THE CAVE
"WHICH way did you come?" asked Levi, as he helped the two little girls
down from the ass's back. Solomon had walked by their side all the way.
"We passed through the Jaffa gate and then took the shortest way down
here into the valley," said Esther.
Jerusalem is surrounded by walls. There are seven gates through which
the city may be entered or left. But the Jaffa and Damascus gates are
the ones most used.
"We saw a Bedouin riding a beautiful horse. He was in full dress, and
looked just elegant," said Solomon. "I should like to own a horse like
his."
"Tell me how he was dressed," said Rebecca.
"His long, wide cloak must have been quite new. I could tell, because
the yellow stripes looked so clean and bright. The shawl bound around
his head and hanging down over his shoulders was pure white," said
Miriam.
"His high red leather boots were the handsomest part of his dress. There
were tassels at the sides, of course," interrupted Solomon. "But his
sash! You ought to have seen the shining dagger and the pistol that were
stuck in it. My! the man looked as though he were ready to meet any one.
"His horse was a beauty, too. She was decked with red woollen tassels
that reached clear to the ground. She snorted and stepped off with the
spirit of a war-horse. You know the tassels are useful in keeping off
the flies. There are such swarms of them the poor beasts suffer very
much."
[Illustration: A BEDOUIN.]
"But come along, children, I know you want to have a romp under the
trees. You need not stay here talking any longer."
While Levi was speaking, Rebecca put her arm around Miriam's waist and
tried to make her feel at home. She had not been to Jerusalem since the
little orphan had come to live with Esther and Solomon.
"She is a sweet child," she thought. "Not as strong as Esther nor as
brave as Solomon. But she will be grateful for kindness. I feel sure of
that when I look into her eyes."
In a few minutes Rebecca and Levi were playing with their young company
as though they were children themselves.
"To-morrow we will have a little picnic, and I will take you to a cave
you have never visited," promised Levi, as his young visitors were
bidding him good night.
"It is a pleasant walk there, and not so far as to tire us," added
Rebecca.
The next morning was bright and clear. The breakfast was soon eaten,
after which, Esther and Miriam helped Rebecca clean up the house and
prepare the lunch they were to carry.
While they were waiting for Levi and Solomon to finish some farm work,
the little girls had a chance to pet the gazelle and the tame sheep of
which Rebecca had written them.
At last they were all ready to start. It was a pleasant walk, as Rebecca
had said, yet there were several rough and rather wild places to pass
through.
"Almost all the caves around here are made of limestone," said Levi. "It
is so soft that the rains wear great hollows in the rocks."
"Did you ever go to the cave of Adullam, Levi?" asked Solomon.
"Yes, once when I was a boy. It is beyond Bethlehem. I had heard father
speak of it. He told me that King David hid there with four hundred of
his followers."
"Four hundred! It must be a very big cave, then," said Esther.
"You would think so, if you once got inside. There is one hall that is
thirty-eight yards long. There are several passages leading into it.
Some are so low that one has to crawl through them on his hands and
knees. Others spread out into large chambers. Many of these chambers are
very beautiful. The water has trickled down the walls and worn the soft
limestone into the loveliest patterns."
"How could you see, Levi? wasn't it dark inside the cave?" asked
Solomon.
"Of course it was, but every one in the party carried a lighted torch or
candle. The torches gave light enough to show the beautiful ornaments."
"There is our own cave ahead of us," said Rebecca. "Of course I mean it
is the one we are to visit," she added, with a laugh.
All the children could see was a great mass of rocks on the side of a
hill. As they drew nearer, they spied a small hole near the ground.
"Must we crawl through that hole?" asked Esther, with a shiver.
"It is larger than you imagine," replied Levi. "Besides, you only have
to crawl a few feet. After that the way opens up quite suddenly. I will
go first with my torch. Then you can all follow."
"I'm afraid," Miriam whispered to Esther. She did not wish Solomon to
hear her. She feared he would make fun of her.
"Hold on to my hand and have courage. I will go ahead of you," was the
answer.
One by one, they passed through the opening.
"Isn't this fun!" cried Solomon as they all stood in the chamber worn
out of the rocks.
"It makes me feel queer to think of being underground," said Esther.
"Hark! What's that noise?" said Miriam, in a frightened voice.
"It's only a family of bats we have taken by surprise. They are not used
to callers," said Levi.
The bats were more frightened than Miriam. They flew about in a blind
way. Several times they almost brushed against the faces of Rebecca and
Levi, the tallest ones in the party.
"Ugh! I don't like bats," said Miriam. "I am going outside."
"Just wait a minute until I see if there are any pretty decorations on
the walls. Look! Here is just what I was searching for."
Levi held his torch up near the roof.
"Isn't it beautiful? How can Nature work in such a regular pattern?"
said Rebecca, half to herself.
"It is because she is the handmaiden of the Lord," replied Levi,
reverently.
After they had left the cave and were once more out in the bright
sunshine, the children were allowed to choose a place for the picnic
dinner. They had brought water for bathing the hands and face as well as
for drinking. Levi had told them before they started that there was no
well or spring near the place.
After they had washed and prayed, they were all ready to enjoy the nice
luncheon Rebecca had prepared.
"Tell us stories about King David, won't you, please Levi?" asked
Solomon. "When you spoke of the cave of Adullam this morning you said
David hid there with a great many of his followers. I suppose that made
me think of him now."
"I should like nothing better," said Levi, stretching himself out on
the ground. "But would you all like to hear about the 'Sweet Singer of
Israel'?"
"Indeed we would," sounded a chorus of voices.