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JOSHUA:
A STORY OF EGYPTIAN-ISRAELITISH LIFE.
BY PROF. GEORG EBERS,
Author of'"Uarda" "An
(NOW FIRST
CopjTithted, 18S9,
CHAPTEBXXm.
HJ5 song of praise had
died away and the
storm had Ions since
ceased; yet the morn
ins ETi which had
been red at dawn, was
again covered with
pray clouds, and a
strong wind still blew from the southwest
disturbing the lake, and shaking and rock
ing the crowns of palms which stood by the
wells.
The rescued people had extolled the
Host High, and eren the coldest and most
perverse had joined in Miriam's hymn of
praise, hat, as the procession of dancers ap
proached the sea, many wonld hare gladly
left the ranks and hare hastened to the
strand where many things attracted them.
Hundreds had now betaken themselves to
the shore, where the wares like generous
robbers disgorged and washed up on to the
Band that which they had engulfed during
the night.
Nor did the women eren allow the wind
to hinder them, for covctousness and re
venge, the most powerful instincts in the
human breast, drew them to the shore.
Howls of rage and cries of joy went up
together, obviously caused by the fact that
the sea had thrown up something particu
larly valuable on land. Curiosity attracted
Ephraim and Miriam, who was now the
wife of Hur, to the spot; and as Miriam's
proud dignity caused the people 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 can
opy 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, xbe
first two lay dead in the water that covered
the bottom of the carriage, and several He
brew women were in the act of tearing off
the costly ornaments irom the throat and
arms of one of them. The younger woman
had escaped death by a wonderful chauce,
and now she was offering her very precious
jewels to the Hebrew women. At the same
time, with pale, quivering lips and slender,
half-benumbed hands, she was promising
the robbers, in a soft, harmonious voice, to
give them all she had, and a handsome re
ward in money as well, if they would spare
her life. She was still so yonng, 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
of it was audible. Just as Miriam and
Ephraim reached the shore she screamed
aloud, lnr a brutal woman tore the gold
snake from ber ear. The Egyptian girl's
cry of anguish struck the youth like a sword
thrust, and the color lc!t his face as he
recognized Kasana's voice.
The corpses by her were those of her
nurse and Bale's wile.
Ephraim, almost beside himself, thrust
aside the men who separated him from the
victim on one side and hastened toward the
remains of the chariot; sprang into the sand
bank at the foot of which the vehicle was
stranded, and cried, with burning cheeks
and impetuous passion:
"Back! "Woe to those who touch herl"
,But a Hebrew woman, the wife of a brick
maker, whose child bad died in frightful
convulsions on the journey through the
sea, had already snatched the dagger
from Kasana's girdle and had
"stabbed ber in the back, with
the cry; "That's for my little Buth!
"Wretch!"
She raised the bloody poignard for a sec
ond blow; but before she could strike her
enemy again Ephraim rushed between them
und wrenched away the knife. Then, stand
ing in front of the hapless creature, he
shouted In loud menace: "Murderers and
thieves! If one of you dares to touch her,
his blood shall mingle with that of this
woman!" "With these words he fell on his
knees by the side of the bleeding victim,
and, finding that she had lost consciousness,
he lifted her in his arms and carried her to
Miriam, who was in Nun's tent
To find his favorite again in so pitiable a
plight was so great a grief to the old man
that the tears ran down on bis snowy beard,
and his voice shook when he saw the blood
stained bandage about ner shoulder. "When
she was laid on his couch, and Nun had
placed his medicine chest at the prophetess'
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 blood all washed
away, she lay between fresh linen sheets like
a sleeping child, hardly looking as if she
had attained woman's estate. And she still
breathed, though the blood had notreturned
to her lips or cheeks, and it was not till she
had again swal toned 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 grandson, and each would fain have
' asked of the other how it came to pass that
he could not refrain his tears as he looked
into the face of this stranger.
Old Nun had never ceased to think of her
as the sweet child he had known so well, the
apple of his eye and joy of his heart. He
looked down on the quivering features with
tender pity, and when at length she opened
her eyes he smiled at her with fatherly affec
tion. The light in he; eyes showed that she,
too, at once recognized him and Ephraim,
but when she tried to nod her head to them
she was too weak. Still, her expressive face
confessed her surprise and pleasure; and
when Miriam, for the third time, offered her
the draught, and 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
voire: "These wounds ache so, and death
Shall I die?" They glanced inquiringly at
each ether, and the men would very gladly
have concealed the dreadful truth, but she
vent on: "Ob, let me know; tell me the
truth, I pray you!"
.And Miriam, who was kneeling on the
ground by her side, found courage to reply:
"1'es, poor, young thing, the wound is deep;
but all my art may do to save you shall bo
done, to preserve your life as long as possi
ble." The words were spoken kindly and com
passionately, and yet the prophetess' deep
voice seemed to jar on Kasana's ear; her
lips curled pitifully while Miriam spoke,
snd when she ceased the sufferer closed her
eyes and large tears flowed down her cheeks.
Deep and anxious silence reigned till she
Opened ber eyes once moreand hxing them
-Sadlv on Miriam's facet asked, as if in
i
rSj-iamaxement at something strange, "You, a
fe 'woman, are learned in the leech's art?"
'To which Miriam replied: "My God hath
bidden me to care for the sufferers among
eople.'
