IS \»9*.K
THE
STORY OF SODOM
A BIBLICAL EPISODE
By W. C. KITCHIN
ILLUSTRATED BY W. P. SNYDER
NEW YORK: HUNT &> EA TON
CINCINNATI : CRANSTON STOWE
1892
MAY 19 1925"^
Copyright, iSgi, by
H U NT efe EATON,
New York.
All rights reserved.
TO
THE AUTHOR OF THAT SCHOLARLY AND EXHAUSTIVE BOOK.
"STUDIES ON THE TIMES OF ABRAHAM,"
THE REV. HENRY GEORGE TOMKINS,
OF ENGLAND.
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY W. P. SNYDER.
Frontispiece—Reunion of Abraham and Eliezer. Facing
Title.
The Three Amorite Brothers. Scene : The Tent of
the Amorites. Facing page loi.
A Talk by the Way—Judith, Disguised as Her Brother,
Walking with Io. Facing page 195.
PREFACE.
^ «
yHE present volume is the first of a projected
series of biblical tales, beginning with the
days of Abraham and coming down to the return
from the Babylonish captivity. Selecting a num¬
ber of romantic incidents in the history of the
chosen people as told in the Old Testament, and
taking each of these in turn as the foundation
for a story, there will be an endeavor to portray,
by the creation of imaginary personages and
occurrences, the social, religious, and political
physiognomy of the time. Such is the province
of the historical novel. Perfect accuracy in de¬
lineating the life of long-past ages may be im¬
possible to the modern writer, yet a very fair
degree of success can be attained. Human nature,
in all lands and in all times, is essentially the
same. He who remembers this, and makes the
history of the people of any country and age the
subject of painstaking study, who feeds upon
their literature, seeks to comprehend the motives
that inspired their art, and sympathizes with
their religious ideals, has only to imagine himself
6
PREFACE.
in their environment to become, in a large meas¬
ure, their contemporary, feeling as they felt,
believing as they believed, and doing as they must
have done. In such a way as this the writer of
the historical novel can possess himself of the
spirit of the most ancient life ; the men and
women of four thousand years ago can become
real to him ; through the bond of a common
nature he can know and love them, live their life
/
over again, and determine, as unerringly as if he
were speaking of persons now alive, what, under
the pressure of certain given circumstances, would
have been their thoughts and words and actions.
It is in the historical setting of his work that
the writer is most liable to failure. Anachro¬
nisms, not merely in political events, but in social
customs, religious observances, matters of dress,
and innumerable other details, threaten him at
every step of his progress. Yet, even in this
most difficult part of his work a tolerable ac¬
curacy is now by no means impossible. Thanks
to the results of modern archaeological research,
the Past has been made to live again in the Pres¬
ent, and in a most especial manner is this true of
the times and the peoples with which this series
of tales has to do. The dwellers on the Nile,
the inhabitants of Nineveh and Babylon, the
PREFACE.
7
Hittites, and the tribes of Canaan have all awak¬
ened from beneath the dust of ages, and are
speaking to us in cuneiform and hieroglyph from
the ruins of their palaces, the tombs of their
kings, and the temples of their gods. Most won¬
derful, indeed, is their story, almost past believ¬
ing this revelation of a highly civilized life that
adorned the ancient East while Europe Avas yet
the hunting-ground of savage barbarians ! From
these ancient records the historical novelist can
learn how his characters ate and worked and
slept, how they conducted themselves at home
and abroad, what were their pursuits in peace
and their practices in war, how they married and
were given in marriage, with what prayers and
psalms they approached their gods, and with
what funereal rites they honored the memory of
their dead ; and the truthfulness of his pictures
of ancient life will depend to a large degree, if
not wholly, upon his knowledge of available
sources of information, and his fidelity in trans¬
ferring what he has learned to his pages.
But the novelist, even while paying the greatest
attention to historical and archaeological details,
is not to forget that he is neither chronicler nor
antiquary, but story-teller. He must interest
his readers with a well-told tale. He is an artist,
8
PREFACE.
and every thing is to be made subservient to the
highest demands of his art. He is at liberty to
transpose the order of historical events where
that will best suit his purpose, but the repulsive
features of a people's social and private life he
must suppress. Those qualities of character that
command the universal approbation of mankind
he will elevate into prominence ; poetical justice,
by which evil is punished and goodness rewarded,
will be permitted to have its course ; and, finally,
high ideals of conduct and life and the develop¬
ment of character through temptation and trial
toward perfect self-mastery, integrity, and noble
thinking and doing will form the controlling mo¬
tive for the whole action of the story, if it is to
delight and elevate those who may read it.
