have nothing to say of the days you spent with us as our
guest at Tanis after my mother's death. Can you forget
what your eyes first told mc there, and then your lips?
Has the day of our parting vanished from your memory,
and the evening on the sea when you bid me set my hopes
on you and remember you ? Did the hatred which Moses
implanted in your heart exclude all else, even love?"

" Even love ? " cried Miriam, raising her tearful eyes to
his face. " Oh, no ! How could I ever forget that time,
the happiest of my life ? But from the day when Moses
came from the desert to redeem the people from bondage
by the command of the Loid — it was three months after
your departing — from that day I have lost all coimt of
years and months, days and ni^jhts."

" And you will forget this night ? " asked Joshua,
bitterly.

" Nay, not so," said Miriam, looking beseechingly in his
face. " The love which grew up in the child's heart and

did not fade in the girl's can never die " Here she

suddenly broke off, raised her hands and eyes to heaven as

ii6

yosiiuA.

if wrapt in ecstasy, and cried aloud : " Thou art nigh to
mc, great God Almij^hty, and canst read my heart ! Thou
knowcst wherefor Miriam counts no more l)y days and
years, and asks only to be Thy handm;ild until Thou hast
granted to her i)eoi)le, who is this UKin's people, that
which Thou hasl promised I"

While the maiden was uttering this prayer, which came
from the very bottom of her heart, a light breeze had sprung
up, the herald of dawn, and tlic thick, leafy crown of the
sycamore tree whispered above her head. Joshua devoured
her tall, majestic figure with his eyes as she stood half
lighted and half shrouded in the doubtful gleam of dawn,
for the thi.igs he saw and heard seemed to him as a miracle.
The tidings of great joy to which she looked forward for
her peo[)lc, and whicli must be accomi)lished before she
would allow herself to follow the desires of her heart, he
believed himself to be the bearer of in the name of the
Lord. Carried away by the high llight of her spirit, he
hastened to her side, seized her hand and cried with hoi)e-
ful excitement :

"The hour has come when you may once more tell day
from night and hearken to the wishes of your heart. For
I, Joshua, no more Hosea, came at the message of the Lord,
and the message I bear brings new ha])pincss to the people
whom I will learn to love as you love them, and,^if it be the
will of the Most High, a new and better land."

Miriam's eyes flashed with gladness. Carried away by
thankful joy, she cried ;

" Are you, then, come to lead us to the land Jehovah hath
promised us ? Oh, Lord, how great are Thy mercies ! lie
— he comes as Thy messenger."

'* Yea, he comes ; he is here ! " cried Joshua, rapturously,
and she did not prevent him as he clasped her to his breast.
With a thrill of joy she returned his ardent kis

CHAPTER XVI.

Frightened at her own weakness, Miriam presently freed
herself from her lover's arms, but she was ready to listen
with eager gladness to his tale of a fresh mercy vouchsafed
by the Most High, and his brief account of all he had done
and felt since he had received her call.

JOSHUA,

117

First, he described how terribly he had been divided in
liis mind ; how llien he had found (.'iitire faith, an( . in
obechcnre to tlie ( i(nl of his nation and to his father's apjjeal
had gone to the i)ahice, facing the risk of imprisonment or
death, lo be released of his oath. Next he told her how
graciously the mourning sovereigns had received him, and
how finally he h:id taken upon himself the oflke of ai)peal-
ing to the leader of his people and persuading liim to take
the Hebrews only a short way into the desert, and then
bring them home again to I'.gypt, where a new and splendid
province should be granted them on the west of the Nile,
f lencefc^rth no Egyptian overseer should oppress them ;
their own ciders should be ])ermitted to rule them, and a
man of their own choosing should govern them.

To conclude, he observed that he himself was minded to
become the cai)tain (jf the Hebrew fighting men, and also
to mediate and smooth matters between them and the
Egyptians whenever it might seem needful. Happily
united to her in that new home, he would extend his care
to the humblest of his brethren. On his way hither he had
felt as though, after a furious fight, the blasts of the trumpets
proclaimed victory. And, indeed, he had a right to believe
himself a messenger and ambassador from the Lord.

Here, however, he interrupted himself, for Miriam, who
at first had listened to him with anxious ears and flashing
eyes, had heard him, as he proceeded, with a more and
more anxious and troubled mien. And when he spoke of
his hope that they might together do much for their people,
she drew away her hand, gazed with terror into his hand-
some face glowing with glad excitement, and then cast down
her eyes as if striving for self-control.

Unsuspicious of what had moved her thus, he went closer
to her. He deemed that it was maidenly shyness that held
her silent at having yielded a first favor to the man she
loved. But when she shook her head disapprovingly at his
last words, announcing his commission as God's messenger,
he was almost beside himself with cruel disappointment,
and exclaimed vehemently :

" Then do you believe that the Lord hath defended me,
as by a miracle, against the wrath of the mighty, and given
me grace to win for His people, from the hand of the great
king, such boons as never before did the strong vouchsafe
to the weak, only to trifle with the happy trustfulness of a
raan whom He Himself called to serve Him?"

if.

ii8

JOSHUA.

111!

At this she interrupted him in a woful voice, with difficulty-
restraining her tears :

" The strong to the weak ! If this is your thought you
force me to ask you in your own father's words : ' Who»
then, is the mightier, the Lord our God or that poor crea-
ture on the throne, whose first-born has perished at a sign
from the Most High as grass is cut down and withered ? *
Oh, Hosea, Hosea ! "

" Nay, Joshua," he wildly exclaimed. '* Do you refuse
mc the name which your God bestowed on me ? I trusted
in His aid when I entered the palace of the great king ; I
sought redemption and release for the nation under God's
guidance, and I found them, and you — you "

** Moses and your father, aye, and all the faithful leaders
of Israel, sees no redemption at the hand of the Egyptians,"
she replied, with fluttering breath. " All that they can
bestow must bring destruction on Israel ; the grass that we
have sown withers where the Egyptian treads. And you,
whose honest soul they have but mocked at, you are the
lure sent forth by the bird catcher to entice the birds into
the net. You are, as it were, the hammer in their hand
to riv( t the fetters withal more firmly than ever, which we,
by God's help, have broken. With the eyes of the spirit I
see "

" Enough ! Too much ! " cried the warrior, grinding his
teeth with rage. " Hatred has clouded your clear soul.
And if the bird catcher, as you would have it, is of a truth
using me as his lure, and mocked at me and led me astray,
it was from you, yes, you, that he has learned it. Encour-
aged by you I built on your love and faithfulness; of you
I hoped everything. And that love — where is it ? You
have spared me nothing that could wound me, and I,
likewise, will not spare myself, but confess the whole truth.
It is not alone because the God of my fathers bid me, but
because it was through you and ray father that the call came
to me, that I obeyed. You aspire after a land in the far
unknown, promised by the Lord. I opened to my people
the way to a certain and happy home. Nor was it for
their sake, for what have my people ever done for me ?
But above all, that I might dwell there with you, whom I
love, and with my old father, and you, whose cold heart
knows not love, with my kiss on your lips, you reject the
boon I offer out of hatred for the hand that has bestowed it

JOSHUA.

119

ifficultjr

ght you
♦Who»
lor crea-
Lt a sign
hered?*

lU refuse

[ trusted

king; I

er God's

.1 leaders
yptians,'
they can
}s that we
\nd you,
u are the
airds into
heir hand
vhich we,
le spirit I

inding his
lear soul,
of a truth
ne astray,
Encour-
s; of you
it? You
s, and I,
lole truth,
d me, but
call came
in the far
ny people
,vas it for
I for me ?
I, whom I
:old heart
reject the
stowed it

on me. All your thoughts and deeds have become as those
of a man, and all that other women prize most highly you
spurn from you with your foot ! "

At this Miriam could bear no more. She clasped her
hands over her quivering face, sobbing bitterly.

By tliis time the sleeping tribes were awakening in
the growing dawn. Serving men and women came forth
from the houses of Aminadab and Nahshon. All, as they
woke to a new day, made their way to the well or the
drinking-troughs, but she heeded them not.

How her heart had leaped and rejoiced when her lover
had declared to her that he had come to lead them to the
land which the Lord had promised to His ];eoi)Ie. She
had rested so gladly on his bosom, to know for a moment
that highest bliss, but how soon had it been turned to
cruel disappointment ! While the morning breeze had
rustled through the thick foliage of the sycamore, and
while Joshua was telling her of Pharaoh's i)romiscs to the
people, it had seemed to her that the voice of Ciod in His
wrath was murmuring on the tree-tops, or that she heard
once more the angry sj)eech of old Nun. He had stormed
at Uri like thunder and lightning, and wherein did
Joshua's proposals differ from Uri's ?

The people, as she had heard from Moses himself, were
lost if they failed in truth to their God and yielded to
Pharaoh's enticements. To ally herself with a man who
had come to undo all for which her brothers and his own
father had lived and struggled would be base treason.
And yet she loved Joshua, and instead of repulsing him
•harshly, how willingly, ah, how gladly, would she again
have lain on the heart which, as she knew, longed for her
so ardently.

But the murmur in the boughs still went on. She could
fancy it was echoing Aaron's words of warning, and she
vowed to remain true, strong as the impulse was that drew
her to her lover. The whispering in the tree was of a
surety the voice of God, who had chosen her to be His
handmaid. When Joshua had declared in his passionate
excitement that the desire to possess her was what had
prompted him to action on behalf of the people who to
him were as indifferent as to her they were dear, she had
suddenly felt her heart stand still, and she could not for-
bear sobbing in her mental anguish.

|!S^

120

josnuA.

■A'!2

flif

:Si|

Heedless of Josliua or the awakening multitude, she
flung herself again at the foot of the sycamore, with arms
upraised to heaven, staring wide-eyed at the boughs, as
though exi)eciing some fresh revelation. The morning
air sighed among tlie leaves, and suddenly it seemed as
though a bright radiance shone not only in her soul, but
all about her, as always happened when a vision was
granted to her prophetic eye. And in the midst of the
light, behold a figure, whose aspect terrified her while his
name was whispered by every trembling leaf; and the
name was not Joshua, but that of another whom her heart
could not desire. He stood in the blaze of glory before
her mind's eye, a tall, noble form, and, with a solemn ges-
ture, laid his hand on the heap of stones he had made.

Breathless with suspense she gazed at the vision ; a'^d
yet she would gladly have closed her eyes to avoid seeing
it. and have shut her ears to the voice of the murmuring
sycamore. Suddenly the glory was extinct, the figure had
vanished, the voice of the leaves was hushed ; she saw
before her, in a ruddier glow, the figure of the only man
■whose lips her own had ever kissed, sword in hand, rush-
ing on an invisible foe at the head of his father's herds-
men. The vision came and was gone as swiftly as a flash
of lightning ; and yet, even before it had vanished, she
knew all it meant to. her. This man, whom she had
named Joshua, and who had every quality that could fit
him > be the guardian and leader of his people, should
"not be led astrav bv love from the hirrh task to which the
Lord had called him. None among the Hebrews should
hear the message he had brought, and thereby be turned
away from the perilous path on which they had entered.
Hjr duty was now as clear in her sight as the vanishes
vision had been. And as though the Most High would
fain show her that she had understood rightly what the
vision demanded of her before she 1-ad risen from her
knees to annovmcc to Joshua the sorrow to which she bad
■condemned h;ni and herself, she heard Hur's voice close
at hand bidding tlie crowd, which was gathering from all
sides, to form in order for their march.

The way o{ .salvation from herself lay before her.

Joshua, meanwhile, had not ventured to intrude on her
devotions. He was wounded and angered tc the depths
of his soul by her rejection. But gazing down on her he

yosiiUA.

121

had seen licr trill frame shiver as with a sudden chill, her
eyes and hands iii)liucd as if spell-bound; and he had
under;-.tood that sDuiethiiiL; [•'.•eat antl sacred was stirring
in her soul wliich it wnuld l)>j a crime to di ,U;rl) ; nay, he
had been unable to resist an instinctive fe',:l;ng that he was
a bold man who could desire a woman so closely one with
(iod. It would be bli ,s indeed to be lord of this sublime
creature, but at the same time hard to see her jjrefer
another, though it were the Almighty, so far above her
lover.

.A [en and beasts were already trooping in crowds past
the sycamore, ar.d wlie:i at length Josluia decided that lie
must speak to Miriam and remind her of the gathering
ihrong she rose, and turning to him spoke tliese vehement
words :

" I have spoken with the i.ord, Joshua, and I now kno\r
His will. Dost thoti remember the words with which God
called thee ? "

He bowed h.is head and she went on :

•' It is v/ell. Then learn now wdiat it is that the Most
High Ood hath said to thy father, and to Moses, and to
me. He will lead us forth from the land of Egypt, far, far
away, to a land where neither Pharaoh nor his rulers shall
have dominion over us, and He alone will be our King.
This is His will, and if thou desire to serve Him thou shalt
follow us, and, if we have need to fight, be captain over
the men of our people."

At this he beat his breast and cried in great troi'.i)lc :
'' I am bound by an oath to return home to Tanis to tell
Pharaoh how the leaders of the Hebrews have received the
message wdiich I have brought to them. Yea, and even if
it should break my heart I cannot be forsworn."

" Ajid rather shall miiie break," Miriam moaned, " than
I break my vow t ;> the Lord. We have ch.osen. And
here, in the presence of this heap of stones, all the ties are
cut which ever boiuid us ! "

At this he was beside himself ; he eagerly strove to
take her hand, but she reptdsed him with an imperious
gesture, turned away and went forward towards the throng
of peoi)le wdio were crowding round the well with the cattle
and sheep.

Great and small respectfully made way for her as she
walked with proud dignity towards ilur, who was giving

t :

;i' P-

: m

itM

\\\

123

yosiiUA,

orders to the shepherds. He came to meet her, and when
he had heard the promise she made him in an undertone he
laid his hand on her head and said with grave solemnity :
" May the Lord bless our union."

Then, hand in hand with the gray-haired man to whom
she had plighted her trolli, Miriam turned to meet Joshua,
and nothing betrayed the deep agitation of her soul but the
fluttering rise and fall of her bosom, though her cheeks
were indeed pule j her eyes were dry, and her demeanor
as unbending as ever.

She left it to Hur to tell the lover whom she had rejected,
now and forever, what she hod done; and when the
warrior heard it he . arted back as though a gulf had
vawned at his feet.

His lips were bloodless as he gazed at the unequally
matched pair. Scornful laughter seemed to him the only
fit answer for such an announcement, but Miriam's earnest
face helped him to suppress it, and to conceal his jDainful
agitation under some trivial speech. However, he felt
that he could not for long preserve the semblance of indif-
ference, so he bid Miriam farewell. He must, as he hastily
explained, greet his father, and request him to call a me( c-
ing of the elders.

But before he had done speaking the quarreling herds-
men came crowding round Hur that he might decide what
place in the procession it behooved each tribe to take ; so
he went with them \ and as soon as Miriam found herself
alone with the soldier she i?iid beseechingly, but in a low
voice and with imploring eyes :

" A hasty deed has broken the bonds that united us,
but a higher tie still holds us together. As I have given
up that which my heart held dearest, to be faithful to my
God and my people, so do thou sacrifice that to which thy
soul clings. Obey the Most High, who hath named thee
Joshua ! This hour hath changed our gladness to bitter
grief ; may the good of the people be its fruit ! Remain a
true son of the race which gave thee thy father and mothc i ,
and be what the Lord hath called thee to be, a captain of
His people.

'* If thou abide by the oath thou hast sworn to Pharaoh,
and reveal to the elders the promises thou hast brought,
they wjll go over to thy side ; that I know full well. Few
will stand up against thee, but foremost of these few will

JOSHUA.

133

t),' thine own father. I can hear him uplift his voice in
an'^er against his own beloved son ; and if thou shut thine
car even to his admonition, then the people will follow thee
instead of following the Lord, and thou wilt lead the
Israelites as a mighty man of valor. But, then, when the
dav comes in which the Egyptian lets his promises fly to
the four winds, thou wilt see thy people more cruelly
oppressed than even heretofore, and when they turn aside
from the God of their fathers to worship the gods with the
heads of beasts the curse of thy father shall fall upon thee.
The wrath of the Most High shall be visited upon the fro-
ward, and despair shall be the lot of h'm v/ho shall lead
the foolish folk astray after that the Lord hath choseii him
to be the captain of His people. I, a weak woman, the-
handmaid of the Lord, and the damsel who loved thee
better than I fe — I cry unto thee, 'Beware of the curse of
thy father and the hand of the Lord ! Beware lest thou
load the people into sin ! ' "

A slave girl here came out to Miriam to bid her go to
the old people, so she only added in a low voice : "One
word more. If thou wouldst prove thyself not less weak
than the woman whose opposition moved thee to anger,
renounce thine own will for the sake of the multitude of
thv brethren. Lay thine hand on this heap and swear to
me—"

But the prophetess' voice failed her. Her hands felt
about vainly for some support, and with a cry she fell on
her knees close to Hur's heap of stones. Joshua hastened
to raise her, holding her in his strong arms, and at his call
some women hurried up and soon revived the fainting girl.

As she opened her eyes they wandered vaguely from one
to another, and it was not till her gaze fell on Joshua's
anxious face that she fully understood where she was and
what had happened. Then she hastily drank a deep
draught of the water which a shepherd woman offered her,
dried her eyes which were streaming with tears, sighed
bitterly, and with a wan smile said to Joshua :

" I am after all but a weak woman."

Then she went towards the house, but after walking a
few steps she turned round, signed to Joshua, and said :

" You see they are forming in ranks. They are about
to set forth. Are you still of the same mind? There is
yet time to call the ciders together."

il-

124

yosiiuA,

But he shook his head in denial, and, as he met her eye
gHstening wilh gratitude, he soitly rcjiHcd : "I will ever
bear in mind this heap, and this liour, v.'ife of Hur ! (ircct
my father from me, and te)l him that I love him. Tell
him, too, the name which his son is henceforth to bear by
the command of the Most IIi:;h. In that name, which
promised me the help of the Lord, he shall put his trust
when he hears whither I go, to keep the oath I have sworn."

lie waved his hand to Miriam, and turned to go to the
camp, where his horse had been fed and watered, but she
called after him :

'* One last word. Moses left a letter for you in the
hollow of the tree." At this the warrior went to the
sycamore and read the message which the man of God had
left for him.

"Be steadfast and strong," was the brief injunction, and
Joshua raised his head and cried joyfully : " The words are
a comfort to my soul ; and if it is for the last time that we
have met, wife of Hur, if I now go to my death, be sure
that I shall know how to be steadfast and strong, even
unto the end. And do you do all you can for my old
father."

Herewith he sprang on horseback, and as he made his
way to Tanis, faithful to his oath, his soul was free from
fears, although he did not conceal from himself that he was
riding forth to great peril. His highest hopes were
destroyed, and yet glad excitement struggled with the grief
in his soul. A new and glorious emotion had its birth
there, filling his whole being, and it was scarcely damped
thoiu';h he had suffered a wound cruel enough to darken
the light of day to any other man. He had now a fixed
aim in life, and, besides this, he had the assurance that he
might hold himself as worthy as Hur or as any other man.
None could depose him from this high place but the
glorious twain to whom he would dedicate his blood and
his liic : liij God and his people.

He was amazed to discern how r^reatlv tliis i:c\v eiithii-
siasm cast into the shade every. hing else that stined in his
breast. Now and again^ in.i.\d, lie bowed liis h^ad in
sorrow as he remembered hi ; old father ; s' ill, he had done
right in setting aside his lo:\;';ii\s' to j^ress hiui once more 10
his heart. The old man would scarcely have understood
his motives, and it was better for them to separate without
meeting rather than in open dissension.

JOSHUA,

las

:t her eye

will ever

t (ircct

im. Tell

bear by
Tie, which
t his trust
^c sworn.''

1 go to the
d, but she

^ou in the
nit to the
)f God had

iction, and
i words are
me that we
.th, be sure
trong, even
for my old

le made his
,s free from
hat he was
opes were
th the grief
ad its birth
ely damped
to darken
now a fixed
mce that he
other man.
cc but the
s blood and

r.cw enthvi-
Llrred in his
lus h.ad in
he had done
Ince more lo

understood
Irate without

Sometimes it seemed to him as though all that had
happened could be Init a dream ; and as he was still
intoxicated, as it were, by the agitations of the last few
hours, his stalwart frame was but little conscious of the
fatigues he had gone through. At a well-known inn on the
road, where he found several warriors, and among them
certain cai)taius well known to him, he at length allowed
himself and his horse to rest and cat ; and as he rode on
refreshed, daily life asserted its rights. Ho passed various
companies of soldiers on their way to the city of Tanis, and
was informed that they were under orders to join them-
selves there to the troops which he himself had brought
home from Libya.

At last he rode into the town, and as he went past the
temple of Anion he heard loud wailing, though he had
learned on his way that the pestilence was wellnigh at an
end. From many signs he gathered the fact which was
presently announced to him by some guards, the god's
liigh i)riest and first prophet, Ruie, had just died in the
90lh year of his age, and JJaie, the second prophet, who
had so warmly assured him of his friendship and gratitude,
and who counted on his co-operation in a dangerous
enterprise, was his successor — high priest and judge, seal-
bearer and treasurer j in short, the most powerful man in
Ihe kingdom.

CHAPTER XVII.

" He whom Jehovah helps ! " murmured a chain-laden
priijoner with a bitter smile, as five days later, he, with
forty fellow-sufferers, was led through the triumphal arch
of Tanis toward the east.

Their destination was the mines on the peninsula of
Sinai, where fresh-forced laborers were needed.

The smile on the victim's face soon vanished ; then he
drew up his muscular form while his bearded lips muttered
the words : " Steadfast and strong ! " and he whispered to
the youth who was walking at his side, as though he
wished to cjnvey to him some of the strength that he had
recovered : " Courage, Ephraim, courage ; look up and
not in the dust, come what may ! "

nil

1 '

r'i '■ ■•
i't I

aS-ji

126

: If:' .illl!

■H ■

'111

'il

josni'A.

" .siioiicc whilst inatchini; ! '' cried onr of the anncd
I<il\v;\i\ f;u;\i«ls whooscortiHl tlic gang to the cKlor piisoiici,
and 1k' laisod his wliip with a incnat.ing gesture. Joshi; ;
was iln' inui he IhVealeiied, and his eon^pauion ws
l'!pliraiiu, who had hccw eoiulcniiu'd to share liis late.

l'',very I''.:;yi)tian « liild kiuw what this iiuMut, lor "Send
lue to the mines !" was this people's most dreadiui ini| ir
(\Uion. and no prisoner's 1<M was hall" so hard as Uuil of Ihc
eondiMuned stale I'riniinal.

A :->-ries of lVi;;lit!ul humiliations and hardships awailid
them at the mines. The strengih of the healthiest w ; ,
ruiiud h\' unhrard urowr-wiMk. and the exhausted vi(li;, ,
were foreed to d(< tilings so far ln-vond tlu'ii' [lowi'r that t!i< \
soon sank into the everlasting rest for which tiicir martyn ij
souls had long juned.

Joshua's encouraging words had little effect o\\ Mphraim ;
but when a few minutes later a chariot, shaded by ,iii
uml)rella, drove ]Kist the gang, and in it. behind llic
charioteer and a matron, stood an elegant young wom n,
he turned round q\iickly and ga/ed aiter the vehicle wiili
sjiarkling eyes, until the dust o\\ the road hid it from si;lii

The hidy was thickly veiled, yet the youth thought tli.i
he had recognized her for whose sake lie had rushed iii,.i
peril, and whose lightest sign he would even now lly t >
obey. And I'-phraim had guessed correctly, for the youii-
lady in the chariot was Kasana, the daughter of the caplam
of the archers ; the cider woman was her nurse.

On reaching a little temple on the road, near a tln'ekct
of acacia, among which stood a well for the use of travelers,
after the chariot had left the jirisoners at some distance
behind, Kasana begged the matron to wait. 'Jluii,
springing out lightly on the road, she walked to and fro
witli a bowed head imder the shadow of the trees until slif
knew by a rolling cloud of dust that the criminals wore
approaching.

Then, taking out of her garment some gold rings which
she had brought with her for the puri)ose, she went uj) to
the driver of the melancholy procession as he drew near oii j
an ass, and while she talked to him and pointed to Joshu
the guard cast a stolen glance at the rings which had hco'i j
slipped into his hand. His modesty had only allowed hiinu'
exjx^ct silver, and his face at once assumed a friendly anl
courteous expression at the sight of their i)leasing yellow j
gHttc^

IHllllliltlii

yos/fi'A.

127

arnu'ti

laic.

"or " ^'-''^♦^
till iuM >'

Uiirsl v.-
iiuiavlyi"!

u\o(l by '^^
bohiiul tlu'
imii; wimv n,
vehicle NvUli
it from sii'.ht.
Ihovight tliai
rushed iiu«i
11 now lly M
or the young
,f the capuun

k\ . ,

■ar a thiekcl
(if travelers,
>me dislance

Ivalt. 'Hk;'^'

\ to and lio

Irces \unil she

inrinals ^vorc

ru-igs whicli

kc went up to

(drew near on i

Ted to Josluu

ich had hcc'^

lUowedhuuiJ

friendlv arrt

Lasing y^-l^"*l

His uniiilriiiiiice ccrlainly tlarkoiitd ag.iiii iii ihc demand
Kasana tnado, I)Ul it hi i[;Iileiu il <»ncc more al a inoini.e of
fnrlhrr l.irgesse fmni the yotnij; widow. " T.ikr tlic moles
to llie well, men I Let llimi diink ! They shidi go fresh
and heallliy un(K'r).;r()und ! "

TlK'n lie lode up to the |»iison( is ,iiid <,illr(l lo (oshii.i :
" \'ou, who have yourself once ruK d oMr ni.iiiy people,
seem lo uir more sliif-ne( ked still th;in is jmkxI for you oi
lUi. \'oii. j;uanls, look after the olhi't^. iwillw.ilch this
one ; I h.ive a few woitls to say to huii."

Then he clapped hi.; hands a:, if he was dri\ iiij; pcniltry
from a i^arden, ami whil-t the pri,,oners dicw watei in the
huekets of the wi-ll, and, with their guards, rtjoiced in the
retVe.-ihing think, liable. idcr led Joshua and lOphr.iini (Uione
side, lor ihey could not he separated by reason i if the chains
tJKil hound ihem together by the ankles. They wvw. soon
hidden from the others behind the little temple, and then
the driver sank down on a Ik nch ala lilllc dislaiK e, having
lii-t. wilh a significant gesture, shown the two llehrews
the hludgeon in his right hand, and ])oinf'(l lo the dogs
wJK) were rubbing against his feet.

He kept his eyes open, too, during the conversation that
followed. They might say what Ihey jileased; he knew
his duty, and though he imderstood how to shut one eye
on a parting in return for good gold, for ([uile twenty
years, in sjnte of many attempts t(j escape amongst hi.s
moles — as he called those condemned lo the mines — not
one had ever succeeded in getting away.

This lovely woman was perhaps this fine fellow's
betrothed, for he had been lold that Joshua had been com-
mander. But he had already called many noble birds
"moles," and if this veiled woman should contrive to slip
files or gold inio the prisoner's hands so much the better;
this evening nothing on these two should be left unsearched,
not even the youth's black hair, which had been left unshorn
in the confusion that had taken i)lace at the start of the
prisoners, for they had been sent off just before the depar-
ture of Pharaoii's army.

The subject of the woman's whispered negotiations with
the fallen captain remained unknown to the driver, but
from her sorrowful face and manner he inferred that she
had caused the ruin of this noble man. Oh ! woman,
woman I and that lad in chains ! The glances he cast at

.:il

I h

,4
m

128

JOSHUA.

the slender creature were so ardent that she hcul lu diaw
her veil closer. JUit patience! Great Father Anion!
His moles were goir.g to a good school for mod', sty.

Now the woman removed her veil. She was beautiful !
It must be hard to part with such a lovely creature ; and
now she cried so bitterly.

The rough guard's heart was touched as much as hi ■
position would allow, and he could have struck the elder
prisoner with his whip, for was it not an outrage, having
such a lover, to stand like stone ? At first the wretch did
not even stretch out a hand to the woman, who certainly
loved him ; whilst he, the guard, would have been glad to
see the two kiss and embrace.

Or was this beauty perhaps the warrior's wife, who had
deceived him? But no, no, how kindly he approached
h' r now. A father sj)eaks like that to his child, but his
"mole" was much too young to have so old a daughter.
A riddle ! Howev ;, he did not care about the answer,
since it was in his ])ower during the march to make the
most taciturn convict as frank as an open book.

And not alone the simple driver of the gang, but every-
one might have wondered why diis beautiful woman had
come out into the highway at early dawn to see an un-
fortunate man weighed down with chains.

Nothing but tormenting anxiety for the man she loved
cojld have impelled Kasana to take this journey and
expose herself to scorn as a woman of no r putation. A
terrible fate awaited him ; her lively imagination had pic-
tured Joshua in the mines languishing, broken down, pining
aM'^ay, and at last dying with a curse on her upon his lips,

On the evening of the day on which Ephraim, shivering ,
with high fever and half choked with dust, was carried!
into their house, her father had informed her that in the |
person of the young Hebrew she held a hostage whidi
would force Joshua to return to Tanis, and yield to the
wishes of the prophet Bale, with whom she knew her father
to be allied in a secret plot. He likewise confided to her
that not only were great distinctions and high honors to
be offered to Joshua, but also marriage with herself, to secure
his fidelity to Egypt and to a cause from which he, Hor-
necht, looV.ed for great benefits to the country and to his
own kindred. This had filled her with high hopes of
attaining long-wished-for joys ; and as they sat near the

yosiiUA.

\2)

e had lu draw
Father Anion !
modesty,
was beautiful !
creature ; and

s much as hi-
truck the elder'
outrage, having
the wretch did
, who certainly
VQ been glad to

; wife, who had
he approached
s child, but his
old a daughter.
Kit the answer,
:h to make the,
book.

;ang, but every-
iful woman had]
1 to see an uiv

little road-side temple, she now confessed this to the

)risoner with a drooping head and low sobs ; for he was

low forever lost to her, and even if he could not return the

love siie had fell for him since her cliildliood, he at any

rale would not hale her and condemn her unheard.

Joshua, indeed, listened to her willingly, and assured her
that nothing would gladden his heart more ihan iliat she
jhould clear herself from the reiToacIi ( f bt'ing answ-, r-
^1)1'- for the terrible falc awaiting himself and the youtii by
Miis side.

, ' Al this she sobbed aloud, and had to struggle to coni-
j^posc herself before she could succeed in telling her story
Aviih any degree of calmness.

.Shortly afler Joshua's dejuirture the high priest had died,
.and Baie. the second prophet of Anion, had succeeded him.
Tiungs were then greatly altered; lliis man, the most
])o\v'j;f.d in the land, stirred up I'haraoh to haired against
lie Hebrews and their leader, Moses, whom, till tlun, the
ing and queen had protected and feared. He had also
ersuaded the kiiig to pursue the fugitive Hebrews, and
he army was at once ordered to go forth and compel them
o return. She immediately feared tlial Joshua would
crlainly refuse to fight against those who were of his own
)lood, and that it must anger him to be sent forth to sign
contract which the Egyptians would ])egin to break
)erore they could know whether it had been accepted.
'hen, when he had returned liome, he himself knew only
loo well how Pharaoh had treated him li!;e a i)risoner, and
lad refused to admit him to his presence until he had
sworn to continue to lead the Egy]>tian troops, and
remain a faithful servant to the king, '^tiil, Baic, tlie high
)ricst, had not forgotten that he had saved his life, and
r'as well disposed toward him and grateful ; and she knew
that he had hoped to entangle Joshua in the secret con-
spiracy in which her father also was implicated. It was
Kaie, too, who had caused Pharaoh to release him from
fighting against his own nation on c;;ndition of his renew-
ing his oaih of fidelity, to place him in command of the
foreign mercenaries, and to raise him to the high rank of
" Frijnd of tb.e King'" — but of course he must know all
this already, for the new high priest had with his own hand
5et the temi)ting prospect before Joshua, who had rejected
it with firm and manlv decision. Her father had in the

130

yosiirA,

first instance been on his side, and for the first time had
entirely refrained from speaking with reproach of his
Hebrew origin.

On the third day after Joshua's return the captain of tlie
archers had gone out to si)cak with him, and since then
everything had gone wrong. Tie therefore must know
what it was that had turned the man of whom she dared
think no evil, since she was his daughter, from being a
friend into a mortal enemy. Slie looked inquiringly into
Joshua's face, and he was ready with his answer. The
caj^tain had tolel him that he would be a welcome son-
in-law.

"And you," asked Kasana, looking anxiously at tlu
speaker.

" I," replied the prisoner, " could only say that you had
from your childhood been kind and dear to me, but that
nevertheless there was much to forbid my linking the fate
of any woman to mine."

At this Kasana's eyes flashed and she cried : " It is
because you love another — a woman of your own people—
the woman who sent Ephraim to you ! "

But Joshua shook his head and answered gently : " You
are in error, Kasana. The woman of whom you speak i>
this day another man's wife."

" But then," cried the widow, with revived spirit, and
she looked at him with tender entreaty, " why — oh forgive
me — why did you repulse him so harshly ?"

" That W(;ls far from my purpose, dear child," he replied
warmly, laying his hand on her head. " I always have
thought of you with all the affection of which I am capable.
And though I could not, indeed, accede to his wish, it was
because the sternest necessity forbids me ever to look for-
ward tO that peace and joy by my own hearth which other
men may strive for. If I had been a free man my life
would have been one of constant journeying and warfare."

'* But how many men," Kasana put in, " wield the sword
and shield, indeed, but rejoice at their home-coming to
their wives, and the joys they find under their own roof?"

" Very true," said he sadly. " But the duties that call
me are such as the Egyptians know not of. I am the son
of my nation."

" And you propose to serve it? " said Kasana. " Oh !
I quite understand you. But then — why did you return to
Tanis ? Why did you trust yourself in Pharaoh's power?"

JOSHUA,

131

" Because I was pledged by a sacred oath, my child,"
said he kindly.

" An oath 1 " sjic exclaimed. ** A promise that puts
death ami captivity between you and her whom you love,
and those whom you desire to serve ! Oh ! would that
you had never come back to this land of unrighteousness,
of treachery and ingratitude 1 That oath will plunge many
into grief and weeping. IJut what does a man care for the
woe he brings on others ? Vou have spoilt all my joy in
life, hapless creature that 1 am ; and at home, among your
own people, you have a worthy father whose only son you
are. How often have I seen the noble old man with his
snow-white hair and Hashing eye? And you will be like
him if you attain to old age, as I used to think when 1 met
him by the harbor, or in tlic four-court of the High (iate,
when he was ordering his hinds to bring in his tribute of
beasts or woolly sheep to the receij)! of custom. And now
his latter days are to be darkened by his son's i)erversity,"

" And, now," corrected Joshua, " his son is going into
misery, loaded with fetters ; still he may hold his head
hi^h above those who have betrayed him. They, and
Pharaoh at their head, have forgotten that I have shed my
heart's blood for them on many a battle-field, and been
f.iithful to the king through every kind of danger.
Menephtah has abandoned me, and with him his chief
minisler, whose life 1 saved, and many another who once
called me friend ; they have deserted me and cast me out,
and this i mocent lad with me. But, I tell you, woman,
those who have done this, those who have committed this
sin — ;)ne and all, shall "

"Curse them not!" cried Kasana, and her cheeks
flushed scarlet.

Cut Joshua did not heed her prayer, but exclaimed :
" Should I be a man if I did not thirst for vengeance ? "

The young woman clung in terror to his arm and beseech-
ingly went on :

"Mow, indeed, can you forgive him? Only do not
curse him, for it was out of love for me tliat my father
became your enemy. You know him well, and his hot
blood, which easily carries him to extremes in spite of his
years. He kcj)! silence, even to me, of what he took as
an insult — for he has seen me courted by many suitors,
and I am precious above all else in his eyes. Sooner will

1 i '
'I t

132

JOSHUA.

Pharaoh forgive the rebel than myfailicr will pardon the
man who scorns me, his dearest treasure. He came home
frantic with rage. Every word he spoke was abuse. Then
he could not bear to remain indoors, and he stormed oi.t-
side as he had stormed within. At last, however, he would
have allowed himself to be pacified, as he often had done
before, if he had not met some one in the palace courts
who made it his business to pour oil on the flames. I
heard all this from the high priest's wife, for she, too, was
greatly troubled to think that she had brought evil i.pon
you, and her husband had already done everything in his
power to save you. She, who is as brave as a man, was
ready to second liim and to open the door of your prison ;
she has not forgotten that you saved her husband's life in
Libya. Ephraim's chains were to be struck off at the same
time a': yours, and all was ready to enable you to escape."

"I know," replied Joshua gloomily. "And I would
return thanks to the God of my fathers if they spoke falsely
who told me that it was your doing, Kasana, that our
dungeon was loc!:ed on us more closely than ever." At
this the pretty heart-broken young creature exclaimed
vehemently : " And should I be here if that were true ?
Hatred indeed seethed in my soul, as in that of every
woman whose love is scorned ; but the ill-fortune which
befell you quickly changed my wrath into pity, and revived
the fires in my heart. As truly as I pray to be mercifully
judged after my death, I am innocent of this thing, and
never ceased to hope for your release. It was not until
last evening, when it was too late, that I learned that
Bale's attempt had failed. The high priest can do much,
but the very man whom he will not thwart is closely allied
to my father."

" You mean Pharaoh's nephew, Prince Siptah," inter-
rupted Joshua in great excitement. " They hinted to me
the plots they were weaving about him. They wanted to
set me in the place of Aarsu, the Syrian captain, if I would
but consent to let them work their will with my people and
renounce m.y own flesh and blood. But rather would I
have died twenty deaths than stain myself with such trea-
son. Aarsu is far more fit for such dark schemes, though
at last he will betray them all. So far as I am concerned,
the prince has good reason to hate me."

At this Kasana put her hand over her mouth, pointing

^i^^^ s ^ ^ afa w CW iM . '

yosiiUA.

»33

uneasily to Ephralm and the gaoler, and whispered :
" Spare my father ! The prince — whatever it was that
roused his enmity "

" He is seeking to tempt you, too, into his net, and he
has been told that you are in love with me," the warrior
broke in. IJut she only blushed, and bending her head in
assent went on :

"■ And for that reason Aarsu, whom he has taken into
the conspiracy, is bound to keep such close ward over you
and Ei)hraim."

"The Syrian's eyes are wide open," cried Joshua. " But
I believe you, and thank you heartily for cc.ning to us
hapless wretches."

•' And you will always think of poor Kasana without
wrath or hatred ? "

" Gladly, most gladly."

The young widow grasped the captive's hand with pas-
sionate agitation, and was about lO press it to her lips, but
he drew it away ; and she said anxiously, gazing up at him
with tearful eyes : " Do you refuse me the favor which no
benefiictor refuses to a l)eggar?" Then she suddenly
started up, and exclaimeu so loudly that the gaoler was
roused, and locked to see where the sun was : " But I tell
you, that the time will come when you will offer me that
hand to kiss. For when the messenger shall come from
Tanis to bring you and this lad the freedom you pine for,
it will be to Kasana that you will owe it ! "

The fair face glowed with the flush of eager anticipation,
and Joshua, seizing her hand, exclaimed : ''Oh, if only you
might succeed in doing what your faithful soul desires !
How can I bear to prevent your trying to alleviate the ter-
rible misfortune which fell upon this boy under your roof?
Still, as an honest man, I must tell you that I can never
more take service with the Egyptians ; come what may, I
shall henceforth forever belong, body and soul, to those
whom you persecute and despise, the nation and tribe into
which my mother bore me."

At this her lovely head dropped ; but she raised it again
immediately to say : •' There is no one so high-soulcd and
hoiK^st as you, no one that I have ever known from my
childhood up. And when, among my own people, I fail to
find any man whom I may reverence, still I will remember
_you, in whom everything is great, and true, and vvithout

. 'I

134

JOSHUA,

spot. And if poor Kasana may succeed in setting yoi:
free, do not despise her if you find her fallen away from
the virtue in which you left her ; for the humiliation she
may have to endure, the shame she may be brought to — "

Joshua anxiously interrupted her.

" What are you about to do ? " he cried ; but he was not
to hear the answer, for the leader of the gang rose and
clapped his hands, crying out : " Now, on agnin, you moles,
on again, at once."

At this the warrior's heart was moved to deep regret.
Obedient to a hasty impulse he kissed the hapless
Kasana on her fair brow and hair, and whispered : " Leave
me to pine if our freedom is to cost you such degrada-
tion. We shall never, indeed, meet again ; for, come
what may, my life henceforth will be nothing but a struggle
and self-sacrifice. The night will close in on us darker
and darker ; but, however black it may be, one star will
often shine on me and on this lad — the remembrance of
you, sweet child, my loving and faiihful Kasana.'' Ho
pointed to Ei)hraim, and the youth pressed his lips, as if
beside himself, to the hand and arm of Kasana, who was
sobbing aloud.

" Come on ! " cried the driver once more, and with a
grateful grin for a fresh gift of money he helped the open-
handed lady into her chariot.

The horses started, fresh shcuts were heard, the whip
cracked here and there on bare shoulders, a few yells of
anguish rose through the morning air, and the file of pri-
soners went off towards the east. The chains on the vic-
tims' feet stirred up the dust which shrouded the wanderers,
as grief, and hatred, and dread, clouded each se;^arate soul
among them.

On they went, bent in gloomy brooding,- • iy Joshua
held his head erect. It was a comfort to hiui to know
that Kasana, the sweet creature he had loved as a child,
was innocent of his fate ; and when his spirit sank within
him he could revive it by repeating to himself the words
of Moses : '* Steadfast and strong."

JOSHUA.

^1>1

CHAPTER XVIII.

At a long hour's distance beyond the Httle temple where
the prisoners had rested, the road leading southwards to
Succoth and Baal Zephon parted from that which led in \
south easterly direction, across the fortified frontier line,
to the isthmus and the mines.

Not long after the departure of the prisoners the army
gathered together to pursue ihe Hebrews had set forth
from the city of Rameses, and as the criminals had rested
some considerable time by the well, the troops had nearly
overtaken them. Thus they had not gone mucli further
when some pioneers rode up to clear the higinvay for the
approaching host. They ordered the gang of i)risoners to
stand aside, and proceed no farther till the swift baggage
train containing Pharaoh's tents and household gear should
have passed them ; and, indeed, the king's chariot wheels
could already be heard.

The drivers were well content to be bidden to wait ;
they were in no hurry ; the day was hot, and if they were
late in reaching their journey's end it was the fiiult of the
army. To Joshua, too, the incident was agreeable, for his
young companion in chains had been staring before him
as if in delirium, and had answered his questions vaguely
or not at all, so that the older man was growing uneasy.
He knew full well how many of those condemned to forced
labor fell into madness or melancholy. And now a portion
of the host would march past them, and the sight was new
to the lad. and might rouse him from his dull moodiness.
There was by the roadside a sand hill overgrown by
tamarisk bushes, and to this the driver led his file of men.
He was stern, but not cruel, so he allowed his *' moles "
to st-etch themselves on the sand, for the march past
would be a long business. They had scarcely settled
themselves when the roll of wheels, the neighing of fiery
steeds, and shouts of command were heard, with now and
then the harsh bray of an ass.