'his the dying woman's eyes sparkled
"v, and she exclaimed in a stronger
deed with a vigor which surprised
s: "Ton are Miriam, the woman
for Joshua to go to her;" and
n replied unhesitatingly and
" you say," Kasana went
are, indeed, of great tdix
and must be capableof
beyed your call, andvou
heless marry another?"
phetess aDswered,but la
youssy."
ua closed her eyes
rt smile parted her
, me became un-
ngerscit herlittle
jer eyebrows, were
joeth,n&rrowbrow was
.,
Egyptian Frincess," Etc
PUBLISHED.)
by B. S. McUure.1
furrowed as though she had something
weighing on her brain. At length the
trouble which disturbed her peace found ut
terance, and she said in quavering accents;
"You are Ephraim, whom he loved as a
son, and yon are Nun, the old man. his
father. There you stand, and you will lire,
while I ob, and it is so hard to leave the
light of day. Anubis will lead me before the
judgment seat of Osiris, my heart will be
weighed, and then " She shuddered vio
lently, openirg and closing her trembling
hands; but she soon recovered herself, and
begau to speak once more. But Miriam pos
itively forbade her, us it must hasten the
end.
At this Kasana collected all her strength
and exclaimed quickly, and as loudly as
she could, glancing at Miriam from top to
toe: "So von would hinder me from doing
what I must do? Youl" There was an ac
cent of contempt in her tone: bnt she no
doubt felt that, she must husband ber
strength, for she went on more calmly, and
as if speaking to herself: "But I cannot de
part 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
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 cough here checked her utter
ance; as soon as she had recovered her breath
she turned to Miriam again and went on, in
a voice so fall of bitter aversion that it
startled those who knew her kindly nature:
"It is you you. tall woman with a man's
voice, and the learning of a leech you who
beguiled him from Tanis, and from me.
He went and came and did your bidding.
And you you became another man's
wile it must have been after his coming;
yes for when Ephraim brought 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 none may hear it but those
who love him, and I do you hear? I love
him more than all else on eartbl xoni you
have a husband, and a God whose bidding
you zealously obey 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 notwhy and
if you remain near me I cannot speak and
I must and it hurts me so to speak! But
before you go you are a physician tell
me one thing; Xhave so many things to say
to him before I die will it kill me if I
speak?"
And again the prophetess found no reply
but her brief, "As you say," and her tone
was one of stern warning.
As soon as Kasana fonud herself alone
with the grandfather 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, I am easier. That tall woman
her eyes as dark as night they are fiery
indeed, and yet sp cold that woman Did
Joshua lore her, 'father? Tell me. I 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 God vouchsafes
to her to hear Hi voice. But you, sweet
one, were dear to him even as a child; that
1 enow.
A slight shudder ran through her frame.
For a short space she closed her eyes and a
blisstul smile lighted up her face. This
lasted so long that Nun thought that
death had already claimed her, and he
leaned over her, listening to her breathing,
with the draught in his hand. Sbe did not
seem to see him; bnt when at last sbe looked
up again, she put out her hand for the cup,
drank from it, and then went on: "I telt
as tbongh 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 child, and Xwas afraid of
him because he looked so grave, and my
nurse had told me that he had slain many
enemies. But I. was happy when became,
and when he went away I was sad. And
years went on, and my love lor him grew as
I grew. My young heart was so full of
him, so full. . . Yes, eren 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
dees 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
see him once more! But he himself!
That woman Ephraim told me that
tall, proud woman bade him go to Titbom.
Yet he came back from thence, and then, O
Nun. Tnat n as 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 curkagain."
"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,
the shamelul 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
begfn? 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 morel"
"Aye," said the old man, only anxious to
stop her speaking and to help her tell all
she wished to make known, "and as Baie
raised him up, so can he overturn him. He,
even more surely than his predecessor, will
be the tool of the man who has made him
King. I know Aarsu, the Syrian, aud 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 divis
ions, though he and his mercenaries hare 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 fail
ing strength allowed, "It was for your sou's
sake for love of him to procure his release.
Only the erenlng before I had refused posi
tively to go with Baie's wife. But when I
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 dHgrace and sickness. And
when he went onward with chains on his
his feet it suddenly struck me." i
"Then, brave, foolish, misguided child
that you are, you determined to win the de
votion of the future king in order to secure
the release of your friend, my son?"
The dying woman smiled and said softly,
'Yes. res: 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 en
dured 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 Ephriam and sighed: "And I thought of
this lad, ton. He is so young and the mines
so terrible."
Again she shuddered. The boy corered
her hand with kisses while she looked ten
derly in his face aud his grandfather's, and
added: "Now all is well, and if the gods
grant him freedom "
Here Ephraim broke in, "We are setting
forth this very day for the mines. I and my
comrades and my grandfather will drive his
keepers to the four winds"
"And he shall learn from my own lips,"
said Nun, "how trnlv Kasana loved him,
and his whole life wifl be too short to thank
her for such a sacrifice."
His voice tailed him. Bat every trace ot
tronble had vanished from the dying wo
man's faee, and she lay forsosse time gazing
upward in meat oeatesaMfit. sat mm,
by degrees, an anxious frown came on her
brow, and sbe softly gasped outt "It is well
yes, all is well but yet one thing. My
body, unembalmed with no holy amu
lets "
And here Nun again interrupted her, say
ing: "As soon as we have closed your eves I
will deliver it, safely wrapped, to the Phoe
nician seaman who is close at hand, that he
may convey it to your father."
