JOSHUA.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 217, 13 September 1890, Page 1 (Supplement)

JOSHUA.

A STORY OF Egyptian - Israelitish Life.

By GEORGE EBERS, Author of " Uanla." "An Egyptian Princess," qtc.

Now First Published.

(Copyright 1889 by S. S. McClure)

CHAPTER Xll.—(Continued.)

Miriam 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 fervour, which sprang from his hearb, and which waa usually foreign to the stern, imperious nature of this chief of an unruly tribe of herdsmen : ' Yes, they have ever been good and true and dutiful. God has protected them and granted me to see this joyful day. Now it lies with you to make it a high feast day. You muse long since have seen thab 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 people and their welfare, and that constitutes a I bond between us. Bub I would fain be bound to you by a yet stronger tie, and whereas your parents are dead, and 1 cannot go" to Amram with the bride gitt 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 any son and grandson are ready to honour you the head of our house as they honour me, and thab I have your brother's permission to approach you aa a suitor.' Miriam had listened to this proposal in speechless surprise. She held the man who pleaded so warmly in high esteem, and was well inclined toward him. Notwithstanding his ripe age he stood before her in all the sbrength of manhood 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 reply was a regretful shake of the head. Bub this man, the head of his tribe, who was accustomed to go straight to the end of anything he had resolved upon, was nbt deterred by this silent rejection, and went on more fervently than before : 'Do not in one moment overthrow the cherished hopes of many years ! Is it my age thab repels you ?' And once moro Miriam shook her head. But Hur again spoke : • That, indeed, was what troubled me, although in strength and vigour 1 could measure myself againsb many a younger man. And if you could bub overlook your suitor's grey hairs you might perhaps bring yourself to consider his request. Of. the truth and dovotion of my suit I will Bay nothing. No man sues to a woman ab my age unless his hearb urges him with great power. But there is another thing which to me eeems of no less weight. I would fain, as I have said, take you home bo my house. There it 6bands; ib is strong and roomy enough; bub, from to-morrow, a tent inneb be a roof, a camp our dwellingplace, 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 ; the hasty impulse of the people is their only law. No one is secure even of his life, leasb of all a woman, however strong she may feel herself, who casts in her lot with thoee againsb whom the multitude murmur. 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, drae you with me, , replied Miriam, and her thick, black browß were gloomily knib. • Thab danger I am prepared to face,' answered Hur. ' Our lot is in the hands of the Lord ; my faith is as firm as your 3, and behind me stands the whole tribe of Judah, which follows mo and Nahshon as a flock follows the shepherd. Old Nun and the Ephraimitee are faithful to us, and if ib came to the worsb ib would bo our duty to perish as God wills, or, after reaching the Promised Land, to wait in pabience for our labter end in faithful union, in wealth and power.' j At this Miriam looked him full and fearlessly in the eyes, and laid her hand on hie arm, saying: • Such words are worthy of the man I have revered from my childhood, the father of such eons. Yet 1 cannot be 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 thereason of my refusal, and inasmuch as I honour 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 his father, and if he, like Uri and Bezaleel, has obeyed them, and still desires bo have me )to wife, I will go to him if ib be the Lord's will, whom I serve and who granta me of His grace to hear Hie voice. Bub I will ever think thankfully of you.' As she spoke the girl's large eyes glistened through tears, and her grey-haired suitor's voice quivered as he asked her shyly and hesitatingly: • But if the man you wait for—l do not seek to know his name—if he turns a deaf ear to the call that has gone forth to him, if he refuses to throw in his lob wibh bhe uncertain lob of his nation ?' ' Thab can never be.!' cried Miriam ; but a cold chill ran 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 to your hearb when you were yeb a foolish child ?' •Then will He• show me the right way, by which Hβ hath led me until now.' • Well, well, , said Hur, * build on that foundation, and if the man of your choice is worthy of you and becomes your husband, my eoul shall rejoice without envy if the Lord shall bless your union. Bub" if, indeed, God wills ib otherwise, and you shall crave a strong arm on which to lean, here am I. The hearb and bhe tenb of Hur will be ever open to you. , He hurried away. Miriam gazed after him, lost in thought, till the proud and princely figure was out of eight. Then she made her way back toward the home of her protectors ; bub as she crossed the way leading to Tanis, she 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. Is was with a heavy eigh and drooping head that she went on her way, and bhe sound of her brother Moses's deep voice made her start as she reached the sycamore.