For such purposes as these the historical novel
is peculiarly well adapted. Its background may
be a well-known event in the life of some great
person or in that of a people. Momentous issues
are at stake; every influence that can urge man
to his best eflbrt are in full play. Perhaps it is a
mighty religious awakening, perhaps it is a desper¬
ate struggle for civil liberty ; whatever it may be
it is an age toward which mankind looks back
with an undying interest. Here is the novelist's
opportunity. Here is the raw máterial for an
PREFACE,
9
artistic plot ; imaginary characters can be made
to group themselves around that great historical
personage, can be actors in that far-reaching his¬
torical movement ; the loves and hates of the men
and women of that age re-appear, not, perhaps,
as they actually were, but as it is easy to believe
they might have then existed. All the effect and
the moral purpose which a wholly fictitious story
of contemporary life and rnanners could give is
here secured, with the additional advantage that
the reader has afforded him a vivid picture of a
famous historical age ; historical characters whose
names he has long been familiar with are clothed
again in flesh and blood, and, talking and acting
like real, living persons, appear before him ; he is
able to realize what manner of men and women
they were, and to understand the long-past life
of which they formed a part.
No history better illustrates the quality of
moral greatness than that of the Hebrews, and
no other is so full of truly great men and women.
It is not mere chance that millions who have
known but little of the deeds of Pericles, Alex¬
ander, Pompey, and Ciesar, or of the writings of
Sophocles and Plato and Virgil and Cicero, should
be acquainted with what Abraham and Joseph
and Moses and Saul, the son of Kish, accom-
lO
PREFACE.
plished, and should be familiar with the words
of David, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and the writer of Job.
It is because of their immense superiority that
the Hebrew patriarchs, leaders, and prophets are
more widely known than the statesmen and philos¬
ophers and poets of pagan Greece and Rome ;
and this superiority is due to moral earnestness
and intense spirituality of character. It is these
qualities that give to Hebrew history that
unexhausted and inexhaustible charm which
has made it the possession of millions in the
past, and will commend it to future generations
to the end of time. Nowhere else does a more
inviting field offer itself to the historical nov¬
elist. The fine romantic element in the He¬
brew Scriptures readily lends itself to his serv¬
ice. The Bible stories may be familiar, but
they can never grow stale. The spade of the
explorer is almost daily turning up long-hid¬
den monuments and inscriptions that throw
a flood of light upon Hebrew history ; and the
story of archaeological discovery in Bible lands
itself reads like a romance. Theological contro¬
versy over the books of the Old Testament is
calling attention to the fact that Israel was not
an isolated race, but one living in the closest
relations with surrounding nations, influencing
PREFACE,
them and being influenced, politically and relig¬
iously, by them in return. Every-where through¬
out English-speaking Christendom are there ev¬
idences of an intelligent and reverent interest
among the masses in biblical study, and anything
that aims to popularize the results of scholarly
research has hitherto not failed in receiving a
welcome.
W. C. Kitchin.
Arlington Heights, Mass., September, 1891.
INTRODUCTION
THE CONDITION OF THE WORLD IN ABRAHAM'S DA Y.
of the most noteworthy results of recent
archaeological research has been the change
that has taken place in our conception of the
relative antiquity of the Old World races and
historic characters. Formerly every thing be¬
fore the fall of the Western Roman Empire was
called ancient, now we are compelled to recog¬
nize that modern history begins with the Greece
of the seventh century before our era. The de¬
cipherment of the written monuments of Egypt
and Assyria, throwing a flood of light upon the
condition of the world before the Greek became
an historic being, discloses a civilization of such
an astonishing antiquity that even the best
known Old Testament characters are, by con¬
trast, lifted out of that dim far-off world in which,
in men's imaginations, they formerly moved, and
are brought into the foreground of a great his¬
toric panorama. Compared with the oldest
names in Egyptian and Assyrian records, David
14
INTRODUCTION.
and Solomon seem to be men of the last cefitury,
Moses appears as if he had lived only a few
hundred years ago, and Abraham, with ages of
recorded history beyond him, can easily be
imagined to have been a contemporary of the
Caesars.