As the foremost chariots approached, Ephraim inquired

136

JOSHUA.

whether Pharaoh were not coming ; but Joshua informed
him. with a smile, that when the king led forth his troops
to battle, first of all, immediately after the advanced guard,
the king's camp and furniture were sent on : for that
Pliaraoh and his nobles liked to find their tents pitched
and il:e tables spread when :he day's march was over, and
all, officers and men alike, were to rest for the night.

Joshua had not yet ceased speaking when a number of
empty carts and asses free of burdens cnmc past; they
were to carry the tribute of bread and meal, beasts and
birds, wine and beer, to be paid by each vi'Jage through
which the sovereign should pass. This had been levied
by the collectors the day before. Soon after came a com-
pany of warriors in chariots. Each small, two-wheeled
chariot, plated with bronze, was drawn by a j-air of horses,
and in each stood a man and a charioteer. Large quivers
were attached to the breastworks of the chariots, and the
soldiers rested on their spears, or on their large bows.
They were ])rotected against the missiles of the foe by shirts
covered with scale armor, or thickly padded coats of mail
und,;r gayly colored tunics ; and by a helmet, as well as
by the breastwork of ,he chariot. These, whom Joshua
designated as the vanguard, went forward at an easy pace,
and were followed by a vast multitude of wagons and carts,
drawn by horses, mules, or oxen ; and with them were
whole herds of asses with towering loads on their backs.
Next he pointed out to his ncj)hew the tall spars and poles,
and heavv rolls of rich stuffs which were to be used in
erecting the king's tent, and which were a burden for
several beasts ; the asses and the carts with the kitchen
utensils, and the camp smithies. With these came the
leeches, wardrobe-keepers, salve-makers, cooks, garland-
winders, attendants and slaves attached to the royal camp,
all mounted on asses driven by nimble runners. All these,
having so lately set out, were still fresh and iii high spirits,
and those who noticed the prisoners flung many a sharp
jest at them, as is the Egyjitian way, though several applied
a balm. in the shape of an alms; others, who said nothing,
sent a slave with a few fruits or some small gift, for he
w!io was free today might, on the morrow, be sent after
those poor wretches. The driver let this pass, and whc n
a slave whom Joshua had sold some time since for h;5
dif^honesty shouted aloud " Hosea," and pointed to him

■ \

w i

JOSHUA.

with a malignant gesture, the good-hearted rough fellow
offered tlie insulted Hebrew a drink of wine out of his own
llask.

I'^phraim, wliu had fared fr^m Succoth on fool with a
staff in his hand.aiula small wallet containing dried lamb's
ilcsh, bread, railishes, and dates, exj^ressed his amazement
at the numberless men and things which one man required
for his comfort, and I'len sank into melancholy again until
his uncle roused him with some fresh explanation.

As soon as the camp baggage had gone by, the diiver
wanted to start with his prisoners, but the king's pioneer
— the "opener of the way "—riding in front of the archers
of the guard, who came next, forbade it, as it ill-beseemed
criminals to mingle with the soldieis : so they remained
on their hillock and looked at the rest of the procession.

After the archers came the heavy infantry, carrying
shields of strong ox-hide so long as to cover the brawny
beirers from their leet almost to the chin ; and Joshua
told the boy that at night they were placed in a circle
round the king's camp, and so inclosed it, as it were, with
a fence. Besides their shields they carried a javelin, and
wore a short dagger-like sword or war sickle. When after
some thousands of these heavily armed nien there followed
a trooj) of sling men, Ephraim spoke f(jr the fr-.t time of
his own accord, exclaiming that such slings as the shepherds
had taught him to make were far better than those of the
soldiers ; and then, encouraged by his uncle, he told him,
so eagerly that the men lying about him listened to his
words, liow he himself could slay not mere jackals, wolves,
and panthers with a stone from a sling, but even a vulture
on the wing. And meanwhile he asked the meaning of
the standards and tlie names of the different companies of
warriors.

Several divisions had already gone past when at last
another crowd of chariots came in sight, and the driver
cried aloud : " The kind god : The lord of both worlds :
Long life to him, health and happiness ! " As he spoke
he fell on his knees in an attitude of ad'^ration, and the
prisoners lay prostrate on their faces to kiss the ground,
holding themselves in readiness to join at the right
moment, at their gaoler's signal, in the cry, " All hail and
happiness I "

But they still had long to wait before the expected

• ii

\ i

' i

»3«

JOSHUA.

monarch apptarcd. After the chariot-men came the body"
guard, mercenaries of foreign nations wearing a peculiar
kind of helmet and long swords. They marched on foot,
and immediately behind them a vast multitude of prie^>ts
and scribes appeared, with a number of images of the gods.
Then again a company of guards, and at last Pharaoh and
his court. Foremost of them all was Baie, the high priest,
in a gilt war chariot drawn by splendid brown steeds. He
had, in former days, led troops forlh to battle, and had
taken the lead of this pursuing army at the bidding of the
gods, wearing his priest's robes, indeed, but also the helmet
and battle-axe of a captain of the host. At last, close
behind Bale's chariot, came Pharaoh himself; but he did
not ride forth to battle in a war-chariot, as his bolder fore-
fathers had done, but preferred to be borne on his throne.
A magnificent canopy over his head screened him from
the scorching sun, and to the same end he was surrounded
by fan-bearers, carrying immense bunches of ostrich
feathers fastened at the end of long fan sticks.

When Menephtah had fairly left the city and the gate of
victory behind him, and the triumphant shouts of the
populace had ceased to keep him awake, he had fallen
asleep ; and the spreading fans would have screened his
face and person from the eyes of the prisoners if their cries
of " Hail ! " had not been so loud as to rouse him and
cause him to turn his head toward them. But the gracious
wave of his hand showed that he had something else in
his mind than criminals, and before the voices of the
hapless convicts had died away his eyes were closed once
more.

Ephraim's dull brooding had given way to eager interest,
and when the king's gilt chariot came past empty, drawn
by the most splendid horses he had ever beheld, he brokt-
out in admiration. These noble beasts, their clever heads
crowned with ostrich plumes, and their harness glittering
with gold and precious stones, were indeed a sight to sec .
The large gold quivers, studded with emeralds, at the sides
of the chariot, were full of arrows. The sleeping man.
whose feeble hand held the reins of government of a grea;
nation, the languid idler who shunned every sort of effort,
recovered his energies as soon as he was in the hunting
field, and he looked upon this expedition as a hunt on a
grand scale ; and, inasmuch as it seemed to him a royal

JOSHUA.

»3^

sport to shoot his arrows at men instead of a brute game
— at men, too, of whom he had but lately been in mortal
dread — he had yielded to the high priest's behest and come
with the army. The expedition had been sent forth by
Older of Anion, so he could now have no further cause to
fear the power of Mesu. When he should catch him he
would make him repent of having struck terror to the
heart of Pharaoh and his queen, and causing him to shed
so many tears !

While Joshua was telling the youth from what Phoenician
city the gilt chariot had been brought, he suddenly felt his
wrist clutched by Ep'iraim, and heard him exclaim, " She
— she — look, it is she ! ''

The lad was crimson with blushes, nor was he mistaken,
for there, in the same traveling chariot in which she had
come to visit the prisoners, was Kasana, and many ladies
besides formed part of the court accompanying the expedi-
tion, which the captain of the foot soldiers, a brave old iron-
eater of the time of the Great Rameses, called a mere party
of pleasure. When the monarch went forth across the
desert to do battle in further Syria, Libya, and Ethiopia,
only a select party of women accompanied him, in curtained
vehicles, under the conduct of eunuchs ; but on this
occasion, though the queen had remained at home. Bale's
wife and some other women of rank had set the example of
going forth with the troops, and it had been a tempting
opportunity to many to enjoy the excitement of war with-
out running into danger.

Scarcely an hour since, Kasana had surprised her old
friend, the high priest's wife, by joining the rest, for only
yesterday nothing could persuade the young widow to go
forth with the host. Yielding to a sudden impulse, with-
out asking her father, and with so little preparation that
she had not the most necessary gear, she had overtaken
the army ; and it seemed as though the magnet which had
drav/n her was a man whom she had hitherto avoided, albeit
he was no less a personage than Siptah, the king's
nephew.

As the cortege passed the sand-hill the prince was
standing by the fair young woman in her waiting-woman's
place, and interpreting to her with many a jest the symbo-
lism of the flowers in a nosegay, while Kasana declared it
could not have been intended for her, as not more than an

140

yojiii/A.

hour since she had had no idea of following the expedition.
Siptah, however, assured her that even at sunrise the
Hathors had revealed to him the happiness that was in
store for him, and that the interpretation of these flowers
proved it. A party of youthful courtiers, who had quitted
their chariots or litters, were walking by tJic side of her
carriage and taking part in the laughter and merry talk ;
the high priest's wife also jnit in a word now and again, for
her litter was bonic close by Kasana.

All this had not escaped Joshua ; and as he saw Kasana
with the prince, whom she had hitherto detested, rapping
his hand with her f;in with gay audacity, his brow darkened,
and he asked himself wlicthcr the young widow had not
been cruelly mocking him in his overthrow. But at this
moment the driver of the prison-gang caught sight of the
curl on Siptah's tem[)le, which he wore as a badge of the
blood royal, and his loud cry of '* Hail ! Hail ! " in which
the other guards and the prisoners joined, attracted the
attention of Kasana and her companion. They turned to
look at the tamarisk thicket whence it came, and then
Joshua could see that the young woman turned pale and,
with a hasty gesture, pointed to the group. She must have
given Siptah some behest, for the prince at first shrugged
his shoulders, but, after some delay and argument, half in
jest and half in earnest, he sprang from his chariot and
beckoned to the driver of the gang.

" Did these people gaze on the countenance of the kind
god, the lord of both worlds ? " he asked in a voice so
loud that Kasana must have heard him from the road ; and
when he received a hesitating answer he went on in haughty
tones : " No matter. At any rate they have seen mine,
and that of the fairest women, and if. by reason of that,
they hope for mercy they are justified. You know who I
am. Tl ^se who are chained together are to be relieved of
their ankle-fetters ; " then signing to the head gaoler he
whispered in his car : "but you must keep your eyes open
all the wider. That fellow close to the bush is th.at Joshua
who was a captain in Pharaoh's nrniy. When I am at
home again cnv^i and tell me whiat has beci)me of the man.
The more completely you can quiet hi'.; the deeper shall I
dip into my money-bag. Do you ur.dersiand .^ "

The man bowed low and thought to himself : " I will
take good care, my prince, and see that no one takes the

JOSHUA.

141

ition.

e the
•as in
owers
uilted
of her
' talk ;
iin,for

Casana
apping
•kcncd,
lad not
at this
t of the
t of the
n which
ted the
jrned to
nd then
lale and,
lusthave
th rugged
half in
:iot and

the kind
voice so
ad ; and
haughty
en mine,
of that,
(W who I
llieved of
;aoler he
|yes open
[ Joshua
I am at
ithe man.
r shall I

" I will
lakes the

life of any of my moles. The greater these lords, the
stranger and more bloody are their demands. How many
an one has come to me with a similar request. Siptaii can
release the feet of these poor wretclies, but he would load
my soul will) a cowardly nuuvler ! But he has come to the
wrong man! " Here, you fellows, bring the bag of tools
this way aud s!;i';'.' the chains off these men's ankles."

Pharaoh's husl moved on, and meanwhile the griiiding
of files was heard on the hillock, tlie prisoners were freed
from their fetters, and then for security their arms were
tied.

Kasana had desired Prince Sii)tah to have the poor
creatures who were being led away to misery relieved at
any rate of their heavy foot-chains ; and she frankly con-
fessed that it was intolerable to her to see an officer who
had so often been a guest in h.r own house so terribly
humiliated. The high i)riesl's wife had seconded her
wish, and the prince had been forced to yield. Joshua
knew full well to whom he and Ephraim owed this respite,
and received it with thankful gladness. Walking was
made easier to him, but anxiety weighed him down more
heavily than ever.

The army which had marched i)ast would suffice to
annihilate a foe ten times as great as the Hebrew force, to
the very last man. His nation, and with them his father
and Miriam, seemed doomed to a cruel death ; Miriam
who had wounded him so deeply, but to whom he owed it
that even in prison he had discerned the path which he
now saw was the only light one. However powerful the
God might be whose greatness the prophetess had so fer-
vently extolled, to whom, indeed, he himself had learned
to look up with fervent adoration \ the sweeping onslaught
of this vast host must inevitably and utterly destroy a troop
of unarmed and inexperienced herdsmen. This certainty,
which each fresh division, as it passed by, made more sure,
sank deep in his soul. Never in his life had he experienced
such anguish ; and that pain was intensified as he beheld
his own men — all well-known faces who had so lately
obeyed 1 is word — under the orders of another. And it
was to slaughter his own kith and kin that they were now
marching to the field. This was a great grief, and Ephraim's
state likewise gave him cause for fresh anxiety, for since
Kasana's appearance and h.r intercession for him and his

.'I

is' \

i i

"V:

! ; i I

142

yosiiuA.

companion in misfortune he had relapsed into silence, and
gazed with wandering eyes either at the rear of the army or
into vacancy. I^phraim was now freed of his irons, and
Joshua asked the hid in an undertone whether he did not
feel a longing to return to his people and to help them to
resist so mighty an armament, but Ephraim only replied :
" In the face of such a foe they liave no choice ; they must
surrender. What indeed did we lack before our depart-
ing from Zoan ? Vou were a Hebrew, as tlicy were, and
yet you rose to be a mii^hty cai)lain among ihe Egyptians
until you obeyed Miriam's call. I should have acted
differently in your place."

" What would you have done ? " asked Joshua.

"What?" replied the boy, and the fiery young soul
blazed uj) in him. ''What? I would have remained where
honor and (iime were to be found, and everything that is
good. You might have been the greatest of the great, the
hajjpiest of the hapi)y ! I know it for certain, and you
chor.e otherwise."

" Because duty required it," said Joshua gravely ; " be-
cause I never more will serve any one but the people of
whose blood I am."

" The ])eople ! " said the boy, contemptuously. " I know
the people, and you too have seen them at Succoth ! The
poor are abject creatures who cringe under the lash ; the
rich prize their beasts above everything on earth ; and
those who belong to the heads of tribes arc always quar-
reling among themselves. Not one of them knows what is
pleasing to the eye and heart. I am one of the richest
of the nation, and yet I shudder to remember my father's
house which I have inherited, though it is one of the
largest and best. Those who have seen anything finer
cease to care for that." At this the veins swelled in
Joshua's brow, and he wrathfuUy reproved tlie lad who
could deny his own race, and fall away like a traitor to his
own tribe.

But the driver commanded silence, for Joshua had
raised his admonishing voice, and the defiant lad was well
l)lcascd to obey ; and as they went on their way, whenever
his uncle looked reproachfully in his face, or asked him
whether he had thought better of it, he sulkily turned his
back and remained gloomily silent, till the first star had
risen, and, the pioneers having encamped on the waste for
the night, their meagre fare was dealt out to them.

yosiruA,

, and

uy or
, and
d not
cm to

plied :
• must
cpart-
e, and
ptlans
acted

ig soul
1 where
thai is
:at, the
nd you

i : " be-
eople ot

'■' I know
h! The
sh; the
h ; and
,ys quai-
ls what is
richest
father's
of the
ing finer
elled in
lad who
;or to his

lua had
I was well
whenever
kked him
[irned his
star had
[waste for

Joshua dug out a bed in the saifd wiih his hands, and
kindly and skillfully heljjed his ncplicvv to do the same.
Ephraim accepted his service in silence ; but presently, as
they lay side by side, and Joshua began to speak to the
boy of the God of his fathers in whose help they must ])ut
their trust if they were not to perish of despair in the
mines, F-jjliraim interrupted him, saying in a low voice but
with fierce decisiveness :

" They shall never get me to the mine?, alive. Sooner
will I i)erish in the attempt to escape than die in such

misery

I "

Joshua whispered a word of warning in his ear, and
reminded him of his duty to his people. Jlut Kphraim
only begged to be left to rest in ])eace.

Soon after, however, lie lightly touched his uncle, and
asked in a low voice :

" What have they to do with Prince Siptah ? "

'• I know not ; nothing good, that is certain. "

''And where is Aarsu, the Syrian, the commander of the
.\siatic mercenaries, your enemy who watches us with
such malignant zeal? I did not see him with the rest."

" He remains in Tanis with his troo])s.'"

" To guard the palace ? "

" Just so."

'' Then he is captain over many, and l^haraoh trusts
him ? "

" Entirely, though he hardly deserves it."

" And he is a Syrian, and so also of our blood ? "

'* At least he is nearer to us than the Egyptians, as you
may know by his speech and features."

" I should have taken him for a Hebrew ; and yet, you
say he is one of the highest men in the army."

" And other Syrians and Libyans are captains of large
troops of mercenaries, and Ben Mazana, the herald, one of
the greatest men about the court, whom the Egyptians
have named ' Rameses in the Sanctuary of Ra,' is the son
of a Hebrew father."

" And he and the others are not looked down upon by
reason of their birth ? "

" It would scarcely be true to say as much as that.
But what is the aim of all your questions ? "

" I could not sleep."

^* And such thoughts as these came into your head ?

144

JOSITUA.

Nay, you have something definite in your raind, and, if I
guess it rightly, I am sorry. You wisli to enter Pliaraoh's
service."

After this there was a long silence between the two ;
then ]''i)hraim si)oke again, and, although he addressed
Joshua, he spoke rather as if to himself:

" They will destroy all our nation, and those who escape
will fall into slavery and disgrace. IJy this time my house
is doomed to destruction, not a head of my great herds
will be left to me, and the gold and silver 1 have inherited,
and which is said to be a great sum, they will carry away
with them ; for it is in your father's keeping, and must fall
a booty into the hands of the Egyptians. And shall I, now
that I am free, gf) back to my people, and make bricks ?
Shall 1 bow my back to be flogged and ill-treated? "

Here Joshua exclaimed in an eager whisjjer :

•* Call rather on the God of our fathers to i)rotect and
deliver His peoi)le ; and if the Most High has determined
on the destruction of our nation then be a man, and learn
to hate with all the might of your young soul those who
have trodden them under foot. Flee to the Syrians, and
offer them the strength of your young a ; give yourself
no rest till you have taken revenge hose who have

shed the blood of the Israelites, and cast you, innocent,
into bondage."

Then, again, there was silence, and nothing was to be
heard from where r'.phraim lay but moans from an
oppressed heart. At length, however, Joshua heard him
murmur :

" We are no longer weighed down by chains, and could
I hate her who promised our release ? "

" Be grateful to Kasana, but hate her people," he whis-
pered in reply. And he heard the lad turn over in his
trough, and again he sighed anr" groaned.

It was past midnight; the growing moon stood high in
the sky, and Joshua, still sleepless, did not cease to listen
to his young companion; but Ephraim spoke not. Still
sleep shunned him likewise, for Joshua heard liim grinding
his teeth — or was it that some mice had wandered out to
this parched spot covered with dry brown grass, between
salt plains on one side and bare sand on the other, and
were gnawing the prisoners' hard bread ? This grinding and
gnawing must disturb the sleep even of those who most

yOSJJi\L

'45

I, if I

aoh's

two ;
csbcd

scape
house
licrds
Lvited,
r away
ist fall
I, now
)iicks ?

2Ct and
rmined
d karn
)se who

,ns, and
^•oursclf
ho have
nocent,

to be
rom an
id him

d could

llie whis-
r in his

high in
to listen
Still
grinding
d out to
between
cr, and
ing and
o most

desire it, and Joshua, on the contrary, wished to keep
awake that he might open the eyes of his blinded ncplicw.
But he waited in vain for any sign of life on ICi)hraim's
part.

At last ho was about to lay his hand on the boy's shoulder,
hut he paused as he saw in the moonligl.i ihal I'lihraim
w;is iiolding up liis arm, althougli, l)eA)re he lay down,
his wrist had been tied more tightly than before. J(>shua
now understood thai the noise which hadpuz/led liim was
the gnawing of the lad's sharp teeth as he W(H-kv.d at the
knot of the cords ; so he sat up and looked first at the sky
and then round about him. He held his breath as he
watched the young fellow, and his heart throbbed painfully
— Ephraim meant to escape I Me had even achieved the
first step toward freedom. He hoped his goc^l fortune
might follow him, but dreaded lest the fugitive might
set forth in the wrong direction. This boy was the
only child of his sister, a fatherless and motherless orpljan,
so he had never had the advantage of those niunberless
lessons and hints which only a mother can give, and which
a proud young spirit w W take from none else. Strangers'
hands had trained the young tree, and it had grown
straight enough ; but a mother's love woidd have graced it
with carefully selected grafts. He had not grown up on
his parents' hearth, and that alone is the right home for
the young. What wonder, then, that he felt a stranger
among his own people ?

At such thoughts as these great pity came upon Joshua,
and with a consciousness of being deeply guilty in regard
to this gifted youth, who had fallen into caj^tivity for his
sake when bearing a message to him. Still, strongly as he
felt prompted to warn him yet once more against treachery
and faithlessness, he would not do so for fear of imperiling
his enterprise. The least sound might attract the attention
' if the men on watch, and he was now so much interested
in his attempt for liberty as though Ephraim were making
it by his instigation. So, instead of tormenting him with
useless admonitions, he kept his eyes and ears open ; his
knowledge of life had taught him that good advice is
oftener neglected than followed, and that personal
experience is the only irrefragable master.

Very soon his practiced eye discerned the path by which
Ephraim might escape if only fortune favored him. He

ii'

If !

' '<!

1 I

'-f

146

JOSHUA.

gently spoke his name, and then his nephew softly replied :
*' Uncle, I can untie the cord if you put out your hands ;
mine are free."

At this Joshua's anxious face grew brighter. This bold-
spirited youth was a good fellow at heart ; he was ready
to risk his own success for the sake of an older man who,
if he escaped with him, might only too probably hinder
him in the path which, in his youthful illusion, he hoped
might lead him to fortune.

CHAPTER XIX.

'iiii

Joshua looked cautiously about him. The sky was still
clear, though, if this north wind held, the clouds, which
seemed to be coming up from the sea, would soon over-
cast it.

The air was sultry, but the men on watch kept their
eyes open and relieved each other at regular intervals.
Their vigilance would be hard to evade ; but close to the
trough which formed Ephraim's bed, and which his uncle,
for their greater comfort, had dug by the side of his own,
on the gentle slope of a mound, a narrow rift widened
to a ravine, its edge gleaming in moonlight with veins of
white gypsum and sparkling ores. If the supple lad could
but slip unseen into this hollow, and creep along it as far
as the shores of yonder sail lake, overgrown with tall
mares-tail and a thicket of desert shrubs, under cover of
the gathering clouds he might succeed in his attempt.

Having come to this conclusion, Joshua next considered,
as calmly as though he were deciding on a route for his
iroops, whether, if he had the use of his hands, he might
be able to follow Ephraim without imperiling the boy's
escape. But to this he could only find a negative ; for
one of the watch was close at hand, sitting or standing on
a higher point of the hillock, and in the bright moonlight
he could not fail to see every movement if the lad untied
his bonds. Moreover the clouds might j^erhaps have
covered the moon before this was accomplished, and thus
Ephraim might let the one favorable moment slip which
promised, him release, and be led into danger on his ac-
count. He was the boy's natural protector, and would it

I- 1

JOSHUA,

«47

Ucd :
.nds ;

bold-
ready
who,
under
hoped

'as still
, which
)n ovcr-

pt their

nervals.

e to the

is uncle,

lis own,

widened
veins of
,d could
it as i"-v:
^vith tall
cover of

apt.

iisidered,
e for his
[he might
he boy's
tive ; for
Inding on
[loon light
,d untied
,ps have
and thus
|llp which
in his ac-
would it

not be base indeed to bar his way to freedom for the sake
of a doubtful prospect of escape for himself.

So he whispered to Ephraim : *' I cannot go with you.
Glide along the rift to the right down to-ilie salt lake. I
will keep an eye on the guards. As soon as the clouds
hide the moon and I cough, creep away. If you succeed,
fly to your people, greet my old father for me, assure him
of my love and truth, and tell him whither I am being
taken. Listen to his and Miriam's counsel ; it will be
good. Now the clouds are gathering about the moon —
not another word."

Ephraim persisted in imploring him in the softest
whisper to put forth his hands, but he bid him be silent,
and as soon as the moon was shrouded, and the watch, who
was pacing to and fro just at their head, had begun a con-
versation with the man who came to relieve him, Joshua
coughed gently, and then listened in the darkness with a
throbbing heart and bated breath.

First, he heard a slight rustle, and by the flare of the
fire on the top of the slope, which the drivers now mended
to keep off wild beasts, he saw that Ephraim's bed was
deserted.

At this he breathed more easily, for the ravine must by
this tune hide the boy, and when he listened more sharply
than before to catch a sound of creeping or slipping, he
could hear nothing but the guards talking and their heavy
footsteps.

Their voices reached his ear, but not the words they
spoke, so eagerly was he set on following the youth in his
flight. How agile and how cautious the fugitive must be
in his movements! He must still be in the ravine. The
moon seemed to be struggling with the clouds, till for a
moment the silver disk victoriously rent the heavy, black
curtain which hid it from the eyes of men, and the long,
bright shaft of light was mirrored in the motionless waters
of the salt lake; Joshua could see everytb.ing that lay
below him, but he detected nothing which bore any
resemblance to a human figure.

Had the lad met with some obstacle in the dell ? Was
he checked by a cliff or a gulf in iis gloomy depths ? Or
— and at this thought his heart seemed to stand still —
had the abyss swallowed him up as he felt his way in the
darkness ? Now he longed to hear a sound, the very

148

JOSHUA.

faintest^ from the depths of the rift. This stillness was-^
fearful.

Ah ! sooner silence than this ! A clatter of falling
stones and slipping earth came up too loud now through
the still night. The moon, too, again peeped out from its
veil of clouds, and Joshua saw, down by the pool, i. living
form wliich seemed that of a beast rather than of a man,
for it went along forefooted. And now the water si)lashed
up in glittering drops. The creature, whatever it was. had
plunged into the lake. And agai'i the clouds hid the moon,
and all was dark. Joshua breathed more fi:,>ely, saying to
himself that it was Ephraim whom he had seen, and that
the fugitive, come what might, had gained a good start on
his pursuers.

But the men were not sleeping nor deceived ; for, al-
though he cried out in order to mislead them, " a jackal ! "
a shrill whistle rang out awaking all the sleepers. In a
moment the driver of the gang was standing over him, a
burning torch in his hand, and he heaved a sigh of relief
when he saw his prisoner safe. It was not for nothing
that he had tied him with double cords, for he would have
been made to pay for it dearly if this man had escaped him.

But, while the driver was feeling the rope that bound the
Hebrew's wrists, the flare of the torch he held fell on
the fugitive's empty resting place. The cords he had
bitten through lay there yet, as if in mockery. The driver
picked them up, cast them at Joshua's feet, whistled
loudly again and again, and shouted :

'* Gone ! Flown ! The Hebrew ! The younr^ one ! "

And troubling himself no further about the elder prisoner,
he at once began the search.

Hoarse with rage, he gave his orders rapidly ; all were
clear, and all forthwith obeyed. While some of his men
collected the gang, counted them over, and bound them
together with cords, the leader, with the rest, and helped
by dogs, sought some trace of the fugitive.

Joshua saw him bring the beasts 1 ) s.iuff at the cords
Ephraim had gnawed through, a'u '^c place where he had
lain, and then they started direct for the rapine. He
breathed hard as he perceived that they linger d ihere some
little time, and at last, just as the moon again came il rou-Ii
the clouds, emerged on the shore and rushed down to t!ie
water's edge. He was glad that Ephraim had waded

JOSHUA.

149

was

ling

n its
iving
man,
I shed
i, had
noon,
ing to
i that
art on

br, al-

:kal 1 "

In a

him, a
3f relief
nothing
lid have
)ed him.
)und the

fell on

he had

e driver
iwhistled

lone '.
»risoner,

all were
his men
ind them
helped

the cords
-e he had
me. He
lere some
O.rou-h
Iwn to the
id waded

through it instead of running round it, for the dogs here
lost the scent, and many minutes slipped by while the
guards and the dogs, who poked their noses into every
footprint left by the runaway, made their way round
the shore to find the trace again. Then their loud tongue
told Iiim that thev had recovered the scent. But even if
they should track and run down the fugitive, the fettered
warrior need not now fear the worst, for Ephraim had a
long start of his pursuers ; still his heart beat fast, and
time seemed to stand still till the drivf^r came back again
exhausted and unsuccessful. But though he, a man of mid-
dle age, could never have overtaken Ephraim, the two
youngest and swiftest of his men had been sent after him,
as he himself announced with scornful fur}-.

The man, before so good-natured, was entirely changed;
for he felt the lad's escape as a disgrace he could hardly
get over, nay, as a i)ositive misfortune.

And the wretch who had tried to mislead him by crying
out " a jackal " was the fugitive's accomplice ! Loudly
did he curse Prince Siptah who had interfered in the duties
of his place. But it should not happen again, and he would
make his victims suffer for his misfortune ! The prisoners
were immediately loaded with chains again. Joshua was
coupled with an asthmatic old man, and the whole gang were
made to stand in a row. where the fire-light fell on them,
till daybreak. Joshua could make no reply to the ques-
tions put to him by his new companion in bonds ; he
awaited in painful suspense the return of the pursuers.
Meanwhile he strove to control his thoughts to prayer,
beseeching the Lord, who had j)romised to be his Helper,
on his own behalf and on that of his nephew. Often
enough, to be sure, he was interrupted by the driver, who
vented his wrath on him.

However, the man who had in his day commanded a
host submitted to all, and commanded himself to endure
whatever came like the inevitable discomfort of rain or
hail ; nay, it cost him some little effort to conceal his glad-
ness when the young runners who had been after Ephraim
came in after sunrise, breathless and with disordered hair,
bringing with them nothing but a dog with a broken
skull.

The driver could do no more, therefore, than advise the
soldiers in the first fort on the Etham frontier, which the

\\ L

Hi:

:f.

■■

11 I i

150

yosnuA,

prison-gang must now cross, of wli.it had lia])pcnrd ; and
to this point the file of men were now led.

Since Isj»hraim's lliglit all the men on guard had changed
their tone for a harder one. Yesterday the unhappy
wretches had been allowed to proceed at an easy pace ;
now they were hurried on as fast as possible. Tlic day
was sultry, and the scorching sun struggled with the storm-
cloutls, whieh were gathering in the imrth into dense
masses. Joshua's frame, inured to every kind of fatigue,
could resist the severity of this forced march, but his more
feeble companion, who had grown grt-y as a scribe, often
stmnbled. antl at length lay where he fell. At this the
driver saw the m-cessity of ])lacing the sufferer on an ass,
and fettering Joshua to another coinimnion. This was the
first man's brothei-, an overseer of the king's stables, a well
grown l'",gyi)tian who was going to the mines for no other
excuse than that it was his misfortime to be the brother of
a stj'te criminal. Linked to this sturdy mate walking was
nmch easier, and Joshua listened to him with sincere sym-
pathy, and tried to cheer him when, in n low voice, he
confided to him all his woes, lamenting sadly that he had
left a wife and child at home in want and misery. Two of
his children had died of the pestilence, and it weighed on his
heart that he had been prevented from caring for their
burial, for thus the two l)eings he had loved were lost to
him for ever, even in the other world.

At their second resting i)lace the bereaved father spoke
more freely. His soul was consumed b\- thirst for revenge,
and he took it for granted that his companion felt the same,
seeing that he had fallen into disgrace from a high oftice.
The overseer of the stables had a sister-in-law who was one
of the ladies about Pharaoh's court, and through her and
her sister, his wife, he had been informed that a conspiracy
against the king was being hatched in the women's house.*
Aye, and he knew too who it was that the wornen purposed
to set in Menephtah's place.

As Joshua looked at him with an inquiring and doubt-
ful gaze his comrade whispered :

" Siptah, the king's nephew, and his noble mother are at
the head of the plot. If only I get free I will bear you in
mind ; and my sister-in-law is sure not to forget me."

* The \\( use of tlie secluded ones; equivalent to the harem of the
Modern Moslem Egyptians

j(KSf/r ,1.

»5i

gfd

pry

ICC i

day
)iin-
cnse
igue,
11 ore
often
s the
1 ass,
LS ibe
, will-
olber
her of
g was
: s) ni-
ce, be
le bad
Fwo of
i on bis
r tbeir
lost to

spoke

venge,
c same,

oftice.
Ivas one
licr and

spiracy
house.*

irposed

doubt-
er are at
you in

;m of the

He then desired to know what hud brought the Hebrew
to the mines, and Joshua frankly told him wjio he was.
When the [Egyptian heard that he was linked logclher with
an Hebrc-w, he tore madly at his c.h.iiiis and cursed his fate ;
however, his wrath presently died out before the amazing
coolness with which joshu;; (.-ndurcd the hardest things,
and to Joshua hims(;lf it was a relict" that his jinrtncr besieged
his far less often with comjilaints and fpieslions.

I'\)r whole hours hev )ul(l w.ilkon uiunoK'slc(l, and give
himself up wholly to his longing, to coliecliiig his thoughts,
to giving himself a clear account of tiie teriihli; rxprrien* es
which his soul had gone through in the hisl lew days, .i,nd
to making up his mind to his new and dreadful situation.

This silent meditation and intros|.'ction did him goixl;
and, when they again st()pi)ed for the night, he enjoyed
deej) and refreshing sleep.

When he woke the stars were still bright in the wi,'stern
sky, reminding him of the sycamore at Succoth. and the
all-imi)ortant morning when his beloved had won him over
to serve iicr (lod. Above him si)read the sparkling fnma-
ment, and for the first time he was conscious of a budding
ho])e that the Almighty Creator (jf heaven and earth might
find some way and means of saving tlie peo|)le He had
called His own from the overwhelming host of the Egyp-
tian s.

When he had thus frvently besought the Lord to spread
His protecting hand over the feeble tribes who, in obedience
to His word, had left so much behiuc hem, and had so
confidently set forth for the remv)te unknown, he com-
mended his old father, whom he himself could not defend,
to His especial care, and his soul was filled with wondrous
peace.

The shouts of the men on guard, the rattle of fetters, his
wretched fellow-vittims, everything about him kept him in
mind of the fate before him. He inust henceforth toil day
and night in abject slavery, in a sweltering, choking cavern,
bereft oi the joy of breathing the fresh air of heaven, or
of seeing the sunshine; loaded with chains, flogged and
reviled, starving and athirst, in a gloomy monotony of
misery, agonizing alike to body and sold ; and yet not for
a moment did he lose his confident trust that this fearful
fate was intended for anv other rather than for him, and
that something would int'rvenc to preserve him from it.

If.

r .

152

JOSHUA.

11!

On Uicir ftirlhor nuircli eastward, which l)c\:;an at dawn,
he could only think of this confidence as folly, while he
strove to cling fast to it, and he succeeded.

Their way lay across tjic desert, and after a few hours'
brisk ni.irch tliev reached the first fort, called " Seti's
Stronghold." In the clear air of the desert they had seen
it for a long time, looking as though tley could shoot an
arrow into it. It stood up from the bare, stony soil,
ungraced by a palm or a shrub, with its wooden stockade,
it., ramparts, its scari)ed wall, its watch-tower looking
westward, with a broad, Hat roof swarming with men at
arms. The garrison had been warned from Pithom that
the Hebrews were prejiaring to break through the frontier
lines on the isthmus, and the gang of i)risoners with their
guards had been taken from a distance for the van of the
emigrant Israelites.

I'Voni ti)e toj) of the huge bastions, which projected like
balconies from all sides of the scarped ivalls to prevent the
use of scaling ladders, soldiers were spying out between
the battlements at the apj)roaching party ; but the archers
had replaced their arrows in the quivers, for it had at once
been percei\ ed that the troop was a small one, and a run-
ner had delivered the pass from the military authorities,
desiring the captain of the garrison to permit the file of
prisoners to cross the frontier. The door in the palisade
was thrown upon to th m, and the driver gave them leave
to stretch their limbs a while on the hot pavement within.
From hence none could escape, even if the guard left them
to themselves ; for the fence was too high to climb, and
arrows shot from the roof of the building or from the loop-
holes of the projecting battlements would overtake the run-
away.

It did not escape the warrior's eye thijt everything here
was in a state of jireparation for resistance, as though it
were war-time. Every man was at hi;; post, and guards
stood by the great metal gongs on die roof with heavy
millets in th.eir hands to beat an alarm at the approach of
the expected foe ; for, though there was not a tree or a
house to be seen as far as the eye could reach, the sound
would ring out to the next fort on the frontier line, and
warn the garrison, or bring them to the rescue. It was
not indeed a punisliment, but a piece of ill-fortune to be
quartered in these isolated desert stations, and the chiefs

JOSHUA.

153

iwn,
le he

ours'
Scli's
seen
ot an
soil,
kadc,
oking
len at
n that
on tier
\ their
of the

cd hke

cnt the

ctwecn

archers

at once

I a riin-

lorities,

^ file of

)alisadc

m leave
within,
ft them
Lib, and
le loop-
he run-

Ing here
jough it
guards
|i ^heavy
each of
tee or a
sound
|nie, and
It was
le to he
le chiefs

of Pharaoh's army took care tliat the same companies
did not rt.'inain loo long at a lime in this wilderness.

Josliua liiniscll' liad in former years eonnnanded ilie most
soulherly of thtse strongholds, k:;o\vn ;is Mijjdol of the
South ; for the name of Migdol was conunon to them all,
uieanlng iii llie Semiiie loii;^ue a foiires: town.

Mere his i)i'o[)h.,- weie evidently sill! e\i)e('leil ; nor coidd
he for a momrnl ihiiik tliat Moses wowKl Ir.ive led them back
into Jvgypt. Milher they hail lingered in Suecoth, or they
had marched southwards ; but to the south l;iy the bitter
lakes and the Red Sea, and how should the Hebrew mul-
titude cross those deep waters ? Joshua's lieart beat
anxiously as lie rellected on this, and his fears were ])re-
sently confiniietl, for he heard the cai)lain of the forlre^.s
telling the driver of the gang that the Hebrews had come
some da)'s since veiy near the frontier-line of defence, and
then had turned off to the southward. Since then, it would
seem that they had been wandering in the desert between
Pithom and the Red Sea. All this had forthwith been
reported at Tanis, but the king had been obliged to po:it
pone the departure of the army till after the s ven first
days of deep mourning for the heir to the thrc le. This
delay might luive given the Israelites an immense advan-
tage ; but a message had to-day come by a pigeon, announ-
cing that the foolishmultitudewere encamjjed at Pihahiroth,
not far from the Red Sea, so that it would be an easy task
for the army to drive them into the waters like a herd of
cattle, for tliere was no escape in any other direction.

The driver had listened to this rej)ort with much satis-
faction, and he whispered a few words to the captain,
pointing at Joshua, who, for his part, had already recog-
nized the oflicer as a compani'.;n in arms who had served
under him as a centuii;in, an.d to whom he had shown much
kindness. It nv;is j^ainful t(; him to reveal h.imself in this
miserable plight to one who had been his subaltern, and
who owed him a debt of obligation; and as he looked at
him, the cai)tain c.< lored, shrugged his shoulders expres-
sively, as if to convey to Joshua his pity for liis ill-fortune
and the imiDOSsil)iiity of doing anything to mend ii. Then
he said in a voice s > loud ih;it the Hebrew must hear him:
'• I am forbidden by tlie rules to speak with your prisoners,
but I knew that man in better days, and 1 will send you
out some wine, which you will share with him, I beg,"

»54

JOSHUA.

When they presently went towards the gateway, the
driver remarking that Joshua was less deserving of such
fa\or than other and weaker men, inasmuch as he had
assisted the runaway of whom he had spoken to make his
escape, the captain pushed his fingers through his hair and
replied : " I could have wished to show him some kind-
ness, though, indeed, he owes me much already. But if
that is the case I had better keep my wine. And you have
rested quite long enough here ! "

The driver wrathfully roused his hapless gang to pro-
ceed on their way across the desert and onward to the
mines.

Joshua now walked with a bowed head. His spirits
rebelled against the ill-fortune which had led him to this
pass, driven across the desert, far from his i)eople id his
fiilher, who must be in great danger at this decisive and
fateful crisis. Under his guidance the Hebrews might
perhaps have found a way of escape 1 He clenched his
fists with rage to think that his will as well as his body
was in chains ; and yet he would not lose heart ; and each
time thai his reason told him that his pcoi)le were los*^, that
tliey must perish in this contest, his own name — the new
name bestowed on him by God — sounded in his ears, and
his hatred and scorn for everything Egyptian, fanned into
life by the young officer's base conduct, flamed up afresh.

His whole nature was in violent revolt, and as the
driver marked his burning cheeks and the lurid light in his
eye, he thought that even this strong fellow had become a
prey to the fever to which so many prisoners fell victims
on their way.

AVhen, at sundown, the melancholy train encamped for
the night in the heart of the desert, Joshua's spirit still
seethed and surged within him, and the scene around him
matched well with the tumult in his soul. Again the black
clouds came up from the sea on the nordi wind, which
howled, and shrieked, and whirled clouds of burning sand
over the prisoners as they lay, till the lightning and thun-
der broke over them with a deluge of rain. A thick layer
of sand for their coverlet, pools and rivulets were now their
bed. Their keepers had bound them together by the arms
and legs, and as they stood, shivering and dripping, they
still held the ends of the roi)es ; for the night was as black
as the fuel ef the fires the storm had extinguished, and

JOSHUA,

'J>

who could have followed a runaway through such darkness
and such weather?

But Joshua had no thoughts of flight. While the
Kgyptians whimpered and quaked, believing that they
heard the angry voice of Set in the thunder, and while
blinding sheets of flame flared among the clouds, he felt
tlie near presence of that jealous God, whose rage he
hared, whose hatred was as his own. Here he stood, the
witness of His All-destroying i)ower, and his breast swelled
with pride as he said to himself that he had been called to
wield the sword of the Lord of Lords.

r I

CHAPTER XX.

The storm which had risen at nightfall was still sweeping
r)ver the ])cninsula. High waves beat in the central lakes,
;ind the Red Sea, which formed two creeks from the south,
like the horns of a snail, was tossing wildly. Further
north likewise, where Pharaoh's army had just encamped
under shelter of the Southern Migdol, the strongest of the
Etliam frontier fortresses, the air was filled with sand by
the sto:m ; and in the quarters of the king and his nobles
hammers were kept constantly at work, driving the tent
pegs deeper into the ground ; for the brocades, cloth and
linen, of which Pharaoh's wandering residence and its sur-
roundings were formed, were so beaten by the wind that
they threatened to pull up the poles which supported them.

