THE GAZELLE
"SHALL I help?" asked Solomon.
"Yes, indeed. Take the seeds in the skirts of your coat and come along,"
was the answer.
Solomon and Esther were visiting some friends in a village near
Jerusalem. It was the month of December and the time to plant the crops
in Palestine.
"After we have scattered the grain," Solomon's friend Levi said, "the
camel shall help us plough the ground. Then the seed will take care of
itself."
It did not surprise Solomon to hear of a camel drawing a plough.
Levi's camel was as useful to him as horses are to farmers in America.
Solomon and Esther had been at their friend's many times when the
great, slow, clumsy animal helped his master about the farm and garden.
"He isn't handsome, but I love the dear old fellow," said Levi. "He is
more patient than most camels. I know he is slow beside some of his
fellows, but he cannot help that." Levi stroked the camel's head.
"There, see! He likes to have me notice him as well as my new pet."
The camel bent his head down toward his master, with a look that said as
plainly as words, "I love you, master, for you are kind to me."
"What is the new pet, Levi?" asked Solomon.
"When I get through my sowing, you may go into the house and call
Esther. Then you two shall see it together."
Solomon could hardly wait for Levi to finish his work. But at last the
seeds were all scattered.
"I won't go at the ploughing just yet. I am tired, and it is warm. We
will rest awhile. I know you are anxious to find out what I have to show
you. I got it for my wife, Rebecca."
Levi was a young man and had been married only a short time. He was very
fond of his pretty wife, and liked to have surprises for her. He led the
way to the house where Esther was talking with Rebecca.
"Solomon wishes to see our new pet," he said. "Have you told Esther
about it?"
"Not yet. We will all go together," answered the young Jewess.
They went out to the stable and Levi pointed to a bed of straw over in
the corner. There something lay curled up and sound asleep.
"It's a gazelle. Oh, what a beauty!" cried Esther. "It's only a baby
still."
"I never saw such a little one before," said Solomon. "May I take it up
in my arms?"
The gazelle waked up at the sound of voices. It opened its soft, dark
eyes with a frightened look.
"It is very shy," said Rebecca. "But we pet it so much it will soon get
over its fear. You children ought to see it run and frolic with me."
"Here, little one, come and eat," said the gazelle's mistress, in a low,
sweet voice.
It sprang up and started toward Rebecca. But, when it had come half-way,
it became frightened again at the sight of the visitors. The food looked
too tempting, however, and it came to Rebecca's side.
"I believe no other animal has as beautiful eyes as the gazelle. It is
certainly the most graceful of all creatures," said Levi.
"See how white its breast is!" said Esther. "The dear little thing!
Mayn't I hold it for just a minute?"
"Certainly, dear."
Rebecca was very fond of Esther and her brother. She loved to have them
visit her. She picked up the gazelle and put it in the little girl's lap
as soon as she had seated herself on a pile of straw.
Esther patted the gazelle tenderly. "It is better than any doll. I wish
I had one of my own. I should love it dearly."
"I cannot stop any longer now," said Levi. "My old camel is wondering
why I don't go to work. Are you coming with me, Solomon?"
"Of course I am," answered the boy, and the two started for the field.
"What shall we do with ourselves?" asked Rebecca, when she and Esther
had been left alone.
"Oh, I know what you would like," she went on. "We will go over into our
neighbour's orchard. He is gathering olives, and we will watch him."
"I would like that ever so much," answered her little visitor.
It took them only a few minutes to get to the olive orchard. The owner
and his sons were heating the branches with long sticks, and knocking
off the fruit to the ground. Two women were busily at work gathering the
olives in baskets. As soon as a basket was filled, it was carried away
and emptied, and then brought back to be filled again.
It was surprising how quickly the women gathered their loads. Then away
they would step with their baskets on their heads, walking as easily and
gracefully as though they were free of all burdens whatever.
"Come on and help us," they cried to Rebecca and Esther. "The more at
work the merrier we shall be. There are two empty baskets under that
tree."
The visitors were soon busy trying to see if they could fill their
baskets as quickly as the others did.
"I am not tempted to eat the olives," said Esther. "They are too bitter.
But I am very fond of them after they are pickled."
"So are we all," answered one of the women. "I don't know how we should
get along without olives and the oil we make from them."
"They say the Christians not only eat that unclean animal, the pig, but
they also use its fat for cooking, just as we use olive oil," said
Rebecca.
"Ugh! What a horrid idea. I should be afraid to eat anything in the
house of a Christian, for fear of being poisoned," cried Esther. "Mamma
has told me they sometimes die of diseases we Hebrews never have. It is
probably because they eat pork and use lard."
"No doubt of it, Esther," answered Rebecca. "It is a wise law of our
religion that forbids us to eat any food obtained from the hog."
"We must not stop to talk too much, though. See! our friends are getting
ahead of us."
Nothing more was said for some time.
"It is surprising how quickly we finished," said one of the women to
Rebecca, as the last basket was emptied. "It is because our friends gave
us so much help. Won't you come to the house with us now and have a
luncheon?"
"No, thank you," answered Rebecca. "It is nearly supper time, and I must
go home and do some cooking."
"I am anxious to see the dear little gazelle again," said Esther.
As she walked back to her friend's house Rebecca told her stories about
wild gazelles.
