Early the following morning the people resumed their march with fresh
vigor and renewed courage; but the little spring which, by digging, had
at last been forced to flow was completely exhausted.
However, its refusal to bestow a supply of water to take with them was
of no consequence; they expected to find another well at Alush.
The sun had risen in radiant majesty in a cloudless sky. The light
showed its awakening power on the hearts of men, and the rocks and the
yellow sand of the road sparkled like the blue vault above. The pure,
light, spicy air of the desert, cooled by the freshness of the night,
expanded the breasts of the wayfarers, and walking became a pleasure.
The men showed greater confidence, and the eyes of the women sparkled
more brightly than they had done for a long time; for the Lord had again
showed the people that He remembered them in their need; and fathers and
mothers gazed proudly at the sons who had conquered the foe. Most of the
tribes had greeted in the band of prisoners some one who had long been
given up as lost, and it was a welcome duty to make amends for the
injuries the terrible forced labor had inflicted. There was special
rejoicing, not only among the Ephraimites, but everywhere, over the
return of Joshua, as all, save the men of the tribe of Judah, now called
him, remembering the cheering promise the name conveyed.
The youths who under his command had put the Egyptians to rout, told
their relatives what manner of man the son of Nun was, how he thought
of everything and assigned to each one the place for which he was best
suited. His eye kindled the battle spirit in every one on whom it fell,
and the foe retreated at his mere war-cry.
Those who spoke of old Nun and his grandson also did so with sparkling
eyes. The tribe of Ephraim, whose lofty pretensions had been a source of
much vexation, was willingly allowed precedence on this march, and only
the men of Judah were heard to grumble. Doubtless there was reason for
dissatisfaction; for Hur, the prince of their tribe, and his young wife
walked as if oppressed by a heavy burden; whoever asked them anything
would have been wiser to have chosen another hour.
So long as the sun’s rays were oblique, there was still a little shade
at the edge of the sandstone rocks which bordered the road on both sides
or towered aloft in the center; and as the sons of Korah began a song of
praise, young and old joined in, and most gladly and gratefully of all
Milcah, now no longer pale, and Reuben, her happy, liberated husband.
The children picked up golden-yellow bitter apples, which having fallen
from the withered vines, lay by the wayside as if they had dropped from
the sky, and brought them to their parents. But they were bitter as
gall and a morose old man of the tribe of Zebulun, who nevertheless kept
their firm shells to hold ointment, said:
“These are a symbol of to-day. It looks pleasant now; but when the sun
mounts higher and we find no water, we shall taste the bitterness.”
His prediction was verified only too soon; for as the road which, after
leaving the sandstone region, began to lead upward through a rocky
landscape which resembled walls of red brick and grey stone, grew
steeper, the sun rose higher and higher and the heat of the day hourly
increased.
Never had the sun sent sharper arrows upon the travellers, and pitiless
was their fall upon bare heads and shoulders.
Here an old man, yonder a younger one, sank prostrate under its
scorching blaze or, supported by his friends, staggered on raving with
his hand pressed to his brow like a drunken man. The blistered skin
peeled from the hands and faces of men and women, and there was not one
whose palate and tongue were not parched by the heat, or whose vigorous
strength and newly-awakened courage it did not impair.
The cattle moved forward with drooping heads and dragging feet or rolled
on the ground till the shepherds’ lash compelled them to summon their
failing powers.
At noon the people were permitted to rest, but there was not a hand’s
breadth of shade where they sought repose. Whoever lay down in the
noonday heat found fresh tortures instead of relief. The sufferers
themselves urged a fresh start for the spring at Alush.
Hitherto each day, after the sun had begun its course toward the west
through the cloudless sky of the desert, the heat had diminished, and
ere the approach of twilight a fresher breeze had fanned the brow; but
to-day the rocks retained the glow of noonday for many hours, until
a light cool breeze blew from sea at the west. At the same time the
vanguard which, by Joshua’s orders, preceded the travellers, halted, and
the whole train stopped.
Men, women, and children fixed their eyes and waved hands, staves,
and crutches toward the same spot, where the gaze was spell-bound by a
wondrous spectacle never beheld before.
A cry of astonishment and admiration echoed from the parched weary lips,
which had long since ceased to utter question or answer; and it soon
rang from rank to rank, from tribe to tribe, to the very lepers at the
end of the procession and the rear-guard which followed it. One touched
another, and whispered a name familiar to every one, that of the sacred
mountain where the Lord had promised Moses to “bring them unto a good
land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.”
No one had told the weary travellers, yet all knew that for the first
time they beheld Horeb and the peak of Sinai, the most sacred summit of
this granite range.
Though a mountain, it was also the throne of the omnipotent God of their
fathers.