Black clouds hung in the north, yet the moon and stars
were often visible, and distant lightning frequently illumin-
ated the darkness. But dews of heaven still seemed to
shun this rainless tract of land, and fires burnt in every
direction round which thick circles of soldiers were gathered,
and, like a living screen from the storm, crowded together
for protection. The men on watch had trying work, for,
in spite of the north wind, the air was stifling, and con-
tinually blew gusts of sand full in their faces.

At the most northern gate of the camp only two
sentries walked to and fro, keeping a sharp lookout, but
they were sufficient ; for in consequence of the bad weather
it was a long time since anyone had appeared to demand
either admission or exit. At last, three hours after sunset.

! Z

IS6

yosiiUA.

a slender lad, half boy, half youth, appeared. He went,
with steady step, up to the watch, and, showhig him a
messenger's token, asked the way to Prince Siptah's tent.
He looked as if he had had a difficult journey; his thick
black hair was disheveled, and his feet covered with dust
and cp.kcd in mud. Yet he roused no suspicions, for his
manner was independent and free, his messenger's pass
in perfect order, and the letter which he bore clearly
directed to the prince ; a scribe of the granary who was
sitting at the next fire, with other officers and vice-com-
mandants, confirmed the fact.

Since the youth's appearance pleased most of them, and
as he came from Tanis and perhaps brought news, he was
invited to take a place at the fire and to share their meal;
but he was in haste.

Thanking them, he refused, answered their questions
shortly and quickly, and asked one of the company to be
his guide. Immediately one of them put himself at his
disposal. But he was soon to learn that it was not easy
to achieve seeing a member of the royal household ; for
the tents of Pharaoh, his relations and dignitaries stood
apart in the very heart of the camp, enclosed by the shields
of the heavily armed foot-soldiers, and when he tried to
pass in he was referred from one to another, and his mes-
senger's token and the prince's letter were repeatedly
examined. His guide was also dismissed, and in his place
an official of high rank, known as " the eye and the ear of
the king," came forward, and .began to meddle with the
seal of the letter, but the bearer very decidedly demanded
the missive back ; and directly he had it in his hand once
more he went towards two tents, standing side by side and
shaken by the wind, which were pointed out to him as
those of Prince Siptah and Kasana, Hornecht's daughter,
for whom he also inquired. A chamberlain came out the
prince's tent, to whom he showed the letter he bore,
requesting him to conduct him to his lord ; but the official
having desired him to hand the letter to him instead of to
the prince, Ephraim, for he it was, consented to do so on
condition of the chamberlain's forthwith procuring him
admission to Kasana's presence.

The steward seemed most anxious to get the letter into
his own hands. After he had examined F.phraim from top
to toe, he a'sked him whether Kasana knew him, and when

j\s//^/,.

«57

ivenl,

im 11

tent,
thick
I dust
)r his

pass
Icarly
I) was
;-com-

n, and

ic was

meal ;

estions
y to be
i at his
Dt easy
Id ; for
3 Stood
shields
;ried to
lis mes-
)eatedly
is place
e ear of
vhh. the
manded
nd once
side and
him as
aughter,
out the
He bore,
e official
ad of to
do so on
ing him

;tter into
from top
nd when

the other answered in the affirmative, and added that he
brought a verlxil message fur iicr, the Egyptian sntiling
said, '* Good, then ; but wc must proUct our carpets from
such feet, and you seem Uj me aliogcthcr exhausted and
in neeil of rvfreshmenl. l'\)!l')W mc !''

Thercui)on he lc<l Jiim into a little tent, before which an
old slave and another, vv'ho was still almost a child, sat by
the fire concluding their late meal with .i bunch of garlic.

On seeing tlieir master they sprang \i\) ■ he ordered the
old man to wash the messenger's feet, and tlie young one
to fetch, in his name, meat, bread and wine from the
l)riuce'ri tent. He llien look l'!i 'iraim into his own tout,
which was lighted by a lantern^and asked him how it was
that he, who had looked so little like a serf or a common
fellow, had such a forlorn appearance. Then the messenger
answered that he had on his way bound uj) the woimds of
a severely injured man with his up])er garment, so the
steward at once reached towards his packages and handed
him a wrapper of fine linen.

Ephraim's reply, which was very near the truth, was
given with such promptness, and sounded so genuine, that
iL was believed; and the steward's kindness so over-
whelmed hiin with gratitude that he made no objection,
when, M'ith a practiced hand, and without damaging the
seal, he pressed the flexible roll of papyrus, bent the
separate layers apart, and, peei>ing in the opening, acquaint-
ed himself with the contents of the letter. At the same
time the burly courtier's eyes glistened brightly, and it
seemed to the youth that the man's face, which at first had
appeared to him with its comfortable fullness and rounded
smoothness the mirror of great good nature, had become
like that of a cat.

As soon as the steward had finished this operation, he
begged the boy to rest himself thoroughly, and he did not
return until Fphraim had bathed and stood with the new
linen cloth round his loins, his hair anointed and scented,
looking in the mirror, and in the act of putting a broad
gold hoop round his arm.

He had hesitated for some time, as he knew he was
about to face great dangers ; this bracelet, however, was
his only valuable possession, and he had taken great
trouble during his captivity to keep it hidden in his loin-cloth.
It might yet render him good service, but if he wore it it

! 'I

158

yos//(\i.

■would attract attention to his person and increase his risk
of being rccogni/cd. Bui the image he saw reflected
in the mirror, his vanity, and the wish to find favor in
Kasuna's eyes triumphed over prudence, and the costl)
ornament was soon shining on his arm. The chamberlain
gazed with amazcm .lU at the transformation of the r.n
kempt messenger in a proud looking youth, and the
(picstion rose to his lips whether he were some kin to Kas-
ana, and when Kphraim replied in the negative, he asked to
what fnnily he belonged.

At tliis, E[)hraini stood for some time with downcast
eyes, nnd besought the Egyptian to excuse him from repl}
ing till he should have spoken to Kasana. The otliei
shook his head doubt ingly as he looked at him, but he
urged him no further, for wliat he had discovered from the
letter was a secret which might cost all who knew it their
life, and the handsome young bearer must surely be the
son of some great man implicated in the i)lot of his master,
Prince Sii)tah.

The stout, well-fed courtier "hivered at the thought; and
it was with a sympathetic qualm that he looked at this
blooming llowcr of humanity, so young to be mixed up in
such perilous schemes. His lord had so far only hinted at
the secret to him, so he could still cut himself adrift from
sharing his master's destiny. If he parted from him, he
miglit look forward to an old age of ease; but if he clung
to him, and if tlie prince's plot should conic to a good issue,
to what heigh-, miglit he not rise ! How terril)ly imjjor-
tant was the choice which he, the fatlicr of a large ftimily.
was called upon to make; the sweat stood on his brow,
and he was quite incapable oi clear rellection, as he con-
ducted Ephraim to Kasana's tent and then hastened to his
master's.

All was still in the slight erection of wooden poles and
heavy, bright-colored stuffs which sheltered the fair widow.
It was with a beating heart that Ephraim- approached the
entrance, and when at length he took courage and pushed
aside the curtain which was pegged to the ground, the wind
filling it like a sail, he saw a dark room opening on either
hand into another. That to the left was as dark as the
centre one ; but from the right, liglits gleamed tlirough the
seams in the canvas.

The tent was one of the long flat-roofed shape, in three

yosnrA.

'59

IS risk
Hcctcd
vor in
costly
;)erlain
he 11 n-
id the
o Kas-
skcd to

)WiKast

n rcpl}
e other
, but he
rom the
it their
f be the
, master,

^ht; ar.d
i at this
ed up in
hinted at
ift from
him, he
e clung
od issue,
y imp-or-
family.
IS brow,
he con-
ed to his

joles and
ir widow.
Lched the
d pushed
the ^vind
on either
irk as th.e
rough the

three

compartments, such as lie had often seen ; and in the
room whence the Hght ])rocecded, no doubt, was she to
.whom lu" came. To avoid any further suspicions he must
overcome liis timidity, and he liad already stooped to untie
the knot by which tlie curtain was held to the peg in the
ground, when that of the lighted compartment was raised,
and a woman's figure came info the dark rnlranee-room.

Was it she? Slnnild he venture to address her? Vcs,
he must.

He clenched his nands tightly, and wiih a deep breath
collected his courage, as though he were about to rush
ujion a beast of i-rey i)r()\vling round a flock. Then he
])ushed the curtain aside and was met with a cry from the
woman he had before ohserved ; and he soon recovered
his courn'/e, for it was not Kasana but the waitiuLT woman
who had C(^me with her to see the i)risoners, and had
accomijanietl her to the camp. She rcco";iii/,cd him, too,
a)id stared at him as though he had risen from ih.c dead.
They knew each other well ; for, the first time he had
hecn carried to Mornechl's house, it was she who had
])repared his bath and laid balsam on his wounds ; and on
the second occasion when they h.id been inmates under
the same roof, she and her mistress had nur-;ed him. For
many an hour had they chatted togeilier, and he knew
that she was fond of him, for as he lay half couscious, half
(h/ed with feverish dreams, she would soothe him with a
motherly touch, and, as he grew stronger, was never weary
of questioning him about his people, telling him that she
herself was a Syrian, of kindred blood to the Hebrews.
Indeed, his language was not altogether strange to her, for
it was as a woman of twentv that she had been brought
to Egypt wiih other ]>risoncrs by Ramescs the Great.
Ephraim, she would say, reminded her of her one son
when he was younger. From this woman he had nothing
to fear ; he seized her hand, and said in a low voice that
he had escaped from his guards, and had come to ask
counsel of her mistress and herself. The word " escaped "
was enough to reassure the old woman, for spirits, as she
understood the word, were wont to put others to flight, but
not to flee. She stroked the lad's curls, and, before he had
finished speaking she had left him, hurrying off into the
other room to inform her mistress that he stood without.
In a few minutes Ephraim was in the presence of the

I- :

r6o

JOSHUA.

woman who had become the guiding star and waiming
sun of liis h'fe. With flushing checks he gazed up at her
lovely features, and although it stabbed him to the heart
that, before she even vouchsafed him a greeting, Lnc
inquired whether Joshua were with him, he forgot that
foolish pang as he noted with what kindness she looked at
him. And when she asked the strong woman whether she
did not think him looking fresh and well, and ^x( wn more
manly, he felt as though he was really taller and bigger,
and his heart beat higher than ever. She insisted on
knowing all that had happened to his uncle, down to the
smallest detail ; then after he had done her bidding, and
at last indulged his desire to speak of his own fortunes,
she interrupted him to consult with the older W( rnan as lo
how he might be sheltered from malignant eyes and fresh
dangers ; and the means were soon found.

First, with Ephraim's help, the nurse closed the first
entrance to the tent as completely as })ossiblc, and she
then showed him the dark room, into which he was to
vanish as quickly and ;ioisclessly as possible whenever
she should give him a sign.

Kasana meanwhile had pou'ed out a cup of wine for the
returned wanderer, and when he came in again with the
old woman, she bid )iim lie down on the giraffe skin at
her feet, and asked him herself how he had got away from
the watchmen, and what he looked to do in the future.
She must tell him, in the first instance, that her father had
remained at Tanis, so he need have no fear of being
recognized and betrayed by Horn^ cht. It was easy
enough to see and hear how glad she was at this meeting ;
nay, when Ephraim told hor that it was in consequence of
Prince Siptah's orders that the prisoners should be unfet-
tered — which they owed solely to her — that he had been
able to make good his escape, she clapped her hands like
a child. But then he'- brow darkened, and she added
with a sig!., that Joshua should see how much a woman,
hovr'ever weak, could sacrifice to attain the dearest wish
of her heart. Ephraim's assurance, thr' before he himself
stole away he had offered to relcas'> his uncle, met with
its meed of kind words ; and when she learned that Joshua
had refused his nephew's help in order that he might not
imperil the success of the plan he had suggested to him,
she exclaimed to her waiting woman, with tears in her

JOSHUA,

i6t

liming
at her
: heart

g, i.he
n that
)kcd at
icr she
11 more
bigier,
led on
1 lo the

■g) ^'^^^
;:!itimes,

an iis to

ad fresh

the first
and she
: was to
whenever

le for the
with the
: skin at
way from
le future .
ther had
of being
was easy
meeting ;
^uence of
be unfet-
had been
iands like
|he added
. woman,
.rest wish
lie himself
met with
lat Joshua
night not
d to him,
Irs in hei-

eyes, that .lO one but he could act so uobly ;, ..itd she
listened eagerly to the rest of his tale, iiitorrupling him
frequently with sympathetic questions.

So blissful a close to the fearful days and nights he had
just passed seemed to him as a beautiful dream, a bewil-
dering romance ; and he did not need the encour.igcmcnt.
of the cui> she dili^'-Ulv tilled for him to m;ikc him t; II his
story with eager vivacity. With an eloquence altogeth'.-r
new to him ho described how, in the ravine, he had slipped
on a loose stone, and had fallen with it headlong to the
bott')m. There he had tliought that all was l;)st, for soon
after he had shaken himself ck.'ar of the rubbish in which
lie was buried to hurry down to the salt lake, h.e had heard
the driver's whistle. However, from Ins childhood he had
always been a good runner, and he had learned in his
native fields how to read his bearings by the stars, so^
without looking to the ri"'^it hand or the left, he had ilown
on as fast as his feet won id carry him lo the south, always
to the south. Manv times had he fallen in the dark over
stones or i)its in the desert sand, but only to spring uj>
again and luirry on, rush on, to where he knew tliat she,
Kasana, was — she for whose sake he would unhesitatingly
cast to the winds all that wise heads could advise — she
for whom he was ready to give life and liberty.

How he found courage to make this confession he knew
not. Nor was he sobered by the rap she gave him with
her fan, or by the old woman's exclamation, "A boy like
that ! " No ; his beaming eyes only sought her gaze, as
they had done before, while h.e went on with ids story.

He had hurled the dog which had come up with him
against a rock ] the other he had driven off by plunging a
stone at him till he retreated whining into a thicket. He
had seen nothing of any other [)ursaers neither that night
nor all the next day. At last he reached a high road and
came up with some country-folk, who told him which way
the king's army had marched. Then, about midday, being
overcome by fatigue, he had gone to sleep in the shade of
a sycamore, and when he wo]:c the sun was near sinking.
He was dreadfully hungry, so he had pulled a few turnips
in a field as he passed by; but the owner had immediately
corae forward from a water course at hand, and it was with
difficulty that he had escaped from his pursuit. During
part of the next night he had kept to the high road, and

t '

■?i' f

l62

yosfiuA.

lud rested at last by a well on the way, for he knew that
wild beasts shuii much rrcc[uented spots. After sunrise he
had set forth again, following the road the army had taken,
and had come upon its traces everywhere. Shortly before
noon, when he was (juite exhausted and sick with fasting,
he came to a village lying close lo liie fertile tract watered
by the Seti canal, and had considered whether it would noi
be well lo sell his gold bracelet to purchase some good
nourishment, and keep some silver and copjier coin for
future need ; but he had feared being taken for a thief i.nd
cast into prison again, for the thorns had been liis raiment.
and his sandals had long since dropj^ed from his feet. He
had thought that Iiis misery must move even the hard-
hearted to pity, so he ]iad knocked at a door and bcgg.va,
bitter as it had heen to liim. However, he got nothiiig from
the peasant but a scornful admonition that such a sli(/ug
young fcliow as he might work for his living, and leave
begging to the weak and old. A second had threatened
him with a thrashing ; however, when he had gone some
way fin-ther, feeling very crestfallen, a yomig woman, who
had seen him at the niggard's door, came after him and put
a cake of bread with a few dates into his hand, hastily
telling him that the village had been heavily taxed in the
course of Pharaoh's progress, or she would have given him
something better. No banquet had ever before tasted so
sweet to him as this unlooked-for gift, which he cat by the
next well ; but he did not confess to Kasana that it had
been embittered by the doubt as to whether he should obey
Joshua's counsel and return to his own people, or follow
his heart's desire which drew him to her. He had started
again, still undecided, but fate seemed to have taken the
matter into her own hands. After he had walked on about
half an hour longer, on reaching the edge of the desert he
had come upon a youth of about his own age, sitting by
the way side and moaning as he held one of his feet in
both hands. He had gone up to him at his call, and to
his surprise had recognized him as Hornecht's runner and
messenger, with whom he had often spoken.

" Apoo ! our nimble Nubian ? " interrupted the lady ; an:
Ephraim went on to tell her that this messenger had bii.:,
sent to carry a letter to Prince Siptah in all haste, and i\u
swift-footed, lad, who was wont to outrun his master',:.
horses, would have flown like an arrow, and have rcnc! .1

JOSHUA.

163

I \A

7 that
ise he
taken,
before
isling,
aicied
iltl noi
c good
Din fo-.
ief and
limcnl,
et. He
e liavd-

ngfiom
I strong
id leave
rcatencd
lie some
lan, who
and put
i, hastily
cd in the
dven him
tasted so
at by the
at it had
uld obey
or follow
|d started
:aken the
on about
jdesert he
pitting by
.is feet in
[11, and to
nner and

lady; an.:
Ihad b^Li.
and iVi^
master''.
le rcachv.i.

his destination in two hours, if he had not trodden on a
fragment of broken glass, a bottle crushed by some chariot
wheel, and the cut was dreadfully deep.

" And you liclped him?" asked Kasana.

" Could I do otherwise? " was the answer. *' He had
half-bled to death already, and was as pale as a sheet. So
T carried him to the nearest canal and washed the gaping
wound, and applied some ointment he had with him."

'• I put it in his pocket a year ago, in a small pot," said
the nurse, who, being easily moved, was wiping her eyes ;
and Ephraim confirmed the fact, for Apoo had mentioned
it with gratitude. Tiien he went on :

" And I tore my tunic into strips, and bound it up as
best T might. But he urged me all the while to make
haste, . id held out the token and the roll which his master
had entrusted to him, and, knowing nothing of the mis-
fortunes which had befallen me, he charged me to carry
the letter to the prince in his stead. Oh I how gladly I
undertook to do so, and the second mile was not ended
when I reached the camp. The letter is in the prince's hands
and here am I. I can see by your face that you are well
pleased. As for me — ^so happy as I am to sit here at your
feet and guze n\) at you, so thankful as I am to you for
leaving listened to me so patiently, surely no one ever was
in this world 1 And if they put me in chains I will bear it
quietly if only you remain kind. My woes have been so
many I I have neither father nor mother — no one to love
me. Only you. I love none but you, and you will not
repel me, will you? "

He s^)oke the last words like one in a frenzy. Carried
away by his pn -sion, and inca[)able, after the terrible
strain of the la^. days and hours, of governing the over-
whelming storm of his feelings, the lad sobbed aloud.
He was scarcely past childhood yet, he had only himself
10 trust to. lie had been torn and severed from all that had
over upheic and controlled him, and, like a young bird
taking refuge under its mother's wings, he hid his face in
Kasana's Ian, weeping violently.

Deep comjiassion came over the tender-hearted young
woman, and her eyes, too, were moist. She gently laid her
iiand on his hair ; and as she felt the shudder which ran
through the boy's whole frame, she raided his head in both
hands, kissed his forehead and cheeks, and smiling through
tears, as she looked into his face, said :

{:■;::■

164

yosifr.i.

\ o\\ poor, I'uolisli lii-y ' Why should I nol \n kind,

over n'lH-l \oii

? \'

oiii 1111! Ic IS Uu- in;m (h;ii('sl lo iiic ii

the world. ;ind vou aw lil.' his son. To scivc hint .iiid
yon I h.ivr nhciulv 'onscnUd lo do di.it \\hi(li I Isk!

.dw.iys utterly lo.itlu'd, relnsed.

mav, and whatever others ni.u- t'lnik oi sj\ ol nu

lUt nc'W. eoine W h;i
I wd

not eaie if on

Iv I

can sne< I ( d ni (h lin;; that lor whi(

will i;ive ni\' lite and all I hold mo! I di
poor. vehenuMtt Inty," aiul again she ki^

h I
( )nl\ wail,

( net

I shall ind a wav for \()U. too

Ni w

t IKtl

r."

I thij

She spokt> Inndy, and the woids were enough to ( hei k
llie exeiled lad" ■ i-xetled mood. Ihit suddenly she sprang
up, eiying in tei i lin d haste ; " I'ly, lly. hegoni' instantly ! "

A man's footstep appioaehing the tent and a wainmg
word \\o\\\ the waiting woman had brought the luief com
niand to Kasan.i's lips, and Mphraiin's keen ear told him
what had roused her fears, ami (hove him foithwith into
tlu^ dark chamber, wiiere he eoiild satisfy himself that a
moment's hesitation would iiave betrayed liim. 'ITic <"ur
l.iin of the tent was lifted and a man walked straight
tlirtnigh the anteroom to the lighted apartment whei'
Kasana— for that, too, he eoukl hear- greeted some n( v,
guest otdy too wainih. and as though suriuisi-d at hi-
roming so late.

The wailing woman snatched up lu-r o\\Ji nun Ih" to
tiirow ov(M' the lad's bare shoulders, and she whispend to
la'ngei near the tent sometime before stmrise. but

\^ tlo n«M coiiie in till 1 call vou if 3 on love V( ui lil

have neither father nor mother, and my child Kasana — ,1
loving heart is hers, a heart of gold ~ slu" is the best of all
that is good; but whethiM* slu^ is 111 lo guick* a l(^oi' I)
scapegrace who bmiis for her like diy stiaw is ipiite an-
other matter. As I listened to your story I thought of
many things, and as I mean well by you I will tell yoii
something : Vou have an uncle who is the nobl(>st of men.
T know what men are, and so far my Ka;;ana is right. |)i)
his bidding, it will be for your good. Obey him ! And if
his orders take you far from heie and fiom Kasann, so
much ihc bettor for you. Wo walk in daug«. .ous places,
and if it were not for Joshua's sake I sho; Id have doiu
everything in my power to hold her back. Ef '* lin: —
well, T am an old wom.an, but for that man oven ' vou Id go
through fire and water. I grieve more than I can say for

yosf/r.L

165

ml, I' ■
m<' i';
in MMtl
1 h.'ul

1 \\\\\
lurl» 1
V wiiil,
■IuhUs.
1 this."
) ( luM k
s\>r;\n};
aiUly !"
AinniniJ,
I'f « oin
«)U1 liini
;\\\\ into
it" tb;it ;i
Tlic <-ni

stvait-^li'
a wlui'
mm- n< V,
.-a at M'

nai lU' >"
sju'iid to
luiso. but

iisaiia — .1

rsl <if ;t'l

a b'or 1'

I null";
1 irll
,t ol" men.

asana, so

liH

have

tli;il pure, swccH cliild. .ind lor yoii who arc so hko what
my owi. son was ; hut I s;iy oner more, ohcy yotir nnclc,
h()\', 01 yoM will conic to ;ni evil end, ,ind that would he a
pity iiidc'd ! "

'rhrii, wilhoiit Wiiitiiif^' for a reply, she |»iislied him
t()W;ii(Is one of ihe opeiini|;;. in the canv.is w;dl of" the tent,
and wailed till {''phiaini iiad wrif^i;led oiil. Then she
dried hei eyes and went l)a( k into thf lijdit'"d room as
ihou'^h hy ( han( (• ; hnt Kasana and her Iclaled vi'-itf)r
\\.\{\ matters to discuss which allowed of no witness, and
her " (h'ar cliild " only Miffercd her to lijdit her own little
lam|) .it the three armed ( andelahrum, and then sent her
to l)ed.

She sulimilled ; hut in the darkened room, where lier
heil stood not far from her mistress', she lay down, and
then, covering her face,' with her hands, wept in silence.

vould go
Ian say fo'

c: HA I'll-: R XXI.

KiMiKAiM crci)t round tlie tent he had quitted, pressing
one ear against the canvas wall. lie very caaitiously
imdid a few stitches in one of the seams, and so could see
as well hear what was going on in the lady's sitting-room,
'riic storm kej)t eveiy one within shelter who was not
compelled hy service to turn out, and I'.phraim had the
less reason to fear discovery because the spot where he
crouclied was in deej) shade. 'J'lie old nurs(;'s cloak was
wrapped about him, and though a shudder again and again
ran through his yoinig limbs, it was bitter grief that
caused it and anguish of soul.

He saw Kasana's head resting on tlic breast of a prince,
a great and powerful lovi-r, and the capricious false one
(lid not even forbid the bold suitor when his lips sought
hers for the ki .ses he desired. She owed no faith to
l\pliraim indeed, but her heart was his uncle':; ; she pre-
ferred him above all men, she had declared herself ready
to endure the worst to procure his free(h)m, and now he
saw with his (nvn eyes thai she was false and faithless, and
giving to another that wliich by right was Joshua's alone.
To l''phraim himself she had shown favor — the mere
crumbs which fell from [oshua's table, and even that, as he

' '>.'■■ I

.•■: I

i ■

166

JOSHUA.

confessed with a blush, was a robbery from his uncle ;
and ho fell himself injured, wounded and betrayed, and on
fire with jealousy in behalf of his uncle, whom he hon-
ored, nay, and loved, though he had contravened his
wishes.

And Joshua? He, like Ephraim himself, and like that
princely i)ersonagc, like every one in short, must love her
in sjiite of his strange demeanor at the wayside well ; it
could not possibly be (otherwise; and she, snfe from the
vengeance of llie unhappy prisoner, was abandoning her-
self witli cowardlv l.uiseness to the caresses of another !

Sii)tah, as he liad learnt from their last mtx'ting, was his
uncle's foe ; and foi- him, of all men, she was bctra}'ing the
man she loved. Through the slit in the tent cloth he
Cwuld see all thai went on within, but lie closed his eyes
to avoid seeing many things. More often, indeed, the
odious si)ectacle riveted his ga/e with a mysterious si)ell,
and then he longed to tear the tent wider, to fell the loathed
foe, and speak words of stern reproof to the faithless
woman in Joshu.i's name. The fierce passion which had
])ossessed him was suddenly turned to hatred and scorn.
From the iiappiest of human beings, as he had deemed
himself, he had become the most miserable ; such a fall
from the highest bliss to thedeei)est woe, none before him.
he believed, liad ever known. The old nurse had spokeii
truly, there could be nothing in store for him at Kasana's
hands but misery and despair. Once he had started to fly.
but then the bewitching sound of her silvery laugh fell on
his ear, and a mysterious power held him rooted to the
spot to listen a little longer.

At first the rush of blood tingled so fiercely in his ears
that he was quite incapable of following the dialogue
within. By degrees, however, he had gathered the pur-
port of whole sentences, and now he lost not a word that
was spoken. It was indeed of the greatest interest, though
it enabled him to look into an abyss which seemed to
yawn at his feet.

Kasana by no means yielded to her audacious wooer on
every point, but this only drew him on to insist passion-
ately on her entire surrender, body and soul ; and what
he offered in return was indeed the highest reward — a ]>lacc
as queen at his side on the throne of Egypt, for which he
was plottfng. That much he distinctly uttered \ but all

yos//rA.

167

uncle ,-
ind on
e hon-
ed bis

vc that
:)ve her
veil; it
roni the
ing her-
hcr !
was his
ying the
■loth ho

his eyes
cctl, the
HIS spell,
e loathed

faithless
■hich had
nd scorn,
i deemed
11 ch a fall
pfore him.
lcI spoken

Kasana's
rtedtofly,
igh fell on

cd to the

wooer on
:a passion-

and what
M— a place
[r which he
M ; but all

else was hard to follow ; for the vehement lover was in
haste, and frequently interrupted his incoherent sentences
to assure Kasana of his unalterable devolion, or to mollify
her wlien the audacity of his pretensions roused her fears
or her disgust. Presently he sjjoke of the letter which
Ephraiin had brouglit, and after lie had read it aloud and
explained it to jier, the boy ])erccived, with slight sluidder,
that he himself had now l)ecome an accomplice in the most
detestable of criuK-s. l''or a moment in- felt prompted to
j)etray the Iraitois, and deliver them into the hands of tlic
sovereign whose overthiow they were plotting;. I'ut he
cast this idea from liim, and only indulged in the comfort-
ing reflection — the first that had come to him during this
dn.'adful experience — that he held Kasana and her ])rince
in his clutch like beetles on a thread. This raised his
spirits and lestored his lost confidence and courage. The
baser the schemes he now overheard, the greater and more
surely grew his recovered sv use of the vahu' of truth and
right. Me remembered lik-wiiie an admonition of his
uncle's: "dive no man, great or small, cause to regard
you with anything hut respect, and then you may hold
your head as high as the proudest hero in his purple tunic
and gilt l)reast])late."

As he lay tremhling with fever on his bed in Kasana's
house he had repeated the words many times, but the
miseries of captivity had banished it from his mind. Not till
he found himself in the chamberlain's tent, wlien the slave
had held the mirror that he might see himself bathed and
anointed, had it recurred as a passing thought; hut now
it wholly possessed his sold. And, strangely enougli, the
royal traitor within the tent wore, in fact, a purple tunic
and gilt armor, and looked indeed a hero ; but he couid
not hold his head high, for the deed he purposed could only
succeed in twilight secrecy ; it was like the work of 'he
loathsome mole which turns up the earth in darkness. The
hateful three, falsehood, treachery and perjury, were Sip-
tah's tools, and she whom he had chosen to be his accom-
plice was the woman — at the bottom of his soul he was
ashamed to own it — the woman for whose sake he had been
ready to sa(M-ifice all he held sacred, worth}' and dear.

These hideous thincjs, which he had been taught to flee
from, were but the rungs of the ladder by whieli that
wicked man hoped to mount to hip;!! estate. Ephraimsaw
it j all the prince's plot lay before him as an open book.

!JI

j!^^

1 68

jOSIfUA,

The roll the lad had brought to the camp had contained
three letters. One was frcnn the conspirators in Tanis j
the others from Siptah's mother. She wrote tjiat she looked
for his si)Ledy return, and informed him that Aarsii, the
Syrian, the captain of the foreign troops, now in charge of
the i^alace, and all in the women's hf)use, were prepared
to hail liim king. When the high i)riest of Amon, who was
at the same time the chief judge, high steward and keeper
of the seal, .sliould proclaim him, he would be king, and
could mount tl";e throne unop])Oscd, for die palace was open
to him. If PJuiraoli should return, tlie body-guards were
ready to take him j^risoner and clear him out of the way
— as Siiitah, who did not love lialf measures, had secretly
commanded, while Bale had voted for his being kept in
mild captivity.

The only thing to be feared was the premature reap-
pearance of Scli, Menephtah's younger son, now at
Thebes ; for now that his elder brother was dead, he had
l)ecoine heir to the throne, and pigeons had arrived yester-
da\' v.'ith letters announcing that he was on his way. Thus
Siptah and the powerful priest who was to proclaim him
must make the best si)eed they could.

The necessary ])recautions had also been taken to pre-
vent any j)ossiblo resistance on the part of the army; as
soori as the Hel)rews were dcb troyed, the larger portion of
the troops were to l)e withdrawn forthwith into the gar-
risons they had left ; the body-guard were attached to Sip-
tah, and the rest, who would escort the royal party back to
the capital, could, if it came to the worst, easily be over-
powered by Aarsu and his mercenaries.

'' Nothing now remains for me to do," cried the prince,
stretching himself with evident enjoyment, like a man who
had successfully achieved a difficult undertaking, " but
to make my way back to Tanis with Bale a few hours
hence, to let myself be crowned and proclaimed in the
temple of Amon, and fnially make my entry into the palace
of tiie Pharaohs. The rest is all a matter of course. Seti,
Avho is called the heir to the crown, is as weak a creature
as his fathci', and will bend to the accomplished fact, to
necessity and force. The captain of the body-guard will
take care that Mene])htah never enters the ]jalace again."

The prince's mother had v/ritten a second letter ad-
dressed to Pharaoh himself, to justify Siptah and the high

JOSHUA.

169

who
"but
hours
n the
Dalacc

Seti,
cature
ict, to
d will
cam.

ad-
e high

priest in returning to the capital in all haste, without
exposing themselves to tl>e imi)Utation of cowardice in
leaving the army iimnudialoly before a battle. Although
she had never in her lite been m better healtli, she declared,
•with hy[)ocriiical jiravers and i;unent.ations, that her hours
u'ere number',".!, and irnMlriv, d the kimc t>) r^densi- her son
and Bnie forii,wi;li from their duties, that slic might be
allowed to bless her only cliild before she died. Si.ie had
many sins on her conscience, and none but lite h.igh priest
liad it in hjs power to intercede for her for the mercy of the
gods. Without iiis mediation she must dejiart in despair.
This letter, loo, the vile traitor had read, and had pro-
nounced it a inaster-i*iece of woman's c.imning, rubbing
his hands with glee as he si^oke.

Treason, murder, dissimulation, base deceit, a mockery
of all the most sacred feelings, everything foul and mean,
were to be Sii)tali's aids to mounting the throne, and
though Kasana had wiiing her hands and shed some tears
when he told h.er that Tharaoh was to be })Ut out of the
way, she grew calrner as the })rince represented to her
that her own father approved of what he had decided on
to save K'gypt from the hand of the king who mms bring-
ing the land to ruin.

The letter from the i)rince's mother to Pharaoh — the
mother who was spurring on her own son to ruthless
crime — was the last thin-r Ephraim staj'ed to hear; for the
young Hebrew, accustomed tci regard the bond between
parents and children as reverend and jnire beyond all
others, was moved by it to such a sudden frenzy that he
raised his fist, and as he sprang away he muttered a word
of scorn and abuse. Thus he did not hear how Ka;;ana
made tlie prince pled^:ehis wc^rd that, if he rose to power,
he would grant her her first request. It should cost him
neither money nor lands, and merel\' afford her the j^rivilege
of showing mercy at the dictate of her heart, for events
were impep.ding which must provoke tlie wrath of the gods,
and she onl\' imi-lored io be allowed to mitigate it.

Ephraim could not l)ear to see or to hear any more of this
revolting scene. Xovv', for the first lime, he began to
understand what danger he had run of allowing himself to
be drawn into this slowg;\. and becoming a lost and repro-
bate wretch ; but sure!}', he thouglit. Iv could never have
been so base, so abominable as th.ese tv.\

could n

Once more he

170

JOSHUA,

remembcrL'd his uncle's words, and he threw hnck liis
haughty head, and his dcop chest swelled as tltougli he
would assure himself of Iiis own unbroken strength; and
he said to himself, as he drew a deep lireath, that ho was
fit for better things than being wasted on a bad woman,
even if, like Kasana, she were the fairest and most bewitch-
ing creature under luaven. Away, nway I f;ir from the
snare which might have led Inm to murder and every kind
of evil!

Fully determined to return to his own people, he m.idc
his way to the entrance to the" camp ; hut he had gone only
a few steps when he sto[)ped, and a glance at the sky
showed him it was not more than two hours j)ast midnight.
All was still. Only from the pen where the king's horses
were eni losed he heard now and tlieu the rattle ;'f harness
or the blow of a hoof, [f iie attempted at this houi to
make his escape he must certiiinly be detec ted and
detained ; prudence eiijoined him to curb 1 is impatience
for a little while, and as he looked about him his eye fell
on the chamberlain's tent, from which the old slnve came
out to look for his master, who was still aw;iiting Siptah's
return in the i)rin 's quarter. This old man had been
kind before t'j Ephiaim, and he now with friendly urgency
bid him enter the tent and rest, for youth, said he, requires
sleep. I'lphraim accepted the well-meant invitation, for he
now began to feel how badly his fni ached . hardly had
he stretclied himself on the mat — the old slave having
spread his own for him — when he felt as if his limbs
were dropping off; however, he thought he should here
have time and peace for reflection.

He began by thinking of the future and his uncle's in-
junctions. That he must forthwith rejoin his pcojile was
quite clear, and if they escaped alive from Pharaoh's host,
let the rest do what they would, his first duty would be
collect his herdsmen, his servants and his younger friends,
and hasten at their head to the mines to scrike off Joshua's
chains, and conduct him home to his old father and his
people who needed him so sorely. He fancied he could
see himself with his sling at his girdle and a battle-axe in
his hand marching on in front of the rest, when sleep over-
powered him, and wrapi)ed the weary youth in oblivion so
c'.eep and sweet that not even a dream approached his
pillow, and thp old slave had to shake him in order to rouse
him at day-break.

yo.s//(\L

'71

The camp was already astir : tents were being taken
down, asses and ox-caits loaded, liorsi-s comhcfl ..nd shod,
chariots cleaned, weapons and vessels polished, and the
first meal of the day distributed and ealen. Meanwhile
trnmi)et-c;dls rang out on one hand, words of romaiand on
ihc other, and from the eastern side of tlic camp rose the
chant of priests devoutly greeting the new-born god of
(I;iy.

Active -rvants now brought out a giil chariot in front
of the s[)lendid innplc tent next t( Kasana's, and another
not less splenchd followed. Prince Sij)tah and the high
priest had received jiermission from Pharaoli fo return to
Tanis, at the desire of a d} ing woman. Shortly after
Kphraim took leave of the friendly slave, charging him to
return the cl'^ak to Knsana's nurse, and to tell her that
the messenger had folhiwed her advice and his un( ic's.
'Then he set forth on his journey.

He got out of the i)recincts of the I'igyptian tenls with-
o;!l let or hindrance, and when he found liimself oit in the
desert he uttered the cry by which he was wont to collect
his s'' 'j)herds in the ]MSlures. The call rang out .icross
the wide plain, startling a sjjarrowdiawk which was sj)ying
the di Uance from the top of a roi k, and as llie bird soared
up the lad felt as though, if lie opeii'.'d out his arms,
wings must sj^rout strong enough to bear him through the
air. Never had he felt so strong and agile, so light and
free ; and if tlie ])riest could at this moment have asked
whethc- he would become a captain over thousands in
Pliaraoh's army, he would certainly have answered, as he
had done by Nun's ruined dwelling, that he asked no better
lot than that of a shepherd, free to govern his herds and
servants. He was an orphan, but yet he had his peopK' to
whom he belonged, and where they were was his home.
Like a traveler who. after long journeying, finds himself
near h. .me, he now hastened his steps.

He had arrived ;it Tanis in the night of the new moon,
and the full disk which he now saw paling in the diwn was
the same as he had then gazed on ; l)ut he fJt as though
years hcA elapsed between his leave-taking of ^Tiriam and
this d;i\'. f(»r indeed a wliole lifetime of new (^xp'-rienco had
been e;-ov.-ded into these few days. He ha 1 come U ;h as
a boy ; he was returning a man to his own folk, and,
thanks to the events of this one dreadful night, he was the

i>'t

172

JOSHUA.

same as he had ever been, and could look boldly in the face
of each one whom he loved and looked \\\- lo with rever-
ence.

Nay, more. I lo would show the man whom he held high
above all others that he, i^phruim, might carry his head
erect. He would rcjjay Joshua for what he had done for
him, by btiiig content to remain in bonds and fetters in
ordrr lliat his nephew might flee away as free as a bird.

He had walked above an hour when he came to a ruined
watch tower. He climbed up it, and from thence he
descried at no great distance, on the hither side of the
hill of IJaal-Zephon which he had long seen towering
above the horizon, the gleaming waters of the northern
arm of the Red Sea. The storm was lulled, still he could
see from the swaying of the emerald surface that the sea
was not yet calm, and a few black piles of cloud on the
sky, which just now had been so clear, seemed to threaten
a gathering storm again. He looked about him on all
sides, wondering what the leaders of the people could be
thinking of it ; indeed, as Si]jtah had told Kasana, they
purposed to encamp between Pihahiioth, of which he now
saw the tents and luits close before him on the shore of the
canal of Seti, and the hill of Baal-Zephon.

Had Siptah s})oken falsely ? No, indeed ! The base
traitor had this once departed from his habits. Between the
village and the lake, where the wind was whirling thin
pillars of smoke, his sharp eyes descried a multitude of
white objects looking like a distant flock of sheep, and
among and around them a strange stir and bustle on the
sand. This was the camp of the Israelites.

How small the space appeared which parted him from
them. But the nearer they seemed the greater was his
anxiety, as he reflected that this vast multitude, with its
women and children, its herds and tents, could never
escape the mighty host which in a few hours must inevi-
tably fall upon ihcm. His heart swcllnl within him as he
looked further afield ; for ncith.cr to the east, where
stretched a broad pool of water, nor to the south, where
the waves of the Red Sea were surging, nor to the north,
whence Pharaoli's army was marching down on tliem, was
there any way to fly. To t!ie w^ ii lay the desert of
Etham, and if the wanderers turned thitherward they
would soon be. on Egyptian soil, and the exodus would

yo.s//r,i.

have been in vain. There was nolliing for it hut to give
battle, and as hr thoui^ht of" it his blood ran cold, for he
u'cli kinw the ill-ariacd. undiscipUncd forces of the
Hebrews, half wild and r.fiaetory, half cowardly and con-
temptible, and lie had seen the march past of the niim-
berb'ss anil well-e'iiiip[)ed I'-gypliaii army, with its strong
force of foolsoMiers and splendid war-chariots.

>Ic now dioiight, as his uncle had thought, that the
Hebrews were doomed to certain destruction, unless the
(iod of their fathers slundd luive them. .Miriam had indeed
many a time, and again just before his departure, ])iaised
t!i;i.l .Vlmiglity T.oi'd and His glory with Hashing eyes and
ins[)ired words ; that (lod who had chosen his ])eople
above all other people. The words of the prophetess had
filled his childish soul with vague terrors of this (iod's
immeasurable ;;reatness and awful wrath. He had found it
easier to ui)lift his spirit to the .Sun-god when his teacher,
a kind and genial Egyptian priest, had led him into the
lenij)le at Pithom. ,\s he grew older he had entirely
ceased to feel the need of turning to aiiy god in prayer ; for
he craved nothing, anrl while other bovs were still obe(h"ent
i() their parents' will, the shepherds, who knew full well that
he was the owner of the flocks they tended, had called him
their lord, and, at first in jest but then in earnest, had done
him service as their master ; thus his independence had
been early fostered, and he had gro\/n to be but a wrong-
headed lad. Healthy and strong, looked up to by men
older than himself, he was wholly self-sufficient, and felt
that others depended on him ; and as there was nothing he
liked so little as asking anything of any one, great or small,
it misliked hiiM to pray even to a God who was so far and
so high above him. But at this moment, when the fearful
fiite imjjending over his people weighed so heavily on his
heart, a sense came npon him that only this great and
mighty God could deliver them out of their fearful and
pressing peril ; that none could withstand this vast host
but only He in whose power it lay to break the heavens
and the earth in pieces.

Ard what was he that the Most High, whom Miriam and
Joshua had described as of such majesty, should cnre for
him ? But his people were many thousands, and God
had not scorned to make them His own. and to promise
them great things. They were standing on the verge of

J' ■
"if. ''

.yr

174

JOSHUA.

destruction, and he, fresh from the evening's camp, was
perchance the only soul who understood how great was
Iheir ])cril.

