DAVID 
 THE SON OF JESSE
 
 DAVID 
 THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 BY 
 
 MARJORIE STRACHEY 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 THE CENTURY CO. 
 
 1922
 
 Copyright, 1922, by 
 THE CENTUBY Co. 
 
 PMNTID IN U. g. A.
 
 TO THE READER 
 
 This book has three sources: the Bible, the 
 critics, and my own imagination. I have used 
 whichever seemed to suit me best for each 
 episode, and have sometimes blended all 
 three together 
 
 2138290
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 BOOK I 
 THE SON or JESSE 
 
 PASS 
 
 PART I. AT SAUL'S COURT 3 
 
 PART II. IN THE WILDERNESS 85 
 
 PART III. WITH THE PHILISTINES 139 
 
 BOOK II 
 
 THE KING 
 PART I. THE KINGDOM 183 
 
 PART II. BATHSHEBA 249 
 
 PART III. ABSALOM . . 277
 
 Book I 
 THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy 
 ways; they shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot 
 against a stone." Ps. xci, 11, 12.
 
 PART I 
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 SAMUEL was certainly getting to be an old man. 
 He had been on his ass only an hour, and the 
 sun was still low in the sky, yet already he was feel- 
 ing stiff and hot, and the thought that Saul might be 
 close on his track was unpleasantly insistent. He 
 groaned and halted the ass. Elihu, who was 
 driving the cow, halted too. 
 
 "Elihu," said Samuel. 
 
 "My lord," replied the man, flicking away an 
 insect from the cow's flank. 
 
 "You say you know this man Jesse yourself." 
 
 "My father was his servant, and as a child I 
 lived in his house." 
 
 "Yes; you told me so." 
 
 "Many times, foolish old man," muttered Elihu 
 to himself, crossly, but softly, "but you don't attend 
 to what I say, and forget it the next minute." 
 
 Elihu was annoyed with his master. He saw 
 
 3
 
 4 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 no sense in making this journey to Bethlehem just 
 when the hot weather was beginning to be disagree- 
 able. "Dragging a cow, too," he grumbled; "as 
 if there were not enough cows in Bethlehem, that 
 we must drag the beast along the stony road, past 
 the stronghold of the Jebusites, too, who would as 
 soon cut our throats for the sake of a cow as reap 
 any harvest they had not sown." 
 
 Samuel had apparently been plunged in thought. 
 He now looked up and said : 
 
 "We had better not delay here " 
 
 "I could have told you that," grunted Elihu in 
 an undertone. 
 
 "We are too near Jerusalem. When we are 
 safely past it I will get down and walk, for this 
 ass has an uneasy movement, and galls me." 
 
 "So would anything, short of a litter," mumbled 
 Elihu, shoving the cow on again. 
 
 "What did you say?" and Elihu suddenly found 
 a pair of piercingly bright blue eyes, overhung by 
 thick white eyebrows, fixed motionless upon his. 
 It was a horrible moment. He gasped for breath, 
 licked his lips, and answered with a stammer: 
 
 "Only only my lord that the ass would need 
 some litter when we got to Bethlehem." 
 
 Samuel laughed, and took his eyes off Elihu, 
 who breathed again.
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 5 
 
 They were now passing under the rocky cliffs on 
 which was perched Jerusalem, and cow and ass 
 were hit and prodded as an encouragement to make 
 the best of their speed. Half a mile beyond the 
 town Samuel stopped, and with many groans and 
 lurches heaved himself off the ass, and proceeded 
 slowly on foot. 
 
 "As regards Jesse " said Elihu, presently, in a 
 tentative voice. 
 
 "Well?" said the Prophet. 
 
 "When you were in Bethlehem last you did not 
 visit him, did you?" 
 
 "What should I visit him for?" 
 
 "You seem interested in him, now." 
 
 "Interested? I am only going to make a sacrifice 
 for his house there is nothing remarkable in that." 
 
 "Nothing remarkable oh, no nothing remark- 
 able in pushing a cow all the way from Ramah to 
 Bethlehem twenty miles if it's a step in the hot 
 weather, too. Don't you think Saul would think it 
 remarkable if he heard of it?" Elihu's disgust and 
 vexation had got the better of his discretion, and he 
 felt that he must say what he thought, or burst. 
 
 "I am afraid," said Samuel, coldly, "that neither 
 you nor Saul quite understand the ways of the 
 Lord," and Elihu was silenced again. 
 
 It was not long before they came to a grove of
 
 6 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 trees by the wayside with a tall stone standing 
 among them. The grove presented a curious sight, 
 for from all the branches hung, dancing and quiver- 
 ing in the light breeze, innumerable rags, of all 
 colors and lengths. Elihu had provided himself 
 and his master with what was required, and pulling 
 two pieces of linen from his girdle he handed one 
 to Samuel, and tied the other to a branch within 
 convenient reach. Samuel's long arms stretched 
 above his head seemed an age in awkwardly at- 
 taching his rag to the sacred tree. At last they sank 
 by his side; he turned to his servant, who was 
 standing still with an obviously assumed air of 
 infinite patience, and said slowly: 
 
 "Elihu, you can wait here; I am going over 
 there" pointing vaguely eastward "and I may 
 be away some time. See that the ass and cow do 
 not stray"; and with these words he stepped out 
 of the grove, leaving Elihu staring after him, open- 
 mouthed. 
 
 "Mad; mad beyond a doubt," was his con- 
 clusion. "The Lord be praised the fit did not 
 seize him till we had reached the shade of the 
 sacred grove; there at least one can sleep at one's 
 ease"; and in a few moments the ass and the cow 
 were tethered and Elihu was on his back, snoring. 
 
 Directly Samuel was out of the shadow of the
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 7 
 
 trees he took hold of the long cotton gown which 
 hung to his ankles and pulled it up through his 
 leather belt till his legs were bare almost to his 
 knees. He had a considerable way to walk, over 
 rough ground, and needed as much freedom for 
 his limbs as he could get. He turned to the left 
 of the road along which they had come, and went 
 almost at right angles to it, at first through vine- 
 yards and gardens, then through corn-fields, then 
 through waste land, going down hill all the time. 
 When he reached the waste land he began to go 
 very cautiously, pausing behind every stone or 
 olive tree and scanning the land before him with the 
 greatest care. At last he seemed to see what he had 
 been looking for. In the shade of a group of olive 
 trees half a dozen men were sitting, so deep in 
 conversation that Samuel was able to creep up 
 behind them, unnoticed, and dispose himself com- 
 fortably within earshot, entirely unperceived by 
 them. 
 
 "As for the corn in the field of lilies, we shall 
 not harvest it for a week," said one, in an ill- 
 tempered, aggressive voice. 
 
 "You will be fools, then it is ripe now for 
 harvesting," said another, with a sneer. 
 
 "I tell you, Jeconiah," cried the first speaker 
 with a rising voice, "I will do nothing to gratify
 
 8 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 any shepherd in Judea what do / care where and 
 how the sheep are pastured?" 
 
 "Hophni is right!" cried another; "I myself " 
 and in a moment all the group were protesting and 
 arguing and denying. In the middle of the disputa- 
 tion a long whistle was heard, and immediately 
 there was silence. 
 
 "That was his whistle," said Jeconiah; "there 
 he is, coming up the hillside." There was another 
 pause, and Samuel waited a moment, breathless. 
 Then he twisted his head and got a glimpse of the 
 newcomer. 
 
 It was a boy about fifteen years old, well grown 
 but slight, with a mop of golden-red hair, and large 
 blue smiling eyes. From his bag, oaken club, and 
 long staff, it was plain he was a shepherd; from 
 his silver bracelet, and the beads twisted round his 
 head, it was plain he was not a servant, but the son 
 of the owner of the flocks. 
 
 "The Lord be with you," he said, and pressed 
 his finger-tips against his lips, his forehead, and his 
 breast. Samuel noticed the clear, mellow sound 
 of his voice and its musical intonation. 
 
 "May you have peace," answered one of the men. 
 
 "Sit down," said another, "and let us consider 
 about the pasturage of these sheep of yours." 
 
 "My father's sheep," suggested the boy.
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 9 
 
 "Of course your father's sheep. You cannot 
 come up among our corn-fields; it is impossible." 
 
 "Impossible," insisted Hophni; "we are resolved 
 against it, no matter whose the sheep." 
 
 "It does not rest with you," exclaimed Jeconiah 
 fiercely; "it is a custom of our fathers that in May, 
 after the harvest ..." 
 
 "I care for no custom no sheep come into our 
 corn-fields." 
 
 "Let the sheep into the corn-fields!" exclaimed 
 the boy in a shocked voice. "Who would be such 
 a heathen! Such a fine harvest as it has been. I 
 came up just now by the field of lilies and the crop 
 was a pleasure to look upon." 
 
 "We shall not harvest it for a week," grunted 
 Hophni. 
 
 "Surely a few days more would improve it if 
 only the Jebusites were not making raids again. 
 In a week, I fear there may be nothing to harvest." 
 
 Hophni and his friends stared at one another. 
 They were horribly near Jerusalem. 
 
 "Had you not heard?" continued the boy, 
 smoothly. "They were at Geba a few days since 
 and carried off all that was in the fields. I am 
 sure my father could spare a man or two to help 
 you, and then you would not mind the flocks being 
 in the bare fields, would you?"
 
 10 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "If he would help with the harvest . . . what 
 do you say?" Hophni appealed to his friends, and 
 Jeconiah had enough sense to be silent. There was 
 a whispered consultation, and it was agreed in the 
 end that in consideration of some help to save the 
 crop from the Jebusites the sheep should be allowed 
 in the fields after the harvest. 
 
 "After all, Hophni," said one of his supporters 
 timidly, "it is the custom of our fathers. . . ." 
 
 Hophni grunted, but did not deny it. 
 
 The matter being settled, the men rose from the 
 ground. A few minutes were spent in salutations, 
 and they separated; the boy going down the hill to 
 his flocks, the others going upward to their fields 
 and vineyards. Samuel, too, when the others were 
 out of sight, got up, and returned, slowly and pain- 
 fully, to the sacred grove. 
 
 By the time he had reached it, plucked the un- 
 willing Elihu from his sleep, untethered the beasts, 
 and mounted the ass, the shadows were lengthening. 
 They had now only about a mile to go to Bethlehem, 
 but Samuel was anxious to arrive in good time, and 
 they made no delays. At the foot of the ascent on 
 which Bethlehem was perched, and beside the gate 
 in the wall that enclosed it, they found a well, and 
 Elihu tried hard to persuade his master to wait 
 and refresh the beasts and themselves with a draft
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 11 
 
 of what he declared was the most delicious water in 
 the world, but Samuel only shook his head im- 
 patiently and pressed forward. 
 
 A child playing by the gateway saw them, gave 
 a shriek, and disappeared in one of the stone huts 
 which formed the village. Presently a cautious 
 head or two was peering out at them, and in a few 
 moments a group of dignified old men approached, 
 bowing and saluting, and driving back the crowd of 
 villagers who had somehow learnt that the Prophet 
 Samuel had come, and wanted to have a look at him. 
 
 One of the old men stepped forward and said, 
 in an anxious voice, "Yahweh be with you. Do 
 you come in peace?" 
 
 "Yahweh bless and preserve you," replied 
 Samuel. "Yes, I come in peace. I have come to 
 make a sacrifice for Jesse, the son of Obed, for him 
 and all his household. Here is the beast for the 
 sacrifice." 
 
 There was a great bustle among the villagers. 
 Some rushed off to Jesse's house to tell his women 
 to prepare for Samuel and to begin the arrange- 
 ments for the feast, some surrounded Elihu, greeted 
 him as an old friend, and led him and the cow off 
 to the place of sacrifice ; others began pushing Jesse 
 forward, shouting out to him that he was in luck 
 but that he always was a lucky man.
 
 12 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 Jesse did not seem at all flustered by his pro- 
 motion. He came forward, saluted Samuel and 
 showed him the way to his house. It was a big 
 house, for Jesse was a well-to-do man; it had two 
 rooms and a courtyard between them. Preparations 
 for the sacrifice were in full swing and all the 
 household were busy making ready the accessories 
 of the feast the main dish, of course, would be 
 the sacrifice itself. 
 
 Directly Jesse arrived he went with his sons into 
 one of the rooms, where they all purified themselves, 
 by bathing and washing their clothes. Then they 
 came out into the courtyard and found Samuel! 
 waiting for them. 
 
 "Jesse," said the Prophet, solemnly, "I have 
 come to-day to choose out one of your sons for 
 the service of Yahweh. Let me then look at them 
 one by one, that I may see which of them he has 
 taken for his servant." 
 
 Without any words Jesse turned to his eldest 
 son, Eliab, and signed to him to go to the Prophet. 
 Samuel looked at him; he was tall and handsome; 
 but Samuel shook his head and let him pass. 
 
 "Abinadab!" called Jesse; and another stepped 
 up to Samuel. He shook his head again. 
 
 "Shammah!" But Shammah too was rejected. 
 Four more of Jesse's sons went up to Samuel, who
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 13 
 
 looked carefully at them all, but chose none of them. 
 There was a long pause. Samuel was waiting. 
 At last he said : 
 
 "Are these all your sons?" 
 
 "There is still the youngest," answered Jesse. 
 "He is in the fields, keeping the sheep." 
 
 "Send and fetch him," said Samuel; "we will 
 not begin the feast till he is here." 
 
 At a sign from Jesse one of the young men 
 hastened off in the direction of the fields to find the 
 shepherd, while another brought a blanket and 
 folded it on the ground for the Prophet to sit on 
 while he waited. The others turned to their house- 
 hold affairs, leaving him alone in the gathering 
 darkness of the courtyard. 
 
 "He had to be of the tribe of Judah," thought 
 Samuel; "no other would meet with the same favor 
 from all the rest. Besides, Judah grows stronger 
 every day the south of the country is all theirs, the 
 Canaanites no longer hold up their heads here, even 
 Simeon and Dan are practically absorbed. A king 
 from the tribe of Judah has a better chance than 
 any other. . . . Then as for this boy of Jesse's. 
 He seems a born leader. Every one I have spoken 
 to seems to think well of him for one reason or an- 
 other. If he can affect men like that at his age 
 there is a chance he may be able to lead the nation
 
 14 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 later on. Anyhow, I will risk it. He is still a 
 boy, it is true, but Saul will last a few years yet 
 there is no immediate hurry. When Saul gets 
 worse the boy must be brought to Gibeah, and if 
 he is the right sort he will manage for himself after 
 that. . . . Saul must not get wind of it, though. 
 . . . Yes, I don't doubt he had to be from Ju- 
 dah. . . ." 
 
 By this time it was quite dark. Suddenly a 
 light appeared in the doorway of one of the rooms, 
 and a figure stepped through it, silhouetted by the 
 lamp some one else was holding. It was the figure 
 of a boy, naked, except for his loin-cloth, from the 
 purification. For a moment the light behind his 
 head made his golden hair shine around him like 
 a flame; then he turned round and took the lamp 
 in his own hand so that the light fell on his face. 
 He stepped through the dark space toward the 
 Prophet who sat waiting for him, the beauty of his 
 face and smiling blue eyes lit up by the lamp in his 
 hand, his white limbs shining faintly, his step lithe 
 and wary. And Samuel heard a voice in his heart 
 say: 
 
 "Arise, anoint him: for this is he." 
 
 He got to his feet, and moving toward the place 
 where his ass was tethered slipped his hand into
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 15 
 
 the saddlebag and took out a flask. Then he 
 turned back to the boy. 
 
 "What is your name?" 
 
 "David, the son of Jesse." 
 
 Samuel paused. He could not help remember- 
 ing the other consecration ... he had felt as sure 
 then that he was right . . . but this time, this 
 time. . . . 
 
 He drew David toward him and poured the flask 
 of oil over his head, kissed him on both cheeks and 
 said: "David, son of Jesse, Yahweh has anointed 
 thee to be king over his inheritance." 
 
 There was a pause. David gave a little gasp, 
 and said in a low voice: "But Saul? And Saul's 
 sons?" 
 
 "Wait," answered Samuel in as low a voice, "the 
 time of your kingdom is not till after the kingdom 
 of Saul. And if you value my life or yours tell no 
 one of what I have done to you." 
 
 Nothing more passed between them. They went 
 back into the living-room, where the feast was now 
 ready, and in a few moments all the household were 
 sitting on the floor enjoying the rare meal of beef. 
 They ate and drank and made merry, and in the 
 faint light of the poor oil lamps no one noticed that 
 David's hair was wet and his forehead shining, and
 
 16 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 that his eyes smiled more brilliantly than before. 
 "Sing to us, David," said Jesse, when the eating 
 and drinking slackened. David took his harp from 
 wall and sang the old song of his fathers: 
 
 Judah, all thy brethren shall praise thee; 
 
 Thy hand shall be upon the neck of thine enemy, 
 
 Thy father's sons shall bow down before thee. . . . 
 
 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, 
 Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, 
 Until peace has come to the country, 
 And unto him shall the people be obedient. . . . 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 FOUR young men were together under the long blue 
 shadow of one of the rocks in the desert of Judea. 
 Two of them had thrown off their outer garments 
 and were engaged in wrestling; a third a boy of 
 about sixteen was watching them from the top of 
 the rock, and shouting words of encouragement now 
 to one, now to the other; the fourth was looking on 
 the ground for pieces of stone suitable to use in his 
 sling. Suddenly one of the wrestlers gave a shout, 
 and threw his opponent to the ground.
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 17 
 
 "Well done, Joab! Well done!" cried the boy, 
 waving his arms. 
 
 "Now, David," said Joab, a trifle breathlessly, 
 "I 'm ready for you." 
 
 "No, thank you," said David, looking up from 
 the ground and smiling. "I want to be able to 
 walk home for the feast of the new moon, and not 
 lie in one of the caves, with a broken leg." 
 
 "You wait a bit, Joab," said Abishai crossly, 
 sitting up and rubbing the back of his leg. "Next 
 time I '11 settle you in a way you won't like." 
 
 "Next time! next time!" laughed Joab; "next 
 time will be like last time, and the time before! 
 Now, Asahel, if David 's afraid of me, I'll take you 
 on." 
 
 "Don't you touch him!" cried Abishai; "you're 
 so rough, you '11 injure him a child like that!" 
 
 "I 'm not a child ! I 'm not afraid of him ! I '11 
 fight him if David won't!" cried Asahel eagerly, 
 slipping down from the rock and beginning to pull 
 off his coat. 
 
 "Asahel!" said David suddenly. "I believe I 
 heard one of the lambs down in the gully bleat. I 
 should n't be surprised if it was that lion again 
 he 's getting so daring. Run and see what it is, do, 
 and call out if I 'm wanted." 
 
 "All right." Asahel was proud of his speed,
 
 18 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 and forgetting Joab's defiance he bounded off to- 
 ward the sound of the bleating. 
 
 Joab laughed. "Asahel might be one of David's 
 precious lambs," he said, and began to put on his 
 coat, for evening had come and there is a very quick 
 drop in temperature in the Judean desert at night. 
 Abishai dragged himself up from the ground with 
 a groan and began limping toward the rock on 
 which he had thrown his coat; before he had 
 reached it David swung himself up, pulled down 
 the coat and threw it at Abishai 's feet. 
 
 "David! David!" Asahel's voice sounded thin 
 and distant. "David! the lion!" 
 
 "Ah! son of Azazel!" ejaculated David, and 
 seizing his club and his sling he bounded off with 
 a step almost as rapid as that of Asahel himself. 
 
 Joab and Abishai, left alone together, did not 
 speak. Joab was thinking: "David is a strong fel- 
 low; but though he makes a joke of it he is serious 
 enough in knowing I am his master at wrestling. 
 As for Abishai, I am sick of knocking him down. 
 Some day I will go out against the Philistines, in 
 the king's army, and show them how I can wres- 
 tle. . . ." 
 
 Abishai was thinking: "Joab thinks he is better 
 than I am at wrestling, but he only gets me down 
 by a trick as far as strength goes I am his master.
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 19 
 
 I will get David to show me one of his tricks 
 David will do anything for me and then we shall 
 see what will happen to Joab. . . ." 
 
 They were both far enough away from the rock 
 where they were sitting, when the sound of a shout 
 at a great distance reached them. Immediately they 
 were listening keenly; Joab jumped up and an- 
 swered with as loud a shout as he could achieve. 
 "That was not David," said Abishai. 
 "No," said Joab, "David went south. That 
 shout came from the west." 
 
 "A messenger from Bethlehem," suggested Abis- 
 hai. 
 
 The shout was repeated, nearer at hand. 
 "Very likely," agreed Joab, and again gave his 
 answering call. In a few minutes a man appeared, 
 coming down the track from the west, and it was 
 not long before he reached the place where the 
 brothers sat. 
 
 When he saw there only two, and that they were 
 Joab and Abishai, his face fell. 
 
 "Where is David?" he asked. "Jesse has sent 
 me for him in a hurry." 
 
 "He's not far off," replied Joab. "Here's 
 Asahel David won't be far behind." 
 
 "He killed it! he killed it!" shouted Asahel, 
 jumping and dancing with delight as he came to-
 
 20 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 ward them. "It was a lion and he killed it. And 
 there was a bear too. Hullo, Ithra, what are you 
 doing here? David has just killed a lion. . . ." 
 
 David came up a few yards behind Asahel, and 
 hearing from Ithra that his father wanted him and 
 was in a hurry, he stopped for nothing, but picked 
 up his bag, called out to his nephews to mind the 
 sheep, and set off at such a pace up the hill that 
 it was evident he would not be long in getting home. 
 The others lingered round Asahel and listened to 
 his eager story of how the lion had been killed and 
 the bear driven off. 
 
 David had a stiff two-hours' climb before him. 
 There was now practically no light left, but the 
 ground was so familiar to him that he covered it 
 almost as quickly as he would have done by day. 
 In a few minutes the rhythm of his movement had 
 caused a curious quickening of his mind. Start- 
 ing from the obvious wonder at what caused his 
 father to send for him at such an hour, he was soon 
 weaving webs of romance, triumph, and mystery, 
 the shuttle in his brain passing rapidly to and fro 
 between the threads of the past and the future. 
 
 The starting point of all his dreams was now 
 that wonderful scene in his father's courtyard where 
 he had first been brought face to face with a 
 prophet. He seemed again to see, peering into his
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 21 
 
 own eyes, scanning them, searching, he felt, his in- 
 most thoughts and weaknesses, the old man's fiery 
 eyes, deep-set in his white, thick-lined face. Again 
 he heard the low voice, shaking yet emphatic, an- 
 nounce him as the Lord's anointed; again he felt 
 the thick, sweet-smelling oil drop on his hair, trickle 
 down his neck, and lodge, a rich pool, in the hollow 
 of his collar bone. . . . 
 
 Since then he had heard nothing of Samuel. 
 Now, perhaps, the time had come. . . . Saul was 
 dead, and Samuel had come for him to take him to 
 Nob and proclaim him king. They would journey 
 northwards together, through the night, Samuel in- 
 structing him as to his policy in the difficult situa- 
 tion in which he would find himself. . . . He 
 would listen to everything and say nothing, but 
 when it came to acting he would use his own judg- 
 ment Samuel should find he was no puppet- 
 king. . . . When they reached Nob well, what 
 about Jonathan? . . . and the Benjamite guards 
 of the king? . . . Oh . . . Samuel would have 
 collected a few strong Judeans at Nob they would 
 have arranged to arm his nephews and one or two 
 others he knew, and to send them northwards as 
 quickly as possible so that by the time Jonathan 
 arrived they would be ready for him. 
 
 David's pulse beat quicker and the scene became
 
 22 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 more vivid. "Jonathan comes forward at the head 
 of his men; Samuel lays his hand on me and cries, 
 'This is the Lord's anointed'; the Benjamites look 
 at me some throw down their weapons, some slink 
 over to my side but the rest draw close to Jon- 
 athan. Jonathan, tall, strong, angry, and frightful 
 to behold, steps out from among them and cries out : 
 'David, son of Jesse, let us fight for the kingdom ! ' 
 I break from Samuel and the fight begins . . . 
 well, in the end I hit him a violent blow on the 'head 
 with my club, and he lies dead at my feet . . . the 
 onlookers cry, 'Long live King David ! ' I fall back 
 bleeding and triumphant into Samuel's arms. . . . 
 Oh ! here is the well ! I must have come up the hill 
 at a good pace." 
 
 David took a deep draft of the water, threw a 
 few handfuls of it over his head and chest, and in 
 five minutes had reached his father's house. 
 
 As he pushed his way through the courtyard, and 
 then stooped to pass through the low doorway into 
 the room beyond, he murmured to himself: 
 
 "And Asahel shall be my armor-bearer but I '11 
 keep that part of it till later." 
 
 He saw at once in the dim light that there was 
 a stranger there; and in a moment recognized him 
 as the Prophet's servant, Elihu, a man who, in 
 former years, had been a servant of his father's.
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 23 
 
 He noticed, too, that his mother and sisters were 
 unusually busy it was clear that something ex- 
 ceptional was -on foot. 
 
 "David? Is that you, my son?" asked Jesse, 
 hearing him come in. 
 
 "Yes, Father." 
 
 "You have been very quick." 
 
 "Ithra said you were in a hurry." David looked 
 in his father's face and smiled. 
 
 "Yes. Here is Elihu, a messenger from our lord 
 the king. It seems you are wanted, David, to sing 
 to him when he is ill ; your mother is making ready 
 some things for you to take him as a present, that 
 he may be pleased to see you. . . . Rest now, and 
 you shall start before dawn." 
 
 It was rather disappointing, David thought, as 
 he lay down in the dark, that it was only Saul who 
 wanted him to play the harp and sing and yet, how 
 exciting to be leaving Bethlehem to-morrow, to be 
 going to Gibeah, to the king's house. . . . 
 
 Just then a hand touched his head, and a voice 
 whispered : 
 
 "David. . . ." 
 
 "Mother!" he answered, recognizing her through 
 the darkness. 
 
 "My darling David . . . going away to-morrow. 
 . . . Ah, you will never come back."
 
 24 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "Never come back? Dearest Mother, of course 
 I shall come back ... It is only twelve miles 
 off. . . ." 
 
 "No ... it will never be this David . . . but 
 don't forget us. . . ." 
 
 "Of course not . . . never, never . . ." He fon- 
 dled her gently. 
 
 "When you come back you will be a great 
 man. . . ." 
 
 "Yes perhaps but I shall always be your 
 David." 
 
 She sighed, caressed his head, and left him. As 
 he lay back in the darkness he saw a picture of 
 himself striking the harp, while King Saul and the 
 mighty men of Benjamin stood around him in 
 admiration. 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 "An," Elihu was saying, as they jogged along the 
 road to Gibeah next morning, "well I know this 
 road and well I remember the last time I came along 
 it. You were only a child then, David. It was 
 when the Prophet Samuel and I came to make a 
 sacrifice at your father's house. Do you remember
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 25 
 
 it? Or perhaps you were away in the fields with 
 the sheep." 
 
 "I remember it," answered David; "but tell me, 
 Elihu, how do you come to be going messages for 
 Saul, if you are a servant of Samuel?" 
 
 "I was a servant of Samuel's, true enough; and 
 you may say I am still and yet I am a servant 
 of Saul's! . . . Well, I won't puzzle you any 
 more it 's like this. Samuel and Saul are not 
 friends now, and Samuel won't go to see Saul ; why, 
 for years since before that time he came to 
 sacrifice at your father's house he has n't been to 
 Gibeah. But for all that he likes to know what 
 goes on there, so I serve in the king's house, and 
 from time to time go over to Ramah and tell Samuel 
 the news." 
 
 David stared at Elihu, and stroked his chin. 
 
 "I see," he said, and thought a long time. Pres- 
 ently he had another question. 
 
 "How came the king to think of me as a harp 
 player?" 
 
 "Ah, that was my doing, David, and if you make 
 a success of it I hope you will remember me. This 
 was how it happened. Saul has been possessed of 
 a devil for a long time, and the devil is getting 
 worse and Saul is sometimes a terror. Now, as 
 Samuel said to me one day, music is well known to
 
 26 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 frighten devils, and all of us about the king had 
 been searching our minds for weeks to think of some 
 skilful harp player who could attend him when he 
 has the fit. So one day when I was at Ramah and 
 happened to mention something I had done when I 
 lived in Jesse's house, 'Ah,' says Samuel, 'had n't he 
 a son who played the harp?' 'To be sure he has,' 
 said I, 'David, his youngest, and a pretty boy he 
 was' for you were pretty when you were a child, 
 David. 'Yes,' says Samuel, 'and if I remember 
 right his singing was as good as his playing. 
 Would not he do for the king, Elihu?' 'Why,' said 
 I, 'he is the very one, so I shall tell Saul.' And so 
 I did. And the very next day Saul had me off to 
 Bethlehem to fetch you. So you see whom you 
 have to thank in the matter." 
 
 "Yes," said David, "I see whom I have to thank." 
 And his heart sank within him for a moment, for 
 it seemed to him the court would be a more slippery 
 place than he had suspected, and one where it would 
 be perilously easy to lose one's footing. "But then," 
 he thought, "it is clear that Samuel is concerned in 
 what happens to me, and he and the Lord will 
 be my helper." 
 
 They had started in good time, and it was still 
 morning when they came in sight of the low-built 
 huts that made the town of Gibeah. Saul's house
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 27 
 
 consisted of a group of these small huts, placed 
 around a courtyard, and at this hour the yard was 
 full of men and beasts, the inevitable accompani- 
 ment of a center of government. David took from 
 off his ass the presents Jesse had sent the king, and 
 Elihu called to a boy to come and take charge of 
 them. Then Elihu forced his way through the 
 throng to the door of one of the huts and was pres- 
 ently beckoning to David and the boy to come that 
 way. When David reached the door he found him- 
 self in front of a big, burly man with black eyes, 
 and black eyebrows nearly meeting across his fore- 
 head. 
 
 "Are you David?" he said, putting his hand on 
 his shoulder. "Well, go in there; he's anxious to 
 see you." 
 
 David stooped, and stood up in the king's 
 chamber. 
 
 The room was bigger, loftier, and, above all, 
 lighter than any he had been in before. Though 
 it was not yet midday he saw everything in the 
 room, quite clearly. In one corner were the tera- 
 phim long shapeless bits of wood, shiny from the 
 caresses of many pleading and adoring hands. At 
 the back of the room, next to the wall, ran a long 
 bench ; in front of it went a long table. The bench 
 was covered with hangings and rugs amazingly
 
 28 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 rich and fine they seemed to David and in the 
 middle, where it was raised somewhat, and sep- 
 arated from the rest, a man was sitting. 
 
 He was sunk among the cushions on his seat, his 
 head hanging down on his breast, his fingers play- 
 ing listlessly with his beard. At David's step he 
 looked up quickly, showing a white face, and blaz- 
 ing hot eyes, with circles under them which looked 
 as if they had been marked in with charcoal. 
 
 "Who are you?" he cried out, jumping up in his 
 seat and beginning to fumble in his belt. "How 
 did you come here? Who let you in? Abner! 
 Abner! who is this?" 
 
 David ran forward, holding out his hands, and 
 when he was near made a low obeisance. 
 
 "I am David, the son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, 
 come to be my lord's servant and harp player." 
 
 "Ah . . . David . . ." answered Saul, sinking 
 back; "I have been waiting for you. . . . What 
 is that boy doing?" he asked, his voice rising again 
 sharply. 
 
 "He only carries a few small presents my father 
 ventures to send to my lord some bread my mother 
 made, a kid, and a bottle of wine. No doubt my 
 lord has much better wine, but we think highly of 
 this it comes from a grape we call the 'hen and 
 chicken,' and this year the vintage has been very
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 29 
 
 sweet. As for the kid, it should have been a lamb, 
 but we have been unfortunate this spring with our 
 lambs. A lion has been ravaging the flocks no 
 longer ago than yesterday he was out, and a bear 
 with him." 
 
 "Yesterday, did you say? Did they do much 
 damage?" 
 
 "Not this time, my lord. . . . Directly I found 
 there was a lion there I crept down into the gully 
 to see what he was doing. He had picked up a 
 lamb in his mouth and was making off, so I ran 
 after him and hit his mouth with my club. That 
 made him drop the lamb and come for me. I let 
 him get quite near and then caught hold of his 
 beard with one hand and hit him with the club till 
 I had finished him." 
 
 Saul's red eyes had been following eagerly. 
 "Well done and the bear?" 
 
 "The bear was kind enough to wait till I had 
 settled with the lion; then he came creeping out of 
 a cave a good hundred yards off. I was tired with 
 the drubbing I had given one thief, so did not care 
 to engage in a tussle with the other. I took out 
 my sling and sent a stone which caught my Lord 
 Bear on the face it must have been his eye, for 
 he fell down, and did not get up again." 
 
 Saul threw himself back, laughing uproariously.
 
 30 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "Well done! well done!" he cried. "Do so with 
 the Philistines and you will be a famous man." 
 Then he began to shout, "Abner! Abner! Abner! 
 Why don't you come, Abner?" 
 
 A moment later the big, black-faced man who 
 had received David came in and made a clumsy 
 bow to Saul. 
 
 "Abner, this is David." Saul spoke in a quick, 
 jerky, excited way, laughing queerly between the 
 sentences. "Do you see him? Is n't he beautiful? 
 Look at his golden hair look at his smiling eyes 
 Ah ! he 's a beautiful boy ! and as wise as he 's 
 beautiful, and as brave as he 's wise. . . . And 
 Abner why did I want you? Oh yes, send to 
 thank . . . Josiah for his gifts such choice gifts, 
 I am ashamed to take them and tell him, Abner, 
 tell him that David has found favor in my sight. 
 Do you hear? What are you waiting for? Go 
 and do these things at once, at once, at once. Now, 
 David, sit down there and let me hear more. . . ." 
 
 Abner came out of the king's room looking 
 blacker than ever. 
 
 "Ha, Jonathan!" he said to a young man who 
 caught hold of his coat and looked at him ques- 
 tioningly. "He 's beginning one of his wild, ex- 
 citable moods . . . We shall have another fit by the 
 evening, I have n't a doubt. ."
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 31 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 ABNER was unfortunately right. After an out- 
 burst of frenzied excitement, started, apparently, 
 by David's appearance, Saul suddenly collapsed, 
 under a reaction as powerful and more devastat- 
 ing. He ordered away every one who came near 
 him, had curtains hung up to exclude every ray of 
 light, and finally took refuge in the women's apart- 
 ments, flinging himself down on a pile of rugs and 
 burying his face from sight. His whole body was 
 shaken with violent sobs, and his teeth chattered. 
 Every few moments a groan burst from him, seem- 
 ing to tear his lungs as it escaped. He was quite 
 lost to the world of sense around; the waves of 
 some terrible ocean, ordinarily hidden and con- 
 trolled by the subtle and ingenious mechanism of 
 the mind, had temporarily swept away the gates 
 and banks that kept it in check, or diverted it into 
 safe channels, and submerged his whole being under 
 its dark and stormy waters. 
 
 This was the time when the psychiatry of the 
 day declared that the harp was indicated; and ac- 
 cordingly David, harp in hand, was thrust into the 
 darkened room where the wretched man lay. 
 
 The boy at first crouched silent and motionless
 
 32 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 in a corner. He had never known anything like 
 this. He did not for a moment doubt that some 
 devil had possession of the king. He did doubt 
 whether Yahweh was mighty enough to deal with 
 it. He was himself, in some strange way, affected 
 by the terrible emotions which seemed to be rend- 
 ing Saul. 
 
 "Is this real?" he said to himself, "or am I in 
 one of my dreams? . . . Why is my heart beat- 
 ing so? ... What will happen next?" 
 
 Directly curiosity awoke he felt calmer, though 
 the whole business still seemed unreal. He picked 
 up his harp, and moved gently across the room to 
 where Saul lay. Still half blind in the darkness, 
 he put out his hand to feel his way, and touched a 
 quivering body . . . For a moment it was still, and 
 he quickly withdrew his hand . . . The quivering, 
 he was aware, immediately began again. After a 
 moment's hesitation he put his hand out once more, 
 and this time laid it firmly on the king's shoulder. 
 Again there was a period of stillness ; then the body 
 turned slightly and a weak, trembling voice whis- 
 pered: 
 
 "Who is that?" 
 
 "David," he answered, very clearly, but very 
 softly. 
 
 "David" . . . repeated the other . . . Silence;
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 33 
 
 and then the body began to tremble and the teeth 
 to chatter. 
 
 But David, who had felt the pleasure of exercis- 
 ing power, was vexed to find his success so short- 
 lived, and without considering the unsuitability of 
 such behavior toward a king said, still in a low 
 voice, but with great decision: 
 
 "Hush ... do not shiver so. . . ." 
 
 The king was quiet. 
 
 Now, thought David, is the time for the harp; 
 he picked it up and without conscious selection 
 began to sing the first quiet, soothing tune that 
 came into his head. It happened to be a lullaby 
 the lullaby with which his mother had always 
 sung him to sleep as a child. 
 
 Close your eyes, close your eyes, little child, 
 The sky is dark, the hills are dark, 
 Close your eyes. 
 
 Close your eyes, close your eyes, little love, 
 The birds sleep, the beasts sleep, 
 Close your eyes. 
 
 Close your eyes, close your eyes, little prince, 
 God watches, I watch, 
 Close your eyes. . . . 
 
 By this time David was accustomed to the dark-
 
 34 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 ness, and he could see Saul looking restlessly here 
 and there and panting like a frightened animal. 
 As he sang, however, fixing his own gaze on the 
 sick man's, he found it, too, becoming fixed . . . 
 and as he continued, insistently, over and over 
 again, "Close your eyes, close your eyes . . ." he 
 saw the red eyes close the panting become still. 
 At last Saul slept. 
 
 For a long time the two remained thus without 
 moving. David himself was half dazed by the 
 success of his efforts, the strangeness of the scene, 
 and the curious, contagious emotion that he seemed 
 to have caught from the sufferer. He was too much 
 agitated to make daydreams; his thoughts seemed 
 to come in great flashes, leaving big blanks of dark 
 non-consciousness in between. 
 
 "Shall I succeed again? . . . Will it come 
 often? . . . How will he be when he wakes? 
 . . . He was different this morning. . . . Then 
 he laughed too much. . . . Sometimes he will be 
 angry. . . . After all, it 's very exciting. ... I 
 managed it all right. ..." 
 
 Now all this time David had thought that he 
 and Saul were alone together. Suddenly, from 
 behind the rugs on which Saul lay, appeared the 
 head of a girl. She had been crouching on the 
 ground, her face hidden, her clothes mingling with
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 35 
 
 the draperies on the couch, and when she lifted her 
 head David started so violently that the harp 
 dropped from his hand. 
 
 She frowned, and put a finger to her lip. 
 
 David blushed furiously, picked up the harp, 
 and stared at her. 
 
 She gazed back at him and smiled; then slowly, 
 so slowly that in the dim light he almost doubted 
 his own eyes, a delicate blush tinged her face and 
 her eyes fell. Without any sound she rose to her 
 feet, and with still downcast eyes she disappeared 
 behind a curtain. 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THE next day Saul still needed the services of 
 David. The violent fancy he had taken to him 
 seemed to continue, though apparently his recollec- 
 tions of the events of the previous night were ex- 
 tremely nebulous. He did not speak or move much, 
 but kept David beside him and occasionally made 
 him sing. Toward nightfall the doorkeeper an- 
 nounced that Abner wished to see the king, and 
 Saul, who was now rapidly recovering, ordered him 
 to be admitted.
 
 36 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 After the usual salutations and greetings Abner 
 came quickly to business. News was coming in 
 that the Philistines were preparing for war. Jona- 
 than had seen the messengers and was uneasy. He 
 wished to go out with a few men on a reconnaissance 
 to hear what the people of Dan thought about the 
 situation. Had he the king's permission for such 
 an expedition? 
 
 Saul sighed, but agreed it was the best thing 
 to be done, and a few moments later Jonathan 
 came in, received his father's blessing, and was 
 off. David, sitting in the darkness behind Saul's 
 couch, watched him curiously, thinking to himself 
 that this was the man from whom Samuel and he 
 were to pluck the power and the throne. ... He 
 could not help smiling as he looked, for Jonathan's 
 calm, open face was so different from the wild, ruth- 
 less expression he had pictured to himself. How 
 would it come about? Perhaps Jonathan would 
 fall into the hands of the Philistines on this very 
 expedition and lose his life, and then Saul would 
 adopt well, Armoni and Meribaal and Ishbaal 
 could easily be killed by the Philistines too. . . . 
 
 Several weeks passed quietly away. Jonathan 
 was constantly going and coming. Abner was 
 looking over arms and equipment, and all the young 
 men were exercising themselves and practising
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 37 
 
 their skill in throwing lances and slinging stones. 
 David, with his experience as a shepherd, soon 
 gained a reputation among them for the accuracy 
 and strength of his slinging, and Saul, after watch- 
 ing him one whole morning, declared he should be 
 his armor-bearer. 
 
 At last news arrived that the Philistine army had 
 set out from Gath. Saul, Abner, and Jonathan 
 held a council of war, and it was decided that 
 Jonathan should start south with a first contingent 
 the next evening, while Saul and Abner should 
 follow the day after with the rest of the men who 
 might come in from the outlying tribes. They were 
 to meet at Azekah, a slope to the north of one of 
 the passes leading from Philistia into the heart 
 of the Judean country. 
 
 Most of that day David spent in the courtyard 
 and watched the tribesmen arriving and being 
 marshaled into their hundreds and thousands. 
 They were armed in primitive fashion with a club 
 and sling, or a rough spear with a stone head, 01 
 sometimes but very rarely a bronze head. There 
 were no iron weapons at all, and indeed David had 
 never heard of such things, though he knew that 
 some of the tribesmen had iron plowshares. He 
 could not understand Jonathan's serious look, nor 
 the number of times he shook his head and mur-
 
 38 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 mured that things were in a bad way. To David's 
 eyes the men were stalwart, the arms in good condi- 
 tion, and if the omens turned out favorable there 
 was no reason they should not exterminate the 
 Philistines to the last man. When the men were 
 ready and he saw Jonathan for the first time in his 
 bronze armor, and saw him pull an iron sword 
 from a scabbard at his side and wave it in the air, 
 David was convinced that it would be altogether 
 impossible for any army to resist the Israelites he 
 watched them march out of Gibeah with the thrill 
 and tingle of undaunted confidence. 
 
 On the following morning the rest of the 
 Israelites set out. David now found himself the 
 delighted bearer of Saul's armor even heavier and 
 more beautifully chased than Jonathan's and on 
 the way to the camp David's thoughts were fully 
 occupied with the wonderful adventures in which he 
 was to win from the Philistines as superb an outfit 
 for himself. 
 
 It was too dark when they arrived to see anything 
 of the situation of the camp, but daylight brought 
 understanding. Saul's army was on the top of a 
 steep bluff, facing southwest. Below them was a 
 rich valley, about a quarter of a mile wide, through 
 which rushed a mountain brook in a deep ravine, 
 its bed strewn with white stones. On the hills
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 39 
 
 opposite to them were the tents of the Philistines, 
 and the Israelites could watch them swarming about 
 like bees. It was clear, even to one as inexperienced 
 in warfare as David, that the Israelite army was 
 in a magnificent position to prevent the Philistines 
 from forcing the pass, but that if they themselves 
 took the offensive they would put themselves in 
 the enemy's power. In fact, whichever side at- 
 tempted to cross the ravine first would be at the 
 mercy of the other. 
 
 Presently David noticed a little group of Philis- 
 tines run down the hill, and one of them, clearly 
 a big man, all in armor, detach himself from the 
 others and begin striding up and down the meadow, 
 gesticulating so that the sun flashed on his bronze 
 armor. After a while he rejoined his companions, 
 and all together they climbed back again up to 
 the camp. David wondered what it had been 
 about perhaps an invocation to his gods, he 
 thought. 
 
 The danger of taking the initiative was quite 
 apparent to both armies, and for several days they 
 remained on the hillsides watching each other and 
 making no movement. Every morning the big 
 Philistine walked up and down, waving his arms 
 and shouting, and the Israelites discovered that he 
 was challenging them to single combat and calling
 
 40 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 them white-livered garbage for not responding. 
 Some of the young Benjamites were angry and 
 wanted to rush down on him in a body and silence 
 him, but Abner had violently forbidden any such 
 rash action. 
 
 One evening, when Saul had said he did not 
 want him, David went off toward the tents of the 
 men of Judah. His three eldest brothers were there 
 and many other young men he knew, including his 
 nephew Joab, Elhanan, also a youth of Bethlehem, 
 and a certain Eleazar, son of Dodai. This evening 
 he found them sitting together in a group, making 
 merry over some bottles of wine and some cakes 
 which Jesse had sent to his sons. 
 
 "My father is a man of sense," Eliab was 
 saying, as David came up. "He sent by the same 
 messenger a handsome present of wine, cheese, and 
 bread to the captain of our thousand, so we three 
 are in his good books, and he won't say anything 
 at our enjoying ourselves to-night." 
 
 "Give me a drink!" cried David, pushing into 
 the circle, taking the wine skin from Elhanan, and 
 sitting down beside him. "Ah! this is the stuff! 
 If I drink enough of this I shall be ready to go and 
 settle old Goliath, as they call him, myself, single- 
 handed!" 
 
 The young men laughed and declared that on
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 41 
 
 those terms he was welcome to the rest of the wine, 
 but Eliab called out : 
 
 "No, no! Don't you believe him! I know him 
 of old it 's only a trick to finish the wine he 
 never means to go near the Philistines ! " 
 
 "What! not to win the king's daughter, who 
 has been promised to the man who kills Goliath?" 
 asked Elhanan. 
 
 And the others laughed again. 
 
 "Don't you believe it," said David. "He 's far 
 more likely to get a dressing down from Abner for 
 crossing the brook though I think myself the fel- 
 low deserves a lesson for his disgusting language." 
 
 "It would n't be necessary to cross the brook in 
 order to lay him out," said Elhanan. "I could 
 reach him myself with a stone from my sling from 
 this side of the water. ..." 
 
 "Yes," answered Eleazar, "and have all the pack 
 that go with him cut you in pieces before you 'd 
 climbed out of the ravine." 
 
 "Not if half a dozen of us went down with 
 him," put in Joab. "We could see to it that he had 
 fair play." 
 
 David silently held the wine skin out to Elhanan 
 with a meaning look, and there was a shout of 
 amusement from the others. Elhanan grinned and 
 looked sheepish, but muttered that he meant it.
 
 42 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "Well," said David, "why not? Keep the plan 
 dark so that we're not stopped; let ten of us go 
 down to the brook in ones and twos and no one 
 will notice us. Let Elhanan have the first shot at 
 Goliath and the rest of us will be ready to settle 
 any of his friends who come within reach. What 
 do you say? Who else will come?" 
 
 With the party of hot-heads sitting there eager 
 for a fight and despising anybody who hung back 
 for a strategic reason, it was easy enough to find 
 plenty of support for such a dashing scheme, how- 
 ever foolhardy it might appear to soberer spirits. 
 Twelve of them were soon agreed to take part in 
 the attempt; the rest were bound over to secrecy, 
 and after a few more details as to time and place 
 had been settled, the conspirators parted to make 
 the most of the hours of rest that remained before 
 the adventure began. 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 SAUL and Abner were standing on the hillside 
 looking down to the valley of Elah. On the other 
 side of the brook the gigantic figure of the Philis- 
 tine was seen making his usual descent of the hill-
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 43 
 
 side to taunt, and perhaps lure out, the men of 
 Israel. Abner was biting his underlip and growling 
 as he watched, and his black eyebrows made a line 
 across his forehead. 
 
 "May Azazel be my ruin!" he exclaimed at last. 
 "If he stands there much longer I shall go down 
 myself to fight him! I don't know what young 
 men are made of nowadays ! When I was young no 
 orders under heaven would have prevented us from 
 knocking on the head a villain who behaved as 
 insultingly as this one! I wonder you can put up 
 with it, Saul." 
 
 "If we don't put up with that we may have to 
 put up with something worse," answered Saul. 
 "But I 'm afraid from the look of things the young 
 men are not so degenerate as you make out; I see 
 a lot of movement down by the brook, and there 
 are three of them running down the hill under the 
 shadow of those olive trees." 
 
 "By the Lord, so there are. And look, the 
 Philistines have seen them too, and are sending 
 an extra number of men down with their courageous 
 Goliath, who is too grand or too lazy to carry his 
 own shield. Well, I '11 run up to the camp and 
 have our men ready to stand by in case their help 
 is needed. I '11 send David down to you with 
 your armor."
 