She tried to turn her head to thank him
with a loving glance; but suddenly she
clutched at her throat with both hands, dark
blood rose to her lips, a bright flame tinged
her cheeks- and faded to dead white, and
after a short and painful"struggle she sank
back. Death had laid his hand on the lov
ing heart, and her face wore the look of a
child's whose mother has forgiven it some
fault, and kissed it before it fell asleep.
Nun closed her eyes, weeping as he did so;
Ephraim, deeply moved, kissed the drooping
lids; and after a few moments' silence the
old man said: "I tronble myself very little
about the life beyond the grare, of which
eren Moses knows nothing; but one who
lires as she has lired must always survive
in the faithful memory of those whom she
loved, and she has done her part, it seems to
me, to attain immortality. We will dispose
of her bodr according to our promise, and
then set forth to prove to him for whom
Kasana gare all she had to give, that we
lore him no less well than the Egyptian
womaa."
CHAPTER XXIV.
The prisoners were making their way bnt
slowly to the mines. Never in all his ex
perience had the leader of the gang known
a worse journey through the desert, more
luckless in every way, or so beset with mis
haps and hindrances.
One of his "moles," Ephraim, to wit, had
made his escape; he had lost one of his faith
ful hounds; and after his gang bad been ter
rified and drenched by such a storm as
scarcely befell once in five years in all that
thirsty tract, another overtooK them on the
following day the same in which Pharaoh
and his host bad perished even more vio
lent than the first The tempest had stopped
their march, and after this second deluge
some of his prisoners and men had sickened
with ferer from sleeping on the wet ground
in the oped air. Eren the Egyptian asses,
unaccustomed to the rain, had suffered from
the wetting, and the best had been left to
die on the way.
At last they had been compelled to bury
two of their comrades in the sand, and three
more were so ill that they must be mounted
on the asses that were left; thus the pris
oners were forced to carry the provisions
with which the beasts "had been laden. In
all his 25 years' experience such a thing had
never before happened to their guide, and
he looked forward to severe reproof at
home.
All this had a bad effect on the man's tem
per, though he was commonly regarded as
the most lenient of hia tribe, and Joshua, as
the accomplice of the audacious rascal whose
escape was the beginning of all these vexa
tions, was the chief victim of his wrath.
Angry as he was, the leader of the gang
might perhaps 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 spent his
breath in threats ot a time coming when bis
sister-in-law would be in attendance on
Pharaoh, and she wonld find some way to
punish the man who had ill-treated her dear
sister's husband.
But Joshua had made up his mind to take
all the rough driver and his men could do
to him with as calm submission as the
scorching sun which had tortured him many
a time ere this during his marches across
the desert, under arms; and his manly spirit
and strong will helped blm to keep this reso
lution. When the driver loaded him with
a monstrous burthen, he collected all the
strength of his powerful muscles and tot
tered forward under it without a rebellious
word till his knees gave way; and then his
tyrant would fly at him, snatch a few bales
from off his shoulders, and declare he knew
all the wickedness of his heart, and that all
be hoped for was that he might have to be
left on the way and so bring his driver into
further tronble; but he would not let his
Srisoners cheat him of their lives when
ands were needed in the mines.
Once the man inflicted a deep wound; but
he was immediately most anxiously careful
that it should be healed; gave him wine to
strengthen him, and delayed the caravan
for half a day that he might rest.
He had not forgotten Prince Siptah's
promise of a splendid reward to the man
who should bring him news of his prisoner's
death; but he was an honest man, and it
was this very promise which prompted
him to watch with special care over
Joshua's life; for the consciousness of
having neglected his duty for any personal
profit would have spoiled his appetta for
meat, drink and sleep, the three blessings
he most prized. Hence, though the Hebrew
had much to suffer, it was not beyond en
durance; and it was a real pleasure to be
able to lighten the woes of his weaker com
rades by exerting his own great strength.
He had resigned his fate to the God who
had called him to serve Him; but his ser
vice, he knew, was something more than
mere pious trust; and day and night his
mind was set on flight. Bet the fetters
which linked him to his fellow-victim were
so firmly riveted, and so carefully examined
and hammered night and morning, that any
attempt to escape must only hare ended in
more cruel misery.
The prisoners were conducted first across
a hilly country and then toward a range of
mountains lying in front of them, till they
reached a desert tract where weather-worn
boulders of sandstone stood up at intervals
from the rocky ground.
On the fifth evening the gang stopped to
rest by a lofty mountain which nature
seemed to have piled up out of flat layers of
stone; aud at sunrise, on the sixth morning,
they turned off down a valley leading to the
mines.
They had overtaken no one since, on the
first day, they had come np with a
messenger from the King's treasury. They
had, on the other hand, met several small
caravans, conveying malachite, turquoises
and copper .to Egypt, as well as the green
glass manufactured in the neighborhood ot
the mines.
Among a party whom they met at the
opening of tie gorge Into which they
diverged on this last day, were a married 4
coaple on their way homeward, havlag
bMAMrdssftf by tAt.XiM, XMdxiTK
THE PITTSBURG- -DISPATCH,
pointed to them, to raise the spirits of his
exhausted "moles," but the sight of them
had quite an opposite effect; for the man's
unkempt hair was already gray, though he
-was hardly past SO, his tall figure bent and
haggard, and his bare back striped with
many scars and clotted blood, while
his wife, who had shared his fate,
had gone blind. Sbe sat huddled on
an ass in the brooding melancholy of mania;
and although the prison gang, as they
marched past, loudly broke the silence of
the desert, and her hearing Was as sharp as
ever, she paid no heed to them, but stared
unmoved into vacancy.
