cried, “an evil thing has happened. David sent men to salute our master,
and he railed on them, and sent them away empty. But, indeed, David and
his band were very good to us shepherds. We were not hurt, neither
missed we anything, as long as we were in the fields. They were a wall
to us, both by night and by day. What shall we do? You know the might of
David; he will come and destroy us all. And not one of us dares say a
word to Nabal.”
Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves of bread, and two
skin bottles of wine, and five sheep dressed for roasting, and five
baskets of parched corn, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two
hundred cakes of figs. These she packed on the backs of asses, and said
to her servants: “Go on with these before me. I will come after you.”
And without a word to Nabal she hurried to meet David.
Thus they climbed the hill, the servants and the mistress, and there at
the bottom was a cloud of flying dust, and under the cloud was David
with his men, hastening with all speed to punish Nabal.
And when Abigail saw David she alighted and bowed down to the ground
before him. “Let not my lord,” she said, “regard my husband, who is a
foolish person. See, here is a present, all that you can wish. Do not
shed blood without a cause. I know that the Lord will certainly make my
lord victorious over all the land, because my lord fights the battles of
the Lord and does no evil. And the enemies of my lord shall the Lord
sling out as from the middle of a sling. And it shall come to pass, when
the Lord shall have made thee ruler over Israel, thou wilt be glad to
remember that thou hast shed no blood without a cause, or in revenge.”
And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which
sent thee this day to meet me, and blessed be thy advice, and blessed be
thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from
avenging myself with my own hand. For in very deed, as the Lord God of
Israel liveth, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely by
the morning light both Nabal and all that belong to him should have
perished miserably.”
Then David received her gift, and said to her, “Go up in peace to thy
house. See, I have harkened to thy voice and have accepted thy person.”
So Abigail turned about and went one way, and David turned about and
went the other way.
Nabal’s men were eating and drinking, as Abigail came home, sitting at a
feast fit for a king. Nabal was drunken, and merry with the foolish
merriment of drink. So she told him nothing, either less or more, until
the morning light.
Then she said, “Nabal, yesterday your life was in great danger, and I
saved you. David was on his way here with four hundred men, and I met
him and turned him back.”
And Nabal was so filled with terror that his heart, for the moment,
ceased to beat: as if he had been walking in his sleep and had waked to
find himself on the very edge of a steep cliff. And his fright and the
liquor he had drunk brought on a sudden sickness. He went to bed, and
never got up again: and in ten days he was dead.
Now David’s wife, the princess Michal, had been taken from him by the
king and married to another man. And, anyhow, it was then the custom
for men to have more wives than one. So when the tidings of the death of
Nabal came to David, his heart turned toward the brave and beautiful
lady who had stopped him on the road. And again a band of messengers
from David approached the house which had once been Nabal’s, but this
time they asked in David’s name not for bread and meat, but for the hand
of Abigail. And Abigail, remembering the grace and courtesy of the bold
outlaw, consented.
XXXVIII
THE ADVENTURE OF THE KING’S SPEAR
Wherever King Saul went he carried his tall spear. When he sat at the
table, he had it close beside him, as his son Jonathan knew by sad
experience. He even took it with him when he went to bed, leaning it
against the wall beside his pillow as he slept. Of course, then, when he
went to capture David he bore his spear over his shoulder. Thus he set
out, and three thousand men with him.
Word had come to the king that David was hiding in a certain place. Men
came one day from a place called Ziph, and said to Saul, “O king, David
has hid himself in the hill of Hachilah. Come quick, and catch him.”
For the men of Ziph, like a great many other quiet people, were much
afraid of David. Indeed, we may well believe that while lion-killers and
giant-slayers are very pleasant persons to meet in the pages of books, a
band of five or six hundred of them might be objectionable neighbors.
Nabal was not the only sheepmaster who wished that they were all in
Jericho, or in some other remote place on the other side of the river
Jordan. So the men of Ziph did their best to get rid of them. “Now is
the time,” they said, “to capture David. He and his men are hiding in
the hill of Hachilah.”