A conviction suddenly came over him that it was he,
therefore, above all others, whose task it must be to warn
the God of his fathers of the great danger which threatened
His peoi)le, and to beseech Him to save them ; He, caring
for the whole heaven and earih, the sun and the stars, had
pcrh.aps forgotten them. The lad was still standing on ihe
top of the ruined tower, and from thence he ui>iilted his
arms and face to heaven.

To the north he saw the dark clouds, which he had
observed rising over the blue sky, suddenly jsart and roll
asunder on ei'hcr hand. The wind which had died away
after sunrise now gained foicc and swiftness^ and soon
rose to a storm again. It swept across the isthmus in
gusts which succeeded each other with increasing rapidity,
carrying before it dense pillars of yellow sand.

He nust cry aloud, very loud, if He whom he entreated
was to hear him in high heaven, and with all the strength
of his young lungs he shouted against the storm :

" Adonai, Adoi'.ai ! Thou whose name is Jehovah,
Thou great God of my fathers, hearken unto me, Ephraim,
who am but young and of no account, and whom, inasmuch
.la I im but naught. Thou had not remembered. For my-
self I ask not. But the people whom Thou hast called
Thine are in great straits. They have left their safe
dwellings and good jiastures by reason that Thou hast
promised them a better and a fairer land, and that they
trusted in Thee .ind in Thy word. And now the host of
Pharaoh is drawing near, and it is so great that our people
can ncA'er withstand it. Believe me it is so, Eloi, my
Lord. For T have seen it, and have been in the midst
of it, and as surely as I stand here I know that the Egyp-
tians are too many for Thy people. Pharaoh's host will
trample them under foot as the hoof of th.e ox tramples the
grain on the threshing floor. And my nation, who are Thy
people, are encami)ed in a place where the warriors of
Pharaoh can cut tliem off from all sides, so that there is no
way left them by which they may esca]ie ; not one, for T
have seen it from this spot. H ar me, O Adonai I — But
canst Thou hear niy cry, O Lord, in such a storm ? Yea,
surely Thou canst, for Thou artahnigiity, and if Thou hear

mi'

yosinw.

175

p, was
at was

ras he,
o warn
lalencd
caring
,rs, had
\ on ihc
ted his

he had
and roll
.■d away
id soon
Inmis in
•ai'idiiy,

ntrcated
strength

[eliovah,
^phraim,
nasmuch
For my-
st called
icir safe
1011 hast
hat they
host of
r people
-Lloi, my
e midst
e Egyp-
ost will
pies the
are Thy
rriors of
re is no
-le, for T
ii 1— Bui
? Yea,
liou hear

me and understand. Thou mayest, if 'I'hou will, behold with
Thine own eyes that I speak the truth. Then remember,
O Lord, and fulfdl the promise Thou hast made to Thy
peoi)le by the mouth of Thy servant Moses.

" r have seen treason among the Egyptians, and murder,
and base cunning, and their doings have filled me, who am
but a simple lad. with rage and horror. And how ;>honklst
Thou, fiom vv'hom all good things come, and whom Miriam
names as Truth itself, deal with us ev^n as those accursed
ones do. and break Thy word and promise to Th}' ])eoi)le
who trust in 'J'hee? I kiiow. () Eord Most High. th;it this
is far froin Thee, and perhaps it is sin onh' to think oS. it.
Hear me, Adonai ! Ik lu^ld and look to the north upon the
tents of Egypt, whirli by this hour are leaving their camp
and moving on ; look to the south upon the peril of Thy
people, and how that they have no way of escape, and save
and deliver them by liie help of Thy might and great wis-
dom ; for Thou hast promised them a new land, and if they
are utterly cut off how may they reach it ? "

Thus he ended this guileless, untutored prayer, but it
flowed from the depth of his heart.

Then he sprang away from the heaj) of ruins with wide
leaps, across the desert at his feet, and ran on towards the
south as swiftly as though he were agnin fleeing from
captivity. He felt the rushing blast frou? the north-east
driving him on, and thought how it would hasten the ad-
vance of Pharaoh's foot-soldiers. The leaders of his people
did not know perhaps how vast was the host which threat-
ened them, and under-estimated the danger of their poiu'tion.
But he saw it, and could give them the fullest information.
But he must hasten, flv, and he felt as though in this race
before the storm his feet had really got wings.

He had soon reached the village of Pihahiroth, and, as he
fled through it without pausing for an instant, he perceived
that man and beast had deserted the tents and dwellings.
The inhabitants had no doubt found a place of refuge for
themselves and their belongings from the coming army, or
from the emigrant Hebrews. As he went on, the clouds
grew darker and darker — and rarely indeed was the sky
overcast here at mid-day — and the v/ilder blew the storm.
His thick hair flew about his hot head, h.is breath came
hard, still on he sped ; he felt as if his feet scarcely touched
the ground at all.

,^l

!;^

176

JOSHUA.

|tlH

As lie got nearer to t'lie sea the blast howled and shrieked,
the waves, lashed to fury, oeat in thunder on tlie rocks at
the foot of the hill of Baal-Zei)hon. Now, within a short
hour after lea\ing the ruins, he had reached ihe first tents
of the encampment, and the familiar cry of " Unclean I"
as well as the niouniinL^^ garb of the i)"oi)le, wliose disfjguied
faces looked forth from the wreck of the tents l)caieii (K.wn
b\- the wind, told him that he had come upc)n the lej'crs'
quarters, i)laced by Moses outside the canip. Still, h( v. as
in such haste that he did not make a circuit, 1 ul lan strd ght
on at his utmost speed. Nor did he })aus till a tall j aim
tree, uprooted by the l)last, came to the ground so close to
him that its tuft of leaves swept him as it fell.

At last he was among the tents rnd jit'nfolds of his own
tribe, and many of these had likewise been overturixd.

He inquired of the first man he recognized for Ntm. tlie
father of Josliua and of his deceased mother. He had
gone to the seashore with Moses and the elders vi the
people, and I'qihraim followed him thither, the moist salt
air refreshing liim and cooling his brow, ^'et he might not
immediately speak with him, so he collected his tliotights
and reserved his breath, while he watched the elders who
were in discussion with a party of gaily-clad Fhoeiiician
boatmen.

He, being so much younger, was forbidden to disturb
the venerable leaders of the people in the council \\ hich
evidently had reference to the sea, for the Hebrews were
pointing to the head of the bay, and the Phoenicians waved
their hands now towards the mountain and now to the sea,
or the sky, or the north, whence came the still-increasing
storm.

A jutting wall sheltered the party of elders from the
hurricane, and yet they had great difficulty in kee])ing llieir
feet with the help of their staves and the stone-work be-
hind them.

At last the discussion came to an end ; t^hc lad saM- the
gigantically t.-Jl figure of Moses slowly and majestically go
down to the edge of the sea with some otlier ler.ders cf the
Hebrews, while Nun, supported by one of his herdsmen,
toiled back against the wind to the camp with what speed
he might. He wore a mourning robe, and, wh^ieas the
rthers looked glad and hopeful as they parted, i^': 1 md-
jome face, wrth its crown and beard of white hnir, wore a

JOSHUA

177

I licked,
ocks at
a short
St ttnts
tUan :"
^figured
,■11 clvvvn

■ k'i'crs'
, ht v.as
StlM ghl

all 1 aim
1 close to

■ his o\vii
ivr.ed.
Nun. tl-.e

He had
-s (1" the
noist salt
[iiij-ht not

thoughts
ders who

hoeiiician

o disturb
cil which
cws were
ns waved
) the sea,
-icrcasing

I from the
^)iiig iV'eir
hwork be-
ll saw the
[tically go
^rs ct" the
lerdsmen,
lat speed
.icas the
ip"-, ",-'nd-
Ir. wove a

look of crushing and Ivjari-brcaking grief. When Kijhraim
spoke his name he raised his beni head, and, seeing the lad
before him, tottered Ixickwards with sur])rise and misgiving,
clinging tightly to the stalwart arm which upheld him.
News had been sent to him of his son's and his grandson's
terrible fate I'lom the freed slaves he had left behind him in
Tanis. The old man had rent his garnu'iits. had llirown
ashes on his head and i»ut on mourning raiment, ami broken
his heart for his beloved and noble son and his ])rumising

on Mil urandson.

'o to

Now Ephraim was bctorc him in the flesh ; and when he
had laid his hand on the lad's shoulder, and kissed him
again and again, lie inquired whether his soi-j. loo, was still
in the land of the living and remembered liirn and his
people. As soon as the youth had assured him that he
did, Nun laid his arm across his shoulders that he, his own
ilesh and blood and no stranger, might shield him from the
violence of the storm.

He had a solemn and imperative duty to fiilfdl, from
which no man mi"ht hinder him, Init when the ea<rer votith
shouted in his ear above the roar of the hurricane, as they
went back to the camp, that he meant to gather together
his shepherds and the young men of his tribe to rescue
Hosea, who was now called Joshua, the patriarch's vehe-
ment vigor was stirred, and clasjjing his grandson to his
heart he exclaimed that, old as he was, yet was he not too
old to wield an axe and go forth with the young ones to
deliver his son. And his eyes flashed through tears, while,
with the arm that was free, he appealed to Heaven, crying :

" The God of my fathers in whom I have learned to trust
watches over the faithful I Do you see the sand over there at
the head of the bay, the seaweed and shells ? Only an hour
ago that was covered by water, foaming waves were dan-
cing over the spot. That, boy, is the way deliverance lies j
if this wind holds, the tide will ebb further still, so the Phce
nician seamen assure us. Their god of the north wind,
they say, is favorable to us, and their youths have lighted
a fire to the god up there on the heights (;f ]]aal Zephon.
But we know that it is another God who hath opened a way
for us into the desert. We were in sore straits, my son I"

" Yes, grandfather," cried the boy. " You were as a lion
in a pitfall, and the Egyptian tent is mighty and uncon-
querable ; every man of that host have I seen march past,

lil'^

''It'

trH

7('.v//r /.

!!■

iVoiU ihi" I'll U even l(» \\\v l,i;l.

I 11

\v .IS (;i;.l ;i:i my Icct

mi|;Iil luMi inc lo Icll \iiii .ill how niaiiv lic.ivy hoops,
arcluMs. Iioisc. ;iiul cli.iriid.s.''

"We know It, \V( Uiow It," intciinptcd llic old in;iii

.111(1 lie |)oii)l('(l to ;i l( III ( oii)|i|cit ly
Mown 111. wliii li some '.(';\in!', iiu'm were I'lidcii voiin^ lo
|ifo|Mi|). .111(1 ( I' I ,,• Id ii ,.ii ,1 V(M s' did ! Id) lew in .i III h'l ,

Milt

V know It, W(
here we ;iic ' "'

l'"li:.Ii;iin,i, llu' l.itlit'i ol Nun, wi.i|)|>( d in in;in\' robe

nn (M;;('i I\- '.|

lokc .1 lew Wold', lo hiiii. .iikI led I'',| 'lii;i tin

loiW .11(1.
l.ltlu'I ''. IK

un, wliil(' die I. id li II ( 'D In . r i< .il r i^iix

> lie ( ,1 res .('I

l.iiid

cillhl .K ri I

\ onlliliil spirit lo I he herd .ni'ii ,in

I \ ;inl!

nil s|iok(' Willi

1,(1 tlic ti-nt l.ill. nuMi ! riicsloiiii li.is only done ^oiii

ta;

|(M \ Oil

Lip tlic ( ,in\M , .loolli the po

loiid lllC

<",\rls .iiul IxMsts. I Listen now, \-oii ( i.ul. .Sli.miniii.i, |acol»

ludi> I

u' olhci'

he lioiii ol our dcp.ii I iiir, is ;il Ii.iik

1'mU li in, in make li.islc to Ii.inu'ss llu- Ix.isls. to s.iddic and

K)ad tlu' .isscs with ,il

|U-(MI

,( ii(i

wav tor lis.

,OI (

li.ilh opened n
.111(1 l)\' the <(iin-

luaiu

Is ol M
k

in (he n.inio ol the
ost's. i\\i\\ nnist in. ike ie.id\ lot departin|^.

\ er\ m.in l<.e(

'p to t

)c oil! Older

e iiiai( h Inst at Ihe

hoatl ol tin" host ; tluMi come tlu- ollur liihes, and .iltiM
them \\\c sliant;rrs ; last of .ill the lepi-is aiul imcleaii.
l\ejoiei\ ,dl yc people, lor our (iod is woiking ii |;n'al
woikUm. .md makini; the sea (liv kind lor iis, His chosen
l)eople. (."live thanks to llim while you lahoi, and entreat
Him from the bottom of youf luaits thai He wilU-vcrpio-
teet us. He who would not juiish .it the edge of the
swoiil, or be crushed under the wheels of riiaiaoh's
ehaiiots, let him j)ut forth his strength and forget to rest.
We shall find rest as soon as wc liave escajied from this
])eril. I'.ive me the tent (doth ; I will roll it up myself.
And do your part, boy. See the ehildri'n of Alanasseh
yonder, they are packing and loading I Well done, J*-phraim,
you know how to use your hands 1 JUit there is yet
much to be done. And my old head forgets. So much
has como upon me at once. Here, Raplui, you I -ivc
swift legs ; I look it upon me to give warning in the camp
of the strangers. Hasten to them, and bid them s])eid
their departing, that they be not too far behind the i)cople
of Isr.iel. Time is precious ! O Lord, our Clod, t^heller
Thy jieople with Thy protecting hand, and diive the waters
further and further back with tlv^ storm w' ich is Thy

y OS/ft -A.

179

my f»'«'i

ll()(»|>S.

1(1 iii;in
iil>lr»» ly
diiiij', *<>
a luici,

l.rs.
|'",|'l\i.iMn

,(.k« witli

I,, PC yoiii

1.1. l;Hol> ,
, ;\l liinul.
,;ul(llr Jiinl

llir ("in-
(lipaitinj;.
list al tlu-
, and aftoi
d uiuUan.

^ a ^;n'.i^
is rhoscn

nd ciUuiit

1 ever pjo-
^i- of die
IMiaraoh's

vet ti) if^t.

d Uo\w this

lip myscli.
Maiuissoh
, l4)hraim,

lerc is yci

So mucli

you l-ivc

n the camp

hem speed

the i)ei»pW

'.od, shellcr

the waters

ich is Thy

mighty lnc.ith I I'rav, ck h one of yon, in your hf.'arl,
while yon work. Tlic Alniighly and All knowing (iod, who
sees into yoni IhmiIs, shall \v.\\. '\'\\,\\ \; to.' hr.ivy a
hiutlicii I'lr yi'U, Isphiaim ; yon w II Imrl yoiirscll. No!
The hoy isa stroiij; hoy' |)((,is iic doc., and ye of Stic-
colh, rejoice in Hie slienj;di of ynir yonn;; ina.let ' "

The lasl Words weie adchcs' ''d n, I'.phta ini's sliepherds,
scrvin); men and women, mo. I of whom had (;;ie( ted him
in \\\r mid ;l of dieii toil, had kissed hi. hand or hi. arm,
,ind lieen j'.l.id al In. Im aii' < (tininj^. They were |M(|;ing
.ind l(iadm)',, IoIiImij; and hliin|', ,ind );etlin;_'; tli'' Ixs-ists
logedier whi( li li.id Ixcn seaorl hy \\\r storm with many
blows and inM< h (»nl( ly.

The men of'SiKcolh were zealous to inntaJc thfu young
maslei, iho.e lioin lam. to s-iV' theii niastf.'r's gr.ainl .on ;
the other hiid owners ,\\u\ huiihl'r folk of the tiiheof
l"",I)liraim. who se i< III , h.id ( liist<'rr(l round ih.i.lof Nun, dieir
elder, W( re ,ill no Ic ,s eaiMi ; and yet il w;is some hours
1)( I'oie .ill die t( Ills, die house yy;\v .iiid the vietn;ils for
man ,iiid heast had found a, |il,i( e in the carts or on the
|)(m:,Is of huKJeii, .iiid the old, I he sick, .and the f(,'(d)l(,' were
laid in lillers ,ind ( hariols one<' more.

The Wild wind now .and then brought the sound of
Moses' dic|» voiic, (U' Aaion's lighter tones, to the sjjot
whi-n- the l',|ihr,iimites were busy. NciUu-T th(,'y nor the
sons of jud.ih needed tins to spur ihcm ; ff)r Ilur and
N.de.hon ( oinmanded these List, .ind by tlie side of Flur
stood Miriam, Jiis newdy-wedded wife. Willi the other
tribes ;ind the strangers il w.is otherwise ; and the stifT-
nccked and cowardly < oiuhiel of their leaders had resulted
in much misery and confusion.

CHAPTER XXII.

It had been found to l)e impossible to break Itnrough the
frontier liiu^s of J''Ahani .and follow the nearest road to
Palestine in a north-easterly direction ; and the second
jilan pr(j|>osed by Moses, that t'ney sliould march round
Migdol of the South, had likewise failed, for sjjies had
rcjiortcd that the garrison there had been strongly rein-
forced. Hereupon the multitude had as.>cinbled round the

i8o

yosiiUA.

man of Clod, and IkuI declared MkU sooner would they
return home willi all their familic md ai)peal lo Phaiaoh's
mercy, than suffer themselves, then wives and their ehild-
rcn to be butchered.

l^or many days it had been necessary to keep them ba< k,
but when fresh messengers brought word that Pharaoh was
running down on them with ;i mighty host, the lime seemed
to be at hand when the Hebrews, who were now in tlie
greatest i)er)l, must be urged to force their way onward.
Moses had exerted the full weight of his commanding indi-
viduality, antl Aaron all the jjowers of his [)crsuasive
elo([uence, while old Nun and Hur had striven to infuse
some of their own fiery spirit into the rest. JUit the terri-
fying tidings had broken the last remnant of courage and
faith in most of the people, and they had already deteimined
to send word to Pharaoh of their rejjcntance ; but the mes-
senger whom they had despatched turned back, declaring
that the approaching army had orders not to spare a single
Hebrew, but to tt^acli even those who shoidd pray for
mercy at the point of the sword how Pharaoh would
punish those who, by their magic arts, had brought death
and misery on so many Egyptians. 'J'hus had they learned
too late that their return would lead them to destruction
no less surely than a bold advance. But when, on this,
the fighting men led by Plur and Nun had proceeded
almost as far as IMigdoI of the South, they had turned and
fled at the loud blast of the Egy])tian trumpets, and by
the time they returned to the cam]), weary, dispirited and
wroth, fresh and exaggerated reports of the might of Pha-
raoh's host had been brought to tlie Hebrews, and mortal
fear and despair had fallen on even the bravest. I^xhorta-
tion was cast to the winds ; threats were laughed to scorn ;
and the rebellious multitude had forced iheir leaders
onward till they had reached the shores of the Red Sea, and
its deep green waters compelled them to give up all further
flight to the southward. So the people had encamped be-
tween Pihahiroth and Baal-Zephon, and here, once more,
their chief had called upon them in the name of the God
of their fathe: :. In the face of certain destruction,
from which no human power could save them, they had
been brought to lift their eyes to Heaven again ; and in the
soul of Moses pity and sympathy had revived more
strongly for the hapless and much-tried people who had

'josncA.

i8i

\d ihcy
laiaoh's
ir chiUl-

m ba< k,
raoh was
; seemed
w ill llie
onward.
ling indi-
cisuasive
to infuse
the icrri-
iirage and
jiormined
I the mcs-
dcclaring
re a single
I pray lor
toll would
ight death
ley learned
lestruction
n, on this,
proceeded
turned and
is, and by
jirited and
^ht of Pha-
and mortal
Kxhorla-
d to seorn ;
jeir leaders
d Sea, and
all further
:ampcd be-
|once more,
of the God
destruction,
, they had
and in the
ived more
e who had

come forth ai his bidding. Inning the past night he had
gone up into tlic mountain of IJaal-Zcphon, and there, amid
the roaring of the storm and hissing flare of the lightning,
he had sought and foimd coniniunion wiili the Lord. And
he liad not wearied laying befon; Him the evil llighl of his
])coi)le, and l)cseeching Iliin to (U;liver them.

In that same hour had Miriam, the wife of 1 lur, gone
down to the sea-shore to entreat the Lord likewise, under
a solitary jxihn tree, for still she felt herself Mis chosen
liandtnaid. She besought Him for the women and children,
whose trust in Him had brought iheni to this jjass. And
she would fain have ])rayed for the fr'jnd of her youth
who was now i)ining in fearful captivity ; but as she fell on
her knees she could only say in a timid and biokni voice :

" Forget not Thou Hoscn, wIkjui I ;il '\\\\ word named
Joshua, albeit he h;ilh been less obedient to Thy call
than Moses, my brother, or 1 lur, ni}' husband 1 Forget not,
either, young Ft^hraim, the grandson of Thy faithful servant
Nun."

Then she went ba<:k to her luisband's tent, a chiefs
lent, while many a humbler man and many a poor terrified
woman of the peoi)le, outside their wretched shelter or lying
on a thin mat wet with tears, uplifted a\\ anxious heart to
the God of their fathers, and commended to His care those
whom they loved best. Thus, in this night of sorest need,
the camp was a temi)le in which high and low, chief
and mother, master and slave, nay, even the afflicted leper,
sought and found the Lord.

At last the morning had dawned when F.phraim had
spoken his child. ike prayer, shouting it down the storm,
and the sea was l3eginn;ng to retire.

Then, when they beheld with tlieir own eyes the miracle
which the Most High had wrough*- for His chosen people,
the most despairing and fearful became so many glad and
hopeful believers. Not among the sons of Isphraiui only,
among all the tribes, nay, and the strangers and unclean,
their newly-awakened and jo^fid confidence moved each
one to prepare with all liis strength for further journeying ;
and for the first time the multitude assembled without
strife or jealousy, wiihout figliting, curses, and tears.

After sunset Moses, staff in hand, and Aaron, singing
and praying, led the way to the head of the gulf. The
storm, which w^as raging as wildly as ever, had swept back

■V:

{., ;<

1^!

l82

'JOSHUA,

the waters, and bore down the flames and smoke of the
torches which were carried at the head of each tribe, from
north-east to south-west.

Next to the two great leaders, on whom every eye was
fixed with eager anticipation, Nun marched with the
children of I-'-phraim. The sea-l)oltoni on which they trod
was firm damp sand on whicli even tlie cattle could safely-
cross as on a smooth highway, gently sloping towards the
sea. I'4)hraim, who Avas regarded by his elders as
the future head of his tribe, had, by his grandfather's
desire, uiidertaken to be careful that the train of men and
beasts should not come to a standstill, and to this end he
had been entrusted with a chief's staff. The fishermen
who dwelt in the huts which clustered at the foot of Baal-
Ze])hon agreed with the Plueu' ian seamen in saying that
as soon as the moon had reached the zenith the waters
would rise again to their old place, so no delay could be
allowed. The lad gloried in the storm, and as his hair
blew about his face, and he fought against the wind while
he hurried to and fro in fulfillment of his task, this felt to
him as a foretaste of the great enterprise he had in his
mind.

Thus matters sped through the darkness which quickly
followed on the twilight. The strong smell of the fish left
on dry land was pleasanter to the youth, who now felt him-
self a man indeed, than the sweet fragrance of nard in
Kasana's tent. Once the thought of her flashed through
his mind ; but indeed, during these times, he had had no
time to think of her. His hands were quite full; ]\ere the
seaweed must be cleared aside which a wave had left in
the way; there the ram of a flock which hesitated to set
foot on the moist ground must be seized by the horns and
dragged forward, or the oxen and beasts of burthen driven
through a pool tliey were shy of. Many times he had to
lend a shoulder to lifi a heavily laden cart of which the
wheels had sunk in the soft sand, and when, just as they
were starting on this strange and momentous journey, even
on the Egyptian shore, a dispute arose between two herds-
men as to which should have the lead, he promptly settled
by lot which was to go forward and which to follow.
Two little girls were crying and refusing to cross a pool
while their mother's arms were occupied with her infant ;
he picked them up with swift decision and cauried them

JOSHUA.

'83

e of the
)c, from

eye was

^'ith the
Key trod
Id safely
,'ards the
klcrs as
idfalher's

men and
is end he
fishermen
t of Baal-
lying that
he waters

could be
s his hair
v'ind while
his felt to
had in his

ch qviickly
he fish left
w felt hiiiv
of nard in
A through
had had no
; l\ere the
Ihad left in
ted to set
horns and
hen driven
he had to
which the
lust as they
|irncy, even
tvv'o herds-
ptly settled
to follow.
OSS a pool
[her infant ;
tried them

across the shallow lakelet ; and wlicn a wheel came ofTone
of the wagons, he immediately had it dragged out of the
way, and by the light (jf the torches he made some of the
serfs who were least heavily loaded carrv eacli a sack or a
bale, nay, and even the ])icces of the brok-'U vehicle. He
had comforting words for weeping womin ;iiul children,
and if the Hare of a torch showed him llie face of some
youth of his own age, whose aid he lioped to secure for
liberating Joshua, he hinted to him in a few spirited words
that he had a bold deed in prosj)ecl which he proposed to
achieve wiih the help of liis friend.

The incense bearers, who had hitherto led the way. on
this occasion closed the march, for the wind blowing IVom
the north-east would have driven the smoke in the hice of
the pcoj^lc. They stood on the Mgyi)tian shore, and soon
all the multitude had ])assed them by, exce]4ing only the
strangers, and the lepers, who came last of all. The
foreigners were indeed a motley host, consisting of Asiatics
of .Semitic 1)k)od, who were fleeing from tlie forced labor
and cruel punishments which were inflicted on them by
the law of Kgy])t ; of dealers, who had found buyijrs for
their wares among the thousan-.ls of wanderers, and ev.'n
of .Shasoo shepherds who had been hindered from crossing
the frontier on their return home. Willi these lM)iiraim
had niuch trouble, for they refused to leave the dry land
until the ]cj)ers had been enjoir.cd to remain at a greater
distance from them ; but even they were brought to sub-
mission by Mphraim, with the helj) of the chief of the tribe
of Ijenjamin, which marched last in front of them ; for he
warned them of the })rophecy of the PlKJcnicians and fisher-
men, that the moon as it sank would bring the sea back
to its old bed. Finally, he persuaded the leader of the
lepers, an intelligent Egyptian, who had been a priest,
to maintain at least half the distance that was demanded.

Meanwhile the tempest continued to rage with incrcasii.g
fury ; the roar and long-drawn shrieks of the wind, minglir •
with the thunder of the breakers and the duller moan of
the surf, drowned the shouts of command, the wailing of
the women, the bellowing and the bleating of the trem-
bling beasts and the whining of the dogs. Ephraim's voice
was audible only to those nearest to him ; many torchci
were extinguished, and the rest kept alight with difficulty.
At length, when for one short space he had been walking

fi'.

■M*.;

1 84

yoSTIVA.

bcliincl the hist of the lepers, going slowly to recover his
breath and get a little rest, he heard his nnmc called from
the rear, antl, turning round, beheld an old i)laymatc who
was retin-ning from spying the enemy, and wlio, seeing the
leader's staff in the lad's hand, shouted in his ear with
panting gas[)s that Pharaf)h's chariots were coming on in
the van of llie I'^gyptian host. Me had left diem by Piha-
hiroth, and if they Iiad not waited to let the other troops
come up With them, they might at any moment overtake
the fugitives. Thereupon he again pressed forward to
reach tlie leaders of the multitude. IJut ICphraim stood
still a moment in the middle of the way with his hand held
to his brow, and great anxiety came down on his soul. He
knew full well that the approaching army would overrim
the women and children whom he had just seen in all their
pathetic terror and helplessness, as a man treads down a
file of ants ; and again, all his imi)ulses urged him to
prayer, and from the depths of his oppressed heart the
imj)loring cry went up into the night —

" Eloi I l'>lci ! great Ood on high! Thou knowest, for
T have told Thee, and 'J'hine all-seeing eye must behold, in
spite of the backness of the night, how sorely Thy peopie
are beset whom Thou hast promised to lead into a new
land. Remember Thy word, O Jehovah ! Be graciou.,
unto us, (iod Almighty ! Our foe is upon us with irresist-
ible might ! Stay his steps ! Save us ! Deliver the
women and the children ! Save us, and be merciful unto
us ! "

As he prayed, he had fixed his eyes on high and had
espied the ruddy blaze of a fire on Baal-Zephon. This
had l)een lighted by the Phoinicians to propitiate the Baal
of the north wind in favor of the kindred race of Hebrews,
and against the hated Egyptian nation.

This was friendly ; but he put his trust in another God,
and as he glanced again at the vault of heaven, over which
the black rack raced and gathered and divided again, and
swept to and fto, he descried, between two parting clouds,
the silver beam of the full moon already at its meridian.
And fresh terrors came upon him, for he remembered the
predictions of the weather-wise seamen. If the flood
should at this moment return to its bed, his people were
doomed \ for, to the north of the gulf, where deep pools
lay amid rocks and slimy mud, there was no escape. If

yosiir.i.

i8s

er his

I from
c who
ng the
,r with
; on in
r riha-
troops
/erUikc
'arc! to
I stood
id held
>ul He
3vernin
all Lhcir
down a
him to
eart the

ivest, for
L'hold, in
y people
to a new
graciou..
irresist-
ivcr the
:iful unto

and had

in. This

the Baal

;ebrews,

'AJtliin an hour the waters sliould rise, the seed of Abra-
ham would ccuse from the face * f the earth, as writing oil
a wax tablet vanishes at the pressure of a warm hand.

Hut was not this people, doomed to destruction, the
same which tiic Lord had called to I j ilis own? And
could He give thein into the hand of the enemy whi<h was
His enemy also ?

No, a thousand limes no !

And the moon, which was to cause the disaster, had but
a short time sip.ce aided his ilii;ht and been his friend. He
could onlv hoi)e and believe, and cling to his trust in

c;od.

And as yet nothing was lost, not a single soul. If it
came to the worst, tlie whole nation might not be de-
stroyed ; his own tribe, which led the way, least of all. V>y
this time many must have reached the turtle, shore ; more,
pcr^iaps, than he thought ; for the little bay was narrow,
and even die lepers, the last of the multitude, had already
gone some distance over tlie moist sand.

He lingered behind every one to listen for the coming
of die enemy's chariots. On the shore of the gulf he laid
his car to the ground ; and he could trust the sharpness
of his hearing, for in this attitude he had often detected
the distant tramp of beasts that had gone astrav, or, when
out hunting, had heard the approach of a herd of antelopes
or gazelles.

He, being the last, was in the greatest danger, but what
matter for that ? How gladly would he have given his
young life to save the rest !

Since he had carried a chief's staff he felt that he had
taken upon himself the duty of watching over his people ;
so he listened and listened, tiil at last he perceived a
scarce audible thrill in the earth and then a faint rumbling.
This was the foe ; this must be Pharaoh's chariots ; and
how swiftly were the proud steeds rushing on !

He started to his feet as though a whip had stung him,
and flew onward to overtake the rest.

How oppressively sultry the air had become, in spite of
the raging gale which had extinguished so many of the
torches ! The clouds hid the moon, but the dancing fire
on the highest peak of Baal-Zephon shone broader and
brighter. The sparks which it cast up flew* scurrying to
westward, for the wind was veering to the cast. No

*! , i:i#

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Photographic

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23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80

(716) 872-4503

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C/j

186

JOSHUA.

III!

i;!

sooner did he perceive this than he hastened bark to the
youths who carried ihe censers behind the procession, and
commanded them, in breathless haste, to refill the copper
vessels, and take care that the vapor rose thick ; for he
said to himself, that the wind would blow it into the faces
of the horses and make them refractory, or slop them.

No means seemed to him too humble, every moment
gained was precious, and as soon as he had seen the smoke
from the censers was spreading in choking clouds over the
track left by the advancing nniltitudc he ran on again,
warning the elders, as he came up with them, that Pha-
raoh's chariots were not far behind, and that the people
must hasten their march. Forthwith the hosts on foot,
the bearers, leaders and herdsmen, collected their strength
to proceed faster ; and although the wind was every
moment more decidedly against them, hindering their pro-
gress, they battled with it valiantly, and the fear of their
pursuers doubled their energies.

The lad was like a sheep-dog watching and driving the
flock, and the chiefs of the tribes looked kindly on him
wherever he was to be seen ; and as he made his way
among the marching host, fighting onwards against the
blast, the east wind brought a strange cry to his ears as
the reward of his efforts. The nep er he came to it the
louder it rose, and the more sure he was that it was a
shout of triumph and gladness, the first that had been
raised by Hebrew voices for many a long day. It revived
the youth like a cool draught after long thirst, and he
could not refrain from shouting aloud, and hailing those
behind with a cry of " Saved, saved ! "

Several of the tribes had already reached the eastern
shore of the gulf, and it was they who sent the shout of
joy which, witn the beacon fires they lighted along the
shore, gave the rear of the host fres^i courage, and renewed
their flagging strength. By the light of the blaze he saw
the majestic figure of Moses on a hillock by the shore,
stretching out his staff towards the waters ; and this image
was stamped on his nind, as on that of every soul present,
great and small, more deeply than any other, and inflamed
the confidence in his heart. This man was verily the
friend of God, and so long as he should hold up his staff"
the waves were spell-bound, and the Lord, by His servant,
forbade them to return !

JOSHUA.

187

Ephraim need no more appeal to the Most High ; this
was in the hands of His great and sublime servant. But
his own lesser duty of urging on one and another to the
goal he still must fulfill.

Back he flew to the lepers and the incense-bearers, and
to each division he shouted aloud : " Saved, saved ! Hasten
forward ! The rod of Moses holds the waters back I Many
have reached the shore ! Praise the Lord ! Forward,
forward, and you too may join the song ! Fix your eyes
on those two red fires ! They were kindled by those who
are delivered ; between them stands the servant of the
Lord uplifting his staff."

Then he again laid his ear to the ground, kneeling on
the wet sand, and he heard quite near the rattle of wheels
and the henvy trr^mp of horses. But even while he listened
the sound gradually ceased, and he heard nothing but the
howling of the storm and the ominous beating of the wild
waves, or a cry now and then borne down on the east
wind.

The chariots had reached the shore of the dry bed of
the gulf, and paused some little while, hesitating before
they started on so perilous a passage ; then suddenly the
Egyptian war cry rang out, and agani he heard the rolling
wheels. It came on, mor^ slowly than before, but yet
faster than the Israelites could march.

For the Egyptians, too, the wry lay open ; but, though his
people hafi but a small start, he need no longer fear for them ;
all was not lost ; those who had reached the shore could
scatter themselves during the night among the mount-in
solitudes, and ensconce themselves in spots where no
chariot nor horse could pursue them. Moses knew the
land in which he had long dwelt as a fugitive ; the only
thing now was to warn him ot the approach of the foe. So
he charged a comrade of the tribe of Benjamin with the
message, and the distance was no longer very great, while
he himself still staid behind to watch the coming of tlie
host. Without stooping to listen, and in spite of the gale
which blew the sound from him, he could already hear the
clatter of the chariots and neighing of the horses. The
lepers, Iiowever, who likewise heard the noise, bewailed
and wept, fancying themselves already trodden under foot,
or swallowed by the cold dark waters ; for the way was
'-St shrinking, and the sea was greedy to recover ihe

i88

yOSHUA.

ground it had abandoned. Man and beast were forced to
march in a narrow file, and while the hurrying troops
packed closer and closer they also stretched lo.jger, and
precious moments were lost. Those who walked on the
right-hand side were wading through the encroaching
waves, in haste and terror, for already behind them they
could hear in the distance the Egyptian words of command.

But the enemy was evidently delayed, and Ephraim
easily understood what caused their diminished speed.
The ground grew softer at every step, and the narrow
wheels of the war chariots must sink deep in it, even to
the axles.

Under cover of the darkness he crept back as near as
he dared to the pursuing host, and he could hear now an
oath and now an angry order to use the lash more freely ;
and at last one driver saying to his neighbor :

'* What cursed folly ! If they had suffered us to set out
before noon instead of waiting till the omens had been
read and Amon solemnly installed in the place of Baie, it
would have been an easy matter enough, and we should
have trapped them like a covey of quails. The high priest
has shown his valor on the field before this, and now he
gives up the leadership because a dying woman had touched
his heart ! "

" Siptah's mother ! " another put in. " Still, you are
right ; twenty princesses ought not to have turned ^im
from his duty to us. If he had staid by us we should not
have had to flay our jades alive, and at an hour, too, when
any prudent captain leaves his men to rest by the camp-
fires over their supper and their game of draughts. Go to
the horse's heads, man ! we are stuck in the sand again ! "

Thereupon a loud outcry arose behind the foremost
chariot, and Ephraim could hear another voice exclaiming :
** Get on there, if the horses die for it ! "

" If retreat were possible," said the chief captain of the
war chariots, a relative of Pharaoh's, " even now I would
turn about. But as it is we should all tumble over each
other. So forward, cost what it may ! We are close on
their heels. Halt ! Halt ! Curses on that pungent smoke !
Ah ! wait, only wait, you dogs ! As soon as the road opens
out a little we will get round you, and may the gods shorten
my life by a day for every soul I leave alive ! Another
torch out ! I cannot see my hand before my face. A

JOSHUA,

189

irced to

troops
rer, and

on the
oaching
em they
mmand.
ilphraim
I speed.

narrow
even to

5 near as
: now an
e freely ;

) set out
iad been
if Bale, it
e should
Igh priest
i now he
\ touched

you are
rned ^im
lould not
00, when
le camp-
Go to
again ! "
bremost
laiming :

in of the
I would

3vcr each
close on

t smoke !

}ad opens
s shorten
Another
face. A

beggar's stick would be more to the purpose than a com-
mander's staff."

" And a gallows' rope about our necks instead of a gold
chain," cried another. " If only the moon would come
out I It was because the horoscope promised that it would
shine full from evening till dawn that I voted for the late
march, turn::.g night into day. If only it were not so
dark 1 "

But the sentence remained unfinished, for a blast,
rushing down from the south-eastern gori.es of Baal-Zcphon
like a roaring beast of juvy, rAvept over the speakers, and
a leaping wave wetted JCphraim Ihrougii and through. He
shook back his hair and dried his eyes as lie recovered his
breath ; but behind a loud cry of terror went up from the
Egyptians, for the surge that had but drenched him had
swept the foremost chariot into the sea. At this the lad
began to be alarmed for his people, and he flew forward ;
but aii he started a flash of lightning showed him the gulf,
the mountain, and the shore. The thunder did not
immediately follow, but the storm now came nearer ; the
lightnings, instead of cutting zigzag across the sky, flared
in broad sheets through the darkness, and before they died
out the deafening crack of the thunder echoed among the
bare crags of the mountain-cliffs, and rolled in deej), angry
waves of sound to tlie shore and the head of the bay. Sea
and land, man and beast, all was flooded with the dazzling
glare each time the destroying clotids discharged their
bolts ; the surging waves and the air above them gleamed
in sulphurous yellow, through which the lightning blazed as
through an olive-tinted glass wall. Now, too, Ephraim
thought he discerned that the heaviest clouds were coming
up from the south and not from the north ; and presently,
by the lightning's gleam, he saw that behind him, here a
refractory team were plunging into the waves, there one
chariot was overturning another, and beyond these again
several were locked together to the destruction of the
drivers and men at arms, while they checked the progress
of those which followed.

Still, on the whole, the enemy was advancing, and the
space dividing the fugitives from the pursuers grew no
wider. However, the confusion which prevailed among
the Egyptians was by this time so great that the cries of
terror of the fighting men end the encouraging shouts of

m
ii]

I90

JOSHUA.

the drivers waxed louder and louder, in the intervals
between the maddening roar of the thunder. But, black
as were the storm clouds to the south, fiercely as the wind
raged, the darkened heavens shed no water, and, though
the i^iigrims were wet, it was not with rain, but with the
sparkling waves which darted higher and higher *i\^\y
moment, wafrhing up further and further over the dry sand
in the bay. The path was narrowing, the passing of the
multUude was at an end. The blaze of the beacons still
guided the frightened rear to the hoped-for goal, remind-
ing them that there stood Moses with the staff lent him by
God. Every ste]) brought ihcm noarer.

Presently a shout of triumph proclaimed that the tribe
of Ijcnjamin had reached the shore, though they waded
through the foaming fringe of waters for some little dis-
tance. It had cost them unheard-of efforts to save the
cattle from the rising tide, to drag on the loaded carts, and
keep the flocks together ; but now they all stood in safety
in dry land. Only the strangers and lepers remained to
be rescued. The lepers, indeed, had not Hocks nor herds,
but the strangers had many, and the storm so terrified the
pcojjle, as well as the cattle, that they dared not plunge
into the water, which was now ankle deej). Ephraim, how-
ever, reached the land, and called to the herdsmen from
the shore to follow where he had passed, and under his
guidance they drove the herds forward. This was success-
ful ; the last man, and the last head of cattle, reached the
land of safety under the raging storm, and amid loud
shouts of joy. The lepers were forced to wade through
waves up to their knees and even to their girdles, and before
they had landed the gates of heaven were opened and the
rain fell in torrents. But they, too, were safe, and though
many a mother, who had been carrying her little one in her
arms or on her shoulder, fell on her knees on the shore ;
though many a hapless wretch who had been helping his
slurdier fellow-sufferers to drag a cart through the yielding
sands, or wade through the surf with a litter on his back,
felt his head throb with fever ; still, they, too, had escaped
destruction.

They were to await further orders beyond a grove of
palms which stood on some rising ground about a group
of wells not far from the shore. The tribes had gone
further inland, to proceed on their way at a given signal ;

JOSHUA.

191

ntervals
It, black
ihc wind
, though
with the
cr every
dry sand
ig of the
cons still
, rcmir.d-
it him by

: the tribe
cy waded
little dis-
save the
carts, and
\ in safety
imained to
nor herds,
;rrified the
not plunge
raim, how-
smen from
under his
as success-
leached the
.amid loud
de through
and before
icd and the
,nd though
one in her
the shore ;
|helping his
he yielding
n his back,
lad escaped

a grove of
)ut a group

had gone
Iven signal ;

this was to take them m a south-easterly direction mto the
mountain, where inhospitable rocks prohibited any pursuit
by a regular army or war chariots.