To the men and women of Abraham's day the
world was already old ; it was full of the mon¬
uments of long-past ages. The Hebrew patriarch
had, doubtless, seen in his native Chaldea the
crumbling ruins of once great cities, the glory of
which had passed away, leaving only the memory
of their power in the traditions of men. When
he went down into Egypt and looked upon the
great pyramid he must have felt a strange awe
in the presence of that mighty and venerable
pile, for two millenniums separated his day from
that of its builders. Let us endeavor to form a
picture of this old-time world, so far away and
so ancient to us, yet so modern and so full of
perfection to them who lived in it, that we may
the better enter into the life and the feelings of
those whose fortunes we are to trace in the
following narrative.
The age of Abraham was a period of great
political disturbance throughout western Asia.
In the north the races from whom were destined,
INTRODUCTION,
15
in after generations, to spring the nations of
modern Europe were then, in all probability,
roiling slowly westward from their primitive
seat east of the Caspian Sea through the mount¬
ainous plateaus of Asia Minor and along both
shores of the Black Sea. In the south a similar
movement was taking place among the Semitic
peoples. The powerful empire of the Elamites,
lying east of the Tigris, had for five hundred or
more years been slowly encroaching upon the
Semites of the lower Euphrates valley. In the
twenty-fourth century before Christ the great
Babylonian organizer and conqueror, Hammu¬
rabi, uniting the petty Semitic states of Chaldea
into one strong empire, had succeeded, for a time,
in checking the advance of the Eastern conquer¬
ors ; but about two centuries later Elam seems
to have again taken an aggressive attitude
toward her Western neighbors, and the result of
this constant pressure upon their frontier and an
over population in the more ancient parts of the
country was a great westward movement among
the Semites themselves. One migration crossed
the Arabian desert, settling for a time in the
Jordan valley, and afterward pushing on to the
Mediterranean coast, where they became the
founders of the well-known' cities of Sidon and
i6
IN TROD UCTION.
Tyre. The Phenicians were followed by other
bands, until, about the age of Abraham, there
must have existed a chain of Semitic colonies
along the Mediterranean from the Egyptian
frontier to Asia Minor, while the entire region
from the upper Euphrates across Palestine to the
Arabian desert must have been dotted with their
settlements.
In this general upheaval and turmoil of nations
the valley of the Nile had been invaded by an
Asiatic people, the Hyksos, probably of Semitic
extraction. The strangers, in the process of time,
subdued the country and set their own rulers
upon the throne of the Pharaohs. Under their
domination Egypt became the objective point
toward which every tribal migration of south-
«
western Asia tended.
Abraham himself was the leader of one of those
innumerable nomadic tribes originating in Chal-
dea and seeking a new home upon the upland
slopes of Canaan or in the rich, garden-like plains
of Lower Egypt. We are to imagine him, not
as the head of a small family with a scant follow¬
ing of servants, but- as the sheik of a very con¬
siderable tribe and rich in flocks and herds. In
Canaan the new-comers found th,*mselves in the
center of the then known world. Behind them
INTRODUCTION,
17
lay their native Chaldea, its great river laving the
walls of powerful cities ; and still farther beyond,
stretching over a wide expanse of mountain
chains and bleak plateaus, was the terrible Elam,
whence issued, from time to time, those mighty
armies of invincible warriors that were even then
carrying their conquests along the track of the
fugitive emigrants, and, in the south, were making
their name a terror to the desert tribes and to
the dwellers on the Nile. Below them was
Egypt, proud in the consciousness of her position
as the intellectual mistress of the world, and,
like a powerful magnet, drawing all tribes and
nations to her feet for instruction. Westward,
the Phenician Sidon was probably just entering
upon that career of commercial activity which
was to make her traders the merchant princes of
the earth. Round about them were grouped
numerous pastoral tribes—the Hittites, colonies,
doubtless, from the great Hittite nation of the
north, and the Amorites and the Perizzites and
the Amalekites ; while in the valley of the Jordan
the more highly civilized, but also more depraved
and effeminate, Canaanites had built up a con¬
federation of five petty states. Among all these
minor peoples Abraham's tribe ranked as an
equal. From the first the inhabitants of Canaan
2
i8
INTRODUCTION,
recognized the Hebrews as desirable allies against
the incursions of the robber bands of the south¬
ern desert or the invading armies of Elam, a
conclusive proof that Abraham must have had a
powerful retinue of armed servants.