So Saul set forth, with his three thousand, and to the hill of Hachilah
they came. And being tired after their long march, the first thing that
they did was to pitch their camp on the side of the hill. Then they laid
them down and went to sleep, for it was dark. Saul had five times as
many men as David, so nobody was afraid. They did not take even the
common precaution of a guard to keep awake and watch. Saul slept, and
his uncle Abner the captain slept, and all the soldiers slept, in the
shelter of the rocks and under the thick bushes. And the moon came out
and looked upon Saul’s camp, and there they lay, all the three thousand,
sound asleep, while a single spark of light reflected from the sky shone
on the tip of the spear which showed where the king lay beneath.
Then from behind the rocks, high up the hill of Hachilah, who should
come softly creeping but David himself. He saw the sleeping camp, and in
the midst of it the king’s spear stuck in the ground by the king’s
pillow. And he spoke to Abishai, who was beside him. “Who,” he said,
“will go down with me to Saul to the camp?”
[Illustration: DAVID WITH THE KING’S SPEAR]
And immediately Abishai spoke up and said, “I will go with you.”
For Abishai thought that David was the best and bravest of all men, the
very pattern of heroism and chivalry.
So down they went, stealing silently along among the sleeping soldiers,
like Gideon among the tents of the Midianites. And there lay Saul
asleep, with a jug of water on one side of him, and his spear stuck in
the ground on the other.
Then whispered Abishai to David, “God hath delivered thine enemy into
thy hand this day. Now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee. See,
here is his spear,--the spear with which he tried to kill thee,--let me
pin him with it to the earth. One blow will be enough.”
But David answered, “Do not touch him. It is true that he tried to kill
me, and is here in pursuit of me. But he is the Lord’s anointed. He is
the king of Israel. I will leave him in the Lord’s hands. Let the Lord
bring him in his own good time to his appointed end, by sickness or by
battle. I will not hurt him. Take away his jug of water and his spear,
and let us go back.”
And this they did. They took away the jug of water and the king’s spear,
and departed. And no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awakened: they
were all asleep.
Then David stood on the top of the hill, and called with a loud voice in
the still night, “Abner!” he cried, “Ho, Abner! Answerest thou not,
Abner?”
And Abner suddenly wakened at the voice of David, and sat up, and looked
about him much confused, and said, “Who calls?”
And David answered from the hill in the light of the moon, “Thou art a
valiant man, Abner! Thou art a mighty captain! Thou art a prudent master
of the king’s body-guard! The king has been in peril of his life, while
you slept. There came one even to his side to kill him, and you knew it
not. Where is the king’s jug of water? Where is the king’s spear?”
And Saul awoke and recognized the voice of David. And he said, “Is this
thy voice, my son David?”
And David said, “It is my voice, O king. Why dost thou pursue me? What
have I done against thee? What evil is in my hand? Thou hast believed
lies about me.”
Then Saul was deeply moved, and said, “I have done wrong. Return, my son
David. I will do thee no more harm, because my life was precious in thy
sight this day. I have played the fool and erred exceedingly.”
But David answered and said, “Behold, the king’s spear. Let one of the
young men come over and fetch it. May the Lord spare me, as I have
spared the Lord’s anointed.”
And Saul replied, “Blessed be thou, my son David. Thou shalt do great
things and prevail.”
Thus David forbore a second time from taking his revenge upon his
enemies. Then David and his six hundred went upon their way, and Saul
and his three thousand went back along the road by which they came.
XXXIX
IN THE LAND OF THE ENEMY
In the midst of David’s troubles with the king of Israel he received a
present from the king of Gath. The king of Gath gave him a town.
It happened in this way. As weeks grew into months, and David, in spite
of Saul’s fair words, did not dare to trust his head within reach of
Saul’s spear, he said to himself at last, “I am afraid that I shall some
day perish at the hand of Saul. What shall I do? Whither shall I turn?
How can I get beyond his reach? I will go over to the enemy. I will
offer my sword, and the swords of my six hundred men, to the
Philistines.”