 44 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 But that Abner was not able to do. David was 
 crouching down in the ravine where the brook 
 rushed past, clutching his sling and his club and 
 watching intently while Goliath came nearer and 
 nearer. Suddenly Elhanan, who was also in the 
 ravine a little way off, jumped up on the bank, 
 and swung his sling; Goliath fell face forward on 
 the ground without a word, and never moved. His 
 companions, who, on seeing an Israelite unexpect- 
 edly appearing within their reach for the first time 
 since they had come down to do battle had begun to 
 run forward, hesitated at the quite unexpected fall 
 of their champion. At this moment Elhanan's sup- 
 porters sprang up too, and the Philistines, petrified 
 at the appearance of a dozen where they looked for 
 only one, stood stock still, and immediately re- 
 ceived a volley of stones from the Israelites. 
 David's hand shook so much with excitement that 
 his first stone fell wide. He stooped to pick up 
 another and when he raised his head the whole scene 
 had changed. Across the brook a mass of Philis- 
 tines were pouring down the hill to support their 
 friends ; and of the latter half a dozen had recovered 
 from their alarm and were almost upon the brook. 
 
 Up to this moment the young men who had gone 
 out with their slings had been acting more or less 
 independently. They had agreed to let Elhanan
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 45 
 
 shoot first, but beyond that they had made no plans 
 they were not even grouped together and when 
 they looked up and saw the whole Philistine army 
 coming down toward them they hesitated and 
 wavered. David suddenly realized that he was 
 practically alone with no help in the way of a 
 charging army. His body felt icy cold and his 
 belly hollow and empty. Almost automatically he 
 swung his sling and could hardly believe his eyes 
 when he saw a Philistine go down. Then he heard 
 a shout behind him, turned, and saw a troop of 
 friendly Benjamites racing down the hill toward 
 them. It flashed upon him that this was the battle 
 that as yet he had done nothing that if he was 
 not quick the men of Benjamin would be in it before 
 he was. He leapt the brook, with a cry of "Judah! 
 Judah!" and scrambled out of the ravine into the 
 south side of the valley. As he shouted the other 
 Judeans gathered courage. In a moment they too 
 had crossed the stream, and at once all began fol- 
 lowing the lead of David. As he bounded along 
 he was conscious first of Joab and then of Eleazar 
 beside him; two or three stones flew over his head 
 from the Judean slings and at that the nearest 
 Philistines turned and fled. 
 
 Nevertheless, this was, in reality, the most 
 dangerous moment of the battle. The handful of
 
 46 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 Israelites in the ravine and south of the brook could 
 do nothing decisive alone; the main body were 
 rushing impetuously down the hill, and would soon 
 be involved in the difficulties of the mountain tor- 
 rent and its steep banks. If the Philistines had 
 collected themselves, and remained firm on their 
 own hillside, the situation they had manceuvered for 
 would have been attained, and the Israelites would 
 have been in their hands. 
 
 But the Philistines could not collect themselves. 
 Their nerves had been shaken by seeing Goliath 
 the unconquerable fall ; the men going down the hill 
 to the attack had become involved in the men flying 
 from the Israelite slingers, and the impetuous dash 
 of the Benjamites down the northern slope suddenly 
 seemed catastrophic and irresistible. Moreover, the 
 situation was one in which the great war chariots 
 on which they chiefly relied were useless, even if 
 they had been on the spot. Panic seized them ; and 
 before David had run many steps up the hill he 
 saw to his amazement that they were abandoning 
 the camp and were tearing a desperate and dis- 
 organized mob westward along the valley, toward 
 the pass into Philistia. 
 
 The pursuit of the flying Philistines was a long 
 and tiring one. David found himself by tacit 
 consent of his companions in command of the men
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 47 
 
 on the south side of the river the original skir- 
 mishers, reinforced by some of the quickest-footed 
 of the Benjamites. On the north side the main 
 body was led by the flashing bronze armor of Jona- 
 than, and David instinctively kept his little group 
 in line with them. As far as the top of the pass 
 they had things their own way, and did great 
 slaughter upon the rearward Philistines. Once 
 over the pass, however, they would be approaching 
 Philistia, and David realized that he did not at all 
 know how far it would be safe to go. He fixed his 
 eye, therefore, on Jonathan; and with him checked 
 his eager followers when they came in sight of the 
 towers of Gath. 
 
 In the cool of the evening the triumphant army 
 straggled back, making a detour through the 
 deserted Philistine camp in order to carry off any 
 booty that remained there. The tents had, how- 
 ever, been pretty thoroughly ransacked before David 
 reached them. Nowhere could he find the armor 
 that he had set his heart upon, and only after long 
 search a short-handled spear with an iron head. 
 As it was the first iron he had ever possessed, he 
 tried to console himself with it, but could not help 
 lamenting in his heart that his first adventure had 
 not won him the armor of his dreams. Coming 
 down the hill to cross the valley in returning to the
 
 48 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 Israelite camp, he passed the dead body of Goliath. 
 Elhanan was standing beside it measuring the 
 height close upon seven feet they found it. David 
 helped him to take off the heavy armor, and 
 Elhanan took out the giant's sword and cut off 
 the head with it, and then the two young men 
 carried the armor off to their tents. 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 As David pushed his way through the rejoicing 
 crowds that swarmed about the Israelite camp, he 
 noticed a change in the men's attitude toward him- 
 self. It had been evident to every one that he had 
 been the leader of the bold enthusiasts to whom the 
 battle and the victory had been due. Saul and 
 Jonathan had been asking for him urgently; and 
 whereas before he had only been a singer and the 
 king's favorite, he was. now a successful captain 
 and a popular hero. On every side he was assailed 
 by salutations, greetings, congratulations, and even 
 that inevitable mark of success by requests to be 
 remembered. David replied with thanks and by 
 reciprocating greetings to as many as he could, and
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 49 
 
 with gestures and smiles to the rest. In haste as he 
 was to reach the king's tent, he allowed no one who 
 spoke to him to feel that he was unresponsive. 
 
 At last he made his way to the tent, and with a 
 word to the man on guard, lifted the curtain and 
 went in. Saul and Jonathan were both there, sit- 
 ting on the ground on rugs ; both turned toward him 
 as he came in, with smiles and words of welcome. 
 
 "Welcome, my beloved," said Saul, making a 
 play of words on his name. "Yahweh has indeed 
 been your friend to-day. 1 Sit down here and tell 
 us all about your doings." 
 
 "Certainly, Yahweh has been my friend," an- 
 swered David, smiling, and sitting crosslegged on 
 the floor as he had been bidden, "but as for my 
 doings, they are not worth mentioning there were 
 many who did better than I." 
 
 Jonathan laughed aloud, and turned to Saul. 
 
 "Do not believe him, my father," he said. "Do 
 not let his modesty and generosity hide his courage. 
 I saw him the whole day I knew that golden hair 
 leading the men on the south side of the brook 
 urging them to the pursuit, cheering them when they 
 flagged, restraining them when the time came to 
 return, and himself the first to advance and the last 
 
 1 The name David comes, perhaps, from Dodavahu, which probably 
 means Yahweh is a friend or Yahweh is beloved.
 
 50 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 to retire. His courage was matched only by his 
 prudence." 
 
 The enthusiastic praise thus lavished on him by 
 the heroic Jonathan, whose own exploits in war were 
 famous all over the country, made David's heart 
 beat, and his cheeks flush. 
 
 "My lord," said he, softly, to Saul, lowering his 
 eyes and looking at the ground, "as for my prudence 
 it consisted only in watching Jonathan, and guiding 
 my behavior by his." Through his long eyelashes 
 David glanced quickly up at Jonathan, who smiled 
 and shook his head. 
 
 "Well," said Saul, "never mind all that; what 
 I want to know is how you got down to the brook 
 at all, who else was with you, and exactly what 
 happened. Tell me all about it." 
 
 So David told Saul how the plan had been 
 arranged the night before, and executed in the 
 morning, and ended by begging the king's forgive- 
 ness for having disobeyed orders and embarked on 
 such an enterprise unknown to any of the captains. 
 
 "Forgive you!" exclaimed Saul; "well, it's true 
 enough it was a rash proceeding and might have 
 turned out badly; but as things are, you have ren- 
 dered us all a great service, and I shall see you 
 are not the loser. In any case you shall be a cap- 
 tain of a thousand, for it is evident you will make
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 51 
 
 a good officer. And for yourself . . . what shall 
 I give you, my beautiful David? . . . Jonathan, 
 what shall I give him? . . . David, I will give 
 you my eldest daughter, Merab, to wife ! " 
 
 In a flash there rose up in David's mind the face 
 of the girl he had seen in Saul's room at Gibeah 
 ... if this were Merab ! But the next moment he 
 recovered himself, and bending forward touched 
 the ground with his forehead. 
 
 "My lord thinks too much of what I have done," 
 he said. "Who am I, who are my kinsfolk, that 
 I should be son-in-law to the king?" 
 
 Saul, who had spoken with his usual impetuosity, 
 and was already regretting his hasty offer, felt re- 
 lieved at David's answer. 
 
 "Well, well," he returned, "there is no hurry for 
 that . . . You are still young. . . . Now, boys, 
 I will not keep you I am going to sleep." 
 
 David and Jonathan rose, saluted the king, and 
 went out. As they did so Jonathan caught hold 
 of David's arm and looked at him intently. 
 
 "David," he said, eagerly, directly they were 
 outside, "come to my tent. ... I want to speak 
 to you. David," he continued, as soon as they 
 were alone in the tent, "I don't know what has 
 happened to me. I have seen you so often, about 
 my father, at Gibeah, and never noticed you. . . .
 
 52 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 I must have been blind . . . but to-day ... it was 
 like a revelation as if I was looking at you for 
 the first time. I don't know what it is in you, 
 David . . . you are brave but it 's not that you 
 will be a great general but it 's not that your 
 voice is like milk and honey, you are the most 
 beautiful boy in the world but it 's not that, it 's 
 not that I don't know what it is, but I love you 
 as my own soul." 
 
 David made no answer. A pulse was beating 
 in his throat, and he shivered with the rising 
 vehemence of Jonathan's emotion. At last he took 
 Jonathan's hand in his and pressed it to his lips. 
 
 "Ah! " cried Jonathan in a voice of triumph; and 
 clasped David in his arms. 
 
 In the morning Jonathan and David made a 
 blood covenant. The priest made a cut in the 
 right arm of each, and rubbed the warm blood on 
 the wound of the other. They clasped their hands 
 and swore before Yahweh that they were brothers, 
 and that the friends and enemies of the one should 
 be the friends and enemies of the other. Then 
 Jonathan took for himself David's outer coat, his 
 club, and his sling, and in return laid at David's 
 feet his own bronze armor, iron sword, bow, and 
 leather girdle. But, since the day before, the world
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 53 
 
 had changed so utterly to David that he picked up 
 the treasures, for which he had longed so passion- 
 ately, with a feeling of remoteness that amounted 
 almost to indifference. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 WHEN David returned to Gibeah his whole way 
 of life was changed. He was no longer a mere 
 attendant on the sick king he was a successful 
 soldier, an admired leader and the friend of Jona- 
 than, the heir to the throne. Moreover though 
 no one except Jonathan knew it the king had 
 offered him his daughter Merab as a wife. Yet 
 during these days of success and promise, David 
 thought very little about Samuel's prophetic words, 
 and spent indeed very little time in any dreams. 
 He was extremely busy with his new military duties 
 and any spare moments were absorbed by Jonathan. 
 Once or twice he thought Saul was eyeing him 
 strangely but he quickly attributed that to the 
 king's health, and forgot it as soon as possible. 
 No more was said about Merab. 
 
 One day he suddenly felt homesick; and in the
 
 54 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 afternoon walked over to Bethlehem to stay the 
 night there. His father and mother were delighted 
 to see him so were his brothers and nephews 
 and their affectionate praise and admiration pleased 
 and invigorated him. He returned to Gibeah the 
 following day and swung along the stony road, 
 gay and confident, sure that the world was full of 
 prizes and triumphs for him to win. 
 
 He reached the well outside the gate in the 
 evening, just as the girls of the town were filling 
 their pitchers. Hot and thirsty from his walk, he 
 went up to one of them who was still stooping over 
 the water, and putting his hands together like a 
 cup said softly: 
 
 "In the name of Yahweh, give me drink, O 
 daughter of wisdom." The girl looked up quickly 
 and fixed her eyes on David. 
 
 "In the name of Yahweh, here is drink for the 
 singer," she replied. 
 
 When he saw her face he knew her at once, ana! 
 the blood rushed into his own; but he kept his 
 hands steady for the water she poured into them, 
 and drank it, before answering her. 
 
 "May Yahweh reward you for giving drink to 
 a soldier," for he was willing she should know he 
 could fight and had. 
 
 "A soldier!" the girl laughed and half turned
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 55 
 
 round to her companions, who were listening to 
 the talk and smiling at the handsome young man. 
 "A soldier! I thought you were a babies' nurse 
 from your song!" 
 
 Again David felt the blood in his cheeks. She 
 had the gift of stinging him with a delicious sense 
 of shame a glance could do it, and she could find 
 sharp words that had the same effect. He felt a 
 little child while she laughed at him. But sud- 
 denly, even as he looked at her with hot cheeks, the 
 sensation of his own manhood came upon him, more 
 strongly than anything else. After all, she was 
 only a woman let her know it. 
 
 He put out his hand and held her sleeve. 
 
 "I know other songs than that one," he said. 
 "I know war songs ... I know love songs . . . 
 and I can teach others to sing. Would you like 
 to learn that lullaby? ... do you remember how 
 it goes? . . . shall I sing it again? 'Close your 
 eyes, little child, close your eyes' . . ." 
 
 She pulled her sleeve from his grasp, lifted her 
 pitcher, and without a word turned from him and 
 hurried back to the town; but not before he had 
 seen her mocking eyes cast down, and her own face 
 hot and crimson. 
 
 He pursued one of the other women and detained 
 her.
 
 56 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "Tell me, Mother, who is the girl with the red 
 fringe to her dress?" 
 
 "Don't look after her, young man, she's too 
 great for you . . . that's Saul's youngest daughter, 
 Michal." 
 
 Jonathan thought David was tired by his walk. 
 It was a pity, for again there was news of a Phi- 
 listine raid, and in the morning, very early, they 
 were to start to meet them. Would David come too? 
 David was quite willing; but he told Jonathan that 
 he was tired, and if they were starting early he 
 would rest now. 
 
 David may have been tired that evening, but 
 in the morning he was in boisterous spirits. When 
 he was in that mood nothing could withstand him; 
 he soon had his own thousand as full of enthusiasm 
 as himself, and the whole army caught the in- 
 fection. The consequence was the complete rout 
 of the Philistines and another personal triumph 
 for David. Jonathan sent an advance messenger 
 with the news to Saul; and the messenger must 
 have told others besides Saul, for as the victorious 
 soldiers marched back to Gibeah the women rushed 
 out to meet them, singing and dancing, and playing 
 on harps and flutes. Nor was it only the women 
 of Gibeah who formed the crowd of those who
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 57 
 
 rejoiced from all the neighboring towns they had 
 thronged together to do honor to the new hero. 
 
 As David went along at the head of his thousand, 
 and saw all the eyes of the assembly turned on him, 
 their arms stretched toward him, and heard their 
 acclamations with his name sounding most loudly, 
 he felt a new thrill. This was a triumph in the eyes 
 of a whole people not only before a few men a 
 king .some soldiers his relations it was a whole 
 nation that was coming out to welcome him he 
 was renowned now throughout the tribes of Israel 
 and Judah. And it was as this conviction reached 
 him that there came to him the words which with 
 a startling suddenness brought back to him the 
 promise of Samuel. The words were being sung 
 by groups of women, who danced as they sang, and 
 clapped their hands. They were getting nearer to 
 the town of Gibeah nearer to Gibeah of Saul 
 and still the women sang and laughed, and threw 
 out their arms toward David. Now the procession 
 was within the gates of the town now they were 
 coming under the walls behind which the king was 
 sitting, and still they sang, almost intoxicated with 
 joy and music. David heard them quite clearly; 
 he looked straight ahead and kept his lips firm, 
 but his eyes sparkled and his pulses throbbed; did
 
 58 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 Saul hear them too? did Jonathan hear them? and 
 what did they think? For these were the words of 
 the women's song, echoed by hundreds of voices, 
 hundreds of times : 
 
 Saul hath slain his thousands, 
 
 But David hath slain his ten thousands. 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 THAT night Saul had another of his attacks. He 
 had been violent and excited all the time of the 
 rejoicings, and seeing Merab among the women 
 who were waving green branches on the tops of the 
 houses, he broke out into incoherent curses and 
 abuse, calling her an unnatural daughter, a viper, 
 a conspirator. When he had exhausted himself 
 he flung himself down listlessly on the floor and 
 would not speak. Jonathan ran for David, and 
 begged him to come with his harp to see if he could 
 help him, and David assented, though in his heart 
 he felt a reluctance that he did not wish to recognize. 
 
 "Father," said Jonathan gently, "here is David 
 would you like him to play to you?" 
 
 Saul pushed Jonathan away, gave a growl that
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 59 
 
 was almost a groan, and hid his face in his hands. 
 David, without speaking, began to play very softly 
 on the harp, but he did not sing. Saul did not 
 look up or move, but presently he said: 
 
 "Jonathan: I want Merab. Fetch her." Jona- 
 than went out. 
 
 When he had gone David stopped playing; he 
 crept a little nearer to Saul and touched the hem 
 of the king's coat. Saul was still motionless, and 
 David began to caress his foot, very lightly. At 
 last he said: "My lord, the king, . . . my fa- 
 ther. . . ." 
 
 Saul gave a deep sigh and looked up. 
 
 "My beautiful David, have you come to drive 
 away my evil spirit ? You have not been to see me 
 for many, many weeks, and that is the reason he 
 has seized upon me again. Why have you deserted 
 me? Don't you love me any more?" 
 
 Before David could answer Jonathan returned, 
 leading Merab with him. When she saw her father 
 lying on the ground she gave a little cry and ran 
 toward him. 
 
 "My father my dear father you are ill you 
 are unhappy. Forgive your poor Merab for of- 
 fending you God knows I never meant to. Let 
 me try to help you to make you more comfort-- 
 able."
 
 60 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 Saul pulled her down beside him and began 
 stroking her head. 
 
 "It was the evil spirit who spoke roughly to you, 
 Merab, not your father. I know I have no cause 
 to be angry with you you are a good girl and I 
 love you dearly. Listen, and I will show you 
 how much I love you. To-morrow yes, to-mor- 
 row I will give you in marriage. ..." 
 
 He paused and looked up. It chanced that at 
 that moment Jonathan, who had knelt down be- 
 side the crouching David, put his hand on his 
 head and smiled at him. A shiver seemed to run 
 through Saul; he went on, but his voice was harsh, 
 and he spoke with an obvious effort. 
 
 "I say, I will give you in marriage to-morrow 
 to Adriel the Meholathite now go I wish to 
 be alone Go, go and you go too, Jonathan, 
 and" 
 
 The rest of the sentence was smothered as he 
 dropped to the floor, on his face. They dared not 
 stay Jonathan gloomily took the bewildered Merab 
 back to the women's room, and David went out with 
 a sinking heart, though he kept on assuring him- 
 self there was no need to feel like that. 
 
 The next day David found an excuse for leaving 
 Gibeah with his thousand and went roving up and 
 down Philistia, burning, plundering, and killing.
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 61 
 
 After a few weeks he got news of a large force com- 
 ing out against him, and hastily gathered his men 
 together and returned to the mountain fastnesses of 
 Israel. It was with some uneasiness, remembering 
 doubtfully their last painful interview, that he pre- 
 sented himself, on his return, before the king, but 
 Saul seemed well and cheerful, and greeted him 
 affectionately. He told him that Merab was mar- 
 ried and had gone off with her husband to Abel- 
 meholah, near the Jordan. 
 
 "We had a great feast for the wedding," he said, 
 with a laugh, "and it seems that Michal thinks she 
 would like to be married too. ... I hear she 
 has cast her eyes on you, David." 
 
 David laughed too and said nothing, and after 
 a few more words Saul dismissed him. 
 
 This friendly mood, however, did not last long. 
 The men of David's thousand brought back in- 
 numerable tales of their leader's prowess, and soon 
 all Benjamin was talking of nothing else. Saul 
 alone seemed unwilling to listen to these tales, and 
 became more and more depressed as time went on. 
 
 One evening David was sitting by himself under 
 the shade of a group of olive trees when he saw ap- 
 proaching the well-known figure of Elihu. He 
 was not particularly desirous of conversing with 
 him, but he saw that he had been seen, and re-
 
 62 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 signed himself. Sure enough Elihu stopped before 
 him. 
 
 "May you be blessed of Yahweh, son of Jesse." 
 
 "And you, twice blessed," replied David. 
 
 "It is long since I have had an opportunity to 
 ask after your health." 
 
 "I am well, by your favor." 
 
 "By the favor of Yahweh. . . . How is your 
 father?" 
 
 "He sends you greeting." 
 
 "I have been longing to see him for many 
 months." 
 
 "And he still more." 
 
 "Can I do anything to serve you?" 
 
 "May Yahweh prolong your life." 
 
 These necessary preliminaries having been gone 
 through Elihu spread his mantle on the ground 
 and sat down beside David. 
 
 "Well, David," he began, "you have certainly 
 got on well since I went to Bethlehem to fetch you. 
 Who would have thought it ! Not so long ago and 
 you were jusi keeping sheep in the desert, and now 
 you are the captain of a thousand and the king's 
 favorite!' Some people are lucky, I must say." 
 
 "Yes," answered David, "I have been very 
 fortunate. But I don't forget, Elihu, that it was
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 63 
 
 you who spoke a word to the king for me and 
 brought me to Gibeah." 
 
 "It 's true enough I 've always stood your friend, 
 David in more ways than one and not so long 
 ago, either. Oh, I know how to slip in a word on 
 my friend's behalf a word in season is worth 
 a speech to a sleepy man." 
 
 David wondered, rather anxiously, what Elihu's 
 word in season could have been. 
 
 "Only yesterday," Elihu went on, "the king was 
 considering how he could reward you for your prow- 
 ess against the Philistines. I had been telling him 
 how clever you are with your sling, and he walked 
 up and down, muttering, 'What shall I do with him? 
 What shall I do with him?' " 
 
 David stared at Elihu, aghast. 
 
 "I was revolving in my mind what to suggest 
 when he turned sharp round on me and said, 'And 
 you love him too, I '11 wager.' 'Oh, most certainly, 
 my lord,' I answered; 'all the king's servants love 
 David' for you see, David, he spoke as if he was 
 displeased, and it 's better not to cross him when 
 he 's displeased 'We all love David,' I said. He 
 laughed, and repeated after me, 'We all love David,' 
 and then went on, 'the king's servants, the king, 
 the king's son. . . .' 'And the king's daughter,'
 
 64 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 I put in without thinking what I was saying and 
 then stopped, for I was really in a fright at having 
 said that, the more because it 's true enough, you 
 young dog." Elihu broke off and winked por- 
 tentously. 
 
 "And the king?" said David, in an agony. 
 
 "Well, I was relieved, I can tell you he did n't 
 seem a bit angry. He just looked at me and said, 
 'Michal? Yes. That might be a way of settling 
 with him,' settling with him, or settling him I 
 forget which way he put it. 'I might give him 
 Michal.' 'Give him Michal!' I exclaimed, 'Why, 
 it 's absurd ! Why, his family is nothing at all 
 for him to become the king's son-in-law and as 
 for paying what would be right for the king's 
 daughter, it 's ridiculous to think of it. Jesse is 
 not a poor man, but he could no more afford to 
 pay what you would require than he could give 
 David a king's palace to live in.' ' 
 
 David groaned inwardly and wondered what 
 would come next. 
 
 " 'But,' said Saul," Elihu pursued, now in all 
 the delights of eloquence, " 'but, Elihu, I might 
 not need a money payment from such a young 
 warrior. The heads of a hundred Philistines, now, 
 would be worth gold to me.' 'In the name of Yah-
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 65 
 
 weh,' I answered, for I could n't help laughing at 
 the thought, 'but it would take a stronger man than 
 David to carry a hundred Philistines' heads up to 
 Gibeah. All the same, the uncircumscised villains 
 there 's something else he might find . . . lighter 
 to carry. . . .' 'Of course, of course,' he inter- 
 rupted, 'heads, or ... anything else if he brings 
 me a hundred he shall have Michal.' . . . Why, 
 David, what 's the matter?" 
 
 David's eyes were bright as fire, and he leaped 
 to his feet, smiling. 
 
 "It is a good plan, Elihu," he said. "How many 
 men could kill a hundred Philistines and escape 
 alive themselves? It is a good plan. King Saul 
 shall have what he asks for, and I shall have Michal 
 to wife," and, leaving Elihu sitting on the ground 
 staring, David pulled up his coat and ran down the 
 road to his dwelling place. 
 
 David was absent from Gibeah for three weeks. 
 On his return he fetched Elihu and went with him 
 into the king's presence. When he came out he 
 was the betrothed of Michal.
 
 66 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THERE was but little delay between the betrothal 
 and the marriage of David and Michal. Saul 
 seemed to be more and more gloomy, but Jonathan 
 was sure this was nothing, and that once the wed- 
 ding festivities were over he would recover himself, 
 and indeed rejoice whole-heartedly in having David 
 for his son. 
 
 "As for me," he went on, "it is like a dream, 
 that my sister should marry my brother . . . Dear- 
 est David, are you happy?" 
 
 David smiled. 
 
 "Yes, I am happy," he answered, and Jonathan 
 smiled too. 
 
 The day of the marriage arrived. David left 
 his house early and went to Abner's, where he was 
 to spend the day. When he had gone Saul took 
 Michal by the hand, and surrounded by women 
 and servants they went from Saul's house to David's, 
 which was but a little distance away. As they went 
 along it was noticed by some of the onlookers that 
 Saul hung his head, and muttered angrily from 
 time to time, while Michal looked very white. 
 When they reached David's house the women went 
 to the upper room with the boxes containing the
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 67 
 
 bride's wedding clothes and jewels, and set about 
 the lengthy and congenial task of arraying her for 
 the feast. Michal sat silent and inert among them, 
 and they pulled her about, washed, anointed, 
 painted, and clothed her as if she had been a doll, 
 chattering all the time, paying compliments, making 
 appropriate jokes, giggling, and nibbling cakes and 
 sweets, as noisy and merry as a party of magpies. 
 At last everything was ready they had only to 
 wait for the arrival of the bridegroom; and grad- 
 ually the talking and laughter died away the 
 women threw themselves down on the cushions and 
 slept while Michal sat upright and stiff, staring 
 straight in front of her. 
 
 Meanwhile David was at Abner's house, where 
 the young men were assembling. By an hour after 
 sunset the room was full, and David glanced round 
 to make sure they need wait for no one more. 
 
 "Everybody is here, aren't they, Abner?" he 
 said. 
 
 "Yes I think so let's start" 
 
 And David made the signal for setting out. In 
 the courtyard the servants had ready a number of 
 lighted torches; one of these was handed to each of 
 the guests, and they began to form up in order, 
 David and Abner in front. Just as David turned 
 to the door, however, he was almost pushed aside
 
 68 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 by some one hastily forcing his way in. The other 
 guests exclaimed, both at his lateness and his 
 roughness. 
 
 "Who is that, just when we're starting? The 
 Edomite! Of course! No one but Doeg would 
 thrust himself in like that nearly knocking the 
 bridegroom down! After coming so late, too!" 
 
 Doeg himself, a thickset, ugly, savage-looking 
 fellow, stood in the doorway and scowled. Then 
 he grinned, narrowing his yellow eyes and showing 
 his brown teeth, and thrust his face into David's. 
 
 "So you thought you 'd go to your wedding 
 without me! Trying to slip off before I arrived! 
 No you don't I shall be there!" 
 
 David stared at him in surprise, but said nothing. 
 Some one at the back called out to ask what the 
 delay was for, and Abner, declaring there had been 
 enough dawdling, pushed Doeg on one side and 
 shoved David forward and on into the street. 
 
 It was a beautiful night. The air was warm 
 and still, the purple sky hung all over with stars. 
 The streets, walls, and roofs of the houses were 
 thronged with people come to see David pass to 
 his wedding. The torches lit up their white dresses 
 and eager faces, and David saw them pointing him 
 out, and heard them whispering: "There he is! 
 There he is ! " As the procession moved along the
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 69 
 
 crowd grew denser, and presently began to move 
 with them. Suddenly, far ahead, at the end of the 
 street, David saw a cluster of lights moving to and 
 fro, and finally coming toward him. It was the 
 women coming out to welcome him and do him 
 honor. 
 
 In a few minutes now they were in the house, 
 sitting down to the wedding feast. Saul seemed to 
 have recovered from his gloom, and, a red spot 
 on each cheek, talked and laughed feverishly, avoid- 
 ing David's eye. Jonathan was gay and affection- 
 ate; Abner full of uproarious jokes that made the 
 women shriek and the men guffaw; Doeg looked 
 sulky and scowling ; and Michal sat rigid and silent, 
 the length of the table between her and David. 
 
 At last the feast was over. The women rose 
 and led the bride upstairs again to the bridal room. 
 Presently they came down again, and now it was 
 the turn of the men to go up with David. With 
 shouts and laughter they pushed him through the 
 doorway and then, still noisy and hilarious, trooped 
 home through the streets of Gibeah. 
 
 David stood still in the doorway till he heard 
 them leave the house, and then, with a deep breath, 
 strode to the bed Michal had been undressed and 
 laid on it by the brideswomen. As David ap- 
 proached she leapt up and pushed him away.
 
 70 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "Wait! wait !" she gasped, breathlessly. "Don't 
 begin that . . . you must listen. ..." 
 
 David laughed. He thought she was bashful, 
 and paused to give her time. Her next words 
 enlightened him. 
 
 "Saul . . . my father ... he means to kill 
 you . . . you must fly. . . ." 
 
 His face darkened and he caught hold of her 
 arm. 
 
 "What do you mean?" he said roughly, staring 
 into her face, which he could see only faintly in the 
 dim lamplight. 
 
 "He thought to-night you won't be on your 
 guard." Her face crimsoned. "He 's sending men 
 to kill you Doeg the Edomite " 
 
 He dropped her arm and frowned. Then, with- 
 out a word to her, he stepped as lightly as a cat out 
 of the room and down the stairs. 
 
 In a moment he was back again. 
 
 "Yes." He spoke very softly, but so that every 
 syllable was distinct. "The courtyard is full of 
 men already. I can't get out that way. It must 
 be by the window." 
 
 "Yes! yes!" she exclaimed eagerly, and pulling 
 a rug off the bed began quickly knotting it to a bolt 
 fastened to the wall near the window. He came to 
 help her; for a few moments they stood together,
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 71 
 
 pulling the knots to make them firm, and as they 
 did so his arm rubbed accidentally against her 
 naked body. Obeying an impulse, he caught her 
 in his arms and pressed her to him. 
 
 "My brave girl," he whispered passionately in 
 her ear, "my king's daughter! I shall come back 
 and then and then ..." 
 
 She had yielded passively to his embrace and 
 quivered at his passion and his hot words, but 
 she recovered her self-control quickly, and slipped 
 from his arms. 
 
 "Bring the teraphim," she said, pointing to the 
 wooden block in the corner. He opened his eyes, 
 but brought it, and obeying her gesture laid it on 
 the bed. He instantly understood what she was 
 after, and with a muffled laugh helped to arrange 
 a goatskin and some clothes so as to give it the 
 look of a sleeping man. 
 
 "Good-night, Oh fortunate bridegroom," he said 
 with a smile and a bow to the teraphim, and turned 
 to the window. 
 
 Michal gave a gasp she was losing him would 
 he come back as he had said would he escape? 
 
 "Where are you going?" she faltered, her voice 
 on the edge of a sob. 
 
 He hesitated ; then with decision : 
 
 "To Ramah to Samuel," he said, and caught
 
 72 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 hold of her again. "Wish me good fortune, my 
 wife," and looked with smiling eyes into hers. 
 
 Her eyelids fell. 
 
 "Depart in peace, my lord," she said. "May 
 Yahweh smooth your way and may he give you 
 a safe return, my love, my love. ..." 
 
 David held her tightly and pressed kisses on her 
 lips, her eyes, her throat; then he loosed her sud- 
 denly, and catching hold of the rug let himself down 
 through the window. 
 
 It was a beautiful night. The stars hanging 
 in the deep purple lit him on his way as he took 
 the path that led him away from his bride away 
 from death. 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 BY the time David reached Ramah the sun had 
 risen. At the sight of a stranger in the street the 
 townspeople rushed out of doors to stare at him, 
 and there were plenty able to direct him to Samuel's 
 house, while others ran on in front to tell the 
 Prophet that a visitor was coming to see him. 
 
 Samuel welcomed him with cordiality and in- 
 sisted on his bathing and eating before anything
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 73 
 
 was said. Then when David was refreshed he took 
 him to the roof of the house and asked for his 
 story. To David the old Prophet seemed not to 
 have changed at all since the day of his anointing; 
 in spite of his own development and experience, the 
 bright piercing eyes fixed so immovably on his still 
 gave him a sensation of being seen through, and he 
 told his tale cautiously, omitting some facts which 
 might seem irrelevant, but not exaggerating what 
 he did tell. Samuel watched and listened without 
 speaking till David had finished. Even then he 
 was silent for a while, but at last he spoke. 
 
 "It seems clear enough that Saul wishes to kill 
 you; the devil that possesses him is not a devil of 
 foolishness, and has not robbed him of his intelli- 
 gence he sees quite plainly that you are a danger 
 to him." 
 
 Samuel paused suddenly and looked at David, 
 who smiled uneasily. 
 
 "I have two pieces of advice for you," the 
 Prophet went on. "In the first place, it is time you 
 left Gibeah. You might escape with your life 
 again or you might not it is unwise to run un- 
 necessary risks when you have to run so many that 
 are necessary. For a while you will no doubt be 
 able to hide in the caves and deserts of Judea, but 
 if your position becomes untenable I should recom-
 
 74 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 mend you to take refuge for a time with the 
 Philistines. You might put yourself under the 
 protection of Achish of Gath." 
 
 David stared at the old man in amazement. He 
 had a shrewd idea of the sort of "protection" the 
 Philistines would afford him. Samuel went on: 
 
 "My other piece of advice is this. Though Saul 
 is in a sense your enemy, there is a sense in which 
 you are both united against the rest of the world 
 you are both the anointed of Yahweh. The people 
 of this country do not as yet fully accept the 
 sanctity the set-apartness of the king, for the 
 monarchy is a new system with them, and a little 
 thing might be enough to make them destroy it 
 again. Remember that; and remember that every 
 deed against Saul is a deed against yourself. . . . 
 Now rest, for you have spent a sleepless night and 
 need repose." 
 
 When David awoke he heard voices in conversa- 
 tion, and, opening his eyes, saw Elihu talking to the 
 Prophet. The sight surprised him so much that he 
 was instantly fully awake and on his feet, though 
 he saw quickly from Samuel's face that there was . 
 no danger. 
 
 "The Lord be with you," said Elihu. "I come 
 with a message from Jonathan," and he held out
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 75 
 
 a belt that Jonathan often wore, as a sign that this 
 was so. 
 
 "Speak on," said David, taking the belt almost 
 mechanically. 
 
 "Jonathan sends word that he has spoken with 
 the king; that the devil has left him and that you 
 may safely return. . . . But if I know women you 
 may find that the devil has entered into Michal 
 instead he would certainly have entered my Re- 
 bekah if I had left her on the wedding night! " 
 
 "Be silent!" exclaimed Samuel sternly, and 
 Elihu collapsed. "What are you going to do, 
 David?" 
 
 "If Jonathan says the devil has gone . . ." 
 began David, hesitating. 
 
 "Pshaw!" said Samuel. "Jonathan is talking 
 nonsense very likely the devil has gone but how 
 long will he stay away? He has left and returned 
 more than once before now." 
 
 "Yes . . . that 's true . . ." David spoke slowly 
 and tentatively. "But I think I '11 go back, all the 
 same . . . You see, I left rather in a hurry. ..." 
 
 Samuel's blue eyes were fixed on his face; 
 presently he gave a laugh. 
 
 "Well I see you 're determined go back then, 
 to your bride, and may Yahweh give you peace.
 
 76 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 . . . No, Elihu, I want you to stay here, for I 
 have a great many questions to ask you." 
 
 Samuel would not let David go until he had 
 had a meal, and in consequence he did not reach 
 Gibeah till the town gates were shut. He wrapped 
 himself in his coat and slept under the wall, and in 
 the morning went straight to find Jonathan. 
 
 "David ! How glad I am you have come back ! 
 You don't know how terrible it is to be without 
 you! " he cried when he saw him. "And all is well 
 now all is safe. My father swore to me 'As 
 Yahweh liveth he shall not be put to death' come, 
 and let me bring you to him." 
 
 It was not to Saul that David wished to go, but 
 to Saul's daughter. However he made no protest, 
 but followed Jonathan into the king's room. When 
 he lifted up his head from his obeisance he did not 
 feel nearly as sure as Jonathan that the devil had 
 gone. Saul's eyes were red, his hand trembled as 
 he played with a long bronze spear, and his voice 
 shook when he answered David's greeting. Jona- 
 than also seemed surprised and taken aback by his 
 father's condition, and presently suggested, rather 
 nervously, that David should play the harp. Saul 
 nodded, without speaking, and a servant was sent 
 to David's house to fetch it. 
 
 Saul was sitting on the bench heaped up with
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 77 
 
 cushions, and David took his place opposite, with 
 his back to the wall, while Jonathan sat beside him. 
 As the player's hand swept the strings Saul became 
 absorbed in the music, and the dark cloud that 
 seemed to hang over him began to clear. But 
 suddenly there came a change. What caused it? 
 Did the devil return? Did David play too wild a 
 chord? Did Jonathan caress David's arm? A 
 shout that was almost a howl burst from Saul and 
 the great bronze spear flew from his hand. David 
 leapt aside and the spear stuck quivering in the 
 wall. In another moment Saul had found and 
 hurled another, lighter javelin; and at that David 
 ducked and jumped for the door. Jonathan gave 
 one glance at his father, who had fallen face down- 
 ward on the bench, and rushed after his friend. 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 DAVID ran right out of the town of Gibeah and 
 did not stop till he came to the open fields. He 
 did not know what orders Saul might have given 
 to his servants, and had no fancy for finding Doeg's 
 sword in his ribs. When at last he stopped he
 
 78 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 heard footsteps coming after him, and turned des- 
 perately and fiercely. But it was Jonathan. 
 
 They looked at each other in silence for a few 
 moments, panting for breath; then David spoke. 
 
 "What does it mean, Jonathan? What have I 
 done? How have I injured your father, that he 
 should be so determined to take my life?" 
 
 "No, no!" cried Jonathan. "It is a mistake. 
 It is not that he is determined to take your life, but 
 only that at moments he is seized with some un- 
 controllable and meaningless rage. How can he 
 resist the devil that inspires him? I am sure it is 
 only by impulse that he acts like this, for if it was 
 a deliberate plan he would have told me about it 
 he tells me everything he means to do, and why 
 should he hide this if it were true? But it is not." 
 
 David shook his head. 
 
 "He knows that you love me. He says to him- 
 self: 'I will not tell Jonathan, for it would grieve 
 him' but as sure as Yahweh lives there is but a 
 step between me and death." 
 
 Jonathan had begun to tremble violently. The 
 horrible truth to which he had so long insisted on 
 shutting his eyes was becoming too strong even for 
 his passionate hopes. His knees suddenly felt 
 weak and he sat down on the ground.
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 79 
 
 "Well," said he, faintly, "what shall I do? I 
 will do whatever you want me to." 
 
 David sighed deeply. He, too, felt a wave of 
 despair rush over him the long struggle for his 
 life with Saul, the plots and counterplots, the at- 
 tacks and flights, all hidden under masks of friend- 
 ship, madness, or respect, had suddenly become 
 hateful to him. He must give it all up. 
 
 "Jonathan," he said, "you made a blood covenant 
 with me. If I have done wrong kill me yourself 
 do not give me up to your father." 
 
 "Don't talk like that, David," answered Jonathan. 
 "If I knew that my father intended mischief against 
 you, of course I would tell you." There was a 
 pause. Jonathan felt a ghastly sinking when 
 David did not speak, and seizing hold of his coat 
 whispered, his breath catching: 
 
 "You do believe that, don't you, David?" 
 
 David smiled and took Jonathan's hand in his. 
 "Dear Jonathan, yes." 
 
 Jonathan breathed more freely; and immediately 
 began to wonder if after all it could be true that 
 his father wanted to kill David beautiful, ador- 
 able David ! No. It could n't be. It must have 
 been his own fault he must have been tactless and 
 irritating. He would try again, and this time he
 
 80 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 would make his father realize that there was no 
 fault in David, and then all would be well. David 
 would come back to Gibeah and they would all be 
 happy it was quite easy his father would surely 
 understand. He jumped up and caught David's 
 arm. 
 
 "Listen," he said, "I have a plan. You shall 
 stay out here to-day. To-morrow is the feast of the 
 new moon, and you will be missed. If my father 
 is angry then we shall know that he has deter- 
 mined to do you harm ; but if he says nothing it will 
 mean that you can come back in safety." 
 
 "Well," said David. He remembered Samuel's 
 advice; and it was quite clear that Jonathan either 
 could not or would not judge rightly of the king's 
 mood. Yet somehow he did not dispute Jonathan's 
 judgment or oppose his idea; he only wanted to 
 arrange some way of communicating with him. 
 
 "How shall I know what answer your father 
 makes?" he asked, and Jonathan had another plan 
 ready. 
 
 "Do you go down in the morning to the mound 
 by the tamarisk tree ; I will come with my bow and 
 arrow and shoot, as if at a mark, and if I say to 
 my boy, 'Fetch the arrows; they are on this side,' 
 then you will know that you can safely return, and
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 81 
 
 no harm is intended to you. But if I say, 'The 
 arrows are beyond you,' then do not wait, but de- 
 part without delay Yahweh has sent you away." 
 
 David weighed the proposal in silence. At last 
 he looked up into Jonathan's face and spoke very 
 earnestly. 
 
 "Jonathan, you will be very careful, won't you, 
 and let me know truly if your father is angry?" 
 
 Again a wave of despair came over Jonathan. 
 Everything seemed hopeless his father unrelenting, 
 David untrusting, he himself helpless. Yet, as he 
 stood brooding over the misery of the situation, the 
 strength of his love for David welled up in his 
 heart and gave him strength and confidence. 
 
 "May I suffer all and more than all you suffer, 
 if I conceal my father's anger from you. You shall 
 go safely away and Yahweh shall be with you, as 
 he was years ago with my father. And on your 
 side, David, will you show kindness not only to me 
 while I am alive, but after I am dead to the children 
 of my house? The time will come when all your 
 enemies will be destroyed from off the face of the 
 earth; then remember your poor Jonathan, and be 
 good to those that bear his name." 
 
 The blood rushed to David's cheeks. Jonathan, 
 then, recognized clearly this thing that was in him,
 
 82 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 which he had always felt sure himself would 
 carry him through any difficulties that might beset 
 him. Jonathan was appealing to him for help 
 assuring him of his own success prophesying the 
 downfall of his enemies. All this was sure to come, 
 and worth, therefore, a few more struggles. His 
 vitality reasserted itself; he turned, smiling, with 
 shining eyes, to Jonathan. 
 
 "Yes," he said; "trust me, Jonathan. I shall 
 always love you, and I will spare you and your 
 sons in the day when I triumph." 
 
 After Jonathan had returned to Gibeah, David 
 went and hid by the mound near the tamarisk, and 
 there he stayed during the feast of the new moon. 
 The time did not seem long to him. He was in a 
 state of exhilaration in which he was sure that every- 
 thing was favorable to him, and he dreamt many 
 dreams and sang to himself songs of victory and 
 rejoicing. The morning after the feast he heard 
 Jonathan approaching with his boy, and made ready 
 to come out and go back with him. Suddenly 
 he stopped; he saw Jonathan shoot an arrow far 
 over the boy's head and heard him say in a choking 
 voice, "Is not the arrow beyond you?" and at the 
 words his castles crashed to the ground. He stood 
 quite still. Jonathan raised his voice and cried
 
 AT SAUL'S COURT 83 
 
 out loudly and evidently with meaning: "Quick, 
 make haste, make haste!" and understanding the 
 hint David pulled his coat up through his belt, 
 turned his back on Gibeah, and hurried southward 
 as fast as he could.
 
 PART II 
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 WHAT was it that Samuel had said? That he 
 would be able to hide in the caves of Judea 
 and the Shephelah. . . . No doubt that would be 
 the best plan. He could go through Bethlehem on 
 his way, to tell his father and mother what had 
 happened, and perhaps some of the Bethlehemites 
 would join him. With one or two determined men 
 to back him up he was ready to defy Saul, even if 
 he should send after him and catch him he would 
 give a good account of himself before being dragged 
 back to Gibeah. . . . But a necessary preliminary 
 to all this was to secure a good sword he had left 
 the town without any weapon and moreover he 
 had not a proper meal since leaving Samuel two 
 days ago, and the most urgent thing of all was 
 something to eat. Vital as this point was becoming, 
 he hurried on southward as fast as he could, dread- 
 
 8s
 
 86 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 ing pursuit, determined to put distance and a 
 weapon between himself and his enemy. As he 
 hurried along he approached the high hill of Nob 
 about two miles east of Jerusalem and quickly 
 decided what to do next. 
 
 "If I don't get something to eat at once and 
 a sword as well Saul will send out word that no 
 one is to help me, and I shall be made prisoner 
 before I can reach Judea. ... I '11 try the priests 
 of the temple. I shall be surprised if I can't either 
 frighten or bluff them into supplying me with 
 my needs. . . ." 
 
 David was beginning to feel faint, and it was 
 with difficulty that he struggled up the steep hill- 
 side. He passed through the town of the priests, on 
 the slope of the hill, and pushed on up to the high 
 place, with its sanctuary and temple. As he came 
 near the holy buildings there was the usual com- 
 motion and chattering, and presently the priest, 
 Ahimelech, came out to receive the king's son- 
 in-law. 
 
 Ahimelech was an elderly man, thin and bent, 
 and even during the salutations David came to the 
 conclusion that he was nervous and would prove 
 amenable to a firm attitude. 
 
 "Yes yes " said Ahimelech, "certainly the 
 Lord be with you may you find favor in his eyes
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 87 
 
 I have prospered, by the grace of Yahweh but 
 why are you all alone? Surely you have not come 
 by yourself?" 
 
 "Of course not," said David. "Come a little 
 further off so that we are not overheard. . . ." 
 
 They moved together toward the temple. 
 
 "Well your escort? Where are they? Have 
 you come on a message from my lord the king? 
 Is there anything you want? I 'm afraid I can do 
 very little. . ..." 
 
 "Yes, I am on the king's business," answered 
 David, "but he gave me strict injunctions to keep 
 it secret I am not to tell any one what it is." 
 
 "Certainly, certainly," said Ahimelech, "I should 
 not dream of asking. I hope you don't think I am 
 one to pry into the king's private affairs." 
 
 "As to my men, I am to meet them a little way 
 from here but I can't tell you exactly where it is 
 to be." 
 
 "I should n't be so indiscreet as to ask doubt- 
 less you have your own reasons for acting as you 
 do." 
 
 "I have," thought David, and went on aloud: 
 "I want some food for the men who are with me 
 let me take anything you have five loaves of 
 bread and anything else that is handy." 
 
 Ahimelech's long face grew longer.
 
 88 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "Bread? But I haven't any. There will be 
 some baked this evening, though." 
 
 "This evening won't do," said David decidedly, 
 feeling how very empty his stomach was. "You 
 must give me some at once do you hear?" 
 
 "Yes yes certainly," quavered Ahimelech. 
 "It 's very awkward I really don't know but you 
 shall have some only be patient. ..." 
 
 "How can I be patient when I am on the king's 
 business? Come, Ahimelech, don't keep me wait- 
 ing any longer." 
 
 "Well, what can I do? Let me see well, there 's 
 the holy bread the presence bread but I can't 
 give that to you unless you 've been purified. ..." 
 
 "Now you know, Ahimelech, that to go on a 
 military expedition we must be purified it 's three 
 days since we went in to the women and the holy 
 bread will only purify our bags afresh. Come 
 along, and give me what you 've got." 
 
 Ahimelech groaned, but David's hand was on 
 his shoulder, and he allowed himself to be propelled 
 toward the temple. As they approached it David 
 saw a figure that seemed familiar squatting on the 
 ground of the precincts ; when he got near he recog- 
 nized it as Doeg the Edomite. 
 
 "The Lord preserve you," said David, and
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 89 
 
 touched his forehead. Doeg only grunted and 
 turned away, huddling himself up in his cloak. 
 
 "Doeg takes part in a sacrifice to-day," explained 
 Ahimelech. "He stayed here last night to purify 
 himself but I shall be glad when he goes away 
 I don't know why it is he makes my flesh creep. 
 He speaks so loud, and he 's always thumping with 
 his spear on the ground." 
 
 By this time they were at the temple door. They 
 stepped carefully over the raised threshold and 
 entered. On a table in the space before them was 
 a pile of thin cakes of unleavened bread, and these, 
 with a good deal of lamenting and head-shaking 
 the priest handed over to David. David's mouth 
 watered, but he dared not fall upon the bread in 
 Ahimelech 's presence lest he should suspect some- 
 thing. 
 