The holy mountain itself seemed at this hour to be on fire like the bush
whence He had spoken to His chosen servant. Its summit, divided into
seven peaks, towered majestically aloft in the distance, dominating the
heights and valleys far and near, glowing before the people like a giant
ruby, irradiated by the light of a conflagration which was consuming the
world.
No eye had ever beheld a similar spectacle. Then the sun sank lower
and lower, till it set in the sea concealed behind the mountains. The
glowing ruby was transformed into a dark amethyst, and at last assumed
the deep hue of a violet; but the eyes of the people continued to dwell
on the sacred scenes as though spell-bound. Nay, when the day-star had
completely disappeared, and its reflection gilded a long cloud with
shining edges, their eyes dilated still more, for a man of the tribe of
Benjamin, overwhelmed by the grandeur of the spectacle, beheld in it the
floating gold-bordered mantle of Jehovah, and the neighbors to whom he
showed it, believed him, and shared his pious excitement.
This inspiring sight had made the Hebrews for a short time forget thirst
and weariness. But the highest exaltation was soon to be transformed
into the deepest discouragement; for when night closed in and Alush
was reached after a short march it appeared that the desert tribe which
dwelt there, ere striking their tents the day before, had filled the
brackish spring with pebbles and rubbish.
Everything fit to drink which had been brought with them had been
consumed at Dophkah, and the exhausted spring at the mines had afforded
no water to fill the skins. Thirst not only parched their palates but
began to fever their bowels. Their dry throats refused to receive the
solid food of which there was no lack. Scenes that could not fail to
rouse both ruth and anger were seen and heard on all sides.
Here men and women raved and swore, wailed and moaned, yonder they gave
themselves up to dull despair. Others, whose crying children shrieked
for water, had gone to the choked spring and were quarrelling around a
little spot on the ground, whence they hoped to collect a few drops
of the precious fluid in a shallow dish. The cattle, too, lowed so
mournfully and beseechingly that it pierced the shepherds’ hearts like a
reproach.
Few took the trouble to pitch a tent. The night was so warm, and the
sooner they pressed forward the better, for Moses had promised to join
them a few leagues hence. He alone could aid, it was his duty to protect
man and beast from perishing.
If the God who had promised them such splendid gifts left them to die
in the wilderness with their cattle, the man to whose guidance they had
committed themselves was a cheat; and the God whose might and mercy he
never ceased extolling was more false and powerless than the idols with
heads of human beings and animals, to whom they had prayed in Egypt.
Threats, too, were loudly uttered amid curses and blasphemies. Wherever
Aaron, who had returned to the people, appeared and addressed them,
clenched fists were stretched toward him.
Miriam, too, by her husband’s bidding, was compelled to desist from
comforting the women with soothing words, after a mother whose infant
was expiring at her dry breast, picked up a stone and others followed
her example.
Old Nun and his son found more attentive hearers. Both agreed that
Joshua must fight, no matter in what position Moses placed him; but Hur
himself led him to the warriors, who joyously greeted him.
Both the old man and the younger one understood how to infuse
confidence. They told them of the well-watered oasis of the Amalekites,
which was not far distant, and pointed to the weapons in their hands,
with which the Lord Himself had furnished them. Joshua assured them that
they greatly outnumbered the warriors of the desert tribe. If the young
men bore themselves as bravely as they had done at the copper mines and
at Dophkah, with God’s aid the victory would be theirs.
After midnight Joshua, having taken counsel with the elders, ordered the
trumpets which summoned the fighting-men to be sounded. Under the bright
starry sky he reviewed them, divided them into bands, gave to each a
fitting leader, and impressed upon them the importance of the orders
they were to obey.
They had assembled torpidly, half dead with thirst, but the new
occupation to which their sturdy commander urged them, the hope of
victory, and the great value of the prize: a piece of land at the foot
of the sacred mountain, rich in springs and palm-trees, wonderfully
strengthened their lost energy.
Ephraim was among them animating others by his tireless vigor. But when
the ex-chief of the Egyptians--whom the Lord had already convinced that
He considered him worthy of the aid his name promised--adjured them to
rely on God’s omnipotence, his words produced a very different effect
from those uttered by Aaron whose monitions they had heard daily since
their departure.
When Joshua had spoken, many youthful lips, though parched with thirst,
shouted enthusiastically:
“Hail to the chief! You are our captain; we will obey no other.”
But he now explained gravely and resolutely that the obedience he
exacted from them he intended to practise rigidly himself. He would
willingly take the last place in the ranks, if such was the command of
Moses.
The stars were still shining brightly in a cloudless sky when the sound
of the horns warned the people to set out on their march. Meanwhile the
vanguard had been sent forward to inform Moses of the condition of the
tribes, and after the review was over, Ephraim followed them.
