The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-11

| from her. for she spoke with them with
the vial of poison in her bosom and the
naked dagger in her hand. telling them
what she had told Mesa-that they had
best give up their plot and fight Ithobal
like me-, seeing that. even II she sur
/ rendered herself to them, when he grew
weary of her the war must come at
las.
For a hundred years" she added.
this storm has gathered. and row it
must burst. When it has rolled away
! il VIII be known who is master of the
/ land. the ancient city of ZimbOe or
Ithobal. king of the tribes
So they went back as they had come,
\ and next day at the dawn, with a bold
face. but heavy hearts. received the
messengers o. King Ithobai and told
them their tale. The messengers heard
and laughed.
we are glad" they answered, since
we who are not in love with the daugh-
! ter of Saxon desire war and not peace.
| holding as we do that the time mas
/ come when you upstart white men
who have usurped the land should be
/ set beneath our heel Nor do we think
that the task will be difficult, for surely
we have little to fear from a city whose
councillors cannot conquer the VIII OF a
single maid
! Then, although in their despair the
] elders offered other girls to Ithobal in
| marriage. as many as he would. and
with them a great bribe in money, the
! ENJOYS took their leave. saying that
| nothing would avail, since they pre-
\ ferred spear thrusts to gold. for which
| they had little use, and Ithohal, their
king, had fixed his heart on one woman
| alo.e.
So. with a heavy and foreboding
heart, the city Of Zimboe prepared i-selI
to resist attack, tor. as they had
! guessed, when he learned all, the rage
of Ithobal was great, nor would he lis
ten to any terms that they could offer,
save one which they had TO power TO
grant-that ELISA should be delivered
unframed into his hands. Councils OF
war were held, and TO these, as soon as
he was sufficiently recovered from his
sickness, the Prince Aziel was bidder,
for he was known 20 be a skilled gen
eral; therefore, though he had been the
case OF much OF their trouble. they
sought his aid. Also. should the struS-
gle be prolonged, they hoped through
! him to win Israel, and perhaps Egypt,
to their cause. Aziel's counsel was that
they should sally out against the army
of Ithobal by night. since ne expected
10 attack and not to be attacked. but to
this advice they would not listen, for
they trusted to their walls. Indeed, in
this. Metem supported them, and when
the prince argued with him he an
swered:
Your tactics would be good enough.
prince, if you had at your back the
lions of judah or the wild Arab horse
men of the desert. But here you must
deal with men Of my own breed, and
we Phoenicians are traders, not fight
ing mec-like rats, we fight only when
there is not other chance for our lives
nor do we strike the first blow. 1t is
true that there are some good soldiers
in the city. but they are foreign mer-
cenaries, and as for the rest. half
breeds and freed slaves, they belong as
much to Ithobal as TO Saxon, and are
not 10 be trusted. No, no, let us stay
behind our walls, for they were at least
built when men were honest, and win
! not betray us"
Now, in Zimboe there were three lines
of defense; first, that of A single wall
built about the huts of the slaves. upon
the plain, then that of a double wall of
stone with a ditch between thrown
round the Phoenician city. and, lastly,
the great fortress temple and the rocky
heights above il, guarded by many forts
within whose circle the cattle were
herded, which, as it was thought, could
only be taken with the sword of hunger.
on the third morning after ELISA had
barred herself within the tomb. Ithobal
attacked the native town. Uttering
their wild battle cries, tens of thou
sands of his warriors, armed with great
spears and shields of oX-hide, and
wearing crests of plumes upon their
heads, charged down upon the outer
wall Twice they were driven back.
but the work was in bad repair ard
too long 20 defend, so at the third rush
they flowed over it like lines of march,
ing ants, driving its defenders before
Tn he inn cot dg In hfe hot l.
some We're killed, but the most of the
slaves threw down their arms and went
over to lthObal, who spared them, to-
gether with their wives and children.
Through all the night that followed,
the generals of Zimboe made ready for
the onslaught which must come. Every
where within the circuit of the liner
wall troops were stationed, while the
double southern gateway, where Prince
Aziel was the captain in command, was
built uD with loose blocks of stone A
while before the dawn. just as the east !
ern sky grew gray, Aziel watching |
from his post above the gate of the |
wall, heard the savage war song of the !
tribes swell suddenly from $4,000 /
threats and the measured tramp of /
their innumerable feet. Then the day !
broke, and he saw them advancing in /
three armies toward the three points /
chosen for attack, the largest of the |
armies, headed by Ithobal. the king. /
directing its march upon the wall gate |
of which he was in command.
1t was a wondrous and a fearful !
sight, that of these hordes of plumed !
saVages, their broad spears flashing in |
the sunrise and their fierce faces alight !
with hereditary hate and the lust of !
Never had he seen such a I
spectacle, nor could he look upon it 1
without dreading the issue of the war.
for if they were savages. these foes
were brave as the lions of their own
plains and had sworn by the head of |
their king to drag down the sheltering
walls of Zimboe with their naked hands I
or die to the last man. Turning his
head with sigh of doubt, 'Aziel found
Metem standing at his side.
Have you seen herr" he asked |
eagerly.
night when she sits in a tomb like a
fox in his burrow? But 1 have heard
her"
What did she say? Quick. man, tell
me-"
But little, prince, for the tomb is
and 1 dared not stay there
long. She sent you her greetings, and
would have you know that her heart
will be with you in the battle and her
prayer beseech the throne of heaven
for your safety. Also she said that she
is well, though it is lonesome there in
the grave among the bodies of the
dead prieStesses of Baaitis, whose spir-
its, as she VOWS, haunt her dreams re-
Wiling her because she desecrates their
sepulchre and has renounced their
god"
Lonesome. indeed said Aziel. with
4 Shudder But tell me. Metenn had