CHAPTER XIII. Aaron and Eleazar in stirring vrorde had reminded the murmuring, disheartened people of the might and promises of their God. Those who had stretched themselves out quietly to rest, after being refreshed by drink and food, found their lost confidence revived. The freed bondsmen remembered cho cruel slavery and degrading blows from which they had escaped, acknowledging, as

the others did, that ib was by God's providence bhafc Pharaoh was not pursuing them. The rich supplies, which were sbill being distributed from the plundered storehouse, contributed nob a libble to re-aminate their courage, and the serfs aud lepers—for they, for the moat part, had marched forth also, and were resting outside the.camp—inshorb, 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 anyone knowing who had started the question, it was asked if it would not be wiser to turn back and tru3t to Pharaoh's forgiveness. Those who uttered ib did so secretly, and had often, to take a sharp or threatening answer. Miriam had come oub to meet her brothers, and shared their anxiety. How quickly had the spirit of the peeple been broken in this shorb march by the hob deeerb wind! How discontented, how distrustful, how hostile they had shown themselves ab the very fireb adversity ! How unbridled in following their own wild impulses ! When they had been called together for prayer on the way, a short bime before sunrise, some bad turned toward the sun as ib rose in the east, some had pulled oub images of the gods which they had broughb with them, and others, again, had fixed their eyes on the acacia trees by the road, which were regarded as sacred in many of the provinces by the Nile. Whab, 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 Philista into bhe Promised Land of Palestine, but their demeanour forced him to give up this place and think of another. In order to reach the highway which J connected Asia and Africa, ib was necessary bo paaa over the isthmus, which really divides rather than unites bhe two continents ; but ib 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 broke the level land, and where these did not check the wanderers' march, strong fortifications towered up, in which lay Egyptian troops ready to fighb. Khefcam, or, as the Israelites called ib, Etham, was the name of this range of forts, and the neareeb and etrongesb could bo reached in a few hours by the tribes who were marching from Succoth. With the people full of tho spirit of their God, inspired and prepared for the worst, freed from their chains and rejoicing in bheir newly-gained liberty, rushing along: toward the Promised Land, Moses and the other leaders with him had intended that, like a mountain torrent bursting bhrough dams and sluices, they should annihilate and destroy all who came in their way. With thie inspired throng, whose bold advances mighb achieve the highest triumphs, and to whom cowardly retreat could have meant nothing bub death and destruction, they had expected to overthrow bhe works of tho Etham frontier like a pile of brushwood. But now that a few short hours of weariness and suffering had quenched bhe fire in their souls, now bhab on every side could be seen for every happy, olabed man, two indifferent and five diecontented or frightened, the storming of tho Etham lines would have cost streams iof blood and would have risked all they had already gained. The conquest of tho little garrison in the storehouse at Pitbom happened under such favourable circumstances as they could not expect to occur again, and so the original plan had to be altered and an attempt made to geb 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, anrTMTriam 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 sreoid attacking the forts, even if Joshua, the man skilled in war and chosen by the Lord Himself to be bhe sword of Jehovah, should return. 1 Of whab avail is the bravest leader when there is no army to obey him ?' cried Nahehon, the Ron of Aminadab, and the rest had been of his opinion. When ab length the assembled eldere parted Moses took leave of his sister with brotherly tenderness. She knew that ha had ib in his mind to go forth into fresh dangers, and in the modest way she always used when ehe 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 into her face with kindly reproof, and with his right hand pointed to heaven. She understood him, and kissed his hand with grateful warmbh, saying : • Thou art under the shield of bhe Most High, and I fear no longer. . He pressed hie lips to her brow, and taking her tablets from her, wrote on them a few words and cast them into the hollow stem of the sycamore. ' For Hosea —nay, for Joshua,' said he, 'if he should come while lam absenb. The Lord hath great things for him to do when he shall have learned to trust in him rather than in the mighty ones of the earth.' He quitted her ; but Aaron, who, aR being the elder, was the head of the family, remained with Miriam, and told her thab a worthy man had asked for her to be his wife; she turned pale and answered : • I know ib. . He looked her in the face,much surprised, and wenb on in a tone of grave warning : 'Ib musb be as you will, but ib would be well that you should reflect thab 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 naught to the other they are no more one bub two. The voice of the serises whicijLcall them together is presently silent, and what} remains is a gulf between them.' With these words he left her, and she, too, turned to quit the assembly, for perhaps now, on the eve of their departing, she mighb be needed in the house of which she was an inmate; but a new incident arose to keep her by the sycamore, as if she were bound and fettered to ib. Whab could the packing matter, aud the care for perishable treasure and worldly goods, when questions here were raised which stirred her whole soul ? There was EHeheba, Nahehon's wife, and any housewife or slave woman could do the home work; here there were other matters to decide, the weal or woe of the nation. Certain men of the better sorb from among the people had by this time joined themselvee bo the elders under the sycamore, bub Hur had departed with Moses. Now Uri, the son of Hur, came unto the group. He, as a metal worker, but just come from Egypt, had ab Memphis had dealings wibh many aboub bhe court, and he had heard that the King would be willing to relieve the Hebrews of their heaviest burden and to grant them new privileges, if only Moses would entreat the God he served to be favourable to Pharaoh and per- ! suade the people to return as soon as they should have sacrificed in the deserb. So the assembly now proceeded to discuss whether envoys should not be sent 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 mighb save the Hebrews much suffering. Bub hardly had he ended his very dear and persuasive speech when old. Nun, Joshua's father, who had-wibK difficulty held his peace, started up in wrabh. The old man's face, usually so cheerful, was crimson 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 proposals 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 anyone, 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 jusb so long as the present mood of an irresolute weakling who has broken his word to Moses and to us a score of 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 1 Shall we take the false 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 ' And the fierce old man shook his fisb; 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 Zebulon, called out, 'Remember your own son, who at this day is still content 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 part with him, Nun's was heard : 'It is by reason of the fact that, besides the loss of the ten thousand acres of land which 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 know my mind.' His broad breast heaved sorrowfully as he spoke, and now his eyes, beneath their thick, white brows, fell with a milder gleam on the 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 bidbing, 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 all surely not content to dwell with the enemy ; nay, thab he will obey my voice and join himself to ua, even as Cri, the firstborn 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 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 and above all. Till Moses showed me the way, I, too, believed I was serving the Lord by claying an ox, a lamb, or a goose on an altar, as the Egyptians do ■ and now, if your eyes are opened, as mine were by Moses, to behold Him who rules the world and who hath chosen us to be His people, you, like me and all of us—yes, and ere long my own eon—will feel the fire kindled for sacrifice in your own hearts—a fire that never dies out, and consumes 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 ba free lords and masters henceforth on our own soil and in a fair land which is ours and our children's for ever ! We are on our way to this gift, and whosoever would delay us on our way or desires us to return and crawl back into the net whose meshes of brass we have burst asunder, counsels the people to become as sheep who leap back into the fire from which they have escaped. lam 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 thelips of Moses but a few hours since that whosoever shall counsel a return or any covenant with the Egyptians, he himself will accuse as condemning the Lord Jehovah our God, and as the destroyer and foe of Hie people.' At this Uri went up to the old man, held ou'o hie hand, and, deeply persuaded in his heart of the justice of his reproof, exclaimed : ' No dealings, no covenant with the Egyptians ! And lam 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 wenb away with the old man, who leaned his arm upon his shoulder. Miriam had listened with breathless eagerness to Uri'a 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. None seemed to have missed her, not even poor, forlorn Milcah, and she felt herself alone indeed in this house. If Joshua might bufc come, if only she might iind a strong breast on which to lean, if this senee of being a stranger among her kindred might have an end—this useless life under, the roof which she must call her home, although she had never felt at home there ! Moses and Aaron, her brothers, had departed, and had taken with them Hur's grandson ; and she, who lived and breathed only for her people and their well-being had not been found worthy to be told more particularly 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 tho form of a woman ? She waited awhile as if to see whether, of all this circle of kind hearts, her kith and kin, there was not one to love her, listening to the chatter of old and young who surrounded her; but Eleazar's children gathered about their grandparents and she had never had the art of attracting the! little ones. Dame Elisheba was directing the slaves who were putting the finishing touches to the luggage. 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 efforb nob to cast the gloom of her own dark mood over the happy excitement of the children, who looked forward with greab 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 wore 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 quarrelling 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 happen at sunrise, when the people were to