Hur had gathered his men about him, and they stood
armed with spears, slings, and short swords, ready to fall
on the foe who might venture to set foot on land. Men
and horses should be cut down and the chariots i)iled into
a high barrier, so as to erect a difficult obstacle in the way
of their pursuers. 'I'lu: beacons on ihe shore were so
diligently fed and screened, tliat neither the rain nor the
blast would extinguish them. They were to light the
herdsmen who were prepared to attack the chariots, and
old Nun, Hur and Kphraim stood at their head. Jiut it
was in vain that they waited for the pursuers, and when
the youth was the lust to see, by the glare of the beacon-
fires, that the way by which the fugitives had come was
now one with the broad level of tlic sea. and that the smoke
was driving to the north instead of the south-west — it was
about the hour of the first morning watch — a shoui of
triumph burst from breasts overflowing with thankfulness
and joy : *' Look at the flames ! The wind has changed ;
the sea is being carried northwards I The waters have
swallowed up Pharaoh's host ! "

At this there was silence for a while in the multitude,
and then, suddenly. Nun's loud voice was heard : " He is
right, my children ! Vain is the strength of man ! O Lord
God ' How terrible and fearful are Thy judgments on
Thy foes ! "

Here he was interrupted by a loud outcry. But by the
wells, where Moses, greatly exhausted, was leaning
against a palm-tree with Aaron and many others about
him, the fact which Ephraim had first discerned was now
observed by the rest ; the glad and terrible tidings,
incredible but true, flew from mouth to mouth, and each
minute confirmed their certainty. Every eye glanced sky-
wards ; the black clouds were steadily sailing away to the
northward. The rain was ceasing ; instead of the angry
flashes and roar of thunder, a few pale gleams lighted up the
isthmus and the northern lakes, and to the south the sky
was clearing. At last the low moon looked out between
the banks of cloud ; its peaceful ray silvered the tall flanks
ofBaal-Zephonand the shores of the gulf, now bathed once
more in dashing waves. The roaring and shrieking blast

I I

193

josf/r.u

sank to ;i imirmming hrocze iVoin the south, and llu* waters,
wliich liad boi-n as a rat^'in^' monster, l)i'sii'{j;ing llir locks,
now lay (|uivriiiiL; with Inoken strcnglli at tlic sioiu base
of thf nioiintaui.

Tlu* scM si)ica(l a shroud, dark tor a tinu', ()\<r lliosc
hundriuls (/f (orpscs ; but tlu- pale moon, tie it set. look
.are that the watery -^rave of a kinu; and so many |;reat
personai^es should not lack a splendid pall. Ills radiance
poured down on the wa\es that hiti them, decking them
with a glorious embroidery of diamonds in silver setting.
Whilst the east grew bright and the sky was red with
dawn the tents were i)ilched : yet there was little time for
a hasty morsel. Shortly after sunrise the chief called the
wandering people together, and as soon as they had
assembled at the springs Miriam swung the tambourine,
shook the circle of bells, and struck the calf-skin lill tj^cy
sounded far and wide, and as she i)nced forth with a light
step, the women and maidens l"ollowed her, keeping rhyth-
mical time with the dance ; and she sang :

" I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed glori-
ously ; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the
sea.

"The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become
my salvation : he is my (iod, aivJ I will prepare him en
habitation ; my father's Cioil, aud I will exalt him.

*' Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the
sea : his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.

" The depths have covered them : *hey sank into the bot-
tom as a stone.

"Thy right hand, O 1-ord, is become glorious in power:
thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in i)ieces the enemy.

" And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast over-
thrown them that rose up against thee : thou sentest forth
thy wrath which consumed them as stubble.

" Au'^ with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gath-
ered together, the floods stood ujMight as an heap, and the
depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

" The enemy said. I will pursue, I will overlake, I will
divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them;
I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.

'' Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them ;
they sank as lead in the mighty waters.

" Who is likg unto thee, O Lord, among the gods ?

yosin'A,

'9.^

waters,
c rocks,
>n\ base

tv those
scl, took
ny meal
radiance
iug them
• selling,
red witli
time for
■ailed Ihc
ihey had
fibourinc,
1 lill tl^ey
ih a light
ing rhylh-

hed glori-
1 into the

[is become
e him an
11.
into the

Ked Sea.

o the bot-

in power:
le enemy,
hast over-
test forth

^'ere gath-
), and the

^ke, I will
)n them;
im.
]ed them ;

)db?

" Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fcarfiil in praises,
doing wonders ?

" Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the [)e()ple whi( h thou
hast redeemed : thou hast guided them in thy strength
unto thy holy liabitation."

Men and women alike joined in when she rej;. ated the
cry : '' I will sing unto the T-ord, for he hath triuini)hed
gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into
the sea."

This song and this solemn hour were never forgotten by
the Israelites; and each one was full of hisClod, and of
glad, thankful hope for happier days.

CHAPTER XXII I.

The song of praise had died away and the storm had
long since ceased ; yet the morning sky, which had been
red at dawn, was again covered with grey clouds, and a
strong wind still blew from the south-west disturbing the
lake, and shaking and rocking the crowns of ])alms which
stood by the wells.

The rescued people had extolled the Most High, and even
the coldest and most perverse had joined in Miriam's
hymn of praise, but, as the procession of dancer,, approached
the sea, mauy would have gladly left the ranks and have
hastened to the strand where many things attracted them.
Hundreds had now betaken themselves to the shore, where
the waves like generous robbers disgorged and washed up
on to the sawd that which they had engulfed during the
night.

Nor did the >yomen even allow the wind to hinder them,
for covetousness and revenge, the most powerful instincts
in the human breast, drew them to the shore.

Some new object appeared every moment to excite their
greed \ for here lay the corpse of a warrior, and there his
overthrown chariot in the sand. From this, if it had been
the possession of a great man, they tore the silver or golden
ornaments : from the owner they took his short sword or
battle-axe out of his girdle, and men and women of the
common class, slaves and slave women of the Hebrews,
and the strangers, robbed the bodies of their clasps and

>94

yosf/c.t.

bracelets, which were of precious metal, or tore the rings
from the swolK-n fingois of ihe drowned.

The ravens wliicli had followed the wanderers, and which
had disai)peared during the sioim, now returned, and were
striving, screeching against the wind, at least to maintain a
place on the booty, llu- sci'ul of which had alliacled them.

liut far greedier than they, were tlu diegs of the wan
dering host, and win n the sea threw a cosily article on
shore a wild cry was raised, and hard blows exchanged.
Ti leaders themselves kept back, for they considered
that (he Hebrews had a right to the s\){)\\ ; and if one of
them tried to prevent gross covetousness the people re-
fused to obey him.

What the l''gyi)tians had so latily brought upon tl.em
was so dreadful tliat it never i-ntered the minds of the best
of them to restrain their ihiisl tor reviMige. Mon-over, grey-
beartled men of high j)()sition, and women and mothers,
whose appearance besi)()ke a kindly disposition, drove
back the few unfortunates who had succeeded in reaching
the strand on the wreckage of the w.u-chariots and bag
gage-wagons. With slu'i^herds' en)oks and travelers'
staves, knives and axes, or by throwing stones and spiteful
words, tiiey forced them to release their hold on the float-
ing wood ; and the few who were still on land were driven
by the furious mob back into the sea which had spared
them in vain.

Their wrath w.is so great, and revenge such a sacred
duty, that none dreamed of the respect, compassitm and
consideration due to misfortune ; not a word that could
hint of magnanimity or pity, or even of the i)rofit that
might be gained by saving the rescued to be slaves, or as
prisoners of war to be ransomed.

" Death to the arch-enemy I " — " Destruction fall on
them!" — "Away with them!" — "Give them as food to
the fishes ! " — " Vou drove us and our children into the
sea, away with you into the salt waves ! "

These were the cries that were raised on every side and
which no one checked, not even Miriam and Ephraim,
who likewise had gone down to the shore to witness the
tragedy that was being enacted there.

Though the maiden was now the wife of Hur, her de-
meanor and chaiacter had been very little altered by her
marriage. The fate of the people and her relations with

yos//cA.

i95

Lhc lings

nd wliii.h
iiul Nvcrc
lainlaiu a
led llu-m.
lhc wan-
nticU- en
>cchangi'd.
oiisidcri'<l
\ if one of
people re-

ipon ll.om
i)f tlu- 1>''M
i)vcr,grt y
\ motluMs,
ion, drovf
m rcacliing
s and bag^
tvavclcrs'
md spiuful
m the float
ivcvc drivcMi
had spared

h a sacred

passion and

that could

profit that

flaves, or as

kon fall on
as food to
ni into the

»ry side and
Ephraim,
witness the

,Iur, her de
[ered by her
tlations with

her Ciod, whose pro|)hetess she felt slic was, were still her
higlust thought ; and now that all she had hoped and
j)raye(l tor was being fiilfiUcd, now that she had givrn
expression to the fi-eiings of the faithful in song, march-
ing ill front of the thankful multitude, she considered sue
attained the summit of her existence.

Kphraim first had reminded her of Joshua, and while
she spoke with him of the prisoner she w.ilketl proudly
along like a (pieen, and answering the greetings of the
l)eopIe with m.iji-stic dignity. Ilir eyes sparkled with
happiness, and her face wore only for a few minutes an
expression of piiy when the youth told her of the hard-
ships he had endured with his uncle. Of course she still
reinembered the man she had loved, but he was no longer
essential to the high aim of her life.

Kphraim had just mentioned the lovely I'!gypii.in woman
who loved his uncle, and at whose petition the c'lain ; had
been taken off the prisoners, when a loud cry was raised
on a part of the shore where a great crowd had collected.

Howls of rage and ci ies ofjoy went up together, obviously
caused by the fact that the sea had thrown up something
])anicularly valuable on land. Curiosity attrat'ted them
both to the spot ; and as Miriam's pioiid dignity caused
the peojjle to stand aside, she soon caught sight of the body
of a traveling chariot which had lost its wheels, and of its
pitiable contents. The linen canopy which had screened
it was torn away, and lying on its floor were two elderly
Egyptian women ; a third, much younger, lay against the
back seat of this singular vehicle, which had thus become a
boat. The first two lay dead in the water that covered
the bottom of the carriage, and several Hebrew women
were in the act of tearing off the costly ornaments from
the throat and arms of one of them. The younger woman
had escaped death by a wonderful chance, and now she
was offering her very precious jewels to the Hebrew
women. At the same lime, with pale, quivering lips and
slender, half-benumbed hands, she was promising the
robbers, in a soft, harmonious voice, to give thc^m all she
had, and a handsome reward in money as well, if they
would sj)are her life. She was still so young, and she had
been kind, very kind, to a Hebrew. If they would but
hear her This petition sounded affecting, though it was
interrupted so frequently with curses and groans that little

196

yos/ii'.i.

1 1

;ii

of it w.'i-. aiKliMc. fiisl .is Miriam .ind riphniiin rcarhcd
the shore she scri-aiucd aloiid, for a hnitil woman tore the
gold snake from her ear. 'I'he Kgyptian girl's cry of
anguish striirk the youth like n sword thrust, and the
color left his face as he recognized Kasana's voice.

The corpses hy her were those of her nurse and of
Baie's wife.

Kj)hraim. almost beside himself, thrust aside the men
who separated him from the victim on one side and
hastened towards the remains of tin chariot ; si)rang into
the sand bank at the fool of which the vehicK was
stranded, and cried, with burning cheeks and impetuous
passion :

" Hack I Woe to those who touch her I "

Ihit a Hebrew woman, the wife of a brickmaker, whose
child had died in frightful convulsions on the journey
through the sea, had already snatched the dagger from
Kasana's girdle and had stabbed her in the back, with
the cry : "'I'hat's for my little Ruth ! Wretch !"

She raised the bh)ody poignard for a second blow; but
before she could strike her enemy again, Kphraim rushed
between them and wrenchid away the knife. Then, stand
ing in front of the hai)lcss creature, he shouted in loud
menace : " Murderers and thieves ! If one of you dares
to touch her, his l)lood shall mingle with that of this
woman ! " With these words he fell on his knees ! y the side
of the bleeding victim, and, finding that she had lost con-
sciousness, he lifted her in his arms, and carried her to
Miriam.

The startled plunderers for a few minutes suffered him
to do as he w«uld, but before he had gained his < d a cry
was raised of : " Vengeance, vengeance ! We fc- rd the
woman, and the body is ours alone." ** How dare the
haughty Ephraimite call us robbers and murderers ? "
" When there is a chance of shedding Tgyptian blood, it
shall flow ! " The Lord our God spares not, nor c.o \vv ! "
" Seize him ! " '* Seize tlie "irl ! "

But the lad paid no heed o this outbreak of rage till Ka-
sana's head was resting on Miriam's bo ,om, where she was
sitting on a sandhill near at hand, ard ihen, as the angry
crowd rushed upon him, the women outst- i' pirg llie men, he
once more flourished his dagger, crying : " T^.ick ! Hold off I
I tell you once more. If there are any men here of

y'KsiiCA.

"97

rc;ul»cd

tore ihe

s < ry of

and tlu»

e.
and of

the men

side and

ran^ i"'o
licle was

,cr, wliosc
e journey
j^ger from
i)ack, widi

blow; but
lim rushed
hen, stand
;d in loud
I vou dares
t of this
y the side
lost eon-
ed her to

ffered him
< ■ '1 a cry
f(; \-i\ the
v dare the
Lirderers?"
n Mood, it
)r CO ^ve !"

[age till Ka-
jre she was
the angry
|tl>cmen,he
ll Hold off!
'u here of

I'.^phraiiM or Jiidah, let iheni come to my side, or to Miri-
am's, the wife of their cliief I Well done, my hrethreii, and
woe to him who la) s a hand on nie ! Vengeance, do you
say? Are )ou not avenged by that hya.'iia which has
murdered this poor defenceless creature? ^'ollr victim's
jewels? Well, well; they are yours, and I will give you
my own into the bargain, so long as you leave the wife of
Hur free to care for ilie dying woman I "

He bent over K,is;iiui, took from her j)erson all she had
about her of pins or rings, and placed them in the greedy
hands stn-tched out to leceivc them. Then he took the
broad gold band from his own arm, held it up, and cried :

This is th

Go b

.'tb

share
then,

isom.
this woman to .Miriam, and you sliall liave it to
among you. If you insist on blood, come on- but
I keep the bracelet ! "

These words did not fail in their effect. The angry
women looked first at the heavy, broad gold band, and
then at the splendid youth, and the men of Judah and
P^phraim who had rallied iound him ; and then gazed
inquiringly at each other. At last the wife of a foreign
trader cried out: " (iive us the gold, and we will leave
the wounded darling to the chiefs son ! "

The rest agreed to this decision, although the furious
brickmaker's wife, who meant to have done a deed pleas-
ing in the eyes of her god by avenging her child, ai d had,
in consequence, been accused as a murderess, still threat-
ened Ephraim with frenzied gestures till she was dragged
away to thw shore by the crowd who hoped to find fresh
booty the.e.

Through all the tumult Miriam, without a qualm of fear,
had examined and bound up Kasana's wounds with a sk/'-
ful hand. The dagger, a gift in jest from Prince Siptah,
that his fair one might not go forth to battle unarmed,
had inflicted a deep stab under one shoulder, and she had
lost so much blood that the feeble flicker of life seemed to
die out at every breath. But she still lived, and she was
carried into Nun's tent, as being the nearest at hand.

The old chief had just been giving out weai)ons to the
herdsmen and youths gathered together by his grandson
to go forth to liberate his beloved son, and had promised
himself to join the expedition, when the melancholy party
reached the tent. If Kasana had admired the noble

i!r

198

JOSHUA.

old man, so had Hiir felt very kindly towards Ilornecht's
lovely daughter in the by-gone years at Tanis. They hud
never met without she giving him some pretty greeting,
and he would reply to her : '* The Lord bless thee, child I "
or, ** A happy day for an old man when he meets so sweet
a maid ! '' Many years ago, while she still wore the curls
of a very yomig girl, he had even given her a lamb with
especially silky, snow-white wool, after he had concluded
a l)argain with her father, exchanging some corn from
Hornecht's land for steers of his own famous breed. And
a1! his son had ever told him of Kasana had tended to en-
hance his regard for her. She seemed in his eyes the most
lovable of all the maidens of Tanis, and if she had been the
child of Hebrew parents it would have rejoiced him to see
her married to his son.

To fmd hi;; favorite again in so pitiable a plight was so
great a grief to the old man that the tears ran down on his
snowy beard, and his voice shook when he saw the blood-
stained bandage about her shoulder. When she was laid
on his couch, and Nun had i)laced his medicine chest at
the i)rop]ictess' service, Miriam desired the men to leave
her alone with the sufferer ; and when she called them back
into the tent, she had revived Kasana with some drug and
bound her wound with greater care. With her hair
smoothly arranged and the l)lood all washed away, she lay
between fresh linen sheets like a sleci)ing child, hardly
looking as if she had attained woman's estate. And she
still breathed, though the blood had not returned to her
lips or cheeks, and it wa.s not til) she had again swallowed
the mixture which Miriam had prepared for her that she
opened her eyes.

At the foot of the bed stood the old man and his grand-
son, and each would fain have asked the other how it came
to pass that he could not refrain his tears as he looked into
the face of this stranger.

The conviction which Ephraim had so unexpectedly
gained, that Kasana was base and false-hearted, had revolted
him, and frightened him back into the right way which he
had left. Nevertheless, he had kept all he had overheard
in the tent locked in his own heart, and when he had told
his grandfather and Miriam that Kasana had interceded
kindly for the prisoners, and both had desired to learn
more from him, he had felt as a father might who had

ornccht's
rhey had
greeting,
J, child!"
i so sweet
the curls
lamb with
L:oneluded
corn from
;ed. And
dcd to en-
;s the most
tlbcen the
him to see

ght was so
own on his
the blood-
he was laid
ne chest at
en to leave
\ them back
le drug and
h her hair
vay, she lay
hild, hardly
And she
rncd to her
1 swallowed
er that she

his grand-
low it came
looked into

inexpcctcdly

lad revolted

y which he

d overheard

he had told

Interceded

led to learn

Iht who had

JosurA.

109

witnessed the crime of a l)elovjd son, and not a word of
the horrors he had henrd i)assed his h'ps. Now, he was
glad he had kept silence ; for in spite of all he had seen
and heard, this pure and lovely creature '.'as surely incap-
able of anything dishonorable.

Old Nun had never ceased to think of her as the sweet
child he had known so well, the aj)ple of his eye and
joy of his heart. He looked down on the quivering fea-
tures with tender l)ity, and when at length she ojjt ncd her
eyes, he smiled at her with fatherly affection. The light
in her eyes showed that she, too, at once recogiii/t d him
and I'.phraim, but when she tried to nod Ivr head to them
she was too weak. Still, her expressix' lace confessed
her surprise and pleasure ; and wlieii Miriam, for the
third time, offered her the draught, cxmX moistened her
brow with some strong essence, she looked from one to
another with her large eyes, and seeing their curious gaze
she was able to say in a low voice : " These wounds ache

so, and death Shall 1 die ? " They glanc'.-d inquiringly

at each other, and the men would very gladly have con-
cealed the dreadful truth, but she went on : ''Oh, let. me
know ; tell me the trutli, I ])ray you 1 "

And Miriam, who was kneeling on the gr(;und by her
side, found courage t'^ rei)ly : •' Yes, poor, young thing,
the wound is deej) ; but all my art may do to save you
shall be done, to preserve your life as long as possible."

The words were spoken kindly andcomi)assionatcly, and
yet the prophetess' dcc]i voice seemed to jar on Kasana's
ear ; her lips curled piiiuilly while Miriam spoke, and
when she ceased the sufferer closed her eyes and large
tears flowed down her cheeks.

Deep and anxious silence reigned till she opened her
eyes once more, and fixing them sadly on Miriam's face
asked, as if in amazement at something strange, " You, a
woman, are learned in the leech's art ? "

To which Miriam replied : " My God hath bidden me to
care for the sufferers among my people."

At this the dying woman's eyes sparkled aneasily, and
she exclaimed in a stronger voice, indeed with a vigor
which surprised her hearers: "You are Miriam, the
woman who sent for Joshua to go to her ; " and when
Miriam replied unhesitatin^jdy and simi)ly : " As you say,"
Kasana went on : " And you are. indeed, of great and

aoo

j\\s/fr\i.

nil

nuijcslii; l)cMiity, anil must be capable of great things !
He t)l)eyecl ycnir <iill, and you- -you could nevertheless
niarry another? "

And at;ain the prophetess answered, but in r. gloomier
t(Uie : " As you say."

'I'hcn the dying woman closed her eyes again, and a
strange < overt smile jjarted her lips.

Ihit this was not Ibr long ; rhe became uneasy and rest-
loss. The fingers of her little hands, I'ler lips, even her
eyebrows, were never still, arid her smooth narrow brovr
was fiirrowed as though she had something weighing on
her brain. .\t length the trouble which disturbed her
peace fovmd utterance, and she ^aid incpiavering accents .

" Vou are ICphraim, whom he loved as a son, and you
are Nun, the old man his father. There you stand, and

you will live, while 1 Oh, and it is so hard to leave the

liglit of liny. .Vinibis will lead me before the judgrient

seat of ( )siris, my heart will be weighed, and then "

She shudvlered violently, opening and closing iicr trem-
bling hands ; but she soon recovered herself, and began to
speak once more, liut Miriam positively forbade her as
it must hasten the end.

At this Kasana collected all her strength and exclaimed
(juickly, and as loudly as she could, glancing at Miriam
from top to toe : " So you would hinder me from doing
what 1 must do.? You!" There was an accent of con-
tempt in her tone ; but ihe no doubt felt that she must
husband her strength, for she went on more calmly, and
as if speaking to herself : *' But I cannot depart thus —
not thus ! How it happened — why I did it all — I must
confess ; and I will not complain if only he may know
how it came to pass. Oh, Nun, good old Nun. who gave
me a lamb when I was yet but a child — I loved it so —
and you, Ephraim, my boy, I will tell you everything."

A painful ccnigh here checked her utterance ; as soon
as she had recovered her breath she turned to Miriam
ngain and wont on, in a voice so full of bitter aversion
that it startled those who knew her kindly nature : "It is
you — yoii, tall woman wiib. a man's voice, and the learning
of a leech — you who b^gi:ilcd him from Tanis, and from
me. He went and carnc and did your bidding. And you
— you 1 ecame anothci man's wife — it must have been
after hi coming; yes for when Ephraim brought your

yosit(-.t.

20 1

things \
irthclcss

jrloomier

1, and a

and rcst-
cvcn her
ow brovr
ghing on
irbcd her

accents .

and you
Land, and

leave the
judgment

then- "

her trenv
d began to
idc her as

c\claimod
1 at Miriam
"rom doing
nit of con-
she must
[ahnly, and
rt thus —
,11 — I mus^:
may know
who gave
cd it so —
thing."
; as soon
to Miriam
\r aversion
" It is
^e learning
and from
And you
liavc been
ight your

message he spoke of you as a maiden. Whether it was a
grief to Joshua I know not. But another thing I know,
and that is that I have somewhat to confess before it is too
late. And n<jiK' jnay hear il l)ul those who love him, and
1 —do you heai ? — I love him more ihau all else on earth !
Vou I you ha\e a hiisbaud, and a (!(;(! wlK)se bidding
you zealously oi)ey as you yourself have said. What is
Joshua to you? I beg you to leave us. Very few have I
met in my life to whom I could not feel kindly, but you I
— I cannot love, I know not why, — and if you remain near
me I caiuiotspeak^ — and I nuisl — and it hurls ine so lo
sj^eak 1 j'ul before }{)n go— )()u ;;re a i)hysician — wW me
one thing: I have so many tilings to say to liim before I
die — will il kill me if I speak? "

And again the propheUss found no reply but her brief,
** As you say," and her lone was" one of stern warning.

Hesitating between the duty she owed lo the sufferer as
her physieian, and her desire not lo conlnivene the wishes
of a dying creature, she glanced at old Nun, and reading
in his face a command to yield to Kasana's wish she bent
lier head and (juitted the tent. JJut as she stood outside
the i)oor soul's bitter words come home to her, and spoilt
the day that had begun so gloriously, aye, and many an
hour after ; and to the last she could never explain to her-
self how il was that in the ])rescnce of that hapless, dying
woman a feeling had possessed her that she was the
smaller, the inferior creature.

As soon as Ivasana found herself alone with the grand-
father and grandson, and Ephraim had fallen on his knees
by the bedside, while the old man, after kissing her brow,
stood with his hoary head bent to hear her low tones, she
began again :

" Now 1 am easier. That tall woman — her knit black
brows— Iier eyes as dark as nigh I — they are fiery indeed,
and yet so cold . . . that woman . . . I)id Joshua love her,
father? Tell me. 1 do not ask out of idle curiosity."

" He honored her," replied the old man in some trouble,
" as do all our people. She is of a lofty spirit, and our Ciod
vouchsafes lo her to hear His voice. lUit you, sweet one,
were dear to him e\'cn as a child ; that I know."

A slight shudder ran through her frame. For a short
space slic closed her eyes and a blissful smile lighted up
her face. This lasted so long that Nun thought that

I'l

302

JOSHUA.

I I

■:'i(i

death had already claimed her, and he leaned over her,
listening to her breathing, with the draught in his hand.
She did not seem to see him ; but when at last she looked
up again, she put out her hand for the cup, drank from it^
and then went on : " I felt as though he were there before
me — Joshua himself He wore his warrior's dress, as he
did the first time he took me on his arm. I was but a
little cliild, and I was afraid of him because he looked so
grave, and my nurse had told me that he had slain miniy
enemies. But I was happy when he came, and when lie
went away I was sad. And years went on, and my love
for him grew as I grew. My young hoarl was so full of
him, so full . . . Yes, even when I was compelled to
marry another, and after I was a widow." The last words
were scarcely audible, and .she rested a while before she
went on : " Joshua knows it well — only he does not know
how anxious I was when he was in the field, and how I
longed for him till he came home again. At last, at last,
he returned, and how glad I was to sec him once more !
But he himself ! That woman — Ephraim told me — that
tall, proud woman bid him go to Pithom. Yet he came
back from thence, and then, O Nun. That was hardest
of all to bear — he refused my hand when my father offered
it That — ah, how it hurt me ! I can no more — give me
the cup again."

Her cheeks had colored slightly as she made this pain-
ful confession ; and the old man, perceiving how quickly
the efforts she was making were bringing her to the end,
begged her to be silent. But she insisted on making use
of- what little time remained to her, and though a piercing
pain and tormenting short cough forced her to press her
hand to her bosom she went on :

" Then I hated him ; but not for long ; and I never
loved him more than when I went after the hapless
prisoner — you know, boy. And then came the dreadful,
horrible time, \\\i shameful things — but he must know it
all that he may not despise me if he ever hears. I never
knew my mother, and there was no one to warn me . . .
Where shall I begin ? Prince Siptah — you know him, father
— the bad man who will soon be lord over Egypt. My father
is in a plot with him. Great gods ! I can speak no more ! "

Terror and despair were painted in her face; but
Ephraim broke in and confessed with tearful eyes and a

yosin'A.

over her,
his hand,
le looked
Ic from it^
;re before
;ss, as he
was but a
looked so
lain many
, when lie
d my love
; so full of
ipellcd to
last words
before she
J not know
and how I
ist, at last,
ncc more '.
me— that
et he came
as hardest
ther offered
le — give me

this pain-
low c^uickly
to the end,
' laking use
a piercing
press her

Ind I never
[he hapless
le dreadful,
1st know it
I never
b me . . •
fhim, father
My father

no more

facei but
leyes and a

trembling voice ail he had overheard by iier tent that night,
and she confirmed it with assenting glances. When at
last he spoke of the high priest Baie's wife, whose body
had been thrown up on the strand by Kasana's side, she
interrupted him in a low voice, saying, " She devised it all.
She wanted her hus])and to be supreme in the land, and
govern even Pharaoh, for Siptah is no king's son."

"Aye," said the old man, only anxious to stop her
speaking and to help her to tell all she wished to make
known, *' and as Baie raised him up, so can he overturn
him. He, even more surely than his i)rcdccessor, will be
the tool of the man who has made him king. I know
Aarsu, the Syrian, and, if I am not deceived, the time is
coming when he will aim at seizing the reins of power in
Egypt, torn as it will be by internal divisions, though he
and his mercenaries have so far helped others to snatch
them. But you, child, what prompted you to follow the
army and that profligate traitor ? "

Kasana's eyes gleamed more brightly again, for the
question led directly to the matter of which she desired to
speak, and she replied as clearly as her foiling strength al-
lowed, '' It was for your son's sake — for love of him — to
procure his release. Only the evening before I had re-
fused positively to go with Baie's wife. But when 1 had
seen Joshua once more by the well, and he — ah, he was
so kind at last, and kissed my brow ! And I saw him in
misery — alas, poor heart ! I saw the best of men doomed
to perish in disgrace and sickness. And when he went
onward with chains on his feet it suddenly struck me."

" Then, brave, foolish, misguided child that you are, you
d.termincd to win the devotion of the future king in order
to secure the release of your friend, my son ? "

The dying woman smiled and said softly, ** Yes, yes ;
for that and that alone. And I loathed the prince. And
the disgrace, the shame — horrible, horrible ! "

" So it was for my son's sake that you endured it all,"
cried the old man interrupting her, and her hand which he
pressed to his lips was wet with his tears, while she turned
to Ephraim and sighed : " And I thought of this lad, too.
He is so young and the mines so terrible."

Again she shuddered. The boy covered her hand with
kisses while she looked tenderly in his face and his grand-
father's, and added : " Now all is well, and if the gods
grant him freedom "

404

Jy^Sf/r I.

Hcic I'.plnjnn ImoUc in, " W'r iitr Mclliii^ f<iMh this vrrf
{\',\\ loi tlic mines I ,\\n\ u)\ ininimlrs :in(1 my nnnnl
rrtl)»r» will tltixr lli^ Uicpcis lo tlic luMi winth "

" \ntl hi' shall Icain lioin niv own h|"s," sjiid Nun,
"how lnil\ K,is.»n;i IomiI hnn, .nul lii-^ whole li(r will Im
loo short to ih.tnK hri loi snrh .\ m;u tiliMv"

HisvtMtr InlrtI hint Ihil rviiy tin col tionbh' lunl
VMnishrd lion> the dyiiif; wnm.in's l,n r. .unl she l;i\ loi
sonu" tinu' gn/in^; upwMitIs in silent i ontentnient, Ihit
then. I>y desires, an anxions linwntaine on hei lnow.anil
she sul'llv ijaspetl o\it " It is wt II vcs, all is well lait
vrt one tlnn}^. My l>0(l\, inu niltahneil with ih> hoi)
;un\ilets

And heie Nnn aj^annntcnuitled Inr, saving " As scjon
ns we have elosetl vovit ev(>s 1 will delivei it, salelv
Wrapped, to tlie riuvineian seanian who is rjoqr at haml.
that he >nay eonNey it to yoiii lather "

She tiieil to turn her head to thank hitn with a loving

fflanee . i>ut suddenly she einlehed at her tinoat with hotli
\ands, daik Mood rose to hiM lips, a lnif;ht Hanie tinged
]w\ eheeks ami laded to «lead whiti\ and alUr a short and
painlid stinggle she sank l»;iek. OiMth liatl laid his hand
on \\w lining lu\»rt, and her laee wore the look of ji child's
wlu>so tuiUher has rv>rgiven it some I'anll, and kissed ii
before it fell asleei>.

Nvni elosed he\ eyes, weeping as he did so ; Kphraim,
lieeply nunevl, kissevl the vlr«M»ping lids ; ami after a few
tuonuMUs' silenee the oM in.an said : " I IronhK' myself
ver\ little ahont the life beyoi\d the grave, of whieh oven
M*>sos knows nothing, hnt one who Ii\es as she has lived
must always svirvive in the faithful memory o\ those whom
she lovevl ; aiul she has done her part, it seems to mc, to
Attain inmh>rtality. We will disjxise o\ her hotly aeeording
lo our pn>mise, .v.id then set forth lo prove to him for
whom Kasana gave all she had to give, that we love him
uo less well than the Kgyplian womatr."

JOSHUA,

his vorf

id Ntm.
« will l>»

ijijr IiikI
r l;tv f"i
III. Itiit
now. ;tn«l
vill l.ut
no lu»l)

' As soon
ii, siilrlv
• ;i< Ii.iimI.

ll ;l loving

lie tinned
slunt ;in(l
I his liniul
)!■ ji child's
kissed ii

V'|ihriiim,

Mo niysoir
Ihirh oven
has hvrd
>se whom
to inc, lo
Imording
him for
love him

( IIAI'IIK XXfV

'fill' prisoMfm wcic in.ikm^; IIkii way l>iii nlowly lo fhf
ininrs. N'-vci in nil lii'; < h|i' tirn( c liid ilif hnAa of \\\f
y.ing known ;i wofic ioiiincy llnoiiidi llif d<'';rrt, rnof
ilM k !«•';■; in cvriy w;iy. "i 'io |ir':» t willi Miisli;i[i^ ;Mid liifi
dl.'UM ( ";

< Mic o( hi'; " mo|( ',," l',(i|iraim, lo wit, had inadf his
<'Hra|ir ; in Jiad lost oiir o( jiis failliliil lioiin(h , and after
his g.'iii|; hiid ltd n Iciiihi d and diem lud hy mk h a ';torfrj
IS s< an ely liclcll oiuc in five yeai'; in alllliat tliir<;ly traf;t,
anolliei oveiloid: Ihcin on the (oll'iwin^ day flir sairi'" in
wlii( h I'liaiaoh and his host had |>erisli»d 'vrn more
violent and prrsisleiit than the (ir-;t The lernjiest had
sl(»|t|M'd Ihi ii ir ir( ll, and afti r this sn (»nd 'ieluj.^' ';orne <»f
his prisoners and incn had si( krned wilh \< w<r from ;|rr|,iiig
on the W(( f',ioiind in the o|»en air. I'",ven tlif f'^^yplian
.isses, nnaceiislonied lo llic rain, had siifferf d frf/rn the
wellini;, and Mie hrsl had heen left to (he on the way.

At last llcy had liren <-onipelled to hiiry two f)f (!,eir
eoiiu.'ules in ihe sand, and three more were so ill that they
must he mounted on the asses that w(;re left , thus the
prisoners werc^ (or< cd (o <arry the provisions wilh w})if;h
the he.ists had heen laden. In all his twenty fivf: years'
experience sin li a thing had never heh>re hapoened tr;
I heir guide, and he looked forward to severe rcj>roof at
home.

All this had a had effeel on the man's temper, though he
was commonly regarded as the mofit hmient of liis trihe, and
jouhiia, as tlu' a(;comj)liee of the aiida(.ioiis rascal wliose
escape was the hcginning of a,ll these vexations, was the
chief victim of his wrath. Angry as he was, the leader
of ihi gang mighl perhajts have dealt more mercifully with
him if he had bewailed his lot like the man next behind
him, or cursed as loudly as his companion in chains, who
sjient his breath in threats of a time coming when his
sister-in-law would be in attendance on Pharaoh, and she
would find some way to punish the man who had ill-treated
her dear sister's husband.

1 1..

I .-: 1

«»»ri

7V'v;/rj.

I I )Mi||M:\ li;((l mull' l$;«(lr t)l« M'l liliiul l(t f.lkr fill \\w
u^$>\\\ tiiiMi '.\\\*\ Im-^ mkmi I niltd (III It) liiin wiili ;i<i < itihi
HMbmi'<'<ii>n :\'* the smnhin); 'iiin uliii h li;nl IimIhhiI liim
tn.iin :» imif r\f till') (|l^lM^ lii'; iPiin Ih'M ;u itf.'i llir «l» 'rit.
nniirt .ntn't ; .nul hi'; tiviniv 'ipiiil uml stionj' ^vill li, Ijx i|
l\iin (•> Ki ( p llii'; It' ;i<Inlii'H Win ii llir »|imi i Inndi d |<ii)i

\\\\\\ A IWiMCilHMI'J ImIIIIicII. I\r ( njlci Ici) ill! llu nlH ll^'lji «i(

his pourHnl nuiM li'^ ,nitl inii.Kil Iimwim! iiihIi i ii wiili
onl I n bi IliiMt'i \\iM(l hll In i j, nrr'4 |',;i\r \\;iv , :U<t\ llnii
lii'i i\ 1 \n( \> I Ml 111 il\ .H I mil. '.nihil i lew l';ili ■; Imm oil jn'f
•^lionld r--. iMil <l<ln<' In' l\\{\\ ;ill lln- \^ it I i tlin •;•; o( lii'i

lilill ll\ 1"^ v\

lllll lllll J ' \\ I 1 1 in I'll) (I ill t In- iiiiin

( <ni (• llii' mill lulln ird i ilny wniiiid . Inil lir wm;
immrili.ii.'h 111";! .iiiviinr-h i.iirliil lli.il il 'Innild It
111 .lid . 1^.1 \ I Imii Willi- In 'ill I ni'jiii II liim. :ind di l;n i d IIh-
«.n,i\,in l«M li.ill .1 d.i\ lliiil lir mij^lil m '.I

lie li.id n«M loiinMIni ruin

ipl

l|>l:lll

I 'Mli' I of ;|

spl ndid irniid lo lln- m.ni alio 'Inmld Iniii)', Inm in w •; nl
hl>^ pusoMiMs dr. nil , ImiI lie >\;|'. ;m IhHU'.I lll;ili. Mild it

« .1 ' \\\\'- \m\ piiMinsr Willi il pii>iii|

>lrd t

mil Ik w ;iI( Ii Willi

«|MM i,d r.iir i'\ri |odm,i\ lili- . (im tin- MiiistiolislirsH ol
lv\\m«: ih'ulri ir.l ins diili Im .im prismi.ii |iinli( Wdiild
llWi^ sjivnlrd his ;ip|>tMitr ioi iiu'.ll, diilik ;llid pUm p, lIu'
ihioo Mv'ssiniis \\c mosi |Mi7rd. Ilrmr. (Ihmi^Ii (lie
Hv^brrw li.id miuh lo snIlvM, ii w.is iml In \oiid ( iidiiiniicc ;
.nul it w,is ;i ]\\\\ pUMsmo lo lio .-ililc In lij^liloii llu- wncsof
iuswc.ikvi tomi.ulrs In- rxmlnif; his ('wnf>i(;il slim^lli.
\\c h.ul irsii;iu-vi h's liUo In ilu' (Ind whn li;id callrd liini
tv> sono Uim , hnl his soiAivi\ ho Uik w. w;is snimihinf,
n\vno than mvMo piv>\is tuisl . niul d;i\ ;i«id nif^lil Ins niiiMl
was sot on thght. Ihit tho loHois wlin h linkod him In his
tolUnv \iotnn woio so liimly iiv»h»l. and sn rarrliilly
vAammvvl and hainmoi od night and iiinnnn^',, lluil ;iiiy
anompt tv^ OS* apo nnrd only ha\o ondod in innio cruel
niiSvMx .

rho i^isv^novs woio ovMuhu'tod liisl aotoss a hilly ronnliy
and t]\on tvnvavds a Umn rani;o ol nuninlain'; lying in rroiil
o\ llio;n. till ihoy roaohod a ilosoil tiaoi win ic woalhoi
worn botdilofs of sandstone stood up ju intervals from the

iwky gvoiuKi.

ynsnr i.

t"/

Vv nil Mh'

li :m « ititw
\\\u'i\ liint
\\\v «1< '« ".
ivill h !)•'<'
,,.,,!( (I I'im

.;(HH|.>l|t ol
1, I it Willi

iii'il 'I" "

llntli "I' '"■'
\\\, •;■; nl I'i'i
(■III l'!l\'' '"

ntd lniH\«M
hr;<l l»"»< "'
I 'i

ImiI lie wn'i
ilinnld I"'

,1, I;, VI <l ll"'

ii'Mii'"' "' •''
|,u„ lu \v; ol

iu;iii. :""' •'
, umH I^ will*
,, ioH'OM-sH ol
juolil wouM

|l (mhiiMnrr .
I. \\\v Nvors ol

\ , iilUd bin»

-lit Ills miiHl

il bini to liis

[so rarrfiilly

.. ihal any

more niirl

\iUy coiinlry
ing in

t'roni

a Is liom ihc

f )n llir (iflli (Vrfiitii^ llir ^;iM^ H\ii\i\iit] fd f ;» \>y ,i lofty
liMiimliiid wliK li rntiiir ',' ririf (| \n ji-iv (lil f| ufi 'nit fif ();it
ifiV'i' III i;f(iiM , mimI iI iiiMtiic. on til' siKlli iriorniiii^, flicy
fiit»i<»l Mff »|(i\vii !( V ilN'V Ic'idiii^ t'l til' ifiiii'q.

I Ik'V Ii'kI Mvnl iI;' II imi okc mk i , i,u fhr dr .r fl »y, Mi'^y
li;i«l < otii' ii|i Willi I Id' .'j'MjM r (I'Mfi tlic l<iiif;'; tr- isnry

K V IikI, (III llir dtli' I li iii'l, iri< I .'Vr.'il ';tfMll i ;ir 'V.in-

(ll I In MIIIH v

(i.Mil'ill' 'I |i\ ill' llll^ III' 'ImV I p'MIlt' 'I to lIl'Tfl, to

l.iKc ill'' ';|iiiil . (ll III 1 evil III ;!' 'I ' iir.l' ;, " |ii|l tl|f -;i^;;lit of
III' III Ii.i'l '|iiil HI o|i|i'i.il' ' fl' ' I . I'll III'' III, III'-; link' ifijd
liMii \v;i'; jiIk.mIv ^^ny. llionj^li li' \v,m li,iff|ly (»,;-;l tlnrly,
Ills ImII ri(MM' ll' III Miifj li.ii^i^.ii'l, .iiifl liis l>;»rf Ii.k k Nlri|iefl
wiili iMiny s(,ir; jiii'l »l'i|i''l Mo'cl, wliiU In. wif' , wlio
Ii;mI 'ili.ii'd 111; l.il', li mI ynwi' Mind Slic sit Ini'Ml' 'I r>ri
Ml ;iss ill ill' litoo'lin^ tn' l.iii' li'ily of ifi,ini,i , ;in'l
;illliniij.',|i III' |iii ;'iii )',aiiK. •'•'' ''i' y fn.ii'li''! |m'-;I, |f>ii'Ily
lii'ikr llic '.ill lir< of ill'" <|f";rrl, ;iiifl li' i li';uirif/ \v,i . ;is
';li;ii|i IIS (Vt I, sli' I'MkI ii'i lirf'I to Hi' ffi, Imt st.'tnd iin
mov( (i into \ ;i< ;iiii y

riir siglil ol lli'Sc Ii;i|il wr'trlif; li'M iiji liis own

hideous l;it(' ;is <l';uly .'is ,( mirioi lirfoi' fr»sh!i;i,'s f yrs ,
lor llir liisl lijric lie gio;irir'| .iUhkI, jind rl;is)»f'| hn
li.'inds over liis luce. Tlii ; lli' drivi notircd, aii'l toiK.lK'd
liy tlic liori'ir ■ if a man \vli'»s'' p'lWcrs (;f fndiir;inf, ■• had
lill now sccnird indomilahlc, In- rricd to fiini ; '■ [Jut t.h<:y
do not all K'liiin lik'.' Ihis , no indf-d, not like tfii; ' "

" IUmhusc Ihcy arc even mor' iiU'rly wr' t' lif.-d," he
thonghl to hini'.clf. " lull that |">or f'llow need not know
that. Noxt time I conic this way f will rfrn'-mh'r to ask
for Joshua, for I shall l>r ciirioii; to kii'iv wh.it will |)fr.ome
of SIM h a Imll of a iriati. 'I'hc ?;lrongrst and most deter-
mined often are the '|iii(:kest to [»(rish."

At this he lloiirished hiswliij) over the heads of liis^ang
as if he were driving,' a team of horses, withr>iit tf>iir;hing
tiicm, however, 'i'hen he j>ointr(l [o a r.lond (if smoke
rising from behind a wall of rock on the right hand
and said :

2o8

yosur.i.

