Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-01-02
Miseellaneuus Rsaaing.
ABRAM AS WARRIOR
Grand Old Patriarch Served Only
Kina of Kings.

Grand Old Patriarch Served Only
King Of Kings.
The patriarch Abram had come UP
with Lot, his nephew, to the land OF
Canaan to possess it. It was coun-
try Of strange tribes, worshipping
strange gods, to which these two
came, bringing their fiocks and herds,
their servants and their followers
Now, there arose strife between the
herdsmen Of Lot and the herdsmen OF
Abram regarding the pasture land and
the water, and a feud threatened to
destroy the little band Of colonists.
The patriarch saw that the only
way to avert 1t was to separate his
own followers from the followers OF
Lot. So he went to his nephew and
said:
There should be no strife between
thee and me; choose, therefore, what
portion of the land thou wilt possess
and 1 will settle elsewhere"
And those two went up together up
on a hill, where they might look
away over the valley Of the Jordan,
and Lot cast his covetous eyes upon
the rich pasture lands, and he said:
"I will take all the palm Of Jor-
dan"
That was the richest country they
had seen; but Abram made no pro-
test, but gathered his tribe, loaded
his beasts Of burden and made his
way to a place called Hebron, where
he built an altar to his God and set
tied in the plains Of Mamre, and his
fiocks and herds increased and the
Lord prospered him.
Now, greedy Lot abode In the val
ley Of the Jordan, and became an al
ly of the evil men who dwelt there
the kings Of Sodom and Gomorrah
Now, after Lot was we'll settled In
that land, there came up four kings
rulers of small tribes, and made war
against the kings Of Sodom and Go
morrah and their allies, and over
whelmed them. Their armies met In
the vale Of Siddim, and Lot and his
people fought beside the kings OF
Sodom and Gomorrah, and went down
with them to defeat. That was a dark
day, indeed, for the tribes Of Jordan
for when they were thrown into con-
fusion and made shift to flee, great
numbers Of them fell into the slime
pits that dotted the valley and were
slain by the enemy while they wal
lowed helpless.
However, there were some who fled
to the hills and escaped, and there
came one Of these refugees, dusty and
haggard and streaked with blood, to
the tents Of Abram.
"The men Of Sodom and Gomorrah
IaRsu, ,exerNhe elpaed- he papted NRiana
are carried off captive by the king Of
ELAN and his allies"
Right quickly did the patriarch cal
his young men, his followers. He hac
a warlike country and forays with
the neighboring tribesmen were not
infrequent. Briefly he told them the
story: Lot, their countryman, was
taken captive, and there was none to
succor him save Abram. And they girt
on their swords and took their jave-
Inns, and set out in pursuit, with
Abram leading them. There were
three hundred and eighteen Of these
fighting men Of Israel, and there were
three native chieftains, Amer, Eshcol
and Mamre, friends Of Abram, who
went with him. Swiftly they march
ed, taking short time for rest and
sleep, until at last scouts brought word
that the struggling train Of the king
of ELAN was in sight.
They never dreamed Of pursuit
those victorious warriors. Had they
not conquered all the Jordan tribes
men, slain and scattered their armies
and carried off a string Of captives
and a caravan Of plunder? Assured
ly there would be no more fighting
for a while, and it was safe to safe
their appetites. And so there was
feasting and drinking and dancing in
the tents Of Chedorlaomer, king OF
Elam, and Tidal king Of nations,
and Amraphel, king Of Shinar, and
Arioch, king Of Ellasar. No sentries
guarded their camps by night, and
when at last these savage victors
slept, they slept the sleep Of the
drunken.
Abram and his 31S followers made
their attack by night, with great noise
and shouting once the battle was on
And the Elamites staggered out OF
their tents in confusion, lost their
weapons, fought with one another In
the dark and at last fed in widest
rout. The morning light that came
flooding the hills Of Palestine, shone
upon a camp abandoned by its de-
tenders; among the bodies Of the
slain lay the plunder they had taken
in vain, and the horses and beasts OF
burden were left behind. And Lot was
safe in the tent Abram had taken as
his own, the tent Of Chedorlaomer the
king.
So tE:cy made their way rejoicing
back to the valley Of the Jordan, and
/ 4. -, II