The sight of these hapless wretches held
no his own hideous fate as clearly as a
mirror before Joshua's eyes; for the first
time he groaned aloud and clasped his
hands over his face. This the driver no
ticed, and touched by the horror of a man
whose powers of endurance had till now
seemed Indomitable, he cried to him : "But
they do not all return like this no, indeed,
not like this 1"
"Because they are even more utterly
wretched," he thought to himself, "but that
poor fellow need not know that. Next time
I come this war I will remember to ask for
Joshua, for I snail be curious to know what
will become of such a bull of a man. The
strongest and most determined often are the
quickest to perish."
At this he flourished his whip over the
heads of his gang as if he were driving a
team of horses, without touching them,
however. Then he pointed to a cloud of
smoke rising from behind a wall of rock on
the right hand and said :
"There are the smelting furnaces! We
shall be in by mid-day. There is no lack
of fires here to cook our lentils, and a bit of
sheep's flesh into the bargain; for we are
keeping the kind god's birthday, the Bon of
Ea. Long may he lire! Hail and good
health to him!''
Eor half an hour longer they toiled along
the dry bed a torrent, with high banks on
each side; after the storm a roaring moan
tain stream had rushed down this gully to
the lower ground, and eren now a few pools
were exhaling their moisture. When the
melancholy train had made their way
round a steep shoulder of rock, on the top
of which stood a small Egyptian temple to
Hathor and a considerable number of grave
stones, they found themselres close to a
bend in the ravine "which led to the gorge
where the mines lay.
Flags 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 valley, usually so silent, of
shouts, and tumult, and clatter, the driver
expressed his opinion that the high fes
tival was being kept by the prisoners with
unwonted jollity, saying so to the other
guards who had pansed to listen.
So they moved forward without delay;
THE ATTACK UP OK KASANA.
but no man held up his drooping head, for
the noonday sun was so relentlessly 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 tottered forward as if in sleep,
and one alone held his breath with excite
ment. As a war horse harnessed to a plow
arches his neck and dilates his nostrils,
while the fire sparkles in his eye, so had
Joshua drawn up his stooping 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 load revelry, Bat he, Joshua, knew
better. He could never mistake the sounds
which he heard. It was the battle cry of
Egyptian troops, the trumpet call to sum
mon tbem to arms, the clatter of weapons
and shouting of hostile parties.
Beady at once for swift action, he ad
dressed his comrade in chains and whis
pered his commands : "The hour of release i
is at hand. Keep your eyes open, but fol
low me blindly."
At this the other, too, was greatly excited,
and no sooner had Joshua looked down the
ravine than be said: "Now. Be ready!"
The first glance into the little gorge had
revealed tonim a figure standing on the top
of a cliff, and a noble head framed with
white hair. It was his father. He would
have known him among 10,000, and from a
much greater distance. But he looked away
from that beloved face for a moment to
glance at the driver of the gang who stood
still, startled and speechless; and then,
thinking that a mutiny had broken out
among the state prisoners, with quick pres
ence of mind he cried in harsh accents to
his subordinates:
"Get behind our prisoners and kill any
one who attempts to escape." But hardly
had the men done his bidding and gone to
the rear, when Joshua whispered to his com
panion: "Now, down with him!"
With these words the Hebrew, who, with
his fellow captive, was at the head of
the file, rushed on the driver, and
Joshua bad seized his right arm
and the other man his left,
before he was aware of it.
He was a stalwart fellow, and rage
doubled his, strength; he struggled wildly
to free himself, but Joshua and his comrade
held him in a grip ol iron.
One glanee had been enough to show the
captive warrior which way he must go to
reach his own people. It wonld hare to
pass a small force of Egyptian bowmen who
were shooting their arrows at the Hebrews
on the opposite side of the ravine; but the
enemy would not dare to turn on them, for
the-stardy form of , the slave driver served
to screen them both, and he was easily
rccogmzaoie ny nis aress ana weapons.
"Hold up the chain with one hand," said
Joshna to his accomplice. "I can hold our
living Bhield. We must get up the shoulder
of the hill crab-fashion."
His companion obeyed, and when they
eame within arrow-shot length of the foe
they held their prisoner first on one side,
and tbeD, walking backward, between them
selves and the Egyptians. Thus Joshua,
shouting in ringing tones: "The son of Nun
is returning to bis lather and his people!"
made his way, step by step, toward the He
brew fighting men.
None of the Egyptians who
recognized the Captain of the
prison gang had dared to let fly a shaft at
the escaped prisoners; and now, from the
top of the slope which the fettered couple
were climbing backward, Joshna heard his
name called in joyful accents, and at the
game moment Ephraim and his company of
youthful combatants came flying down the
hill to meet him.
To his astonishment the warrior saw in thf
hands of every son of his people a large
inieiaaa oi an jgypuan loot soldier, a
sword, or a battleax. But many still wore
at tneir girdles WHMMMBMM sua u.i a
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SUNDAY, DECEMBER f22,
Ephraim was their leader, aad before he
greeted his ancle, he ranged his men in two
ranks like a double wall between Joshua
and the enemy's archers. Not till then did
he give utterance to the joy of meeting; and
another glad greeting followed his, for old
Nun was safely led to the wall of rock
under cover of those large Egyptian shields
which the sea had cast on shore; and then,
under shelter of the cliff, strong hands filed
off the fetters which bound Joshua and his
comrade, while Ephraim, aided by a few
others.boundthedrivercaptive. Theunfortu
nate officer had given np all resistance and
let them do what they would, passivplr re
signed. Before they tied his hands behind
his back, he only begged to be allowed to
wipe his eyes, for the tears were conrsing
each other down the stern man's cheeks and
onto his grey beard; tears of rexation at
finding himself outwitted and overpowered,
and unable to fulfill his duty.