 "There 's one other thing," he said, eyeing his 
 prize longingly. "Have you a spear or sword you 
 can let me have? I left Gibeah in such a hurry 
 that I brought nothing with me." 
 
 "The sword of Goliath the Philistine is here," 
 answered Ahimelech, "but that is the only one." 
 
 "Give it to me," cried David eagerly; "there is 
 no sword like it fetch it quickly." 
 
 The priest turned away sighing to fetch the
 
 90 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 weapon. David glanced quickly round him, faced 
 about, and began devouring a piece of bread, trust- 
 ing Ahimelech would not notice what he was doing. 
 He was munching wolfishly at a bit he held in his 
 hand when he glanced up, and saw a face looking in 
 through the door. It was Doeg; the ugly yellow 
 eyes stared at him for a moment, and then a fero- 
 cious grin covered the Edomite's whole face. It in- 
 stantly withdrew, but David had a sensation that 
 he had been found out by some one who would 
 make use of it if he could. 
 
 At that moment Ahimelech returned, carrying the 
 great sword of Goliath wrapped in a linen cloth. 
 David took it, removed the covering, and immedi- 
 ately the sight of the beautiful iron blade banished 
 everything else from his thoughts. He held it in 
 one hand and ran the tips of his fingers along the 
 edge; he grasped the hilt and swung it to feel the 
 balance, then with a sigh of pleasure he fastened it 
 to his belt. While he was doing this another idea 
 occurred to him. 
 
 "Now, Ahimelech," he said, as he straightened 
 himself, "you shall inquire of Yahweh for me where 
 I am to go when I leave the temple whether it is 
 to be the first place I have thought of or the second 
 place," and he thought to himself the first place is
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 91 
 
 Adullam, and the second place is the wilderness 
 of Maon. 
 
 This time the priest made no protest. He was 
 quite accustomed to consult the oracle for Saul and 
 Saul's messengers, and not suspecting for a moment 
 that David did not come officially from the king 
 he went off to the ephod and made his preparations 
 for casting the sacred lot. When all was ready 
 there was a pause, and presently David heard him 
 say: 
 
 "Oh, Yahweh, God of Israel, thy servant David 
 asks where he shall go if to the first place in his 
 thoughts give Urim ; but if it should be to the second 
 place in his thoughts give Thummim." Silence 
 followed by a shriek from the priest, who came 
 tumbling out, his teeth chattering and his hands 
 trembling. 
 
 "Stop, stop," called David, catching hold of him 
 as he tried to rush out of the temple. "Where are 
 you going? What happened? Was it Urim or 
 Thummim? The first place or the second?" 
 
 "Oh, oh!" shrieked Ahimelech. "Such a thing 
 has never happened before. I have known Yahweh 
 to give no answer but this time this time he gave 
 Urim and Thummim!" 
 
 David dropped his arm and considered. "You
 
 92 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 said 'if the first place give Urim and if the second 
 give Thummim'? And he gave both. The oracle 
 is clear wherever I go Yahweh will protect me 
 because," he added in his heart, "because I am his 
 anointed. Ahimelech," he said aloud, "it is a 
 sign of good fortune." 
 
 Ahimelech shook his head. He knew better. 
 He knew it was because he had bungled the busi- 
 ness, and that far from being a sign of good for- 
 tune it was a sign of disaster. But David did not 
 wait to reason with him. He strode out of the 
 temple, and with sparkling eyes and head erect 
 swung out of the precincts and down the hill, ig- 
 noring the malevolent scowling figure of Doeg the 
 Edomite. 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 DIRECTLY David got out of sight of the priests' 
 city he found some shade under a patch of mul- 
 berry trees and ate as much as he wanted of the 
 holy bread; he had filled his water bottle at the well 
 of Nob, so he could have a deep drink too. The 
 meal over, he rolled onto his face and slept pro- 
 foundly. He woke with the suddenness and com-
 
 93 
 
 pleteness of perfect health, and was instantly up and 
 on the way to Bethlehem. As he walked he kept 
 turning over in his mind the events of the morning, 
 chuckling at the thought of Ahimelech's terror, and 
 wondering at the strangeness of the oracle of 
 Yahweh. As he smiled to himself over these recol- 
 lections there seemed to swim before his eyes the 
 savage, snarling face of Doeg. His heart sank. 
 The Edomite appeared an incarnation of the ruth- 
 lessness of physical violence a ruthlessness to 
 which the forces within himself seemed utterly 
 opposed, but as yet too weak to alter or affect in 
 any way. Try as he might to smother this reflec- 
 tion, it nevertheless left a certain discomfort in his 
 mind. 
 
 He reached Bethlehem just as the evening meal 
 was starting. They were all surprised and pleased 
 to see him, and his father made him sit down beside 
 him and eat heartily before allowing any questions. 
 At last, when David's appetite began to be appeased, 
 Jesse said with a smile: 
 
 "So you are married to the king's daughter now! " 
 Somehow David was staggered. Was it really 
 only five days since his abortive wedding ? So much 
 had happened since, that to him the episode seemed 
 stale ; he had forgotten that it would be the last news 
 of him his people would have had, and that it would
 
 94 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 be filling their thoughts. But he could not speak 
 of it. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 He spoke gloomily and coldly pushed out his 
 underlip and stared at the floor. There was no 
 invitation in his behavior to pursue the subject, 
 and Jesse glanced at David's mother and was 
 silent. 
 
 Presently David looked up and spoke. 
 
 ''I have lost the favor of Saul. He wants to kill 
 me, and I am flying for my life." 
 
 This was a bombshell, and the whole table 
 gasped. 
 
 "My son," said Jesse, recovering himself, "you 
 must tell us more than this. We have heard of 
 nothing but your success how you became the 
 king's armor-bearer, the captain of a thousand, the 
 husband of the king's daughter and now you 
 tell us you are flying for your life. How can this 
 be?" 
 
 "I hardly know, myself," replied David. "The 
 king has an evil spirit. . . ." 
 
 "We have heard, too," mused Jesse, "of nothing 
 but your victories over the Philistines you are 
 quite a hero among the tribesmen." 
 
 "Perhaps," suggested David, "if I had not found
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 95 
 
 so much lavor with them I should not have lost so 
 much favor with Saul." 
 
 Jesse pondered, gazing thoughtfully at his son. 
 At last he made a gesture with his hand as if 
 dismissing the subject. 
 
 "However that may be, you will have some plan 
 of escape, and will want help from your kinsfolk," 
 he said. 
 
 "Yes," answered David; "I had thought of going 
 to Adullam you know the big cave there? One 
 could lie hidden a long while. And if any of the 
 Judeans joined me" he looked sideways at his 
 father to see if he approved of this, but the old man's 
 face remained inscrutable "we could fortify the 
 hill, and have a fine camp there." 
 
 "H'm," said Jesse, "so you want men to join 
 you . . . you think Saul will send out and try to 
 take you?" 
 
 "Well, I think so," said David, "and anyhow 
 he will very likely send after you. He '11 make 
 sure you know where I am and are helping me and 
 will want to put a stop to that. I don't believe 
 you '11 be safe in Bethlehem. . . ." 
 
 "Your mother and I are too old to become out- 
 laws, David. You may fix on Adullam now, but 
 if Saul is really set on your capture you won't be
 
 96 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 able to stay there long it will be first one place 
 and then another, through the hot days and the cold. 
 We can't wander about like that. As for the young 
 men, it 's different. You 'd better go and talk to 
 them about it they can do as they like." 
 
 With this permission David got up and moved 
 to a corner of the room where he was soon sur- 
 rounded by the younger members of the household, 
 all agog to hear his adventures and his plans for 
 the future. 
 
 "Well," said Joab, after hearing what David had 
 to say as to Saul's continued hostility, "well, you 
 seem to have got yourself into a lot of difficulties, 
 David, and as far as I can see you Ve involved all 
 of us. The king won't leave a man of Jesse's 
 household in peace, I should say, and if my grand- 
 father consents, it appears to me we 've no choice 
 to go off to." 
 
 "You heard what my father said," answered 
 David. 
 
 "Yes," said Asahel, eagerly. "I'll come with 
 you, David." 
 
 David laughed, but he was pleased at Asahel's 
 eagerness. 
 
 "Look here," said Abishai. "I don't see why 
 we should be the only ones to join you. There are
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 97 
 
 plenty of men about who aren't too well pleased 
 with the way things are going, and who would come 
 out to any one who had a chance of protecting them 
 from attack." 
 
 "Not pleased with the way things are going?" 
 David was n't sure what he meant. 
 
 "Oh," laughed Joab, scornfully, "he means fel- 
 lows like his dear Elhanan and Eleazar, the sons of 
 Dodai. It seems Dodai got into debt, and when 
 he died his fields were seized by the creditors; so 
 Elhanan and Eleazar are landless men, and have 
 nothing to do but rove up and down the country, 
 and threaten every one in authority for not getting 
 their fields back for them." 
 
 "They 're splendid fighters," said David, de- 
 lighted at the idea of enrolling such supporters; "I 
 know them quite well. Do you really think they 'd 
 come, Abishai?" 
 
 "Yes, I dare say," answered Abishai, rather sulky 
 with Joab, "but I was n't thinking of them. 
 There 's a Hittite, a man called Ahimelech, who 's 
 here with his young brother Uriah. He 's got some 
 grievance against Saul I don't exactly know what 
 it is, but I believe he 'd join any enemy of the king's 
 he talks of going over to the Philistines." 
 
 "Just the sort I want," said David. "If you
 
 98 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 know any others of that kind, do let us have them 
 only we must be sure they 're sound that 's the 
 main thing." 
 
 After a few more words it was agreed that David 
 and Joab should go on to Adullam the next morn- 
 ing and that Abishai and the other men of the 
 household should follow with any suitable friends 
 they could gather together. 
 
 "I am anxious about you and my mother," said 
 David, when telling his father what had been set- 
 tled. "I will think over what I can do for you 
 I don't at all like leaving you alone in Bethlehem." 
 
 Jesse smiled. "Thank you, my son," he said; 
 "it appears to me you had better be anxious about 
 your own affairs you don't seem to have managed 
 them as well as we hoped." 
 
 "Oh, David," cried Asahel, suddenly, "is that an 
 iron sword? Do tell me how you got it! May I 
 look at it?" 
 
 "Yes," said David, unbuckling it for the boy to 
 look at. "It 's a beauty. It belonged to Goliath 
 of Gath." 
 
 "Oo-oo-oo, David! And did you get it from 
 him when you killed him with your sling?" 
 
 "I? I never killed him it was Elhanan the son 
 of Jair who killed him Now, Asahel, I want to 
 go to sleep."
 
 99 
 
 "How old do you suppose my father is?" asked 
 David of Joab as they went toward Adullam the 
 next morning. 
 
 "How should I know?" said Joab. "He 's an 
 old man." 
 
 "Do you know how old he was when I was 
 born?" 
 
 "Why should I? Oh, I do remember my mother 
 saying she was born the day he was thirty." 
 
 "And I am nearly twenty-three, and twenty-two 
 years younger than Zeruiah . . . that would make 
 him seventy-four, would n't it?" 
 
 "I dare say what do I care? and why should 
 you care? Any one can see he 's an old man." 
 
 "Yes. ... I don't think it 's a bit safe to leave 
 him at Bethlehem." 
 
 Joab grunted. David was very queer sometimes, 
 worrying his mind about perplexing subjects that 
 did n't affect what one did ... no wonder he got 
 himself into trouble. 
 
 After a while they came to bare, chalky hills, 
 and here David began to look carefully for the cave 
 he had in his mind. He scanned the countryside, 
 and at last went to the base of a hill about 500 feet
 
 100 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 high, in which a black opening could be seen. He 
 peered in, and then turned and shouted to Joab. 
 
 "Come on! This is the place." 
 
 The cave had two large chambers leading one 
 into the other, each about 130 yards long. The 
 inner chamber had pillars in it, supporting the 
 dome-shaped roof, and a feature of priceless value 
 a spring of fresh water. These big chambers 
 were surrounded by smaller ones, so that it seemed 
 to David, as he looked around, a perfect place for 
 concealing a band of men and all the stores and 
 weapons they would need. When they came out of 
 the cave David took Joab to the top of the hill and 
 showed him how he would fortify it if he had 
 enough men. 
 
 "That 's the road to Hebron Hareth lies in that 
 direction, about three miles off. There 's Philistia 
 did you ever see such rich fields, Joab? and 
 Keilah is this way." 
 
 "Well, if the Philistines think of raiding Keilah 
 we could do them some damage." 
 
 "Yes, if we get enough men together I suppose 
 we might be a hundred altogether." 
 
 "A hundred ! Why, David, what are you dream- 
 ing of! If every man we thought of came we 
 should n't be twenty-five." 
 
 David didn't answer.
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 101 
 
 "Perhaps not," he thought to himself. "I dare 
 say it 's all nonsense, but I can't help thinking . . . 
 when people hear I 've fled from Saul . . . there '11 
 be some who '11 be on my side and not on his ... 
 though he is the king ... at present." 
 
 And it was not long before this optimism was 
 more than justified. Before the day was over a 
 dozen men arrived who had heard a rumor that 
 David was making a camp in the neighborhood and 
 wanted to join it. Early the next morning Abishai 
 appeared with thirty more who had insisted on com- 
 ing, and the news that many more were anxious to 
 come but that he had refused them until he heard 
 David's wishes. David was of opinion that the 
 more men they had the better, and that every one 
 who seemed likely to be a useful fighter and would 
 bring a certain quantity of stores should be admitted 
 to the band. By the next day he had decided he 
 could not run the risk of leaving his parents in Beth- 
 lehem, and giving Joab command of the camp in his 
 absence, he set off for home. 
 
 On the twelve-mile walk he was revolving dif- 
 ferent plans for their safety and well-being, and 
 finally decided that if they agreed he would go over 
 the Jordan to Moab and see if his Moabite kinsfolk 
 would take charge of them for a while. 
 
 "My father has so often told me of his grand-
 
 102 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 mother, Ruth the Moabitess," he said to himself, 
 "and how she married a Judean in Moab and came 
 back to Bethlehem with Naomi, her mother-in- 
 law. . . . They will not have forgotten her there, 
 and perhaps will be willing to give protection to her 
 grandson. And beyond the Jordan they will be 
 safe from Saul." 
 
 When he reached Bethlehem he found Jesse, 
 rather alarmed at finding himself with no young 
 men around him, quite ready to agree to David's 
 suggestion. The journey to Moab and back would 
 take seven or eight days, and during that time he 
 could be making his final arrangements and would 
 not feel he was being hurried or taken at a disad- 
 vantage. 
 
 David occupied the time of his journey to Moab 
 with many long daydreams. First there was his 
 reception by the king but that had to be very 
 vague, for he did n't know at all what the Moabites 
 would be like. Then his mind went back to Saul, 
 and he wondered what he was doing whether he 
 was very angry at his flight whether he had quar- 
 reled with Jonathan what Michal thought about 
 it. It was too bad he had had to give her up too 
 soon, but he would win her again, and she should 
 be his ... her beautiful eyes and her clear, mock- 
 ing voice. . . . Yes, Michal should be his wife,
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 103 
 
 and he would conquer the Philistines and make 
 himself king (Saul conveniently vanished from 
 his mind for the time being); and Jonathan? . . . 
 dear Jonathan should eat meat at his table. He 
 rested on that thought for a little while. After all, 
 before not so long ago, was it? he himself had 
 been the servant of Jonathan's father, and all Jona- 
 than's affection for him had worn the appearance 
 of condescension. How exquisite it would be for 
 Jonathan to have nothing nothing at all but to 
 owe everything his food, his clothes his life itself 
 to David! 
 
 "I will be all kindness," he thought to himself; 
 "he shall do just what he likes, but everything will 
 come from me, instead of coming from him. ..." 
 If there was anything painful or humiliating in this 
 to the generous, princely Jonathan, he shut it from 
 his mind, and reveled in the feeling of his own 
 magnanimity. 
 
 His mission to Moab was amply successful. The 
 kinship was at once recognized and hospitality and 
 protection offered; no doubt the fears of Saul that 
 David did not hide from the king helped an under- 
 standing with a victim of Saul's youthful general- 
 ship. Jesse and his wife were to be under the king's 
 own care, and one of his own camels was lent to 
 David to help the old people through the trying
 
 104 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 ways of the desert. By this aid David got back to 
 Bethlehem quicker than he had thought would be 
 possible, and hearing no news of Saul left Joab 
 still in charge at Adullam and himself escorted his 
 parents to their place of refuge. Then at last he 
 returned to Adullam. 
 
 There he found nearly two hundred men en- 
 camped. Among them was a man called Gad, who 
 told David that he was a prophet and had been sent 
 by Samuel to join him. He advised David to 
 leave a store of food in the caves, guarded by half 
 a dozen men, and himself with the bulk of his 
 followers to move into the forest of Hareth, about 
 three miles off. David thought it over, and com- 
 ing to the conclusion that it would be a better center 
 for procuring food and for watching Saul's move- 
 ments, agreed with Gad, and the camp was struck. 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 DAVID had not been long in the forest of Hareth 
 before he had another message from Samuel. He 
 was told that the messenger had arrived and wanted 
 to see him alone, so going a little way apart from 
 the others he gave orders for him to come.
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 105 
 
 The man turned out to be Elihu. He was tired 
 and disheveled, and had evidently traveled at a 
 great pace. In spite of his weariness he begged 
 David to listen to his story at once, and declared he 
 could wait for food and rest till it was told. 
 
 "Samuel said I was to hurry; of course I went 
 to Ramah first with the tale, but he would n't let 
 me stop a minute after he 'd heard it. He was in 
 an awful state I don't know when I 've seen him 
 like that nothing one could do would keep him 
 quiet. I kept saying: 'What is there to be excited 
 about? Everybody knows Doeg is a spitfire.' But 
 he went on muttering, 'Saul means business this 
 time, and David must know.' ' 
 
 At the sound of Doeg's name David began to be 
 uneasy. 
 
 "Tell me, Elihu," he said, "tell me the whole 
 story from the beginning." 
 
 "I really don't think there 's much to tell," an- 
 swered Elihu. "It 's true Saul has sent off for 
 Ahimelech and the priests but you know what 
 Saul 's like hot one moment and cold the next 
 what a devil he must have!" 
 
 "Well, but go on, Elihu, tell me what hap- 
 pened." 
 
 "What happened? Why nothing would have 
 happened if Doeg had not pushed his oar in
 
 106 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 then Saul was naturally annoyed though good- 
 ness knows he was annoyed enough before. ..." 
 
 "But Elihu, I don't understand a word you 're 
 saying. What did Doeg do, and why was Saul 
 annoyed, and where were they, and when did it 
 happen?" 
 
 "As for why Saul was annoyed, you ought to 
 know that best. It happened two days ago while 
 he was sitting under the tamarisk tree, giving judg- 
 ment. Some one had brought up an old woman, 
 who had been telling fortunes, and you know how 
 angry that always makes him. 'Yahweh is the god 
 of the Israelites, you old witch, and if any one 
 wants to know the future he should get the priests 
 to consult the sacred lot always with the king's 
 permission, of course. I won't have you going to 
 Chemosh or Dagon or heaven knows what other 
 Baal, and insulting Yahweh by leaving him quite 
 out of it. But you know all this yourself and you 
 know the law says you 're to be stoned.' Then, in 
 the middle of all the shrieking and shouting, some 
 one came running up to Saul and began talking to 
 him, very excited. When he could be heard, Saul 
 turned to all the Benjamite leaders who were stand- 
 ing round, and I must say he looked black. 'So it 's 
 Adullam, David has gone to,' he said, 'and how
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 107 
 
 many weeks is it before I find that out? But you 're 
 all in league with him and my fine son Jonathan,' 
 he said, 'and plotting to lie in wait for me and kill 
 me and take my kingdom. Who else among you 
 have been helping him and concealing him?' Well, 
 we all hung our heads, and did n't say anything, 
 and felt uncomfortable, and he began again: 'Come, 
 I say, which of you know what David has been do- 
 ing all this time?' and then would you believe 
 it? out came that ugly Edomite, Doeg." 
 
 Elihu paused; and David, who had been listen- 
 ing impatiently to the long preamble, was now im- 
 patient for the tale to continue. 
 
 " '/ saw the son of Jesse,' he said," went on 
 Elihu, " 'coming to Nob, to Ahimelech, the son of 
 Ahitub.' 'What!' yelled Saul; 'you saw him at 
 Nob and never told me!' 'I didn't know you 
 wanted to know,' said Doeg, more like a dog snarl- 
 ing than a man talking, 'but I did n't help him. 
 It was Ahimelech who gave him food and Goliath's 
 sword and consulted Yahweh for him.' At that I 
 thought Saul would have had a fit. But he didn't; 
 he sent some messengers to Nob to bring Ahimelech 
 and all the priests to Gibeah, and in the hurly- 
 burly I slipped off to Ramah." 
 
 David groaned. It was clear that some calam-
 
 108 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 ity was impending; could he do anything to stop it? 
 Or would he be involved? 
 
 "Did Samuel send any message, besides?" he 
 asked. 
 
 "Yes," said Elihu. "He said, Tell him to 
 remember that the king of Israel needs the priests 
 of Yahweh to interpret the wishes of the god of 
 Israel.' And now, David, I must have something 
 to eat." 
 
 David, left alone, began walking up and down 
 pondering the tale he had heard, and Samuel's 
 cryptic words, The king of Israel needs the priests 
 of Yahweh. But if in some way Saul were to 
 antagonize them? Were not Samuel's words a hint 
 that David, as future king of Israel, should try to 
 get them on his side? But how could he do that? 
 They had all been summoned to Gibeah what 
 would come of it? As he walked up and down in 
 deep reflection, the fringe of his consciousness be- 
 came aware that from time to time something moved 
 in the bushes. At first he did not heed it; but 
 gradually, as the intensity of his meditation relaxed, 
 he became more and more conscious of sound and 
 movement. At last, convinced that some living 
 creature was there, he stopped, and said in a com- 
 manding voice:
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 109 
 
 "Come out from your hiding place." 
 
 There was a pause, and then a haggard, ragged, 
 bleeding figure emerged from the underwood and 
 with a cry of "Protection!" flung itself at David's 
 feet. 
 
 David stepped back, amazed and uneasy. 
 
 "Who are you?" he said, gazing narrowly at 
 the wretched-looking creature, to see if he could rec- 
 ognize it. 
 
 "Abiathar, son of Ahimelech," answered a gasp- 
 ing voice. 
 
 "Of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub?" exclaimed 
 David, with wide eyes. 
 
 "He is killed, and eighty-five other priests I 
 am the only one left alive." 
 
 "But how did it happen?" 
 
 "He sent for us all to Gibeah and said we had 
 plotted with you against him. My father swore he 
 had only cast the sacred lot for you because you 
 were the king's son-in-law and that he knew noth- 
 ing of any plot, but Saul would hear nothing he 
 was like a wild beast. He ordered the soldiers to 
 kill us, but they refused, and then Doeg the Edo- 
 mite cut them all down my father and eighty-five 
 others. ..." Abiathar shuddered and put his 
 hands in front of his eyes.
 
 110 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 David was trembling with the helplessness of his 
 rage. 
 
 "And you? How did you get here?" 
 
 "I don't know they did n't notice me I man- 
 aged to get to Nob, and found the ephod my 
 father had left it behind then I heard Saul's 
 soldiers coming into the city they were burning 
 and killing there too, but I escaped them, and I 
 am here . . . with the ephod." 
 
 David saw that the man was holding something 
 carefully under his torn clothes something that 
 rose and fell with the violent heaving of his pal- 
 pitating heart. He stooped over him and took him 
 in his arms. 
 
 "I knew it when I saw Doeg at Nob I knew he 
 would tell Saul. And it is I who am the cause of 
 your kinsfolk's death." 
 
 "No," panted Abiathar; "it was Saul may Yah- 
 weh punish him! . . . But I am afraid ... he 
 will send after me too. . . ." 
 
 The king of Israel needs the priests of Yahweh. 
 Ah! it was clear now. 
 
 "Abiathar," said David, "stay with me. Don't 
 be afraid. He who seeks your life seeks mine; 
 but with me you will be safe."
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 111 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 WHEN the summer came on, David, after consult- 
 ing Gad and Joab, moved back to Adullam. The 
 caves were an agreeable shelter from the heat of the 
 sun, and the spring solved the constantly recurring 
 difficulty of providing water for a large troop of 
 men. Moreover, David had an idea that the Philis- 
 tines would be making incursions into the Israelite 
 country, and Adullam seemed a good strategic posi- 
 tion for watching them and, if occasion should war- 
 rant, harrying the invaders on his own account. 
 
 This occasion seemed, however, unlikely to arise. 
 David's men were uneasy at the idea of an attack 
 from Saul, and were more in the mood for defen- 
 sive warfare or even for flight and hiding than for 
 being in any way aggressive; and the reputation of 
 the Philistine army did not invite attack on it. 
 
 One of the first things David had done on taking 
 to the wilderness was to organize a body of scouts 
 to keep him fully informed of what was going on in 
 the countryside. These scouts were some of the 
 most daring and most intelligent of his men; they 
 went everywhere and knew to some extent how to 
 deduce cause from effect. They even penetrated as 
 far as Benjamin, and David knew pretty well what
 
 112 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 Saul was doing and could guess at what he was 
 intending. For some time past the scouts of the 
 nearer neighborhood had been bringing him news 
 of the Philistines of their assembling troops of 
 men, of their descents on the corn-fields and thresh- 
 ing floors of Keilah, and of their skirmishes with 
 the men of Keilah over the plunder. David got 
 more and more restless, and at last could not refrain 
 from broaching the matter to some of his captains. 
 
 "Listen to this, Benaiah and Ahimelech," he said 
 one morning: "Asahel and Ahimelech's brother 
 Uriah got nearly as far as Keilah last night and 
 they tell me there has been another Philistine raid 
 on them." 
 
 "The uncircumcised thieves!" exclaimed Ben- 
 aiah, fiercely. 
 
 Ahimelech shook his head and said nothing. 
 Joab had come up while David was speaking and 
 he joined in. 
 
 "Without having been as far as the valiant Asahel 
 and Uriah, I can tell you the Philistines will go on 
 raiding Keilah till the end of the summer or till 
 there is nothing left to raid what is there to stop 
 them?" 
 
 "What indeed? unless we were to do so." 
 
 Joab snorted and Benaiah stared. 
 
 "We, David? Why, we're afraid of an attack
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 113 
 
 from Saul how could we possibly attack the 
 Philistines?" 
 
 "You won't get many of the men to think of such 
 a thing," said Ahimelech, gloomily. "I should n't 
 dream of it myself it 's a mad absurdity." David 
 sighed. He saw that in this mood such a venture 
 would be an absurdity, and yet his heart yearned for 
 it and he tried desperately to devise some means of 
 spurring them to enthusiasm in the apparently im- 
 possible task. All day he walked about in a state 
 of gloomy abstraction and saw no way out of his 
 difficulty. He began to wish there was some one he 
 could consult but who was there? Joab would 
 be sure to disagree with anything he suggested. 
 Benaiah was a good fighter, but always wrong in 
 his ideas; Ahimelech the Hittite had no particular 
 feeling for the Israelites ; Asahel was too young and 
 enthusiastic. But who was there he had ever been 
 able to consult? Who had ever given him advice 
 that had been of service to him? Not the fickle 
 Saul not the love-blinded Jonathan. Then there 
 flashed into his mind Samuel! Ah! that was a 
 different matter altogether! He had not always 
 understood Samuel's advice, but he had always felt 
 in his heart that when he did not it was because 
 it sprang from a deeper source than he had knowl- 
 edge of, and that the nearer he got to the hidden
 
 114 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 truth of facts the clearer the meaning would become. 
 His thoughts turned back to the last message he 
 had received. The king of Israel needs the priests 
 of Yahweh. . . . Was there not something there 
 that would help him? . . . That was not all the 
 message. . . . The king of Israel needs the priests 
 of Yahweh to interpret the wishes of the God of 
 Israel. . . . Suddenly it was clear. How could 
 he have been such a fool as not to see it before ? He 
 was as stupid as Benaiah, as great a heathen as 
 Ahimelech. Yahweh was the solution of the puzzle, 
 and he held Yahweh's interpreters, Abiathar and 
 the sacred ephod, in the hollow of his hand. 
 
 It was not long before he found Abiathar and 
 explained the situation to him. 
 
 "You see, Abiathar, the men are afraid to attack 
 the Philistines; but if they knew it was the will of 
 Yahweh that would be another matter. You must 
 throw the sacred lot in front of them and inquire of 
 Yahweh whether we are to go or not I am sure 
 we ought to, but they must realize that the Lord 
 wishes it before they will consent. Do you under- 
 stand?" 
 
 Abiathar understood perfectly. 
 
 The whole business went off successfully, accord- 
 ing to program. The men were assembled and 
 David explained why they were consulting the
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 115 
 
 Lord; there was a certain amount of muttering, but 
 when Yahweh declared emphatically, in answer to 
 two leading questions, that they were to attack the 
 Philistines and that he would deliver them into 
 David's hand, they no longer disputed their leader's 
 decision. David was in the highest spirits; he had 
 got his way, he was going into battle, and above 
 all he had acquired a new power that of getting 
 Yahweh to back up his wishes. It opened up a 
 limitless vista of possibilities, and he rushed upon 
 the enemy with such an irresistible tempest of 
 enthusiasm that he drove them before him like 
 frightened chickens. Keilah was relieved, and he 
 took his followers into it, partly to remind the 
 Philistines not to attack it again, partly to reward 
 his men and rest them from the strenuous life of 
 foraging in the open country. 
 
 The rest was not for long. He soon heard from 
 his scouts that Saul was preparing an army, which, 
 it was widely reported, was meant to trap him in 
 Keilah. Reluctant to incur the odium of a personal 
 decision to return to the hardships of the desert, 
 David again called in the services of Abiathar, and 
 the oracle declared that Saul was marching against 
 them and that the men of Keilah would give them 
 up to him when he came. There was nothing for 
 it but to escape from the walled town while there
 
 116 DAVID THE SON "OF JESSE 
 
 was yet time, and David led his grumbling but 
 unprotesting followers into the wilderness of Maon. 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 DAVID was more than two years in Maon. His 
 troops grew, till he had as many as six hundred 
 fighting men, many of these with wives and children. 
 As the time passed he found himself more and 
 more able to control them, and he took advantage 
 of this to organize them into groups under definite 
 officers, and to insist on a certain rigidity of disci- 
 pline. For instance, the matter of supply he kept 
 entirely in his own hands. He tolerated no plun- 
 dering of the neighbors either from his own men 
 or any stray brigands, but at stated times he him- 
 self sent a formal request for a supply of food. By 
 dint of careful arrangement, strict economy and 
 occasional raids on the Philistines, supplemented 
 by continual hunting expeditions, they managed to 
 get along; but at times none escaped hunger, and 
 if any of their sources of supply had been cut off 
 many of them would have starved. 
 
 In the first year of his stay in Maon David had 
 a terrible blow. Elihu came over to visit him and
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 117 
 
 told him that Samuel was dead. Though the 
 Prophet was too old for this to be surprising, David 
 somehow felt the news was unexpected. Samuel 
 had seemed to his imagination eternal and unchang- 
 ing he could no more think of him as young than 
 he could think of him as dead. He knew, more- 
 over, that the loss would be a serious one to him, 
 and that from henceforward he would have to de- 
 pend on himself alone excepting, of course, for 
 the oracle of the Lord. 
 
 One morning, about a year after Samuel's death, 
 David sent for Abishai, Asahel, Uriah the Hittite, 
 and seven other young men, and gave them a 
 commission. 
 
 "Abishai, could you take command of the party? 
 I want you to go up to Carmel, to the house of 
 Nabal, the rich farmer I hear he is holding the 
 feast of the sheep shearing and greet him from 
 me. Remind him that his shepherds have been 
 here in Maon all the grazing time, and that we have 
 done them no harm and not allowed any others to 
 harm them ; and ask him to let us have what he can 
 spare." 
 
 "Right," said Abishai. "What ought it to be? 
 Five sheep and a hundred loaves? Is that about 
 it?" 
 
 "Yes, I should think so," said David. "I think
 
 118 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 he might throw in some parched corn and some 
 fruit, but don't quarrel about that." 
 
 "The old scoundrel!" burst out Asahel. "He 
 could afford twice as much if he chose, but you see 
 if he does n't grudge us every grain and every raisin 
 he lets us have. Don't argue with him, Abishai 
 just take what you want if he does n't give it 
 peaceably." 
 
 "Abishai," said David, sternly, "you are to do 
 my message exactly and politely. If there is any 
 trouble about Nabal's gifts, come straight back to 
 me and report if any of you ten strikes a blow 
 or speaks a rude word, you '11 hear of it from me. 
 Do you understand?" 
 
 Carmel lay about a mile north of Maon, but no 
 one expected the young men back before night, for 
 it would take a little while to prepare the gifts, and 
 they were sure to be invited to join the feast. 
 David's camp, therefore, was all in a fluster when 
 an hour after starting out Abishai and his com- 
 panions reappeared, carrying no gifts, very angry, 
 and shouting for David. David came forward 
 quickly and asked what had happened. 
 
 "David," said Abishai, "by the life of Yahweh 
 I spoke what you told me, and we got nothing but 
 insults for our pains he will give us nothing." 
 
 "Nothing?" David frowned and looked down.
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 119 
 
 Then, raising his eyes: "You did not provoke him?" 
 "Not he ! " cried the impetuous Asahel. " 'David 
 greets you,' says he: 'Who 's David?' says the old 
 ruffian, 'and who are you? runaway slaves?' 'Who- 
 ever we are,' says Abishai, 'we Ve been keeping 
 your sheep from thieves and never touched one 
 ourselves ask your young men if it 's not so and 
 all we ask is what you can spare from the feast.' 
 'Pooh,' cried the old man, quite red with anger. 
 'Do you think I 'm going to give the bread and meat 
 and wine I prepared to feast the sheep shearers with 
 to a lot of vagabonds from I don't know where?' ' 
 "Yes," interrupted Abishai, "and I saw the others 
 were getting angry, so I said no more and came 
 straight back to you." 
 
 "Asahel," said David, shortly, "call Joab." 
 Joab was not far off and was soon summoned. 
 David looked up; his eyes were wide and his lips 
 thin, and Joab noticed that his hand was shaking. 
 "Listen to me, Joab," he said. "This man Nabal 
 has insulted me and refused me anything in my 
 necessity, though I protected his flocks all the time 
 they were in Maon. He has returned me evil for 
 good. Now, may Yahweh do so to me and more 
 also if by to-morrow I leave alive out of his house- 
 hold one man-child." 
 Joab grunted.
 
 120 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "You're right this time, David," he said; "if 
 you let this fellow off lightly you 'd never get as 
 much as a lamb from any one else in these parts 
 again. . . . When will you start, and how many 
 men will you take?" 
 
 "A hundred and fifty," said David grimly; 
 "we '11 start two hours after sunset." 
 
 "When it '11 be quite dark and Nabal's men will 
 be drunk," whispered Asahel to Uriah. "Well! 
 we shall see something to-night." 
 
 There was no moon when they started, and David 
 ordered absolute silence. He was going to make 
 sure, so far as it lay in his power, that his threat 
 was executed to the letter. At first they had to 
 go up for a few minutes, then down for half a mile 
 and again up to Nabal's house. Everything was 
 in darkness till they reached the summit, when 
 Asahel rushed back to tell David they thought they 
 saw a light moving among the trees on the opposite 
 slope. David at once came to the front of the troop 
 and they crept down the hill. As they were reach- 
 ing the bottom there came down toward them a man 
 carrying a torch, and behind him another leading 
 two heavily laden asses, and behind him a veiled 
 figure also on an ass. David sprang quickly past 
 the torchbearer, who was blinded by his own light,
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 121 
 
 and catching hold of one of the asses called out 
 sharply and imperiously: 
 
 "Who are you? What 's all this?" 
 
 The startled man gave a yell and dropped the 
 bridle. Before David could speak again the veiled 
 figure dismouted, ran toward him, and fell on the 
 ground before him. He felt a gentle pull to his 
 coat as it was grasped by the suppliant hands; he 
 felt warm, soft lips pressed on his naked feet. 
 
 "A woman!" he thought, and instantly turned 
 to the man with the torch. "Now fellow," he cried 
 roughly, "don't try running away there are two 
 hundred men over there all ready to cut you down 
 if you move a yard from here." 
 
 The frightened man moved nearer to David, 
 who picked up the kneeling woman and gently, but 
 decidedly, untwisted her veil and looked closely at 
 her. The red flickering light showed him a woman 
 of about twenty-four; it flung black shadows into 
 the hollows of her deep-set eyes, into the cup of her 
 firm chin, and along the curve below the delicate 
 line of her cheek bone. The light moved, and her 
 black eyes seemed to shine with a gleam of their 
 own that was not a mere reflection of the torch. 
 David had been about to speak reassuringly to her, 
 but one glance was enough to tell him that she was
 
 122 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 as self-possessed as himself; before he had time to 
 frame a question she spoke: 
 
 "I am Abigail, the wife of Nabal a fool by 
 name and a fool by nature. I beg of you, my lord, 
 to let me speak and to listen to my words." 
 
 "Well," said David, in an expressionless voice, 
 his eyes fixed immovably upon her face. 
 
 "The fault is ours," she went on quickly. "Yet, 
 my lord, pray do not consider this worthless man 
 and his folly. 7 did not see the young men you 
 sent up; had I done so a very different answer 
 would have been sent; and see, my lord, when I 
 heard what had happened, I made haste to bring 
 some small offerings to turn away your righteous 
 wrath." 
 
 She made a gesture with her hand, and David 
 saw that behind her in the shadows were two other 
 men, evidently heavily laden. He could not help 
 smiling. In a moment Abigail was again on her 
 knees, holding his dress and gazing up at him with 
 flashing eyes. 
 
 "As Yahweh lives," she cried, "and as he has 
 withheld you from shedding blood and from seeking 
 vengeance for yourself, may your enemies and those 
 that seek to harm you be undone by their own folly, 
 like Nabal.. And if any man pursues you and seeks 
 your life, may it be bound in the bundle of the living
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 123 
 
 under the protection of Yahweh your God. And 
 surely, when Yahweh has done you all the good he 
 intends, and you are lord of us all, then you will 
 have no grief for having shed blood or sought ven- 
 geance for yourself; and in that day remember your 
 handmaid." 
 
 Her voice quivered and the last words were almost 
 lost by the sudden inclination of her head; and 
 again David felt her lips pressed on his feet. 
 He lifted her up, and held her a little while, 
 looking at her, before he answered. Then he 
 stepped back a pace, and formally saluted her, 
 pressing his hands against his lips, his forehead 
 and his breasit. 
 
 "Blessing on Yahweh, God of Israel," he said 
 gravely, "for sending you to meet me; and blessing 
 on your wisdom and blessing on yourself for keeping 
 me from shedding blood. For it is true enough 
 that, unless you had come down, by to-morrow I 
 should not have left alive one man-child in Nabal's 
 household." 
 
 Abigail drew a deep breath ; then pointing to the 
 servants : 
 
 "Will your young men take over the stuff?" she 
 asked. 
 
 "Abishai!" called David, "take the food from 
 these men, and get back to the camp, all of you.
 
 124 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 Go in peace," he added to Abigail, "for I have 
 granted your request." 
 
 "What 's the matter with David, that he keeps 
 stumbling so?" whispered one of the men to another 
 on the way back. It was lucky the way was not 
 more precipitous than it was, for David hardly knew 
 what he was doing. Abigail's face shone out of the 
 darkness in front of him like an apparition; and 
 then he would cry to himself: 
 
 "But what 's her face? It 's her judgment, her 
 decision, her courage her foresight . . . what a 
 woman! " and then a moment later: 
 
 "But what 's all that? It 's her eyes, her neck, 
 her skin what a woman!" and that she should 
 be the wife of such an old curmudgeon as Nabal 
 seemed a profanity, and that he himself should 
 have promised not to lay a finger on him an act of 
 lunacy. 
 
 During the next few days his dreams became 
 wild schemes to get hold of her without breaking 
 his word; but this involved such obvious impos- 
 sibilities that he was beginning to think that after 
 all he would have to be forsworn, when Asahel 
 brought him news that seemed a miracle from 
 heaven. 
 
 "What do you think, David?" said the young 
 man; "I was up in Carmel this morning and heard
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 125 
 
 such a joke. It seems that the night we were going 
 up to settle accounts with Nabal, he and all his 
 men were as drunk as lords and would never have 
 known we had come till they felt our swords in 
 their throats. Well, the next morning, when Nabal 
 woke up, his wife told him how she 'd met us 
 coming up to do the deed and whether it was the 
 fright or realizing his own folly I don't know, but 
 anyway the old ruffian had a sort of fit and died 
 yesterday!" 
 
 "Died!" shouted David. "Do you mean to say 
 he 's dead?" and before the astonished Asahel had 
 recovered he had rushed off and was deep in a secret 
 colloquy with Abishai. His vehement impatience 
 would not brook a moment's delay, and Abishai and 
 half a dozen others were immediately despatched 
 along the road to Carmel. How he endured the 
 hours of waiting in his tent for he could not trust 
 himself outside it he never knew; but at last the 
 door was lifted and she came in. 
 
 "Ah, Abigail," he cried. "Ah, my wife!" and 
 held out his arms. 
 
 Again she slipped to the ground and clasped his 
 knees. 
 
 "Behold, a servant to wash the feet of your 
 servants," she said, and David looked down at her 
 and smiled.
 
 126 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 DAVID was gradually becoming known to many 
 of the chiefs living south and southeast of Judah, 
 and with a number of them he had entered into 
 friendly relations. He was still in dread of an 
 attack from Saul, who from time to time sent out 
 expeditions against him, obliging him to shift his 
 camping ground, and he felt that the day would 
 come when the friendship of the clans living between 
 Judah and Edom would stand him in good stead. 
 He was the more delighted when messengers ar- 
 rived from one of the chief men of Jezreel, a town 
 not far from Maon, offering him his daughter 
 Ahinoam in marriage. He gladly consented, and 
 Ahinoam was installed in the tent occupied by 
 Abigail, who received her amiably, but resigned 
 none of her influence. 
 
 The desirability of finding some other camping 
 ground was becoming obvious to every one, and at 
 last they moved northward to the wilderness of 
 Ziph, a wide, desert region stretching northeast 
 from the town of Ziph down as far as the Dead 
 Sea. The disadvantage of this move was that they 
 came more within Saul's cognizance, and sure 
 enough it was not long before they had news that
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 127 
 
 he was coming against them. David, however, 
 hoped that he would not be able to find their exact 
 hiding place, and trusted to lying quiet where they 
 were instead of trying to escape by outmarching 
 the enemy. 
 
 One evening a scout came up to David with 
 something for his private ear. He had gone to sleep 
 incautiously and been caught by a man of Saul's 
 army. This man, instead of killing him or drag- 
 ging him off a prisoner, or even questioning him as 
 to their hiding place, had given him a token to carry 
 to David, with the words, "To-night, in the wood, 
 by the mulberry grove." 
 
 David at once recognized the token as a bracelet 
 belonging to Jonathan, and determined to keep the 
 tryst. It was nearly six years since they had met; 
 how Jonathan would be longing to see him! and 
 how pleasant it would be to see Jonathan ! As the 
 time for the meeting approached, however, his 
 satisfaction in the idea grew less keen. Though 
 from many points of view he had not done so badly 
 during the last six years and, indeed, to any one 
 who knew the difficulties he had had to contend 
 with, his success might seem marvelous yet the 
 fact remained that he was still an outlaw and a 
 fugitive, and that Jonathan was still the king's 
 son. Why should he present himself before Jona-
 
 128 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 than to enable him to gloat over the contrast in 
 their positions? And though he knew perfectly 
 well that in reality this was the last thing the mag- 
 nanimous Jonathan could possibly do, the mere 
 imagination caused him to feel sulky, and push out 
 his lower lip. Nevertheless, he kept the tryst. 
 
 Jonathan had not changed in the least. He 
 flung his arms round David and kissed him with 
 all the old passion, and then pulled him down on 
 the ground and asked for his story. David's sulks 
 were not of a nature to withstand the melting power 
 of Jonathan's affection; he smiled, put his arm in 
 his, and began the tale of his adventures. When he 
 had finished and answered all Jonathan's eager 
 questions there was a pause. At last Jonathan 
 looked down and said rather nervously: 
 
 "Michal is married, David." 
 
 David turned a dark red and clenched his fist. 
 He hardly ever thought of her now, but this news 
 that she belonged to another man outraged him. 
 
 "Married? To whom?" 
 
 "To Paltiel, the son of Laish he comes from 
 Gallim of Benjamin." 
 
 David said no more ; but he fixed the name in his 
 mind, with a furious, vague idea of revenge and 
 destruction. Jonathan caressed him lightly, and 
 said in his gentlest voice:
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 129 
 
 "Poor David I do wish you had her. If only 
 things would settle down and we two could be 
 friends again as we used to be!" 
 
 "That 's impossible. You see yourself your 
 father will never give up hunting me." 
 
 Jonathan sighed and made no answer, looking 
 out with troubled eyes at the increasing light which 
 warned them of sunrise. David rose and pulled 
 up his coat. 
 
 "I must go back to the camp now, Jonathan. 
 And some day Saul will catch me and that will 
 be the end of it all." 
 
 "No, no, David," cried Jonathan, jumping up 
 and seizing his arms. "You know that won't 
 happen! My father will never catch you; but a 
 day will come when you will be king of Israel and 
 I shall be next to you and then all will be well 
 and we shall be happy again." 
 
 They looked at each other and smiled Jonathan 
 with the exaltation of love and devotion, David 
 with the triumphant vision of success; then, with 
 another long embrace, they parted. 
 
 When David got back he found Asahel looking 
 for him in great agitation. He had been into the 
 town of Ziph and there learnt that the townsmen 
 had discovered the whereabouts of the camp, and 
 either for a gift of money or a hope of future favors
 
 130 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 had betrayed their knowledge to Saul. There was 
 no time to be lost; the camp was struck, and their 
 flight was directed toward Maon. But Saul was 
 hot upon their track. Fast as David pushed on, he 
 was encumbered by the women and children that 
 necessarily formed part of his company, while Saul's 
 army consisted of fighting men only. Moreover, 
 Saul's numbers were twice as great as his own ; and 
 David soon became aware from the information of 
 his scouts that strong bodies of men were advancing 
 rapidly on both his flanks, and that it would not 
 be long before he would be surrounded. He saw 
 no way of dealing with the danger. As he walked 
 on at the head of the column his mind worked 
 unceasingly with the problem, but no solution pre- 
 sented itself. Was this, then, the end? He glanced 
 back at the ass on which Ahinoam was sitting, with 
 Abigail walking beside her. He ground his teeth 
 and turned again to the situation; there must be 
 some way out. Suddenly Joab touched his arm and 
 pointed to the hill on the left. 
 
 "They 're going north again," he said. 
 
 David stopped and looked; then without a word 
 he turned toward the hill on the right; there, too, 
 the figures that had been hurrying to get in front 
 of him were streaming away in the opposite direc- 
 tion. It was a rout before a battle! What had
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 131 
 
 happened? David was too stunned to comprehend 
 the meaning of what he saw; he stood still and the 
 whole party behind him stopped too, waiting for 
 instructions. Presently a little body of scouts ran 
 up, waving their arms and shouting: 
 
 "It's all right, David, it's all right! Saul's 
 marching back to Benjamin as fast as he can go, 
 for the Philistines have made a raid in force there 
 and are close under the walls of Gibeah ! " 
 
 The cloud lifted from David's face and his blue 
 eyes smiled like a girl's. 
 
 "Azazel be their speed!" he shouted. "Turn 
 north again! We'll camp in Ziph to-night!" 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 WHILE Saul was occupied with the Philistines 
 David was safe. But the respite seemed short to 
 the harried outlaws; all too soon the news arrived 
 that the king and his army were on their track 
 once more. David was beginning to realize that 
 he could not go on much longer in a state of per- 
 petual danger. It was not so much the continuous 
 warfare that was telling on his men's health and 
 temper, but the fact that there were no intervals in
 
 132 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 which they were safe from attack the state of 
 unrelieved alarm in which they lived was un- 
 doubtedly trying their nerves. Various different 
 schemes suggested themselves to David, but at pres- 
 ent he felt unable to decide on any of them. 
 
 At last he got news of Saul's close approach. 
 It reached him at the oasis of En-gedi on the shores 
 of the Dead Sea, and he immediately, with the 
 greatest secrecy, moved his camp up toward Ziph. 
 As he had hoped, Saul had heard he was at En-gedi 
 and moved down as David moved up, so that when 
 the two camps were pitched Saul's was below 
 David's, and cut off by it from Benjamin. Never- 
 theless the numerical difference between the armies 
 was so great that the strategical advantage in no way 
 compensated for it, and David's men waited in 
 great anxiety to learn what their leader intended to 
 do. 
 
