Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-01


surrender. What indeed did we lack be-
| fore our departing from Zoan? Youswere a
Hebrew, as they were, and yet you rose to
be mighty captain among the Egyptians
until you obeyed Miriam's call. should
have acted differently in your place."
''What would you have done?" asked
Joshua.
"What9" replied the boy, and the fiery
Young soul blazed up in him. 'fWhat? I
would have remained where honor and fame
were to be found, and everything that is
good. You mightlhave been the greatest of
the great, the happiest Of the happyl
know it for certain, and you chose other
wise"
because duty require ed it." said Joshua
| gravely; because 1 never more will serve
any but the people of whose blood am.''
"The peoplel" said the boy, contemptu-
ously. 81 know the people, and you, too,
have seen them at Succothl The poor are
abject creatures who cringe under the lash;
| the rich prize their beasts above everything
on earth; and those who belong to the heads
OF tribes are always quarreling among them
| selves. Not one OF them knows what is
pleasing to the eye aud heart am one of
the richest of the nation, and yet shudder
to remember my fathers house which
have inherited, though it is one of the larg-
est and best. Those who have seen any
| thing finer cease to care for that" At this
the veins swelled In Joshua's brow, and he
wrathfullY reproved the lad who could deny
his own race, and fall away like traitor
| to his own tribe.
But the driver commanded silence, for
Joshua had raised his admonishing voice;
and the defiant lad was well pleased to obey;
and as they went on their way, whenever
| his uncle looked reproachfully in his face,
or asked him whether he had thought better
of it, he sulkilY turned his back and re-
| mained gloomilY silent till the first star had
risen, and, the epioneers having encamped on
! the waste for the night, their meager fare
| was dealt out to them.
Joshua dug out bed in the sand with his
hands, and kindly and skillfully helped his
nephew to do the same. Ephraim accepted
his service in silence; but presently, as they
lay side by side, and Joshua began to speak
to the boy of the God of his fathers, in whose
help they must put their trust if they were
not to perish Of despair in the mines, Epb
rain interrupted him, saying in a low voice,
but with fierce decisIveness:
''They shall never get me to the mines
alive. Sooner will perish in the attempt
to escape than die in such miseryp Joshua
whispered q word of warning in his ear,
and reminded him of his duty to his people
But Ephraim only begged to be left to rest
in peace.
Soon after, however, he lightly touched
his uncle, ana asked in low voice:
"What have they to do with Prince
Siptah?'
1T know not; nothing good, that is GER
tainp'
"And where is Aarsu, the Syrian, the
commander OF the Asiatic mercenaries. your
enemy who watches us with such malignant
zeal? did not see him with the rest.
"He remains IN Tanis with his troops"
'To guard the palace?"
"Just so"
"Then he is captain over many, and Pha-
raoh trusts him?"
Entirely, though he hardly deserves it.
"And he is a Syrian, and so also of our
blood?"
"At least he is nearer to us than the
Egyptians, as you may know by his speech
and features.
ST should have taken him for Hebrew;
and yet, you say he is one of the highest
men in the army"
"And other Syrians and Libyans are CAP
tains of large troopso of mercenaries, and Ben
Mazana, the herald, one of the greatest men
about the court, whom the Egyptians have
named 'Rameses in the Sanctuary of Ra,' is
the son of Hebrew father"
"And he and the others are not looked
down upon by reason of their birthY''
"It would scarcely be true to say as much
as that. But what is the aim of all your
questions?"
81 could not Sleep"
"And such thoughts as these came into
your head? Nay, you have something def
mite in your mind, and, If guess it rightly,
am sorry. You wish to enter Pharaoh's
service"
Aftar th;s tbara ,vos Jonc .;Ia,oo ~
tween the two; then Ephraim spoke again,
and, although he addressed Joshua, he
spoke rather as if to himself:
"They will destroy all our nation, and
those who escape will fall into slavery and
disgrace. By this time my house is doomed
to destruction; not head of my great herds
will be left to me, and the gold and silver I
have inherited, and which is said to be
great SUN, they will carry away with them,
for it is in your fathers keeping and-must
fall booty into the hands of the Egyptians.
And shall I, now that 1 am free, 60 back to
my people and make bricks? Shall I
bow my back to be fogged and ILL
treated % Here Joshua exclaimed in an
eager whisper:
"Call rather on the God of our fathers to
protect and deliver His people; and if the
Most High has determined on the destruc-
ton of our nation then be man, and learn
to hate with all the might of your young
soul those who have trodden them under
foot. Flee to the Syrians, and offer them
the strength of your young arm; give your
self no rest till you have taken revenge on
those who have shed the blood of the Israel
ties and cast you, innocent, into bondage"
Then, again, there was silence, and moth
ing was to be heard where Emphraim lay
but means from an oppressed heart. At
length, however, Joshua heard him MUIR
muir:
"We are no longer weighed down by
chains, and could hate her who promised
our release?"
'Be grateful to Kasana, but hate her peo-
pie" he whispered in reply. And he heard
the lad turn over in his trough, and again
he sighed and groaned.
It was past midnight; the growing moon
stood high in the sky and Joshua, still Sleep
less, did not cease to listen to his young
companion; but Epraim spoke not. Still,
sleep Stunned him likewise, for Joshua
heard him grinding his teeth-or was it that
some mice had dwandered out to this parched
spot covered with dry brown grass, between
salt plains on the one side and bare sand
on the other, and were gnawing the prison
er's hard bread? This grinding and gnaw-
ing must disturb the sleep even of those
who most desire it, and Joshua, on the con-
trary, wished to keep awake that he might
open the eyes of his blinded nephew. But
he waited in vain for any sign of life on
Ephraim's part
AT last he was about to lay his hand on
the boys shoulder, but he paused as he saw
in the moonlight that Ephriam was holding
up his arm, although, before he lay down,
his wrist had been tied more tightly than
before. Joshua now understood that the
noise which had puzzled him was the gnaw-