During the march Joshua kept the warriors together as closely as though
an attack might be expected; profiting meanwhile by every moment to
give the men and their captains instructions for the coming battle, to
inspect them, and range their ranks in closer order. Thus he kept them
and their attention on the alert till the stars paled.
Opposition or complaint was rare among the warriors, but the murmurs,
curses, and threats grew all the louder among those who bore no weapons.
Even before the grey dawn of morning the thirsting men, whose knees
trembled with weakness, and who beheld close before their eyes the
suffering of their wives and children, shouted more and more frequently:
“On to Moses! We’ll stone him when we find him!”
Many, with loud imprecations and flashing eyes, picked up bits of rock
along the road, and the fury of the multitude at last expressed
itself so fiercely and passionately that Hur took counsel with the
well-disposed among the elders, and then hurried forward with the
fighting-men of Judah to protect Moses, in case of extremity, from the
rebels by force of arms.
Joshua was commissioned to detain the bands of rioters who, amid threats
and curses, were striving to force their way past the warriors.
When the sun at last rose with dazzling splendor, the march had become a
pitiful creeping and tottering onward. Even the soldiers moved as though
they were paralysed. Only when the rebels tried to press onward, they
did their duty and forced them back with swords and lances.
On both sides of the valley through which the Hebrews were passing
towered lofty cliffs of grey granite, which glittered and flashed
marvellously when the slanting sunbeams struck the bits of quartz
thickly imbedded in the primeval rock.
At noon the heat could not fail to be scorching again between the bare
precipices which in many places jutted very near one another; but the
coolness of the morning still lingered. The cattle at least found some
refreshment; for many a bush of the juicy, fragrant betharan--[Cantolina
fragrantissima]--afforded them food, and the shepherd-lads lifted their
short frocks, filled the aprons thus made with them and, spite of their
own exhaustion, held them up to the hungry mouths of the animals.
They had passed an hour in this way, when a loud shout of joy suddenly
rang out, passing from the vanguard through rank after rank till it
reached the last roan in the rear.
No one had heard in words to what event it was due, yet every one knew
that it meant nothing else than the discovery of fresh water.
Ephraim now returned to confirm the glad tidings, and what an effect it
produced upon the discouraged hearts!
They straightened their bent figures and struggled onward with redoubled
speed, as if they had already drained the water jar in long draughts.
The bands of fighting-men put no farther obstacles in their way, and
joyously greeted those who crowded past them.
But the swiftly flowing throng was soon dammed; for the spot which
afforded refreshment detained the front ranks, which blocked the whole
procession as thoroughly as a wall or moat.
The multitude became a mighty mob that filled the valley. At last men
and women, with joyous faces, appeared bearing full jars and pails
in their hands and on their heads, beckoning gaily to their friends,
shouting words of cheer, and trying to force their way through the crowd
to their relatives; but many had the precious liquid torn from them by
force ere they reached their destination.
Joshua and his band had forced their way to the vicinity of the spring,
to maintain order among the greedy drawers of water. But they were
obliged to have patience for a time, for the strong men of the tribe of
Judah, with whom Hur had led the way in advance of all the rest, were
still swinging their axes and straining at the levers hastily prepared
from the trunks of the thorny acacias to move huge blocks out of the way
and widen the passage to the flow of water that was gushing from several
clefts in the rock.
At first the spring had lost itself in a heap of moss-covered granite
blocks and afterwards in the earth; but now the overflow and trickling
away of the precious fluid had been stopped and a reservoir formed
whence the cattle also could drink.
Whoever had already succeeded in filling a jar had obtained the water
from the overflow which had escaped through the quickly-made dam. Now
the men appointed to guard the camp were keeping every one back to give
the water in the large new reservoir into which it flowed in surprising
abundance, time to grow clear.
In the presence of the gift of God for which they had so passionately
shouted, it was easy to be patient. They had discovered the treasure
and only needed to preserve it. No word of discontent, murmuring, or
reviling was heard; nay, many looked with shame and humiliation at the
new gift of the Most High.
Loud, gladsome shouts and words echoed from the distance; but the man of
God, who knew better than any one else, the valleys and rocks, pastures
and springs of the Horeb region and had again obtained so great a
blessing for the people, had retired into a neighboring ravine; he was
seeking refuge from the thanks and greetings which rose with increasing
enthusiasm from ever widening circles, and above all peace and calmness
for his own deeply agitated soul.
Soon fervent hymns of praise to the Lord sounded from the midst of the
refreshed, reinvigorated bands overflowing with ardent gratitude, who
had never encamped richer in hope and joyous confidence.
Songs, merry laughter, jests, and glad shouts accompanied the pitching
of every tent, and the camp sprung up as quickly as if it had been
conjured from the earth by some magic spell.
The eyes of the young men sparkled with eagerness for the fray, and
many a head of cattle was slaughtered to make the meal a festal banquet.