•* There arc the smelting furnaces ! We shall be In by
mid-day. Flic re is no lack of fires here to cook our len-
tils, and a bit of sheep's tlesh into the bargain ; for we are
keeping the kind god's birthday, tlie Son of Ra. Long
may he live I Hail and good health to him !"

For half an hour longer they toiled along the dry bed of
a torrent, with high banks on each side ; after the storm a
roaring mountain stream had rushed down this gully to
the lower ground, and even now a few pools were exhaling
their moisture. When the melancholy tniin liad made
their way round a steep shoulder of rock, on the toj) of
which stood a .small Egyptian temple to Halhor and a con-
siderable number of grave-stones, they found themselves
close to a bend in the ravine which led to the gorge where
the mines lay.

P'lags were waving from tall masts in front of the temple,
in honor of Pharaoh's birthday ; and when presently a
noise came up from the vpiiey, usually so silent, of shouts,
and tumult, and clatter, the driver expressed his oj)inion
that the high festival was being kei)t by the prisoners with
unwonted jollity, saying so to the other guards who had
paused to listen.

So they moved forward without delay ; but no man held
up his drooping head, for the noon-day sun was so relent-
lessly cruel, and the sides of the ravine, dazzling with the
glare, poured down such fierce heat, that it seemed as
though they were striving to outdo the smelting furnaces.

Though so near their journey's end the wanderers tot-
tered forward as if in sleep, and one alone held his breath
with excitement. As a war horse harnessed to a plough
arches his neck, and dilates his nostrils, while the fire
sparkles in his eye, so had Joshua drawn up his stoo])ing
form in spite of the heavy sack across his shoulders, and
his flashing gaze turned to the spot whence the uproar
came which the driver supposed to be loud revelry. But
he, Joshua, knew better. He could never misiaVe the
sounds which he heard. It was the battle-cry of Egypiirn
troops, the trumpet call to summons them to arms, the
clatter of weapons and shouting of hostile parties.

Ready at once for swift action, he addressed his coini-«tdc
in chains and whispered his commands : " The hour of
release is at hand. Keep your eyes open, but foiiow me
blindly."

lall be in by

ook oiji Icn-

i for wc are

f" Ra. J.oiig

c dry bed of
r ihe storm a
his gully to
crc exhaling

I liad made

II tlie toj) of
r and a con-

themselves
s'orge w lie re

r the tcmi;le,
presently a
t, of shouts,
his ojjjnion
isoners with
Js who had

o man held
s so relent-
ig with the

seemed as
g furnaces,
derers tot-

his breath
i a plough
le the fire
is stooping
Jders, and
the uproar
elry. But
lisiaVe tiie
f Egyjiirn

arms, the
s.

is comi-rtdc
le hour of
follow me

.7i'-v//r../.

Th,. c: . , * ■ Now.

I he firsi glance i,uo il„. i,„r
•"it'nro Standing on ll,et„ >""'«'''''"' '■^'Waled i„|,„„
framed in whiiel,,,; , 'Z 'l 'r' '"■' ^""' ^' ""I c ,' d

distance. !)„, hcUmCdtZ't '"' "■"'" ■' """ li Kre Uer
amo,„e,n ,0 glance ^^1,^7,^,';'""''^ ' ''^''-e.! fa,' ' n r

gone to ,he rear, when /o i fa tnT" 'V'"' '"''^ '"''''••&

Now, down will, Inn/, ..""" ''■'"-Pcred to l,is <»n,j,aLn
. ''Vitn these word*; tN*. tj i

|.ve was at the hetd of t^^'"^^?.";.;'';"'."'"' '^ f^"o'- cap-
Joshua had seized his rilr, . ' ,'''"' "» "'^' driver 3
before he was aware off """""'J "•'•' "'!'- man hi's' S

"e s.'=r:SleV':X '^Z^^^ -SP donl.led his strength '

w^uiri!" ^^-^^ '- -"' KO^^r^-clfr "^^ -'-■- --

side of the ravine • but h. ^ "'•■'"■ews on the o,mZ\Z

on them, for the sturdy form of7 'T'"" ""' ^a'e o°nm

screen them both anA hi ""•' "'a^'-' driver serve W^

dress and weaponk "" Hold":: T^"^ ^-°gni-b c"^^^^ ^

hl-fld^"''!?,'^ '° '"'^ accomt^ici' ">.? -^''^m with one ha^nd,"

Si.-^^'^^-Ketup'jiirshott/drofrehr^

a-;.shTCh"of «; r ??^ '"^^ ->e within
on one side, and then ,vaTkinJ / Y^ '^'"' Prisoner W
.selves and the Egynti^„7 Tl^ backwards, between them
rng tones : " Thf ^^^f N^'n-s^Tet,""' -'"""""S '" ^r-g-
andhisp ,^,„ made his wav L k"'"'"^ '" 'lis father
Hebrew fighting „en. *^' '"^P by step, towards the

None of the Egyptians who recognized the r , ■

^^ ugnizea the captain of the

Jill

♦ T1%

•?> VN /r r / .

prison f^;.v^^ h.>\\ y\\\\A to In ih \ 'M\\\ .)\ \hv tnrnpiMl

}M1^<M>rrs , W\\\ n.>«, S\\y\\\ ll\r top ol Ihc «.li<pi U lut h \\\r

\>,Mnr < ^11««< \\\ loMul .\( » . Ml'., n)i! It tl\i •:\n\f n\onii nl
V phv.nn^ ^n^'. I>\ « < (Mupnn d MMUhTul i i»nO>;n;nH'< \ :\\\\r
\\\\\\\\ «K>VM\ ihf lull \^' \\\\\\ \\\\\\

foot soM\<M. ,t suoiil. <M y 'vMtli ,i\i H\\( n\uM '.nil wtMr
.A) t!\«\» i;\«AiK •• i^<' h«M«l .n>.)n '. •linii ,m\iI I»i|', .1 |'iM>|("j

phi Un^ >N »'^ »)^« \l 1< lili I . mil Hi (iMi III |Mitl»(l III!

i<', h\- v.\M|,vvl 1 i< lUi II III n\(> iinl liKi .1 ilonMr w.ill

\i«( till ll\i n

\\\\\

hy\\\\x\\ ]\^'^]\\\.\ A\\\\ Hu' iD' IU\ •> nihil

tlivl 111 j,i\ r wiu I tr« I' iiMhi ii \ 1-1 ii\i.ini|', , .mil .nii ilu i

\i\.\\\ r,;irniM; loUoW.il hi. Lm I'hl \>in w.i-. '.ilrlv ImI Io

tlv

\\ .1

v>l 1

U''

1 I .>\ > I

^l ihi

II pr

hill

*hi»l«i'> ^^ h.i« h >li> '-' .' li.'>l < 1 ■' «^ii 'liiMi' . ,mil (hi n, iiiiili i

<>]w]\<

M .M ino

;l1, Mionu h.">«l'> (ll< <1 « (1 '111 li Id 1'. \> liii li

b»">in><l loshin .mil his >imui.iiU'. whiK rplnnm. lulitl
b\ ,1 tV>v oilnMs. boim\l thf »luvii i iptixr llir imliMhi
n.Hx' otTi»» I h.\vl i;iN»'n up ill n m^iimi r .niil \r\ \h. ni iln

\vh.\l (lUX NN.MlM. p.\'M\t h <«'s\mUll lUt.Mi ill! \ III il his

h;\iuiv bilun*! his l>,d k . h»" oiih l^i >i|;t il i-^ l^i illiWiil lo
NVipv' Ills r> rs, i\\\ »hr ir.ivs U « 10 I oiu •<>n|', i u h imIii \ dow n
tbt' stvn) i>i,\ti"'> tlu'iVs ,m«l •■'U iv> h,is |',i'.\ 1m ,in1 . 1i us ol
>A-\.\non .w ir.ulmji Imns* It oiiiwiHiil .iiul o\ i ipowt n-il,
.•\ii\i un,\Mx^ d> \\\\U\\ h\s \\\\\\ .

Vhc \^]\\ Hv 1m'o>\ »lAspr»l his it»li-rmiil ;\nil onl\ son In
his hv\u(>Mih p.\sMon,\iv' .illVi uou ihi-n. ii h .\sm}i Imn
from his onilMart\ hv~ supprd l\u K a irw p.w < >>. .im\ wouM

\vv h.-wtMwi vl » 1" tvwsnnu lus »\

^^l

\ )os!ni,i. ;m(l ol

homing \h.\t. t.ntht'ul t*> his vl.^l, ho wonUl hnuiloilh
v\"\ oto h;msolt to tho so\n \«v »M lus ]H^>plo.

l^it u Nx.^s not tor lonj; th.u tlu-\ nnrjit allow thomsclvos
to ivwl m thv^ iv^ vM this h.\pp\ nu'otiii|, . \\w h.mlo \\;ts
still to W \von. nr.d Nun. .is .i mutii vM lOiuso, tt;\t\stini'il
his oonv.n.invi tv'* loshiin.

\\ uh ;!\u"iV.tr.l glulnoss. .\nvl \ot not wiihont ;» p.iii); of
r<.\crot. Joshu.i ho.iui vM" tho onJ whioh li;ul ovovt.ilvon iho
f no .'^vmv .-^niving wlioso oaptains ho h.id loii}; Ihhmi punul
».• rooVv^n hnnsolf; anvl ho lojouwl tv^ K.irn that anothoi
o-^nv.w.n- of avniod shophouls h;ul i;\m\o uiulov tho UMtlci
ship ot' Hur. Miriam's husband, tv> surprise the tvuApioiso

1l" \ Ih :\u\ \)\<\

■wwr inonum
I' H.inl-. I Mtnr

nw '.nil u.Mi'
I' t 1 piMOt'i.

:\ ilonMr \\i\\\

N'<>| till ih.-n

»M(| .nil il\i »

' lit l\ li il to

I'.'' I : \ pii.in

I (Im n, nihlt )

II lit )•, u hu \\
In. lint, iiiili il
I hi nwliMln

I III till n\ ill)
il\> \ III il his

^1 .llIoWi (I lo

\ t^|l1^ I lion n
nil. Il ,ns ol
^1 t|M>\vrli'«l,

I iMilv '>on li>
ill .(Mn|; liun
s. i\iu\ >\ oiiKI
sh\i;i, ami ol
I l\nhif(>!il)

iV tlu Mwsclvos

. liiinsri-nvil

nt A p;in); of
HMt.\lvon tiu"

luVM pIOlul
ih;\l ;n\olliri
r ll\o lo.uin
10 tvirquoiso

y^'^^/f I

»"<•♦•••' M hn|>|,|,„ ,„ ., »••

"" • : i„ ".; : • I

:;'"i'' Mn:,i\:;i,,''; •'"•1;.. I.' ,,..'■,;:;;, :,

"'"■":i , ,"■ '■"■'

II liM /,.,,!

III (l„.J,
'•I '.ll(

'"'•'l.ll».,f

'"'•'» "III.. If,;, .''•'•"'"•"•'"•' "

.1,1, ;,.;."; M--u:.i., „,,,'.'":''."" "•"■ »<

(III \

t"il (I

ft U III. I,

" "III Si i|||,, , ,1 I'I. I 1

.::::,:;:;,:■■;:;;,!, ;-•'■•-::::;;;:;■;,:;,;;,'::;-: •■>

;:::;;:;;-: -■■■■!:'.V;;;::)::::;;;:;;:-;^^^ '-"

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^"" '"■"■■■■ :/;,'■ -r'^ '''■•'Mm. ,.,,,, .',:'''■•■'

(Mm I
;"' •"! ni|i( Ml,
•'IMS, Il ,., ,,„, ,

"I (III' I,,.

■'*"l""ic i,„|,„,

"•'"'■'' '"'.lis 11, (Ih' ;'■"''!'• ""■/'"M<.

"■. !!"■ 1,1,,/,

;;;:i.,-'-i^:::::;;;;;'''v/:'-''-^'^^.z;'.i;:r

•^iplil

',",''"'. ••'"i.lrini,,.,!

"(■ Il

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II I

"'<"'iHM- li.ul I

"."."•• ■■•i(;ir|„,|

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"'^'' ^V'lio i,:^,l

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Wit'

""i.f„rr>\ ,,y,,f^

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of f

'L'cn .slraiiglrd

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'y "/ i/k. f,

' ' '-'I'-UMiy ins ,„,^t^,^,

'/(/Nvc

/'.

VCf/

;

2T2

JOSHUA.

irighting-man who could be spared from the mines was tc
return forthwith to Tanis, as there was need of men foi
the newly-constituted legions.

These tidings produced a great effect ; for, after Joshua
had communicated to the Egyptian captain the fact that
he, too, kufMvof the destruction of the Egyptian host, and
expected fresh reinforcements in a few hours, who had,
meanwhile, been sent to reduce Dophka, the Egyptian
surrendered to his imperious tone, and only sought favor-
able terms and leave to dci)art. He knew only too well
how weak was the forces in charge of the turquoise mines,
and he could look for no succor from head-quarters.
Besides this, the person of the envoy captivated his con-
fidence, so, after many excuses and threats, he confessed
himself satisfied with Joshua's permission to withdraw
the garrison unharmed, with their beasts of burthen and pro-
visions for the journey. This, to be sure, was not to be
granted till they had laid down their arms and shown the
Hebrews every entrance to the mines where prisoners
were working.

The young Hebrews proceeded forthwith to disarm
the Egyptians, who were more than twice their number,
and many a veteran's eye was moist, while many an one
broke his spear or nicked his arrows, cursing and swearing
the while ; and some of the older men who had formerly
served under Joshua, and now recognized him, raised their
fists and railed at him for a traitor.

It was always the refuse of the troops which was sent on
service in this wilderness \ most of the men were stamped
with traces of evil living, and their faces were hard and
cruel. On the banks of the Nile, those were carefully
chosen who made ruthless brutality to the helpless their
duty.

At last the mines were opened, and Joshua himself seized
the miner's lamp and made his way into the sweltering
galleries where the state prisoners, naked and loaded with
fetters, were hewing out the copper ore. From a distance
he could hear the swallow-tailed picks hacking at the hard
rock. Then the miserable wailing of men and women in
torment fell on his ear, for barbarous drivers pursued
them into these depths and goaded the idlers to bestir
themselves.

This morning, as being Pharaoh's birthday, they had aU

mines was to
d of men for

, after Joshua
the fact that
:ian host, and
irs, who had,
:he Egyptian
sought favor-
only too well
liioise mines,
ead-quarters.
'ated his con-
he confessed
to withdraw
then and pro-
as not to be
d shown the
;re prisoners

h to disarm
heir number,
many an one
md swearing
liad formerly
I, raised their

I was sent on
'^ere stamped
re hard and
-re carefully
helpless their

imself seized
e sweltering
loaded with
n a distance
; at the hard
id women in
ers pursued
ers to bestir

they had aU

l>een driven tn fj ^'3

them to return nn ' ^"'^'"'^ "^'^'-^ecr which h '''' '^'^ ""'

consisted oi Iv in "^^^'"^^ ^Imwh i , . "^ '"^^^^^n

used in the nn. r''?'^""fi^ ^^'^ sin n'.MhV"''' ^'^^ir tasks

tations were he ?/'^'"" ^''^'^^-ind iheTr ^^ ''' '^'™^''^t
soon reached he fi ?"/'' '''^''- ^t^^l f"'' ^'^"^^■''-

soon repeated to th?«r, ,i ^'^^ ^^ ^heir nvetch '^'''^''

shouts of joy fiHeH H '^^'^'^ ^^i>ths of th • in ^"^' '^'''^

tears ; bu Toud . • ''^^^'^^^''•'^s Jon^ u ed ?''"'• ^^''^^
death-rattle also fT ^''' help, gallinT '"-'^^'"^^ '-^"^
victim had tuned " 7 ^^^hua's^ea? '^; l';^^"'"^ ^-^nd a
^'th a blow ofif- ^'- ^'^ d^i^'er of hiW^n """^ j^^^-hcadcd
of the otheTs ,n^ ^f^' His exam 'efref f)"^ ^'"^^ ^^^'"^

'lard-heartcd S f^'"' ''si'ind them A ,, '"; '''^«<='-

frora^he- .,X 'aI;"'^'';.''^' ■•" ".e broad" K^ '"'*■ ""'^
former timf, eni^ 7 °^ "'««'> hapless ™f'"'' '''"'>>=
home.,, OM-„ the^tf '^. ''^^■■■y ^"'hly* s^n/'^l '?'^d, i„
and mithe s • h,}'"8>. i''^'ace ; had been 1" "'""• o'""
had had their' ™« -"J"'?"' '" 'heir po ™ °""fi f^'hers

the caverns to'th,
flashed with a

hy the sudden ch

OWIj

wild

glare of tji

and

e mi

;i"ge from tJi
^:^^^y sun,

tears
e "J{,^ht of

Jn ilieir first ?),

il'.-l

«'-dy glean, iike^h;™'oS;'^

cr;:?'

»g

^"sternation at the

214

JOSHUA.

ama.^ing change in their fortunes they tremulously struggled
for composure, and suffered the Hebrews, at Joshua's
bidding, to file off the fetters from their ankles ; but they
soon caught sight of the disarmed soldiers and overseers,
who were ranged under a wall of rock under the eye of
Ephraim and his followers, and a strange impulse came
over ihcm. With a yell and a shriek for which there is no
name, and which no words could describe, they tore them-
selves away from the men who were trying to remove their
chains, and without a word or a sign of mutual agreement,,
rushed with a common instinct, heedless of their metal
bonds, on the helpless wretches. Before the Hebrews
could stay them each fell on the one who had treated him
most cruelly ; and here a famished creature gripped the foe
who had been his master by the throat, while there a herd of
women, stripped of all clothing and horribly disfigured by
want and neglect, flew at the man who had most brutally
insulted, beaten and injured them, and wreaked their long-
repressed fury with tooth and nail. It was as though a
sudden flood of hatred had broken down the dam and was
ravening uncherked for its prey.

There was a frantic attack and defense, a fearful and
bloody struggle on the shifting red sandy soil, an ear-
splitting chorus of shrieks, wailing and yells ; indeed it
was hard to distinguish anything in the revolting medley
of men and women, which became more and more inex-
tricably tangled .. it was aggravated on one side by the
wildest passions and a desire for revenge which was sheer
blood-thirstiness, and on the other by the dread of death
and strenuous instinct of self-defense.

Only a few of the prisoners had held back, and even
they shrieked encouragement to the rest, reviled the enemy
with excited vehemence, and shook their fists. The rage
with which the released victims now fell on t'r^eir tormentors
was as unmeasured as the cruelty under which they had
suffered.

But it was Joshua who had disarmed the tyrants ; they
were therefore under his protection. He ordered his men
to separate the combatants, and if possible without blood-
shed ; this was no easy matter, and many a fresh deed of
horror was inevitable. At last it was done, and now it
could be seen how strangely passion had lent strength to
the most exhausted and wretched, for, though no weapons

JOSHUA,

215

struggled
Joshua's
, but they
overseers,
the eye of
lulse came
there is no
tore them-
move their
agreement,
heir metal
J Hebrews
rcated him
ped the foe
•e a herd of
sfigured by
ost brutally
1 their long-
is though a
am and was

fearful and
loil, an ear-
indeed it
jting medley
more inex-
side by the
jh was sheer
|ad of death

, and even

the enemy

The rage

1 tormentors

|h they had

rants ; they
red his men
iiout blood-
[esh deed of
1 and now it
[strength to
lio weapons

had been used in the struggle, not a few corpses lay on the
arena, and most of the guards and overseers were Ijleeding
from ugly wounds.

When peace once more reigned, Joshua demanded of the
captain of the little garrison a list of the prisoners in the
mines ; but he himself was wounded, and pointed to the
clerk of the works who had not been laid liands on. He
who had been their leech in case of need, and had always
treated them kindly, was a man of some age who liad
known sorrow himself, and knowing what suffering means
had always been ready to alleviate it in others.

Ho very willingly read out the names of the captives,
among whom were several Hebrews, and after cacli had
answered to the call, most of them expressed themselves
^"^ady to go with the departing tribes.

When at length the disarmed soldiers and guards set
forth on their homeward way, the driver who had brought
Joshua and his fellow-prisoners to the mines went uj) to
old Nun and his son with a crestfallen air, and begged to
be allowed to remain with them ; for no good could be in
store for him at home, and in all Egypt there was no god
so mighty as their God. He had not failed to observe
that Joshua, who had himself once been the captain of
thousands, had ever in the greatest straits uplifted his
hands to that God, and such fortitude as the Hebrew had
shown he had never before seen. Now, indeed, he saw ar.d
knew that that mighty God had overwhelmed Pharaoh and
his host in the sea in order to save Plis people. Such a
God v/as after his own heart, and he desired nothing better
henceforth than to abide with those who served Him.

Joshua gladly consented to his joining himself to them,
and »t was found that there were nftcen Hebrew prisoners,
among them, to Ephraim's great joy, Reuben, the husband
of Miriam's devoted and heart-broken ally, Milcah. His
reserved and taciturn manner had stood him in good
stead, and the hardships he had endured seemed to have
had little effect on his strong frame.

A triumphant sense of victory and the joy of success had
come over Ephraim and his youthful army ; but when the
sun had set, and no sign yet appeared of Hur and his
followers. Nun began to feel some alarm. Ephraim had
just declared his intention of sallying forth witli some of his
comrades in search of tidings, when a rr-^r n; er arrived

: :i

,il.

2l6

yospniA.

announcing that Hur's fighting-men had lost courage on
beholding the efficient defense of the Egyptian stronghold.
Their leader had vainly urged them to storm it ; they had
shrunk from the venture, and if Nun could not go to their
support they must retire ingloriously.

It was at once determined to succor the timorous troop.
The Hebrews set forth in high spirits, and on their march
through tlie refreshing night Ephraim and Nun related to
Joshua how Kasana had beer, found and had died. All
she liad desired them to tell the man she loved they now
made known to liim, and it was with deep emotion that the
soldier heard it all, marching on in silent thought till they
reached Dojjhka, the valley of the turquoise mines, in the
midst of wliich towered the fortress, surrounded by the
huts of the captive miners.

Hur and his men remained in ambush in an adjoining
valley, and when Joshua had told off all the Hebrew force
into several divisions, assigning a task to each, at day-
break he gave the signal for the onslaught. The little
garrison was overpowered after a short struggle, .:nd the
fortress seized. The Egyptians were disarmed, as those
at the copper mines had been, and sent homewards. The
prisoners were released, and the lepers, whose encamp-
ment was in another valley beyond the mines — and among
them those wiio liad been sent hither by Joshua's desire —
were permitted to follow the conquerors at a fixed distance.

Joshua had succeeded where Hur had failed, and before
the younger men departed with Ephraim, thjir leader, old
Nun called them together, and with them returned thanks to
the Lord. Those likewise who were under Hur's command
joined in the thanksgiving, and when Joshua presently
appeared P^phraiui and his comrade hailed him with loud
acclamations.

" Hail t) our captain ! " was shouted again and again as
they went on their further way. " Hail to him whom the
I^ord hath chosen to be His sword ! Him will we follow and
obey ; tlirough him our God shall give us the victory 1 "

Hur's followers also joined in the cry, nor did he forbid
them ; nay, he had thanked Joshua for storming the
stronghold, and expressed his gladness at seeing him free
once more.

When they set forth, Joshua, as the younger, drew back
to let the elder man take the lead ; but Hur had begged

JOSHUA.

217

age on
ighold.
ey had
o Iheir

5 troop.
• march
lated to
;d. All
ley now
that the
till they
s, in the
i by the

idjoining

e\v force

, at day-

rhe little

, jnd the

as those

:ds. The
encamp-

|id among
desire —
distance.

nd before

iader, old

thanks to

ommand

presently

with loud

again as
tvhom the
[ollow and
Vory I " ,
I be forbid
.ling the
him free

Irew back
Id begged

Nun, who was much older than himself, to march at the
head of the little host, although, after the escape of the
people on the shore of the Red Sea, he had been named the
chief captain of the Hebrew fighting-men by Moses and the
ciders of the tribes.

Their way led them first through a level valley. Then they
mounted and crossed a pass over the ridge, this being the
only road by which there was any communication between
the mines and the Red Sea. The rocky scene was wild and
desolate, the path steep and hard to climb. Joshua's
aged father, who had spent his life in the plains of Goshen
and was unaccustomed to «*Tiountain-walking, was carried
by his son and grandson amid much glad shouting from
the others ; and Miriam's husband, who led his men in the
rear of Ephraim's troop of comrades, as he heard their joy-
ful cry climbed after them with a bowed head and eyes
fixed gloomily on the ground.

At the top they were to rest, waiting for the main body
of the Israelites who were to be led through the desert of
Sin towards Dophka.

From the top of the pass the victorious troop looked out
fjr the wandering tribes, but as yet nothing could be seen
of them. But as they gazed back on the mountain path by
which they had come, the scene was so grand and beautiful
that it attracted every eye. At their feet lay a cauldron-
shaped valley enclosed by high precipices, ravines, peaks
and pinnacles, here white like chalk, there raven-black,
grey and brown, red and green, growing as it were from
the sandy base and pointing to the deep-blue heaven, the
vault of dazzling light that bent over the desert unflecked
by a cloud.

All was barren, desolate, silent, dead. Not a blade,
not the humblest growth clung to the sides of the many-
colored cliffs which shut in the sandy abyss. No bird, no
worm nor beetle even stirred in this still region hostile to
life. The eye could nowhere see anything to suggest
human existence, or the tilth and handiwork of man. God,
It seemed, had created this grand scene, unfit for any
earthly being, for Himself alone. The man who made his
way into these wilds trod a spot which the Most High
might have chosen for retreat and rest, like the silent and
unapproachable inner sanctuary of ihe temple.

The younger men had gazed speechless on the wondrous

!.;.:!■

y«l{

3l8

yosiiuA.

picture at their feet. Then they lay down on the groundr
or did their best to be serviceable to old Nun, who loved
the companionship of the young. He was soon reclining
in their midst under a hastily contrived awning, and
relating with sparkling eyes his son's achievements as
captain of the Egyptians.

Joshua and Hiir, meanwhile, were standing together on
the highest pcint of the pass and gazing down into the
desolate valley of rocks, which, surrounded by columns
and pillars of God's own hewing, and vaulted over by the
blue dome of heaven, appeared to each as the most
stupendous of temples.

The elder kept his eyes fixed gloomily on the ground ;
but suddenly he f^rokc the silence, saying : *' It was at
Succoth that I built an heap and cried upon the Lord to
be witness between us two. But in this place, and in this
stillness, it seems to me tliat we are certain of His Presence
without sii^n or token." He raised his face to Heaven and
went on : " And I lift up mine eyes to Thee, Adonai j I
send up my humble words to tliee, O Jehovah, Thou God
of Abraham and our fathers, that Thou maycst ar^ain be
witness between me and this man whom Thou caliedst to
be Thy servant and the sword in Thy right hand ! '"'

He spoke the words loudly, with eyes and hands up-
raised to Heaven. Then he turned to his companion and
said with solemn gravity :

" And I ask thee, Joshua, son of Nun, dost thou
remember the witness borne by thee and mc by the stone
at Su'jcoth?"

" I do remember it," was the answer. "And in bitter
ill-fortune and great dangers I have learnt what the ivlost
Higli requires of me. I am ready to devote such strength
of soul and body as He hath vouchsafed to me to Ilim
alone, and to His people, which is my people. Joshua,
henceforth, be my name. I ask no furtlier help, neither
from the Egyptians nor from any other strange folk, for il
was the Lord our God who gave me this name by the
mouth of thy wife."

Hereupon Hur broke in with earnest words :

** This ''s what I looked to hear ; and inasmuch as in this
place also the Most High is a witness between me and thee,
and heareth our present speech together here, lo, I fulfill
that which I have vowed. The elders of the tribes, and.

JOSHUA,

219

roundr
) loved
dining
g, and
:nts as

ther on
nto the
;olumns
• by the
e most

around ;
. was at
Lord to
d in this
Presence
Lven and
lonai ; I
bou God
again be
iliedst to

ands up-
nion and

)st thou
;he Btone

lin bitter

the Most

strength

to Ilim

Joshua,

, neither

ilk, for it

by the

is in this

ind thee,

I fulfill

Ibes, and

Moses, the servant of the Lord, called nic to be chief
captain over the fighting-men of Israel. But now thou
art Joshua, and hast sworn to serve none; other but the
Lord our God. Likewise I know that, as the captain of
our host, thou canst do greater things than I, who have
grown grey tending herds, or than any other Hebrew, be he
who he may ; therefore do I perform my vow made at Suc-
coth. I will require of Moses, the servant of the Lord, and
of the elders of the peoffle, that they give thee the office of
captain of the host. I leave the governance in thy hands ;
and inasmuch as I know that the T^ord readcth the heart,
T hereby confess that I had evil thoughts of thee in mine.
But for the good of the people I will forget all strife between
us, and I give thee my right hand in token thereof ! " He
held out his hand as he spoke, and Joshua grasped it, re-
plying with generous frankness :

" These are the words of a man, and so likewise shall
mine be. For the people's sake, and the cause we both
serve, I accept the offered sacrifice. And inasmuch as
you solemnly called the Lord to witness, who likewise
heareth me, I will speak the truth in everything. The
ofiice of captain of the host of Israel which you will lay
upon me, I was called to by the Lord Himself The call
came to me by the mouth of Miriam, your wife, and mine
it is by right. Yet, that you should be willing to yield
your own dignity to me, I take as a noble deed ; for I know
full well how hard it is for a man to resign power, more
especially in favor of a younger man who is not dear to his
heart. This you have done, and I thank you. And I, too,
have had evil thoughts of you, for through you I lost an-
other blessing M-hich a man finds it harder to give up than
his office — the love of a woman."

Hereupon the blood mounted to Hur's face, and he
exclaimed : " Miriam ! I never forced her to marry me.
Nay, without my paying for her even, after the manner of
our fathers, she became my wife of her own free will."

" I know it," replied Joshua calmly. " Still, another
than you had loved and wooed her longer and more fer-
vently, and the fires of jealousy burn fiercely. But have
no fears. If you were now to get a bill of divorce and
bring her to me, that I should open my arms and tent to
her, I should say : * Vv herefor, have you done this thing to
yourself and to me ? ' For I have just now learnt what the

! -A.

' i 5!i

220

JOSHUA.

^^MmWB^^B

III

lovo of a woman is and can do, and I was mistaken when
1 believed tliat she h)ved me as hotly as I loved her. Yes,
and in the course of my wanderings, with fetters on my
feet, in grief and misery, I vowed to myself that I would
devote all that is in me of the fire and force of love to no
single creature, but all to my pcojjle. Not even the love
of woman shall ever turn me away from the great duty I
have taken upon mo. And as for your wife, I am as a
stranger to her, unless it be that she sends for me, as a
l)ro])hetess, to declare to me some new purpose of the
Lord."

And he, on his part, held out his hand, and as Hur took
it, a noise came up from the troop below, calling on the
head of the house of Judali and their newly-chosen captain,
for messengers were climbing the mountain-slope, waving
and pointing to the mighty clouds of dust which swept in
front of the coming multitude.

CHAPTER XXV.

The wanderers came nearer and neare.-, and several of the
young fighting-men hastened forward to meet them. They
were no longer the jubilant host who had joined trium-
phantly in Miriam's hymn of praise; no, they came slowly,
mournfully and deviously towards the mountain's foot.
They had to climb the pass from the steepest side ; and
how the bearers groaned, and the women and children
wailed ; how bitterly the drivers cursed as they urged the
beasts up the narrow, precipitous path, and how hoarse
were the voices of the men, parched with thirst, as they set
their shoulders to a cart to help the brutes that pulled it !
These hordes, who, but a few days since, had so thank-
fully hailed the saving mercy of the Lord, looked, to
Joshua's eyes, like a beaten army. The way by which they
had traveled from their last resting-j^lace, the camp by the
Red Sea, had been rough and waterless ; and to a people
who had grown up in the fertile plain of Lower Egypt, it
had been severe indeed and full of horrors. It had led
them into the heart of the barren highlands ; and at every
step their eyes, wont to gaze on wide and luxuriantly
green pastures, had fallen on narrow gorges and a naked

yosnuA.

221

n when

. Yes,
on my
[ would
c to no
he love
t duty I
im as a
ne, as a
of the

Air took
; on the
captain,
waving
swept in

al of the
ti. They
d trium-
z slowly,
n's foot,
de ; and
children
ged the
hoarse
they set
ulled it !
thank-
ked, to
ich they
p by the
people

gypt. it

lad led
lat every
luriantly

a naked

wilderness. Aflcr passing the entrance to tin- liaba valley,
as they made ihoir way along il tin-oiigli llic desert of Sin,
they had seen nothing hut ravines hemmed in l»y clilTs.
A high mountain of the hue of death towered in awful
blackness above the rust-brown crags close at hand, and
the rocks had seemed to the wanderers hke monslious
piles raised by human hands ; the layers of square blocks
built up at e([ual disiances slood open to the sky, and it
might have been fancied that the giant workmen, wIhjsc
hands had aided the Architect of the world, had been
dismissed before finishing their task, which in tliis solitude
need fear no i)rying eye, and which seemed not intended
to be the dwelling of any living creature. Walls of granite^
brown and grey, rose on each side of the path; and in the
sand which covered it lay heaps of fragments of red por-
phyry and coal-black stones, looking as if they had been
broken by the hammer, or like clii[>s of slag cast out from
the smelling furnace. Slrangely-shajicd masses of gleam-
ing green rock enclosed the small cauldron-shaped valleys
of the higher ground, which oi)cncd endlessly one out of
another. The mounting path cut them across, and many
a time, as the pilgrims entered one of these circular gorges,
the fear came upon them that the cliff beyond would com-
pel them to return. Their complaints and murmurs had
been heard, but presently the gap had come in sight
through which they reached another rocky amphitheatre.

On first quitting the encampment by the Red Sea they
had frequently passed clumps of acacia, and i)atches of a
fragrant desert-herb which the beasts had eaten with relish ;
but the further they went into the stony wilderness the drier
and hotter was the sandy soil, and at last the eye vainly
sought a tree or a green thing.

At Elim they had found sweet wells and the shade of
palms, and at the encampment by the Red Sea there had
been well-filled tanks, but in the desert of Sin they had
found no waters to quench their thirst withal, and by mid-
day it seemed as though malicious demons had cut off all
shade from the walls of rock, for in these cauldrons and
bowls of stone everything was scorching glare, and there
was no shelter anywhere from the burning sun. The last of
the water they had brought with them had been distributed
to man and beast at their last halting place, and when the
host set forth again in the morning, not a drop could be

;Jll*^

222

JOSHUA.

found to assuage their raging thirst. Then the old un-
believing spirit of discontent and rebellion had again come
over the Israelites. There was no end to the curses on
Moses and the elders who had brought them out of the
well-watered land of Egypt to such torment as this. How-
ever, when at last they had climbed the pass over the ridge,
their parched throats were too dry for any loud utterance
of complaint and cursing.

Old Nun's messcnf'crs, and the youths sent to meet
them by Ej»hrami and llur,liad already announced to them
that the smaller party had \von a victory and set Joshua
and the rest of the jjrisoners free ; but their exhaustion
was so complete that even these glad tidings had affected
them but little, and brought no more than a faint smile to
the men's bearded lips, or a transient gleam of extinct
brightness to the women's dark eyes. Miriam even, with
Milcah, had remained with her tribe, and had not, as was
her wont, called the women together .o return thanks to
the Almighty.

Reuben, the husband of her melancholy young compan-
ion, whose dread of disappointment would not even now
allow her to indulge in her new-born hope, was a silent,
uncommunicative man, and the first messenger did not
know for certain whether he were among the prisoners who
had been rescued. Milcah, nevertheless, became greatly
excited, and when Miriam desired her to have patience and
be still, she ran from one to another of her companions and
besieged them with questions. And since they could give
her no information as to the fate of him she loved and had
lost, she broke into loud sobs and fled back to the pro-
phetess. From her, indeed, she got small comfort, for
Miriam, looking forward to hailing her husband as con-
queror, and receiving the friend of her childhood rescued
and safe, had fallen into a brooding and anxious mood ; it
seemed as though some heavy burthen weighed on her soul.

As soon as he learnt that the attack on the mines had
proved successful and that Joshua was free, Moses had
quitted the host of the Hebrews. He had been told that
the Amalekites, a warlike race iniiabitmg the oasis at the
foot of Mount Sinai, were making ready to hinder the
advance of the exiles aero.-,.-) tlieir palmy and fertile island
in the desert. He had therefore set out with a handful of
picked men, to make his way across the range and recon-

yosiiUA,

11%

3ld un-
ncome
rscs on
of the
Ilow-
e ridge,
terance

to meet
to them
t Joshua
haustion
affected
smile to
r extinct
,'en, with
t, as was
hanks to

compan-
."vcn novr
3 a silent,
r did not
)ncis who
le greatly
ience and
nionsand
ould give
d and had
) the pro-
nfort, for
d as con-
d rescued
mood ; it
her soul,
nines had
oses had
told that
,sis at the
[indcr the
ilc island
andful of
nd recon-

noitre the enemy, purposing to rejoin the Israelites hetween
Alush and Rephidim, which lay in the valley next before
the oasis.

Abiaah, the chief of the tribe of Benjamin, with Hur and
Nun, on their return from the mines, as the heads of the
tribes of Judah and Ephraim, were to fill his place and that
of hi= companions.

Now, as the multitude came nearer to the pass they
must climb, Hur and some of the freed men went forward
to meet them ; one, especially, outstriiiping the rest, Reu-
ben, namely, Milcah's husband. And she on her i)art had
recognized him from afar, as she sped down the hillside,
and, in spite of Miriam's remonstrance, hurried forward as
far as to the midst of the tribe of Simeon, which marched
ahead of their own. And there, the sight of their meeting
had uplifted many a dejected soul ; and when at length,
clinging closely together, they hastened back to Miriam,
as the prophetess gazed into her little friend's face she
thought a miracle had been wrought, for the pale lily had
been transformed to a blooming and glowing rose. And
her lips, which for so long she had scarcely ever opened
but for some request or brief reply, now were never still,
for how much she wanted to know, how much she had to
ask her taciturn husband, who had suffered such terrible
things ! They were a comely and joyful couple, and to
them their path lay not over bare rocks and parched
desert-tracks, but through a land of spring-flowers where
brooks murmured and birds sang.

And Miriam, who had done her utmost to cheer the
pining girl, rejoiced at the sight of their happiness.

Soon, however, every gleam of glad sympathy faded from
her face ; for while Reuben and Milcah walked on winged
feet, scarce seeming to tread the soil of the desert, she
marched on with bowed head weighed down by the thought
that she herself was alone to blame if no such happiness as
theirs was in prospect for her at this hour. She told herself
indeed that she had made a great sacrifice, pleasing in the
eyes of the Lord and worthy of great reward, in refusing
to hearken to the voice of her heart ; but nevertheless she
could not help remembering the Egyptian woman who had
forbidden her to account herself as one of those who truly
loved Joshua, and who herself had died so young for her
love's sake.

224

yosiiUA.

She, Miriam, was alive ; she had killed the most ardent
desires of her hrart; duty forbade her now to think with
ardent longing of the man who lingered on the mountain-
top, devoted wholly to the cause of his pcojjle and to the
God of his fatheis, a free and noble soul, the future leader
pcrha])s of \\cx nation's armies, and, if Moses would have
it so, the first and most inilucntial among the Hebrews
next to himself — but lost, forever lost, to her. Tf only on
lliat fateful night she had followed the leading of hci
woman's heart and not that imperious e.ill which jjlaced
her above all other women, he would long since have
clasped her in his arms as Reuben held his poor, weak
Milcah, now so rich in joy and renewed strength.

What thoughts were these ! She must drive them down
to the deepest recesses of her heart and destroy them
utterly ; for her it was sin to long so passionately to .':-ce
him again, and she wished that her husband were by her
side to protect her against herself and the forbidden
emotions of this dreadful hour. Hur, the prince of the
tribe of Judah, was her husband ; not the Egyj)lian
captain, the rescued captive. What could she henceforth
have to do with this son of Ephraim whom she had cast
off once for all ? Why should she now be aggrieved that
he did not hasten to meet her \ why should she cherish in
secret a foolish hope that it was some important duty
which withheld him on the mountain?

She scarcely saw or heard what was going on around
her, and it was Milcah's cry of glad gratitude which
warned her of Hur's approach. He had waved her a
greeting from afar ; but he was alone, without Joshua ; and
the fact that this was a pang to her — nay, that it went tO'
her heart — enraged her against herself. She held her
elderly husband in true esteem, and it was with no effort
that she welcomed him vvith affection. He replied to her
greeting with heartfelt warmth \ and when she pointed to
the reunited pair and lauded him as a conqueror and the
deliverer of Reuben and his many fellow-victims, he
frankly confessed that the praise was not to him but to
Joshua, whom she herself had called in the name of the
Lord to be the captain of the army of Israel.

At this she turned pale, and, though the path led steeply
upward, she pressed her husband with urgent questions.
When she learnt that Joshua was resting on the ridge with

I ardent
nk with
)untain-
d to the
L- leader
Id have
Icbrews
only on
of hei
\ l)laccd
ICC have
or, weak

;m down
oy them
ly to ^te
c by her
arbidden
:e of the
Kgyplian
;nccforth
had cast
ved that
horish in
nt duty

around

ie which

id her a

|ua ; and

went ta

eld her

10 effort

to her

linted to

and the

;ims, he

but to

|e of the

steeply
^estions.
ige with

yosiiVA.

his father and the young fighting-mcn, and drinking wine,
and that llur had pledged himself to withdraw if Mosos
should api)oint Joshua to be captain of the host, her knit
brows darkened below her lofty brow, and with stern
severity she replied :

"You are my lord, and it ill-bcscems me to resist your
will, even when you so Hir forget what is due to your
wife as to give way to the man who once dared to lift his
eyes to her."

II ur eagerly broke in :

** r»ut henceforth you are as a stranger to him ; and even
if I should give you a bill of divorce he would no longer
woo you."

" Indeed ! " said she with a forced smile. " And is it
to him that you owe this announcement ? "

*' He has devoted himself body and soul to the welfare
of the people and renounces the love of woman," rei)lied
Hur.

But she exclaimed : *' Renunciation is easy when de-
sire could bring nothing in its train but rejection an 1
disgrace. It is not he, who in our day of greatest need
sought help of the Egyptians — not he but you who ought
to be captain over the fighting-men of Israel — you alone
who led the Hebrews to their first victory at the store-
house of Succoth, and whom the Lord Himself by His
servant Moses charged to lead the fighting-men of Israel ! "

At this Hur looked in some uneasiness at this woman
for whom a late but ardent love had glowed up in him,
and seeing her bosom heave and her cheeks flush red, he
knew not whether to ascribe it to the fatigue of climbing
or the lofty ambition of her asjiiring soul, which she had
now transferred to the person of her husband.

