Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-08

the clear air of the desert they had seen it
or q long time, looking as though they
could shoot an arrow into it. It stood up
from the bare, stony soil, ungraced by
palm or q shrub, with It's wooden stockade,
its ramparts, its scarped walls, its watch
tower looking westward, with a broad, fat
roof swarming with men-at-arms. The gar
rison had been warned from Pithom that
the Hebrews were preparing to break
through the frontier lines on the isthmus,
and the gang'of prisoners with their guards
had been taken, from distance, for thevan
of the emlgrant Israelites.
From the top of the huge crown work,
which projected like a balcony from all
sides of the scarped walls to prevent the
use of scaling ladders, soldiers were spying
out between the battlements at the ap-
preaching party; but the archers had re-
placed their arrows in the quiYers, for it
had at once been perceived that the troop
was a small one, and runner had delivered
the pass from the military authorities de-
slring the Captain Of the garrison to permit
the file Of the prisoners to cross the frontier.
The door in the palisade was thrown open
to them, and the driver gave them leave to
stretch their limbs awhile on the hot pave
ment within. From here none could
escape, even if the guard left them to them
selves; for the fence was too high to climb,
and arrows shot from the roof the building
or from the loopholes of the projecting bat
Elements would overtake the runaway.
It did not escape the ex-warrior's eye that
everything here was in q state of prepara-
ton for resistance, as though 1t were war
time. Every man was at his post, and
guards stood by the great metal gongs on the
roof with heavy mallets in their hands to
beat an alarm at the approach of the ex-
IL nf froo
or a house to be seen as far as the eye could
reach, the sound would ring out to the next
fort on the frontier line and warn the garri-
son, or bring them to the rescue. 1t was
not indeed a punishment, but piece of ill
fortune to be quartered in these isolated
desert stations, and the chiefs of Pharaoh's
army took care that the same companies did
not remain too long at time in this wilder
ness.
Joshua had himself in former years COM
manded the most southerly of these strong
holds, known as Migdol of the South, Tor
the name of Migdol was common to them
all, meaning in the Semitic tongue fort
ress-tower.
Here his people were evidently still ex-
pected; nor could he for a moment think
that Moses would have led them back into
Egypt. Either they had fingered in Sue
Goth, or they had marched southwark, but
to the south lay the Bitter Lakes and the
Red Sea, and how should the Hebrew multi
tude cross those deep waters? Joshuas
heart beat anxiously as he reflected on this,
and his fears were presently confirmed, for
he heard the Captain of the fortress telling
the driver of the gang that the Hebrews had
come some days since very near the frontier
line of defense, and then had turned off to
the southwark. Since then it would seem
that they had been wandering in the desert
between Pithom and the Red Sea. All this
had forthwith been reported at Tanis, but
the King had been obliged to postpone the
departure of the army till after the
first seven days of mourning for the
heir to the throne. This delay might
have given the Israelites an immense
advantages; but a message had to-day
come by carrier pigeon announcing that
the foolish multitude were encamped at
Pihahiroth, not far from the Red Sea, so
that it would be an easy task for the army
to drive them into the waters like herd of
cattle, for there was no escape in any other
direction.
The driver had listened to this report with
much satisfaction, and he whispered few
words to the Captain, pointing at Joshua.
who, for his part, had already recognized
the officer as a companion in arms who had
served under him as q centurion, and to
whom he had shown much kindness 1t was
painful to him to reveal himself in this mis-
erable plight to one who had been his subal-
tern, and who owed him q debt of obliga-
ton; and as he looked the Captain col
ored, struggling his shoulders expressively,