 That night David called into his tent Abishai 
 and Ahimelech the Hittite. 
 
 "I want a companion to go with me to-night," 
 he said. "I am going down to have a look at Saul's 
 camp, and I want some one I can trust to go with 
 me." 
 
 Ahimelech bit his thumb. To him the expedi- 
 tion looked like certain death ; he wondered whether 
 the possible advantages were worth the risk. . . .
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 133 
 
 Abishai did not hesitate. He was fond of David 
 in an undemonstrative way, he had a lot of confi- 
 dence in him, and did not bother himself much as 
 to the consequences of his actions. 
 
 "When do you want to start?" he asked. 
 
 David smiled, pleased at his readiness. 
 
 "We'll start early," he said; "we must be there 
 before the moon rises, and I fancy it 's a good dis- 
 tance off." 
 
 Things turned out as they had expected, and it 
 was still quite dark when they found the enemy. 
 For all his trust, Abishai was a little surprised when 
 David, slipping past a drowsy sentinel, pushed right 
 on into the middle of the encampment, glancing 
 quickly right and left as he went, obviously making 
 hasty calculations as to the size of the army. But 
 he said nothing, and followed his uncle, going as 
 softly as he could. Presently they reached the 
 middle of the camp where the wagons were drawn 
 together, and beside one of them, gleaming in the 
 faint starlight, was stuck a spear. David seized 
 Abishai's arm and pointed to the man who lay 
 asleep beneath it it was Saul himself, and at his 
 side was Abner. 
 
 The purpose of the expedition was now clear to 
 Abishai. He drew a deep breath and looked at 
 David. David was standing motionless, his arms
 
 134 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 hanging by his sides, gazing at the unconscious 
 king. Was he, too, asleep, that he thus wasted the 
 precious moments? Abisai took his arm, put his 
 mouth to his ear, and whispered: 
 
 "God has delivered your enemy into your hand. 
 Let me strike him once with the spear I shall not 
 need to strike twice." 
 
 As David looked he felt in memory the fragrant 
 oil of consecration on his forehead and heard 
 Samuel's voice saying : 
 
 "David, son of Jesse, Yahweh has anointed thee 
 to be king over his inheritance." 
 
 Was this the way? Was this the time? He 
 slowly stretched his hand out to grasp the spear; 
 but suddenly another memory flashed upon him, 
 and it was again Samuel's voice he heard: 
 
 "You are both the anointed of Yahweh . . . 
 remember that every deed against Saul is a deed 
 against yourself. . . ." 
 
 And as he gazed at the sleeping man it seemed 
 to him that it was indeed himself who lay there, 
 helpless, at the mercy of midnight assassins re- 
 bellious conspirators. He shuddered, and his arm 
 dropped to his side. Then turning to the astounded 
 Abishai, he whispered in his ear: 
 
 "Do not destroy him; for who can touch the 
 anointed of Yahweh and be guiltless?"
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 135 
 
 "What then?" whispered Abishai; for it was 
 plainly not the time for arguing; and David 
 answered : 
 
 "Take the spear at his head and I will take the 
 water bottle from his side and we will go." 
 
 On the way into the camp David had noticed 
 a steep slope leading more directly but more pre- 
 cipitously toward Ziph ; it was up this slope that he 
 and Abishai scrambled, and after a few minutes of 
 panting effort they were beyond reach of Saul and 
 his men. Once safe, David turned to Abishai and 
 laughed. 
 
 "Now we '11 have some fun," he said, for the 
 violent physical exertion and the sense of having 
 escaped from incredible danger almost miraculously, 
 had brought one of his sudden reactions, and he 
 felt nothing but amused triumph and exhilaration 
 in the adventure. 
 
 "Abner!" he shouted with all the force of his 
 lungs. "Abner! don't you hear?" 
 
 "What 's that?" cried Abner, startled out of his 
 sound sleep, and amazed to hear some one yelling to 
 him in the darkness. 
 
 " 'What 's that?' " echoed David, with a laugh. 
 "What do you think it is? O valiant Abner, who 
 is your equal in all Israel? Who keeps better 
 watch over the king than you? Did not some one
 
 136 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 creep in just now to kill him, while you slept? 
 Look and see where his spear is and the water bottle 
 he keeps at his side! " 
 
 There was a pause. David imagined, though he 
 could not see it, Abner's angry, perplexed search 
 for the missing spear and water bottle and laughed 
 inwardly at the thought. Then some one spoke in 
 tones that were not Abner's tones that were melan- 
 ccholy and hesitating: 
 
 "Is this your voice, my son David?" 
 
 In a moment David's sense of amusement 
 vanished. 
 
 "It is my voice, my lord the king," he answered; 
 and was silent. Saul too was silent, and David 
 felt that curious emotional contagion that he had 
 so often experienced in Saul's presence. 
 
 "Well," he thought, "I '11 make one more try- 
 though I know it's hopeless ..." and spoke again: 
 
 "What have I done to make you seek my life, 
 my lord? Am I not your servant? What has 
 turned you against me? If it is Yahweh who 
 makes you my enemy, let him accept a sweet-smell- 
 ing sacrifice and be appeased. But if it is the slan- 
 der of men, let them be accursed for driving me out 
 of the land of Yahweh to live in strange lands and 
 worship strange gods. ..." 
 
 He stopped, and presently the voice of Saul
 
 IN THE WILDERNESS 137 
 
 answered, drifting faintly and sadly through the 
 space between them : 
 
 "I have sinned; return, my son David; I will 
 do you no more harm, because my life was precious 
 in your eyes to-day ; I have played the fool ; I have 
 done very wrong." 
 
 David sighed. The pathetic words: made his 
 nerves vibrate, but in its deepest core his heart was 
 unstirred. 
 
 "Well," he said, "here is the spear, my lord 
 king. Send one of the young men over for it. And 
 as your life was precious in my eyes to-day so may 
 my life be precious in the eyes of Yahweh, and may 
 he deliver me out of all my tribulation." 
 
 And the voice of Saul floated back: 
 
 "Bless you, my son David; you shall do mighty 
 deeds; surely you shall conquer." 
 
 Silence. David and Abishai turned round and 
 climbed back to their own camp.
 
 PART III 
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 INSTEAD of being reassured by his conversation 
 with Saul, David was more and more convinced 
 that the king was implacable toward him. He was 
 confirmed in this view by finding that in spite of his 
 declaration that he would do David no harm he 
 remained encamped with his army, watching, and 
 evidently ready to pounce. When this was once 
 clear, David at last made up his mind what to do. 
 He turned again in his thought to Samuel's advice, 
 and remembered how the old Prophet had warned 
 him that he would not always find a refuge in the 
 Judean wilderness, and had counseled him, when 
 the time came, to throw himself on the protection of 
 Achish, the lord of Gath. He smiled as he recalled 
 his horror at the idea, and his certainty that the 
 Philistines could not forgive his exploits against 
 them. The David of that day seemed indeed a cal- 
 
 139
 
 140 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 low, inexperienced youth, and the six years that 
 separated them an impassable gulf. 
 
 Certainly he had now no doubts or hesitations. 
 He did not even think it necessary to consult 
 Yahweh, for he did not believe his men would raise 
 any difficulties. He chose Gad as his envoy, and 
 after a long talk, in which he coached him with 
 minuteness in the matter and almost in the words of 
 his message, sent him off with a small but picked 
 bodyguard to Gath. Then came one of those 
 periods of waiting that were so trying to a man of 
 David's natural activity a time of imagining every 
 possible disaster, ranging from a simple negative 
 from Achish, to the slaughter of Gad and his com- 
 panions by the enraged Philistines. At last, how- 
 ever, in reality not a day after they were due, the 
 embassy returned, and it was at once apparent, even 
 through the weariness of travel, that they had been 
 successful. Achish had been most agreeable, had 
 fallen in almost eagerly with all Gad's sug- 
 gestions, and had ended by extending an invitation 
 to David and his followers to come at once to Gath. 
 
 And so for the last time in the wilderness of 
 Judea the six hundred struck camp. David was 
 fully conscious that he was entering a totally new 
 experience, and as usual his spirits rose with the 
 idea of adventure. While Joab and Ahimelech
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 141 
 
 were grumbling to each other at the thought of 
 "putting their heads into the lion's mouth," and 
 Abishai was stolidly seeing to the details of pre- 
 paring a start, David getting through as much 
 work as all three put together was amusing him- 
 self with Asahel and one or two other of the younger 
 men, keeping them in fits of laughter, and spreading 
 his irresistible gaiety through the whole camp at 
 a moment which might have filled them with regret 
 and anxiety. 
 
 The actual journey into Philistia was made 
 without hindrance, and at last David found himself 
 in the outskirts of Gath. He paused to gather all 
 the stragglers in, set himself at the head of the troop, 
 and prepared to make as imposing an entry as he 
 could into the enemy's town. For himself, his sur- 
 prise and awe at what met his eyes went beyond 
 anything he had anticipated, for with his journey 
 to Moab and his rovings over Israel and Judah 
 he considered himself a traveled man. It was 
 clear, however, after a first glance at Gath, that he 
 was face to face with a totally different civilization, 
 of a splendor and extent he had never dreamt of. 
 
 It was a walled city with watchtowers set at 
 intervals in the walls but this was a form of for- 
 tification with which David was familiar. What 
 surprised him was, first, the apparent size of the
 
 142 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 town, and second, the fact that here and there within 
 the enclosure were buildings high enough to be seen 
 above the city wall. What could they be? From 
 outside it was impossible to tell they must be seen 
 nearer at hand. 
 
 Once inside the town, there was another surprise. 
 No one seemed to take any interest in them, or 
 indeed to pay them any particular attention. David 
 was accustomed to the immense curiosity of the 
 Palestine villages in which the appearance of one 
 stranger draws forth the whole population to stare 
 and exclaim. Here, six hundred men and their 
 families passed through the streets almost unnoticed. 
 It is true the streets were immensely wide, and 
 packed full of traffic hundreds of men and women, 
 asses, camels, oxen, astonishing wagons, variegated 
 costumes, plumed headdresses, embroidered robes, 
 yellow faces, and shaved heads formed a bewilder- 
 ing kaleidoscope, as he tried to push his way along. 
 And then the buildings! Could there be so many 
 temples? For right and left were the tall edifices 
 he had seen from outside, magnificent constructions 
 with wooden pillars in front and high domed roofs, 
 so splendid that surely only the gods could inhabit 
 them. But were there so many gods? 
 
 However, it was now time to find Achish, and 
 David realized, with fresh astonishment, that he
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 143 
 
 would not be able to find his dwelling place without 
 inquiry. After looking round he stopped a man 
 dressed in a way with which he was familiar; he 
 was naked except for a broad waistband and wore 
 one of the plumed headdresses, fitted into an em- 
 broidered band encircling his temples, and fastened 
 on his head by a chin strap which passed in front of 
 his ears. This was the costume of a soldier; and 
 by the silver bands on his arm David judged that 
 he was of sufficient rank to be able to answer a ques- 
 tion sensibly. 
 
 "Greeting, friend," he said. "Can you take me 
 to the house of Achish?" 
 
 "Achish?" answered the man with a laugh. 
 "What Achish do you want? Achish the potter? 
 Achish the smith? Achish the corn merchant? 
 Achish the son of Phicol? Achish the son of 
 Badyra? Achish. . . ." 
 
 "Stop, stop!" exclaimed David, laughing in his 
 turn. "It is none of these. The Achish I want is 
 the king of Gath." 
 
 "The king of Gath? Oh, you mean the seren. 
 I suppose you are a Hebrew. Yes, I can take you 
 to him only take care he does n't make you into 
 a stew for his supper!" 
 
 Still laughing, the man took the lead, and in a 
 little while stopped in front of the biggest of the
 
 144 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 domed temples David had seen. Outside of it a 
 lot of soldiers were lounging, and his guide went 
 up to one of them and spoke to him in a low voice. 
 Immediately he hurried forward and saluted David. 
 
 "Greeting," he said. "Are not you David, the 
 son of Jesse?" And on David's acquiescing he 
 saluted him again. 
 
 "The seren is expecting you," he said. "Will 
 you tell your men to wait here a little while, and 
 come in and speak to him yourself?" 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 ACHISH was delighted by the fate which sent him 
 David as a client. In the first place it definitely 
 deprived the Israelites of far the most brilliant 
 general they had ever had; then it put that general 
 at the service of the Philistines; and finally it 
 provided an opportunity for making permanent one 
 of the internecine quarrels which had always been 
 the bane of the Israelites, and the opportunity of the 
 Philistines. When Achish considered the situation 
 he was staggered at the incredible folly of Saul in 
 driving such a supporter into the service of the 
 enemy; when he met David himself and got to
 
 145 
 
 know him, he could not comprehend the king of 
 Israel's bad taste in parting with such a delightful 
 companion. 
 
 Everything was done to attach David to the 
 country he had chosen. His followers were housed 
 in a special quarter of the city, and he himself was 
 given apartments in the seren's palace. He was 
 afforded full opportunities for seeing all the riches 
 and power of Philistia; and if this was done with 
 any ulterior reason it was still a favor which David 
 most thoroughly appreciated. He visited each of 
 the five Philistine cities, and as he went from one 
 to another, realized fully the richness and fertility 
 of the country that lay, as it were, within hand's 
 reach of Israel. On the great road between Gaza 
 and Ashdod, which was also the great road between 
 Egypt and Assyria, he saw caravans that opened 
 his eyes for the first time to the true meaning of 
 commerce. At Ashkelon he saw the sea and ships 
 not that Dead Sea of the plain, as dead as the 
 desert in whose lap it lay but the Mediterranean 
 the "Great Sea" in the midst of the earth, the most 
 wonderful highway that could be imagined between 
 nations at opposite ends of the world. 
 
 Yet, in spite of the friendship of Achish, the 
 relief from anxiety, and the delight of widening 
 horizons, David was not comfortable in Gath. The
 
 146 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 strange food at the king's table meat often cooked 
 in the animal's blood, or unknown flesh whose 
 name he dared not ask sometimes gave him a 
 physical nausea, besides shocking him profoundly 
 in his religious convictions. The worship of Dagon 
 and the wonderful fish-tailed woman to whom the 
 great flock of doves was kept sacred was an out- 
 rage to him, and worse than all he feared daily 
 more and more that the moment would come when 
 Achish would call upon him to take the field against 
 Saul. This he was determined to avoid; but to do 
 so without causing a breach with the seren he must 
 forestall the order with a scheme of his own. 
 
 He had been in Gath many months when at 
 last he found an opportunity to bring forward his 
 suggestion. 
 
 "Well, David," said Achish one day, "and how 
 do you like living in Philistia? Do you find your 
 old enemies make good friends?" 
 
 "Certainly you are a good friend to me, my 
 lord," answered David, "and to live in Philistia 
 after wandering in the desert is like living with the 
 gods. Indeed, I don't know why you are so good 
 as to keep me with you in the royal city I have 
 been thinking for some time it would be more suit- 
 able /or me to go to one of the provincial towns 
 where I could be of more use to you."
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 147 
 
 "Of more use to me? How do you mean?" 
 
 "It has been in my mind that if I were in one 
 of the towns on the southern border of the country 
 I could keep an eye on any of the desert tribes who 
 might be inclined to be disorderly. And it would 
 be a good position, would n't it, for attacking the 
 Southern tribes of the Hebrews Judah, Jerahmeel 
 Simeon? . . ." 
 
 Achish brightened up; here was David volun- 
 teering to do what he himself had been too tactful 
 to suggest all this time it was an opportunity of 
 embroiling him further with the rest of Israel which 
 was obviously to be snatched at. 
 
 "The very thing though I shall miss you sadly, 
 David. But how would this arrangement do? 
 You shall have the town of Ziklag for your own, 
 and the cultivated lands that belong to it; and in 
 return you shall give me half the booty you take on 
 any raid. How would that suit you? Oh, and I 
 shall make one other stipulation you must come 
 yourself with the plunder, so that I may still see you 
 from time to time." 
 
 Of course David agreed to the flattering arrange- 
 ment, and it was not long before the little band was 
 established at Ziklag. But David's real intentions 
 in settling thus far to the south and at such a 
 distance from Gath were not altogether what he had
 
 148 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 led Achish to suppose. He certainly never for a 
 moment meant to invade his own country, and the 
 booty with which he was to provide a tribute must 
 come from other sources. Luckily for him, there 
 was no lack of desert tribes against whom he could 
 make forays; the only question was how to prevent 
 the news reaching Achish that it was not against 
 his own race that the expeditions were being made. 
 A solution soon presented itself. His own men 
 would keep this secret readily enough, for their 
 safety depended upon it ; if none of the enemy were 
 left alive, there would be no one else who could be- 
 tray it. This accordingly became David's method 
 of warfare. Whenever he descended on a village 
 or a nomad encampment he put the whole of the 
 enemy men and women to the sword, and car- 
 ried off the live stock and anything of value they 
 possessed. It was a disagreable necessity he saw 
 no alternative. He was exact and regular in his 
 accounts with Achish and only misled him as re- 
 gards the original owners of the spoil. 
 
 "David is certainly safe now," thought Achish. 
 "The Israelites must by this time hold him in ab- 
 horrence he has quite cut himself off from them 
 and has no choice but to remain in our service for- 
 ever."
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 149 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 MEANWHILE David's dreams were keeping pace 
 with his growing knowledge of the world and 
 familiarity with the possibilities of power and 
 civilization. His fantasies started now with the 
 assumption that he would be king of Israel this 
 seemed so certain that the idea had lost much of its 
 interest to him but then? . . . What then? . . . 
 He laughed to himself at Saul's idea of kingship 
 "as well be a farmer like Nabal," he thought. 
 "Why, he could n't even lay his hands on me, or 
 kill me when he had me in his house. Things 
 sha'n't be like that when I'm king. I'd like to see 
 any of them disobeying me Abner ! or Joab ! " (But 
 Joab was a rather uncomfortable idea and he turned 
 away from it.) He would have absolute order and 
 unity in his own kingdom but that was n't enough. 
 To have peace he must prevent the constant 
 Philistine raids that ruined the land; to have pros- 
 perity he must possess the rich Philistine lands with 
 their splendid crops of corn and grape. But would 
 such a thing be possible? The Israelites to con- 
 quer not merely to defeat in battle but to con- 
 quer the Philistines? "Well," he thought, "if any
 
 150 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 one can do it I can, for I know them as enemies 
 and I know them as friends I know their 
 strength and their weakness . . . they 're heavy 
 all those chariots they can't move quickly they 
 can't change a plan when it 's once made some- 
 thing on those lines . . ."his thoughts grew vague, 
 and then took a leap: "And when the Philistines 
 are subdued I '11 reduce the South and the North 
 and the East and my empire shall be bounded by 
 the desert and the 'Great Sea'!" His heart beat 
 violently and his breath came quickly. Then he 
 gave a laugh, for here he was, a servant of Achish 
 of Gath, with an army of six hundred, and Ziglag 
 for an empire ! Well ! he could wait. 
 
 One day David was summoned urgently to Gath. 
 When he got there he found that the situation he 
 had been afraid of had arisen. The Philistines 
 were planning a great descent on Saul, and Achish 
 had need of David and his men. 
 
 "How many can you bring up, David? About 
 six hundred, isn't it?" 
 
 "Yes, it '11 be about that," answered David, cau- 
 tiously, and searching round in his mind if there 
 were any way of escape. 
 
 "Now, David," continued Achish, eagerly, pull- 
 ing him down to a seat beside him, "I '11 tell you 
 what I 'm going to do ... you know how I hate
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 151 
 
 having you so far away in Ziklag three days off 
 at the ends of the earth well, I Ve thought of a 
 way to keep you here beside me forever. ... I 
 shall make you the captain of my bodyguard! " 
 
 David exclaimed upon his own un worthiness and 
 the seren's overwhelming kindness, and inwardly 
 sighed with relief when pressure of business obliged 
 Achish to dismiss him. During the days of waiting 
 for the arrival of his own troop from Ziklag and 
 the assembly of the rest of the Gath contingent he 
 occupied himself in desperate attempts to discover 
 some issue to the dilemma in which he found him- 
 self. One obvious idea was to wait until the battle 
 began and then turn upon the Philistines he re- 
 membered Jonathan telling him that at the battle 
 of Michmash, that great victory for the Israelites, 
 there had been a body of Hebrews in the Philistine 
 army who had played exactly that trick. But after 
 long consideration he rejected this plan. In the 
 first place, he felt sure that the Israelite army was 
 now hopelessly incapable, and he did not believe 
 that even with his help Saul would be able to obtain 
 a victory. And defeat in those circumstances meant 
 complete ruin. In the second place, even if by some 
 miracle the intervention of Yahweh, or some lucky 
 coup of his own the Israelites were victorious, he 
 did not see that he should be much better off. He
 
 152 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 would have to leave Philistia, and the old story of 
 Saul's distrust or a life of exile would begin over 
 again. No, he must find some other scheme. . . . 
 
 The meeting place for the Philistine army was 
 at Aphek, three days off in the plain of Sharon. 
 At Lod, where the Gittites joined the main road, 
 they came across the other bodies of Philistines, 
 from Gaza, Ekron, Ashkelon, and Ashdod, all ad- 
 vancing to the rendezvous. These men were not 
 inclined to be as friendly with David's party as 
 their old acquaintances of Gath, and he was obliged 
 to keep a careful watch and give strict orders to 
 prevent disputes, and perhaps more, on the line of 
 march. Indeed, just as they were coming to the 
 plain of Sharon he caught one of his own men and 
 a Philistine from Ekron hacking at each other with 
 their swords. He immediately handed over the 
 Israelite to Joab, with orders to punish him severely, 
 and seizing the unfortunate Philistine dragged 
 him off and informed him that at the end of the 
 day's march he would be dealt with. 
 
 He was as good as his word. That evening, 
 when the camp had been pitched and the evening 
 meal was over, he sent for his captive and led him, 
 protesting and almost in tears, to the tent of the 
 seren of Ekron. 
 
 The seren, who was sitting alone with a scribe,
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 153 
 
 was an elderly man, very dignified and stern. He 
 looked at David with ill-disguised displeasure, and 
 did not seem much impressed by his story of the 
 quarrel between the two soldiers. He spoke a few 
 sharp words to the Ekronite and sent him 
 off. Then turning to David, he said, almost as 
 sharply : 
 
 "How do you come to be here, Hebrew?" 
 
 "I am in the service of Achish of Gath, my lord," 
 answered David with a low obeisance. 
 
 The seren grunted, and was about to dismiss him, 
 when David suddenly jerked his sword out from 
 behind his coat and then, with some deliberation, 
 began to put it back in its place. 
 
 The two Philistines, whose eyes had naturally 
 been caught by the weapon, started, and the scribe 
 bent forward and whispered in his master's ear. 
 
 "Let me look at your sword, Hebrew," said the 
 seren. "Yes," he continued after looking at it 
 carefully, "this was the sword of Goliath of Gath 
 was it not?" 
 
 "Yes, my lord," answered David. 
 
 The seren bit his lip and stared at him; the 
 scribe lent forward and asked in a silky voice : 
 
 "Then are not you the celebrated David, the son 
 of Jesse?" 
 
 "I am David, the son of Jesse, certainly," and
 
 154 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 David's voice hinted that it was not for him to 
 claim celebrity. 
 
 "Have you been long in the service of Achish?" 
 asked the seren, abruptly. 
 
 "Only two years, my lord. But I am not an 
 altogether untried soldier, nevertheless, since before 
 becoming the servant of Achish I fought for some 
 time with the Hebrews." 
 
 "So I understand," said the seren, bitterly. 
 
 "Though I am still far from the knowledge of 
 war that would make me worthy to fight in the ranks 
 of such famous warriors as the Philistines. Doubt- 
 less with them, officers must have served many years 
 before reaching high command . . . my lord will 
 perhaps have been in the battle of Michmash?" 
 
 The seren started violently, and the veins stood 
 out on his forehead. The scribe bent hurriedly over 
 his writings to conceal the malignant smile he could 
 not keep out of his face. Really, the tact of these 
 Hebrews! Fancy mentioning the battle of Mich- 
 mash to a Philistine! And it happened to be 
 particularly rich, for the seren had been in it, and 
 had not come out of it with more credit than any one 
 else ... in fact, there was a story. . . . 
 
 "Go!" said the seren, fiercely; and David made 
 his obeisance and withdrew in silence. 
 
 Next day was held the council of the Philistine
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 155 
 
 leaders. Immediately it was over David was sent 
 for to the tent of Achish, whose disordered counte- 
 nance at once displayed his grief. 
 
 "It is no use, David I did my very best, but it 
 is not to be. They insist that you are to be sent 
 back." 
 
 "What has happened, my lord?" 
 
 "Such an outcry in the council!" answered 
 Achish. " 'What are these Hebrews doing here?' 
 they said. 'Well,' said I, 'you all know how David 
 quarreled with Saul years ago, and since he has 
 been with me he has been faultless in every way/ 
 But it was no use ; there was that old ass Maoch of 
 Ekron who kept on about Michmash as if you 
 would ever betray us and then brought up that 
 old nonsense, 'Saul has slain his thousands and 
 David his ten thousands' and then his impudent 
 scribe put in his word how you would recon- 
 cile yourself to Saul with a present of all of our 
 heads and all the others chimed in and the 
 long and the short of it is that you must go back at 
 once." 
 
 "But, my lord," cried David, "what have I done? 
 Have I ever been unfaithful, that I should not be 
 allowed to fight against your enemies?" 
 
 "David," said Achish, seriously and sadly, "all 
 the time you have been with me you have been like
 
 156 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 an angel of God. But the council has decided 
 against you and I can do no more." 
 
 There was a pause; Achish continued: 
 "You must go back to Ziklag. You must not 
 make any delay, but start in the morning as soon 
 as it is light. And David ... do not be angry 
 with me ... do not design any evil against me 
 ... for 7 know you are blameless . . . and David 
 I love you." 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 DAVID'S soldiers were amazed at the pace at which 
 he began the march back to Ziklag. He went 
 nearly twenty-five miles on the first day, and another 
 fifteen the following day brought them to Gath, 
 twenty miles from home. The fact was David was 
 so delighted with the success of his manceuvers that 
 he felt like dancing back to Ziklag himself, and 
 was impatient of the smallest delay from his com- 
 panions. As usual, his spirits soon infected his 
 men, and they pushed on, wondering what it was 
 all about, but cheerfully and almost gaily. 
 
 On arriving at Gath, however, they felt no in- 
 clination to slacken, but rather to hurry on. The
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 157 
 
 Gittites met them with long faces and vague tales 
 of disaster at Ziklag. No one seemed to know 
 exactly what it was, and David would not wait to 
 sift their stories, but urged on his troop that they 
 might find out the truth for themselves as soon as 
 possible. 
 
 They made such good speed that they came in 
 sight of Ziklag before sunset on the third day. 
 Asahel had run on ahead as they approached the 
 place where it came into view; he gave one glance 
 and then rushed back to David, his face white, his 
 lips shaking. 
 
 "It 's . . . it 's . . ." he stammered, but could 
 bring nothing more out. David ground his teeth 
 and went on; when he came to the rise of the road 
 he stopped, his worst fears realized the town was 
 not to be seen. Instead of the walled enclosure of 
 houses he had left behind there was a small heap 
 of ruins from which rose languid spirals of smoke 
 black against the hot blue sky. The sweat broke 
 out on his forehead, and without glancing round or 
 uttering a word he began to run toward the remains 
 of his home. What should he find when he got 
 there ? 
 
 The place appeared quite deserted ; not a creature, 
 living or dead, was to be seen nothing but charred 
 fragments, remains of what had been dwelling
 
 158 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 places. David's men came close on his heels, and 
 in a moment the desolation was increased by the 
 wild sobs and cries of the fathers and husbands 
 searching vainly amidst the devastation for some 
 trace of their dearest possessions. 
 
 "Joash Joash, my darling, where are you? 
 . . . My Miriam . . . answer me. . . . Not 
 one here not one . . . nothing . . . nothing . . . 
 nothing. ..." 
 
 What agony could be like this? David stood 
 in the midst of the ruins, the tears rushing down 
 his cheeks, wild, fiery sobs tearing his lungs and 
 throat. . . . All was gone . . . all. . . . 
 
 Gradually he became aware of the people around 
 him, and aware, too, that their emotion was chang- 
 ing its character. The abandonment of despair 
 was over and was succeeded by an animal rage and 
 desire for revenge. But against whom .could they 
 wreak it ? The enemy had chosen their time well 
 they had done their work and vanished, and were 
 now out of reach and safe. But should no one 
 suffer for this outrage? 
 
 Then some one mentioned the name of David 
 was not he responsible for it all? He who had led 
 them out to battle so often? Who had burnt so 
 many towns? Seized so much plunder? Exter- 
 minated so many clans? Was not this clearly a
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 159 
 
 revenge from some tribe he had attacked? Who 
 was to blame if not David? The murmurs grew 
 more and more menacing; each man incited his 
 neighbor, and suddenly a stone, picked up from a 
 fallen wall, flew through the air and cut his cheek. 
 Instantly he awoke from the stupor into which his 
 despair had thrown him, and before the infection 
 of stone-throwing had time to spread he jumped up 
 on a little mound and began to shout to the furious 
 soldiers. 
 
 "You do well to be angry . . . the cowards dare 
 not meet us face to face, but when our backs are 
 turned. . . ." 
 
 There was a roar of approval, and then silence, 
 to see what else he had to say. 
 
 "But don't waste your anger in throwing stones 
 at me. You '11 want every ounce of strength to 
 pursue these devils. . . ." 
 
 "But who are they? . . . Pursue which way? 
 . . . What 's the good of pursuit? ..." 
 
 "What's the good of pursuit? Ah, I thought 
 it would be Abiezar who would ask that ! Because, 
 Abiezar, as you can see, they Ve not killed a single 
 person they Ve carried every living creature away 
 with them, and if we catch them in time. . . ." 
 
 Another shout of agreement, but still one objector 
 who called out again:
 
 160 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "But who are they?" 
 
 "How do I know? But with a little common 
 sense we might find out, Has anybody found any- 
 thing they left behind in their hurry?" 
 
 There was some calling out and pushing, and 
 a young man handed up an embroidered belt. 
 David glanced at it and held it out to the crowd. 
 
 "You can all see that this is an Amalekite belt. 
 Now, it's a thousand to one they've gone off south- 
 west toward Egypt, and if we hurry we shall reach 
 them in time." 
 
 There were still some dissentients, and a discus- 
 sion as to the wisdom of this idea at once broke out. 
 But David's mind was made up. Abigail and 
 Ahinoam and his unborn child were among the 
 missing; besides, if he lost grip of his men now he 
 was lost. He must have his own way, and he must 
 convince them it was the right way; it was largely 
 a question of time, and time depended on the good 
 will of his followers. 
 
 "Abiathar," he called loudly, "bring me the ephod 
 and prepare to inquire of Yahweh for me ... 
 Am I to pursue these men? . . . Shall I overtake 
 them? . . . Shall I recover what is lost?" 
 
 And Yahweh answered through the sacred lot: 
 
 "Pursue: for thou shalt overtake them, and shalt 
 without fail recover all."
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 161 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 DAVID did not waste a single moment. He called 
 out the chief officers by name and ordered them 
 sharply to get the men together; then, though the 
 sun was setting and they had already had three 
 day's hard marching, he set out again. At first 
 the anxiety and rage in the men's hearts carried 
 them forward, but it was not long before their ex- 
 haustion compelled a halt. David gave them an 
 hour and pushed them on again; by sunrise they 
 had reached a brook known as the Besor, and here 
 they made another halt. David inquired from his 
 officers in what condition the men were, and it was 
 discovered that about two hundred of them were 
 quite incapable of going farther. It was agreed 
 that they should be left behind, and with them every 
 scrap of baggage, so as to lighten the difficulties of 
 the four hundred who went on. 
 
 And so they started again on that terrible pursuit. 
 Their limbs were aching, their eyes heavy with want 
 of sleep, and as the sun increased in brilliance and 
 heat a violent thirst began to assail most of them. 
 But David at least was unconscious of all this. 
 The sweat ran down into his eyes and he rubbed it 
 away mechanically his thoughts were fixed on the
 
 162 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 end of the journey. Would there be any end? He 
 pictured them going on on on, forever through 
 the heat, seeing no one, meeting no one, knowing 
 no more than they knew now. How long would 
 the men behind him follow? How long would he 
 be able to lead? . . . Or another horrible sup- 
 position they would begin to come to the bodies 
 of those captives who could not keep up with the 
 rest or who had displeased their masters Abigail 
 the devoted and beautiful, or good God! Ahin- 
 oam and her burden. . . . He bit his lip, and did 
 not notice the blood trickle down. 
 
 Suddenly his heart almost stopped beating 
 there was a human figure lying across the road 
 was it the imagined ghastly beginning of the trail? 
 
 "Asahel," he whispered with dry lips, and 
 pointed to the body. Asahel went forward and 
 presently returned. 
 
 "It is a man a slave," he said, and David 
 breathed again; "I think he's alive." 
 
 David went up to him and looked at him closely. 
 Then he turned round. 
 
 "Two. of you carry him into the shade of that 
 rock. The others have an hour's rest. Gad, we 've 
 got to bring this man to life." 
 
 It was a long business. They forced water between 
 his lips, they rubbed his hands, his legs, his chest,
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 163 
 
 they sprinkled water on his face. Then when life 
 began to show signs of returning, they squeezed 
 grape juice into his mouth, and at last when he 
 appeared conscious but still too weak to move or 
 speak, they fed him with small pieces of bread and 
 dried fruit. David watched him narrowly all the 
 time, and at last judged he was strong enough to 
 answer questions, though he made Gad stand by, 
 ready with nourishment and water if they were re- 
 quired. 
 
 "To whom do you belong?" David began. 
 
 "To an Amalekite." David's eyes sparkled. 
 Surely they were on the right track! 
 
 "Where do you come from?" 
 
 "I am an Egyptian " then, seeing that was 
 not what the questioner meant "we had been 
 making raids upon the southern Philistines, and 
 Judah, and the south of Caleb; and we burnt 
 Ziklag." 
 
 "How did you come here?" 
 
 "Three days ago I fell ill and my master left 
 me because I could not keep up with the rest." 
 
 "Listen, Egyptian." David knelt down in front 
 of him and looked at him fixedly. "Will you show 
 me the way to these Amalekites?" 
 
 The young man hesitated. At last he said: 
 
 "They left me to die and you brought me back
 
 164 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 to life. Swear to me by your god that you will 
 not kill me and I will take you to them." 
 
 "I swear by the life of Yahweh that I will not 
 touch a hair of your head," answered David, 
 promptly. 
 
 "Yes," said the Egyptian, nervously, "but swear, 
 too, that you will not give me up to my master. ..." 
 
 "Your master!" David laughed and stood up. 
 "You needn't be afraid of that; we come from 
 Ziklag!" 
 
 Everything now depended on speed, and David 
 laid the case before Joab, consulting him as to 
 whether it would be better policy to rest longer or 
 to start at once. After a little discussion they 
 agreed, partly for the sake of the Egyptian, to wait 
 another half hour before starting. When the half- 
 hour was up David assembled the men and told 
 them they had found a guide and that if they could 
 get on fast enough they would probably catch the 
 abductors. He then selected a dozen of the 
 strongest men who were to go in advance, carrying 
 the Egyptian; Asahel was attached to this party, 
 with orders to run back to David directly the 
 Amalekites were sighted. 
 
 The four hundred set out again ; but now that the 
 sun was creeping down the sky and hope was in 
 their hearts, everything seemed changed. David's
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 165 
 
 buoyant spirits were rising again now he felt sure 
 that Yahweh had been right and they would 
 recover all. 
 
 "It 's like this," he said to himself: "if we find 
 everything and everybody untouched absolutely 
 everything then I shall know for certain that 
 I 'm to be king of Israel . . . and all that; but if 
 one thing is missing, nothing will come off I shall 
 be Achish's servant all my life. But it '11 be 
 all right, I know . . . only everything must be 
 there. . . ." 
 
 Twilight was beginning when the welcome sight 
 of Asahel running back to them greeted David. 
 
 "Nothing could be better," he gasped; "They're 
 encamped, but they 've no sentinels. They 're 
 sitting round the camp eating and drinking and 
 making a fearful din at least half of them must 
 be drunk. The women and children and plunder 
 are in the middle of the camp, quite out of the way." 
 
 David smiled and flung off his coat; he wanted 
 to have his arms free. He spoke a word to Joab 
 and the men began spreading out in a wide circle 
 so as to prevent their prey from escaping. It was 
 hardly worth while. The Amalekites were as help- 
 less as sheep under their blows, and the great bulk 
 of them were slaughtered like sheep. A few hun- 
 dred in the confusion of the massacre found camels
 
 166 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 and fled away, but the killing went steadily on till 
 long after the sun had set. When the last Amale- 
 kite had breathed his last, the Israelites turned to the 
 enclosure in the middle of the camp where the 
 women and children were huddled, in the midst of 
 the live stock and heaps of plunder. All were 
 there and all were safe. Ahinoam was sure that 
 all was well, for Abigail had taken such care of 
 her. David could hardly believe it were they 
 really all there? 
 
 "Well," said Joab, "the men say no one is 
 missing I must say we 've had luck, David; and 
 look at that pile of plunder it '11 build ten Ziklags 
 the size of the one they burnt, and stock them with 
 everything they want. But, thank goodness, here 's 
 something to eat after that I shall sleep sound 
 to-night." 
 
 The return to the brook Besor the next day was 
 a joyful procession. The two hundred met them 
 with shouts of triumph and amazement at the sight 
 of the booty. After a while, however, a hubbub 
 arose amongst them, not quite so joyous, and David 
 inquired what was going on. 
 
 Abiezar stepped forward and made his obei- 
 sance. 
 
 "We of the four hundred," he answered, "are 
 willing to give back to the two hundred their wives
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 167 
 
 and children; but we will not give them any of the 
 spoil, for it was we who recovered it and they were 
 not there at all." 
 
 David laughed; then he took a spear in his hand 
 and sitting down called the disputants before him. 
 
 "Listen to my judgment, my brothers," he said: 
 "The men that fight in the battle could not fight 
 freely if there were not men left behind to guard 
 the baggage and the camp. Both are of equal im- 
 portance in the army; therefore let both share alike 
 in the division of the spoil." 
 
 He could not help smiling when he heard the 
 shout with which the judgment was received as 
 a statute and an ordinance for Israel forever, and 
 remembered the other shouts the same men had 
 given only two days ago when they were for stoning 
 him. . . . But his thoughts did not linger over 
 that. He was thinking of his own share of the 
 spoil it would obviously be colossal, and he ought 
 to do something worth while with it. 
 
 "I have many to whom I am indebted," he 
 thought, "and there are many who can be won over 
 with gifts . . . some in the south of Judah have 
 suspected me since I have served the Philistines . . . 
 now is my chance to settle with all these men. Well, 
 I believe after all, the Amalekites burnt Ziklag in 
 a happy hour for me ! "
 
 168 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 WHEN they got back to the ruined Ziklag the first 
 obvious necessity was to restore the place to a 
 habitable condition. But while this essential work 
 was proceeding David set aside a group of men to 
 whom he confided the spoil he was going to give 
 away, together with suitable messages to those who 
 were to receive it. These men he sent off at once, 
 from his usual desire for action which always made 
 it painful to him to delay executing what he had 
 determined on; and this time something whispered 
 to him that it had better be done immediately. 
 Who knew what would be the result of the battle 
 between Saul and the Philistines? 
 
 The day after their return David was called off 
 from superintending the rebuilding by the arrival of 
 Elihu. Since the death of Samuel, Elihu, while 
 remaining in Saul's service, had apparently come 
 to look upon David as one who stood in Samuel's 
 place, and would often go over to him, more or less 
 secretly, to tell him any news that seemed important 
 or interesting. David always saw him and saw him 
 alone, and encouraged his queer discoursive tales 
 from which it was sometimes so difficult to extract 
 the kernel.
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 169 
 
 "Well, David," said Elihu at once, "here is a 
 pretty state of affairs; and what news we may ex- 
 pect in the next day or two I tremble to think of." 
 
 "You trembling, Elihu! And why are you here 
 instead of being with Saul at the camp? Or per- 
 haps the battle is over, and you have come to bring 
 me news of it." 
 
 "No," answered Elihu, shutting his mouth with 
 a snap, but opening it again at once. "I can't 
 bring you news of the battle, exactly, for I Ve not 
 been at it; though in another sense that's just 
 what I have brought you. And as for being in 
 Saul's camp, I Ve had enough of Saul and his camp 
 too, and you won't find me near either of them again 
 in a hurry." 
 
 "What! giving up Saul's service after all these 
 years!" cried David. "Why, what would Samuel 
 say if he knew of it?" 
 
 '"What -would Samuel say'! Ah! 'What 
 would Samuel say'! And suppose I were to tell 
 you that it 's just what Samuel says that 's making 
 me do it?" 
 
 "What Samuel says? I suppose you mean some 
 advice he gave you years ago, as to what to do in 
 certain circumstances?" 
 
 "I mean nothing of the kind no 'advice' or 
 'certain circumstances' or 'years ago' in it. I mean
 
 170 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 what I heard Samuel say to Saul no longer or, 
 rather, no shorter ago than two days! " 
 
 David stared at Elihu, completely bewildered. 
 
 "Well, I don't understand a word you 're saying," 
 he said, at last. "You '11 have to tell me the whole 
 tale." 
 
 "Yes!" said Elihu, triumphantly; "so I shall; 
 and then you won't understand a word, either! 
 But listen, and do your best. You know how 
 troublesome Saul's devil has been getting of late 
 sometimes it has n't left him alone for days, and 
 really it 's been most unpleasant going near him at 
 those times. I believe he used to plague you, in 
 the old days, David, so you '11 know what it 's like 
 but it 's got fifty times worse, I assure you. 
 Well, when he heard the Philistines were out again, 
 he got into one of his regular states, and presently 
 began calling for the priest to cast the sacred lot 
 and inquire of Yahweh for him. You can imagine 
 how awkward we all felt, but none of us liked to 
 remind him of what had happened to the priests, 
 and he was getting quite furious, when Jonathan 
 went and whispered something in his ear. I don't 
 know what it was, but it seemed to calm him a bit. 
 Then suddenly he shouted out: 'Then send Samuel 
 to me ! ' Now, David, that was an uncanny thing 
 to say, wasn't it? And you should have heard
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 171 
 
 his voice ! I assure you it made me creep. ' . . . 
 However, presently he seemed to remember and said 
 more quietly, 'Oh, he's dead too, isn't he? No 
 prophets either, then.' He got a little calmer after 
 that, and Jonathan and Abner got the tribesmen 
 together and we all set off north for we 'd heard 
 the Philistines were at Shunem. I quite thought 
 you 'd be there with them, David; in fact, I don't 
 know why you 're not. . . ." 
 
 "Never mind about that now," said David, swal- 
 lowing his impatience at the interruption; "go on 
 with your story it 's most interesting." 
 
 "It is, isn't it?" said the delighted Elihu, "but 
 you wait till you hear the end. . . . Well, we 
 camped at Gilboa, and that very evening Saul sent 
 for me. I saw at once his devil was on him his 
 cheeks were red, and his eyes shining and open 
 twice as wide as usual, and he was trembling 
 all over. 'Listen, Elihu,' says he; 'I have in- 
 quired of Yahweh, but he won't answer. I Ve tried 
 dreams, and prophets, and Urim and Thummim, 
 but it 's just as if there were no Yahweh at all I 
 get no answer none, none, none.' 'Think of that ! ' 
 said I, to soothe him; but he went on: 'Yes, that 's 
 all very well, Elihu, but here are the Philistines, 
 and how am I to know whether to attack them or 
 not, and whether we shall be successful, if Yahweh
 
 172 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 won't answer?' Well, I thought, whatever Yahweh 
 says or does n't say, it 's certain that if you don't 
 attack the Philistines they '11 attack you, and so as to 
 the success of the affair we 've only to wait till the 
 end of the battle to find that out . . . but, of course, 
 I did n't say so to Saul. But then I discovered why 
 he had sent for me ; he pulled my sleeve and looked 
 horribly cunning and whispered in my ear as if 
 he were afraid of hearing himself what he was go- 
 ing to say: 'Elihu, you must find me a witch, and 
 I '11 go and inquire from her ! ' Now I 'm not one 
 of those who 's easily surprised, but I must say that 
 did surprise me, for you know how Saul put to 
 death everybody that he could lay hands on who 
 told fortunes. However, it so happened that I 
 knew of just the woman he wanted, and not so far 
 off, either it's at Endor that she lives and I told 
 him of her and he was wild to go. The long and 
 the short of it is that the same night Saul and 
 Joshua that 's one of his servants and I set out 
 for Endor, and I assure you my heart was in my 
 mouth, for we had to go round the Philistine camp 
 at Shunem to get there and I made quite sure they 'd 
 catch us but they did n't. Well, we got to the old 
 woman's place all right and she let us in. Saul 
 was all wrapped up so that his face was hidden, 
 and he 'd told us not to speak. 'Woman,' says he,
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 173 
 
 'I hear you have a familiar spirit; make him call 
 up the person I shall name, that I may question 
 him.' At first she made a fearful fuss the king 
 had forbidden it, and she dare n't, and she could n't, 
 and so forth. But Saul quieted her and coaxed her, 
 and at last she asked who was to be brought up. 
 'The Prophet Samuel,' said he; and at that the 
 woman gave a scream and fell on her knees. 'Why 
 did you deceive me?' she shrieked. 'I know you 're 
 Saul. . . .' Well, he swore by Yahweh he would 
 do her no harm, and at last she agreed to go on. 
 Now, David, by this time, what with the darkness, 
 and Saul's devil, and the witch's familiar spirit, 
 and all the screaming and swearing that had been 
 going on, I was beginning to feel very uncomfort- 
 able, and I know Joshua was too. But there was 
 worse to follow. The old woman began to rock to 
 and fro and make the most extraordinary moans 
 and groans you ever heard ; then suddenly she called 
 out: 'I see a god coming up out of the earth!' I 
 could n't see anything, and it was awful to know 
 spirits were there you could n't see. 'What is he 
 like?' asked Saul, and the witch answered: 'He is 
 an old man and he is covered with a robe.' 'Sam- 
 uel ! ' exclaimed Saul, throwing himself on the 
 ground; and, of course, Samuel was an old man, 
 and most often wore a robe. Joshua and I did
 
 174 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 obeisance too, though I don't suppose he noticed us. 
 Then and that was the most alarming thing of all 
 Samuel spoke, and I recognized his voice at once. 
 'Why do you disturb me, and bring me back to 
 earth?' he said, and I would not have been Saul for 
 something. 'I am in great distress,' he answered, 
 and I thought his voice was trembling. 'The Philis- 
 tines are making war on me and Yahweh has left 
 me and will not answer me either by prophets or 
 by dreams; so I have called you up that you may 
 tell me what to do.' Then Samuel's voice came 
 again, and this time it was angrier than before: 
 'And why, then, do you consult me, if Yahweh has 
 left you and become your enemy? By to-morrow 
 you and your sons with you will have fallen and 
 Yahweh will deliver the army of Israel into the 
 hands of the Philistines.' At that Saul fell on his 
 face on the floor, and I suppose Samuel went down 
 into the earth again, for the old woman kindled a 
 light and came to Saul to see what she could do for 
 him. At first Saul would n't hear of anything and 
 lay on the floor groaning, but at last we persuaded 
 him to get up and sit on the old woman's bed while 
 she prepared some food for us and I must say she 
 had a delicious fatted calf and some excellent un- 
 leavened bread I 'm sure we all needed it after 
 those dreadful doings. But we could n't stay very
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 175 
 
 long, for we had to get past the Philistine's camp 
 again. We managed it all right, and when we 'd 
 once got Saul safe in his tent I made off. I don't 
 like such doings and if Samuel 's right and Yah- 
 weh is going to deliver the army of Israel into the 
 hands of the Philistines, I for one don't mean to 
 be in it. ." 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 DAVID pondered for a long time on Elihu's extraor- 
 dinary story. He came to the conclusion that 
 Saul was a braver man than he had thought, though 
 he had certainly never taken him for a coward. 
 But to call Samuel up from the dead! He shook 
 his head and felt it was beyond him. As regards 
 Samuel's prophecy, he thought it extremely likely 
 to be fulfilled, for the Philistines had come out in 
 great force and Saul had evidently gone completely 
 to pieces he was clearly quite incapable of com- 
 manding the Israelite army with any sort of ef- 
 ficiency. He waited impatiently for news of the 
 battle; he had not long to wait. 
 
 On the third day after the return to Ziklag, the 
 day after Elihu's visit, David saw a man rushing
 
 176 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 toward them from the north. As he came nearer 
 it could be seen that his clothes were torn, and his 
 head and body covered with dust. As he ap- 
 proached he seemed to recognize David and turned 
 toward him; when he reached him he threw him- 
 self on the ground and did obeisance. 
 
 "Where do you come from?" asked David, as the 
 man stood up. 
 