Mothers who had done their duty in the camp, leading their children by
the hand went to the spring and showed them the spot where Moses’ staff
had pointed out to his people the water gushing from the clefts in the
granite. Many men also stood with hands and eyes uplifted around the
place where Jehovah had shown Himself so merciful to His people; among
them many a rebel who had stooped for the bit of rock with which he
meant to stone the trusted servant of God. No one doubted that a new and
great miracle had been performed.
Old people enjoined the young never to forget this day and this drink,
and a grandmother sprinkled her grandchildren’s brows at the edge of the
spring with water to secure for them divine protection throughout their
future lives.
Hope, gratitude, and warm confidence reigned wherever the gaze was
turned, even fear of the warlike sons of Amalek had vanished; for what
evil could befall those who trusted to the favor of such an Omnipotent
Defender.
One tent alone, the stateliest of all, that of the prince of the tribe
of Judah, did not share the joy of the others.
Miriam sat alone among her women, after having silently served the
meal to the men who were overflowing with grateful enthusiasm; she had
learned from Reuben, Milcah’s husband, that Moses had given to Joshua in
the presence of all the elders, the office of commander-in-chief. Hur,
her husband, she had heard farther, had joyfully yielded the guidance of
the warriors to the son of Nun.
This time the prophetess had held aloof from the people’s hymns of
praise. When Milcah and her women had urged her to accompany them to the
spring, she had commanded the petitioners to go alone. She was expecting
her husband and wished to greet him alone; she must show him that she
desired his forgiveness. But he did not return home; for after the
council of the elders had separated, he helped the new commander to
marshal the soldiers and did so as an assistant, subordinate to Hosea,
who owed to her his summons and the name of Joshua.
Her servants, who had returned, were now drawing threads from the
distaff: but this humble toil was distasteful to her, and while she let
her hands rest and gazed idly into vacancy, the hours dragged slowly
along, while she felt her resolution of meekly approaching her husband
become weaker and weaker. She longed to pray for strength to bow
before the man who was her lord and master; but the prophetess, who was
accustomed to fervent pleading, could not find inspiration. Whenever she
succeeded in collecting her thoughts and uplifting her heart, she was
disturbed. Each fresh report that reached her from the camp increased
her displeasure. When evening at last closed in, a messenger arrived and
told her not to prepare the supper which, however, had long stood
ready. Hur, his son, and grandson had accepted the invitation of Nun and
Joshua.
It was a hard task for her to restrain her tears. But had she permitted
them to flow uncontrolled, they would have been those of wrath and
insulted womanly dignity, not of grief and longing.
During the hours of the evening watch soldiers marched past, and from
troop after troop cheers for Joshua reached her.
Even when the words “strong and steadfast!” were heard, they recalled
the man who had once been dear to her, and whom now--she freely admitted
it--she hated. The men of his own tribe only had honored her husband
with a cheer. Was this fitting gratitude for the generosity with which
he had divested himself, for the sake of the younger man, of a dignity
that belonged to him alone? To see her husband thus slighted pierced
her to the heart and caused her more pain than Hur’s leaving her, his
newly-wedded wife, to solitude.
The supper before the tent of the Ephraimites lasted a long time. Miriam
sent her women to rest before midnight, and lay down to await Hur’s
return and to confess to him all that had wounded and angered her,
everything for which she longed.
She thought it would be an easy matter to keep awake while suffering
such mental anguish. But the great fatigues and excitements of the
last few days asserted their rights, and in the midst of a prayer for
humility and her husband’s love sleep overpowered her. At last, at the
time of the first morning watch, just as day was dawning, the sound of
trumpets announcing peril close at hand, startled her from sleep.
She rose hurriedly and glancing at her husband’s couch found it empty.
But it had been used, and on the sandy soil--for mats had been spread
only in the living room of the tent--she saw close beside her own bed
the prints of Hur’s footsteps.
So he had stood close by it and perhaps, while she was sleeping, gazed
yearningly into her face.
Ay, this had really happened; her old female slave told her so unasked.
After she had roused Hur, she had seen him hold the light cautiously so
that it illumined Miriam’s face and then stoop over her a long time as
if to kiss her.
This was good news, and so rejoiced the solitary woman that she forgot
the formality which was peculiar to her and pressed her lips to the
wrinkled brow of the crooked little crone who had served her parents.
Then she had her hair arranged, donned the light-blue festal robe Hur
had given her, and hurried out to bid him farewell.
Meanwhile the troops had formed in battle array.
The tents were being struck and for a long time Miriam vainly sought
her husband. At last she found him; but he was engaged in earnest
conversation with Joshua, and when she saw the latter a chill ran
through the prophetess’ blood, and she could not bring herself to
approach the men.