Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of the mountain afar off; a great space being between them;
"With a great space between them"  (1 Samuel 26:13).  Here is a very important difference from that other occasion of David's sparing Saul's life.  There, David followed Saul out of the cave rather closely; here David took no such chance but called to Abner from the top of an adjoining mountain.