 "I have escaped from the camp of Israel," was 
 the answer. 
 
 "Well?" said David, eagerly; "how did the battle 
 go? Tell me!" But he knew the answer before 
 he heard it. 
 
 "The Israelites were defeated and fled; many of 
 them have been killed; Saul and Jonathan are 
 among the dead." 
 
 Saul yes, but Jonathan too! 
 
 "How do you know that Saul and Jonathan are 
 dead?" David asked, a faint doubt was it a hope? 
 still lingering in his mind. 
 
 "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa at the time 
 of the battle. The Israelites began running away 
 almost directly, and Jonathan was killed in the 
 flight. I went among the men who were lying on 
 the ground, dead or wounded, to see ... what was 
 going on ... and I came upon Saul leaning on
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 177 
 
 his spear. When he saw me he called to me and 
 I went to him. He asked me to take his sword 
 and kill him, for he had been wounded by an arrow 
 and was afraid of the Philistines. As he was 
 speaking he fell down; so I took his sword and 
 killed him. And I took his diadem and his armlet 
 and have brought them to you, my lord, hoping to 
 find favor in your eyes and a reward for bringing 
 the news of your enemy's death." 
 
 .The man spoke glibly, almost as if he had re- 
 hearsed the words beforehand. 
 
 David stared at him, and for a while made no 
 answer. Then he said slowly: 
 
 "Of what tribe are you?" 
 
 "I am the son of a stranger," answered the man, 
 "an Amalekite." 
 
 "An Amalekite!" said David. "And how is it 
 that you were not afraid to lay your hands on the 
 sacred body of Yahweh's anointed? And do you 
 come to me for a reward ? Joab ! Take this man 
 and put him to death." 
 
 The wretched man gave a loud scream. 
 
 "My lord, my lord, have mercy! it was a lie! 
 I did not touch him! He was dead when I came 
 near I stole the diadem and armlet from his body 
 mercy! mercy!"
 
 178 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 But David turned away without listening to his 
 cries and protestations, and Joab soon silenced him 
 forever. 
 
 For the rest of the day David and the people of 
 Ziklag at his orders gave themselves up to mourn- 
 ing. They tore their clothes, poured dust on their 
 heads, uttered the shrill wails of formal grief, and 
 fasted till the evening. Then, as the men sat round 
 in the darkness, still meditating gloomily on the 
 fallen splendors of Israel and the house of Saul, 
 David sent for his harp, and broke out into a great 
 dirge : 
 
 Hear, O Judah, hard things, 
 Be grieved, O Israel; 
 Upon thy heights lie the slain; 
 How are the mighty fallen! 
 
 Tell it not in Gath, 
 
 Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, 
 
 Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, 
 
 Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 
 
 May no dew descend on you, mountains of Gilboa, 
 Let there be no rain upon you, fields of death! 
 For there was cast away the shield of heroes, 
 The shield of Saul as though he had not been anointed 
 with oil.
 
 WITH THE PHILISTINES 179 
 
 From the blood of the slain, 
 
 From the fat of the mighty, 
 
 The bow of Jonathan turned not back, 
 
 And the sword of Saul returned not empty. 
 
 Saul and Jonathan, the loved and the lovely, 
 As in life so in death, they were not divided, 
 They were swifter than eagles, 
 They were stronger than lions. 
 
 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, 
 Who clothed you in purple and fine linen, 
 Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel. 
 
 How are the mighty fallen 
 In the midst of the battle! 
 Jonathan, by thy death 
 My heart is pierced through. 
 
 I am distressed for thee, my brother; 
 Very pleasant hast thou been unto me: 
 Thy love to me was wonderful, 
 Passing the love of women. 
 
 How are the mighty fallen, 
 
 And the weapons of war perished!
 
 Book II 
 THE KING 
 
 "And he gave them their desire and sent leanness withal into 
 their soul"Ps. cvi, 15.
 
 PART I 
 
 THE KINGDOM 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE situation caused by the death of Saul did 
 not find David unprepared. There was now 
 no reason why he should not return to Judah, and 
 his arrival would provide a center for rallying the 
 Hebrew tribes so violently shattered by the disaster 
 on Mount Gilboa. He had not, at first, thought of 
 consulting. Yahweh as to the advisability of a move. 
 Before, however, he had taken any overt step, 
 rumors reached him from various sources that the 
 men of Judah intended to make him king. This, 
 he thought, altered the case. He was determined 
 that everything connected with the throne and his 
 approach to it should be. surrounded by the greatest 
 possible sanctity, and put under the special protec- 
 tion of Yahweh himself. He therefore called a 
 solemn assembly of all his men, at which Abiathar 
 consulted the sacred oracle, and announced that it 
 
 183
 
 184 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 was the will of Yahweh for them to return to 
 Judah, to the city of Hebron. 
 
 It soon became evident that the rumors as to the 
 intentions of the Judeans were correct. One by 
 one the chief men of the countryside came up to 
 Hebron to have a personal interview with David, 
 and to suggest the importance of a consecrated 
 leader. After a few months of inevitable di- 
 plomacy and formality an agreement was come to, 
 and David was anointed king of Judah. 
 
 The Northern tribes all this time had held aloof. 
 They sent no messages to David, and it was only 
 after a considerable time that he discovered what 
 had been going on there. Abner had rallied what 
 remained of the Israelite army, had taken the in- 
 significant Ishbaal, the last survivor of Saul's sons, 
 to Mahanaim, in Gilead on the other side of the 
 Jordan, and declared him to be king of Israel in 
 his father's place. David shrugged his shoulders 
 when he heard the news. He realized that it would 
 mean trouble between Israel and Judah, but he 
 was certain that the combination of Ishbaal as king 
 and Abner as commander of the army was too un- 
 stable to last long to say nothing of the attitude 
 of the Philistines. 
 
 He himself was determined to stand well with 
 his late masters, at any rate for the present. He
 
 THE KINGDOM 185 
 
 sent a message to Achish, excusing himself for hav- 
 ing left Ziklag, and suggesting that they might come 
 to some arrangement as to his remaining in Hebron 
 as king of Judah, undisturbed by the Philistines. 
 Meanwhile another piece of news percolated 
 through from the north. After the battle of Mount 
 Gilboa the Philistines had seized the bodies of Saul 
 and his sons, sent their armor to the temple of Ash- 
 taroth at Ashkelon, and fastened the bodies up on 
 the wall beside the chief gate of Beth-Shan, a town 
 in the valley of Jezreel. Presently it was whispered 
 that during the night the bodies had mysteriously 
 disappeared from the wall, and there was great re- 
 joicing among the Hebrews and much wondering 
 as to who had carried out the daring raid. Even- 
 tually it leaked out that it had been accomplished 
 by the men of Jabesh Gilead in gratitude to Saul, 
 who in his early days had saved the town from 
 destruction. David immediately seized the op- 
 portunity to get into touch with them. He sent a 
 message announcing that as Saul was dead the 
 men of Judah had anointed him king in his place; 
 he thanked them for their piety and fidelity in bury- 
 ing the last king and hoped that they would now 
 give their loyal support to himself, Saul's true suc- 
 cessor. Jabesh was too closely under Abner's eye 
 for David to expect much response to this sugges-
 
 186 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 tion, but his messenger brought back word that it 
 had not been ill received. 
 
 It was not long before Abner showed that he had 
 no intention of allowing David's claim to be Saul's 
 successor, even over the southern tribes, to pass un- 
 disputed. He, too, must have made some sort of 
 agreement with the Philistines, for he was soon 
 heard of at the head of an army on the west bank 
 of the Jordan marching south, and announcing that 
 he was going to make mince-meat of the upstart 
 king of Judah. Just at this moment messengers 
 from Achish arrived, and David, reluctant to leave 
 the delicate negotiations it was necessary to enter 
 into, decided that he must stay at Hebron, and en- 
 trusted the repulse of Abner's army to Joab. 
 
 The conversations with Achish's envoy turned 
 out very satisfactorily. David agreed to pay a 
 yearly tribute to Achish, who, it seemed, was willing 
 to accept a by no means exorbitant sum, and would 
 look upon himself as David's suzerain. Every- 
 thing was settled in a friendly manner, and the em- 
 bassy sent politely back to Gath, while David be- 
 gan to wonder what had happened to Joab, and 
 why he sent no news to Hebron. At last, in the 
 early dawn, the sound of tramping men was heard. 
 Joab was immediately shown in to David and his
 
 THE KINGDOM 187 
 
 heavy, scowling face announced some black dis- 
 aster. 
 
 "What is it, Joab?" David asked anxiously. 
 "What went wrong? You do not seem to have had 
 very heavy losses. . . ." 
 
 "Asahel," answered Joab heavily. 
 
 "Asahel! Asahel killed?" David groaned and hid 
 his face in his hands. 
 
 "But I '11 have Abner's life for it yet," growled 
 Joab. "He may be thankful he escaped this 
 time. . . ." 
 
 "Tell me everything that happened," said David 
 after a little, and Joab went on: 
 
 "We met them by the pool of Gibeon we were 
 on one side and they on the other. Abner sug- 
 gested that some of the young men should have a 
 sham fight and I agreed, so twelve Benjamites stood 
 up and twelve of ours went across to them. They 
 were to fight in pairs but I don't know what hap- 
 pened, only they all used their swords and the whole 
 lot of them were killed they killed each other, 
 somehow. Well, then we went for them and they 
 bolted. Asahel you know how he could run 
 was on ahead of us all, making for Abner, who was 
 behind his men. Abner turned round and I heard 
 him call out, 'Go for some one else, Asahel; I don't
 
 188 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 want to kill you.' But Asahel went straight on, 
 and when he got near, Abner turned his spear round 
 and pushed it backward right through Asahel's 
 body. . . ." Joab stopped; and after a while be- 
 gan again: 
 
 "Abishai and I went on without stopping and 
 most of our men did too, and we killed a good 
 many of them. About sunset they got together on 
 to a hill and Abner proposed a truce. We were 
 all pretty tired by then and I agreed on condition 
 Abner went back to Gilead. He consented and I 
 watched him go off. We went back and took 
 Asahel to Bethlehem and buried him there. . . . 
 We lost nineteen men and Asahel I should think 
 the Benjamites lost over three hundred. . . ." 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 NOT long after David came to Hebron his eldest 
 son was born. He called the child Amnon, and 
 was inordinately proud and fond of him. Just 
 after he was anointed king the second boy, Chileab, 
 was born, and to his great grief Abigail died in 
 giving him birth. David had already entered into 
 negotiations with Talmai, king of Geshur, for the
 
 THE KINGDOM 189 
 
 hand of his daughter Maacah, and presently he took 
 another wife, Eglah, and two concubines. 
 
 At the same time that he was enlarging his private 
 establishment he developed the administration of 
 the country. The army was still his chief concern, 
 for the war with Ishbaal dragged on, and besides 
 he always kept in his mind the necessity for a 
 future war with the Philistines. He had an elabor- 
 ate system of officers three heads of divisions, and 
 thirty subordinates most of these were men who 
 had been with him in the wilderness and at Ziklag ; 
 and indeed the whole scheme was a development of 
 what had existed in embryo there. His most im- 
 portant innovation was the establishment of a 
 Philistine bodyguard, with a northern and a south- 
 ern division the Pelethites and the Cherethites 
 under the command of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, 
 one of the most distinguished of his fighters. 
 
 David had persuaded Elihu, after the battle of 
 Mount Gilboa, to return to Israel, and, when Abner 
 had established some order, to put himself in the 
 service of Ishbaal. He was, however, not surprised 
 when, after the war between Judah and Israel had 
 been going on for some time, Elihu presented him- 
 self at Hebron. What did surprise him was that 
 Elihu declared he was a messenger from Abner. 
 David could not help smiling at this incongruous
 
 190 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 choice of an ambassador, and in spite of the official 
 nature of his visit insisted on seeing him alone, for 
 he was convinced that an informal conversation 
 would be more profitable as well as more entertain- 
 ing than a ceremonious court interview. He had 
 no difficulty in persuading Elihu that this arrange- 
 ment was the most flattering that could be made. 
 
 "Well, David," began the exalted one, "it's 
 wonderful to think, is n't it, how we Ve both got on 
 in the world! I an ambassador and you a king! 
 And fancy, when first we met I was the servant of 
 an old prophet and you kept sheep on the hillside! '' 
 
 "True," said David, gravely, "but worth will tell 
 in the end ! " 
 
 "So it will, so it will! Though I shall always 
 say it was my doing that you got your start, in com- 
 ing to Saul's court not that I deny you were a 
 good fighter in your youth, and no doubt it helped 
 you on a bit killing Goliath of Gath single-handed, 
 in front of two armies." 
 
 "Not as much as your bringing me to Gibeah 
 in the first place," answered David, with an inward 
 smile. "But now, as regards this embassy from 
 Abner. . . ." 
 
 "Ah ! Abner ! What a man he is ! But you 'd 
 hardly know him now, David, he 's so important. 
 Nothing can be done without him why the king
 
 THE KINGDOM 191 
 
 himself gives way to him, and would you believe 
 it he actually had an affair with Rizpah ! " 
 
 "What do you mean? Rizpah the daughter of 
 Aiah? Saul's concubine?" 
 
 "Ah, I thought that would surprise you but 
 he made no secret of it ! " 
 
 "But is he, then, going to make himself king of 
 Israel?" asked David, in amazement, for the king's 
 harem passed with the crown to his successor, and 
 to take a dead ruler's widow was to lay claim to 
 his kingdom. 
 
 "Just what we all wanted to know, and, as you 
 may suppose, Ishbaal was in a pretty state of ex- 
 citement. It seems he tried to speak to Abner 
 alone, but Abner would n't go to him, so at last he 
 made up his mind to question him in front of us 
 all, but when it came to the point he was so flustered 
 that all he could say was: 'Why did you go in to 
 my father's concubine ?' Well, Abner flew into 
 such a rage as you never saw. 'Am I a dog's 
 head?' he shouted. 'Here am I, showing kindness 
 to your father's house and friends, saving you from 
 David and small chance you 'd have against him, 
 and now you pester me with some nonsense about 
 a woman ! ' All this time he was shaking his fist 
 in Ishbaal's face in quite an alarming manner. 
 'All right,' he went on, yelling as loud as ever, 'all
 
 192 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 right, I Ve done with you let the kingdom be taken 
 from the house of Saul let David set up his throne 
 over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba. 
 I Ve done with you ! ' and with that he rushed out. 
 As for Ishbaal, he sat there as white as a sheet and 
 never said a word. But the best of it is that Abner 
 means every word of it, and that 's what he 's sent 
 me to you for." 
 
 "That?" Again David could hardly believe his 
 ears. "To make me king of Israel? Are you 
 sure, Elihu? It 's such a strange tale." 
 
 "It is a strange tale, and I 'm not surprised you 
 hardly believe it I don't know that I should if 
 you were to tell it to me. But it 's true enough all 
 the same. He 's sent out other messengers as well 
 as me to all the tribes of Israel telling them you 
 ought to be king he sent specially to Benjamin, I 
 know, for I came as far as Gibeah with the man, 
 myself." 
 
 David pondered for a long time. The whole 
 thing sounded like an outburst of frenzy; but he 
 knew that Abner could break out sometimes, like 
 his cousin Saul, and he supposed now there was 
 no one to control him. 
 
 "Well, Elihu," he said at last, "you have n't given 
 me the message yet." 
 
 "Why, nor have I!" exclaimed Elihu. "Fancy
 
 THE KINGDOM 193 
 
 my forgetting that! Well, this is the message I 
 know the words quite well, for I learnt them by 
 heart so as to make no mistake 'Abner of Benja- 
 min to David, king of Judah: The land is under 
 my hand to give it to whom I please. Make a 
 league with me and I will help you and bring all 
 Israel under your rule.' ' 
 
 David thought again. 
 
 "And this is my answer, Elihu, learn it as well 
 as you learnt your message to me: David, the 
 anointed of Yahweh to Abner : I will make a league 
 with you, but I will not see you, nor go further in 
 the matter unless you first deliver to me my wife 
 Michal, Saul's daughter!" 
 
 "Saul's daughter! Of course! Ah, David, do 
 not I remember your betrothal and the price you 
 paid for it! Well, I sha'n't forget your answer; 
 you may be sure of that! . . ." 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 DAVID felt extremely doubtful as to Abner's object 
 in opening these negotiations with him. He thought, 
 however, that the demand for Michal would be a 
 slight test of good faith, while if he succeeded in
 
 194 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 obtaining her, his position as successor to Saul 
 would undoubtedly be strengthened. 
 
 But he need have felt.no doubts. Abner was ir- 
 ritated by Ishbaal's flabby futility, and had really 
 been enraged by his attempted interference over 
 Rizpah. Recognizing that he could not get the 
 kingdom for himself, he determined that it would 
 be better to serve under a king who was a man 
 instead of a doll, and resolved to do everything he 
 could to satisfy David's conditions. 
 
 After talking to Elihu on his return he came to 
 the conclusion that it would be best for him to see 
 David in person, in order to discuss the situation. 
 David, however, had sent word that he would not 
 see him unless Michal had been delivered to him 
 the simplest thing, therefore, would be to take her 
 with him. He accordingly set out, accompanied 
 by twenty men, first sending word to Paltiel to 
 meet him with her at Bahurim at the top of the 
 way down to the ford over Jordan. The unhappy 
 Paltiel, guessing only too well what this 
 order meant, dared not disobey it, and went off 
 to the meeting place. Abner was there waiting 
 for him; he gave one glance at Michal to make 
 sure it was she and then turned to one of his 
 men. 
 
 "Here, Abimelech, take charge of her. See she
 
 THE KINGDOM 195 
 
 has what she wants, but don't lose sight of her. 
 Now, Paltiel, be off." 
 
 Paltiel, the tears streaming down his face, was 
 caressing his wife, and sobbing out his last fare- 
 well; but Abner was in a hurry to start. Paltiel 
 was pulled away and pushed off toward home, 
 sobbing as he went. Michal sat absolutely rigid, 
 without a word or a tear. 
 
 David, who always kept himself closely informed 
 as to what was going on among the tribes, had 
 heard of Abner's approach. His first considera- 
 tion was to get Joab and Abishai out of the way, 
 for he really wanted to see Abner and was afraid 
 that the blood feud between him and his nephews 
 might lead to a disaster, which would prevent it 
 before he could intervene. The sons of Zeruiah 
 were therefore sent off on an expedition against the 
 Amalekites, who had been giving trouble again, 
 and David hoped to get them out of Judah before 
 they had a chance of hearing that Abner was at 
 hand. 
 
 The day after they had gone Abner arrived. 
 David received Michal publicly and ceremoniously, 
 and himself led her to his harem. Then he re- 
 turned to Abner, ordering every one else to with- 
 draw. 
 
 "Well, Abner," began David, "it is a long time
 
 196 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 since we met . . . more than ten years is it not?" 
 
 "Yes my lord " answered Abner choking and 
 making a grimace over the honorific as if it were 
 nasty medicine. "And my lord has prospered 
 wonderfully. ..." 
 
 David laughed genially. 
 
 "Come, Abner, while we are alone won't you re- 
 member that you knew me as a boy who played the 
 harp and did nothing else in particular, and call 
 me David?" Abner began to thaw, and David 
 went on: "And how do you like being in Gilead? 
 Mahanaim is n't much of a town compared with Gi- 
 beah, I suppose." 
 
 "Horrible perfectly horrible and to think of 
 Benjamin being all this time in the hands of the 
 Philistines and not a blow struck to get it back!" 
 
 "Well, I don't know whether it 's .due to Ish- 
 baal or to you, Abner, but all the blows that have 
 been struck have been against Judah." 
 
 "Nothing more true and in order to be free to 
 do it we pay tribute to the uncircumcised dogs, in- 
 stead of leaguing ourselves with you to shake them 
 off but I've done with such folly forever!" ex- 
 claimed Abner, conveniently forgetting that he alone 
 was the author of the policy he was so ardently 
 condemning. 
 
 "I hear something of a dispute between you and
 
 THE KINGDOM 197 
 
 the king of Israel," said David, cautiously, and 
 Abner broke out again: 
 
 "Ah, he treated me like a dog! but I 've had 
 enough of him and his whining ways, and so I 
 said to him. The Israelites will listen to what I 
 say, and I shall tell them I Ve told them already 
 that we want a man to be our ruler and that you 
 are the man we want." 
 
 "That 's very flattering of you and no doubt 
 you deal persuasively with the leaders of Israel 
 but I expect you find it takes even you all your 
 skill to convince say, the Benjamites, that I should 
 make a better king for them than some one of the 
 house of Saul." 
 
 "You might think so I thought so myself till 
 I began sounding them, but I assure you, David, 
 there is but one wish among them, and that is to 
 have you as their king." 
 
 David stared at Abner, listening attentively to 
 what he said. He was becoming convinced that 
 Abner was right in his estimate of public opinion 
 in the North his own private information bore 
 out Abner's view, and he could not see that it was 
 to any one's interest to deceive him. But if this 
 was true, if the tribes of themselves were anxious 
 to shake off Ishbaal's so-called rule, if Abner's 
 persuasions were as he himself maintained in
 
 198 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 reality superfluous, then the importance of Abner 
 to David as a go-between was certainly diminished. 
 
 "Well," said David, thoughtfully, "I see no 
 reason why I should not consent to rule over the 
 Israelites if they really desire it. But mind, Abner, 
 ho one is to lay a finger on Ishbaal I will deal 
 with him myself, do you understand?" 
 
 "Very well," answered Abner, carelessly, "I dare 
 say he 's not worth touching he '11 never interfere 
 with you." 
 
 "And now, as regards yourself you will expect 
 some recognition of your services?" 
 
 "There 's only one thing I want, David, but I 
 must have it." ("Must," thought David; "that's 
 a bad beginning.") "You must give me command 
 of the whole army immediately under yourself, 
 of course." 
 
 "No one is better fitted for it, certainly," 
 answered David, "but . . . there are one or two 
 difficulties in the way for instance, Joab. He 's 
 not exactly in command, but he 's always been next 
 to me, all the years we were in exile, and I don't 
 know. . . ." 
 
 "Well, you '11 have to make up your mind about 
 that. I sha'n't come unless I 'm to have that posi- 
 tion. And as for Joab and Abishai, it 's perfect
 
 THE KINGDOM 199 
 
 nonsense for them to give themselves the airs they 
 do young upstarts! You want to keep a firmer 
 hand on them, David." 
 
 David was thinking that this was not a very 
 hopeful mood in which to enter into relations with 
 men with whom one had a blood feud. He foresaw 
 endless difficulties over this arrangement open 
 quarrels, hidden intrigues and yet, though Abner 
 might not be essential in bringing the Israelite 
 tribes over to him, if he were sent away vexed and 
 disappointed he might easily alienate them and stir 
 up war again. He thought he must close with 
 Abner's proposal at present and see if anything 
 turned up. 
 
 "There is a good deal in what you say, Abner. 
 There 's no doubt you Ve had more experience than 
 any of us, and would be quite invaluable as a 
 leader. I think you may consider that as settled, 
 then. Bring the Northern tribes over to me, and 
 when I am king of Israel you shall have chief 
 command of the army." 
 
 So the compact was made. David, with a vague 
 feeling that he did not want Abner to go immediately 
 with some idea that he might even yet find some 
 other way of settling with him ordered a sacrifice 
 to Yahweh and a feast for the Israelites. At last
 
 200 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 they could be detained no longer. With many 
 salutations and good wishes they bade farewell, 
 and Abner and his twenty men left the palace. 
 
 They had not been gone long when into the room 
 where David was sitting alone burst the unceremoni- 
 ous Joab. David looked at him in astonishment, 
 but Joab was too excited and too angry to be 
 checked by expressive looks. 
 
 "What's this I hear, David? Is it true Abner 
 has been to see you? And have you let him go 
 again?" 
 
 "Yes, he has been what 's the matter with you, 
 Joab?" 
 
 "Why did n't you keep him till I got back? You 
 know I want his blood. ..." 
 
 An idea a possible solution of his difficulty 
 was occurring to David. 
 
 "Abner has been arranging to leave Ishbaal 
 and to come over to us. He 's such an experi- 
 enced general he '11 be a great asset for us, won't 
 he?" 
 
 "Experienced! experienced in losing battles, you 
 mean. And I suppose he 's to be set over us. . . ." 
 
 "Of course. He 's to bring the Northern tribes 
 over, too." 
 
 "You weren't taken in by all that, were you? 
 Of course he only came to spy on you. . . ."
 
 THE KINGDOM 201 
 
 "I don't think so. If you 'd seen him I think 
 he would have convinced you. It 's a pity you 
 missed him. He 's only just gone, and he can't 
 have got far yet he 'd only twenty men with him." 
 
 Joab was silent glared at David and rushed 
 out of the room as wildly as he had rushed in. 
 
 For a long time David sat alone, pondering the 
 situation. He was beginning to wonder if he had 
 done right, and to feel uncomfortable. If anything 
 were to happen to Abner . . . would it not look 
 rather like treachery? Would he be able to per- 
 suade the Israelites that he was innocent? . . . On 
 the other hand, Ishbaal alone would be easy enough 
 to deal with and Abner would always have been 
 be a center of difficulties. ... If Joab . . . 
 took action he would have to be .prepared with 
 his own attitude. 
 
 Presently he began to hear sounds which sug- 
 gested that something had happened. A low mur- 
 mur one or two shrill cries an increased noise, 
 and a sudden hush. He pulled himself together, 
 got up, and went out into the courtyard. It was 
 full of men and women all struggling to look at 
 something in the middle of the court; directly David 
 appeared they fell back, and he saw the dead body 
 of Abner lying on its back, a thin trickle of blood 
 dripping from the stomach.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 FOR a moment David gazed without speaking, then 
 turning to the man nearest him he said darkly: 
 "How did this happen? It is barely two hours 
 since Abner left me. Which of you dared to do 
 this?" 
 
 There was a silence. Those near David shuffled 
 uncomfortably, hung their heads, or looked at each 
 other nervously. At last those in the crowd farthest 
 away began murmuring, and presently, in the mur- 
 mur, the word Joab could be distinguished. 
 
 "Joab!" exclaimed the king, suddenly, "where is 
 Joab? He was with me only a little while ago 
 why is he not here?" 
 
 Still nobody liked to answer, and David's eye 
 roved over the group of onlookers. It fell on a 
 man he knew to have been on the foray with Joab, 
 and he singled him out at once. 
 
 "You what is your name son of Ahasbai 
 come out here and answer me the truth. Who 
 killed Abner? Was it Joab the son of Zeruiah?" 
 
 "I I think so, my lord." 
 
 "But how did it happen? Abner had left my 
 presence before Joab returned to Hebron." 
 
 "My lord, I think Abner had not left the town
 
 THE KINGDOM 203 
 
 long before Joab was in pursuit of him. He sent 
 Naharai after him, and Naharai caught him up 
 at the well of Sirah and asked him to come back. 
 Joab met him in the gate and took him to one side 
 to speak to him and and " 
 
 "And what? Speak up, man." 
 
 "Struck his spear into Abner's stomach. . . ." 
 
 "Yes," said a man from the other side of the 
 court, "and called out as he did it 'So you struck 
 Asahel, Benjamite ! ' 
 
 David glanced at the body and then looked im- 
 patiently around. 
 
 "Will none of you fetch Joab? Must I wait 
 for him all day?" But as he spoke the throng 
 opened and Joab stood before him. 
 
 The two men looked at each other Joab's face 
 still distorted by the passions of revenge and jeal- 
 ousy that had driven him to murder, David's feel- 
 ings masked by an expression of severity while his 
 eyes searched Joab's to see if his held any tinge 
 of suspicion. He saw none. 
 
 "Did you kill this man?" asked David, sternly 
 and coldly. 
 
 "I did," was the passionate reply; "did not he 
 kill my brother Asahel?" 
 
 "Then listen to me, all you Hebrews, and listen 
 to me, Joab son of Zeruiah. I and my kingdom
 
 204 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 are guiltless before Yahweh forever of the blood 
 of Abner son of Ner; let it fall upon the head of 
 Joab and upon all his father's house. And may 
 every one of the house of Joab suffer from leprosy 
 or fall by the sword, or want bread or may there 
 be none but women." 
 
 While David was speaking, coldly yet with a 
 terrible fierceness, Joab's passion seemed to die 
 out. He shivered at the dreadful imprecations and 
 looked at David, white now and apparently be- 
 wildered. 
 
 The king turned from Joab and walked over 
 to the body of Abner. Stooping down, he picked 
 up some dust, and throwing it over his head spoke 
 again: "A prince and a great man of Israel has 
 fallen to-day, and to-day I am weak and helpless 
 though anointed king; for these men, the sons of 
 Zeruiah, are too hard for me but Yahweh will 
 reward the wicked doer according to his wicked- 
 ness." 
 
 "So be it!" said a voice in the crowd suddenly. 
 David shivered, but nothing followed. 
 
 His next step was to order the whole town of 
 Hebron to mourn for the dead Israelite, to rend 
 their clothes, put on sackcloth, and make loud 
 lamentations. He himself refused to touch food 
 till the sun went down, and followed the bier to the
 
 THE KINGDOM 205 
 
 burial place. Then he called for his harp and sang 
 a dirge: 
 
 Must Abner die as dies the fool? 
 Thy hands were not bound 
 Nor thy feet put into fetters; 
 But as a man falleth before the children of iniquity 
 so didst thou fall. 
 
 The children of iniquity Joab and Abishai were 
 obliged to mourn too for their blood enemy. Joab 
 said nothing, but his face still wore a puzzled ex- 
 pression. 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 WHEN the news of Abner's murder reached the 
 Israelite tribes there came with it the news of 
 David's curse on Joab and the mourning of the 
 whole city of Hebron. The Israelites, who for so 
 many years had suffered from the weakness of their 
 rulers, and had begun to turn hopeful eyes toward 
 the king of Judah, were eager to believe that he had 
 no complicity in the Northern leader's death, and 
 accepted his explanations at their face value. If 
 there were any cavilers who asked why he had not
 
 206 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 punished the guilty man instead of cursing him, 
 they were answered that Yahweh's punishment 
 would be the worse or that, after all, Joab and 
 Abishai were the king's own nephews or merely 
 by a shrug of the shoulders. No one wanted to 
 accentuate any breach between Judah and Israel. 
 
 Meanwhile, what were the relations between 
 David and Michal? Michal had not arrived at 
 Hebron in a very favorable mood. She was un- 
 happy at being torn away from her home, her real 
 husband, and above all from her babies. She was 
 annoyed at being thrust into a harem where she was 
 very far from holding an important place, while her 
 pride was wounded by the idea that such a place was 
 nevertheless hers by right. If her thoughts of 
 David were tinged with romance, there was also 
 among them a flavor of embarrassment she won- 
 dered nervously how they would meet after their 
 strange parting thirteen years ago. With all this 
 she was not in a state to be a very conciliating 
 member of the harem. The other women, instinc- 
 tively leagued together against a newcomer 
 especially one who from her history might prove a 
 dangerous rival received her with scarcely veiled 
 hostility; to which Michal responded with a sharp 
 tongue which had not been softened by years.
 
 THE KINGDOM 207 
 
 When David went into the women's apartments, 
 after the mourning for Abner was over, he found 
 a general atmosphere of acidity. Michal had some- 
 how caused a quarrel between the two little boys of 
 five and six, Absalom and Amnon, which had 
 naturally spread to their mothers, Maacah and 
 Ahinoam; and the disagreement of the latter had 
 only been settled by a joint attack on Michal. It 
 was at this moment that David entered. Absalom 
 ran up to him complaining that Amnon was 
 naughty, to which Amnon replied by pouting out 
 his lower lip, pointing at Michal, and saying: 
 
 "I don't like her." 
 
 David laughed, picked up both the children, one 
 under each arm, and in a few moments had romped 
 them into good temper again. Michal stood silent 
 and disapproving on one side, and when David 
 turned to her with his brilliant smile remarked 
 coldly : 
 
 "Well, of course, that 's one way of bringing up 
 children. I 'm thankful to say Patiiel did n't en- 
 courage them to be impertinent by laughing at their 
 rudeness but I suppose things are different in 
 Judah." 
 
 The other women stared at this extraordinary 
 speech. David muttered something vague into his
 
 208 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 beard and left the room. It was evidently im- 
 possible to gather up the threads that he and Michal 
 had dropped at any rate at that moment. 
 
 Not long after Abner's death Elihu again made 
 his appearance at Hebron, but this time, he an- 
 nounced, he had come to stay. 
 
 "I 'm getting old, David, and can't go traveling 
 about as I used to do. Besides, I can't stand the 
 life at Mahanaim." 
 
 "Can't stand the life? What do you mean, 
 Elihu?" 
 
 "Well, since Abner was killed the whole place 
 has more or less gone to ruin. Ishbaal can't do 
 anything he 's got nothing to pay any one with 
 why, he can hardly find enough to feed himself. 
 So naturally every one is leaving him. Why 
 would you believe it! he's only got a woman to 
 keep the door ! Well, when I saw that I said to my- 
 self, 'No, things have gone too far! I might as 
 well be in David's service in Judah, as stay with 
 this Ishbaal and his one maidservant.' ' 
 
 "And is there no one in command of the 
 soldiers?" 
 
 "Hm soldiers! There are two fellows, Baanah 
 and Rechab, sons of a Rimmon, a man of Beeroth 
 I believe they Ve set themselves up in some way
 
 THE KINGDOM 209 
 
 or other but lord, David, they 're poor trash 
 they won't last long." 
 
 Elihu was right. 
 
 A few weeks after his account of the decadence 
 of Ishbaal's court it was announced to the king 
 of Judah that two men from Mahanaim begged for 
 an audience. Their names, it appeared, were 
 Baanah and Rechab, and David, supposing that 
 they might bring a message from Ishbaal an 
 appeal, perhaps, for protection ordered them to 
 be admitted. 
 
 They came into the room where he was sitting 
 with his advisers, and he decided at the first glance 
 that he did not like them. They were rough, dirty, 
 and down at heel; they combined an air of bluster- 
 ing swagger with cringing servility, and below it all 
 David was certain they were trying to conceal an 
 intermittent panic. 
 
 "Well?" he said coldly as they made their 
 obeisance. 
 
 "The blessing of Yahweh be upon you " began 
 one of the men, but David cut him short. 
 
 "That is enough. Go on with your message." 
 
 "Message?" The man looked stupid, and 
 rolled his eyes strangely. David shrugged his 
 shoulders.
 
 210 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "Well whatever it is you came to say out 
 with it." 
 
 The other man, who had not yet spoken but 
 had been standing awkwardly, holding something 
 hidden in his clothes, made a rapid movement and 
 suddenly flung at David's feet a human head. His 
 counselors started back with exclamations of horror ; 
 David alone did not move a muscle, but his eyes 
 shone fiercely. 
 
 "What is the meaning of this?" He spoke in 
 a voice so low but so menacing that the men 
 instinctively flung themselves on the ground, and 
 one of them began a hasty explanation. 
 
 "My lord, we were in Mahanaim. And at mid- 
 day, when every one was asleep, we went to Ish- 
 baal's house there was no one there except the wo- 
 man who keeps the door, and she was asleep too 
 Ishbaal was lying on his bed in the inner room, and 
 we killed him, and took off his head." 
 
 David's face was like adamant, and the miser- 
 able man went on, desperately talking faster and 
 more hoarsely as his agony increased. 
 
 "And we have brought it to my lord the head 
 of Ishbaal, the son of Saul, who tried to kill you; 
 to-day Yahweh has avenged my lord the king by 
 the death of his enemy's son."
 
 THE KINGDOM 211 
 
 There was a dead silence except for the panting 
 gasps of the Israelites. 
 
 "And did no one ever tell you," said David at 
 last slowly and relentlessly, "how many years ago 
 when a man came to me at Ziklag and said, 'Saul 
 is dead,' thinking to bring good news, that the 
 reward I gave him was to kill him? How much 
 more shall I reward wicked men who went into 
 an innocent person's house and killed him on his 
 bed? Have you also forgotten that the king is the 
 anointed of Yahweh? And how shall I teach this 
 lesson to you, men of Israel?" 
 
 Suddenly one of the wretches began to scream, 
 crawling toward David and trying to grasp his 
 clothes. David recoiled violently, pulling his robe 
 away with a face of disgust. 
 
 "Take them out, Abishai, and kill them," he 
 said, "cut off their feet and hands and hang them 
 up by the pool of Hebron. As for that" glancing 
 at the unfortunate Ishbaal's head "let it be buried 
 in the grave of Abner." 
 
 Three months afterward David was anointed 
 king of Israel.
 
 212 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 How little did the giddy height to which David 
 had climbed resemble what he had anticipated when 
 he had gazed at it from below! For years it had 
 seemed a pinnacle beyond which there would be 
 nothing to aim at, a resting place where he could 
 take his ease and enjoy peace and plenty. To the 
 shepherd of Bethlehem the king of Israel had 
 seemed a being endowed with irresistible power and 
 inexhaustible wealth, who had nothing to do but 
 give orders to others while he reveled in the satis- 
 faction of the senses, and nothing to wish for since 
 all his ambitions were gratified. He could not help 
 smiling at the childish conception, though how and 
 when it had changed he could hardly have told. 
 No doubt his sojourn in Philistia had shown him 
 in concrete shape a power wealth civilization 
 hitherto unimagined; but it was rather what he 
 had guessed at than what he had seen, that had 
 served to enlighten him; it was the gradual realiza- 
 tion, still, it occurred to him, only partial, of 
 what lay behind it all, that had been his true educa- 
 tion. Philistia, rich and strong, was yet only rich 
 and strong because through her flowed the riches 
 and strength of other nations. Syria Damascus
 
 THE KINGDOM 213 
 
 ardent with gold and horses, Phoenicia with her 
 Tyre and Sidon, queen of the mysterious, enchant- 
 ing, terrible sea made him understand that be- 
 sides the Philistia he had seen and known there 
 were many other nations as great and powerful to 
 whom the Hebrew people were but a group of in- 
 significant tribes. But beyond these glimpsed at, 
 divined, apprehended perhaps more truly in his 
 dreams than by his reason lay south and east the 
 tremendous immemorial empires Egypt and As- 
 syria. Their caravans crossed and recrossed before 
 his eyes on the great road through Gaza, and his 
 thoughts followed them to the unseen splendors 
 which he surmised but could not imagine to him- 
 self. And so experience and vision combined to 
 show him the kingdom of Judah and Israel as a 
 leaf on a tree, and the world which had once been 
 bounded by the hills of Moab and the plains of 
 Philistia now stretched beyond the desert beyond 
 the sea beyond the horizon of dreams. 
 
 Another vision had come to him the vision of 
 time. In his stormy youth he had always looked 
 from the dangers of the present to a future of his 
 own making in which his deepest longings would 
 be fulfilled and his strangest fantasies accomplished. 
 Now, in the prime of his age, his dreams of the 
 future began to take a new direction. He was a
 
 214 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 father. He could not expect much more than thirty 
 more years of life for himself, but his sons, and 
 his sons' sons, and their sons again why should 
 not they and he in them live forever and for- 
 ever? And if in thirty years he could hardly ex- 
 pect to stretch his kingdom to conflict with the 
 shadowy gigantic empires on the boundary of his 
 thought, yet in the eternity that lay before his de- 
 scendants why should even Egypt and Assyria be 
 the ultimate limit? 
 
 But for all this the foundation must be securely 
 laid in the present. And here again was a dif- 
 ference between anticipation and reality. Ease and 
 enjoyment seemed as far from him as when he was 
 an outlaw in Adullam, for if his bed was softer 
 and his food more plentiful, his anxieties and re- 
 sponsibilities were a thousand times more numerous 
 and more terrible. Yet, just as in those days his 
 physical dangers had always excited and exhila- 
 rated him, so now the problems of diplomacy and 
 administration stimulated all his powers, and 
 thrilled him with a sense of controlling forces even 
 more dangerous than antagonists of flesh and blood. 
 
 One of the most pressing of these problems was 
 the question of the new kingdom's capital. With 
 increasing clearness it was being borne in upon him 
 that Hebron was not a suitable place for the seat of
 
 THE KINGDOM 215 
 
 administration and the king's dwelling place. Con- 
 venient enough for the king of Judah, it was too 
 far south for a proper control of Israel, and too 
 deeply associated with the tribe of Judah not to be 
 an annoyance to the Northern tribes. The choice 
 of Bethlehem, though it lay further north, would, 
 as his own birthplace, give rise even more surely 
 to jealousies and discontents. On the other hand, 
 a Northern capital would equally displease his own 
 tribe, and besides, what Northern town could he 
 choose? Bethel, the largest and most important, 
 was as far north as Hebron was south, and would 
 be too easy a prey to any attacking force to make 
 him override the obvious objections. He could 
 come to no satisfactory decision. 
 
 Yet a decision was urgently needed. The 
 country was by no means in a settled condition. 
 Raids were constantly being made by the outlying 
 tribes, and even occasionally by those settlements of 
 Canaanites which had not been completely subdued 
 or absorbed. The Jebusites in Jerusalem were 
 among the most vexatious of these raiders, lying as 
 they did like an island between Judah and Israel, 
 and commanding the trunk road that united the 
 two kingdoms. Moreover, Jerusalem was at the 
 head of a pass into the heart of Philistia, and David, 
 certain he would soon have trouble from that source,
 
 216 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 was set on himself holding every possible position 
 of vantage. 
 
 Such were the thoughts that, in the days following 
 his anointment as king of Israel, pursued and per- 
 plexed David. He was uneasy and restless, and 
 could not so much as make up his mind which was 
 the most pressing matter to take in hand. The ques- 
 tion of the capital was at bottom the most important, 
 yet after all that decision could be postponed ; it was 
 the little disorders and forays, trifling as they were, 
 which seemed to demand immediate attention. Of 
 these disorders the raids of the Jebusites were the 
 most irritating, and gradually the irritation in- 
 creased till, as is always the case with a sore place, 
 Jerusalem and the Jebusites seemed upon him at 
 every turn, forever interposing between himself and 
 all his thoughts of wider policy. 
 
 After weeks of vexation the solution came in a 
 flash. He would settle one difficulty by means of 
 the other. He would take Jerusalem and make it 
 the capital. The situation was perfect central, so 
 that North and South were equally accessible, 
 neutral, so that there would be no jealousies between 
 Israel and Judah. 
 
 "And moreover, Gad," he concluded when ex- 
 plaining his project, "an unfailing water supply!" 
 
 Joab and Abishai were still out of favor, but
 
 THE KINGDOM 217 
 
 David felt he must talk things over with some one, 
 and had sent out for Gad and Nathan, a young 
 prophet who lived with him. 
 
 Gad stared at him and his jaw fell. 
 
 "But," he protested, slowly and doubtfully, "the 
 town can't be taken it 's held out against every 
 assault for generations. . . ." 
 
 David roared with laughter. 
 
 "Another advantage!" he exclaimed. "The 
 capital of my kingdom should be impregnable! 
 What do you say, Nathan?" 
 
 The young man looked up from the ground. 
 
 "What city is impregnable to the warriors of 
 Yahweh? And if he defend it, who shall take it?" 
 
 David's eyes gleamed even more brightly than 
 before. 
 
 "You speak truly, Nathan," he said, "for Yahweh 
 is my helper." 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 DAVID made no delay in his preparations. The 
 next morning he called a council of his chief officers, 
 informed them of his intentions, and asked their 
 opinions. In cold blood the opinion of most of
 
 218 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 them would have been that the thing was impossible ; 
 but as described by David, his mellow voice soft 
 for persuasion, his blue eyes bright with eagerness, 
 not one of them could have borne to suggest even 
 a difficulty. They agreed that the attempt should 
 be made at once, and the fighting men of the tribes 
 summoned. 
 
 "Very well," said David, standing up to dissolve 
 the council, and smiling with delight at the ease 
 with which he had convinced them, "I suppose your 
 men are in good training, Benaiah? But I need 
 not ask. And, oh," turning to Joab, with a smile 
 his nephew had not seen for many months "I 
 have decided to give the command over all the men 
 of Israel and Judah to him who first reaches the 
 walls of Jerusalem." 
 
 Joab looked up eagerly, and stepped forward. 
 
 "You mean that? Whoever it is?" 
 
 "Of course I mean it," answered David, in a 
 friendly voice, "and I have a good guess who it 
 will be." He put his hand on Joab's arm and then 
 turned away to give instructions to Seraiah the 
 scribe. But Joab was satisfied; he heaved a deep 
 sigh. David was tired of being angry with him, 
 and was giving him this opportunity to regain, and 
 more than regain, his former position. The proj- 
 ect for the attack on Jerusalem had now no more
 
 THE KINGDOM 219 
 
 ardent supporter than Joab the son of Zeruiah. 
 
 The news of David's intentions soon spread over 
 the country, and could not be concealed from the 
 Jebusites themselves. One day David, coming 
 upon a group of soldiers disputing peevishly but 
 with a dispirited air, stopped to listen to their talk. 
 
 "The man was a liar he was a shepherd from 
 Tekoa." 
 
 "What does that matter? What he said was 
 true." 
 
 "How does he know what the Jebusites said? 
 Did they tell him?" 
 
 "Yes, and told him to come to Hebron with the 
 news." 
 
 "What news?" asked David, and the men started 
 at the sudden appearance of the king in their midst. 
 
 "It was a shepherd from Tekoa," answered one 
 of the men, nervously, "and it seems the Jebusites 
 know we are coming against them, and have sent 
 word that the walls of Jerusalem will be strong 
 enough to keep us out, though only the blind and 
 the lame take arms against us." 
 
 "And it is a true saying," mumbled another, 
 looking on the ground. 
 
 "We all know Jerusalem cannot be taken," 
 groaned a third but he was at the other edge of 
 the circle and out of sight.
 
 220 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "A true saying ! " David laughed so heartily that 
 the men around him smiled almost involuntarily. 
 "It is true enough that the Jebusites are all blind 
 and lame, and will hide behind their walls when 
 we come up against them, but I doubt whether that 
 will save them from our swords! It is they who 
 tell you that Jerusalem cannot be taken, but we 
 shall show them something that will surprise them. 
 Could the walls of Jericho stand against Yahweh? 
 And what are the walls of Jerusalem?" 
 
 He left them cheerful and confident, but it was 
 clear that the more the difficulties were talked over 
 the greater they would grow. As soon as possible 
 the army marched, and the next day David had his 
 plan of attack ready. Fired with his own enthusi- 
 asm and certainty of success, the Israelites rushed 
 headlong up the stony water course to the south of 
 the citadel. A band of the strongest and most reck- 
 less, eager for the coveted post of commander, led 
 the fierce throng, but Joab outdistanced them all; 
 and when David, at the end of the hot, triumphant 
 day, saw the amazed and terrified Jebusites escap- 
 ing as fast as they could over the shoulder of the 
 hill, he felt that the pleasure of his victory was made 
 complete as he joyfully embraced his nephew, and 
 hailed him leader of all the army. 
 
 David lost no time in converting his new
 
 THE KINGDOM 221 
 
 acquisition into the chief town of the kingdom. He 
 turned the Jebusites out of the citadel, but allowed 
 them to make houses on the slope beyond, and did 
 not interfere with their worship of their own Baal. 
 The citadel itself he called David's city it was to 
 have no tribal connections, but was to be a center 
 to which Israelites and Judeans alike could turn. 
 Within the citadel he arranged dwelling places for 
 himself and his family, his chief counselors, and 
 the Philistine guard. Beyond were gathered his 
 clients, any of his tribesmen who wished to make 
 homes in the royal city, and a few traders who 
 foresaw that it would soon be an excellent center 
 for commerce. The military importance of his 
 capital he reinforced by building around it a forti- 
 fication called Millo, and at the same time he set 
 to work on an armory which should provide his 
 soldiers with as many iron weapons as they required, 
 and perhaps would later on be able to supply 
 battering-rams, and other siege instruments. 
 
 In the midst of all these activities an embassy 
 reached Jerusalem. It was an embassy from 
 Abibaal, king of Tyre, sent to congratulate David 
 on his coming to the throne. It was the first of 
 such customary embassies to be received by the king 
 of Israel, and the recognition filled him with a sense 
 of growing importance he was no longer a mere
 
 222 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 tribal chief but was accepted as a king by kings. 
 He received the ambassadors with as much pomp 
 as he could achieve, but, remembering the palaces of 
 the Philistine rulers, he was ashamed at the mean- 
 ness of his own habitation; and the ambassadors 
 returned to Tyre with a letter written by Seraiah the 
 scribe, thanking Abibaal for his good wishes, and 
 begging him to send to Jerusalem masons, car- 
 penters, and timber, so that the king of Israel might 
 build himself a house fit to live in. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 DAVID had hurried forward his military improve- 
 ments from a conviction that he would soon hear 
 from the Philistines. The time for the payment of 
 his tribute had passed, and he had sent no message, 
 black or white, to Achish, but had merely pressed 
 on with his preparations. Shortly after the de- 
 parture of the Tyrians a Philistine envoy had 
 appeared with a letter to the king, which Seraiah 
 interpreted for him. 
 