And that he did. And Achish, king of Gath, to whom he went, received
him. But many of the Philistines were in doubt. They feared that David’s
coming was but a plot to defeat and destroy them. “Some dark night,”
they said, “David will rise up and kill us.”
Then David said to Achish, “Give me, I pray thee, some small place in
the country, where I may dwell.” And Achish gave him the border town of
Ziklag, far from the princes of the Philistines. So all the band with
their wives and children settled in Ziklag.
Having Ziklag for their headquarters, they went out on forays and fought
the Amalekites. They brought away whatever they could lay their hands
upon, and no Amalekites remained to tell the tale. And when they came
back from these adventures, Achish would say, “Where have ye made a raid
to-day?” And David would answer, “We have been in the south country, in
the land of Judah.” For in those days men did not understand, as we do,
how wrong it is to tell a lie. And Achish believed this false report,
and said to himself, “David is making war on his own people. He will
never dare to desert us now and go back to his own land.”
At last, the time came for another war between the Philistines and the
Israelites. In all the towns of the Philistines men were busy shaping
bows and arrows; the blacksmiths at their flaming forges were sharpening
swords and spears; soldiers were drilling on every village green,
captains were making plans, and the army was assembling. Achish sent for
David. “Now,” he said, “we are to make a great march against your old
enemy, King Saul, and we shall need your help.” That was very hard for
David; but when the march began, there he was with his six hundred,
bringing up the rear. What else could he do?
Fortunately for David, the Philistine leaders would not have him. “What
do these Hebrews here?” they said. And Achish answered, “They are trusty
men. David has been sent into exile by Saul, his master, and has come
with us to fight against him.” But the princes and the captains were not
satisfied. “Make this fellow return,” they said; “he will attack us from
behind. He will reconcile himself to Saul by bringing him our heads.”
So Achish was obliged to dismiss David. “The princes will not have you,”
he said. “Come now, to-morrow morning by the first light, rise up and
get you gone.” And when the sun rose on the morrow, David and his men
were on their way to Ziklag.
But when they came in sight of Ziklag, their joy was turned to
lamentation; for, behold, the whole place was on fire. A cloud of black
smoke covered the town, and underneath the smoke were heaps of ashes.
Not a living soul remained. The Amalekites had come and destroyed the
town, and had carried away the women and children into captivity.
At first, the whole six hundred sat down upon the ground and cried. Then
they got up with stones in their hands, and began to mutter something
about throwing them at David’s head. But Abiathar, the priest said: “The
thing to do is to follow the Amalekites. Quick! let us pursue and
overtake them!”
So off they started on the run, and never stopped till they came to the
bank of the brook Besor. And then two hundred men lay down and declared
that they could go no further. But the others pushed still forward over
the brook.
By and by, in a field, they found a man who, at first sight, seemed to
be dead. But they raised him up, and gave him bread and he did eat, and
they made him drink water, and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs
and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit came to
him again. For he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water three days and
three nights.
And David said, “To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou?”
And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my
master left me, because three days ago I fell sick. We had been on a
raid, and had burned Ziklag.”
And David said, “Canst thou bring me down to this company?”
And after David had promised neither to kill him nor to give him up to
his master, the man agreed to act as guide.
As the sun was setting, they came in sight of the Amalekites, eating and
drinking and dancing like wild Indians, because of the great spoil which
they had taken. And David smote them so suddenly and fiercely that they
were surprised and overcome. Four hundred of them, young men on swift
camels, escaped, but all the spoil remained. There was nothing lacking,
neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters: David recovered
all.
But meanwhile, in the north, along the Great Plain, the army of the
Philistines was marching day and night to give battle to the army of
King Saul.
XL
THE WITCH OF ENDOR
In the old days, almost everybody believed in witches. Even wise men
thought that there were old women who had made a bargain with the Prince
of Evil: the old women had sold their souls, and in return had been
given power to see into the future, to hurt their enemies without
touching them, and to talk with those who had been long dead.
This strange belief, which is now held only by ignorant or superstitious
persons, came from two facts.