The old Hebrew clasped his redeemed and
only son to his heart with passionate affec
tion. Then, releasing him from his em
brace, he stepped back a' few paces, and
would nerer hare tired of feasting his eyes
on Joshua, and of hearing that, faithful to
bis uod. ne would henceforth devote him
self to the service of his people.
But it was not for long that they might
allow themselves to revel in the joy of this
happy meeting; the (battle was still to be
won, and Nun, as a matter of course, trans
ferred his command to Joshua.
With thankful gladness, and yet not with
out pang of regret, Joshua heard of the end
which had overtaken the fine army among
whose captains he had long been- proud to
reckon himself; and he rejoiced to learn
that another company ot armed shepherds
had gone under the leadership of Hur,
Miriam's husband, to surprise the turquoise
mines at Dophka, at about an hour's march
further to the south. If they were victorious
thev were to rejoin the young men under
Ephraim before sundown.
"These ardent spirits were burning to fall
upon the Egyptians once more; Joshua, who
was prudent, and who had reconnoitered the
foe, had, indeed, no doubt that they would
succumb to the fierce herdsmen who far out
numbered them. But he was anxious to
avoid bloodshed in this fight which was
being waged for his sake, so be desired Eph
raim to cut him a plumy leaf from the
nearest palmtree, borrowed a shield, and
went forward alone to speak with the enemy,
waving his symbol of peace. The chief body
ot the Egyptians were guarding the en
trance to the mines, and, recognizing the
token whicn invited a parley, they desired
their Captain to meet Joshua. This officer
was nothing loth to grant the Hebrew an In
terview, but he would first make himself
acquainted with the contents of a letter
which had Just been delivrd to him, and
which must contain evil tidings, for that
much could be gathered from the messenger's
demeanor, and from a few broken but omin
ous words which he had muttered to his fellow
Egyptians.
While some of Pharaoh's soldiers fetched
refreshment for the exhausted and travel
stained runner, listening with horror to the
tidings he panted out in hoarse accents, the
officer read the letter.
His brow darkened, and when he ended
he clutched the papyrus fiercely in bis hand,
for it announced nothing less than the de
struction of the army, the death of Pharaoh
Menephtab, and. moreover, that hia eldest
surviving son had been proclaimed and
crowned as Seti the second; an attempt on
the part of Prince Siptah to possess himself
of the throne having completely failed, this
Prince had fled to the marshlands of the
Delta, and the Syrian, Aarsu, after desert
ing him and ranging himself on the side of
the new king, had been raised to the com
mand of the whole army of mercenaries.
Baie, the high priest and supreme judge,
had been deprived of his offices by Seti II.,
and banished from court. Those who had
conspired with Siptah were condemned, not
Lto the copper mines, bnt to the gold-mines
oi .btmopia. it was also reported tnat
several 'women attached to the family
of the fugitive usurper had been
strangled, certainly his mother. Every
fighting man who could be spared from the
mines was to return forthwith to Tanis, as
there was need of men for the newly-constituted
legions.
These tidings produced a great effect; for,
after Joshua had commnnicated to the
Egyptian captain the fact that he, too, knew
of 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 favorable
terms and leave to depart. He knew only
too well how weak was the forces in charge
of the turquoise mines, and he could look for
no succor from headquarters. .Beside this,
the person of the envoy captivated his con
fidence, so, after many excuses and threats,
he contessed himself satisfied with Joshua's
permission to withdraw the garrison un
harmed, with their beasts of burthen and
provisions 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
their number, and many a veteran's eye was
moist, while many a 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 bim for a traitor.
It was always the re'use of the troops
which was sent on service in this wilder
ness; 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 ruth
less brutality to the helpless their duty.
At last the mines were opened,and Joshna
himself seized the miners lamp and made
his way into the sweltering galleries where
the state prisoners, naked and loaded with
letters, were hewing oat 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'sblrthday,
they had all been driven to the temple of
Hathor, np on the cliff, to pray for the King
who had cast them into this uttermost
wretchedness; and thev would have snjoyed
a respite from labor till next morning it it
had not been tor the unexpected arrival of
the chief overseer which had compelled
them to return underground. Indeed, even
the women Were all employed ia digging,
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used in the raasHfaclare of glaetaad dye
-stuffs. '
Wheu 'the victims heard Joshua's foot
step echoing from the bare rock-wall, they
feared lest some new torment should be
coming upon them, and their cries and
lamentations were heard ea all sides. Bat
the deliverer had soon reached the first of
the toilers, and the glad tidings, that he
had" come to put an end to their" wretched
lot, were soon repeated to the furthest depths
of the caverns. Wild shouts of joy filled
the galleries long used to wailing and tears;
but loud cries for help, gasping, groaning
and a death-rattle also fell on Joshua's ear,
for one hot-headed victim-had turned on the
driver of his gang and. killed him
with a blow of his pick. His example fired
the vengeance of the others, and before they
could be stopped the rest of the overseers
had met the same fate. Not without defend
ing themselves, however, and many a pris
oner lay dead by the torpid of his torment
ors. In obedience to Joshua's call the liberated
throng at length made their way out to the
light of day. Wild and harsh indeed were
their shouts, mingling with the clatter of
the chains tbey dragged behind them. And
the most hard-hearted among the Hebrews,
when they saw this troop of despairing
wretches in the broad sunshine, shrank
from the sight. Many of these hapless
creatures had, in former times', enjoyed
every earthly blessing in tueir own homes,
or in the king's palace; had been loving
fathers and mothers: had rejoiced in their
power for good, and had had their part in
all the fruits which culture could bestow on
a gifted people; and now their weak aud
bloodshot eyes, though they glittered at first
with the tears brought into them by the
sudden change from the night of the caverns
to the glare of the midday sun, presently
flashed with a wild and greedy gleam like
those of starving owls.
