back mockingly to his fellows: ‘Hey, now, come and see a marvel! Behold, some of these vile Hebrews have come creeping out of the holes wherein they have hidden themselves.’

A brief silence followed. And as Jonathan and his armour-bearer, muffled in their cloaks, stood gazing upward, the watchman was joined by other soldiers of the guard who peered down at them likewise. And they bawled in derision: ‘Hey, there, come up, you two! And we will show you a thing you shall never forget!’

Jonathan made no answer, but turned aside with his armour-bearer and vanished out of sight of those that looked down from above. When they had tarried awhile, and all was still once more, he whispered to the young man: ‘Lo, now; heardst thou that, “Come!”? It was the sign! Follow me close, for verily the Lord God of Israel hath delivered them into our hands.’

They threw off their cloaks, and girding their weapons out of arm’s way, began to scale the rocky precipice that frowned down upon them in the darkness, towering sheer above their heads. Hand and foot from rock to rock and ledge to ledge, pausing only to take breath, Jonathan climbed on, and his armour- bearer climbed after him, until they came out upon the summit of the crag. Then with a shout that rang wild through the night and echoed on from steep to steep they ran in upon the Philistines.

And the Philistines fell before them. Many of the watch were asleep, and none was ready. So sudden and vehement had been the assault that they made no pause to discover the numbers of their assailants, but in terror turned and fled. And Jonathan pursued after them, slaying as he went; and his armour- bearer slew after him; until in that first slaughter—within a space in breadth but half a furrow of an acre of land—about twenty men lay dead.

Then sang Jonathan’s bowstring, and they chased those that remained alive along the ridge as they fled towards the village and the camp. Their cries rent the dark, and roused the garrison, who, confused with sleep, supposed that the whole strength of Israel was advancing to the attack. Fear bred fear in the stagnant gloom, and amid this tumult, of a sudden the solid rock itself beneath them began to tremble, and the earth quaked, and there was a very great trembling.

A furious wind followed the earthquake. Shouts of ‘Jehovah!’ rose to heaven, and terror fell upon the host throughout the camp, and over the open country, and on the pitiless plunderers who had returned in triumph from their raidings. All was confusion. And the night drew to an end.

And the watchmen of King Saul on the heights of Geba looked out across the valley in the first faint dusk of dawn, and behold, the whole army of the Philistines was in commotion, surging hither and thither as they fought one against another, beating one another down. And their tumult struck faint upon the ear. They gave the alarm. The trumpet sounded. And when the men of Israel were mustered in their ranks, every man under his own captain, and the roll was called, it was found that Jonathan and his armourbearer were not there.

Then Saul sent hastily for Ahiah the priest, and bade him: ‘Bring hither the Ephod!’ He was at a loss, yearning to join battle with his enemies, yet in doubt whether or not this was the will of the Lord Jehovah.

But even while he was still speaking with the priest, the rout and clamour in the enemy’s camp on the heights of Michmash went on and increased more and more. And when Saul heard it, his spirit aroused fiercely within him; he doubted no more. He bade the priest draw back his hand, refrain from consulting the oracle, and follow him before Israel, bearing the ephod of the Lord.

Then King Saul set his army in battle array—spearmen and bowmen. And he himself, filled with a frenzy, and tarrying not to question whether he did right or wrong, vowed a vow before them all and laid an oath on them every one. ‘Cursed be the man,’ he cried, ‘that tasteth food this day until the evening. Cursed be he! For now is the hour of my vengeance against the enemies of the Lord.’