It is a fact that the world in which we live is so full of wonders and
mysteries that almost anything seems possible. It is also a fact that
one of the most mysterious and wonderful things in the world is the
human mind: some people, just by using their minds, can speak to others
miles away,--that is called telepathy; some people, just by using their
minds, can make others do what they wish them to do and see what they
wish them to see,--that is called hypnotism. These powers of the mind
are still beyond our understanding, but we do not believe that they have
any more connection with the Prince of Evil than wireless telegraphy or
the electric light. In the old days, however, men and women who had
these powers were called wizards and witches, and it was thought that
the best thing to do with them was to put them to death.
Now King Saul had driven the witches and the wizards out of the land.
But afterwards it came to pass that he was exceedingly desirous to know
what was in store for him in the near future. The Philistines were
marching along the Great Plain, and Saul had mustered all his men to
meet them, and there was to be a great battle; and Saul was afraid.
“Oh,” he cried, troubled and perplexed, “if Samuel were here, he would
tell me what to do. Oh, for a single word with Samuel!” But Samuel was
dead.
At last, Saul said to his servants, “Go, seek me out a witch, that I may
go to her and inquire of her.” His servants said: “The witches have been
driven out, but there is still one remaining, in a hiding place, at
Endor.” And Saul disguised himself, and took two men with him, and went
to Endor. And they came to the witch’s house by night.
“Who is there?” said the witch.
“One in distress,” said Saul, “who wishes a moment’s speech with a
departed spirit.”
And the witch said, “I cannot help you. The king has banished all the
witches. If he were to find me, he would take my life.”
But Saul answered, “I am able to protect you. Only do as I ask and there
shall no harm befall you.”
“Who is it,” asked the witch, “with whom you wish to speak?”
And Saul said, “Samuel.”
Then the witch began to use her mind. The first thing which her mind
told her was that her visitor was no other than the king himself. And
this the king confessed. “Be not afraid,” he said, “only bring Samuel to
speak with me.” Then the witch’s mind told her what Samuel would say, if
he were yet alive. She thought of the Philistine army and of Saul’s few
soldiers. She thought of the sternness of Samuel, and how he had in his
lifetime rebuked the king. It was plain that Samuel, if he could speak,
would declare the sure defeat of Saul, and would say that it was a
divine punishment upon him.
Now the house was as dark as the black night, except where a dim light
showed the witch’s face and deepened the surrounding gloom. And suddenly
the witch cried with a loud voice, and put her hands before her eyes;
and Saul said, “What do you see?” And she said, “I see a god ascending
out of the earth.” And Saul said, “What form is he of?” And the woman
answered, “An old man cometh up, and he is covered with a mantle.”
When Saul heard that, he bowed down with his face to the ground. “What
does he say?” said he.
In the darkness of the room, and in the confusion and mystery of the
moment, Saul knew not whether the answering voice was that of the witch
or of the prophet. But there was a Voice. And the Voice said, “Why hast
thou disquieted me to bring me up?” And Saul answered, “I am sore
distressed; for the Philistines make war upon me to destroy me, and God
is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets nor
by dreams: therefore have I called thee, that thou mayest make known
unto me what I shall do.”
And the Voice said, “Wherefore dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is
departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? Because thou obeyedst not
the voice of the Lord, therefore he hath rent the kingdom out of thine
hand and given it to David. And to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be
with me.”
Then Saul fell straightway all along upon the earth, and was sore afraid
because of the words of Samuel; and there was no strength in him,
because he had eaten nothing all the day nor all the night. And the
witch said, “Let me set a morsel of food before thee, that thou mayest
have strength when thou goest on thy way.” But Saul said, “I will not
eat.” At last, however, he got up from the floor and sat upon the bed,
and ate, he and his two companions, and went away into the night.
And on the morrow it happened as the Voice had said. The Philistines
fought and the men of Israel fled and fell down slain in Mount Gilboa.
As for Saul and his sons, the archers hit them with their arrows; so
they died, the king and his three sons, that same day together.