In their first bewilderment
and in their consternation at the
amazing change in their fortune they trem
ulously struggled for composure, and
suffered the Hebrews, at Joshua's bidding,
to file off the fetters from their ankles; bat
tbey soon caught sight of the disarmed sol
diers and overseers, who were ranged under
a wall of rock under the eye of Ephraim
and his 'followers, and a strange impulse
came over them. With a yell and a shriek
for which there is no name, and which no
words could describe, they tore themselves
away from the men who were trying io re
move 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 hi 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 unchecked 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 revolt
ing medley of men and women, which be
came more and more inextricably tangled as
itwas aggravated on one side by the wild
est 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 ve
hemence, and shook their fists. The rage
witn wmen tne released victims now fell on
their tormentors was as unmeasured as the
cruelty under which they had suffered.
Bnt it was Joshua who had disarmed the
tyrants; they were therefore under his pro
tection, ue oroerea nis men to separate
the combatants, and if possible without
bloodshed; this was no easy matter, and
many a fresh deed of horror was ineyitable.
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
had been used in the struggle, not a few
corpses lay on the arena, and most of the
guards and overseers were bleeding from
ngly wounds.
When they set forth on their re
turn, Joshua, as the younger, drew
back to let the elder man take
the lead; but Hur had 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 Bed Sea, he had been named the
chief captain of the Hebrew fighting men
by Moses and the elders of the tribes.
Their way led tbem 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 be
tween the mines and the Bed Sea. 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 tqwards Dophka.
Joshua and Hur were standing together
on the highest point 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 bine 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 broke 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 that we
are certain of His Presence without sign or
token." He raised his face to heaven and
went on: "And I lift up mine eyes to Thee,
Adonai; X send up my hnmble words
to Thee, O Jehovah, Thou God
of Abraham and our fathers, that Thou
mayest again be witness between me and
this jnau whom Thou callest to be Thy
servant and the sword in Thy right hand 1"
He spoke the words loudly, with eyes and
hands upraised 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 me by the stone at Succoth 1"
"I do remember it," was the answer.
" And in bitter ill-fortune and great dan
gers I have learnt what the Most High re
quires of me. I am ready to devote such
strength of soul and body as He hath
vouchsafed to me to Him alone, and to His
people, which is my people. Joshua, hence
forth, be my name. I ask no further help,
neither from the Egyptians nor from any
other strange folk, for it was the Lord our
God who gave me this name by the mouth
of thy wife."
Hereupon Hur broke in with earnest
words:
"This is what I looked to hear; and inas
much as in this place also the Most High k
a witness between me and thee, and heareth
our present speech together here,
io, I fulfill that which I have
vowed. The elders of the tribes, and
Moses, the servant ol the Lord, called me 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 thy
"God. Likewise I know that, as the captain of
our host, thou canst do greater things than l,
who have grown gray tending herds, or than
any other Hebrew, be he who he may; there
fore do I perform my vow made at Snccotb.
I will require ot Moses, the servant of the
Lord, and of the elders ot the people, that
they give thee the office of captain of the
host, I leave the governance in thy hapds;
and inasmuch as I know that the Lord
readeth the heart, I 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, aad I give thee my right hand
in token thereol!" He held out hia hand aa
he spoke, and Joshua grasped it, replying
with generous frankness:
"These are the words of a ihb, and so
likewise shall mine be. For tbe people's
sake, and. the causa we both serve, I accept
tbe offered sacrifice. And inaaanch as yon
solemuiy called the Lord to witness,
who likewise heareth me, I will
speak tbe truth in everything. The
oftoapfeaptala of the boat ef Israel whieh
yea Will lay upon ns, I was aaUed to by
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it i by right. Yet, that you should ba
wiliia M yield yonr own dignity to me, I
take' a a nobis deed;, for I know, full well
bow 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 yon have
done, aad I thank yon. And I, too, have
had evil thoughts of you, ior through you I
lost another blessing which a man finds it
harder to give np than his office the- love
of a woman."
Hereupon the blood mounted to Hur's
face, and he exclaimed: "Miriam! Vnever
forced her to marry me. Nay, without my
paying for her eren, after the manner of our
fathers, she became my wife of her own free
will."
"I know it," replied Joshua calmly.
"Still, another than yon had loved and
wooed her longer and more fervently, and
the fires of jealousy bnrn fiercely. But
have no fears. If you were now to get a
hill of divorce and bring-her tome, that I
should open my arms anil tent to her, I
should say; 'Wherefore have yon done
this thing to yourself and to me?'
