Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-10

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blown over the thirsty grass, the desert
border land to the east and the houses and
tents of Succoth, had died away during
the night, and the chill hour which in
March precedes sunrise, even in Egypt,
was very perceptible.
Anyone who had in former days arrived
between midnight and dawn at the humble
frontier town with its squalid novels of Nile
mud and modest farms and dwellings, could
not have recognized it now. Even its one
important building, besides the splendid
temple of the god Toom, the spacious and
fortified storehouse, presented strange
spectacle. The long, white, ime-washed
walls cleaned as usual through the dusk;
| but it no longer lowered in deathlike silence
oyer the sleeping town; all about it was stir
and hustle. It did duty as fortress against
the plundering tribes of Shasoos% who had
made their way round the outworks on the
isthmus, and an Egyptian garrison dwelt
within its indestructible walls, which could
easily be held against very superior num-
| bers.
This morning it might have been supposed
that the sons of the desert had taken it by
storm, but the men and women who were so
| busy round the walls and on the broad
marble parapet of the huge building were
not Shasoos, but Hebrews. With shouts
| and demonstrations of joy they were taking
possession of the thousands of measures of
wheat and barley, rye and doorah, lentils,
dates and onions, which they had found in
| those vast lofts, and had set to work before
sunrise to empty the storehouse and pack the
contents into sacks and pitchers and SKINS
into kneading troughs, jars and sheets, let
down from the roof by cords or carried up
and down on ladders.
The chiefs of the tribes, indeed, took no
part in the work, but in spite of the early
hour children of all ages might be seen, as
busy as the rest, carrying as much as they
could lift in pots and bowls-their mothers
cooking vessels.
Above, close to the opened trapdoors of
the lofts into which the stars shown down.
and round the foot of the ladders below.
women held lanterns or torches to light the
others at their work. Flaring pitch brands
were burning in front of the ponderous closed
doors and armed shepherds were pacing up
and down in the light of the blaze. When,
now and again. there was a sound within as
of stone thrown, or a kink against the
brass-bound door, and threatening words in
the Egyptian tongue, the Hebrews outside
were ready enough with words of mockery
and scorn.
On the day of the harvest festival, at the
hour of the first evening watch, certain
swift runners had come to Succoth, and had
announced to the sons of Israel who dWelr
there, and whose numbers were twentyfold
as great as those of the Egyptians, that
they had started from Tanis early that
morning, that their people were to depart
thence that night, and that their kindred OF
Succoth were to make ready to fly with
them. At this there had been great reioic-
ing among the Hebrews. They, like their
fellow Israelites of Tanis, had assembled to-
gether that night of the new moon after the
spring equinox, when the harvest festival
began, to a solemn feast, and the heads of
their households had declared to them that
the day of freedom was now at hand, and
that the Lord was about to lead them forth
to the promised land.
Here, as at Tanis, many had been faint
hearted and rebellious, and others had at
tempted to separate their lot from that of the
rest and so remain behind; but here. too,
they had been carried away by the multi
tude. And as Aaron and Nun had ad-
dressed the people at Tanis, so here Eleazar
the son of Aaron, and Nahshon and Heu,
the heads of the tribe of Judah, had done
the same. And Miriam, the maiden sister
OF Moses, had gone from house to house, and
with her glowing words had lighted and
famed the flames of enthusiasm in the
hearts of the men and persuaded the women
that, with the mornings sun, day of glad
ness, plenty and freedom would dawn on
them and on their children.
Few had turned deaf ear to the proph-
etess, and there was something majestic and
commanding In the presence of this maiden,
whose large, black eyes, overarched by
thick, dark eyebrows which met In the
middle. seemed to read the hearts of those
they gazed on. and to awe the refractory with
their grave CLEAN.
When the feast vas over each household
had retired to rest with hopeful and uplifted
hearts. But the next day and the following
night and dawn had changed everything. It
was as though the desert wind had buried
all courage and confidence in the sand it
swept before it. The dread of wandering
through the unknown had crept again into
every soul, and many a one who had brand
ished his staff with the high spirit of enter
prise now clung Obstinately to the house of
his fathers, to his weII-tended garden blot
and to the harvest in the fields, of which !
not more than half was yet garnered.
The Egyptian garrison in the fortified |
stone house had not, indeed, failed to observe |
that some unusual excitement prevailed |
among the Hebrews, but they had ascribed |
it to the harvest feast. The commander of |
the fort had heard that Moses desired to lead |
his people forth into the desert. there to
sacrifice to their God, and he had |
asked for reinforcements. But he
knew nothing more, for till the morning
when the hot wind had arisen no Hebrew
had betrayed his brethren's purpose. On
that day, however, as the heat oppressed
them more and more the greater grew the
dread of the terrified people of marching
ever onward through the scorching, sandy
and waterless waste. This fearful day was
but foretaste of what lay before them. and
when toward midday the dust cloud was vet
dense and the air more suffocating, a He
brew dealer, from whom the Egyptian
soldiers would purchase small wares stole
into the storehouse and instigated the cap
tain to hinder his fellow Hebrews from
rushing to destruction.
Even among the better sort the voice of
discomfort had been loud; Tzehar and
power of Moses and Aaron, had gone from
,ne to another and tried to incite them to
all the elders together again before they
;et forth and ask them whether it would not
De wiser to make terms with the Egyptians
While these malcontents had succeeded in
many followers, and the traitor
lad gone to the captain of the Egyptian
garrison, two more runners had come in with
message to say that the multitude of the |
Hebrew fugitiVes would arrive at Succoth
between midnight and dawn.
Breathless and speechless, bathed in sweat
md bleeding at the mouth, the elder of the
wo messengers dropped on the threshold of
he house of Aminadab, where Miriam lust
low was dwelling. The exhausted men had
o be revived with wine and food before even
he less weary one could speak coherentlv:
nd then in husky voice, but overfiowi1g
With thankfulness and enthusiasm. he had
old all that happened at their departing.
nd how that the God Of their fathers had
lied all hearts with His spirit, and infused I
resh confidence into the most faInthearted.
Miriann bad 1istanad With dasb;ao - 4