The Tupelo journal., 1906-12-14

| will surely perish IN the first assault
which is made upon the city"
Nay, / will stay here" Rahab
shouted back.
But thou must noti Make haste!
I cannot longer parley with thee"
and the captain hurried of to direct
the preparations which we're being
made to strengthen the defenses Of
the city.
AS Rahab went back to the little
frightened circle Of relatives the
doubt crept into her heart: Suppose
the Israelites in their excitement and
in the rage and tumult of battle did
not see the sign in the window, after
all. Suppose they did not remember
in the fierce rush of the conflict"
But she brushed aside the thought,
and spoke out bravely:
Eve will stay here where we were
bid. The scarlet cord is in the win
dow. The God of the Israelites will
remember. He will not let harm come
to those who are sheltered under this
sign, which is the token of his
pledge of mercy.
Thus in Jericho that night while the
terror was upon the city, there was
in the home of Rahab the whisper
ings of peace, because of the slender
faith which reached out after the true
God and the people Of the true God.
But dawn came at last, and with 1t
a to the people of the
city, which was quickly dispelled
when the lookouts in the towers on
the walls reported an unusual activ-
ity in the camp of Israel, and that
the armed men were gathering and
marching towards the city. Instant
ly the alarm spread throughout the
| city, and again the fighting men
sprang to their arms. The archers
| stood ready at the word of command
to send their swift darts into the
ranks of the enemy as soon as they
drew near enough, and the double
line of guards upon the wall were
ready to hurl their spears and the
great rocks down upon the heads of
the army when it should attempt to
storm the walls.
So intent were the men of Jericho
in making doubly sure the defenses of
the city that they had not noticed
what was going on in the camp of
Israel, but a shout from the lookouts
drew their attention, and they heard
them exclaim in derision:
What Would they bring their
women and children to fight against
us? What motley crowd is this that
would take a strong city like Jeri-
cho?"
At these words all the soldiers
crowded for place upon the walls, and
they watched with amazement, and
then with contempt and derision, the
long line of Israelites as they slowly
marched around the city. There was
the little company of fighting men in
the lead, but how small and insight
fcant they looked against the army
which the king of Jericho could mus
ter. Then came the long-robed men
bearing something in their midst.
These must be the priests, and their
burden must be the ark about which
they had heard so much. But had
not their gods a much richer and
costlier token of their loyalty and de-
votion? And then bringing up the
rear were the long struggling lines of
women and children. Were the Is
raelites hooking them? We're they
casting ridicule upon them that in
IT, foolion thor chN,,11 oAnon ont
against their great city, and march
around it?
All day long in the streets Of the
city the discussion went on as to what
was the meaning of these strange
proceedings on the part of the Is
| raelites. And when next day they
witnessed the same performance, and
the next and the next, their fears
gave place to that of reckless carou-
sal. What had they to fear from
the enemy which came not near
enough for their strongest archers to
reach them with their arrows? What
harm could come to the great mass
i've walls of Jericho when only the
faint sound of the trumpets of the
priests reached their ears. All their
| blowing, and all their marching,
could not shake the walls of Jeri-
chic.
On the fifth and sixth days in
| which the children of Israel marched
| about the city, the people of the city
| completely abandoned themselves to
the merry, reckless spirit which took
possession of the city, for the reac-
ton from the AFFECT terror of the
| first days of the coming of the Israel
ties carried them to excuses which
made of the city a veritable carnival
of license. Ridicule of the most brazen
| sort was heaped upon the God OF the
| I~sraelites. Their gods were brought
| forth and sacrificial fires built before
! them. And so as the seventh day
dawned it found the people fairly in
toxicated with the into which
they had been plunged by the strange,
unwarlike conduct of their enemies,
the Israelites.
How long is this to continue?'
| asked the king, as messengers came
to him saying that the Israelites were
| again marching about the city. "Since
early morning they have been COM
| passing the city, they said, "and al
ready now they have marched about
the city five times"
The king summoned the captains
| of his army and commanded that the
| soldiers be gathered under the walls