It is in this ancient world, the general features
of which have just been outlined, and among the
minor nations of Canaan, that the scene of the
following story has been laid. The events re¬
corded in the fourteenth and the nineteenth
chapters of Genesis form the foundation of the
narrative, and though the chronological se¬
quence of events there laid down has not been
closely followed, yet the spirit of the scriptural
account has been faithfully preserved. The ver¬
sion of the To legend of the Greeks here given is
based upon the explanation suggested by Herod¬
otus in the first book of his history. From the
almost contemporary monuments of Egypt and
Babylonia much information has been derived
touching many details of the religious and social
life of the age ; yet, while in such matters as
great a degree of acciiracy as is possible has
constantly been ,sought after, it has been re¬
membered that this book is not an archaeological
treatise, but a story of the loves of men and
women, of their hopes and their fears, of the
INTRODUCTION,
19
sins of the wicked, and of the strivings of the
righteous after a knowledge of God—in a word,
of those emotions and passions of humankind
which were as powerful in the hearts of four
thousand years ago as they are in our own lives
to-day.
The Story of Sodom.
— ♦—
I.
saith Eliezer of Damascus, steward
of Abraham the Hebrew : Judith, daughter
of Enoch, my beloved, fairest art thou among
women. Thy lips—yea, the kisses of thy mouth
—sweeter are they than the honey of the wild
bee, and thy breath is more fragrant than spiced
wine. My heart longeth for thee, rny love, be¬
cause my soul hath been stricken with sorrow.
I would be made glad by the beauty of thy
countenance, I would be comforted by thy voice.
Therefore shall I make haste to seek thee, my
fair one ; in the mountains above Hazezon-Tamar
I shall find thee, in the pleasant pastures where
thou keepest the flock of thy kinsman Lot.
Thus saith the lover of Judith ; by the mouth of
Ariel, son of Enoch, hath he spoken;" and the
speaker, a young man of some two-and-twenty
years, threw himself on the ground at the feet of
the maiden to whom he had just delivered Eli-
ezer's message.
22
THE STORY OF SODOM,
Love was as powerful a sentiment four thou¬
sand years ago as it is to-day ; and the heart of
Judith, the Hebrew shepherdess, as she listened
to the words which her brother had borne to
her from her lover, thrilled with a glowing de¬
light.
And the daughter of Enoch was beautiful. If
not the fairest among women, as the passionate,
poetical language of Eliezer declared her to be,
she certainly was entitled to a place among the
fairest. Reared from her infancy in the tent of
her shepherd father, in her childhood his com¬
panion as he folded his flocks in the secluded
valleys or pastured them on the open slopes, the
young Hebrew girl, living the free, simple life
of the mountaineer, seemed to have assimilated
to her own nature something of the beauties of
light and shadow which, morning and evening,
noon and midnight, lend such an indescribable
charm to the hills of Canaan.
Her features were of the purest Semitic type.
The rich olive complexion, the full rounded cheek,
the straight nose, the small mouth, and the nerv¬
ous chin—still nature's dowry to many a daughter
of Arabia—and the pensive, wistful eye, often
observed in the modern Jew, are characteristics
of the Semitic race; and nearly four thousand
THE STORY OF SODOM.
23
years ago these distinctive features of that great
branch of the human family displayed their early
perfection in the person of Judith the shepherd¬
ess, giving to her graceful figure an expression
of charming beauty and sweetness.
The girl's dress was simple yet picturesque.
Over her shapely head, with its wealth of glossy
black hair that fell, heavy and loose-flowing, to
her slender waist, passed a narrow fold of dark
red cloth that crossed beneath her chin. The
ends of this wimple were carelessly flung back
over her shoulders ; a bronze brooch fastened it
at her throat, and its folds were gathered on her
forehead by a delicate golden fillet. A tunic of
gray linen, reaching nearly to her ankles, formed
the principal part of her attire. Over this she
wore a vest of lambskin, the wool of which was
dyed to the same color as her wimple. Her
arms were bare, and a double pair of bracelets
were fastened about her wrists. Dainty sandals
protected her feet from the rocks of the rugged
mountain passes, through which the light staff
that she carried enabled her to make her way, as
she led her flock to some new pasturage or to
the wells in the valleys.