He was, indeed, glad to think that she cared so much
more for him than for the younger and more heroic man
whose return caused him some anxiety ; still, he had
grown grey in the stern fulfillment of duty, and what he
thought it right to do no man could hinder his doing. To
the wife of his youth, whom he had buried many years
since, his merest sign had been a command^ and from
Miriam he had as yet met witli no contradiction. That
Joshua was the most fit to command tlie fighting-men was
beyond a doubt, and he replied, panting somewhat, for he,
too, found the ascent hard : " Your high esteem honors

226

JOSHUA,

.I-

and pleases me ; but although Moses and the elders have
promoted me, you must remember the Heap at Succoth,
and my vow. I bear it in mind and shall abide by it."

She looked aside and said no more till they had reached
the top.

The victorious youths hailed them from the summit
with loud acclamations. The joy of meeting, the pro-
visions they had won from the foe, and the good drink
which was sparingly measured out to revive those who
most needed it, raised the fallen courage of the exhausted
wanderers, and the thirsty multitude shortened their rest
on the ridge to reach Dophka all the sooner. They had
heard from Joshua that they would find tliere not only
some ruined tanks but also a hidden spring of whose exist-
ence he had been informed by the driver of the gang of
prisoners.

Their way now lay down hill. Haste is the watchword
when thirsty souls know that wells arc within reach ; and
soon after sunset they arrived in the valley of turquoise
mines, where they encamped 2^ the foot of the hill on
which the now ruined stronghold and store-houses of
Dophka had lately stood. The well, hidden in a grove of
acacia sacred to Hathor, was very soon discovered. Fires
v/ere quickly lighted. The wavering hearts, which in the
desert of Sin had sunk almost to despair, now swelled
again with the love of life, with hope and thankful trust.
The fine acacia trees indeed were felled to open a way to
the spring whose refreshing waters worked the wondrous
change.

Joshua and Miriam had met on the ridge, but had only
had time for a brief greeting. Here, in the camp, they
were thrown together once more.

It was already late, for the elders had held long counsel
as to the measures to be taken for an unexpected attack
on the Amalekites. Nun and Joshua had joined the
assembly. The princely and reverend old man's son had
been gladly welcomed, and his counsel, that they should
for^ a vanguard of the younger men and a reserve of the
older warriors, was readily agreed to ; they were also to
send small parties of picked men to spy out the enemy.
Joshua found himself in fact entrusted with everything
appertaining to the conduct and safety of a considerable
army. God Himself had chosen him to be their captain,

;rs have
succoth,

y it."

reached

summit
the pro-
■)d drink
ose who
xhausted
[heir rest
rhey had
not only
ose exist-
e gang of

atchword
ach ; and
turquoise
he hill on
bouses of
a grove of
ed. Fires
ch in the
w swelled
kful trust.
1 a way to
wondrous

had only
imp, they

ig counsel
ted attack
ined the
s son had
ley should
rve of the
Ire also to
le enemy,
everything
iderable
ir captain,

JOSHUA.

227

and Moses, by leaving him that warning word to be
^* steadfast and strong," had confirmed him in the office.
Hur, likewise, who as yet held the i^ost, was ready to
resign it to him ; and of a surety that man would keep his
word, although he had not yet declared his purpose before
the elders. At any rate Joshua was treated as though he
were indeed the captain, and he felt himself their leader.

After the assembly of the elders had broken up, Hur
had desired Joshua to accompany him to his tent, notwith-
standing the lateness of the hour ; and the warrior had
consented, for indeed he desired to speak fully to Miriam.
He would fain prove to her in her husband's presence that
he had found the path which sht had so zealously pointed
out to him.

The tenderest passions of a Hebrew must be dumb in
the presence of another man's wife. Miriam must know
full well that he had nothing more to ask of her. Indeed,
he had entirely ceased, even in his hours of solitude, to
care or long for her. He confessed to himself that she
was a grand and queenly woman, but now he felt a chill
as he thought of that lofty dignity.

Nay, all her doings appeared to him now in a new light.
When she greeted him on the hill-top with a cold smile he
had felt convinced that henceforth they were strangers
indeed ; and as they sat by the blazing fire in front of the
elders' tent, where they now met again, this feeling grew
stronger and stronger.

Miriam had long since parted from Reuben and his
Milcah, and during her solitary waiting many thoughts had
crossed through her brain of what she would now make
this man feel — the man to whom in an hour of strong
excitement she opened the depths of her soul.

We are always most prone to be angry with those to
whom we have done a wrong, and a woman holds the gift
of her love as so great and precious that even the man she
afterwards rejects is to think of her with gra'.itude for ever
after. And Joshua had boasted that he had ceased to care
for her whom he had once ardently dp':ired, and who had
confessed her love for him — yea, even if Khe were offered
to him. Aye, and he had proved his v/ords, for he had
been content to wait with the others instead of coming to
meet her.

At last he came, and with him her husband who was

i2S

JOSHUA.

SO ready to make way for him. lUit she was still here to
keep her eyes open in behalf of the too generous llur.

The older man, to whose fate she had linked her own,
and whose faithful devotion touehed her deeply, should
not be supi)lanted by any other man in the high place he
filled by right \ he must cling to it, if only because she did
not choose to be the wife of any man who could not assert
himself as the foremost of the Hebrews after her own
brothers.

Never had this much-venerated woman, who for her part
believed, too, in her own gift of prophecy, felt so bitter, so
sore and indignant. She did not own it to herself, but it
was as though the hatred which Moses had fired in her soul
against the Isgyptians, and which no longer had an outlet,
needed some fresh object, and was now turned against
the only man she ever had loved. But a true woman
can make a show of friendship in word and demeanor
to any one, excepting those she scorns, and Miriam
received her belated guest with haughty but gni ious
condescension, and begged liim to give her further details
as to his captivity and release. But she called him by his
old name of Hosea, and when he perceived that this was
evidently intentional, he asked her whether she had for-
gotten that it was she herself who, as the messenger of the
Most High, had bidden him henceforth to call himself
Joshua. To this she replied — and her features assumed a
sharper gravity of expression — that her meuiory was good,
but that she would fain forget the time he referred to. He
himself had rejected the name bestowed on him by the
Lord, inasmuch as he had preferred to seek the favor of
the Egyptian king rather than the help i)romiscd him by
God. She, faithful to her old habits, should continue to
call him Hosea.

The simple-hearted soldier was not prepared for such
a hostile tone ; however, he preserved a fittingly calm
demeanor, and replied with composure that he would but
rarely give her the opportunity of calling him by any
name. Those who were his friends found no difficulty in
learning to call him Joshua.

To this Miriam answered that she likewise would be
willing to do so if her husband agreed and he himself in-
sisted on it, for a man's name was but as a garment.
With offices and dignities it was another matter.

yosiii'A.

229

here to
lur.

ler own,
, should
place he
L" she did
ot assert
her own

■ her part
bitter, so
If, but it
I her soul
[in outlet,
d against
ic woman
demeanor
d TMiriam
gra ious
ler details
him by his
Lt this was
lie had for-
ger of the
1 himself
issumed a
vas good,
to. He
m by the
e favor of
d him by
jntinue to

d for such
igly calm
.vould but
by any
fficiilty in

would be

himself in-

garment.

t5^

When Joshua then declared that he had always believed
that it was God Himself who had called him by the voice
of His prophetess, herself, to be the captain of the hosts o<
Israel, and that he conceded to no man, save only to Moses,
the right to deprive him of that office, Hur agreed with
him and offered him his hand.

At this Miriam threw off the self-control she had hitherto
preserved, and exclaimed with vehement defiance :

'* In this I am not of your mind. You evaded the call
of the Most High ! Can you deny it? And inasmuch as
the Almighty found you at Pharaoh's footstool, instead of
at the head of His jKople, He deprived you of the office
to which He had raised you. He, Himself, the Mightiest
of Captains, commanded the wind and waves, and they
swallowed up the enemy. I sang a hymn of praise to the
Lord, and the people joined in my thank.sgiving. And on
that same day God called another man than you to be chief
of the Hebrew host, and he, as you know, is my husband.
And although Hur indeed has never learnt the arts of
war, yet the Lord surely guides his arm; and who is it
that giveth the victory but the Lurd Almighty? My hus-
band, I tell you once again — my husband alone is the
captain, and though in his excess of generosity he for-
gets it, yet he will assert his right to his office when he
remembers whose hand it was that chose him ; and I, his
wife, life up my voice to bring it to his mind."

On this Joshua turned to go, to put an end to this 'm-
pleasant discussion, but Hur, very wroth at his wife s
interference between men, held him fast, assuring him
that he should abide by his renunciation. The wind might
blow away a woman's words of displeasure ; it must rest
with Moses to declare whom the Lord had chosen to be
captain of His people.

As he spoke Hur looked in his wife's face with stern
dignity, as warning her to reflect ; and this seemed to have
had the desired cflcct. Miriam turned first pale and then
deep scarlet, and she, too, detained their guest as though
she desired to make amends, beckoning him with a trem-
bling hand to come closer to licr.

" Yet one thing I must say," she began with a deep
breath, " that you may not misunderstand mc. I call every
man my friend who devotes himself to the causu of Israel,
and Hur has told me how muc li you purpose to sacrifice

^ ''%

»30

yosiruA,

■

to our people. It was your confidence in Pharaoh's
clemency which came between us, and I know how to
value your deep and decisive breach with the Egyptians.
Still, I only truly understood the greatness of your deed
when I learnt that it was not only life-long habit, but
another and stronger tie that bound you to the foe."

" What is the aim of such a speech ? " Joshua broke in,
feeling quite sure that she was laying some fresh arrow
to the bowstring intended to wound him. But she paid
no heed to the interruption, and went on with a defiant
sparkle in her eye which belied the moderation of her
tongue :

" After the guidance of the Lord had saved us from the
foe, the sea cast up on shore the fairest woman we had
seen for many a day. I bound up the wounds inflicted on
her by a Hebrew woman, and she then confessed that she
was full of love for you, and with her dying breath spoke
of you as the idol of her heart."

At this Joshua, deeply incensed, exclaimed :

'* If this were all the truth, O wife of Hur, then my
father ">.ould have told me an untrr^h. For, as I learnt
from him, it was in the presence of those only who love
me that the hapless woman made the last confession ; not
before you. And she was wise to mistrust your presence,
for you would never have understood her ! "

He saw a suspicious smile play on Miriam's lips, but he
heeded it ■ ot and went on : " Your wit is — oh, ten times
keener than that poor child's ever was. But in your
heart, which once was oj)en to such great things, there is
no room for love. It will grow old and cease to beat before
it has learned what love is ! Yea, in spite of your flashing
eyes I tell you this : you are indeed more than a woman ;
you are a prophetess, and I cannot boast of such grace. I
am no more than a man, and understand the use of the
sword better than looking into futurity, and nevertheless
I can foretell one thing : you will cherish the hatred of me
which burns in your soul. You will even light up the
flame in your husband's heart and strive to fan it with
the utmost zeal, and I know why ! The fiery ambition
which possesses you will not suffer you to be happy as the
wife of a man who must stand second to any other. You
refuse to call me by the name you yourself gave me. But
if hatred and pride do not altogether choke the one feeling

yosiiUA.

231

'haraoh's
' how to
gyptians.
our deed
labit, but

De."

broke in,
sh arrow
t she paid
a defiant
on of her

; from the
n we had
iflicted on
d that she
jath spoke

r, then my
as I learnt
^ who love
:ssion ; not
|r presence,

|ips, but he
ten times
[t in your
rs, there is
>eat before
|ur flashing
a woman ;
grace. I
use of the
;vertheless
kred of me
|ht up the
m it with
ambition
)py as the
ler. You
me. But
ine feeling

which unites us, namely, our love of our people, the day
will come when of your own free will you will approach
me and call me Joshua, unbidden, out of the fullness of
your heart."

With these words he bowed his head in brief farewell to
Miriam and her husband, and disappeared in the darkness.

Hur looked after him gloomily, and spoke not a word
till the footsteps of their dei)arting guest had died away in
the silence of the night. Till this hour he had always looked
up to his wife with tender admiration, but now the wrath
he had restrained with difBculty knew no bounds. With
two long strides he came close to her ; she was even paler
than he, as she stood gazing into the fire like one dis-
traught. His voice had lost its rich metallic ring, and
sounded harsh and thin as he said : " I was so bold as to
woo a maiden who believed herself nearer to (iod than
other women, snd now she is mii-o she makes me repent of
my audacity ! "

"Repent?" She paused with white lips, and as she
looked up at him, a defiant glance sparkled in her black
eyes. He seized her hand with so firm a grip that it hurt
her, and went on as he had begun : "Yes, you m.iie me
repent of it. Shame on me if I riuffer this hour of degrada-
tion to be followed by such another ! "

She tried to wrench her hand free but he would not sur-
render it and went on : " I wooed and won you to be the
pride of my house. I believed I was sowing honor, I
have reaped dishonor — for what deeper disgrace may be-
fall a man than that the wife should have the mastery and
dare to wound the heart of his friend, whom hospitality
should protect, with hostile words. A woman, such as you
are not, a simple, right-minded wife, who could look back
on her husband's past life and think not merely of how he
may gain promotion because she desires to share his great-
ness — such a wife would not need to be reminded that
Hur, the man who is your husband, has earned dignities
and honors enough in the course of a long life to be able
to lay down some portion of them without losing by it.
Not he who is chief in command, but he who does most
from self-sacrificing love of his nature, is the greatest in
Jehovah's sight. You crave to stand aloof and be honored
by the crowd as the chosen handmaid of God. I do not
forbid it so long as you do not forget what your duty as a

!!ll'l

232

JOSHUA,

wife and mistress requires of you. To me, indeed, you
also owe love, for you promised to love me on the day
when we were wed : howbcit, the human heart can only
give what it has to give ; and Joshua is right when he
says that the love which glows and gives warmth is far
from your cold soul."

He turned his back on her and withdrew into the dark-
ness of the tent ; she remained standing by the fire, the
flickering blaze lighting up her beautiful pallid featui .s. She
set her teeth tightly and clenched her hands over her heav-
ing bosom as she gazed after her husband. He had stood
before her in the consciousness of his dignity, grey-haired,
•tall and reverend, a worthy and princely leader of the
people. Each of his words had pierced her heart like a
spear thrust. The power of truth had weighed his speech,
and had held up a mirror to Miriam which showed her
an image from which she started in horror. Now she
longed to hasten after him, and beseech him to give her
again the love with which he had hitherto surrounded
her ; she, alone in the world, had gratefully acknowledged
that she felt that she could fully return the precious boon,
for she longed, ah, how ardently, to hear one kind and for-
giving word from his lips. Her own heart seemed to her
as a cornfield blighted by malignant mildew ; withered,
dried up and ruined, where all had been so fresh and
blossoming.

Her thoughts flew <^o the rich arable of Goshen which,
after bearing the richest crops, remained haidand parched
till the river rose to soften it again, and bring the seed
laid in its bosom to life and verdure. Thus was it with
her ; but she had cast the ripening ears into the fire, and
willfully built up a dam between the beneficent stream and
the dry land.

But there was yet time. She knew, indeed, that in one
thing he was unjust, that she was a woman like any other,
and capable of devoting herself with passionate ardor to
the man she loved. It depended only on her to prove this
to him and bring him to her arms. Just now, to be sure,
he had a right to regard her as hard and unfeeling ; for
there, where love was wont to bloom, a bitter spring had
risen which poisoned all it touched.

Was this the revenge taken by her heart whose ardent
desires she had so heroically smothered?

yosin^A,

«33

you

day-
only
1 he

is far

iark-

I, the

. She

heav-

stood

aired,

)f the

like a

peech.

id her

w she

^e her

unded

ledged
boon,

nd for-
to her
hered,
h and

which,

arched

seed

it with

e, and

mand

in one
other,
rdor to
Ive this
|e sure,

ig had

ardent

God had scorned he most precious offering, it was im-
possible to doubt the fact. His presence no longer
uplifted her soul in visions of glory, and she could hardly
call herself His prophetess any longer. This sacrifice had
led her, who was truthful, to falsehood ; conscious of al-
ways desiring the right, she had hitherto lived at peace
with herself; now she suffered tortures of unrest. Since
that momentous step, nothing she cared for had smiled on
her, who had been so full of hope. She who had never
seen the woman for whom she need make way, had been
sent from the presence of a poor dying stranger. She had
always felt kindly to every one who loved her race and the
sacred cause of her people, and now she had insulted one
of their best and noblest champions with bitter wrath.
The poorest serf's wife could win the husband who loved
her to a closer union, and she had only estranged hers.

She had come to his hearth seeking only shelter from
the cold, but she had found unexpected warmth, and
his generosity and love had fallen on her aching soul like
balm. He could not, indeed, give her back what she had
lost, but he was a welcome substitute. And he now
believed her incapable of a tender emotion ; still, she
must have love to live, and no sacrifice would be too great
to win his back again.

But pride was no less a condition of her existence, and
each time she made up her mind to humble herself and
open her heart to her husband, a fear of degradation
checked her ; and there she stood, as though spell-bound,
till the brands at her feet fell over and died out, and dark-
ness surrounded her.

Then a strange fear fell upon her.

Two bats, which had come forth from the mines to
flutter around the fire, flew close to her face with a ghostly
stir. Everything prompted her to retire to the tent, to go
back to her husband ; and with sudden decision she went
into the spacious room, lighted by a lamp. But Hur was
not there, and a slave-girl who met her told her that he
had said he would remain with his son and grandson till it
was time to depart.

A sense of bitter woe fell upon her ; she lay down to rest,
more desolate and ashamed than she had ever felt since
her childhood.

A few hours later the camp was astir, and when, in the

irill'

'tijv

"l(l.

!l^i

iiilil '"

•I ■

!fi.:

'ill! li

'iliii

- 1

834

JOSHUA.

grey light of dawn, her husband entered the tent with a
brief greeting, her pride once more uplifted its head and
Jier reply was cold and demure

He was not alone ; his son Uri followed him in. He
looked graver, too, than usual, for the men of Judah had
assembled at an early hour and besought him not to sur-
render the captaincy in favor of a man of another tribe
than theirs.

This had come upon him as a surprise. He could only
refer them to Moses, and the hope that their leader's
decision might be given against himself grew keener as his
young wife's resolute glance again roused his spirit to
opposition.

CHAPTER XXVI.

With refreshec- body and revived hearts the Hebrews set
forth again early on the following morning ; and by this
time, the little spring, which they had even dug deeper to
promote its flow, was for the time exhausted. They cared
the less that it refused to yield any water to carry on their
journey, because they expected to find some wells at
Alush.

The sun mounted the cloudless sky in radiant majesty.
Its splendor exerted its stirring influence on the hearts of
men even, and the rocks and yellow sandy soil shone as
brightly as the blue vault above. The pure aromatic air
of the desert, cooled by the hours of darkness, was so light
that it was a pleasure to breathe, and walking was
enjoyment.

The men showed firmer confidence, the women's eyes
flashed more brightly than for some time past, for the Lord
had shown once more that He was mindful of His people
in their need ; and fathers and mothers looked proudly on
their sons who had overpowered the enemy. In every
tribe some one had been welcomed home who had been
given up for lost, and it was a joyful duty to heal the
injuries inflicted by the hard labor of the mines. More-
over, Joshua's deliverance was a cause of rejoicing, not
alone among his own people, but throughout the multitude ;
and by all, excepting those of the tribe of Judah, he was

)

JOSHUA.

235

was

eyes

Lord

|)eople

ily on

l^every

been

il the

iMore-

1 tude ;,
te was

now called by that new name, with full belief in the com-
forting promise conveyed by it. The young men who,
under him, had put the Egyptians to rout, told in their
tribes what sort of man Joshua was, how he thought of
everything, and put every one in the very place where he
could do best. The mere light of his eye as it fell on a
man fired his warlike ardor ; the foe quaked only to hear
him shout the battle-cry.

And those who spoke of old Nun, or of 'the noble lad,
his grandson, did so with kindling glances. The high pre-
tensions of the tribe of p4ihraim had often been a source
of disagreement, but on this occasion it was by common
consent allowed to march first. Only the men of Judah
were heard to murmur and complain. They must, no
doubt, have some serious ground of discontent, for Hur,
the prince of their tribe, and his wife walked on with
bowed heads as if oppressed by a heavy burthen, and those
who spoke with them had certainly better have chosen
some other opportunity. So long as the sun's rays still
fell aslant, there was a little shade cast by the sandstone
peaks which hemmed the path in on both sides, or stood
up in its midst, and when the sons of Korah began to sing
a hymn, old and young joined in ; Milcah, no longer
pallid, loudest and gladdest of all, and Reuben, her
released and happy husband.

The cliildren picked up the golden fruits of the colocynth,
which fell from the now withered gourds above as if they
dropped from heaven, and brought them to their parents.
But they were as bitter as gall to eat, and a morose old
man of the tribe of Zebulon, who kept some of the stout
rinds to serve to hold salve, said : " Thus will this day be.
It has a fair seeming j but when the sun is high and we
lack water we shall know its bitterness ! "

And his prophecy was only too soon fulfilled j for the
path, after leaving the region of sand, went on through
rocky cliffs like walls of red brick and grey stone, up and
up, now at an easy slope and now very steep ; the sun, too,
mounted higher and higher, and the heat increased as the
hours v\'ent on. Never had its arrows fallen more cruelly
on the pilgrims, striking pitilessly on their unprotected
heads and necks. Here an old man and there a young
one sank to the ground under its fierce glow, or tottered
forward like one drunk, supported by his neighbors and

■111:

lii'

ins

li !

•36

JOSHUA.

li! !

clasping his hand to his brow. The blistered skin peeled
off their faces and hands, and there was not one whose
tongue and gums were not dried by the heat, or whose
newly-found courage it did not quell.

The beasts toiled sullenly forward with drooping heads
and heavy feet, or rolled rebelliously in the sand till the
herdsman's thong compelled them to collect their strength
for a fresh effort.

At noon the Israelites were allowed to halt, but there
was not a hand-breadth of shade to give them the reprieve
they sought ; and those who threw themselves down on
the ground found fresh torment instead of rest. Thus the
hapless wretches of their own accord set forth again soon
for the wells of Alush.

Until this day, as soon as the sun had passed the meridian
and begun to sink towards the west, the heat had abated,
and a fresher breeze had fanned their brows bef'ore the fall
of dusk, but here the rocks for hours gave out the heat
they had absorbed from the noon-tide sun, till at length a
faintly cooler breath came up from the sea on the west. At
the same time the vanguard, which, by Joshua's advice,
marched foremost, halted, and the whole multitude came
to a standstill. Men, women and children all fixed their
eyes and pointed with hands, sticks and crooks to the
same spot, for there, before them, a strange and novel
spectacle attracted their gaze. A shout of amazement
and delight broke from their parched and weary lips which
had long ceased to stir for speech ; it rapidly spread from
one division to the next, from tribe to tribe, to the lepers
that closed the train and the vanguard beyond. One and
another elbowed his neighbor and whispered a name
familiar to them all — that of the Holy Mountain where the
Lord had promised to Moses that he would lead His
people into a good and pleasant land flowing with milk
and honey. None had told the weary multitude that this
was the place, and yet they knew that they beheld Horeb
and the peak of Sinai, the most sacred summit of this
mass of granite.

Although but a mountain, yet was it the throne of the
Almighty God of their fathers !

At this hour the whole sacred hill seemed, like the
burning bush out of which He h'ld there spoken to His
chosen servant, to be steeped in fire. Its seven-peaked

JOSHUA.

237

iame
the
His

Imilk
this

loreb
this

the

the
His
iked

thirst and
But ere

crown towered from afar, high above the hills and vales
that surrounded it, burning like an enormous ruby lighted
up by a blaze of glory in the clouds.

Such a sight none of them had ever beheld. But the
sun sank lower and lower, and disappeared in the sea
which the mountain hid from their view ; the glowing ruby
turned to solemn amethyst and then to the deep purple of
the violet ; but the people still gazed spell-bound on the
Holy Mount. Nay, even when the day-star had altogether
vanished, and only its reflection bordered the edge of a
long, level cloud with gleaming gold, they opened their
eyes the wider, for a man of the tribe of Benjamin, his
brain turned by the splendor of the scene, declared that
they beheld the trailing mantle of Jehovah, and those
about him to whom he pointed it out caught the pious
rapture.

For a little while the pilgrims had forgotten
exhaustion in watching the inspiring spectacle
long their high enthusiasm was turned to the deepest dis-
couragement, for when night fell, and after a short march
they reached the wells of Alush, it was discovered that
the desert tribe which had encamped here yesterday had
choked the spring, which at best was but brackish, with
stones and rubbish.

All the water they had carried with them had been used
before reaching Dophka, and the exhausted spring at the
mines had not sufficed to fill the skins. Thirst, which at
first had only dried their gums, now began to burn their
vitals. Their scorched throats could not swallow the solid
food of which they had abundance. On every side there
was nothing to be seen but heart-broken looks, and pitiable
or disgraceful scenes. Men and women storming, cursing,
weeping, and groaning, or else sunk in morose despair.
Some, whose wailing infants clamored for water, had
gathered round the choked well and were fighting for a
spot on the ground where they hoped to collect a few
drops of the precious fluid in a sherd. And the beasts
lowed and bleated so miserably that it cut their drivers to
the heart like a reproach.

Very few cared to exert themselves to pitch a tent. The
night was so warm, and the sooner they went forward the
better, for Moses had promised to join them again at a
spot but a few hours further on. He alone could help

1:1

; ill

II"
lit)
i'i
iilii

338

JOSHUA,

them ; it was his bounden duty to save man and beast
from i)crishing of drought.

If the Ood who had promised them such great things
left thcni to perish in the wilderness with all their little
ones, then the man in whose guidance they had put their
trust was a deceiver, and the God whose power and mercy
he was never weary of preaching to them was falser and
feebler than the idols with heads of men and beasts whom
they Iiad worshiped in Egypt. Blasphemy and curses
were mingled with tiireats, and when Aaron came forth to
comfort the thirsty pilgrims with words of hope, many a
clenched fist was shaken at him.

Even Miriam was presently forbidden by her husband
to console the women with kindly speech, for a woman
whose sinking child clung dying to its mother's dried-up
breast had picked up a stone to fling, and the others had
followed her example.

Old Nun and his son were more fortunate. They were
both agreed that Joshua must fight whatever post Moses
might desire him to fill ; and Hur himself had led him
forth to the fighting-men, who had hailed him gladly. The
old man and his son both knew the secret of \v iring
courage. They spoke to the men of the well- red
oasis of the Amalekites, which was now not far away, and
reminded them that the Lord Himself had provided the
weapons they held in their hands. Joshua assured them,
too, that they far out-numbered the warriors of the desert-
tribe. If their young men only showed themselves as brave
as they had been at Dophka and the coppermines, by
God's help they should win the victory.

Soon after midnight Joshua, after holding council with
the elders, bid the trumpets sound to call the fighting-
men together. He set them in ranks under the starlit
sky, appointed a leader to each division, ar'i impressed on
each the hearing of the word of command he was to
obey.

They came at the call, half perishing with thirst ; but
the fresh efforts to which their captain exhorted them
wonderfully revived their fainting energies ; as well as the
hope of victory and a precious reward, a plot of land,
namely, at the foot of the Holy Mountain, rich in wells
and palms.

Among the youths came Ephraim, giving life to the

yosiiUA.

^39

were

Moses

d him

The

iring

red

y, and

d the

them,

esert-

brave
les, by

ll with
jhting-

starlit
Ised on

ras to

It; but

them

as the

land,

wells

I to the

others by his own inexhaustible vigor. And now, when
the captain, to whom God had already proved that He
thought him worthy of the help which his name promised,
addressed the men, bidding them put their trust in the
Lord Almighty, it had quite a different effect from that
produced by Aaron, whose admonitions they had hearkened
to every day since they set out.

When Joshua hadeoded, a jubilant shout went up from
many young throats though parched with thirst : " Hail ^o
the cni)tain ! You are our leader ; we will follow none
other ! "

Then he went on, gravely and decisively, to explain to
them that he was prepared to show to the utmost such
obedience as he required of them. He was ready to
march as the last man in the lowest place, if it should be
Moses' will.

The stars were still bright in a cloudless sky when a
cow-horn called the Hebrews to set forth again. A runner
had already been sent on to report to Moses of their evil
plight, and Ephraim had flown after him as soon as he was
free to do so. But throughoui the morning's march
Joshua kept his troops in strict order, as though an
onslaught was to be expected. Meanwhile he took advan-
tage of every minute to teach the fighting-men and their
leaders something for the coming struggle, to note their
behavior, and close up their ranks. He thus kept them on
the alert till the stars began to pale.

Few indeed were the murmurs or complaints among the
fighting-men, but rebellion, curses and threats were all the
more rife among those who bore no weapons. Long before
dawn the cry was heard, more and more often, of " Down
with Moses ! We will stone him when we find him ! "
And indeed their knees were failing them for weariness, and
the misery of their wives and children was visible to
every eye.

Not a few, indeed, picked a piece of rock from the path
with a wild curse and flashing eye ; and at last the fury of
the multitude waxed so wild and reckless that Hur called a
council of the better disposed among the elders, and they
hastened on with the fighting-men of the tribe of Judah to
protect Moses, if it should come to the worst, by force of
arms against the rebels. Joshua took on himself the task of
keeping back the mutineers, who with curses and threats

tV i

'I'ii

340

JOSHUA.

^'^i

I^S9 -

■-■<? i

strove to outstrip the rest. When at last the sun rose in
blinding splendor, the march was no more than a struggle
onwards of enfeebled wretches. Even the men at
arms tottered forwards half-paralyzed. Still, when the
rebels tried to pass them, they did their duty and thrust
them back with spear and sword. The valley along which
they made their way was shut in on both sides by steep
walls of grey granite which glittered and sparkled strangely
as the 'lanting sunbeams fell on the fragments of quartz
thickly imbedded in the primaeval rock. 13y noon it would
be scorchingly hot again between these steep cliffs, in some
parts almost closing across the path ; as yet, however, they
lay in morning shade. And the beasts, at any rate, found
refreshment, for among the rocks in many places a succu-
lent aromatic plant afforded them pasture, and the shep-
herd boys, taking off their loin cloths, filled them with the
fodder in spite of their own exhaustion, to offer it to their
fr.mishing favorites.

Thus they struggled on for less than an hour, when sud-
denly a loud shout of joy rang out, spreading from the fore-
most in the van to the last man in the long train. No one
had been told in so many words to what it owed its origin,
but every one knew it must mean that they had come upon
fresh water. Then Ephraim came flying back with the glad
tidings, and what a miracle it worked on the exhausted
wanderers !

Th'iy pulled themselves i;p as though they had already
emptied the brimming jar at a deep draught, and struggled
forward at double speed. The ranks of fighting-men now
no longer hindered them, but hailed those of their tribe
who hastened past them with glad greetings.

Soon, however, the hurrying tide stopped of its own
accord ; for at the spot where refreshment was to be found
the foremost came to a standstill, and behind them the whole
multitude were checked more effectually than by moats
and walls. The toiling pilgrims had become a vast, dis-
orderly crowd, filling the whole valley. At ^ist men and
women turned back carrying well-filled water jars in their
hands or on their heads, beckoning joyfully to their friends
with words of encouragement, and making their way
through the throng to their own families ; but the precious
fluid was snatched away from many before it could be con-
veyed to its destination.

JOSHUA.

241

ose m
niggle
;n at
n the
thrust
which
' steep
angely
quartz

would
n some
:r, they
, found

succu-
i shep-
nth the
to their

I en sud-
he fore-
No one
3 origin,
lie upon
the glad
hausted

already

;vuggled

icn now

leir tribe

[its own

)e found

lie whole

moats

fast, dis-

len and

in their
|r friends

;ir way
hirecious

be con-

Joshua and his troop had made tlieir way to the immediate
vicinity of the wells, to keep order among the thirsty peo-
ple. However, for some little time there was nothing for
it but patience, while the mighty men of the tribe of
Judah, who, wiUi Hur at their head, had been the fust to
reach the spot. wieMed their axes, and strove with levers
hastily made out of the trunks of acacia trees to clear
away the huge boulders which strewed the path, and oi)en
up the way to the spring which Jeapt forth from several rifts
in the rock.

At first It had flowed among a chaos of moss-grown blocks
of granite; but presently they succeeded in directing the
flow of the precious fluid, and in checking the water by form-
ing a sort of tank where even the cattle could drink. Those
who had filled their jars had caught the water in its over-
flow from the hastily-contrived dam. Now the men whose
duty it was to watch the camp kept the throng off, so as to
give the water time to settle and clear in the large new
basin which it filled with amazing rapidity.

In sight actually of the blessing for which they had so
loudly clamored, it was easy now to have patience. They
had found the treasure ; all that was necessary was to
husband it. Not a word of discontent or complaint or
reviling was now to be heard ; many indeed looked abashed
and ashamed on this new mercy from the Most High.

Loud and jubilant voices were heard far and wide,
shouting and talking ; but the man of God who knew
every rock and valley, every pasture and spring of the
hills of Horeb better than any one, and who had again been
the instrument of such great blessing to his people, had
retired into a neighboring ravine, as if seeking refuge there
from the thanks and acclamations which rose louder and
spread further every moment, seeking i)eace and silence
above all things for his deeply- agitated spirit.

Presently hymns of thanksgiving to the Lord were to
be heard from the Hebrew multitude, who, refreshed and
revived, and overflowing with gratitude, were pitching their
camp with as much ho])c and confidence as ever they had
known. The sound of song, of happy laughter, jests and
encouraging cries, formed an accompaniment to the work
of putting up tents, and the encamjimcnt was rapidly
effected, ar; rapidly as if it had been raised from the earth
by a magic spell.

2\2

yosNiw.

The eyes of the young men Hashed with martial ardor,
and many a bcasl shod its blood to make a (Vast.

Mothers, ;it"ter doing their part by the hearth and
in the lent, led their Httle ones to the spring to show
thcni the spot where Moses wiUi his staff had pointed
otit the spring bubblin.; through the rill in the granite.
Many mei\ likewise st-^' 1 with hands and eyes raised
to Heaven round tlu' pla* v iure Jehovah had shown
such graee to His people, and ■ Mig ihem were not
a tew o'^ those nturmurvMs wlio had picked up stones
wIiLMCwiih to stone ilie servant o^ (\ok\. None dou) tid
tliat ihey heie belield the result of a great miracle.
The elders impressed on the little «)nes thai iliey should
never fv>rget thi^ d,iv ox this water, and an old grand-
mother was welling hei graudehildien's brows ;il the
brink of llie jiool to ensure divine protection for tluau for
the rest cf their lives.

HoiH\ thankl'iilness and the glow of trust prevailed on
all hands ; even the fear of the h«)4ile Amalekites had
vanished, for whai ill could cotne to him who put his trust
in the mercy of so onmipotent a rrt)tector.

Joy was absent from one tent alone, and that the finest
of them ihe tent k){ the head of the tribe o( judah.
Miriam sal among her women after distributing tlie mid
day meal in silence \o the men overllowing with grateful
enthusiasm ; she had heard fiom Milcah's husband Reid)en
that Moses had made Joshua captain of the Hebrew tent
in the presence of all the elders. Hur, her husband, she
also was told, had exi)ressed himself ready and glad to
renounce the dignity in favor t'f the st)n of Nun.

The prophetess had not chosen to join in tlie people's
song of praise ; when Milcah and her women had besought
her to go with them to the well, she hael bidden them go
without her. She was now eypecting her husband, and
wished to meet him alone ; she must show him that she
desired his I'orgiveness. But he did not cx)me ; for, after
the council of the elders had broken up, he remained with
vho new captain to help him to arrange his men, and this
he did as a subordinate, obedient to Hosea, who owed his
call and his name of ''^oshua to her.

Her waiting women, who had gathered about her, were
busy spinning ; but she could not endure this humble toil,
and while she sat with idle hands staring into vacancy the

yOSHl'A.

J or,

and

how

nloil

nilc.

iiiscnl

liown

:; not

lonos

ViVl.lc.

lunild
;i;u»d-
\\ the
Mu I'or

led on

;s had
iS livist

c finest
Judah.
ic mid
lalefvd
<cuben
:\v tent
k1, she
^lad to

people's

:sought

|hcm go

\d, and

»ai she
)!■, after

;d with
ind this
kved his

>r, were
Iblc toil,
Incy the

lioiMF? went slowly indeed. And at the same lime her pur-
l)osc of humbling herself before her husband grew feebler.
She fell impelled to pray for slrcnglh to bow before the
man who n;is in truth her mash r ; but the pioidicless,
usually s(»aj)l al fervent prayer, r.ould not find the right vein
of devotion. If n«)\v and then she sik ceeded in ( ollccling
her thoughts ami uplifting her heart, something disturlicd
her. ICveiy fresh report wlii( h was brought U^ her from the
cam|) added to her displeasure. When ;il Inst dusk was
falling, a. messcMiger came desiring her to have no care for
the men's evening meal, wIik li had already been long
prej)art'd and waiting; llin, with his son and grandson,
were about to accept the bidding of Nun and Joshua to
share theirs.

At ihisshefc-lt il hard to restr;iin h'rlcar-;, and if she had
suffered them to How un( liecked they would have b'^en the
hitler drops of wrath and wounded j)ride, not tears of
diiUress and reg^relfiil longing.

nuiinj; the hours of the evening watch the warriors all
marclied ])asl her, and fioin rank to r.ink the cry re-ech(H;d
of " Hail to Joshua, ! " And tliose who leix-ated llie watch-
word, "Steadfast and slron:;," did so in honor of the man
she once had loved, luit now hatt.'d as slu! confessed to
herself. None but the men of his own tribe had hon(;red
her luuiband with a special <ry. Was this their gratitude
for the generosity which had led him to abdic ate tlie j)Ost,
to which h'j alone had a right, in favf)r of a younger man?
It cut her to the heart to see her husband sr) dei)osed ; but
it wounded her yet more to And that Ilur could thus
abandon his lately wedded wife.

The evening meal at the d )or of the Kj^hraimites' tent
was a long one. A little before midni;;hl she sent her
serving-women to bed, and lay down herself to wail till her
husband should return, to ccjufoss to him al! that had
troubled and angered her, and what she most d sired.

She ihouglit that it would be easy lo kcej) awake when
she was in such anguish of mind ; but the great f uigucs
and strain of the last few days and nights had told upon
her, and, in the mid ;l of a prayer for humility and llie love
of her husband, she was overcome by si .ep. Al last, at
the hour cf the first morning watch, when day was just
beginning to break, she was startled f.or.i her slumbers by
the sound of the trumpets giving warning of immediate
danger.

244

JOSHUA.

She rose quickly, and, glancing at her husband's couch,
saw that it was empty ; still it had been used, and on the
sandy soil — for mats were spread only in the living-room — .
she saw the traces of Hur's footsteps by her own bedside.
He must have stood close by hcr,^and perhaps, while she
slept, have gazed tenderly down on her face.

This was indeed the truth ; her old slave-woman told
her so unasked. For after she had roused Hur she had
seen him carefully shading the lamj) while he looked on
Miriam's face, and bent over her for some minutes, as
though he would have kissed her.

This was good hearing, and rejoiced the lonely wife so
greatly that she forgot her usual calm dignity and pressed
her lips to the wrinkled brow of the little bent old woman,
who had done service of yore to her parents. Then she
hastily bid her maids to braid her hair and dress her in a
holiday robe of light blue which Hur had given her, and
hastened forth to take leave of him.

Meanwhile the troops had formed in order. The tents
were being struck, and Miriam sought her husband for a
long time in vain. At last she found him ; but he was
deeply engaged in talk with Joshua, and, as she caught sight
of the captain, the prophetess shuddered with a sudden
chill, nor could she persuade herself lo address the men.

CHAPTER XXVn.

A HARD battle must be fought, for, as the spies reported,
the Amalekites had been joined by other desert-tribes.
Nevertheless, the Israelites were still almost twice their
number ; but how far inferior in warlike skill were Joshua's
troops to their opponents, inured to battle and ambush.
The foe came up from the south, from the oasis at the foot
of the Sacred Mountain which was the primaeval home of
their race, their foster mother, their beloved, their all, and
to them well worth shedding the last drop for.

Joshua, now the captain, recognized by Moses and
all the people as leader of the Hebrew fighting-men, led
his newly-formed army to the widest portion of the valley,
as this allowed him to take the utmost advantage of their
superior numbers. The camp was removed by his orders,

JOSHUA.

■a.;s

)rted,
tribes,
their
Ishua's
ibush.
le foot
?me of
^, and

IS and

p, led
galley,
their
)rders,

and pitched in a narrower place at the northern end of
the valley of Rephidhn, in which tlie struggle must be
fought out, as this made it easier to defend the tents. He
left the command of the camp and of the men told off to
protect it to the prudent care of his father.

He had wished to leave Moses and all the elders of the
tribes safe within the precinct: of the camp, but their great
leader had gone forward with Hur and Aaron, and climbed
a peak of granite where they could look down upon the
fight. Thus the fighting-men could see Moses and his two
companions on the cliff which commanded the top of the
valley, and feel assured that the servant of the Lord would
not cease to beseech Him to spare them and give them the
victory. But every simple man in that host, and every
woman and old man in the camp, in that hour of peril
turned to the God of their fathers, and the rallying-cry
chosen by Joshua, *' Jehovah, our Refuge," bound the
hearts of the warriors to the ruler of the battle, and
reminded the most faint-hearted and unskilled among
the fighting-men that he could not take a step nor deal a
blow, but the Lord would mark it.

The trumpets and cow-horns of the Hebrew host rang
out louder and louder, for the Amalekites were pouring
down on the level ground which was to be the field of
battle.

It was a strange scene for such a struggle, 'uch as no
experienced captain would ever willingly have chosen, for
it was shut in on both sides by steep grey cliffs of granite
towering up to heaven. If the foe should win, the camp,
too, must be lost, and any benefit to be derived from know-
ledge of warfare must here be displayed within the smallest
conceivable space. To circumvent the enemy or surprise
him in flank seemed quite impossible ; but even the rocks
were turned to account by the leader, for wherever it was
possible he had made his best slingers and archers climb
up them to no great height, and instructed them to watch
for a sign at which they should mingle in the fight.

At the first glance Joshua perceived that he had not
overrated the foe, for those who began the battle were
bearded men, with clearly cut, manly faces, out of which
their black eyes glowed at the enemy wilh wild and blood-
thirsty hatred. And every man, like their leader himself,
2, grey-haired man of many scars, was spare and supple of

24^

yosriTA.

limb. They wielded llic curved sabro, tin; javelin of heavy
sharpened wood, and the lance ornamented with a tnft of
camel's jiair, like practiced warriors, and the war-cry rang
out loud, cruel and deiVth-defyinij; from the dcejt hearts of
these men, who felt that they must die or sec their dearest
possession in the hands of the enemy.