 " 'Achish, seren of Gath, greets his son and 
 servant, David, lord of Judah.' ' 
 
 "What!" exclaimed David.
 
 THE KINGDOM 223 
 
 "So it stands 'lord of Judah and requires of 
 him three things. First the tribute he swore to 
 pay, second to pull down the wall Millo he built 
 without permission, third to renounce the kingdom 
 of Israel which he took unrighteously.' That is 
 all." 
 
 "Is it indeed all?" said David; "three pretty 
 modest requests! no, Seraiah, you need not pre- 
 pare writing materials there is no answer. When 
 the man is fed and rested send him about his busi- 
 ness and let Joab come to me immediately." 
 
 There was no mistaking the consequences of 
 such treatment of Achish's missive, and when 
 David heard of a Philistine army marching up the 
 valley of the Sorek his plans were well prepared. 
 In plenty of time he left Jerusalem with his army 
 and marched down to his old fortress at Adullam. 
 From there he was in a position to manoeuver for 
 advantageous ground, and for some days the 
 Israelites and the Philistines kept moving about 
 almost within reach of each other, yet never coming 
 to grips. At last news reached the Israelites that 
 their enemies had won the first advantage, and 
 seized Bethlehem. David ground his teeth, but 
 would not agree to the clamor of the hot-heads who 
 cried out for an immediate assault. He moved his 
 men north, and posted double sentinels.
 
 224 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 It had been a wearisome day of heavy marching 
 and hard work in which David had taken his share. 
 The water bottles had all been emptied, and the 
 wady on which he had relied for filling them had 
 run dry. When he had made sure that the camp 
 was safe he turned back to the fire round which his 
 officers were sitting and flung himself on the ground 
 with a sigh. 
 
 "I suppose they have been watering a flock of 
 sheep higher up the valley," Abishai was saying, 
 and David agreed wearily. 
 
 "Well," said Shammah the Harodite, one of the 
 chief officers, "the water in these streams is never 
 anything but muddy, at the best of times it 's no 
 great loss." 
 
 The others laughed ruefully, and Elhanan broke 
 out: 
 
 "To my taste the sweetest water in the world is 
 the water I drink in camp after a day of march- 
 ing, however muddy the stream from which it 
 comes!" 
 
 "Ah," said David, who had hardly been listening 
 to the talk, "the sweetest water in the world comes 
 from the well of Bethlehem, by the gate. Is n't it 
 cool and sparkling, Abishai?" He laughed, twisted 
 his cloak around him, and went off to his tent. 
 
 The three men who had been talking looked at
 
 THE KINGDOM 225 
 
 each other in silence for a moment. Then Sham- 
 mah spoke in a low voice : 
 
 "How far is it to Bethlehem, Abishai?" 
 
 "Not more than six miles." 
 
 "We could go there and back in four hours," 
 whispered Elhanan. Abishai stared. 
 
 "You 're not thinking of it " he exclaimed 
 "the Philistines" 
 
 "That for the Philistines," said Shammah, 
 cracking his fingers. "If David wants something 
 I can get him, a set of uncircumcised fish worshipers 
 won't stop me." 
 
 "Come on, Abishai," said Elhanan; "you know 
 the ground best." And Abishai shrugged his 
 shoulders and picked up a water bottle. 
 
 When David could not sleep he often amused 
 himself with a small harp which took up little space 
 in the baggage and from which he was seldom 
 parted. That night he was striking the strings, 
 almost in a dream, when the tent was pulled open 
 and three men entered. Instantly he was on his 
 feet, and almost as quickly recognized Abishai. 
 
 "Is anything the matter?" he asked anxiously. 
 
 Shammah stepped forward holding out a water 
 bottle, and said rather sheepishly: 
 
 "We Ve brought you this, David."
 
 226 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 David took the bottle, and gazed at them for an 
 explanation. 
 
 "It 's water from the well of Bethlehem," 
 muttered Abishai; and Elhanan, seeing the king 
 still look bewildered, finished the story: 
 
 "You said you wanted some, so we fetched it." 
 
 For a moment there was silence; then the blood 
 rushed into David's face and he drew a deep breath. 
 
 "You broke through the Philistines' camp to 
 bring me this water! What should I have done if 
 they had killed you! This is not water that you 
 have brought me, but your own blood. Shall I 
 drink the blood of men who went in jeopardy for 
 me? The blood belongs to Yahweh, and to Yahweh 
 will I pour it out ! " 
 
 He raised his arms and eyes and then dashed 
 the water on the ground. Shammah and Elhanan 
 as they left the tent felt that their gift had formed 
 part of some wonderful sacrificial ceremony; they 
 did not quite understand what the king had meant, 
 but that made the honor he had done them the more 
 overwhelming. As Abishai came behind them they 
 heard him muttering : 
 
 "I would n't have gone for it if I 'd known he 
 was going to throw it on the ground. ..."
 
 THE KINGDOM 227 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE next day David caught the Philistines at a 
 disadvantage and forced them to give battle. Just 
 before they began the attack one of David's old 
 followers told him that the Philistines had brought 
 their gods into the fight, and that would, of course, 
 be a great help to them. 
 
 "I wish," he added, "we could have brought 
 Yahweh with us." 
 
 "What do you mean?" asked David, curiously, 
 "do you mean the sacred lot?" 
 
 "Oh, no," answered the man, "I meant Yahweh 
 himself. They used to take him into battle in the 
 old days, but once the Philistines captured him, and 
 since then he 's been kept in Philistia." 
 
 David had no time to pursue the subject, but 
 he determined that later on he would question Gad 
 or Nathan about it they would be sure to know. 
 
 The battle was a complete victory for the 
 Israelites. The gods of the Philistines were seized 
 and the Philistines fled in disorder down to the 
 plain. The one moment of anxiety for the Israelites 
 had been when David, impetuously rushing into the 
 hottest part of the fray, had only been saved by 
 Abishai's help, from the sword of a gigantic Philis-
 
 228 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 tine. The Israelite officers, who fully realized the 
 importance of David's safety, implored him to swear 
 a solemn oath never to go into battle again, but 
 David only laughed at them, and said he would see. 
 
 The campaign against the Philistines was not 
 yet ended. Again, later in the same year, they 
 marched up the valley of the Sorek, and pitched 
 at its head in the valley of Rephaim. It was then 
 that David carried out against them a tactical 
 scheme which he had long pondered, and which 
 was so daring and novel that he felt obliged to get 
 the support of Yahweh before he dared attempt it. 
 
 "Do not attack them from the front," Yahweh 
 said; "make a circuit behind them, and attack them 
 by the mulberry trees. When the spirits of the 
 mulberry trees begin to march, then march too, for 
 then is Yahweh gone forth to smite the Philistines." 
 
 The valley of Rephaim lay to the west of Jerusa- 
 lem, and the mulberry grove was on the enemy's 
 right wing. Yahweh's instructions meant, there- 
 fore, that David was to leave Jerusalem secretly, 
 and to wind round south, west, and north so as to 
 cut off the rear of the Philistines. He could obvi- 
 ously not take the whole army in this way Joab 
 was to be left behind with the bulk of the Israelites, 
 while David, Benaiah, and a picked section of the 
 Philistine guards were to attempt the turning move-
 
 THE KINGDOM 229 
 
 ment. The army was thus divided, David cut off 
 from his base, and Jerusalem but weakly defended 
 by the depleted Joab. The doubts and protests of 
 the old soldiers were only silenced by the fact that 
 the instructions had come direct from Yahweh 
 himself. 
 
 At night David, Benaiah, and the guard set off. 
 Under cover of darkness they reached their ap- 
 pointed place behind the unsuspicious Philistines. 
 At dawn Joab was to occupy the enemy by an 
 apparent frontal attack with his archers and 
 slingers; and at dawn the breeze, which comes so 
 often in the East when the day is breaking, began 
 to blow. 
 
 "Listen!" whispered David to his followers, 
 who for an hour now had been straining at the 
 leash. "Listen! is not that a sound of spirits in the 
 trees? They are whispering, assembling, stepping 
 eastward ! Come! for Yahweh is gone before us! " 
 
 This time the rout of the Philistines was over- 
 whelming. For miles the Israelites pursued them 
 northward, and the number that escaped was but 
 a small fraction. But David was not satisfied 
 with the knowledge that there would be no more 
 attacks from his old enemies for many months ; he 
 was determined to settle with them once and for all. 
 Now it was his turn to be the invader; and so well
 
 230 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 had he prepared for the task he had set himself that 
 after a few campaigns Gath was in his hands, and 
 the Philistines themselves almost incredulous of 
 the completeness of their downfall reduced to pay 
 tribute to the king of Israel. Nor did they ever 
 again become a menace to their Hebrew victors. 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 DAVID had fastened a row of captured Philistine 
 gods to the wall of his house and was looking at 
 them curiously. Seeing Nathan pass by, he re- 
 membered what the soldier had told him of the old 
 custom of taking Yahweh into battle, and called to 
 the prophet to come over to him. 
 
 "They can't do any harm now, can they?" he 
 asked, pointing to his prisoners ; and Nathan agreed 
 this was impossible. 
 
 "Why shouldn't we take Yahweh into battle, as 
 the Philistines take Dagon?" continued David; 
 "some one told me we used to in former days; why 
 don't we now? Have we a Yahweh like that?" 
 
 "Not like that," replied Nathan, scornfully. 
 
 "Well," said David, "I Ve been thinking about 
 it, and it seems to me it 's a pity we can't take our
 
 THE KINGDOM 231 
 
 god into battle with us, as other nations do. You 
 see, we who are the people of Yahweh make war 
 for him, and he fights for us. The whole business 
 of war belongs to him, and is set apart, as Samuel 
 used to say, like everything else connected with him. 
 Even the men who fight are set apart, and may not 
 touch many things, or go into their women while a 
 campaign lasts. We make sacrifices to Yahweh 
 before a battle, and if he leads us, it would be better 
 if we had him there in the midst of us and could 
 see his face." 
 
 "Ah," said Nathan, slowly, looking at David 
 with a thoughtful air as if wondering whether he 
 would say all that was in his mind, "there is a 
 good deal in what you say. Now, I dare say you Ve 
 heard that Yahweh led our race out of Egypt and 
 showed us the way through the desert to this land 
 we live in now. In those days the children of 
 Israel had Yahweh in the midst of them but not in 
 that kind of shape " sneering at the images on 
 the wall. 
 
 "How then?" asked David, eagerly. 
 
 "Well, it is the Ark a chest that is the Pres- 
 ence of Yahweh." Nathan lowered his voice and 
 looked uneasy. He was decidedly uncomfortable 
 at talking about such things, but certainly the king 
 ought to know.
 
 232 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "The Ark?" David pondered for some time. 
 He, too, felt the insecurity of the topic, and his 
 heart was beating with unpleasant violence; still, 
 he was determined to probe the question as far as 
 possible. "I have an idea the Philistines had it 
 they took it from us I don't remember exactly 
 how. . . ." 
 
 "Yes," said Nathan, gloomily. "The Israelites 
 took the Ark into battle, but the Philistines de- 
 feated them and seized it. That was years ago, 
 when Samuel was a child. The Philistines took 
 it to Ashdod and Yahweh brought illness and death 
 to the men of Ashdod; then they took him to Gath 
 and he brought death to the Gittites. At last they 
 took him out of Philistia and placed him in Kiri- 
 ath-Jearim, for that was outside their own territory, 
 yet the Canaanites who lived there paid them tri- 
 bute, and would not let the Israelites take the Ark 
 back." 
 
 "You see," exclaimed David, "how important it 
 would be to us. Even when our enemies had it 
 prisoner it brought them ruin. . . ." 
 
 "I know," replied Nathan, with some hesitation, 
 "but the Presence of Yahweh will bring ruin to 
 any one who approaches it without due precaution 
 enemy or worshiper it is set apart." 
 
 "Of course. Still, the Presence of Yahweh
 
 THE KINGDOM 233 
 
 should be with the people of Yahweh in their 
 chief city here, in Jerusalem. Think, Nathan, 
 what preeminence it will give to the place the 
 royal city if it is also the sanctuary of the Ark. 
 All the tribes will unite to come up here in worship, 
 and all will recognize this as the holiest place of 
 all. Perhaps the Tyrian builders could make a 
 house for Yahweh a glorious house of cedar wood, 
 like the one they are building for me! Would not 
 that be splendid, Nathan? As for these men of 
 Kiriath-Jearim, they will not now hold back from 
 me anything I want." 
 
 In this David was certainly right. Abinadab, 
 the Canaanite in whose house the Ark had been 
 placed, instantly agreed to deliver it up, and prom- 
 ised to send it away on a new cart. The king 
 ordered a national holiday, and went out to Keriath- 
 Jearim in procession, accompanied by his chief 
 officers, Abiathar the priest, the prophets, and a 
 group of minstrels with harps and timbrels. David 
 walked at the head of them, lost in an enchanting 
 dream. He saw the Ark brought to Jerusalem, a 
 superb and astonishing temple built for it to which 
 all the tribes came streaming up deserting their 
 own high places, and recognizing that in the city 
 of David alone was Yahweh truly to be found. 
 
 "And when my kingdom has spread far and
 
 234 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 wide even beyond Jordan the heathen, too, will 
 hear of the fame of my temple and come perhaps 
 from over the Great Sea to gaze at its outer court, 
 beyond which they must not step." 
 
 He woke up with a start, to find himself outside 
 Abinadab's house. A new cart harnessed to two 
 milk-white oxen stood at the door, and on it was 
 a wooden chest. All the people of the town seemed 
 to be standing around, and Abinadab was bowing 
 and touching his head in an ecstasy of salutation. 
 
 "Never yet under the yoke, my lord," David 
 heard him say, "and my two sons, Uzzah and Ahio 
 make your duties to his lordship, boys, make 
 your duties will lead them down the hill." 
 
 Two young, rosy-cheeked youths standing at the 
 oxen's head grinned and bowed sheepishly. David 
 smiled at them, thanked Abinadab for his kindness, 
 and ordered the procession to turn toward Jeru- 
 salem and to start. 
 
 And now, as they plodded along the rough track, 
 the excited worshipers kept circling around the cart 
 and its holy burden, singing, clapping their hands, 
 prostrating themselves, calling out to the Canaanite 
 youths to be careful, for Yahweh the god of the 
 Israelites was not to be trifled with. Presently 
 they came to a village where the ruts in the track 
 got deeper and more stony. Suddenly the oxen
 
 THE KINGDOM 235 
 
 stumbled, the wheel of the cart jerked up on to a 
 bit of rock, the cart tilted, and the Ark began to slip. 
 A shout went up from the Israelites, and Uzzah, 
 who was on that side, turned his head, and seeing 
 the chest on the edge of the cart quickly pushed it 
 back into safety. A groan burst from the onlookers, 
 and the kaleidoscopic crowd turned to stone. 
 
 "What is it?" asked David, coming quickly up 
 with Nathan and Abiathar to see what had hap- 
 pened. 
 
 "He touched he touched the Holy One he 
 pushed the Ark," cried a hundred voices, pointing 
 at the unfortunate Uzzah, who was standing dazed 
 and white by the cart. 
 
 "Touched it! Unhappy wretch," cried Nathan, 
 pulling away the skirt of his dress from contact 
 with the wheel. 
 
 "Beware of the anger of Yahweh," exclaimed 
 Abiathar, and Uzzah began to groan and tremble. 
 
 Instantly the voices of the Israelites were raised 
 in vindictive yells at the Canaanite, who looked 
 around him for help in vain at the first cry Ahio 
 had fled to safety. 
 
 "Yahweh will strike why touch the Holy One? 
 the Ark of Yahweh will slay the plague will 
 smite him death will take him there is no escape 
 from Yahweh."
 
 236 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 Uzzah fell to the ground his knees would not 
 hold him up. The cries of the Israelites redoubled 
 there was a roaring in his ears the voice of the 
 terrible Yahweh shouting in his might and the 
 bow snapped. 
 
 "He is dead," said Abiathar raising himself from 
 the fallen body over which he had been stooping. 
 "He should have known better than to lay his hand 
 upon the Ark." 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE servants of the king's household trod lightly 
 that night, for the king was not in an agreeable 
 mood. He was displeased with Yahweh, and, be- 
 sides, a little frightened. Everything had seemed 
 to be going so well the triumphal entry of Yah- 
 weh escorted by himself into the royal city would 
 have been such a glorious moment and then sud- 
 denly horror, death, failure. He had been stunned 
 by the catastrophe. No one had known what to do 
 with the cart and its fearful load; the villagers 
 and the rejoicing Israelites had fled in terror when 
 it became certain that Uzzah was dead, and it was 
 only after a long time that Abiathar had found a
 
 THE KINGDOM 237 
 
 Gittite named Obed-Edom, who lived in the neigh- 
 borhood, and was willing to harbor the Ark until 
 its final destination could be decided. David re- 
 turned gloomily to Jerusalem, and his people spoke 
 to each other in hushed whispers. 
 
 But it was not in David's nature to be long down- 
 cast. He soon began to see the other side of things, 
 to feel the return swing of the pendulum. After 
 all what did it show but that Yahweh must be 
 treated ceremoniously? If only the proper pre- 
 cautions had been taken nothing would have .hap- 
 pened it was the necessary result of carelessness 
 and inattention. Besides, it showed the terrific 
 strength of the god of Israel, and could in the end 
 only redound to the credit of his worshipers. Next 
 time things should be better managed and then there 
 would be no trouble. 
 
 After a time David began to make enquiries as 
 to how things were going with Obed-Edom 
 whether he and his family were in good health, 
 whether his crops were prospering and it appeared 
 that all went well. It was evident that there were 
 no more fearful emanations from the Ark, and the 
 time seemed propitious for making another at- 
 tempt to bring it up to the city. Much more elab- 
 orate arrangements were made this time. A tent, 
 with curtains, was pitched in the middle of the
 
 238 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 citadel for its reception when it should arrive; 
 David himself put on a loose linen dress that hung 
 straight from his shoulders a dress such as was 
 worn by the priests and went down with all his 
 servants to Obed-Edom's house. Instead of a cart 
 and oxen, poles had been brought, and Abiathar 
 instructed four priests to lift the Ark with these, 
 and so to carry it. While it was being raised there 
 was an anxious hush; David, pale with suspense, 
 watched them hoist the poles to their shoulders, 
 steady them, and begin a slow and stately walk up 
 the hill. After six steps, all seemed well, and 
 David, with a sigh of relief turned to Abiathar. 
 The priest nodded, and David sacrificed there by 
 the wayside an ox and a fat sheep. Everything 
 was satisfactory. The country people clamored up- 
 roariously as they carried away their share of the 
 sacrifice, the musicians blew on their trumpets, the 
 people shouted, waving green branches and leap- 
 ing and running. David was soon carried away 
 by the contagious emotion around him. He rushed 
 to the head of the procession as it entered Jerusalem 
 and whirled and bounded in the air in front of the 
 Ark, bowing to the ground, springing up, jumping 
 around it, throwing himself into the fervor of adora- 
 tion with all his might. As they passed by his own 
 house he looked up. At the window of the room
 
 THE KINGDOM 239 
 
 on the upper story stood Michal, surveying the 
 wild scene with cold contempt. David caught her 
 eye; she flung back her head with a short laugh 
 and disappeared from the window. David's dance 
 was finished. 
 
 The Ark was now placed in the tent and two 
 priests were placed on guard outside it. The king 
 again made sacrifices, and all the Israelites who 
 had assembled were summoned to receive from his 
 officers a loaf, a cake of raisins, and a portion of 
 date-wine. Then a long hush came over the ex- 
 cited crowd. David raised his arms, and his clear 
 sweet voice rang over his people with the words of 
 the ancient blessing of Aaron: 
 
 The Lord bless thee and keep thee: 
 
 The Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious 
 
 unto thee: 
 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee 
 
 peace. 
 
 It was getting dark. The people moved quietly 
 away and David, tired with his emotions and ex- 
 ertions, climbed slowly up the steps of his house, 
 in the courtyard of which stood his own household. 
 His back had been turned to them while he blessed 
 the people without, and one of the servants ran 
 up to him and kissed his feet.
 
 240 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "Bless us too, O my lord," he cried, and a mur- 
 mur from the others echoed his wish. David 
 smiled and was raising his hand when through the 
 crowd pressed a woman. It was Michal, her eyes 
 glowing and her cheek flushed; she came quickly 
 up to David, touching her forehead and bending 
 her head as if in greeting, but he saw at once that 
 she was full of irrepressible mockery. 
 
 "How glorious was the king of Israel to-day!" 
 she exclaimed in a loud voice; and David stared 
 at her without answering. She lowered her voice 
 and continued: 
 
 "Indeed, it well becomes a king to expose him- 
 self to the women servants of his house as you 
 have done to-day," and she pointed at his light, 
 loose robe, and laughed contemptuously. 
 
 David flushed as much with anger as with shame, 
 and his eyes darkened. "It was to the Lord that 
 I exposed myself, as you call it; and he who chose 
 me to be king instead of your father knows better 
 than you what becomes a king. And you need not 
 fear that the women servants will not hold me in 
 honor." 
 
 Forgetting the servants and the blessing they were 
 waiting for, he strode through the courtyard, and 
 hid himself in an inner chamber.
 
 THE KINGDOM 241 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 DAVID wondered how he could ever have thought 
 Michal beautiful. Now that the bloom of early 
 youth had disappeared one could see so plainly that 
 her features were uninteresting and her expression 
 acid. As for her tongue . . . well, it had all been 
 a great mistake, but his eyes were open now, and 
 his relations with her at an end for ever. What 
 were the feelings of the woman, born a princess, 
 torn first from her bridegroom, then from her hus- 
 band and children, thrust into a hostile household 
 of foreign women, and at last deserted and dis- 
 honored, he neither considered nor cared. The 
 whole thought of her was hateful to him, and he 
 dismissed it from his mind. 
 
 The pleasantest associations of his domestic life 
 were connected with his children, and in particular 
 his little boys. The two eldest, Amnon and Ab- 
 salom, were beautiful, strong, intelligent, and full 
 of eager vitality. David was always amused at 
 their quarrels and games, and pleased by their cour- 
 age and emulation in physical feats; they seemed 
 to him so like what he himself had been as a child, 
 yet so much more lovely, charming, and vigorous, 
 that he felt they would be able to carry out all that
 
 242 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 he left unaccomplished, to embark on all he had 
 no time to attempt. 
 
 All this, however, only if they grew to be men, 
 and were able to inherit his kingdom. He was 
 constantly haunted by the recollection of how his 
 inheritance had been snatched from Jonathan, and 
 an unreasoning dread lest some one of Saul's house 
 should play the same trick on Amnon. There 
 were still two sons of Saul alive, somewhere on the 
 east of the Jordan, and he had an idea that Merab 
 had some children. Any one of them might easily 
 come forward and claim the kingdom, and if any- 
 thing untoward should happen to him, what 
 would become of the two little boys? 
 
 Meanwhile most of his attention was taken up 
 with affairs of state. Having reduced the Philis- 
 tines to impotence, he turned to put an end to the 
 incursions of the. Edomites, and a little later en- 
 tered on a war of extermination against Moab. 
 These wars, however, he did not conduct in person ; 
 Abishai led the army against Edom, and Benaiah 
 against the Moabites. David himself was fully oc- 
 cupied at the center of affairs, administering justice, 
 levying taxes, sending supplies to those in the field. 
 A series of bad harvests added to his difficulties, 
 and the shortage at last became so great that it 
 amounted to a famine.
 
 THE KINGDOM 243 
 
 In the midst of these harassing conditions news 
 reached him of discontent among the cities of the 
 Gibeonite league. They formed a group of Ca- 
 naanites with whom the Israelites had made a treaty 
 in the early days of their entry into Palestine, and 
 who ever since had held a privileged position in 
 relation to the Israelites. At this particular moment 
 any trouble from them would be a serious handicap, 
 and it seemed essential to deal with them by di- 
 plomacy rather than force. 
 
 The first necessity was to discover the cause of 
 the Gibeonites' hostility. It appeared that they 
 were still resenting the action of Saul, toward the 
 end of his reign, in putting to death some of the 
 inhabitants of Beeroth, one of the cities of the 
 league. David thought long and deeply over this, 
 and at last determined to try his old trick of mak- 
 ing his difficulties solve each other. 
 
 In a solemn assembly of his chief officers Abia- 
 thar was instructed to consult Yahweh as to the 
 cause of the increasing scarcity. 
 
 "Upon Saul and upon his house rests the guilt 
 of blood," answered the oracle, "because he put 
 to death the Gibeonites." The treaty with the 
 Gibeonite league had, of course, been made before 
 Yahweh, and it was inevitable that his anger should 
 be aroused when it was violated. At the advice of
 
 244 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 his council David invited a deputation of Gibeon- 
 ites to come up to Jerusalem that he might hear 
 what they had to say. When they arrived he re- 
 ceived them with great graciousness, and at once 
 made them feel that they might with impunity ask 
 for what they wanted. 
 
 "What shall I do for you?" asked the king, be- 
 fore all his councilors. "How can I atone for what 
 has been done wrong, so that you may once more 
 be on friendly terms with the people of Israel?" 
 
 "My lord," answered the Gibeonite spokesman, 
 "there is no question of bloodmoney between us 
 and Saul or his house; neither is it for us who are 
 Canaanites to execute a blood revenge against the 
 Israelites. . . ." He paused ; he had evidently not 
 said all that was in his mind. 
 
 "True," said David, leaning forward, and speak- 
 ing with solemn emphasis. "True; it is for their 
 king to execute judgment upon them. Do you there- 
 fore tell me what it is you want, and I will do it 
 for you." 
 
 The Gibeonites glanced at each other and his 
 companions nodded gently to their spokesman. 
 "Give us those that remain of the house of Saul 
 and we will impale them in Gibeon at the high place 
 the place of sacrifice to Yahweh." They could 
 not believe that the king would grant them such a
 
 THE KINGDOM 245 
 
 request, but had come up obstinately determined to 
 accept nothing else; surprise and gratification 
 struggled for supremacy in their hearts when David 
 rose in his place and answered them gravely: 
 
 "In the name of Yahweh it shall be as you 
 wish." 
 
 It was now incumbent upon David to find out 
 who of Saul's descendants were alive. A man 
 named Ziba, who had formerly been a servant of 
 Saul, and was now a prosperous trader, sending 
 caravans between the east and west banks of the 
 Jordan, was the most likely man to be informed. 
 He happened to be in Jerusalem at that time and 
 David sent for him and questioned him narrowly. 
 From him it appeared that two of Saul's sons, 
 Armoni and Meribaal, still survived, that Merab, 
 Saul's eldest daughter, had five sons, and Jonathan 
 one son, who was, however, a helpless cripple. 
 
 "It happened at the time of the battle of Gilboa," 
 explained Ziba; "he was only a child then, and in 
 the flight of the royal household from the Philistines 
 his nurse dropped him and broke the bones of his 
 feet. He can't stand properly ... He is on the 
 other side of the Jordan at Lodebar, in the house 
 of Machir." 
 
 "A cripple!" thought David. "There will be 
 nothing to fear from him. And didn't I swear
 
 246 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 to Jonathan that I would be good to his sons? 
 Seven are enough to give to the Gibeonites." 
 
 So when Joab went out to find the sons of Saul 
 and Merab, and deliver them to the men of Gibeon, 
 nothing was said about the younger Meribaal, the 
 son of Jonathan. David would wait to see how 
 the rains fell if they were plentiful Yahweh and 
 the Gibeonites would be appeased and Meribaal 
 would be in no danger. 
 
 It was toward the end of April that the seven 
 victims were executed in Gibeon, and the rains 
 were expected in October. Before that time a 
 strange tale reached the ears of David. Rizpah, 
 Saul's concubine, the mother of Armoni and 
 Meribaal, had gone up to the high place, laid sack- 
 cloth on the rock, and devoted herself to keeping 
 watch over the dead bodies that hung there. The 
 birds by day and the beasts by night had no chance 
 of desecrating and mutilating them, no chance of 
 devouring the flesh and blood and thus depriving 
 the princes of the shadowy bodies without which 
 they would be unable to pass their phantom lives 
 in the realm of Sheol. David's feelings were 
 stirred by the tale; and when at last a fine rainfall 
 came and made the next harvest secure he sent for 
 the bones that had been so faithfully guarded, and, 
 with the bodies of Saul and Jonathan, which he
 
 THE KINGDOM 247 
 
 fetched from Jabesh Gilead, buried them with royal 
 honors in the family burial place at Zela. Then 
 he ordered Ziba to bring Meribaal to him. 
 
 Sitting in the court of his new house, with his 
 servants around him, David awaited the approach 
 of Jonathan's son. Those old, old days how long 
 ago they seemed to what a remote past infinitely 
 remote from the actual present they seemed to be- 
 long! Yet the memory of Jonathan of his de- 
 votion, his transparent disinterestedness, his pas- 
 sion, his romance, stirred David's pulses and made 
 his throat swell. Through the crowd of suitors 
 Ziba appeared, helping along an awkward figure 
 who clutched his arms and whose head hung down. 
 At David's seat he flung himself to the ground, his 
 face in the dust. 
 
 "Meribaal," said David; and could say no more. 
 
 Meribaal looked up. His face was white and 
 drawn; he looked older and more haggard than 
 Jonathan had ever looked, and his lips were trem- 
 bling; but he had Jonathan's serene, gentle eyes, and 
 an echo of his endearing voice. 
 
 "Behold your servant." The words were so low 
 David could hardly hear them. 
 
 "Do not be afraid," he said kindly. "I mean 
 you no harm; I will be kind to you for the sake 
 of Jonathan, your father. I loved him."
 
 248 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 Meribaal touched his forehead, his lips, and his 
 breast, and bent down again to kiss the king's feet. 
 
 "What am I that the king should look upon such 
 a dead dog?" Again it was the moving echo of 
 Jonathan's voice. 
 
 "Ziba," said David, "I give to Meribaal all the 
 land that belonged to Saul, and I give you charge 
 over the land to manage it and make over the pro- 
 duce to him. And besides that, Meribaal, you 
 shall have a place at my table with my own sons; 
 and you shall not want for anything any more."
 
 PART II 
 
 BATHSHEBA 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 NEWS had reached David of the death of Na- 
 hash, king of the Ammonites. Nahash had 
 fought with Saul, and in the days of David's strug- 
 gles with him had taken the side of David and be- 
 friended him. Hanun, the son of Nahash, now 
 succeeded his father, and David determined to send 
 him an embassy of congratulation. It was the first 
 of these customary embassies that he had been in 
 a position to send, and he was a good deal elated 
 at the thought of it, and a little anxious lest it 
 should not go off well. Among those he selected 
 to go to Ammon was Elihu, now an old man, but 
 still strong enough to attempt the journey, and of 
 a suitably venerable character and appearance to 
 play the almost sacred part of an ambassador. 
 Elihu was delighted at the compliment and told 
 David that he was very wise to choose one envoy 
 
 249
 
 250 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 at least who was accustomed to courts and knew 
 how to behave there. 
 
 Poor Elihu ! His knowledge of courts stood him 
 in little stead among the barbarous Ammonites, and 
 his dignity received a shock from which neither it 
 nor he ever recovered. 
 
 Rumors of an insult to his ambassadors reached 
 David some days before he heard exact and definite 
 news. He was already impatient and annoyed 
 when a messenger from Elihu arrived, with torn 
 clothes, and all the appearance of mourning. 
 
 "What has happened?" cried David. 
 
 "Great wrong to the Israelites," answered the 
 man woefully. "When the king's ambassador 
 arrived at Kabbah, Hanun's counselors would not 
 believe that they had come to do honor to Ammon, 
 but declared they were spies sent to find out the 
 weaknesses of the city. So Hanun took them and 
 it is a shame even to speak of such things shaved 
 off half their beards, and cut off the skirts of their 
 clothes up to their waists. Then he sent them away. 
 They are at Jericho now and have sent me to tell 
 the king, for they are ashamed to come into his 
 presence." 
 
 For a long time after this painful tale there was 
 a silence. David's officers were too much shocked 
 to know what to say; David himself was too indig-
 
 BATHSHEBA 251 
 
 nant to be able to speak coherently. At last he 
 made an effort. 
 
 "Go back to Jericho and speak kindly to Elihu 
 and the others from me. Tell them to wait at 
 Jericho till their beards have grown and then to 
 return home. They are not to grieve, for the blame 
 is not theirs, and I will fully avenge them on Hanun 
 and the Ammonites. . . . Now, Joab, Abishai, 
 and Benaiah, how many men can we put into the 
 field? and how soon will they be ready?" 
 
 David's determination to teach the Ammonites 
 a lesson they would not forget was only strength- 
 ened when Elihu returned to Jerusalem, and he saw 
 how much shaken and cast down the old man was. 
 He heard that Hanun was making great alliances 
 with the Syrians, and with the kings of Zobah, 
 Maacah, and Tob, but he cared nothing for this 
 and continued his own preparations. 
 
 By the time the rainy season was over he was 
 ready, and sent out Joab and Abishai to march 
 on Rabbah, the capital of the Ammonites. It was 
 not long before Joab returned. He had defeated 
 the Syrians and the other allied troops, and driven 
 the Ammonites back to their fortifications, and he 
 was now returning to Jerusalem to get siege 
 machines, to be taken back and used on Rabbah in 
 the following year. Before the rains began David
 
 252 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 himself took the army out for a second campaign 
 against Hadadezer, king of Zobah, who had 
 strengthened himself by an alliance with the Syrians 
 of Damascus, and this turned out the most glorious 
 of all his campaigns. The enemy was completely 
 defeated. David put garrisons in Damascus and 
 levied a yearly tribute from it, while from Hadadezer 
 he took enormous plunder, including a set of golden 
 shields and a hundred chariot horses the first the 
 Israelites had possessed. The mere news of these 
 triumphs brought him the submission of another of 
 the local princes, Toi, king of Hamath, who sent 
 his son Hadoram to do homage to David, and to 
 make him a propitiatory offering of gold, silver, 
 and bronze vessels. With all these trophies, with 
 his additional provinces, and his far-spread re- 
 nown, David returned to Jerusalem well pleased. 
 He determined to leave the siege of Kabbah in the 
 spring to Joab and himself to rest upon his laurels. 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 IT was evening. The long rays of the sun no 
 longer flung themselves down like fierce javelins, 
 but seemed to caress the hillsides with golden 
 warmth. The long shadows had lost the purple
 
 BATHSHEBA 253 
 
 splendor of noon, and taken on an almost trans- 
 parent look. A gentle breeze had carried off the 
 last of the midday heat and dust; it was the time 
 for pleasure or repose. 
 
 David had just finished his siesta. The thought 
 of returning to his eternal discussion of ways and 
 means with Seraiah was distasteful to him. He 
 almost wished he was with Joab, besieging Kabbah 
 after all he was still vigorous. He pulled up 
 his sleeve and looked ruefully at the muscles of his 
 arm. If it came to a wrestling bout he could yet 
 show these young men there was something left of 
 him. He stretched his arms like an awakening tiger 
 what should he do? go into the harem? No, 
 he had had enough of those women there was not 
 one of them who could give him a tenth of the 
 pleasure he had had in Abigail or even Ahinoam. 
 Were there no young beauties left? When Abishai 
 came back from Ammon he would make him search 
 some out. 
 
 Suddenly an idea occurred to him. Why should 
 he wait ? He would find some one for himself, and 
 the search at any rate would amuse him. And he 
 would begin at once. The hour before sunset was 
 the time when the women were free of the upper 
 parts of the houses, and no men were allowed on 
 the roofs lest they should see something not meant
 
 254 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 for them. But David, the king, could do what he 
 liked and no one would dare to interfere with him. 
 
 David's new house was almost at the top of the 
 eastern ridge. Around it and below it on three 
 sides were clustered houses, occupied chiefly by the 
 families of his officers and their wives. He stepped 
 gently out on to the roof and looked around. 
 
 Almost directly underneath him was a large 
 house with a group of oleanders at one side. Mov- 
 ing to and fro on the roof of this house were a group 
 of girls laughing and chattering over their work, 
 which consisted in pouring water into a wide, 
 shallow copper vessel, and placing around it 
 various linen strips, small pots, and flasks of oil. 
 He saw at a glance that it was in preparation for 
 their mistress' bath, and for a moment he hesitated. 
 Had he not better go in? The next instant he 
 laughed at himself, crouched down behind some 
 trailing vines, and watched. 
 
 It was not long before the woman herself came 
 out. From his position he could not see her face, 
 and her long trailing garments concealed everything 
 but the generic grace of the Oriental woman. Some- 
 how he could not tell why David was in a fever 
 of impatience; something in her movements made 
 him long to see more, and when she began a dis-
 
 BATHSHEBA 255 
 
 cussion with her women as to the merits of the 
 unguents they had brought out, smelling one, 
 rubbing another on the palm of her hand, and 
 finally sending for yet a third, he hardly knew how 
 to contain himself. But all thought of leaving the 
 roof had vanished. 
 
 At last she disrobed. In a flash, it seemed to 
 him, the bands that fastened back her veil and her 
 hair were off, and her heavy black locks were tum- 
 bling down her white back. She stepped into the 
 bath, and the girls began washing, rubbing, splash- 
 ing, turning her around, lifting up her limbs, 
 pushing her this way and that. . . . Then began 
 the drying, anointing, and perfuming; finally her 
 hair was arranged, her dress replaced, and in 
 another moment she had gone. 
 
 David drew a long breath. He had been gazing 
 with such intentness that his eyes ached, and as 
 he crept down from the roof he put his hand over 
 them. But that would not keep out the image of 
 what he had seen. . . . Who was she? How 
 could he have her? His mind held no other 
 thoughts than these. 
 
 By the time he had got down to the lower rooms 
 he had a plan ready, and called out to the door- 
 keeper, who came running to see what he wanted.
 
 256 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "Tell me," said David, as lightly as he could, 
 "whose is that big house below the one with the 
 oleanders?" 
 
 "It must be Uriah's that my lord is speaking 
 ofUriah the Hittite." 
 
 "Oh yes," answered David; "I could not remem- 
 ber of course, Uriah the Hittite. Send Seraiah 
 to me." 
 
 When Seraiah came, David asked him for the 
 names of the officers at Kabbah under Joab, and 
 when Uriah's name was mentioned he stopped him. 
 
 "Uriah is n't he the brother of Ahimelech the 
 two Hittites who joined me in the early days of 
 Adullam?" 
 
 Seraiah assented. 
 
 "More than ten years ago nearer fifteen, I 
 suppose. He was quite a boy then. What does 
 his household consist of?" 
 
 "He has only one wife Bathsheba, the daughter 
 of Eliam they say she is a beauty I believe he 
 has not had her long." 
 
 "Ah well, let me know directly any news comes 
 from Joab. Good night, Seraiah." David turned 
 away, but looked back and called after him. 
 
 "Eliam isn't he one of my officers? Whose 
 son is he?" 
 
 "Yes, he 's an officer the son of Ahitophel."
 
 BATHSHEBA 257 
 
 All night David saw the white shoulders and 
 black hair gleaming before him. He slept, but 
 Bathsheba was in his dreams and he woke suddenly, 
 with a beating heart, trembling violently. Till sun- 
 rise he lay wondering what her face was like 
 Seraiah had said she was a beauty suppose she 
 was not ah, but suppose her face was as lovely 
 as her body it must be he must have her so the 
 most beautiful creature in the world. 
 
 When the sun rose the business of the day began, 
 and it was a long time before David was free. 
 Directly it was possible he went to the women's 
 apartments and found an old servant who had come 
 to him with Abigail and had always been devoted 
 to him. 
 
 "Miriam," he said hastily and softly, "you know 
 the house of Uriah the Hittite you are to fetch 
 me his wife, Bathsheba, to-night after dark. 
 Bring her here and see that no one interrupts." 
 Suddenly terror overwhelmed him lest something 
 should go wrong some one find out ruin every- 
 thing. He caught the old woman's arms and glared 
 at her, his face almost touching hers. 
 
 "Take care," his voice was hoarse and fierce 
 "no one is to know if you betray me you '11 wish 
 you 'd never been born." 
 
 Miriam smiled and patted him on the arm.
 
 258 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "There, there," she said, "you shall have her, 
 don't be afraid." She nodded and showed her 
 toothless gums, then pattered away down the cor- 
 ridor, well pleased with her commission. 
 
 By the time darkness had come David was in 
 a fever of impatience. Everything was prepared. 
 Cushions covered the ground, a savory meal, 
 smuggled in by Miriam, was spread out, and the 
 room was illuminated by several small earthenware 
 lamps. David heaped the cushions together, looked 
 at the flask of wine, sat down, got up again, ex- 
 amined the lamps to make sure there was enough 
 oil in them, and began to walk up and down the 
 room, almost beside himself. Had Miriam after 
 all played him false? Had Bathsheba refused to 
 come? What could it be? Why were they so 
 late? How could he bear this suspense another 
 moment. . . . 
 
 He heard footsteps outside; they paused at his 
 room; the door opened noiselessly and a woman's 
 figure glided into the room. She was closely veiled, 
 and as David came eagerly forward she bowed her 
 head, touched her forehead, and was motionless. 
 "Bathsheba!" exclaimed David. She raised her 
 head and seemed to wait. "Come and sit down." 
 He led her to the cushions, and pressed her down; 
 then, his hands trembling with eagerness, he un-
 
 BATHSHEBA 259 
 
 wound the veil. Her beauty almost took away his 
 breath clear, fine features, an exquisite com- 
 plexion, smooth as a pomegranate and gently 
 flushed, dark, deep eyes, and lips that quivered 
 between drooping and smiling he gazed and gazed, 
 his breath coming quicker and quicker. 
 
 At last the inclination to smile conquered, the 
 dark eyes sparkled, and she laughed outright. 
 David laughed too, caught her in his arms, and 
 then held her away to look again. 
 
 "Ah," he said, rapturously, "one dreams and 
 dreams of what it will be, and then when one 
 sees. . . . But you must eat something. What 
 a delicious meal we are going to have look our 
 hands meet in the dish let me put this delicate 
 morsel into your mouth you must have some of 
 this wine isn't it sweet? now I am going to be 
 your slave and wash your fingers how white they 
 are, and how happy the water is, to be kissing 
 them!" 
 
 Bathsheba hardly spoke. She lay back lazily 
 in his arms, enjoying the tender, trembling caresses 
 of his strong hands. At last the meal was over; 
 David flung himself on the ground and pressed his 
 lips upon her small white feet. 
 
 "Oh, Bathsheba, Bathsheba . . . speak to me. 
 I want to hear your lovely voice. . . ."
 
 260 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "Lord," she answered, pressing her hands 
 together. 
 
 "Oh no, no ... not that . . . don't let that 
 ever come between us. . . ." 
 
 "David, then." 
 
 "No, no ... you know better than that . . . 
 say it ... you must." 
 
 "Love." Her voice was very low, but David 
 heard. 
 
 For weeks Bathsheba came across to him nearly 
 every night. Her beauty and her charm never 
 palled; she intoxicated him and robbed him of any 
 inclination to think of what was coming. But one 
 night Miriam appeared alone, and when David de- 
 manded an explanation delivered one, with pursed 
 lips and shaking head : 
 
 "Well, what can you expect? It 's a child." 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 DAVID was staggered. The idea of such a catas- 
 trophe had never occurred to him in fact, since he 
 had taken up with Bathsheba very few ideas of 
 any sort had occurred to him. He was entirely 
 absorbed by her, dreaming all day of the coming
 
 BATHSHEBA 261 
 
 raptures of the evening, flinging himself in her 
 presence into a world of pleasure and passion, 
 sleeping through the short hot night in an unruffled, 
 bottomless pool of unconsciousness. From this 
 dizzy circle he was torn rudely enough by Miriam's 
 announcement. It took him some time to realize it 
 and all its implications, and a day passed before he 
 pulled himself together sufficiently to send for 
 Miriam and give her a message for Bathsheba. 
 
 "Tell her to be careful very careful to let no 
 one know. And tell her that I have sent for 
 Uriah." 
 
 Miriam goggled at him for a moment, and then 
 gave an oily little chuckle. 
 
 "You 're a cunning one! Once Uriah 's been to 
 her such a long time as he 's been parted from 
 his little wife who 's to think any harm or say 
 a word? He, he! . . ." and the old woman went 
 off hugging herself. 
 
 David had indeed sent a swift messenger to 
 Joab with an order to be delivered immediately: 
 "Send me Uriah the Hittite," and until he appeared 
 David was on the rack. Suppose anything hap- 
 pened to delay Uriah suppose he was ill suppose 
 Joab had an attack of insubordination and would 
 not send him. ... He ground his teeth if Joab
 
 262 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 should dare he would be sorry for it, though that 
 would not mend matters now. He was in an agony 
 a fever, and his mind seemed to revolve use- 
 lessly in that narrow chamber of hateful ideas, 
 impotent and suffering. He did not see Bathsheba, 
 and indeed pushed her from his thoughts; as re- 
 gards his own future action he did not look beyond 
 the one idea of sending Uriah in to his wife, and 
 for the rest sank into misery, pursued by the 
 terrifying fears of some impediment to Uriah's safe 
 arrival. 
 
 At last, one evening, an hour before sunset, the 
 doorkeeper announced that Uriah the Hittite had 
 arrived from the camp before Kabbah, and under- 
 stood that the king wished to see him. 
 
 "Yes," said David; "show him in," and though 
 his heart beat quickly the load upon him seemed to 
 have lightened. 
 
 Uriah entered and made his obeisance, and David 
 looked at him as if he had never seen him before. 
 He was hot and dusty after his hurried journey, his 
 hair sticking to his forehead, his lips dry and 
 cracking. He was not a tall man not handsome, 
 though neither was he short or ugly just an ordi- 
 nary, insignificant looking fellow, David thought, 
 with a thin, straggly beard. It suddenly occurred 
 to him that if he had been a fine, striking man he
 
 BATHSHEBA 263 
 
 would not have wished to carry out his intentions; 
 as it was he put his fingers into his own thick 
 golden beard and felt pleased. 
 
 "Well, Uriah," he said, smiling, "and how is 
 Joab? . . . and the army? How are things going 
 on?" 
 
 "Joab and the army are well, my lord," answered 
 the Hittite. "Rabbah is certainly a formidable 
 fortress to attack, yet we make no doubt we shall 
 have it in the end." 
 
 "Why, what are the fortifications like? Simply 
 walls, are they not?" 
 
 "Walls, yes, but much more massive than any- 
 thing in this part of the country I Ve heard they 
 are on the model of some Assyrian defenses and 
 then there is a wide ditch in front of the wall with 
 water from the Jabbok in it. I believe Joab's plan 
 is to get command of the water above the city so 
 as to drain the ditch he says it is useless to attack 
 the town directly." 
 
 "So I should suppose from what you tell me. I 
 am most interested in your account of the situation, 
 and don't doubt that what I have heard of your 
 good services and desert is quite true. But I won't 
 keep you now you are tired from your journey 
 go down to your house and wash your feet and 
 rest and come to see me in the morning."
 
 264 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 Uriah bowed and turned to go, his heart swelling 
 with delight at the king's graciousness. To add 
 to his satisfaction, he heard David say to a servant: 
 "Don't forget to take a dish from my table to Uriah 
 the Hittite to-night" the king was indeed bent on 
 honoring him! 
 
 His next action, however, was far enough from 
 pleasing the king. 
 
 "You have been very quick with that meat," 
 said David to the servant who had taken the dish 
 he was sending to Uriah; "you can't have had time 
 to go down to the Hittite's house and back." 
 
 "No, my lord," answered the man, "but Uriah 
 had not gone to his house. He is in the court with 
 the others, and will sleep to-night at the king's 
 threshold." 
 
 David looked at him in horror. Just when he 
 was beginning to feel safe what could Uriah be 
 thinking of? Of course, men on military service 
 were not supposed to go in to their wives, but no 
 one would have known and now everything was 
 unsettled again and he must beat out some new 
 method of extrication. 
 
 He spent a sleepless night void of counsel, or 
 of anything but rage against the malice of events. 
 In the morning when Uriah came to him as had 
 been arranged he found him in a very different mood
 
 BATHSHEBA 265 
 
 from the evening. He was irritable and sarcastic, 
 and whatever Uriah said served only to increase 
 the pungency of his remarks. 
 
 "Well," said David at last, unable to keep off 
 the topic that obsessed him, though he knew it was 
 useless and felt it was rash, "so you slept up here 
 last night. I thought after your journey and long 
 absence you would be sure to want to go to ... 
 your own house." 
 
 Uriah flushed faintly and looked at the ground. 
 
 "Yes ... I did go down for a moment but as 
 you know we in the camp are all set apart no, 
 no, while the Ark and Israel and Judah and Joab 
 and the rest are out there in the tents I can't be 
 eating and drinking and enjoying myself with my 
 wife. . . ." 
 
 "Of course not." Uriah wondered at the bitter- 
 ness of his voice. "Well, come and eat at my 
 table to-night, and you shall go back to camp with 
 a message for Joab to-morrow morning." 
 
