Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-17

the multitude. linen EIeazarJ Ine son Ol
Aaron, described in glowing words all that
the Lord had done for his people, and had
promised to them, and their children, and
their children's children.
Every word from the speakers eager lips
had fallen on the hearts of his hearers like
the fresh dew of morning on parehed grass.
The believers had shouted greeting to him
and Miriam, and the faint-hearted had found
new wings of hope. Tzehar and Michael
and their followers murmured no more; nay,
most of them had caught the general en-
thusiasm, and when presently a Hebrew
soldier of the garrison stole out from the
storehouse and revealed to them that his
chief had been informed of what was going
forward, Eleazar, Nahshon, Hur and some
others had held council with the shepherds
present, and had urged them in fiery
language to show now that they were men
and not afraid TO fight, with Gods mighty
help. for their nation and its freedom. There
was no lack of axes, slaves, sickles and
brazen pixies, of heavy poles and slings,
the sheperds' weapons against the beasts of
the desert, though of bows and arrows they
had none. A strong force of powerful
herdsmen had collected around Hur, and
theyat once had marched upon the Egyptian
OVer9eeTS
hundreds of Hebrew bondsmen toiling at
the earthworks.
With the crv, 'They are comingI Down
with the oppressorsl The Lord our God is
our Captainl" they threw themselves on the
Libyan guard, scattered them abroad and
released the Hebrew laborers and stone
hewers. The noble Nahshon had set the
example of clasping one of the hapless serfs
as brother to his heart, and then the others
embraced the men they had set free, and
thus the shout: "They are comingI The
Lord God of our fathers is our CaptaiaP'
rang out far and wide. When at last the
handful of shepherds had swollen to 1000
Hur had led them on to meet the Egyptian
warriors, whose numbers were far inferior.
The garrison, indeed, was but handful;
the Hebrew host was now beyond counting.
The Egyptian archers had shot a flight of
arrows, and the slings of the stalwart
Hebrews had sent shower of deadly peb-
bIes among the foremost of the foe, when a
trumnet-call was heard calling the party of
soldiers back into the shelter of the scarped
walls and stout doors. The Egyptian ciiiet
had Judged tine Hebrew force too great, and
his first duty was to hold the fort till REIN
forcements should arrive
But Hur had not been content with this
first victory. Success had famed the cour-
smoldering fire; whenever an Egyptian
showed himself on the roof of the store
house smooth pebble hit him sharply from
the sling OF a shepherd marksman. Bv
Nashon's orders ladders were brought out.
In an instant the besiegers were swarming
up the building on all sides, and after
short and bloodless struggle the stores were
in the hands of the Hebrews The Egyp-
tians could only keep possession Of the ad-
joining stronghold.
Meanwhile the wind had fallen. The
more furious of the released bondsmen had
piled straw, timber and brushwood before
the door of the little fort into which the
Egyptians had retired, and they could with |
out difficulty have destroyed the foe to the |
last man by fire; but Hur, Nahshon and the |
other wiser heads among the Hebrews had |
not permitted the destruction Of the YietuaIs |
laid up in the great storehouse.
It had, indeed, been no easy matter to
keep the younger men among the,oppressed |
serls from this deed of vengeance; but they |
all belonged to some family in the settle |