At the llrst onslauLi;ht Joshua led forward the men
whom he h;ul armed with the large I''gypti;m shields and
lances, and these, fired by their valiant leader, made a good
sta.ul. ]iartieularly as the narrow defile inio the (wUX of
bntile himUMed their wild o])poiients from taking full
advantage of their superior numbers. Hut when the men
on toot ]')resently withdrew, and a trooj) of warriors or
dromedaries rushed down on the Hebrews, many of them
were seared at the strange sight of these creatures, known
to them only by deseripti."^. TlK^y cast away their shields
and 11ed with loud outcries, and wherever a gaj) was made
the riders drove in their dromedaries and thrust down at
the foe with their long sharji javelins. At this the herdsmen.
\inuscd to such an attack, thought only of saving them-
selves, and many turned to lly, for sudden terror seized them
as they saw theilaming eyes, and heard the shrill, malignant
cry of the enraged Amalekite women, who had rushed into
the fight to add fuel to their husbands' courage and terrify
the enemy. Thev held on to the humped brutes by leathern
straps hanging down from the saddle, which tlicy clutched
in their left hands, and allowed tliemselves to be dragged
whithersoever the riders went. Hatred seemed to have
steeled each female heart against fear of death, compassion
and womanly feeling; and the hideous cry of these
Megacras broke the spirit of many a brave Hebrew,

But no sooner did their captain sec them give way than
he took advantage of the disaster, and bid them retire and
allow the savage foe to enter the valley ; for he said to
himself that the superior numbers of his men could be
turned to better account as soon as they had the oppor-
tunity of pressing on the foe from both flanks as well as in
front, and when the slingcrs and archers could take their
part in the fight.

Ephraim and the bravest of his comrades, who remained
with him as runners, were now sent back to the northern
end of the valley, to tell the leaders of the ranks posted
there what Joshua proposed, and to order them to advance^

JOSH V A.

^47

than

and
Lid to
(d be

)por-
las in

their

lined
Ithcrn

)sted
lance ►

The swift-footed shepherd lads v;inishcd as niinhly as
gazelles; and it soon was scon that tluii captain had hit
on the rif^hi plan ; for no sooner had the Anialekites
rciiehc'd the nn'ddlc of the valley than llie Hebrews fell
upon them from all sides ; scv-r.d who were bravely rush-
ing forward fell in the sand a:; they brandish'-d t!ie sword
or spear, hit by a round jiebble or a sharp arrow from
sling or bow.

Moses, meanwhile, kept his ]»la(:(; on the eliff overlooking
the battle-lield, with Aaron and ITur. i''rom lli'iui-lur
watched the fiijht in which he, who had grown gny in
peaceful i)ursuits, could take jiart only with heart and lioiil.
Not a movement, not a swoid raised or drojiped among
friends or foes, escaped his keen eye; but when the T. ay
had fairly begun, and the captain, with wise forethought,
had opened a way for the enemy into the miflstof his (>wn
fighting-men, lliir exclaimed to the grey-headed man of
( lod : " NTy wife, your sister's lofty spirit ha.s indeed
discerned the Inilh. The son of Nun belies tlie call of" the
Most Tligh. What is this ? We are the superior foice md
yet the enemy makes his way unhindered into the /ery
heart of our host. .\s the waters of the Red Sea stood
aside at the word of the Lord, so do our ranks, -and, a.s
it would seem, by their leader's bidding."

"Only to swallow ui) Amalek as the waves of the sea
swallowed up the lOgyptians," was Moses' rej)ly.

Then he lifted up his hands to Heaven and cried :

" Look down, Jehovah, on Thy people, who a.re in fp'sh
straits. Strengthen the arm and give sight to the eyes of
him whom Thou hast chosen to be '["hy sword. Send him
the succor Thou didst promise him when Thou didst
name him Joshua instead of Hosea ! And if Thou dost
no more suffer him to prove himself steadfast and strong
as beseems the captain of Thy choice, then do Thou, with
the hosts of Heaven, set Thyself at the head of Thy people
that they may put their enemies to flight ! "

Thus the man of God besought the Lord with hands
lifted on high, and ceased not to on treat Jehovah and cry to
Him whose mighty will ruled His people ; and presently
Aaron whispered to him that the foe was hard beset, and
that the courage of the Israelites was proving itself nobly.
Joshua was now here and now there, and the ranks of the
enemy were visibly thinner, while those of thv, Hebrews

!'■

V
ii

348

'jOSHUA',

seemed to multiply. And Ilur confirmed this report, and
added that the untiring zeal and heroic contempt of death
of the son of Nun were l)eyond all praise. He had, as at
that moment, felled one of the wildest of the Amalekites
with his battle-axe.

At this Moses breathed more freely. His arms fell by
his side, and he eagerly watched the course of the fight
which was surging and raging, tossing and waving at his
feet.

The sun had by this time reached its noon, and shone
down on the coml>atants with scorching fires. The grey
granite walls of the valley glowed with uitenser heat every
hour, and the sweat had long since stood on the brows
of the three men on the rock. What, then, must the
heat be below, adding to the labor of struggling and
wrestling ? How sorely must the wounds ache of the bleed-
ing wretches lying there in the sand !

Moses felt it all as though he himself were suffering it,
for his immovably steadfast soul was rich in compassion,
and he bore this people, who were of his own flesh and
blood, and for whom he lived and labored, in his heart as
a father docs his child. The wounds inflicted on his
brethren pained him ; yet his heart beat high with proud
gladness as he beheld how those whose cowardly subjection
had but a short while since so greatly fired his wrath had
learned the arts of attack and defence. Now one band of
young Hebrews after another rushed on the enemy with
loud cries of " Jehovah, our Refuge ! "

In Joshua's proud, heroic form he saw the posterity of
Israel as he dreamed and hoped it might be, and he now
no longer doubted that the Lord had indeed called Joshua to
be the captain of his people. Rarely had his large com-
manding look flashed more brightly than at this moment.

But what was that?

A cry of horror broke from Aaron's lips, and Hur started
to his feet and gazed anxiously towards the north ; for
from the spot where the people's tents were pitched came
a fresh battle-cry, mingling with loud and lamentable
shrieks, not, as it seemed, from the men alone but from
women and children. The enemy had surprised the
camp,

A troop of the Amalekites had been detached from the
main body long before the battle had begun, and had

yOSFIUA.

«4f

arted

; for

came

itable

from

the

n the
had

j.mJc their way round by a mountain defile, known only to
themselves.

At this Hur thought of his young wife, md a vision rose
before Aaron's mind of Elisheba, his faithful spouse, of his
children and grandchildren ; and both with beseeching eyes
dumbly entreated Moses to allow them to fly to the rescue
of those dearest to them ; but the austere chief refused,
and kept them with him.

Then, again^ standing up, he raised his heart and hands
once more to Heaven. With fervent prayer he cried to the
Lord, and ceased not his entreaties ; as the minutes went
on the more ardent was his beseeching, for all that the
Hebrew host had won they now seemed to be losing.
Every glance at the battle-field, everything his companions
told him, while, with spirit uplifted to the Lord his God,
he stood blind and deaf to the scene below, added to the
burden of his woes.

Joshua had placed himself at the head of a strong party
of men and withdrawn from the fray, and with him were
Bezaleel, Hur's grandson, Aholiab, his favorite comrade,
young Ephraim and Reuben, Milcah's husband. It was
with a heart full of blessing that Hur had marked them
retire, for they could only have quitted the fight in order
to succor the camp. He listened with eager ears to the
sounds from the north, as though he divined how deeply
he was interested in the broken cries and lamentations
which came up from the tents on the breeze.

Old Nun had taken up arms against the troop of Ama-
lekites who had fallen on the camp and had fought valiantly,
but when he perceived that the men whom Joshua had left
under his command could no longer stand against the
onslaught of the foe, he sent to crave reinforcement of the
captain. Joshua forthwith entrusted the further conduct
of the battle to Nahshon, the second chief of the tribe of
Judah, and to Uri, the son of Hur, who had distinguished
himself by his courage and forethought, and hastened with
other chosen men to help his father.

He had not lost a moment, and yet the fight was already
decided by the time he reached the scene of the struggle ;
for, as he approached the camp, the Amalekites had l)roken
through his father's line of defence, and cut him off from
the tents on which they were rushing.

First, then, Joshua rescued the brave old man from the

I'N •

ill;

350

JOSHUA,

foe, and next he had to drive the sons of the desert awav
from the camp ; this gave rise to a sharp struggle, man to
man, and hand to hand, and he himself could be in but
one spot at a time, and must need leave it to the younger
fighting-men to act for themselves, each in his own place.

Here, too, he raised the cry, ** Jehovah, our Refuge I "
and rushed, shouting these words, into Hur's tent, which
was the first to be seized by the enemy, and round which
the battle was fiercest. Many corpses already strewed the
ground at the entrance, and furious Amalckites were
struggling with a party of Hebrews, while from within
came wild screams of terror.

He sprang across the threshold with winged feet, and
beheld a spectacle which filled even the unflinching man
with terror, for, on the left of tlie large room it formed,
Hebrews and Amalekites were rolling on the blood-stained
mats in a furious struggle, white on the right he saw
Miriam and her waiting women, whose hands the men o(
the desert had tied. The men had meant to carry them
off as precious plunder, but an Amalekite woman, frenzied
with haired, revenge and jealousy, and eager to sacrifice
the strange woman to the flames, was blowing the brands
on the hearth, and, by wa^nng the veil she had snatched
from Miriam's head, had fanned them to a considerable
blaze.

A fearful tumult filled the confined space as Joshua
rushed into the tent ; on one side the yells of the strug-
gling men, while on the other the prophetess' women
set up a succession of loud shrieks for rescue and deliver-
ance as soon as they saw him coming. Their mistress,
as pale as death, knelt at the feet of the Amalekite chief,
whose wife was threatening them with death by fire. She
stared at their deliverer as though a spirit had started out
of the earth before her eyes, and the scenes which followed
stamped themselves on Miriam's memory as a series
of horrible and disconnected, but never-to-be-forgotten
images.

First, the Amalekite chief who had bound her was a
strange but heroic figure. With his swarthy skin and high
hooked nose, he resembled an eagle of his native mountains ;
his beard was black, his eyes were aflame. But ere long
he was to measure his strent^th with another — with the man
who once had been dear to her heart. She had often com-

yOSHUA.

25 »

was a
d high
tains ;
I long
! man
com-

pared him with a lion, but never had he seemed more like
the king of the desert.

They were both mighty men and strong. No one could
have predicted which of them must yield to the other,
which must win the victory ; and it was her fate to witness
the struggle, for already the fiery son of the desert had
shouted his war-cry and rushed upon the more cautious
Hebrew.

That no man may live if his heart stops beating for so
much as a minute every child must know, and yet Miriam
was certain that hers had stood siill, rigid and turned to
stone, when the lion rushed into peril to destroy the eagle,
and the Amalekite's bright knife flashed forth, and she
saw the blood flowing from her champion's shoulder.

But then her heart began to beat again, nay, and faster
than ever before, for suddenly the lion-hearted warrior,
whom she had so lately hated with such hatred, was once
more, as by a miracle, the friend of her childhood again.
Love had waked up with the sound of trumi)ets and
cymbals, and marched in triumph into her heart, lately so
desolate and forlorn. All that had held them apart was
suddenly forgotten and buried, and never were more
fervent appeals addressed to the Most High than in the
brief prayer which went up from her agonized soul. And
as her pleading was fervent, so was it immediately an-
swered, for the eagle was down and his soaring for ever
ended under the superior strength of the lion.

All was dark for awhile before Miriam's eyes, and it was
as in a dream that she felt the cords which bound her
wrists and ankles cut by Ephraim. Then she soon recov-
ered consciousness, and beheld at her feet the bleeding
corpse of the vanquished chief, and in other parts of the
tent many bodies and v/ounded men, among them several
of her husband's slaves. By them, stalwart and victorious,
stood the brave fightinp;-men of her nation, with the noble
and reverend figure of Nun, and Joshua, whose wounds his
father was binding up.

This task she felt should have been hers, and hers alone ;
and deep grief and burning shame came over her as she
remembered how greatly she had sinned against this man.
She knew not how she could repay him, on whom she had
brought such deep sorrow, all she owed him. Her whole
heart longed to hear some word of forgiveness from his lips,

252

yosiiUA,

and she went towards him on her knees across ♦he blood-
stained ground j but the prophcijss eloquent lips were
dumb ; she could not find the right word, till suddenly the
imploring cry rose loud from her oppressed breast :
" Joshua ! O Joshua ! I have sinned against you indeed,
and will repent of it all my life long, but do not scorn my
thanks. Do not repel me from you, and, if you can, forgive
me I"

She could not have uttered another word ; but then — and
this again she never forgot — his eyes had overflowed with
scalding tears, and he had raised hcrfrom the ground with
irresistible strength, and yet with a hand as gentle as a
mother's when her child has had a fall, and from his lips
came mild and friendly words, promising full forgiveness.
The mere pressure of his hand was enough to show her that
he was no longer wroth with her, as she heard his assur-
ance that the name of Joshua could not fall more sweetly
on his ear from any lips than from hers.

Then with the cry "Jehovah, our Refuge !" he turned
from her ; but his clear shout, and the enthusiastic battle-
cry of his followers rang in her ears long after.

At last all was still once more, and she only knew that
never before nor after had she wept so passionately or so
bitterly as in that hour. Moreover, she had made two
solemn vows to the God who had called her to be His
handmaid. But the two men whom they most concerned
were meanwhile in the thick of the tumult of battle.

One had led his men back from the rescued camp to
meet the foe once more ; .ic other, by the side of the leader
of the multitude, was watching the varying movements of
the still furious fight.

Joshua found his followers hardly pressed. In one place
they were giving way, in another they were making but a
half-hearted sta id against the sons of the desert. Hur, too,
was looking down with increasing and double anxiety on
the course of the battle, for in the camp he pictured his
wife and flithcr '\\\ peril, and below him his son. His fatherly
heart quaked when he beheld Uri giving way, but when he
made a fresh onslaught, and by a well-directed attack
broke the ranks of the enemy, he held up his head again,
and longed to be able to shout a word of praise that he
could hear. But what ear could be sharp enough to hear
a single voice above the clatter of weapons and mingled

JOSIIVA.

253

place
)ut a

too,
ty on
d his
herly
;n he
Ltack
gain,
it he

hear
igled

battle-cries, tlic shrieking (f tl.c women and the wailing of
the wounded, the surly grunting of the camels, tiic blare of
trumpets and horns ?

And now the foremost of the Amalekitcs had f()rced
their way, like the thin end of a wedge, into the furthest
ranks of tlie Hebrews. If tl.-'y should succeed in breaking
open a gap for those behind them, and effect a junction
with those who had attacked the cami>, the battle was lost
and the flite of the Israeliti,'S was sealed ; for still another
horde of Amalekitcs wore m reserve at the southern end of
the valley, who had not yet had any fighting, and who
seemed to be intended to Drotect the oasis from the foe in
the last extremity.

But here was a fresh surprise.

The men of the desert had made their way so far for-
ward that the slingers and bowmen could scarcely hit one of
them, and if these were not to remain idle they must be
ordered down to the scene of the struggle.

Hur might have called in vain to Uri to remember
these men and give them some fresh occui)ation, but sud-
denly a youth made his appearance, coming from the end
by the encampment, a lad as nimble as a mountain-goat,
scrambling and leaping from crag to crag. As soon as he
reached the first man he spoke to him, gave a signal to
those beyond, who again repeated it to the next, and
finally they all descended into the valley and climbed the
western cliff as far as a spot where some men were stand-
ing ; there they vanished as utterly as though the rocks
had swallowed them. The youth who led the slingers and
bowmen was Ephraim. A patch of shadow on the face of
the rock was, no doubt, the opening into a ravine, and
through this the men were to be led whom Joshua had sent
for to succor the camp. So thought Hur, and not he alone
but Aaron likewise, and again Hur began to doubt whe-
ther the Lord were indeed with Joshua, for the men who
were to be of use at the tents were lost to the troops which
it was now the duty of his son and of his comrade Nahshon
to command.

The fight round the camp had already lasted above an
hour, and Moses had not ceased to beseech the Lord with
hands uplifted to Heaven,when the Amalekitcs made a great
rush forward. At this the leader of his people collected all
his strength for a new appeal to the Almighty ; but he was

'I'll'

ill

254

JOSHUA.

much exhausted, his knees shook and his weary arms fell
by his sides. But his spirit had all its fire and his heart
all its fervent desire not to cease from entreating Him who
is the Ruler of battles. The leader of his people must not
be idle during the struggle, and his weapon was prayer.
Like a child which will not cease from beseeching its mother
till she has granted him that '^'hich it unselfislily demands
for its brethren, Moses importuned the Almighty, »vho
had hiiherto shown Himself to be a Father to him and
the Hebrew folk, and saving them as by a miracle from
the grc-itest ])erils.

But his frame was faint, so he called on his companions,
and they pushed forward a block of stone on which he
might sit, while he besieged the heart of the Lord with
more and yet more prayers. There he sat ; and when his
weary limbs rcftiscd their service his soul still answered to
his call, and went up as in a flame to the Ruler of the des-
tinies of man. But his arms grew more and more feeble,
and dropped at last as if weighed down by heavy masses
of lead, although it had for yeai •. been his habit to raise
them heavenwards when he cried f(;rvently to God on
high.

This his comrades knew, and they thought they had per-
ceived that, as often as their i^reat chief's hands sank, the
sons of Amalek gained some new advantage. Then they
diligently held up his arms, the one on the right hand and
the other on the left ; and although the mighty man could
no longer appeal to Heaven in intelligible words, and his
giant's frame swayed to and fro, and more than once he
fel as though the stone on which he sat, the valley belovr
him and the whole world were in movement, still his eyes
and hands were raised on high.

Not for an instant did he cease calling on the Most
High till, on a sudden, from the camp there came up glad
shouts of victory, which echoed loudly from the rocky
walls of the gorge. Joshua had returned to the field of
battle, and at <^hc head of his troops rushed on the enemy
with irre^^iotible fury.

From this moment the struggle assumed a row aspect.
The decision, indeed, was still doubtful Moses, supported
on either side, dared not ccure to uplift his heart and his
hands, but at last, at last, the final struggle was over. The
ranks of the Amalekites gave way, and presently they fled,

JOSHUA.

^11

per-
, the
they

and

ould

Id his

e he

lelow

eyes

broken and panic-stricken, to the northern pass by which
they had entered the valley. And even from thence the
cry came up from a thousand throats : " Jehovah, our
Refuge ! " '* Victory ! Victory ! "

At this the man of God let his arms fall from the sup-
porting shoulders of his companions, stood up, tall and
strong, crying with renewed and wonderfully revived
energy : " I thank Thee, my God and Lord ! Jehovah,
our Refuge ! Thy people are saved ! " But then his sight
grew dark from exhaustion.

However, he presently looked up again, and saw
Ephraim pressing close on the Amalekites, who had taken
their stand at the southern defile, with his slingers and
bowmen, while Joshua drove the main body of the desert-
tribes backwards towards their vanquished brethren.

The captain had heard from a deserter of a pass by
which good climbers could nnch a gorge leading out on
the northern end of the battk lield, and Ephraim, in obe-
dience to his command, had led the archers and slingers
along this difficult path, and fallen on the rear of the last
band of the enemy who could still have made any stand.
Thus attacked from both sides, their ranks thinned, and
their courage quelled, the sons of Amalek gave up the
struggle ; and now it was seen how these children of the
desert and dwellers among the highlands could use their
legs, for at a sign from their leader they first killed their
dromedaries, and then fled in all directions like feathers
scattered by the wind. They climbed steep cliffs which
looked inaccessible to man like the nimblest lizards, on
their hands and feet ; but a great many escaped by the
ravine which the deserter had betrayed to Joshua.

,1!

J'!

;l||i

CHAPTER XXVni.

)ect.

Irtcd

his

iThe

led,

The larger half of the Amalekites lay dead or wounded on
the field of battle, and the Hebrew captain knew that the
other desert tribes who had joined them had, as was their
custom, abandoned their slain, and would retire to their
own haunts. At the same time it was not impossible that
despair might give the fugitives courage not to allow their
oasis to fall into the hands of the Hebrews without a final
contest.

2s6

JOSHUA.

However, Joshua's men were too much exhaustea for it
to be possible to lead them any further at this moment.
He himself had lost some blood from several slight
wounds, and the great exertions of the last few days had
made their mark even on his iron frame.

Besides this, the sun, which had not long risen when the
strife began, was already sinking to rest, and if they were
to force their way through to the oasis it would not be
advisable to do battle in the dark. What he and, even
more, his brave followers most needed was rest till the
next day's dawn.

All about him he saw none but glad faces, beaming
with proud self-reliance, and when he dismissed the
ranks to retire to the camp and rejoice with those dear
to them over the victory, the troops, which had marched
past wearily and slowly, broke out in shouts of joy, as
clear and glad as though they had quite forgotten the
fatigues which had bowed their heads and weighted their
feet.

" Hail to Joshua ! Hail to the Conqueror ! " re-echoed
from cliff to cliff long after the last of the troops was lost
to sight. But more clearly still did the words ring in his
heart in which Moses had thanked him, for they had
been : " Verily as the sword of the Most High, steadfast
and strong, hast thou fought the fight. So long as the
Lord is thy Helper and Jehovah our Refuge, we need fear
no enemies ! "

He fancied he still could feel on his brow and head the
kiss of the great leader, the man of God, who had clasped
him to his heart before all the people, and it was not a
small thing to control the violent agitation which disturbed
him at the end of this all-important day.

A strong desire to stand clear in his own eyes before
mingling with the jubilant throng, or meeting his father,
to whom a share in every great emotion that stirred his
soul was due, prompted him to linger on the field of
battle. This was now a scene where gloom and horror held
sway, for those who lingered here besides himself were
detained by death or mortal wounds.

The ravens which had followed the pilgrims were soar-
ing above the bodies, and already venturing to settle on the
rich banquet spread before them. The scent of blood had
brought the beasts of prey out of their coverts in tlie hills

JOSHUA.

257

^fore
ther,
his
I of
Iheld
Isvere

5oar-

the

,had

Ihills

and rocks, and their greedy howl or bark was to be heard
on every side.

Then when darkness followed on dusk, lights began to
flit about over the blood-drcrchcd ground. They guided
the slaves and those who missed one dear to them to dis-
criminate between friend and foe, the wounded and the
dead ; and many a cry of anguish from those who were
badly hurt rose up amid the croaking of the birds of prey
and the yells of the ravening jackals and hy^vinas, foxes
and tiger-cats.

But Joshua knew the horrors of a battle-field and feared
them not. Leaning against a rock he saw the same stars
rise as had shone on liim outside his tent in the camp by
Tanis, when he stood divided against himself, face to face
with the h>. lest decision in liis life. Since then a month
only had g jne by, but that short space of time had
witnessed an incredible cliange in his whole inner and outer
life. All that had seemed great and si)lendid to him that
night; as he sat outside the lent in which Ephraim lay in
his fever, all that he had then deemed worthy of his most
strenuous effort, now lay far behin.d him, vain and worth-
less. He cared no longer for the honors and dignities
with which the caprice of the weak and arbitrary king of a
strange nation could make him great and rich. What to
him now was the well-armed and discii^lined army among
whose captains he had numbered himself with such glad
pride ?

He could scarcely believe tliat there had been a time
when he had aspired to nothing higher than to command
more and } :t more thousands of Egyptian soldiers ; when
his heart had beat hi'^h at the prospect of a new title or a
mark of honor confci .d by men whom, for the most part,
he could not regard as worthy of his esteem. He had
looked for everything from the Egyptians, for nothing from
his own nation. For that night in the camp he had thought
with repulsion of the great mass of the ])eoi)le who were
of his own blood, as miserable slaves, perishing in degrading
servitude. He had looked down in his pride even on the
noblest of them, for they were but herdsmen, and as such
held in contempt by the Egyptians whose feelings he
shared.

His own father, indeed, was an owner of beasts, and
though he held hira in high veneration, this was in spite of

III'

»S8

yosi/r.j.

his position, this was because his whole nature commanded
respect, because the vigorous old man, with youthful fire,
won the love of all men, and, above ill, that of his grateful
son. He had never ceased to acknowledge him gladly,
but in all other matters he had striven so to conduct him-
self among his brethren in arms lliat they should forget
his origin, and regard him in all respects as one of them-
selves. His ancestress, .\^cnath, the wife of Josc^ph, had
been an Egyptian, and of this he had always been proud.

But now — to-ni'^ht?

Now he would iiave made the man who called him an
Egyptian feel his wrath ; and all which, at the last new
moon, he would h.ve c.i:,t from him and hidden awa}' as
though, it were a disgrace, at this next new moon, which,
like the last, rose in a siar-lit sky, made him hold his head
high with pride and joy.

How grand a thought it was that he had a right to pride
himself on being what he was I What a standing lie, wliat
an infmite treason would his life and doings as an Eg}])lian
captain appear to him now ! His upright si)irit rejoiced
in the consciousness that this was an aid to tliat unworthy
denial and concealment of his own blood. l\c felt with
glad tha'^kfulness that he was one of the peoi)le whom tlie
Most High had chosen before all others ; that he belonged
to a congregation of whom, even tlie humblest, nay, ai.d
every ciiild, lifted up his hands in prayer to the (lod wlum
the loftiest spirits among the ]'"gyptians veiled in the nar-
rowest mystery, bef"nise they lliought the common folk
too weak and iuo dull-witted to stand before His might
and greatness, or to c^^preheiKl them.

And this, the One and only (lod, before whom the
motley crowd of Egyptian gods sank into nothingncsps,
this God lv:;d cliosen him, the son of Nun, out of th.e
thousands of the nation, to be the leader and protector of
His chosen people, and had given him a name, pledging
Himself to be his Helper. To obey his God and to
devote his blood and life, under His guidance, to His
people, seemed to him as lofty an aim as any man ever
kept in view. His black eyes flashed more brightly as he
thought of it. His heart seemed too small for all the love
with which he would now make up to his brethren for his
shortcomings towards them in former years.

He had, indeed, lost a noble and lovely woman whom

JOSHUA.

259

) pride
, wliat

rn the
[gness,
of tl^.e
;lor of
edging
id to
His
|i ever
as lie
I love
["or his

he had hoped to win, and she was the vifc of another ;
but tills did not at all troul^le the happy enthusiasm which
possessed his soul ; he had ceased to desire her for his
own, high as her image still stood in his heart. At this
moment he thought of her with calm gratitude ; for, as he
confessed to himself,- his new life had begun on that deci-
sive night when Miriam had set him llie example of
sacrificing everything, even what she lield dearest, for (iod
and the Hebrew people.

In so far as the pro])hetess had sinned against him he
had blotted it all from his memory, for he was wont to
forget when he had forgiven. At this moment he felt only
how much he owed her. Like some noble tree uplifting
its head to heaven, where two hostile countries join and
touch, so he stood between his former and his present life ;
and although love was laid in a grave, still he and she
could never cease to strive hand in hand for the same end,
and to walk in the same way.

He looked back once more on the period which he had
just passed through, and he could say to himself that in a
very short time, an.d under his leadershij), a crowd of
wretched serfs had become valiant wariiors. Tliey had
already learned to obey prom])tly in tb.e field, and to be
justly proud of viciory. And every new success must im-
prove them. To-day, even, it seemed to him not merely
desirable but i)erfectly possible to conquer a new country
at their head, a home which they would love and call their
own, where they might dwell in freedom and welfare, and
become such men of valor as, by good training, he hoped
to make them.

Thus, among the horrors of the battle-field, under the
moonless night, gladness, as the radiance of day, shone in-
his soul, and with the words, " God and my people ! " and
a thankful upward glance at the starry vault, he quitted
the corpse-strewn valley of death witli a triumphant step,
as though he were marching over palms and flowers cast in
his victorious path by a thankful throng.

Iwhom

86o

JOSHUA,

CONCLUSION.

In the camp he found all astir. Fires were blazing in
front of the tents, and around them sat joyful groups,
while many a beast was slain, either as a thank-offering or
for an evening feast. Wherever Joshua went he was
hailed with glad acclamations ; but he failed to find his
father, for Nun had accepted Hur's bidding, and it was
outside his tent that the son embraced the old man, ra-
diant with thankful pride. And the belated guest was
welcomed by Miriam and her husband in a way which
gladdened his heart ; Hur gave him his hand with htarty
frankness, while she bowed reverently before him, and her
eyes beamed with joy and gratitude.

Before he sat down, Hur led him aside, ordered a slave
who had just slaughtered a calf to divide it in two parte,
and, pointing to it, said : —

" You have done great things for the people and for me,
son of Nun, and ray life is too short for the gratitude you
have laid on me and on my wife. If you can forget the
bitter words which troubled our peace at Dophka — and
you say you have forgotten them — let us henceforth dwell
in unity as brothers in one cause, and stand up for each
other in joy and sorrow, in peril and in need. The cap-
taincy henceforth belongs to you alone, Joshua, and to
none other ; and the people all rejoice thereat, and, most
of all, so do I and my wife. And if you share my desire
that we should henceforth live in the bonds of brother-
hood, come with me, and after the custom of our fathers we
will walk together between the two halves of this slaugh-
tered beast."

And Joshua gladly did his bidding ; Miriam was the
first to join in the loud approval which old Nun began,
and she did so with ardent vehemence ; for it was she
who, after humbling herself before her husband, whose
love she had now quite won back, had suggested to him to
invite Joshua to this treaty of brotherhood which was now
ratified. All this had cost her no pang ; for the two vows

3r me,
; you
et ihe
—and
dwell
each
cap-
d to
most
esire
ther-
rs ve
augh-

13 the

jegan,
Is she
Ivhose
iim to
now
vows

JOSHUA.

•64

to which she had pledged herself after that the son of Nua,
whom she now was ready to call Joshua, had saved her
from the hand of the foe were about to be fulfilled, and she
felt that it was in a happy hour that she had made them.

The feeling, new to her, that she was a woman even as
other women are, gave to her whole person a gentleness
which had hitherto been foreign to her, and this won her
the love of her husband, whose full worth she had learnt
during the bitter time when he had opened his heart to
her.

At the very hour when Hur and Joshua were sealing the
bond of brotherhood, another faithful pair had met again
whom sacred duty had torn asunder, for while the friends
were still enjoying their meal in front of Hur's tent, three
persons desired permission to speak with Nun, their lord
and master. These were the old freed woman, who had re-
mained behind in Tanis, with her daughter and Asser, from
whom Hoglah had parted to stay with her feeble parents.

Old Eliab, the father, had soon died, and then the mother
and daughter had set forth to follow their people through
unspeakable fatigues, the old woman riding her husband's
ass. Nun received the faithful souls with joy, and in the
same hour gave Hoglah to Asser to wife. Thus this blood-
stained day had brought blessing to many ; and yet it was
fated to end with a harsh discord.

So long as the fires blazed in the camp there was always
some stir going forward, and throughout their wanderings
hither no evening had passed without some quarrel and
bloody fray. Wounds and death-blows had been the fre-
quent result when one who had been insulted revenged
himself on his adversary, when some dishonest rascal had
seized the property of another, or refused to fulfill the
obligations he had contracted.

In these cases it had often been a hard matter to make
the peace and bring the criminal to a reckoning, for the
refractory refused to acknowledge any man, be he who he
might, as a judge over them. T.^ose who fancied them-
selves injured banded together with others, and tried to
right themselves by force.

On this festive evening Hur and his guests at first heard
only such a noise as every one was accustomed to hear.
But presently, when besides the wild uproar a glare of
light flared up close to them, the chiefs began to fear for

262

JOSHUA.

thie safety of the cami), so they rose up to put an end to
the turmoil, and found themselves in the presence of a
spectacle which filled some with rage and horror and others
with grief.

The triumph of victory had turned the heads of the mul-
titude. They felt prompted to give expression to their
gi-atitude to the god, and with a vivid remembrance of the
horrible worshin of their native land a party of Phoeni-
cians among the strangers in the camp had lighted a gicat
fire to their god Moloch, and were almost in the aci of
flinging an Amalckite into the flames as an offering pleasing
in his eyes. Close at hand the Israelites had set up a clay
image of the Egyptian god Set. which one of his Hebrew
devotees had brought witli him as a cluirm to ])rotect his
family, i)lacingiton a tall pillar of wood. Hundreds were
dancing round it, and singing in triumph. Their worship
could not have been more fervent, nor the rapture of their
souls more eager, if they had desired to j.ay the God of
their fathers the thanksgiving which was Ilis due.

■ Soon after his return to the camp, Aaron had assembled
the people to sing praises and glorify the Lord ; but the
need for seeing an image of the God to which they might
uplift their souls after the manner to which they had so
long been accustomed had proved so strong in many of them
that the mere sight of the clay idols had sufficed to bring
them to their knees, and turn their hearts from the true
God.

At the sight of the worshipers of Moloch, who had
already bound their victim, ready to cast him into the
flames, Joshua was very wroth, and when in their dark-
ness they refused to hear him, he bid the trumpet sounds
and ])y the help of the young fighting-men, who obeyed him
blindly, and to whom the strangers were anything rather
than dear, he drove them without bloodshed back to their
own quarter of the camp.

The Hebrews yielded to the urgent exhortations of old
Nun, Hur and Nahshon, and repented of their sin, which
Was aggravated by ingratitude. But even they took it
amiss when the fiery old man broke the images they prized
so dearly, and if it had not been for the love they bore his
son and grandson, and for the honor due to his white hairs^
many a hand would have been lifted against him.

Moses had retired into solitude, as was his wont /after

JOSHUA.

.263

lad

the

ark-

nd,

lim

tiicr
leir

old
lich
k it
ized
; his
airs^

ifter

each peril, which by the grace of the Alnilghly cnmc to a
good issue; and the tears rose to Miriam's eyes when slie
thought of the grief it must cause her noble brother to hear
the tidings of such a falling away and such deep tinthank-
fulness. A dark shadow had fallen even on Joshua's glad
and confident mood. lie lay sleepless oa a mat in lii,s
fatlier's tent, looking back on the past. His warrior's so;d
was strengthened by tlie thought that a single almighty and
unerring Power ruled the universe and tlie lives of men,
and recjuired unHiiling obedience frmn all created things.
Every glance at the order of nature ai.d of life sJ^owed him
that all things de])ended on one infinitely great and mighty
Being, and rose uj), moved, or lay down to rest at sign
from ilim. To liim, the captain of a ])uny army, his God
was ihe supreme and wise Captain, tlie only Leader who
was always sure of the victory. How great was the sin of
insulting such a Lord, and of going afier strange gods in
return for his mercies ! And this was what the Israelites
had done before his very eyes ; and as he recalled to his
memory the doings which had compelled his intervention,
the question arose in his mind, how might ih.y be protected
against the wrath of the Most High, and how could the eyes
of the darkened multitude be ojjcned to His wondrous
heart and soul-inspiring greatness?

But he found no answer and saw no remedy, as h.e
pictured to himself the perversity and rebellions s])irit pre-
vailing in the camp, which threatened to bring evil on his
people.

He had succeeded in reducing tlie fighting-men to
obedience. As soon as the trumpet sounded, and he made
his ai)pcarance in battle-array at the head of lils troops,
their stiff-necked will gave way to his. Was there nothing,
then, which, in the peaceful round of every-day life, could
keep them within the bounds which, under Egyptian rule,
made life safe for even the humblest and weakest, and
protected them against the high-handed and power-
ful? Meditating on these things, he watched till dawn
was near, and as the stars began to set he sprung up
and bid the trtimpets sound ; and to-day, as yesterday,
they assembled without a murmur, and in full numbers.
He was soon marching at the head of his troops through
the narrow gorge, and after they had gone forward for
about an hour, in silence and in darkness, they were

a04

JOSHUA.

refreshed by the cooler air whic\ precedes the day. Dawn
began to spread in the east, the sky grew paler, and
the glowing splendors of sunrise solemnly and grandly
rose above the majestic mass of the Holy Mountnin. It
lay spread out before the pilgrims, almost tangibly close
and clear, wuh it;; brown crags, precipices and ravines;
towering above them rose its seven-peaked crown, round
which a pair of eagles were soaring;, their broad wings
bathed in a golden glory, in the light of the new -born day.

And again, as at Alush, a pious thrill brought the march-
ing host to a slanditill, while each one, from the fir:.t to
the last, raised liis hands in silent adoration and i)rayer.

Then the warriors went on with hearts uiijifted, one gaily
calling to anolli r in glad excitement as some pretty iiille
brown birds flew to meet liiem, twittering loudly, an assur-
ance that fre:>h water must be near. Hardly half an hour
furtlier on they saw the blue-green foliage of a taiuarisk-
brake, and above it tall palms, and heard at last the sweetest
sound that ever fiills on the listening ear in the desert, the
babbling of a running stream. This encouraged them
greqitly, rnd the mighty for?'' >f the peak of Sinai, ^ its heaven-
kissing head veiled i"* bkK mist, filled the souls of these
men, dwellers until now in the level meads of Gosheii, vviih
devout amazement.

They now proceeded with caution, for tl^c remnant of
the stricken Amalekites might be lurking in ambush. But
there was no foe to be seen or heard; and the only traces
the Hebrews found of tlie sons of the desert and their
thirst for revenge were their ruined houses, the fine palms
felled and prone, and the garden-ground destroyed.

They were forced to clear the slender trunks out of their
path that they might not check the advance of the Hebrew
multitude ; and when this task was done, Joshua went
down through a defile leading to the brook in the valley,
and up the nearest boulder of the mountain, to look about
him, far and near, for the enemy.

The mountain-path led over masses of granite veined

• Now called Serbal ; not the Sinai of the monks which, in my
opinion, Afas not supposed to be the mountain of the law-giving till the
time of JusMnian. A full exposition of the view that Serhal is the
SinairiScrpture, which was first put forward by Lepsius, and in which
other wri'.rs agree, may be found in a volume, entitled (in German),
" Through Goshen to b.nni," by Dr. C. r.lxrs.

JOSHUA.

t of
But

Liaccs

their

palms

m my

till the

is the

which

man).

with green diorite, rising steeply till it ended /ligh abova
the plain of the oasis, at a plateau where, by a clear spring,
green shrubs of delicate mountain-flowers graced the wil-
derness.

Here he paused to rest, and looking round he discerned
in the shadow of an overhanging rock a tall figure gazing
at the ground.

It was Moses

^he course of his reflections had so completely rapt
him from his present surroundings that he did not perceive
Joshua's approach, and the warrior reverently kept silence
for fear of disturbing the man of God, waiting patiently
till he raised his bearded face, and greeted him with
dignity and kindness.

Side by side they gazed down into the oasis and the
desolate rocky ravines at their feet. Even a tiny strip of
the Red Sea, which bathes the western foot of the moun-
tains, gleamed like an emerald in the distance. And their
talk was of the people, and of the greatness and power of
the God w! had brought them so farwiih such wondrous
works ; and as they looked to the northward they could
see the endless train of the pilgrims, siowly making their
way along the devious way of the defile towards the oasis.

Thus did Joshua open his heart to llie man of God, and
told him all he had thought and wondered during the past
•leepless night, finding no answer.

The prophjt listened to hiai with composure, and then
replied in a deep hesitating voice and in broken sentences :

" Insubordination in the camj) — yes ; it is ruining the
people. But the Lord of Might has left it in these hands
to dash them to pieces. Woo to those who rebel. That
Power, as stupendous as this mountain, and as immovable
as its foundation rock — they must feci it!" Here the
angry speech of Moses ceased. After they had stood for
a while looking into the distance, Joshua broke the silence
by inquiring : " And what is that Power called ? "

And the answer came clear and strong from the bearded
lips of the man f f God : " The Law," and he pointed with
his staff to the top of the ])eak.

Then, with a gesture of farewell, he quitted his com-
panion.

Joshua, still looking out, perceived some dark shadows
moving to and fro on the yellow sand of the valleys.

»66

JOSHUA.

These were the remnant of the Amalekites seeking a new
spot where they might dwell.

For a short time he kept his eye on them, and when he
had assured himself that they were moving away from the
oasis, he returned pensive to the valley.

" The Law," he repeated to himself again and again.

Yes, that was what the exiles lacked. Its severity
might be the one thing capable of forming the tribes which
had fled from bondage into a nation worthy of the God
who had chosen them before all the other peoples of the
earth.

Here the captain's reflections were broken off, for the
voices of men, the bellowing and bleating of herds and
flocks, the barking of dog and the noise of hammers came
up to him from the oasis. The tents were being pitched,
a work of peace in which his aid was not needed. He lay
down in the shade of a thick tamarisk shrub above which a
tall palm towered proudly, and thankfull) stretched his
limbs in the consciousness that henceforh the people
would be amply cared for, in war by his good uword, in peace
by the Law. This was much, this raised his hopes ; but na
— this could not be all, could not be the end of everything.
The longer he meditated, the more deeply he felt that this
did not satisfy him for the mass of beings down there whom
he bore in his heart as his brethren and sisters.

His broad brow darkened again, and, startled out of his
rest by these new doubts, he sadly shook his head. No,
and again no ! The Law could not afford the people who
had grown so dear to him all he desired for them. Some-
thing else was needful to make their future lot as noble
and fair as he had dreamed it might be on his way to the
mines.

But what was that something, what was its name ?

And now he began to rack his brain to fmd out ; but
while, with closed eyes, he allowed his Noughts to
wander to those other nations whom he had seen in war
and in peace, to discover what the one thing was still lack-
ing to the Hebrew folk, sleep fell on him, and in a dream
he saw Miriam and another lovelier form resembh'ng Kasana
as he had often seen her flying to meet him, a pure and
innocent child, and after her ran the white lamb which his
father had given his favorite years since. The two figures
each oflfered him a gift, and bid him chose one or the other.

yOSHVA.

a6y

In Miriam's hands was a heavy gold plate, and on the top
of it in letters of flame he saw written, " The Law." She
held it forth to him with gloomy gravity. The child offered
him a drooping palm-leaf, such as he had often carried in
token of truce.

The sight of the table of the law filled him with pious
awe ; but the palm branch waved invitingly in his eyes,
and he seized it quickly. Hardly had he grasped it when
the figure of the prophetess vanished into thin air, like a
mist wafted away by the morning breeze. He gazed in
anxious surprise at the spot where she had stood, amazed
and uneasy at the strange choice he had made, though
feeling that he had decided rightly.

Then he asked the child what her gift might signify to him
and the people. At this she signed to him, pointing to the dis-
tance, and spoke three words, in a gentle sweet voice which
went to his heart. But strive as he might to seize their
meaning he could not succeed, and when he desired the
vision to interpret them he awoke at the sound of his own
voice, and made his way back to the camp, disappointed
and puzzled.

In later days he often sought again to remember these
words, but always in vain.

The whole force of his body and soul he devoted to the
Hebrew folk ; but his nephew Ephraim, as a powerful
prince of his tribe, well worthy of the honor he achieved,
founded a house in Israel. Through him old Nun saw
great-grandchildren growing up who promised enduring
posterity to his noble race.

The rest of Joshua's active life, and how he conquered a
new home for his people, is a well-known tale.

And there, in the land of promise, many hundred years
later, was another Joshua born who brought to all mankind
the gifts which the son of Nun vainly sought for the
children of Israel. In the three words spoken by the child,
and which the captain of the host failed to interpret, were
" Love, Mercy and Redemption ! "

THE END.

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