 Uriah's answer had given him a suggestion he 
 would have one more attempt before giving up all 
 hope. 
 
 That night, then, Uriah ate with the king. He 
 began to wonder if David was ill so changeable 
 he had been first so gracious, then all over 
 prickles, and to-night as jovial as possible again
 
 266 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 perhaps a shade too jovial. Certainly when one 
 looked closely he was thinner in the face, more 
 haggard looking than usual, and his eyes seemed 
 to have sunk into his head and to gleam feverishly. 
 He was evidently excited, too, though he seemed 
 quite friendly again, and kept pressing Uriah to 
 more and more of his own special wine. At first 
 Uriah hung back and protested; but good manners 
 and then the rich flavor prevailed over his scruples, 
 and soon the whole world swayed in a golden 
 mist. 
 
 "Now, Jonadab," said David to one of his 
 nephews, laughing, "help the poor fellow down to 
 his house and let his wife take care of him." 
 
 Jonadab took the Hittite's arm and dragged him 
 out of the room, but came back a moment after, 
 smiling ruefully and declaring he could not get 
 Uriah out of the court his one idea had been to 
 refuse to go home he must stay there till he awoke 
 in the morning. 
 
 The feast did not last long after this episode. 
 David, black and impatient, dismissed them all, 
 and was soon in deep conference with Miriam. 
 He must see Bathsheba that very night; Miriam 
 must persuade her that Uriah was disposed of that 
 all was safe and that the king insisted on her 
 coming immediately.
 
 BATHSHEBA 267 
 
 Miriam's arts were quite capable of all this, and 
 it was not long before Bathsheba stood before him. 
 Directly he saw her he forgot everything else. 
 
 "Ah, my beauty!" he cried, stroking her head 
 and her shoulder. "What years it seems since I Ve 
 seen you how have I lived without you? . . ." 
 but she pushed him away. 
 
 "Hush, David; we've so much to speak about. 
 He has n't been near me Miriam says to-night 
 he 's drunk what are we to do?" 
 
 David dropped her arm. 
 
 "I don't know I can't think are you sure? 
 quite sure?" 
 
 "Yes, quite; and so is Miriam." She looked 
 at him; suddenly she gave a faint scream and fell 
 on her knees, clutching his robe. 
 
 "You 're not going to give me up? to leave 
 me ? you 're not going to pretend it 's not you? 
 you know what they '11 do when they find out it 's 
 stoning think all this" she pulled away her 
 dress and showed her white, throbbing breast "this 
 that you called so beautiful that you said you 
 loved that you caressed and kissed so often- 
 bruised, bleeding ah " she shuddered, and began 
 to sob. "And the child too will be killed your 
 child, David oh, don't let them save me, save 
 me, don't leave me to such dreadful things. . . ."
 
 268 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 He took her in his arms and laid her on the 
 cushions, stroking her hair and soothing her. 
 
 "Hush, hush . . . don't cry so ... don't cry 
 ... it '11 hurt you . . . hush, hush, my little 
 girl ... of course I won't leave you ... of 
 course you 're safe . . . oh, hush, my darling." 
 
 Presently her sobs grew less and she began to 
 kiss his hands, and caress him feebly. "That 's 
 right, my beauty ; you must n't cry so you must 
 be brave, and help me to think of what we can do." 
 
 She sighed wearily. 
 
 "I don't know why could n't he come up to 
 me ? it would have been so easy but he 's always 
 tiresome always doing the most annoying thing. 
 If only he was killed out there at Rabbah heaps 
 of people are but, of course, he won't be, just 
 because it would make things so simple." 
 
 David gave a half-hearted laugh. 
 
 "Yes it certainly would be convenient if some- 
 thing were to happen to him." 
 
 "But it won't you '11 see." She too gave half 
 a smile through her tears. 
 
 "It might," David persisted, and then stopped 
 suddenly. They looked at each other as if by a 
 common impulse; neither spoke; Bathsheba's eyes 
 were dry and David's hard. All at once he got up 
 and walked across the room.
 
 BATHSHEBA 269 
 
 "It 's time you went back," he said when he 
 .urned, and his voice was cold and remote. 
 
 Bathsheba's hysterics were over. She twisted 
 her veil on and called Miriam. At the door David 
 said "Good night" and kissed her; on her hot fore- 
 head she felt it like a brand of ice. 
 
 Before sunrise David was closeted with Seraiah, 
 concocting a despatch for Joab. It was not long, 
 yet it took a long time to produce, and Seraiah 
 looked gray and weary when he came out with it 
 and called for Uriah. 
 
 "You are to go as fast as you can don't waste 
 an hour Joab must have it as soon as possible. 
 No, you need not go in to greet the king, he is busy. 
 He told me to tell you he wishes you good speed." 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 DURING the weeks that followed there were no 
 more meetings between David and Bathsheba. 
 David sent her word by Miriam that it was wiser 
 so, and she acquiesced without protest; but the wish 
 for safety was not the only thing that kept them 
 apart just then, during the long days in which they 
 both waited for news from Rabbah.
 
 270 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 At last the expected messenger arrived and David 
 said he would see him alone. The man was a 
 sharp, weasel-faced fellow who had never been so 
 near the king before. He noticed that during 
 nearly the whole of the interview David kept his eyes 
 on the ground, but when he did look up his eyes 
 were as piercing as a sword. 
 
 "Joab sends news of a fight we have had with 
 the men of Kabbah. His main operations are above 
 the city, on the waterworks, but from time to time 
 he makes demonstrations on the town itself so that 
 they may not discover his real aim. This fight 
 was just one of these demonstrations, only it devel- 
 oped into something a little more serious, and Joab 
 thinks you should hear of it." 
 
 "Well?" David was playing with the corner of 
 a rug and hardly appeared to be listening. 
 
 "We attacked early in the morning and the men 
 of Rabbah came out against us in force. Joab 
 sent reinforcements to the Israelites with orders to 
 push back the enemy at any cost. The Ammonites 
 began to retire, and about a hundred of our men 
 pursued them right up to the wall, which was 
 strongly manned, and before they could get back 
 there were some rather heavy losses." 
 
 The color leapt into David's cheeks and his 
 eyes were suddenly fixed on the messenger's face.
 
 BATHSHEBA 271 
 
 "What is the meaning of such a manoeuver? 
 What were these men doing up against the wall 
 did they not know they would be shot at from 
 behind the ramparts?" 
 
 The man certainly felt uneasy, but he went on 
 with his message. 
 
 "Most of the Israelites came back in good time 
 there must have been some confusion in the orders 
 given to the others. I was to tell you that about 
 twenty men were killed among them Uriah the 
 Hittite." 
 
 There was such a long pause that he felt the 
 king must have forgotten his presence, and began 
 to wonder how he would get out of the room; but 
 at last he had his answer. 
 
 "Return to Joab and say this to him: 'Do not 
 be discouraged by this reverse: a town cannot be 
 taken without losing men: go on with the siege and 
 take the city.' " 
 
 David's voice was slow and weak; his face, 
 which had been white, was gray. The messenger 
 wondered if he was ill, but he dared not speak a 
 word, bowed to the ground, and left the room. The 
 news of the disaster was published all over Jerusa- 
 lem before he left it. 
 
 It was now the end of August. After a good 
 deal of secret consultation with Miriam and Bath-
 
 272 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 sheba it was agreed that as the child was to be 
 born in March it would on the whole give the least 
 opportunity for scandal if Bathsheba were brought 
 into the harem immediately after her seven days 
 of mourning. The child could then pass as a 
 seven-months' child, and malicious gossip would 
 at any rate be provided with an official answer. 
 
 Certainly there was plenty of gossip to deal with. 
 The hasty marriage, the rapid discovery of Bath- 
 sheba 's condition, soon aroused suspicion. There 
 were plenty of stories going about Jerusalem to 
 promote its growth. Some one had seen David 
 coming down from the roof at a time when he had 
 no business there ; another had seen a young woman 
 the same height as Bathsheba leaving Uriah's house 
 several times after dark; one or two had noticed 
 how anxious David had been for Uriah to go down 
 to his house the last time he was in Jerusalem, 
 though of course he had no right to go to his wife. 
 Possibly Miriam may have whispered something 
 to a few of her cronies, and Seraiah may have told 
 his wife what was in David's letter to Joab. When 
 it was all put together it made a pretty story, and 
 by the time the baby was born Jerusalem could talk 
 of nothing else but poor Uriah and that infamous 
 woman, Bathsheba. For David there were many 
 excuses. His own wives were an uninteresting set
 
 BATHSHEBA 273 
 
 Ahinoam faded, Michal a scold, Naomi too 
 young and inexperienced; doubtless, too, he had 
 been deceived and led on by Bathsheba, who had 
 taken advantage of his well-known kindness of 
 heart. A few took a less philanthropic view of the 
 case, and among these was Nathan the Prophet. 
 
 David, of course, was completely ignorant of 
 the current rumors. He had almost succeeded in 
 forgetting the unpleasant events of the previous 
 summer, and was as proud as possible of the little 
 boy Bathsheba had given him. The child was not 
 as robust as could have been wished, and one 
 morning the women protested something had gone 
 really wrong with him, and set up all the stir and 
 bustle which they seem to think necessary at such 
 times and which drives the men to flight. On that 
 very morning Nathan asked to see the king. 
 
 "How is the baby?" asked David, coming hur- 
 riedly into Bathsheba's room. 
 
 "Hush he 's asleep I think he 's much better." 
 
 David sighed with relief. "I knew it was all 
 nonsense. I ought not to have let Nathan frighten 
 me." 
 
 "What do you mean? What is all nonsense, and 
 how could Nathan frighten you?" 
 
 "I Ve just had a terrible scene with him. He 
 came in with some long-winded story about a rich
 
 274 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 man and a poor man and a lamb, and when I said 
 it was a disgraceful story and the offender should 
 be severely punished he said I was the man." 
 
 "You! What did he mean by that?" 
 
 "Oh, I don't know. ... He said I had killed 
 Uriah which is quite untrue and taken his wife 
 which I had a perfect right to do and that I 
 had despised Yahweh." 
 
 "And what did you say?" 
 
 "I saw it was no use arguing with him, so I 
 said I had sinned against the Lord. Then he was 
 kind enough to say that Yahweh would take away 
 the sin from me so that / should not die, but that 
 the child would." 
 
 "David! Did you let him say that? Do you 
 think he knows? How can you let people talk 
 like that to you but every one says you're too 
 good-natured and this is what it leads to ... oh, 
 my poor darling ..." and she hung over the baby 
 in an agony. 
 
 That night the child was worse again and the 
 whole palace was in a turmoil. For seven days 
 he hung between life and death, and during all 
 that time David lay in an inner room imploring 
 Yahweh to remove the sin, pouring dust on his 
 head and fasting. His counselors, as far as they 
 dared, begged him to be reasonable to sit up, to
 
 BATHSHEBA 275 
 
 eat but 'he made no answer, and would not even 
 raise his head. On the seventh day as he lay in 
 that mist of horror he felt that a terrible hush had 
 fallen upon the palace. Then he noticed that the 
 men in his room were whispering he looked up 
 and saw that they were in a little group together 
 staring at him. He sat up and asked dully: "Is 
 the child dead?" 
 
 "He is dead," answered one of them, and they all 
 watched the king anxiously. David got up with 
 difficulty. 
 
 "Bring me water and oil and prepare a meal for 
 me. Since Yahweh has not heard my prayers and 
 the baby is dead I need fast no more. The child 
 will go to Sheol, and I, when my days on earth are 
 over, shall go to him there." 
 
 It was fortunate for David that about a month 
 later he was called off to Kabbah by Joab. The 
 long siege was coming to a successful close, and 
 Joab suggested that the king should come and strike 
 the final blow, so that the honor of taking the town 
 should be his. He marched off with a new con- 
 tingent of men and in a few weeks Kabbah sur- 
 rendered. The work of dealing with the captured 
 inhabitants and plundering the city did not take 
 long, and David soon returned to Jerusalem with 
 a gold crown set with precious stones which had
 
 276 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 belonged to Milcom, the god of the Ammonites. 
 Bathsheba, radiant with pride and hope, came out 
 to meet him, and at the sight of her the cloud 
 that had hung over David so long was lifted from 
 his forehead. In the beginning of the following 
 year Bathsheba had a beautiful boy; he was called 
 Solomon.
 
 PART III 
 ABSALOM 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 WHEN Solomon was eight years old he was 
 given into the charge of Nathan, to learn 
 whatever it was thought desirable for him to know. 
 By this time the palace buildings had increased in 
 number and size, and the luxury of the arrangements 
 surpassed anything that had been dreamt of in the 
 early days in Jerusalem. To begin with, the king's' 
 own family was of such dimensions that its 
 accomodation demanded much space; the grown- 
 up sons each had his own establishment, while the 
 unmarried daughters lived in the greatly enlarged 
 and improved harem. The seclusion of the women, 
 though nothing like what it afterward became, was 
 even then a mark of superior rank and refinement, 
 and brothers and sisters by the same father and 
 different mothers were, in the ordinary way, kept 
 
 apart from each other. Indeed they were hardly 
 
 277
 
 278 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 looked upon as related, and marriages between them 
 were sanctioned and not uncommon. 
 
 The king's eldest son, Amnon, occupied a 
 special position among the princes. He was the 
 acknowledged heir, and always favored by David, 
 though some thought that secretly he was fondest 
 of Absalom. Absalom and Tamar were the son 
 and daughter of Maacah, herself the daughter of 
 the king of Geshur, a principality to the north of 
 Israel. They were devoted to each other, and for 
 a long time Absalom would not leave the king's 
 palace because he did not wish to be separated from 
 Tamar ; when at last he was persuaded that he ought 
 to, he still contrived to see his sister almost as 
 frequently as before, in Maacah's room. Maacah 
 herself had been a celebrated beauty in her youth, 
 and her two children inherited her looks. Absalom 
 was very like David he had the same golden-red 
 hair, which grew even more luxuriantly than his 
 father's. So heavy was it that every year he cut 
 it short, and every year it grew again below his 
 shoulders. 
 
 Besides the king's sons and daughters there had 
 to be rooms and houses for his other relations. 
 Many of his brothers and sisters had children, the 
 younger of whom had been brought up in the 
 palace, though of course, Joab, Abishai, and some
 
 ABSALOM 279 
 
 other nephews of his own age had long had their 
 own houses. Amnon and Absalom had both their 
 favorite cousins Amnon's was Jonadab, the son 
 of Shimei, an elder brother of David, and Absalom's 
 was Amasa, the son of Abigail, a younger sister. 
 
 Then, on the outer edge of the royal circle, 
 were the advisers, officers, and attendants of the 
 royal household. These had been added to period- 
 ically until they now formed a small town in them- 
 selves. Among the new servants whom David 
 found in his later years he could not do without, 
 were the musicians. Since he had had more time 
 for leisure he had more and more devoted himself 
 to music had made new musical instruments, in- 
 vented new songs, and gathered around him a 
 choice group of men and women singers and per- 
 formers. In these days the royal feasts were 
 elaborate, artistic ceremonials, instead of the mere 
 orgies of food and drink which were all that Saul 
 had known or imagined. 
 
 With these increasing complexities in his way of 
 living David tended more and more to be absorbed 
 in the external ritual of royalty, and to turn away 
 from his old dreams and meditations. His affec- 
 tion for his sons still remained and was expressed 
 chiefly by praise and indulgence his daughters 
 hardly affected his scheme of things and Bath-
 
 280 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 sheba retained an influence over him which she 
 had perhaps never yet exerted to the uttermost. 
 
 It happened that Amnon had not been to see 
 his father for several days, and at last David sent 
 for Jonadab to ask the cause of it. David thought 
 Jonadab was rather sly and did not trust him or 
 like him; but as Amnon was so fond of him he 
 concealed his own feelings or thought he did. 
 Perhaps he did not conceal them from Jonadab. 
 
 "Amnon is ill," was his reply to David's en- 
 quiries; "it is not much a little fever it irritates 
 him to be crossed, and that is apt to make the fever 
 worse I am sure a visit from the king would be the 
 very thing for him." 
 
 So David set off for Amnon's house, and found 
 him on his bed, looking, as Jonadab had said, 
 flushed and restless. He tossed about while his 
 father talked, and at last David rose. 
 
 "Is there anything you want, my son, before 
 I go?" he asked. Amnon hesitated. 
 
 "No yes, I want my sister Tamar to come and 
 make some cakes for me. She makes them better 
 than any one else and I believe I could eat them. 
 But she must come and make them here, or I shall 
 be sure somebody else made them, and they won't 
 be good. . . ."
 
 ABSALOM 281 
 
 David shook his head and smiled. 
 
 "What foolish ideas you have well, as you 're 
 ill I '11 tell Maacah to send her across." 
 
 He glanced over his shoulder as he left the room 
 and whispered to Jonadab, who was standing out- 
 side: 
 
 "He really isn't well such flushed cheeks and 
 bright eyes I 've never seen him like that before. 
 If he is n't better by the evening, send me word." 
 
 Jonadab bowed low and made no answer. 
 
 That afternoon there was such an outcry in the 
 women's apartments that David nearly sent to ask 
 what the matter was. He smiled to himself, how- 
 ever, and decided that it was wiser to say nothing 
 about it. If it was anything important, no doubt 
 he would hear about it all in good time. 
 
 He did indeed hear about it. 
 
 The wails and lamentations seemed to increase 
 rather than diminish, and suddenly, withput the 
 customary request for permission, Absalom burst 
 into the room. His face was crimson with passion, 
 he was panting violently, and stood there, at first 
 apparently unable to speak. 
 
 "Absalom!" cried David, in alarm, "what is it? 
 Why do you rush in like that? Speak!" 
 
 Absalom at last found his voice, but only to 
 stammer incoherently:
 
 282 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "Tamar!" he said, and then, "That villain 
 Ammon O God, the villain ! ..." 
 
 David turned pale. 
 
 "Be quiet, Absalom," he said, "be quiet; and 
 tell me what has happened." 
 
 Absalom turned on his father suddenly, with a 
 concentrated fierceness. 
 
 "Yes," he said, "I'll tell you, and you shall 
 say whether that devil should live another day 
 another hour. Tamar " he swallowed convul- 
 sively "Tamar went to him by your orders. He 
 sent every one out, and asked her to come to him. 
 'No,' said she; 'ask the king, and he will give me 
 to you properly as a wife.' But he would n't listen 
 and took her by force. Then the black-hearted 
 scoundrel he told her he hated her, and turned her 
 out and bolted the door. And she came back 
 alone through the streets, crying and tearing her 
 dress. . . . Oh my poor, pretty Tamar! but I 
 will see you righted." 
 
 Absalom himself was crying, the tears streaming 
 down his cheeks, but David said nothing and stared 
 at him. Presently Absalom's rage overcame his 
 grief and he caught hold of David. 
 
 "What are you going to do?" he cried between 
 his teeth. 
 
 "It 's too terrible," said David faintly. "How
 
 ABSALOM 283 
 
 does he dare commit such wickedness? If he were 
 not my eldest son he should. ..." 
 
 Absalom shook his arm and cried out again: 
 
 "What are you going to do?" 
 
 "It is a great sin I am very, very angry with 
 him I shall certainly not see him until he is sorry 
 for what he has done. ..." 
 
 Absalom looked at him; then with a groan, half 
 rage and half despair, let go his arm and rushed 
 out of the room as wildly as he had come in. 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 YET what was David to do? The usual thing in 
 a similar case was for the offender to pay a sum 
 of money to the girl's father, which in this case 
 was clearly absurd. It is true that such an arrange- 
 ment did not always appease the male relations 
 often, like Absalom, they became excited and took 
 an exaggerated view of the affair, in which case 
 bloodshed was apt to follow. But it was just such 
 frays and feuds that David saw to be fatal to the 
 progress of the country, and he aimed, in all his 
 system of administration, at reducing them to the 
 minimum. Why should he encourage Absalom's
 
 284 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 foolish excitement? Besides, Amnon was the 
 eldest. ... In short, it seemed to him better to 
 do nothing. Amnon must be told his father was 
 seriously displeased. Absalom must calm down 
 and become more reasonable. In time the whole 
 thing would blow over. 
 
 Two years passed, and it seemed as if David 
 was right. There had been no outbreak, no recrim- 
 inations, and Amnon and Absalom were apparently 
 on good terms. It was late in the month of May 
 and the harvest was in full swing. The warm 
 days, not yet too hot, and the delicious nights made 
 it a season for pleasure parties, and the young people 
 of the palace were constantly devising expeditions 
 and festivities. 
 
 One day Absalom came to David, full of excited 
 gaiety, and bursting with a request. 
 
 "I am going to have my sheep-shearing feast at 
 Baal-Nazor in a day or two will you come, father, 
 and all your household?" 
 
 David smiled. 
 
 "All my household why, Absalom, you would 
 be ruined it would take all your harvest of this 
 year to give us a feast." 
 
 "But you can't come without your people, and 
 I so want you to come." 
 
 David shook his head.
 
 ABSALOM 285 
 
 "No, no, my son, don't press me. I 'm too old 
 for these gaieties besides, you young people would 
 not enjoy yourselves so much if I were there in 
 your way. Go and have your sheep-shearing feast 
 without me." 
 
 Absalom looked down and hesitated. 
 "Well, then," he said, looking up again, "let 
 Amnon come with us instead." 
 
 "Amnon?" said David sharply. "What do you 
 want him for?" 
 
 "If I cannot have the king to honor my feast 
 the next best would be his eldest son," Absalom 
 explained. 
 
 "Well, ask him," answered David; and Absalom 
 kissed his hand and laughed with delight. 
 
 "Yes!" he exclaimed, "we will have Amnon and 
 Adonijah, and Shephatiah and Ithream and all their 
 friends you will not let us take little Solomon, I 
 suppose? I will ride over to-night and see that 
 all is prepared, and then to-morrow if possible 
 we will have our feast!" 
 
 David smiled at him and laid his hand on the 
 golden head. He felt a great gush of feeling 
 whenever he looked at Absalom, for whom he had 
 a peculiar and intimate love. Amnon was the 
 eldest, and had always held a privileged position, 
 but it was Absalom who was the darling of his
 
 286 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 heart. At times like these, when the young man 
 was eager and intent for some trifling scheme on 
 which he was set, when his eyes danced and his 
 mouth broke into irresistible smiles, David felt as 
 if his own youth had come back his own youth 
 shining in a golden aureole of princely pomp and 
 luxury, which made a delicious contrast to the hard 
 and dangerous days of the old reality. 
 
 The next morning was as brilliant and glittering 
 as could have been wished. Before the sun had 
 actually risen the pleasure makers were astir, and 
 soon a noisy, laughing troop of young men were 
 assembling outside the palace. The grooms brought 
 out mules, harnessed in bright colors and hung over 
 with bells; the runners, those who went before 
 persons of high rank to prepare the way, had girded 
 themselves up for the twelve-mile run; other serv- 
 ants were loading a few donkeys with extra delica- 
 cies to be used at the feast. Then, in twos and 
 threes, the princes and their companions appeared 
 about twenty young men, the eldest not twenty- 
 six, the youngest just eighteen. Solomon, a chubby 
 boy of ten, had escaped from Nathan and was 
 jumping in and out of the concourse, his vain long- 
 ing to join in the sport drowned for the moment in 
 his excitement at the assembly. All this David 
 watched from the roof with a tender enjoyment of
 
 ABSALOM 287 
 
 their pleasure. Suddenly, with a thrill at which he 
 smiled himself, he saw Absalom jump on to his 
 mule, wave his hand, and call to the others. 
 
 In a moment they were up, the whole gaily 
 colored crowd in movement, accompanied by the 
 clattering of hoofs, the jingling of bells, the laugh- 
 ter of young men. Amnon was obviously the 
 gayest and noisiest of them all. He rode in front 
 with Absalom on one side and Amasa on the other, 
 and kept turning round, shouting jokes and snatches 
 of song to the rest, flinging himself about in his 
 saddle, evidently dominated completely by hilarity 
 and excitement. David saw the gay .cavalcade 
 wind down the hill to the valley of the Kedron 
 then they turned north, toward Bethel, near which 
 place were Absalom's estates, and disappeared be- 
 hind the turn of the road. 
 
 The long shadows of evening were beginning to 
 creep across the narrow streets, and David, his 
 siesta over, was sitting in one of the lower rooms. 
 He did not expect the princes back till after dark, 
 and indeed would not have been surprised if they 
 had sent a messenger to say that with his permission 
 they would spend the night at Baal-Nazor. All at 
 once he heard a scuffle at the door the doorkeeper 
 and some would-be intruder were evidently in 
 dispute.
 
 288 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "Go and see what it is, Jonadab," said David, 
 for Jonadab, for some reason best known to him- 
 self, had not gone with the others. Before he could 
 get across the room the doorkeeper had been worsted 
 and a man rushed in, his clothes torn, his head 
 covered with dust, his eyes bloodshot and staring. 
 Never was a more obvious messenger of evil. 
 David leapt to his feet, and the man flung himself 
 to the ground, and in answer to the king's frenzied 
 cry, gasped out: 
 
 "Absalom has killed all the king's sons and 
 there is not one of them left." 
 
 The wail of despair that filled the hall was 
 echoed from the courtyard and from the streets of 
 the city. The king flung himself on the ground, the 
 bystanders tore their clothes only Jonadab re- 
 mained cool and collected. He waited for a few 
 moments, then went over to where the king lay and 
 sat down beside him. He spoke in a calm, assured 
 voice, and presently David raised himself and 
 listened. 
 
 "Let not the king suppose that they have killed 
 all the princes, for only Amnon is dead. Absalom 
 has been planning this since Tamar was forced." 
 
 "What do you say?" asked David, feebly. 
 
 "Let not the king take it so to heart," answered 
 the quiet voice. "Let him not think that all the
 
 ABSALOM 289 
 
 princes are dead, for only Amnon is dead and his 
 brothers are safe." 
 
 Jonadab spoke as if he knew did he know? 
 Was it true what he said? In another moment a 
 man was pushed up to David the man who kept 
 watch on the tower. 
 
 "My lord, men are coming down the road from 
 Beth-Horon the road over the western hills." 
 
 "You see, my lord," explained Jonadab, "these 
 men will be the princes it is as I said." 
 
 In another moment, before the dazed king had 
 fully realized what they were saying, the young men 
 rushed into the room. Breathless, frightened, 
 travel-stained, a sorry contrast to the pleasure 
 seekers of the morning, they too flung themselves 
 on the ground and wept. 
 
 At last David spoke but so mournfully that 
 some of those who had known him longest felt they 
 hardly recognized his voice. 
 
 "But Absalom? Where is Absalom? Did not 
 some one say he had done it? I do not see him 
 here. . . . Where is he?" 
 
 There was a pause. 
 
 "He went north," murmured Adonijah. 
 
 "He has gone to Geshur," said Jonadab 
 decidedly; "he has gone to his grandfather Talmai, 
 at Geshur."
 
 290 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 How had Jonadab known all this? He who had 
 been the confident of Amnon, who, as some 
 whispered, had suggested the ruse that had ended 
 in the ruin of Absalom's sister, now appeared as 
 the confidant of Absalom, and had perhaps sug- 
 gested the revenge that had ended in Amnon's death. 
 David's anguish over the business was so great that 
 he would not probe these dark mysteries, but he 
 made no attempt to conceal the fact that Jonadab's 
 face was hateful to him, and the young man soon 
 found it no longer worth his while to live in Jerusa- 
 lem. He went to Bethlehem, where his father had 
 some of the family land in cultivation. 
 
 The blow had been a terrible one to David. It 
 was a long time before he could even pretend to 
 resume his usual habits, and all who were about 
 him said that he was dreadfully aged. Strangely 
 enough, he recovered more quickly from the death 
 of Amnon than from the exile of Absalom. Death 
 was so definite, so unalterable, so plainly the end 
 of the chapter, that David's incurable good sense 
 and instinct for making the best of things prevented 
 any dwelling on the loss, or useless repining. But 
 with Absalom it was different. The problem of
 
 ABSALOM 291 
 
 his attitude to this adored son was an open wound 
 which pained him continuously. Should he send 
 for him back? should he forgive him? or had his 
 offense been too great for that? Amnon, though 
 not yet actually anointed, had surely something of 
 the sacred character of a king he was, moreover, 
 Absalom's own brother, and his father's son. On 
 the other hand, Absalom had had considerable 
 provocation, and had doubtless been urged on by 
 designing and unscrupulous men. . . . What 
 should he do? He could not tell every action 
 seemed alike wretched and wrong, and in the help- 
 lessness of his oscillations he did nothing at all. 
 
 Joab watched his uncle with a gruff, obtuse 
 sympathy, and once or twice asked him why he 
 did n't send for the young man back. 
 
 "You 're getting old, David, and you 're fond of 
 the boy, are n't you?" 
 
 "Yes . . . yes ... of course I am. But I 'm 
 not as old as all that, Joab. After all, I 'm not 
 sixty yet." 
 
 "Yes, but you've had a hard life; it's told on 
 you more than on me, and I 'm certain you 're 
 hankering after Absalom." 
 
 But David talked of something else, and remained 
 undecided. At last Joab felt sure the thing was 
 preying on David's mind. He had no particular
 
 292 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 affection for his cousin, but he thought it was all 
 great nonsense to keep him in exile just for killing 
 Amnon, and planned out a scheme of his own to 
 induce the king to forgive him. 
 
 A few weeks afterward, when David was sitting 
 in judgment, a woman, dressed in the coarse brown 
 woolen clothes of a mourner, with dust on her 
 head, came and prostrated herself before him, 
 crying out: 
 
 "Help, O king!" 
 
 "What is the matter?" asked David; and she 
 rose and explained her case. 
 
 "I am a woman of Tekoa, and I am a widow. 
 I had two sons, and as they were at work in the 
 field they quarreled and fought, and one of them 
 killed the other. Now, then, all the family are 
 against me, for they say it is their duty, and, 
 besides, the custom of the tribes, to kill the one 
 who remains, for the life of the brother he slew. 
 And they have appointed an avenger of blood who 
 came to me and asked me to deliver my only sur- 
 viving son, that they may destroy him and leave 
 me without an heir, and my dead husband with no 
 one to carry on his name. So then, as I was afraid 
 of them, I said to myself, 'I will go to the king, 
 and perhaps he will help me.' " 
 
 This was just the sort of case that David liked.
 
 ABSALOM 293 
 
 It was the substitution of central authority for 
 private feuds and revenges, and he was convinced 
 that such a substitution was essential for the power 
 and prosperity of the country. He smiled encourag- 
 ingly at the petitioner. 
 
 "Quite right," he said; "you can go home and 
 I will give orders for the matter to be seen to." 
 
 The woman bowed and spread out her hands. 
 
 "If there is any sin in sparing him who has 
 shed blood," said she, deprecatingly, "may it fall 
 on me and my house, and may the king and his 
 throne be guiltless." 
 
 David thought she had not understood him and 
 spoke more explicitly. 
 
 "If any one says anything to you, bring him to 
 me, and he shall not touch you or your son." 
 
 She was apparently not satisfied, but bowed 
 again, touching the ground with her lips. 
 
 "Will the king swear by Yahweh that the 
 avenger of blood shall not destroy any more?" 
 
 "I swear it by the life of Yahweh," said David, 
 expecting the woman to thank him and retire. To 
 his amazement she caught hold of his robes and 
 spoke more eagerly than before. 
 
 "May I say a word to the king?'' 
 
 David thought she had already said a good many, 
 but he smiled and said: "Speak on."
 
 294 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 He was still more surprised when she stood up, 
 pushed back her veil, and looked intently at him. 
 Now that she was standing upright he was struck 
 by the firmness and dignity of her carriage; her 
 keen gray eyes and the lines on her face gave her 
 a look of intelligence and decision which he had not 
 expected from her somewhat rambling tale, and 
 when she spoke her voice had lost its slightly 
 whining tone, and rang out clear and strong. 
 
 "Why then do you on your side act against the 
 people of God? By giving this judgment you show 
 yourself guilty, for you yourself have not brought 
 home your own son who is banished." 
 
 She paused, her eyes still fixed on his, and then 
 continued: "Water spilt on the ground cannot be 
 gathered up; we must all die and it will then be 
 too late to do or receive kindness." 
 
 Another pause, and she spoke again. 
 
 "Yahweh will surely give long life and prosperity 
 to him who brings back the outcast from worshiping 
 strange gods in a strange land, to Yahweh's own 
 country where alone he can be worshiped." 
 
 David leant back, his mind in a whirl, his 
 emotions in a strange confusion. So that was what 
 her tale had meant the fratricide, the blood feud, 
 the royal intervention had all been a fable, and the 
 whole scene was merely a trap to get him to forgive
 
 ABSALOM 295 
 
 Absalom and bring him back. But why should 
 this woman of Tekoa intervene in the affair? Why 
 should she trudge fifteen miles to mix herself in 
 matters with which she had so little concern? He 
 looked at her, pulling his beard and considering. 
 Then he leant forward. 
 
 "I beg you to answer my questions truly do 
 not conceal anything from me." 
 
 "Let the king speak." 
 
 "Is it Joab who sent you to me with this 
 story?" 
 
 The woman smiled and her tension seemed to 
 relax. 
 
 "It is indeed impossible to hide anything from 
 the king. It was Joab who charged me with it and 
 told me what I was to say his object was that you 
 should see it all from a different point of view. 
 But you are too wise you have the wisdom of an 
 angel of God, and understand everything on the 
 earth. . . ." 
 
 "Well, Joab," said David, that evening, "I have 
 seen your wise woman and heard her tale you 
 can go and bring Absalom back to Jerusalem." 
 
 Joab sensibly did not allow time for the king 
 to change his mind ; he went immediately to Geshur 
 and returned with the prince. It was as well he 
 did so, for by the time they got back David had had
 
 296 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 another revulsion of feeling and refused to let his 
 son come into his presence. So things lasted for 
 another two years, until at last Absalom induced 
 Joab to intercede for him again, and again at Joab's 
 suggestion David yielded to his own wishes. This 
 time the pardon was complete and official. Ab- 
 salom entered the room where his father sat in 
 state, prostrated himself, and kissed the ground; 
 the king raised him to his feet, put his arms round 
 him, and kissed him on both cheeks. 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 FOUR years passed, and with the advance of old 
 age David felt an increasing peacefulness and 
 serenity. The perils and struggles of his youth, 
 the wars and violences of his middle age had faded 
 into the background. The size of his empire, his 
 wealth, his importance among Syrian rulers were 
 little short of marvelous. Absalom was at home 
 and forgiven Absalom was his heir and would 
 continue his conquests and develop his improve- 
 ments. Everything seemed to have turned out as 
 fortunately .as possible, and if his own vigor and
 
 ABSALOM 297 
 
 energy were not all that they had once been, the 
 young man was there with the vigor and energy 
 of youth. 
 
 One evening, in the pleasant hour before sunset, 
 David sat in his hall conversing with two of his 
 counselors, Hushai the Archite, and Ahitophel the 
 Gilonite. Ahitophel was the grandfather of Bath- 
 sheba, and in high repute at the court as a man of 
 knowledge and cunning. While they were finish- 
 ing their discussion of some point of administration, 
 two younger men were lounging on the cushions at 
 the king's feet, carrying on in a low tone a con- 
 versation of their own. They were Solomon, a 
 handsome youth of nineteen, and Meribaal, the son 
 of Jonathan, and suddenly Solomon called out, as 
 if to settle the question in dispute: 
 
 "Ittai will know let's ask him Ittai! come 
 here ! we want to ask you something." 
 
 Ittai, a large, heavily built man, evidently one of 
 the king's guards, came clanking across the room 
 to hear the question. 
 
 "You come from Gath, don't you, Ittai? Well, 
 Meribaal says some one told him the Philistines 
 had iron swords long before the Israelites had them 
 is that true?" 
 
 "Oh yes, quite true," said Ittai; "why, I remem-
 
 298 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 her when I was a child the Hebrews had no smiths 
 at all, and used to bring their plowshares down to 
 us to get them sharpened." 
 
 "But if they had iron plowshares, why should n't 
 they have swords?" asked Meribaal. Ittai shook 
 his head ; he could n't tell. 
 
 "Well, I suppose they could n't get enough iron 
 for both, and wanted the plowshares most," sug- 
 gested Solomon. "Besides, I suppose the Philistine 
 smiths and you say there were no Israelite smiths 
 would n't make swords for them." 
 
 "But some Israelites won them from the Phil- 
 istines in battle," said Meribaal, with a sup- 
 pressed sigh. "I 'm sure I 've heard them say 
 David did, in a wonderful battle against a whole 
 army. . . ." 
 
 David, hearing his name, began to listen. 
 
 "Yes," said Solomon eagerly, "I 've heard some- 
 thing about it too there was something about a 
 giant do you know about it, Ittai?" 
 
 "Of course I do," said Ittai, "seeing that the 
 giant, whose name was Goliath, came from the very 
 town I came from. His father's name was Raph, 
 and Raph and his four sons were giants, and ter- 
 rors to the Hebrews." 
 
 Ittai noticed that David was listening and turned 
 to him for confirmation.
 
 ABSALOM 299 
 
 "Weren't Raph and his sons terrors to the 
 Hebrews, David?" 
 
 "Well, Ittai, the Hebrews killed them all in 
 battle, did n't they?" 
 
 Ittai threw back his great head and laughed, but 
 Solomon shook his arm impatiently. 
 
 "But tell me about Goliath, and how he was 
 killed." 
 
 "Ah, that must have been a fine fight. There 
 was David a little slip of a thing, younger than 
 you, Solomon, with nothing 'but his sling and 
 shepherd's staff and across the stream the giant 
 all in bronze armor. 'Am I dog,' cried out the 
 giant, 'that you come out against me with sticks 
 and stones? Come to me,' he cried, 'and I will 
 give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts 
 of the field.' 'You come against me,' answered 
 David, quick as light, 'with a sword and a spear 
 and a javelin, but I come in the name of Yahweh 
 of Hosts whom you have defied.' And before 
 Goliath could say another word he slung a stone at 
 him and killed him dead ! " 
 
 "And took his iron sword!" cried Solomon, 
 jumping up, "and cut his head off with it. Did n't 
 you, Father? How splendid! Did n't you?" 
 
 "Of course he did!" answered Ittai, before the 
 king could speak. David smiled.
 
 300 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "Why don't you tell Meribaal about Michmash 
 and his father's great doings?" he asked, and Ittai 
 looked sulky. He did not like to talk of the 
 Philistines being defeated by any Hebrew except 
 David. 
 
 At this moment the doorkeeper announced that 
 Absalom was without and asked permission to see 
 the king, and in another moment the prince entered. 
 Absalom was now a big, handsome man of thirty- 
 five. His hair had lost something of the golden 
 tint it had in his youth, but it was still silky and 
 luxuriant and was dressed with scrupulous care. 
 His clothes, too, were rich and evidently well cared 
 for, and he wore several gold ornaments. His ex- 
 pression had entirely altered. The sparkle had 
 gone out of his eyes was there a shifty look in its 
 place ? and the smile had left his lips. His beard, 
 beautifully curled and scented, was too small to 
 hide the heaviness of the lower part of his face, and 
 his full lips and contracted eyebrows gave him a 
 look that was at once sensual and sullen. 
 
 As he entered the room he glanced quickly at 
 Ahitophel, who was standing behind the king's 
 chair. The councilor made an almost impercep- 
 tible movement with his hand and his head, and 
 Absalom smiled faintly. By this time he had 
 reached David and made a gesture as if to pros-
 
 ABSALOM 301 
 
 trate himself, but his father caught his hand and 
 prevented him. 
 
 "Well, Absalom?" The king looked up at him af- 
 fectionately. 
 
 "You are kind to let me break in upon your 
 council," said Absalom, in a low voice. "Have 
 you time to listen to a request?" 
 
 "Yes, yes, certainly." David smiled with pleas- 
 ure at the thought of being able to do something 
 that his son wanted. "You are not interrupting 
 our council is over what is it you want?" 
 
 "I want leave to go to Hebron to pay a vow to 
 Yahweh. When I was in Geshur I vowed that if 
 the Lord brought me back to Jerusalem I would 
 make a sacrifice to him at Hebron, and that is the 
 vow I wish to pay." 
 
 "By all means go," said David, whose heart had 
 stood still a moment at the mention of Absalom's 
 time of exile. "When do you think of going?" 
 
 "To-morrow, if you have no objection." 
 
 "No, no ... shall you take the little girl?" 
 Absalom had brought back a wife from Geshur, 
 but his three sons had died in infancy and his 
 household consisted only of a little daughter who 
 had inherited the family beauty and was called 
 Tamar. 
 
 "Yes, I want to take her with me. She will be
 
 302 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 quite comfortable in the chariot, and the horses will 
 make the journey a short one." 
 
 "Well. . . ." David looked up and raised his 
 hand to bless Absalom, who bowed his head. The 
 king's hand rested on it to Absalom it seemed an 
 age and then with a slight tremor in his voice 
 David spoke: 
 
 "Go in peace." 
 
 And with those words in his ear, and hatred, 
 treachery, and violence in his heart, Absalom left 
 his father's presence forever. 
 
 When he had gone Solomon stretched himself 
 lazily, and muttered: 
 
 "Is he going to Hebron for the sake of using his 
 wonderful chariot, and exercising his horses and 
 runners?" 
 
 "Hush, Solomon don't speak of your brother 
 like that." 
 
 "Or does he want the people of Judah to take 
 him for the king? . . ." 
 
 "What nonsense! you ought not to say such 
 things ought he, Ahitophel ?" 
 
 But Ahitophel was not there. He had slipped 
 out unperceived in the darkness.
 
 ABSALOM 303 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 IT was not long before David's awakening. One 
 night the sound of the trumpet was heard in the 
 towns and villages of Israel, and the announce- 
 ment went out, "Absalom is king in Hebron." 
 The news reached Jerusalem before sunrise, and 
 Abishai went immediately to the king to break it 
 to him. The very fact of Absalom's proclamation 
 stunned David, to such an extent that he sat bereft 
 of speech or thought; Abishai had no idea how to 
 rouse him, and could only think of sending in to 
 him messenger after messenger with the news as 
 it arrived first of the different tribes that threw 
 in their lot with Absalom then of the two hundred 
 men who had secretly gone to Hebron from Jeru- 
 salem then of Absalom's march northward ob- 
 viously toward Jerusalem, the capital. 
 
 This finally penetrated to David's mind and 
 convinced him that he must act. Joab, the only 
 man whose advice he would have taken at such a 
 juncture, was in southern Syria bringing to reason 
 a district that had been giving trouble; Ahitophel 
 was at his own city of Giloh, and the enemy was 
 marching on Jerusalem. 
 
 "We must fly, Abishai," cried David, starting
 
 304 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 suddenly from his stupor. "We must fly at once; 
 otherwise we shall none of us escape from Ab- 
 salom. . . ." 
 
 Abishai stared in amazement. Jerusalem was 
 a fortified town, particularly difficult to assault, 
 a messenger would soon bring Joab and the army 
 to their assistance he could not understand what 
 David could be thinking of. 
 
 But the king was trembling violently, impatient 
 and irritated at Abishai's hesitation. 
 
 "Make haste, make haste and let us get away or 
 he will overtake us and the whole town will be put 
 to the sword. ..." 
 
 Abishai shrugged his shoulders and turned to 
 go out and make arrangements for the flight. 
 As he was leaving the room David called him back 
 with nervous impetuosity. 
 
 "We can't take all the women it 's impossible 
 they would delay us too much but whatever 
 happens don't leave Bathsheba behind and tell 
 Nathan, that he may bring Solomon." 
 
 Abishai nodded and hurried away. 
 
 It was obvious that if they were to fly they must 
 fly at once, and Abishai allowed little time to the 
 household for their preparations. Instructions had 
 to be sent to Benaiah and Ittai, who commanded the 
 Philistine guard, Nathan had to be told to get
 
 ABSALOM 305 
 
 ready, Abiathar and Zadok, the high priests, had 
 to be warned of the king's departure, messengers 
 had to be sent to Joab summoning him back at 
 once. There was no time to collect stores, they 
 must trust to the friendliness of the country through 
 which they passed if that failed them the guard 
 could perhaps get some food by force, but it was 
 no use thinking about that. Ten of the royal con- 
 cubines, Abishai decided, must be left behind. 
 When all his dispositions were made he fetched 
 David, who silently put himself at the head of the 
 dismal procession, and with bowed head and trem- 
 bling limbs set out. 
 
 And so a second time the son of Jesse went into 
 exile. The first time he had been alone, unknown, 
 unprotected, yet with a high spirit, superb self- 
 confidence, and an almost gay sense of adventure. 
 Now he had a faithful bodyguard, many friends 
 around him, the prestige of a king, but went out 
 miserable and despairing, dazed by the unexpected- 
 ness and cruelty of the blow that had fallen on 
 him. If there was anything in his consciousness 
 besides the agony of Absalom's treachery, it was the 
 humiliation of Judah's infidelity. Affection and 
 pride alike were wounded, and the egotism from 
 which they both sprang writhed in torture. 
 
 They went down the hill, up the valley of the
 
 306 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 Kedron as far as the last house. Then Abishai 
 stopped, and turned to David. 
 
 "Of course you mean to cross the Jordan. We 
 must pass the Kedron here and go over the hill 
 by the high place. The guard had better come 
 first and see that all is secure." 
 
 David acquiesced in silence, and he and the 
 household waited by the wayside for the soldiers 
 to go past. 
 
 He turned and looked back at Jerusalem. So 
 different a town from the one he had seized in his 
 strength and his pride . . . the fine stone houses 
 shone in the sun, and climbed high up the hill, 
 while northward of the city, almost directly be- 
 fore him, was the green hill of Moriah, crowned 
 by the farm buildings of some Jebusite. He gazed 
 with an unthinking eye, his mind absorbed by other 
 thoughts, yet the picture made an unfading im- 
 pression, and in after years often started clearly 
 into his imagination. 
 
 Presently he turned his head, and looked at the 
 men who were streaming by. At the end of the 
 column came one or two officers, and among them 
 Ittai the Gittite. The sight of his face was the 
 first thing that had roused David since the terrible 
 exodus had begun. He stopped him with a motion 
 of his finger, and beckoned him to come near.
 
 ABSALOM 307 
 
 "Why do you come with us?" he said in a weak 
 voice, and Ittai bent his head to make sure he heard. 
 "Go back to Jerusalem and stay with the king . . . 
 you are a stranger, an exile from your own 
 home . . . you came but yesterday, and to-day 
 shall I make you go no one knows where with 
 me? ... Return, and take your companions with 
 you, and may Yahweh show you mercy and 
 truth. . . ." 
 
 Ittai had been grumbling and growling through- 
 out these words of David, and when the king 
 stopped he broke out in a great passion. 
 
 "As Yahweh lives, and as the king lives, wher- 
 ever the king is, whether dead or alive, there will I 
 be!" And with a gesture rare among the Philis- 
 tines he bent down and kissed his master's feet. 
 A faint smile rose to David's lips; he put his hand 
 on Ittai's head and said: 
 
 "Go then pass over the brook." 
 
 The mere fact of having spoken to some one had 
 been good for David, and Ittai's loyalty and disin- 
 terestedness had been balm to him. More aware 
 of his surroundings, he looked to see who were 
 following the soldiers; it was a group of priests 
 headed by Abiathar and Zadok, the high priests, 
 bearing in their midst the Ark of God. The high 
 priests made a sign to the bearers to put it down
 
 308 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 by the side of the road, to enable the remaining re- 
 fugees from Jerusalem to cross the brook before 
 them. While they waited David looked at them, 
 and at last, spoke : 
 
 "Why have you brought the Ark out of the 
 city?" * 
 
 The priests looked at him with amazement, and 
 Abiathar answered: 
 
 "The king and his soldiers are going to battle 
 should not Yahweh go with them to give them 
 victory?" 
 
 There was a momentary silence, and at last 
 David spoke with a firmness that made Abishai 
 sigh with relief in spite of the alarming nature of 
 the order: 
 
 "Carry the Ark back. For if Yahweh is on 
 my side he will take me back too, in safety, to 
 Jerusalem and the place where he dwells. But if 
 he no longer cares for me why should I venture to 
 take the Ark with me? Let Yahweh do as he 
 wishes." 
 
 The two high priests stared at each other doubt- 
 fully, and Zadok asked: 
 
 "Are we all to return to Jerusalem, also?" 
 
 "Yes, yes," answered the king with a sigh; "re- 
 turn in peace. ..." 
 
 At that moment one of the priests stepped for-
 
 ABSALOM 309 
 
 ward and made his obeisance; David signed to 
 him to speak, and he began eagerly: 
 
 "I am Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, and here is 
 Jonathan, the son of Abiathar. We are young 
 men, fast runners. If we return to the city we 
 could bring news to the king of how things go 
 there. . . ." 
 
 "So you could; thank you, my " David had 
 begun to say "my son," but he swallowed the word 
 and groaned. "Thank you. We will wait at the 
 fords of the wilderness till we hear from you." 
 
 "Now, David," called Abishai, "they are all over 
 we are waiting for you." 
 