"They like to keep together," she said. "They are very fond of each
other's company. While they are feeding, one of them stands on guard to
see if any enemies are stealing upon them. If he hears a sound that
means danger, he gives the alarm and away the flock flees like the
wind."
"I have often heard father speak of being as fleet as a gazelle," said
Esther. "But what are its worst enemies?"
"The lion and the leopard, I suppose. Poor little creature! If a lion
takes it by surprise, there is little hope for its life. Its only chance
is in flight.
"There are times when less dangerous animals come upon a herd of
gazelles, and then they make a stand to defend themselves. They gather
in a close mass, with the mothers and little ones in the centre. The
males make a ring on the outside, pointing their horns toward the
enemy."
"Isn't it wonderful they should be so wise? How did you learn so much
about gazelles, Rebecca?"
"Levi told me. But I must hurry now to get supper. We are going to have
something nice."
Rebecca was a good cook. Although Esther was quite hungry from being
out-of-doors so much, it did not seem very long before a roast goose and
a dish of onions were steaming on the supper table.
"It is ready just in time, Levi," said his wife, as her husband and
Solomon came into the house.
"I am quite tired, but the smell of the supper is enough to make me
forget all about it. Tired as I was, though, I stopped to feed my
faithful camel."
"How old is he?" asked Solomon.
"My father had him before he was six months old, and that was twenty
years ago. I was a little fellow just toddling about then. So, you see,
the camel and I grew up together."
[Illustration: LEVI AND HIS CAMEL.]
"It is no wonder you love him, Levi," said Solomon. "I don't believe I
ever saw a baby camel."
"Isn't it hard work training a camel to obey you, and to kneel at your
command?"
"Father said he had to use a great deal of patience at first. The camel
kicked and fought and grumbled before he could be made to bend his
knees. Even now, he scolds a good deal about obeying, as you children
know."
"Esther and I saw a camp of Bedouins on our way here," said Solomon.
"They were tending a flock of beautiful sheep. One of the shepherds was
holding a new-born lamb in his bosom."
"Those fierce Bedouins are tender to their flocks, but cruel to men,"
said Levi. "You cannot trust them for a moment. They look down upon us
village people. But in our hearts we scorn them."
"They are dreadful thieves," said Rebecca. "When I was up in Jerusalem,
the other day, I heard a story about a Bedouin woman who went last
summer into a rich man's garden. The owner of the place was just coming
into the entrance when he met the woman with a basket of lettuce on her
head. She was a relation of one of his servants. He stopped and asked
her several questions about her errand there. She told him she had just
been to his place to try to sell her lettuce, but she could not do it,
as the garden contained all his family could use.
"The gentleman supposed she was telling the truth. What was his
surprise, then, when he found out after she was safe out of sight that
the woman had stolen every head of lettuce out of his garden!"
"It is just like the deceitful creatures," said Levi. "I dislike the
sight of them."
"Are you going to have much honey this year?" asked Solomon.
"Yes, I have several swarms of bees, and I hope they will do well."
"It won't be long before we shall have some fresh honey," said Rebecca.
"Then you children must pay us another visit, for I know you like sweet
things."
"I wish we didn't need to go home to-morrow. But mother said we mustn't
stay here any longer this time. By and by, though, there will be more
wild flowers to pick, and I had rather be here then. I love to get big
bunches of tulips and poppies and trim the house with them."
"How many red flowers we have here in Palestine!" said Rebecca.
She did not know that Christian travellers from other parts of the world
speak of them as the "Saviour's Blood Drops." They are sure to notice
the fields dotted with brilliant scarlet flowers.
"Do you want me to tell you a story of King Solomon?" asked Levi. "Your
speaking of the honey and the flowers put it into my mind."
"Of course we do," said both children.
"Very well, then. It is about the visit of the Queen of Sheba with her
generals and armies. As she approached, the great king received her
sitting on his throne in that wondrous palace of which you have heard so
much.
"'Is he as wise as people say?' the queen said to her attendants. 'I
will find this out for myself.'
"Now it happened that her subjects were noted for their skill in making
artificial flowers. Those who made it their business to study flowers
could not tell the difference between real ones and these imitation
ones, they were so perfect.
"The queen decided to test King Solomon's wisdom in this matter. She
ordered two beautiful wreaths to be prepared. One was to be made of
real flowers and the other of artificial ones. Taking the two wreaths in
her hands, she presented herself before the king.
"'Choose one of these for yourself,' she said.
"There seemed to be no choice as to which he would take, although he
looked at them closely. But his wise mind told him there must be some
difference. The birds and insects could tell him which one to take. He
looked out of a window and saw honey-bees in the garden below. Then he
knew what to do. He ordered the window to be opened. The breeze carried
the odour of the flowers out to the bees and they came flying into the
room.
"You can easily guess they alighted on the wreath of real flowers. The
artificial ones did not attract them in the least. Then Solomon spoke.
"'The bees have told me which wreath to choose,' he said."
"The Queen of Sheba found out that the king was truly wise, didn't she?"
said Solomon.
"Yes, Solomon, and you who are named for him should always remember what
the Queen of Sheba learned,--that there is one thing worth more than
riches or beauty."
"And that is wisdom," said Rebecca, softly.