For X have just now learned what the
love of a woman is and can do, and I was
mistaken when I believed that she loved me
as hotly as I loved her. Yes, and In the
coarse of my wanderings, with fetters on my
feet, in grief and misery, I vowed to my
self that X would devote all tbat is in me of
the fire and foroe of love to no single creat
ure, but all to my people. .Not eren the
love of woman shall ever tarn me away from
the great duty X hare taken upon me. And
as for your wife, X am as a stranger to her,
unless it be tnat sbe sends lor me, as a
prophetess, to declare to me some new pur
pose of the Lord." And he, on his part,
held out his hand and Hnr took it
To be continued next Sunday.
11F1 OP SHOOTING STABS
Mrrladi of Iilttle Sleicori That May Hare
Wondered for Aces.
A small body, perhaps as large as a paving-stone
or larger, more often perhaps not
as large as a marble, is moving round the
sun. Just as a mighty planet revolves in
an ellipse, so this small object will more
round and round in an ellipse, with the sun
in the focus. There ate at the present mo
ment, we find in "The Story of the
Heavens," inconceivable myriads of such
meteors moving in this manner. They are
too small and too) distant for our telescopes,
and we can never see tbem except under ex
traordinary circumstances. At the time we
see the meteor it is usually moving witn
enormous velocity, so that it often traverses
a distance of more than 20 miles in a second
of time. Such a velocity is almost impossi
ble near the earth surface; the resistance of
the air would prevent it Aloft, in the
emptiness ot space, there is no air to resist
the meteors. It' may have been moving
round and round the sun for thousands, per
haps for millions of years, without let or
hindrance; but the supreme moment arrives,
and the meteor perishes in a streak of
splendor.
In the coarse of its wandering the body
comes nearer the eartfa,and within a few hun
dred miles of its surface of course begins to en
counter the upper surface of the atmos
phere with which the earth is inclosed. To
a body moving with the appalling velocity
of a meteor, a plunge into the atmosphere
is usually fatal. Even though the upper
layers of air are excessively attenuated, yet
they suddenly check the velocity, almost as
a rifle bullet would be checked when fired
into water. As the meteor rushes through
the atmosphere the friction of the air warms
its surface, gradually it becomes red-hot,
then white-hot, and is finally driren off
into vapor with a brilliant light, while we
on the earth, one or two hnndred miles be
low, exclaim: "On look! there is a shooting
star!" '
EXCITING WOLF HDNT8.
How tbe Iiapps Panne and Kill the Beta
deer's Destroyer.
Tooth's Companion.
The Swedish Lapps live entirely with, by,
and upon the reindeer. A Lapp who owns a
thousand deer is a very rich man; but as
taxes are assessed upon the number of deer,
he is inclined to under-estimate his herd.
The most dangerous enemy to tha herd is
the wolf, which if disposed, can kill 30 deer
in a night A band of wolves can make a
rich Lapp poor.
When the snow is deep and soft, and it is
announced that the wolf-tracks have been
seen in the neighborhood oi the deer, the
swiftest runners on snow-shces prepare for
an exciting chase. The wolf may have a
start of a mile or two, but the track it leaves
in the deep.soft snow is so prominent that the
hunters can follow It at their bestspeed. The
wolf, though he may run fast, has but a
slight chance for escaping the short men
who, on snow-shoes, rush through the wood,
dart down steepfhills, and jump from ledges
several yards in height.
Each hunter does his best to outrun the
others, for the wolf belongs to the Lapp who
strikes the first blow. As soon as the lead
ing hunter is close enough to the wolf, he
gives It a heavy blow across the loins with
his strong, spiked snow-shoe staff. If there
are other wolves to be pursued, he kills it
outright; if not,he disables it, and waits till
all the hunters have arrived, before giving
the death stroke.
A Saoitltnte Bill.
Mrs. Kidby Ntfpop, (to her unmarried
brolber-in-ltw) Batchley, would you very
much mind taking the baby out in his car
riage, while the nurse goes for a walk ?
Batchlev W-W-Wouldn't it d-d-de jnst
as well if X t-t-took the n-n-nurse out in
m-m.m-m-my carriage, while the b-b-baby
went for a w-w-walk ? Puck.
Bather Wearlaa.
"Why don't von go to work 1 Why do
yea waete yonr time begging ?"
"DWyoH ever beg?"
Hej ereourseBot.
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ATOM VB MKmTWn Wl MVmT IU11, Afl " I
AMONG THfi INDIANS.
Descendahts of the Cliff Dwellers as
Agriculturists.
A TEISB OP EELIGIOUS EEDJHEN
Who Wonld Kot Allow BnsinessInter-
fArn With rtn -
"- ' I4.J.
GOOD WOBK OP THE 1KDIAIT SCHOOLS
tcozBZSTOAuaacB or tbz dispatch.!
Bed Bock, Otoe Aoeuct, tjtd. T., De
cember 14. General Armstrong, United
States Indian Inspector, has been with us. ,
He has been an Indian Inspector for fiva
years. His term of office expires in 11a y.
He has visited every GoTernment,and mis
sion school in the United States, and hia
riews concerning the Indians are practical.
He takes a practical view of ererything. v
He is neither a fanatic nor a scoffer. He
told the Chilocco superintendent, who is a
Methodist minister, that they had too many
Bibles there and not enough soap.
He has visited the Moqny Indians who
lire in Arizona. They are a peculiar tribe.
In form and features they are superior to the
Indians of this Territory. The women are
really handsome, resembling the beautiful
Spanish women of Mexico. The single
women are distinguished from the married
by the way they wear their hair. The
raising of their crops is a proof of the
homely old maxim of "Where there is a
will, there is a way." The soil is too sandy
to plow, so they take sticksjtnd reach away
down below the sand until they come to the
moist earth, thrust in their grains of corn
and in the harrest time reap a fair crop.