 The king turned down to cross the brook and 
 the priests lifted the Ark and turned again up the 
 hill toward Jerusalem. As David began the ascent 
 of the Mount of Olives a wave of despair rushed 
 over him. He stooped down, took off his sandals, 
 and throwing his cloak over his head burst into 
 a flood of tears. The people in front, hearing the 
 lamentations, broke out in sympathy, and thus 
 mourning and wailing they went up the hill. 
 
 It was noon when they reached the summit 
 the high place, which had formerely been the 
 sanctuary of Nob and had been destroyed by Saul 
 because of the succor Ahimelech, the high priest, 
 had given to David. The heat of the day and the
 
 310 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 exhaustion of some of the fugitives made Abishai 
 decide on a halt, and while they rested he attempted 
 to provide some refreshment for David and the 
 women. They had not been there long when a 
 group of men were seen approaching from the north, 
 and in a moment Hushai the Archite, his clothes 
 torn and dust on his head, ran forward and fell at 
 David's feet. 
 
 "This is terrible news, my lord," he panted. "I 
 heard as I came along that Ahitophel has joined 
 the rebellion he made a great sacrifice as a corona- 
 tion feast at Giloh and then set out for Hebron. 
 No doubt he has been in the plot, counseling 
 Absalom, for months." 
 
 David ground his teeth. 
 
 "May Yahweh turn his counsel to folly. . . ." 
 
 "You are going across the Jordan, I suppose," 
 went on Hushai, "and will make a stand there. 
 I have brought a few men with me, and that will 
 be some help if we are pursued before Joab returns." 
 
 But David's instincts for diplomacy were now 
 awake again and he shook his head. 
 
 "If you come with me you will only be an 
 additional encumbrance your men are not numer- 
 ous enough to be of any real use, and we are already 
 short of food and stores. No. Your business is 
 to go back to Jerusalem."
 
 ABSALOM 311 
 
 "Go back to Jerusalem?" echoed Hushai. 
 
 "Yes; tell Absalom you are on his side he will 
 take you into his counsel, and you will be able to 
 frustrate Ahitophel's advice." 
 
 "I might do something. . . ." Hushai pon- 
 dered. 
 
 "I 'm sure you might. Besides, Abiathar and 
 Zadok have also gone back. You can let them 
 have any news that it is important for me to know 
 and they will send it on by their sons. In this way 
 I shall still have both a tongue and eyes in 
 Jerusalem." 
 
 "You are right," said Hushai, getting up. "It 
 is clearly the most useful thing I can do. ... 
 Well, may Yahweh preserve you and bring you 
 home in triumph." 
 
 And now it was time to resume the journey, and 
 while Hushai went west the king set off down the 
 eastern slope of the hill, into the wilderness of 
 Judea that led down to the Jordan. They had 
 hardly started down when hoofs were heard clatter- 
 ing after them, and turning round they saw Ziba, 
 the servant of Meribaal, hurrying after them, lead- 
 ing two heavily laden asses. The king stopped and 
 asked him what he was doing. 
 
 Ziba made his salutations with great humility, 
 and answered:
 
 312 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 ''The asses are for the king's household to ride 
 on I have also brought some bread and fruit, and 
 a skin of wine in case any are faint in crossing the 
 wilderness." 
 
 "And where is Meribaal?" asked the king, half 
 wondering whether the very welcome refreshment 
 came from him. 
 
 "Meribaal?" answered Ziba, with an almost 
 imperceptible sneer. "Meribaal has remained in 
 Jerusalem, for he thinks that he will now recover 
 his father's kingdom." 
 
 David flushed darkly. So this was Meribaal's 
 gratitude for all the kindness that had been shown 
 him! Let him see how Absalom would behave 
 let him recover his father's kingdom if he could! 
 Then glancing at Ziba, who was bowing before him, 
 he thought, "Ziba will expect something for his 
 presents ..." and an idea flashed upon him. 
 
 "You bring food and asses just when they are 
 wanted," he said in a gracious voice, "and since 
 Meribaal has turned traitor you shall have all that 
 belongs to him land, houses, and stores it is 
 yours from henceforward." 
 
 Ziba flung himself on the ground, crying: 
 
 "I do obeisance may I find favor in my lord 
 the king's sight," mumbling the king's feet with his
 
 ABSALOM 313 
 
 lips and rubbing his forehead in the dust. Even 
 David could not help feeling a little disgusted at 
 his servility, and one of his men whispered to 
 another : 
 
 "And now the faithful Ziba returns to Jerusalem 
 to play the same trick on Absalom." 
 
 The journey across the wilderness was a painful 
 one, but thanks to the asses which were ridden in 
 turn by the women and children, and the wine which 
 stimulated the most exhausted, they got through it 
 without disaster. At last they came in sight of 
 Bahurim, a village on the edge of the desert, and 
 about four miles from the Jordan. The sinking 
 spirits of the travelers began to revive, for they 
 were now near the night's resting place it would 
 be impossible to cross the river before morning, and 
 indeed David did not intend to attempt it till they 
 had had news from Jerusalem. 
 
 The village of Bahurim lay in the cleft of a 
 ravine, and as they tramped down the road, wild 
 and jagged rocks rose alongside the track. Sud- 
 denly David's attention was called by a fierce shout 
 above him ; he raised his eyes, and a strange figure 
 stood before him. It was a very tall, thin man 
 almost seven feet high, and thin to the stage of 
 emaciation; he was completely naked, and his
 
 314 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 scanty white hair and beard streamed wildly in 
 the wind ; his right arm was raised and a long thin 
 finger pointed menacingly at the king. 
 
 David, and Abishai who was walking beside him, 
 stopped in amazement and stared at this apparition. 
 Immediately he began to pour forth, in a voice 
 hoarse with fury and rage, a torrent of imprecations : 
 
 "Begone, begone, thou man of blood and man of 
 Belial! Now will Yahweh be revenged for all the 
 blood of the house of Saul which thou hast spilt, 
 whose kingdom thou hast seized! I, Shimei, son 
 of Gera, of the tribe of Benjamin, curse thee in the 
 name of Yahweh! Yahweh hath delivered thy 
 kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son ; behold ! 
 thou art taken in thy own mischief, because thou 
 art a man of blood ! " 
 
 By this time Abishai had recovered himself, and 
 seizing his sword turned eagerly to David for in- 
 structions. David was standing quite silent, his 
 eyes fixed on Shimei, a wretched expression on his 
 face. At last Abishai pulled his sleeve and said: 
 
 "Why should this dead dog curse the king? Let 
 me go over and take off his head." 
 
 But David shook his head. 
 
 "No, no, Abishai, let him curse. If Yahweh 
 said to him curse David, why should we question 
 it? Even my own son is seeking my life how
 
 ABSALOM 315 
 
 much more may a Benjamite? Let him alone, and 
 let him curse, for Yahweh has told him to." 
 
 He sighed and began the march again. Shimei 
 caught up a stone and threw it at David with a 
 vindictive yell; and as the Israelites passed along 
 the ravine he leapt beside them from rock to rock, 
 throwing stones and dust, and screaming curses on 
 the king. At last they outdistanced him, and glanc- 
 ing back, Abishai saw the long thin figure still 
 leaping and waving his arms, though his voice no 
 longer reached the ears of his enemy. 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THAT night and the following morning David 
 stayed on the west bank of the Jordan. Abishai 
 was beginning to get very nervous he saw no point 
 whatever in delaying to put the broad river between 
 them and their foes but he had no influence with 
 the king, who was set on waiting for news from 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 The news came shortly after noon, and was 
 brought by Ahimaaz and Jonathan. They had 
 been quite successful in getting into touch with 
 Hushai, and a plan had been made by which they
 
 316 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 could continue regularly bringing messages to the 
 king from the city. It had been agreed that it 
 would be best for the young men not to be seen 
 going in and out of Jerusalem, so they were to hide 
 by the spring Enrogel, to the southeast of the town, 
 where the valley of Hinnom joins the valley of 
 Kedron. Hushai would send his slave girl down 
 from time to time with any information it seemed 
 necessary to send to David. 
 
 Their present news was on the whole satisfactory. 
 Hushai had managed to get into Absalom's confi- 
 dence. There had been a great council at which 
 both Ahitophel and Hushai had spoken. Ahitophel 
 had urged an immediate attack on David before he 
 had time to collect an army ; Hushai had advocated 
 a more thorough policy. Absalom was to wait till 
 he had gathered all Israel around him "from Dan 
 to Beersheba as the sand that is by the sea is 
 numbered " then they were to fall suddenly on 
 David and of him and his men not one would be 
 left. Luckily Hushai 's eloquence was successful, 
 and Absalom had decided to wait before pursuing 
 David. But Hushai strongly recommended David 
 to cross the Jordan at once, lest after all Absalom 
 should change his mind and Ahitophel prevail. 
 
 Ahimaaz had another piece of news which he 
 tactfully kept for Abishai's private ear. In the
 
 ABSALOM 317 
 
 evening the people of Jerusalem had seen a tent 
 spread on the roof of David's house; presently 
 Absalom had appeared, and in the face of every 
 one had gone in to his father's concubines. This 
 had naturally caused a good deal of talk. It was 
 admitted that there was now no hope of reconciling 
 the father and son, and that Absalom was claiming 
 his rights as the actual king, and many whispered 
 that the step had been taken on Ahitophel's advice. 
 
 Abishai shrugged his shoulders. He did not 
 attach much importance one way or the other to 
 such matters, and frankly admitted that questions 
 of policy were beyond him. He was fully occupied 
 with the urgent necessity of getting the fugitives 
 over the Jordan before nightfall, and by the most 
 strenuous efforts this was achieved. 
 
 The next day they set off northward for 
 Mahanaim, the former capital of Ishbaal. David 
 complained bitterly to Abishai, as they went, that it 
 was his own tribe of Judah that was playing him 
 false, and that he was obliged to turn to the 
 Gileadites for help in his adversity. 
 
 "The men of Hebron are angry, no doubt, that 
 their city is no longer the chief one, and all the 
 tribes of the South are jealous of the Israelites." 
 
 Abishai shook his head, and said it was a shame, 
 but his thoughts were occupied with wondering how
 
 318 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 soon they could expect to effect a junction with 
 Joab. 
 
 The next day they were joined again by Ahimaaz 
 and Jonathan. The two young men had had a nar- 
 row escape, for as they were leaving their hiding 
 place they had been seen by a boy who reported it 
 to Absalom, and a body of scouts had been sent 
 after them. When they reached Bahurim the pur- 
 suers were hot on their trail, and they only escaped 
 by taking refuge in a well in the courtyard of one 
 of the inhabitants. Absalom's men actually came 
 to the woman of the house and asked if she had seen 
 them, and she answered yes, they had passed half 
 an hour ago, and would be across the Jordan before 
 they could be stopped. This had discouraged the 
 soldiers, who had gone back to Jerusalem, while 
 Ahimaaz and Jonathan continued their journey in 
 safety. 
 
 David listened to the tale of adventure with an 
 interest he could hardly give to the report of Ahito- 
 phel's suicide and Amasa's appointment as com- 
 mander in chief. The story took him back to his 
 youth, and all day he walked as it were in a trance, 
 dreaming of the old days of outlawry, peril, and 
 happiness. For surely, after all, those had been 
 his happiest years, though he had not known it at 
 the time. . . . Then he had been always dreaming
 
 ABSALOM 3 19 
 
 of the time when he would be king now that he 
 was the king he was the most miserable man in the 
 kingdom. 
 
 After this adventure Ahimaaz and Jonathan did 
 not return to Jerusalem, but went on with the king. 
 They did not think it would be safe to go back; 
 besides, it was no longer necessary, for Absalom 
 and Amasa would not be long before they took 
 their army across the Jordan, and a conflict could 
 not now be avoided. That night Abishai had a 
 message from Joab to say that he was going direct 
 to Mahanaim and would meet them there, and on 
 the following evening the foot-sore king and his 
 companions found themselves in at any rate tem- 
 porary safety behind the fortified walls of the chief 
 town of Gilead. 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 DIRECTLY the news got abroad of David's arrival 
 at Mahanaim food and stores began pouring in 
 from the neighboring country. Among those who 
 thus showed their loyalty was Shobi, the brother of 
 Hanum, who had been made governor of Ammon 
 after the defeat and deposition of his brother. His 
 fidelity was a great ground of satisfaction to David, 
 proving as it did the pacification of the Ammonites,
 
 320 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 and his own wisdom in selecting Shobi as governor. 
 Many chieftains sent in part of their flocks and 
 dairy produce, to help feed the army, and in par- 
 ticular a Gileadite chief called Barzillai was pro- 
 fuse in his offerings. He was an old man of eighty, 
 still very robust and active, and he presented him- 
 self every day before the king to find out if anything 
 in particular was needed. The house of one of the 
 most important citizens was taken over for Bath- 
 sheba and the women, and David was accommo- 
 dated not far off. 
 
 Meanwhile Joab had been organizing and ex- 
 ercising his men, hearing the reports of the scouts, 
 and holding council with his officers. The day 
 came when he went to David with the news that 
 Absalom w r as now in the near neighborhood; he 
 proposed that the army should go out to meet him 
 in three divisions, under Abishai, Ittai, and him- 
 self, while David remained in the city with a body 
 of reserves. 
 
 "Do as you think best," said the king, listlessly. 
 Joab told him they would start in the morning, and 
 left him. 
 
 During these days of preparation under the able 
 generalship of Joab, David had quite recovered 
 from the panic into which he had fallen on first 
 receiving the unexpected news of rebellion. He
 
 ABSALOM 321 
 
 now felt that as far as his person and his throne 
 were concerned he was secure, for he was positive 
 that Absalom and Amasa, with their untrained 
 levies, would be quite unable to get the better of his 
 veterans, commanded as they were by the sons of 
 Zeruiah. His fears now were all on the other side. 
 Poor Absalom! What would become of him? He 
 might be killed in the battle he might be taken 
 prisoner and killed in cold blood. ... He did 
 not know how to face these possibilities, and brooded 
 over them despairingly, till he could think of nothing 
 else. Joab's schemes, his own part in the conflict, 
 the safety of Mahanaim and the loyalist party, 
 were matters of indifference to him he cared only 
 to secure, in one way or another, the life of Absalom. 
 
 By sunrise the army was marshaled outside the 
 south gate, and David came out to see them start. 
 During the long sleepless hours of the night he had 
 thought of a way a chance, at least, of saving his 
 son after all "why should he not be made prisoner 
 and brought back for judgment? Surely it might 
 be managed. Why not? 
 
 When he reached the troops he sent for Joab. 
 
 "You have three divisions, haven't you?" he 
 asked, "make them march out past me with their 
 captains and place the captains on this side, so 
 that they '11 come near me as they go."
 
 322 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 Joab shrugged his shoulders, but told Abishai 
 and Ittai, and then went to give the orders to his 
 own division. After all it didn't much matter 
 how they marched David's way would do as well 
 as another, and the main thing was for them to start 
 soon. 
 
 The march past began Joab thought David 
 was saying something to each captain that went 
 by some good wish, he supposed, for the favor of 
 Yahweh. Then a young man came running, with 
 word that the king wished to speak to Joab, Abishai, 
 and Ittai. Joab was vexed at being taken away 
 from his supervision of the men, and went along 
 growling to himself. Abishai and Ittai came up 
 just as he did, and suddenly the king called out in 
 a ringing voice, that must have reached the ears of 
 many of the soldiers : 
 
 "Listen to my command, sons of Zeruiah and 
 Ittai the Gittite. For my sake deal gently with 
 Absalom let no one touch him to hurt him." 
 
 Joab bit his lip in anger. 
 
 "What folly is this?" he thought to himself. 
 "So this is the rubbish for which he has been alter- 
 ing our marching order and keeping us running to 
 and fro like slaves . . . Deal gently with Absalom! 
 If only I get a chance of dealing with him! . . ."
 
 ABSALOM 323 
 
 It was not likely that any news of the battle 
 would reach Mahanaim before evening, yet all day 
 long the king sat by the gate. There were two 
 gates, an outer and an inner, with a small enclosure 
 between them lined with stone benches. Above 
 the enclosure there was a little room for the watch- 
 man, the roof of which was on a level with the city 
 wall. David's restless anxiety kept him wandering 
 around the gatehouse sometimes sitting on one of 
 the benches, sometimes climbing to the room above 
 the gate, sometimes walking along the wall, waiting 
 and wondering in an agony of apprehension. 
 
 The shadows were beginning to lengthen when, 
 worn out by his agitation, he sat down in the en- 
 closure and fell asleep. The voice of the watchman 
 woke him with a start. 
 
 "Look! look! A man running alone !" 
 
 "Alone!" cried David; "then he is a messenger 
 if he were a fugitive there would be others." 
 
 "He comes nearer and nearer," called down the 
 watchman; and then, suddenly, "Another man run- 
 ning alone ! " 
 
 "Another messenger!" David jumped up and 
 went to the gate, but the runners were still too far 
 off for him to distinguish them clearly. Presently 
 the watchman called down again:
 
 324 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "I think by his running the first man is Ahimaaz, 
 son of Zadok." 
 
 "He is a good man," muttered David to himself, 
 "and doubtless brings good news"; and he leant up 
 against the gate and waited. 
 
 In another moment Ahimaaz was within hail; he 
 recognized the king and, touching his head, called 
 out: "Peace be with you!" 
 
 David felt he could not speak something was 
 clutching his throat. Ahimaaz was now quite near ; 
 he bowed to the ground and said : 
 
 "Blessed be Yahweh, God of Israel, who delivered 
 into our hands those who fought against the king." 
 
 "It is a victory," David thought; and at last 
 managed to speak: 
 
 "Is Absalom safe?" 
 
 Why did not Ahimaaz answer? Why was he 
 looking at him so strangely? Why did he hang 
 his head and answer in such a different voice. 
 
 "When I left Joab, fighting was still going on 
 I 'm not sure." 
 
 "Well," said David with a sigh, "wait here in 
 the gateway," and he turned to the second messenger 
 who had just come up. This man was a negro, a 
 slave of Joab's whom he had specially trained as 
 a runner. He did obeisance and spoke:
 
 ABSALOM 325 
 
 "Good news. Yahweh has to-day done vengeance 
 on all who rose against you." 
 
 Again David asked his one question : 
 
 "Is Absalom safe?" 
 
 The negro kissed the ground at the king's feet 
 before he answered: 
 
 "May the king's enemies and all who rise against 
 you be as that young man is." 
 
 Dead! It was the long-expected end to the 
 dreary hours, not the less overwhelming for having 
 been expected. He turned blindly away, and crept 
 up the stairs to the little room above the gate, crying 
 and moaning as he went . . . "O my son Absalom, 
 my son, my son Absalom . . . would God I had 
 died for thee! . . . O Absalom, my son, my 
 son. . . ." 
 
 In about an hour the first groups of the victorious 
 army began to return. They swung along, singing, 
 laughing, and triumphant, all ready for the joyful 
 welcome they were expecting. In the gateway sat 
 Ahimaaz with a face of such desolation that one or 
 two of the men asked what ailed him. He pointed 
 upward ; and from the watchman's room they heard 
 the wail of despair: 
 
 "O my son Absalom. . . . O Absalom my 
 son . . . my son. . . ."
 
 326 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 This was a sorry welcome . . . they looked at 
 each other with guilty eyes ; their songs and laughter 
 were silenced, and they crept quietly to their quar- 
 ters. The news of David's grief soon spread among 
 all the returning soldiers, and they stole back into 
 the city without a sound part sympathizing with 
 the father's sorrow, part afraid of the king's dis- 
 pleasure, part resentful at his indifference to their 
 triumph. At last Joab heard of what was going 
 on. He was not far from Mahanaim at the time, 
 but he pushed on as quickly as he could and, reach- 
 ing the gate, strode up to the room where the king 
 was. He lay on the ground on his face, still 
 sobbing, still ejaculating his son's name, oblivious 
 of all else. 
 
 Joab caught him by the shoulder and pulled him 
 roughly around. 
 
 "So this is the thanks we get," he said bitterly, 
 "for saving your life and the lives of your women 
 and children you make it clear to every one that 
 if Absalom had lived and we had all been killed you 
 would have been well pleased you love those that 
 hate you, and hate those that love you." 
 
 David was silent. At last he raised his head 
 and said feebly: "What do you want?" 
 
 "I want this," answered Joab, "and mind, if you 
 don't do it, the worst will happen that you 've had
 
 ABSALOM 327 
 
 yet I want you to get up and go out to the soldiers 
 and speak cheerfully to them enter into their vic- 
 tory thank them for what they 've done I swear 
 by the Lord that if you don't not one man will stay 
 with you through the night." 
 
 "Very well." David slowly began to rise from 
 the ground. Joab put out his hand to help him, 
 and baring his arm showed a streak of dry blood 
 stretching from his wrist to his elbow. David's 
 eyes dilated; he shuddered violently and shrank 
 away from his nephew. He staggered to his feet, 
 and crept down the staircase alone, to sit all through 
 the night in the gateway and rejoice with the soldiers 
 over the glorious victory. Joab stood motionless 
 in the empty room and looked at the blood on his 
 arm. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 IN spite of the fact that Absalom was dead, and 
 the rebellion had thus lost at a blow its reason 
 and its leader, many negotiations had to be entered 
 into before David could return safely to Jerusalem. 
 Israel was in a ferment, the smaller men on the 
 whole wishing to recall the king, while some of
 
 328 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 the more important chiefs felt that the occasion was 
 propitious for shaking off the overlordship of a man 
 from Judah. A few well-chosen messages, and the 
 gracious reception of a deputation from the North- 
 ern tribes soon weighted the balance in David's fa- 
 vor, and it became apparent that his return would be 
 well received by them. To the men of Judah he 
 sent special envoys in the persons of Abiathar and 
 Zadok, pointing out that he had already received 
 advances from the Israelites, reminding them of 
 his relationship to themselves and claiming that his 
 own flesh and blood ought to be his best and dearest 
 support. There was no word of punishment or 
 disgrace. Amasa, indeed, was actually offered the 
 command of the army in the place of his cousin 
 Joab. This, David explained to the council of 
 officers, was essential to his whole scheme of diplo- 
 macy . . . and the announcement was received in 
 dead silence not a man ventured to protest. 
 
 The conduct of these negotiations was David's 
 great resource; during the weeks succeeding the 
 battle in the forest of Ephraim he toiled at them 
 with unremitting energy, trying desperately to heal 
 his wounds or at least forget them for some hours 
 every day. 
 
 At last his work drew to a successful conclusion ; 
 the chiefs of Judah sent, begging him to reurn with
 
 ABSALOM 329 
 
 his household, and informing him that they would 
 themselves go down to the ford of Gilgal to meet 
 him. The departure from Mahanaim was there- 
 fore arranged, and Barzillai at his own special re- 
 quest accompanied the king as far as the Jordan 
 with two of his sons and a small guard of honor. 
 
 And so David started out for his triumphal return 
 to Jerusalem. Again it had been shown that he 
 was the special favorite of Yahweh, his enemies had 
 been destroyed, his kingdom was consolidated, and 
 all his ambitions were satisfied why was it that 
 success had the bitter taste of defeat? 
 
 On the third day they arrived at the bank of the 
 Jordan. On the other side was a camp obviously 
 the tents of the chiefs of Judah. Ziba suddenly 
 rushed down the slope of the opposite bank, jumped 
 into a boat which he seemed to have procured, and 
 was soon busily occupied in ferrying across those 
 of the king's household who disliked the idea of 
 wetting their feet Bathsheba was the first to be 
 taken over. David noticed a tall, lean, naked figure 
 on the western bank; he turned, and saw Abishai 
 beside him. 
 
 "Ah, Abishai," said David, "look at that man; 
 is he not the wild Benjamite who cursed us as we 
 left Jerusalem?" 
 
 "It is like him, certainly," answered Abishai,
 
 330 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 "but I wonder he has the audacity to appear before 
 us." 
 
 At this moment Barzillai approached the king 
 and asked him to cross Chimham his son was 
 there ready to lead his ass through the water. 
 David came forward, and in another moment was 
 making his way over the river. As he came near 
 the landing stage Shimei for he it was rushed 
 forward and made an obeisance. He then jumped 
 up again and began shouting in his fierce, hoarse 
 voice : 
 
 "Do not be angry with me, O king, do not 
 remember against me what I did on the day you 
 left Jerusalem. I was wrong I did wrong that 
 day, and to-day I am the first of the house of Joseph 
 to come down and welcome the king." 
 
 By this time David had landed, and Abishai, 
 who had crossed beside him, spoke before he could 
 answer. 
 
 "Let me put the old villain to death did n't he 
 curse the Lord's anointed?" 
 
 David had an access of irritation. 
 
 "Leave me alone," he said sharply; "you sons 
 of Zeruiah are too ready to kill, and I say that 
 to-day no man shall be put to death in Israel. Do 
 you hear, Shimei? You shall not die; I swear it 
 by the life of Yahweh."
 
 ABSALOM 331 
 
 At this moment Barzillai came up to take leave 
 of the king, and Daivd, who had grown attached to 
 him, looked at him with regret. 
 
 "Must you leave me?" he said with a tinge of 
 sadness. "Come over with me and let me show you 
 hospitality in Jerusalem as you did to me in 
 Mahanaim." 
 
 Barzillai touched his head and his breast. 
 
 "I am too old to make a new home," he answered, 
 "and I am too old to enjoy your delicacies and 
 ceremonies your food and drink and your singing 
 men and women. I should only be a burden to you; 
 let me go back to Gilead. But here is my son 
 Chimham he would delight in your novelties and 
 might be of some service to you let him go with 
 you instead of me." 
 
 "Chimham shall come," answered the king, "and 
 if at any time I can be of service to you send me 
 word." Barzillai touched his head again, embraced 
 his son, and returned across the Jordan. 
 
 By this time the chiefs of Judah were ready to 
 claim the king, coming eagerly forward, making 
 obeisance, welcoming him back, invoking the bless- 
 ing of Yahweh. In the midst of these rejoicings 
 a tumult was heard and a band of Israelites pushed 
 their way forward. They were evidently heated 
 with a hurried journey, and were, besides, full of
 
 332 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 grievances. One of them in particular, a Benjam- 
 ite, Sheba, the son of Bichri, could hardly contain 
 himself enough to salute the king. 
 
 "What is the matter, Sheba?" David asked. By 
 this time he was beginning to feel worn out. He 
 was sure by the look of things that there was going 
 to be a dispute between the tribesmen, and though 
 he knew he ought to avert it he was afraid he was 
 not equal to the occasion. 
 
 "We want to know how it comes about that only 
 the men of Judah have been given the opportunity 
 of coming to receive the king? Are not all David's 
 men his people?" 
 
 "Certainly," answered David; "no slight is in- 
 tended to the Israelites. . . ." 
 
 "And yet," called out a chief from near Bethle- 
 hem, "it is but right that we should be more favored, 
 for the king is of our tribe." 
 
 "Yes," shouted another from Hebron, "but what 
 advantage have we received from that? Do we 
 eat more often than you at the king's table? Or 
 do we receive gifts from him?" 
 
 Sheba shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "But / say that we of the North should have ten 
 parts in the king, and I say that we are the first- 
 born and I say that it is we who spoke first of 
 bringing back the king. . . ."
 
 ABSALOM 333 
 
 By this time David was feeling quite exhausted. 
 He beckoned to one of the men of Judah, and lean- 
 ing on his arm made his way to a tent, and sat 
 down to recover. He heard the voices of the dis- 
 putants growing shriller and more unreasonable, 
 until suddenly there was a sound of a trumpet. 
 Then Sheba's voice rang out he was too far away 
 for the king to hear all he said, but he caught the 
 words "nothing . . . David . . . son of Jesse" 
 and then a roar "to your tents, O Israel." Then 
 there was a sound of running feet, and a clatter of 
 asses' hoofs. . . . David leant back and shut his 
 eyes. 
 
 "So now the Israelites are in rebellion . . ." he 
 thought. 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 AT any rate, the men of Judah were loyal enough. 
 The return to Jerusalem the next day was made 
 by them into a triumphal procession; even the 
 wearisome journey through the wilderness was 
 alleviated by a constant supply of asses and plenty 
 of skins of wine and water. When they reached 
 the top of the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem lay at
 
 334 
 
 their feet and was near enough for them to see that 
 it was gaily decorated with green boughs and gaily 
 colored stuffs in honor of the king's return. Soon 
 the inhabitants came streaming out to meet him, 
 shouting and singing, clapping their hands and 
 waving their branches, and crying out as they 
 came: 
 
 "Blessed is the king of Israel . . . blessed is 'he 
 who comes in the name of the Lord. ..." 
 
 They had hardly crossed the Kedron when 
 amongst the rejoicing crowd a pathetic figure came 
 into sight. It was Meribaal, riding an ass, his 
 clothes in disorder, his beard uncared for. David 
 heard the people round him murmuring that he had 
 not changed his clothes, but had lived like a 
 mourner all the time that the king had been away. 
 Was this possible? Had not Ziba said he too was 
 a traitor? David looked up, his heart like lead. 
 It was in Jerusalem that he had last seen his beau- 
 tiful Absalom and Absalom, strong, fearless, 
 heroic, was dead, while Meribaal, a useless cripple, 
 was alive. . . . He heard Meribaal's greetings 
 with a deaf ear, and when they were over said in 
 a voice of icy coldness: 
 
 "Why did you not come with me, Meribaal?" 
 
 "I meant to come, my lord, but my servant Ziba 
 deceived me. He took my ass that I had meant to
 
 ABSALOM 335 
 
 ride on because of my lameness, and I was left 
 helpless. And he slandered me to you. . . ." 
 
 As Meribaal looked at the king he began to 
 shiver. Something terrible had evidently happened, 
 and it was no use going on if only David would 
 believe he could not have been his enemy. ... He 
 made a gesture of resignation. 
 
 "The king is an angel of God. Do what seems 
 good to you. For when all my father's house were 
 dead you brought me into your own house and to 
 your own table. Why should I ask any more from 
 the king? . . ." 
 
 Meribaal's words were an agony to listen to. 
 David, it seemed, had been mistaken Ziba was a 
 liar, and Meribaal was faithful. Meribaal, the 
 wretched cripple, was faithful, and the beautiful, 
 splendid dead Absalom was a traitor. ... He 
 could endure it no longer. 
 
 "Why do you go on tormenting me about your 
 affairs? . . . You and Ziba can divide the land 
 between you." 
 
 Meribaal's smile made him strangely like Jona- 
 than, and it seemed as if it were Jonathan's voice 
 ringing in David's ear as he passed through the 
 city gate. 
 
 "Yes, let him take all, since the king is returned 
 in peace. . . ."
 
 336 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 The king, however, was not returned in peace, 
 and his first action on reaching his palace was to 
 send for Amasa. Before Amasa arrived he was in- 
 formed of Absalom's treatment of the women who 
 had been left behind. 
 
 "They are widows," said David, coldly; "give 
 them a house and see that they are provided for. 
 Now, Amasa, you are to take command of the tribes. 
 Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite, has raised 
 a revolt. I give you three days to collect the fight- 
 ing men here in Jerusalem, and to put yourself at 
 their head. In cases like this speedy action is es- 
 sential." 
 
 But Amasa, it seemed, was a man to whom 
 speed was impossible. The three days passed and 
 there was no news of him or his army, and on the 
 evening of the fourth day David sent for Abishai. 
 
 "This cousin of yours is an incompetent young 
 fool," he began abruptly. "If there is much more 
 delay over it Sheba will do us more harm than ever 
 Absalom did." 
 
 Abishai agreed. 
 
 "Well, then, you must take the guard and go 
 after him start to-morrow." 
 
 "But, David, I can't why don't you send for 
 Joab?" 
 
 "Can't? What nonsense, Abishai! The great
 
 ABSALOM 337 
 
 thing is to catch Sheba, before he gets into a fortress 
 that will mean a long and expensive siege and 
 all sorts of troubles. It is all a question of rapid 
 movement and you can manage as well as another." 
 If it reached David's ears the next day that 
 Joab as well as Abishai had gone with the guard 
 he said nothing. Amasa, perhaps hearing that his 
 rival cousins had after all started against the rebels 
 first, made a desperate effort, and on the evening 
 of the same day reported himself as ready. David 
 shrugged his shoulders and told him to go, but he 
 knew already that Amasa was doomed. Amasa 
 was weak and slow and had the post that Joab 
 thought should be his. It could only be a question 
 of time, and when in two or three days rumors 
 reached the city of Amasa's death his murder by 
 Joab treacherously, with a kiss the king at least 
 made no comment. He had long known that Joab 
 was a man of blood, and there was blood upon him 
 already that made David shudder at his approach. 
 He saw, however, that he would have to allow his 
 approach. The defeat of Sheba Abishai would 
 inevitably yield the command to his more deter- 
 mined brother would replace him at the head of 
 the army from which David had hoped for a mo- 
 ment to eject him. Joab's triumphant return, his 
 dramatic throwing of Sheba's head at the king's
 
 338 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 feet, were to him a foregone conclusion. He 
 watched the man he hated, with dulled, weary eyes, 
 and submitted without another effort to his odious 
 presence. 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 FOR many years David had had an idea which he 
 had never quite dared to put into force. It had 
 for long seemed inconvenient to him not to know 
 how many men there were in each tribe. He had 
 a rough idea, but after each war the numbers varied 
 and he had no way of checking them. If he wanted 
 soldiers or money from any district the chiefs had 
 only to send a message saying, "There are no men," 
 and he could go no further ; while he was constantly 
 in danger of committing injustice, by taking too 
 many men from one place and too few from another. 
 Now if he only had the exact figures of every tribe, 
 how convenient it would be! The difficulty was 
 that there would be an immediate outcry against it. 
 Everybody knew how dangerous it was to count 
 anything no farmer knew how many sheep he had, 
 no woman the number of her chickens, parents 
 even avoided enumerating their children, and for a
 
 ABSALOM 339 
 
 king to number his people would lay them all open 
 to unknown perils. The jealousy of Yahweh would 
 certainly be aroused and would not so easily be 
 appeased. And so in the end David had never 
 brought himself to insist on it. Now, after his re- 
 turn to Jerusalem, and the successful suppression 
 of two revolts, in which many of the tribesmen 
 had perished, he resolved at last that it should be 
 done. 
 
 "Joab," he said one morning, after a night of 
 screwing up his resolution, "Joab, I have a com- 
 mand for you." 
 
 Joab bowed and waited. 
 
 "You are to go from Dan to Beersheba, and 
 number the people in every tribe, and bring the 
 numbers to me." 
 
 Joab could not believe his ears. 
 
 "Number them?" he stammered. 
 
 "That is what I said. You are to find the whole 
 number in each tribe, and besides that the number 
 of fighting men in each tribe." Those figures, 
 David thought to himself, will be useful for any 
 kind of levy men or money. 
 
 By this time Joab had recovered himself. 
 
 "May Yahweh increase the people a hundred 
 times, and may your own eyes see it," he said with 
 fervor; "but why should you wish to do such a
 
 340 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 thing? Are they not all your servants, however 
 many they are?" 
 
 Joab's opposition was apt to enrage the king. 
 
 "If you are my servant, obey my orders." he said, 
 and Joab was silenced. The census took a long 
 time. Joab began on the eastern bank of the Jordan 
 and worked north, then he crossed the valley at 
 Dan and came south. It was over nine months be- 
 fore he reappeared at Jerusalem, and David had 
 had plenty of time to feel uncomfortable about it. 
 There had been a great deal of gossip over this 
 extraordinary action of the king's, and Gad in 
 particular had told him over and over again that 
 Yahweh was angry with him, and would soon 
 punish him for his pride. When Joab at last came 
 up with the numbers David told him shortly to 
 give them to the scribe, and, rather to Joab's vexa- 
 tion, said nothing more. That very night David 
 had a violent revulsion of feeling, and wished he 
 had never thought of anything so foolish. 
 
 In the morning reports began to reach him of 
 plague in the Northern villages; as the day wore 
 on and it became evident that a serious epidemic 
 was sweeping over the country, a sort of horror came 
 over the king. He sent for Gad, and asked him 
 what it meant. 
 
 "As I warned you, Yahweh is angry. There
 
 ABSALOM 341 
 
 were three punishments in his hand three years' 
 famine, three months' invasion, or three days' pes- 
 tilence will you choose the pestilence?" 
 
 "I suppose so," said David, with a groan, "let 
 me fall into the hand of Yahweh, rather than into 
 the hand of man." 
 
 For the remainder of the day David was obsessed 
 by this dreadful idea of a pestilence raging over 
 the whole country. Soon it would be ravaging 
 Jerusalem who knew how many would be left 
 alive when all was over? He sent out messengers 
 in every dirction with orders that they were to re- 
 turn to him immediately with news of how the dis- 
 ease was spreading. He gave instructions to the 
 doorkeeper to send the messengers to him at what- 
 ever hour of the day or night they returned. As the 
 evening drew on the messages became somewhat less 
 alarming, but David would not sleep he sat all 
 night alone in case more news should come. One 
 or two of the men he had sent out did bring reports, 
 and they were reassuring. He sat motionless, 
 drowsy, but not sleeping; suddenly there flashed 
 into his mind the picture he had seen from the 
 Kedron valley on the day of his flight from Ab- 
 salom the whole city of Jerusalem white and 
 glittering in the sun, the hill of Moriah above it 
 with the Jebusite's green fields and farm on the
 
 342 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 slope. He opened his eyes and looked out. The 
 dawn was near. The thought of the fresh open 
 air attracted him and the vision of Moriah called 
 him irresistibly. Twisting something warm around 
 him, he went out, down through the streets, through 
 the gate, down, and still down to the valley of the 
 Kedron. As he went his thoughts were all full of 
 the danger of the city the royal city David's own 
 city; was there nothing he could do to avert it, he 
 who was called the beloved of Yahweh? 
 
 By the brook he stopped, and looked up. As he 
 did so a crimson line seemed to rush through the 
 sky behind Moriah it was like a flash, so bright, 
 so clear, so swift. 
 
 "The flash of a sword," thought David. "Can it 
 be the sword of the angel of Yahweh?" and as he 
 gazed, and wondered if the sword would fall, the 
 whole sky broke into blue and gold the sun had 
 risen. 
 
 When David got back to his palace he ex- 
 perienced the same reaction of delight after anxiety 
 that he had known so often in his adventurous youth. 
 All the news that awaited him was good the pes- 
 tilence was clearly not coming further south than 
 Bethel Jerusalem was saved. He sent for Gad, 
 and told him how he had seen the angel of Yahweh 
 stretch out his sword over the city and sheathe it
 
 ABSALOM 343 
 
 again at the command of Yahweh. And Gad was 
 ready with a suggestion: 
 
 "You ought to make an altar to Yahweh on the 
 place where the angel stood." 
 
 David was enchanted with the idea. 
 
 "It is the threshing place of Araunah the Jebu- 
 site," he said. "I will go up at once and buy the 
 place from him." 
 
 Araunah, it appeared, was only too pleased to 
 let him have the place, and with the usual polite- 
 ness of one who is selling, begged the king to take 
 it as a gift, together with the threshing instruments 
 to burn, and the oxen for a burnt sacrifice. 
 
 "No," answered David, smiling, "I will buy it 
 at a price ; for I will not offer to Yahweh, my God, 
 a burnt sacrifice which cost me nothing." 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 DAVID was not well. For several days he had been 
 increasingly irritable, and his servants noticed that 
 once or twice as he walked he had seemed to sway, 
 and had caught hold of some one, as if to prevent 
 himself from falling. At last Bathsheba asked 
 him if he was feeling ill, and he admitted that he
 
 344 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 had been suffering from a headache for some time. 
 "But that," said he rather crossly, "is only because 
 I can't sleep." 
 
 After a little persuasion he agreed that he would 
 not see his counselors for a day or two, and a bed 
 was prepared for him in an inner room, away from 
 the business and noise of the palace. He went to lie 
 down, and presently began to abuse his attendants 
 for not giving him enough wraps. 
 
 "What are you thinking of?" he cried, angrily, 
 "on a cold day like this to give me nothing but that 
 miserable covering!" 
 
 The servants ran for more rugs, shaking their 
 heads to each other; it was a pleasant day in June 
 the king must indeed be ill to think it cold. 
 
 After this he made no attempt to get up and re- 
 turn to the affairs of state. He sent for Nathan 
 and told him that if anything of importance hap- 
 pened he was to be informed but Joab was not to 
 come near him. He spoke in a breathless voice, 
 interrupted by fits of coughing, and Nathan shook 
 his head as he left the room. He thought things 
 looked very bad David was an old man. 
 
 When Bathsheba came to see him she saw at 
 once that he was not comfortable, and made the 
 servants arrange the cushions so that they propped 
 him up, and somewhat eased his difficult breathing.
 
 ABSALOM 345 
 
 In reply to his look of gratitude she turned her head 
 quickly away, and then asked gently if there was 
 anything else he wanted. 
 
 "I 'm so cold, Bathsheba . . . can't you do any- 
 thing to give me a little warmth? ... It 's miser- 
 able to be so cold. . . ." 
 
 "Of course I can give you warmth trust to me, 
 I will see to it." She turned away, leaving him a 
 little comforted. 
 
 Meanwhile, outside that dark, quiet room, the 
 household was in a tumult. The king was dying 
 it was obvious he would never recover from this 
 illness and already the main interest of the on- 
 lookers lay in the question of who would succeed 
 him. Adonijah, said some, the eldest surviving 
 son, as handsome as Absalom oh, nonsense! cried 
 the other party, you 've forgotten Absalom and as 
 great a favorite with his father, who has never 
 crossed him. Solomon, said the others, the son of 
 the favorite oh, but don't you remember the 
 scandal there was about her? he 's the cleverest 
 of the king's sons, and his mother has the king's 
 ear. 
 
 Bathsheba's remedy for David's sufferings from 
 cold was to supply contact with a warm and vigor- 
 ous body. She found a pretty girl called Abishag 
 from Shunem, a village in the north, and sent her
 
 346 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 in to him. The remedy was a good one ; for a time 
 at least the old man got a little comfort. 
 
 The outside world drifted away from him. 
 Abiathar, the high priest, came in to see him, but 
 he spoke of things that seemed infinitely remote. 
 David's thoughts circled round the days that were 
 long past the heroic days when he had been trium- 
 phant in battle, when he was stronger and cleverer 
 and braver than any one else, when even the king 
 was afraid of him, and the Philistines ran away 
 from him. He began to tell Abishag about it, 
 coughing painfully between the sentences. 
 
 "And there were only four hundred of us thou- 
 sands and thousands of Philistines but they ran 
 like sheep. . . ." 
 
 Abishag was delighted at these reminiscences, 
 which had already reached her in a more or less 
 legendary form. 
 
 "Oh yes ! And the giant ! Did n't my lord kill 
 a giant?" 
 
 "To be sure I did let me see what was his 
 name, now . . . ?" 
 
 "Was it Goliath?" 
 
 "Goliath! yes, that was it. Oh yes, King Saul 
 was there, and Jonathan, and Abner . . . they were 
 all there . . . and Saul had his bronze armor . . . 
 and Goliath came out down the hill with a huge
 
 ABSALOM 347 
 
 shield and a spear and a sword . . . and I went 
 to the brook and picked out five stones nice 
 smooth stones and slung them . . . and that 's 
 how I killed the giant. ..." A burst of cough- 
 ing ended the tale. 
 
 Alas, poor David! While you enjoy these last 
 pleasures of memory, events are taking place which 
 will oblige you to turn once more from the golden 
 past to the bleak present once more, before time 
 and space, in the ultimate moments of existence, be- 
 gin to recede toward infinity. . . . 
 
 The sounds of armed men in the palace and in 
 the streets could not penetrate to the dying man's 
 ear, nor was he aware of whispered consultations 
 in the room beyond his. At last Bathsheba came 
 in, and instead of coming up to him where he lay, 
 made an obeisance. 
 
 "What is it?" said the king. "What do you 
 want?" 
 
 Bathsheba came nearer, and he thought, vaguely, 
 that she looked agitated. 
 
 "Did you not swear by the life of Yahweh that 
 Solomon should be king?" 
 
 "Did !?...! dare say I don't remem- 
 ber. . ." 
 
 "But now Adonijah has made himself king with- 
 out your knowledge. He has had a great feast,
 
 348 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 and Abiathar and Joab have been summoned, but 
 not Solomon. And I am afraid lest when if you 
 ... get worse . . . Solomon and I shall be 
 ruined. . . ." 
 
 "Adoniiah king, did you say?" 
 
 At that moment an attendant appeared to say 
 that Nathan begged to be admitted into the king's 
 presence. 
 
 "About this, I suppose. Well, I must settle it. 
 Stay in the next room, Bathsheba, I shall want you. 
 Nathan, what is this I hear?" 
 
 "My lord, I have come to ask if it is by your 
 orders that Adonijah is proclaimed king. He has 
 made sacrifices, and called Joab and Abiathar and 
 the princes to them, but he has not sent for Solomon, 
 or Zadok the priest, or Benaiah, or myself. Is this 
 by the king's order, and was it of set purpose that 
 we were told nothing of your intentions as regards 
 the succession?" 
 
 "Of course not. Go and fetch Zadok and Bena- 
 iah and come back to me." There was clearly a 
 lot to be done, and David felt he must husband all 
 his strength to be able to do it. "Call Bathsheba 
 to me." 
 
 She came in and stood beside him, her still 
 beautiful eyes fixed anxiously on his face. He 
 tried to speak, but was cut short by a terrible fit
 
 ABSALOM 349 
 
 of coughing, and it was a long time before he re- 
 covered his voice. 
 
 "Listen, Bathsheba. As Yahweh lives and as I 
 have sworn to you by Yahweh, God of Israel, 
 Solomon your son shall reign after me, and shall 
 sit on my throne in my stead." 
 
 He sank back exhausted. 
 
 "May David the king live forever!" she cried; 
 and hearing the approach of the counselors hurried 
 away. 
 
 "Give me something to drink," whispered David, 
 "and push these cushions up behind me ... ah, 
 that is better . . . show them in." His voice grew 
 stronger and again he seemed master of himself. 
 
 "There is no time to lose," he said, as the officers 
 entered. "Take the household servants and guards, 
 and put Solomon on my own mule and take him to 
 yes, the sanctuary of Gihon will do, it is near. 
 Zadok and Nathan are to anoint him king of Israel, 
 and you, Benaiah, will cause the trumpet to be 
 blown, and will make them shout, "God save King 
 Solomon." Then bring him back and let him sit 
 on the throne; for he is to be king after me." 
 
 Benaiah stepped forward, his face red with ex- 
 citement. 
 
 "So be it! so be it!" he cried, "and may Yah- 
 weh, the king's god, say so too! And as Yahweh
 
 350 DAVID THE SON OF JESSE 
 
 has been with the king, so may he be with Solomon, 
 and make Solomon's throne greater than David's ! " 
 
 "Be quiet! Come away! " whispered Zadok and 
 Nathan, pulling Benaiah out of the room, "don't 
 make such a noise . . . the poor old man can't 
 stand it. . . ." 
 
 While waiting for a report of the proclamation 
 David was very restless; his breathing was begin- 
 ning to get stertorous. It seemed an endless time 
 before Zadok came in with the news that all had 
 gone off well, and David whispered that Solomon 
 was to come in to him. It was not long before the 
 young king entered and came to the sick-bed. 
 David looked at him and put his hand on his head, 
 saying : 
 
 "Blessed be Yahweh, God of Israel, who has 
 given a king to sit on my throne while I still live 
 to see it. ... Now, Solomon, listen; I have some- 
 thing important to say . . . two things. First . . . 
 Joab . . . Joab the son of Zeruiah. He killed 
 Abner . . . and Amasa . . . and . . . and I don't 
 remember . . . there was some one else . . . well, 
 never mind he is a bloodthirsty man ... be wise, 
 and put him to death. . . . Who was the other? 
 . . . who was it? another bloodthirsty man . . . 
 yes, yes, Shimei, the son of Gera; he is a Benjamite 
 and hates us for the sake of the house of Saul . . .
 
 ABSALOM 351 
 
 he came down from Bahurim cursing me and throw- 
 ing stones when I was escaping to Mahanaim, and 
 on the way back I promised to spare him ... be 
 wise, Solomon, and put him to death. . . ." The 
 coughing again choked any further utterance. 
 
 That night Solomon was told that his father was 
 worse. He went in and found him leaning for- 
 ward on his elbows, gasping, his face purple and 
 swollen. They had been much alarmed, the ser- 
 vant said, because a little while ago his breathing 
 had seemed to stop . . . but he had got better 
 again . . . they were much afraid of another at- 
 tack of coughing. As he spoke the attack began. 
 The old, weak body seemed to be fighting for breath, 
 while they held him on each side, helping to sup- 
 port him. All at once, in the middle of a par- 
 oxysm, he fell forward on his face. The cough- 
 ing and gasping stopped there was a silence. The 
 servants hurriedly lifted him up and laid him back 
 on his cushions. They looked at him, and then, 
 without speaking, at Solomon; David the son of 
 Jesse, king of Judah and Israel, was dead.
 
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