seb forth, if the malcontents gained the upper hand. She knew that the multitude must necessarily move onward; still she' had never been able to subdue her fears of: Pharaoh's mighty army. It was personified to her in Joshua's heroic form. If the Lord ■ of Hosts Himself were nob with the ranks of these wretched bondsmen and shepherds, who were squabbling and fightingfall aboub her, how should they be able to stand against the tried and well-armed, troops of Egypt, with their chariots and horses ? She had heard that men had been placed on guard at every part 01, the camp and ordered to blow a blast on a horn or drum on a metal plate in the event of the enemy's approach till the Hebrews should have come together at the spot where the 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 horso, the firm tread and the deep voice of the warrior for whom, she longed. Looking for him she made her way to the northern side of the camp next the road to Tanis, where, too, by Moses' order the larger portion of the fighting men had pitched their tents. Here she had hoped to find nothing but confidence', but as she listened to the talk of the men-at-arms, who sat in large parties round the watch fires, ehe shuddered to hear thut Uri's counsel had reached even to them. Many of them were husbands and fathers, bad left a house or a plot of land, a business or an office, and although many spoke of the commands of the Lord and of the fair land, promised them by God, others were minded to turn back. She would gladly have go,ne amongthemand have called upon these blind hearts to obey the bidding of the Lord and of her brother. • But here again she must keep silent. However, she might at 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 pleasure when the fires died out, the men'retired to resfa and silence fell. Now, for the last time, she gazed out on the way from Tanis, but nothing stirred except the watch pacing 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, mu3t certainly have reached him ; now, however, as she read in the stars that ib was past midnight, she began to reflect how many years he had dwelt among the Egyptians, and that he might think it unworthy of a man to hearken to the call of a woman, even when she spoke in the name of the Mo3t High. She had endured much humiliation this day ; why should not this also be hanging over her ? To the man she loved, likewise, she ought, perhaps, to have kept silence and have left it to her brothers to declare the Lord's behests to him,

(To be Continued.)