The Moquy Indians are descendants of the
ancient clift dwellers. They, too, build
their houses away up on tbe rocky cliffs and
Eop in and out of their eyries like the storm
irds we read about.
The General also told of a tribe of Indians
he risited who are renowned for their piety.
They are devout Catholics, and hare taken
a French name which means "nierced
heart." The Jesuits were the first mission
aries tbat risited them. To simplify the ,
suffering and death of Christ, His sorrow for -the
human race, they showed them the pict
ure of two hearts pierced. When he was
among them to arrange with them to gire '
the right of way through their country for a
great railway corporation, in the midst
of railroad magnates, expert lawyers and
Government officials, ana perplexed with
an important interest to settle they did not
forget their religion. The General relates
graphically how they were all seated around
the council fire when the bell at the mission
rang. In the midst of business of rsst im
portance to them and their white brothers,
the chief rose modestlr, and through the in
terpreter, said that they were accustomed
whenerer within sound of that bell to
KNEEL FOB PKAYKES.
They begged to be excused for a few min
utes. And right there, before their worldly
audience, they knelt derontly and prayed.
The effect was electrical. It has left its im
press upon the General, for with a voice
tremulous with emotion and a tear glisten
ing in his ere, he told his story. It had a
practical effect upon the others. "Such
people as these can be trusted," they said.
The right of way was secured, and the
privilege given to each member of the
tribe to ride free on the road whenerer they
wished.
The Genoa Indian school, in Nebraska, is
highly spoken of. There are 175 Indian
boys and girls there. The majority are
Sioux and Winnebagos. There are some
Arapahoes also. The Indian children make
ail their own clothing, tbe Government fur
nishing the material. The wedding suit of
one of the employes was made at tho ichoolmi
by an Indian boy. They raise broom corn
and make brooms, small whisk brooms and
large ones. General Armstrong told one
of the broom makers that he was very
dusty, and would like to have a whisk
broom. The boy said they had none made.
The General said: "Well, I'll wait until
you. make one." In 20 minutes he was pre
sented with a nice, neat, well-made broom
that costs 25 cents in the stores. They
make them at the school and sell them.
They cost the school about 3 cents each.
They have plucky Indian boys at that
school, and a sharp, practical superinten
dent. Two large boys ran off to see the
world. After they had seen enough they
wrote to tbe Superintendent that if he would
send them some money they would come
back. He answered and said: "Don't care
whether you come back or not, we haven't
any money for tbat purpose, and I guess we
don't need yon." Bat they were anxious to
get back, hired out to some farmers, earned
enough to pay their fare on the' railroad,
and one bright morning walked into the
school, wiser and better boys-
The Genoa school has done well. They
have raised on 222 acres of land 5,000 bush
els of corn, 1,100 bushels of potatoes, 1,275
bushels of oats, 300 bushels of onions, 3,600
heads of cabbage, 1,000 ot which was made
Into sonrkrout, 300 bushels of tomatoes, 80
t6ns of hay, 20 acres of broom corn and 10
acres ot sugar cane, which yielded 75 gallons
of molasses.
A JOKE OK THE BEAVE3.
At the San Carlos agency in Arizona the
war-like Apaches are being civilized at the
point of the bayonet. In that dry country
irrigation is necessary, and to bring the
water from the mountain streams they are
digging ditches, and the Apaches are doing
the work, "packing" the dirt away in huge
baskets strapped on their backs. One morn
ing they told the soldiers that the squaws
ought to pack the baskets, so much similar,
you know, to the way they carry the
papooses, and they thought that was surely
the squaws work. The soldiers agreed. So
the next morning the squaws brought the
baskets. The soldiers ordered them to set
them down, then ordered the Indian men to
fill them and carry them and ordered the
sqnaws to return to camp. They left and
all squatted on a hill overlooking the scene
and laughed at their husbands, fathers and
brothers. At the San Carlos school they
have 40 Indian boys to learn English. They
have had a teacher there who seemed to pay
more attention to singing than to anything
else. He really was an excellent singer.
During General Armstrong's visit there he
asked one of the boys to do some work on
the blackboard. The boy shuffled up.
looked at tbe blackboard awhile, turned
around and said: "Me no savey work on
blackboard, but me heap savey 'Hold the
Fort" The General called for the song
and they did sing it, and sang it with a ven
geance. .Bed Bibb.
An Economical Idea.
Detroit Free Press.
The slowest walking horses in the world
are to be found in Germany. They are
trained to a slow gait on the theory that the
slower they move the bettor they will keep
their flesh. A great many American livery
men seem to have caught on to this idea in
the last two or three years.
RADALTS
MICROBE KILLER
CUBES ALL DISEASES.
The claim to cure all diseases, may at first
glance seem very absurd; bat after reading our
pamphlet giving a history ot the Microbe
Killer, explaining the germ theory ot disease.
and reading our testimonials, which prove con-
the truth ot our assertion becomes clear. Noj
person suffering from any blood, chronic org
contagious disease should let adaypasswtth-I
ont getting and reading this Interesting book;?
wmen win oe given awav or maiiea iree. J ne m
grntlemen connected with this company areji.C,
well-known buslucis men of tbis city. A;onUfe utj
wanted ererywnere. Address j?3
he Wm- Kadam Microbe Ki erCo.
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