Ariel and Judith were twins, and in both form
and feature the young man closely resembled his
24
THE STORY OF SODOM,
sister. So complete, indeed, was this resemblance
that, had the two been dressed alike, outside
the circle of their intimate friends the one might
easily have passed for the other. Ariel was at¬
tired in the rude shepherd garb of the age. A
kilt-shaped garment of coarse woolen cloth cov¬
ered his loins, leaving his legs and the upper
part of his body naked. Head and feet were
bare, and his wild, tangled locks fell in thick
clusters about his neck and face. A mantle of
sheepskin with the fleece on hung over his left
shoulder, and to the upper band of his kilt were
fastened his wallet and sling.
When he had delivered Eliezer's message to
his sister the young shepherd cast his crook aside,
and, throwing himself on the ground, buried his
face in the soft grass that grew in luxuriant
freshness about the rock upon which Judith was
seated. The girl was quick to perceive that
something was troubling her brother's mind.
Often before had he brought her similar mes¬
sages, but always had he spiced her lover's some¬
what formal utterances with his own good-
humored raillery and sparkling merriment. The
thrill of ecstatic pleasure which Judith had felt a
moment ago died out of her heart as she sud¬
denly recalled the words of Eliezer : My soul
THE STORY OF SODOM.
25
hath been stricken with sorrow." Assuredly,
something very serious had happened ; her lover
in sorrow, Ariel—the joyous, light-hearted Ariel
—in trouble! What could it mean? Her mind
ran back over the events of the past few days in
an effort to discover what might possibly have
caused some sudden change in the fortunes of
her brother and those of Eliezer of Damascus,
but she could think of nothing.
20
THE STORY OF SODOM.
II.
rother, you are troubled,'' said Judith,
Kneeling by Ariel's side. " What has
happened ? '•
Receiving no answer, the girl waited a minute
or two in silence, her fingers nervously toying
with her brother's hair. At last she ventured
timidly to inquire :
Is my lord Eliezer well ? "
"He is well."
" He is in trouble, then ; else why did he say
that his soul was stricken with sorrow? "
" Ask me no more concerning him. Said he
not that he would meet you here ? When he
comes let him speak for himself. My own sor¬
row is greater than I can bear ; what is his selfish
anxiety to this flame in which my soul is tor¬
mented ? " and with this passionate outburst
Ariel again lapsed into silence.
A shadow stole over Judith's fair young face.
She understood now the cause of her lover's
mournful message. He had said it was sorrow ;
selfish anxiety Ariel had more correctly called it.
THE STORY OF SODOM.
27
She longed to see him, to plead with him, to res¬
cue him from the bitterness of soul into which
he had fallen. And here, too, by her side was
her brother, who always from childhood had
made her his confidante in whatever of good or
ill had befallen him. Now, for the first,-, time,
he seemed reluctant to share his grief with her.
She laid her face upon his hair with her lips close
to his ear.
Ariel," she said, softly, are we not brother
and sister? Are we not orphans, without father
or mother to counsel us? If you confide not in
me, in whom can you trust? You are troubled,
brother ; I pray you speak your heart to me. If
there be a burden upon your soul let me bear it
with you."
The young man arose, and, picking up his
staff, gently took his sister's hand.
Come," he said, briefly ; " come with me ; "
and he began moving up the grassy slope that led
to the foot of the highest of the neighboring hills.
" But, Ariel," the girl remonstrated, my flock
is here ; I must not leave it."
I am but taking you to the top of the crag
above us. We shall not be out of sight of the
valley," her brother returned, still leading her on.
But the sheep had already perceived that their
28 THE STORY OF SODOM.
young keeper had left her accustomed seat ; and,
as the brother and sister hand in hand clambered
up the steep, rugged side of the mountain, the
whole flock followed them, the unincumbered
animals leaping from rock to rock and the ewes
with their bleating lambs straggling along behind.
In a short time Judith and Ariel reached the
summit of the crag which the latter had pointed
out from below. Exhausted by the labor of the
ascent, the girl sank down in the shadow of a
high rock, her brother seating himself by her
side ; and for a time the two in silence gazed out
upon a landscape familiar to them from child¬
hood, yet, in its almost unearthly beauty, as im-
pressive still as if they now for the first lime be¬
held it.
From where they were seated the eye could
take in at a glance the whole extent of that
strange body of water now known as the Dead
Sea. Along its shores a fertile plain, of vary¬
ing width and sloping gently to the beach,
teemed with a tropical vegetation. To the
northward the broad, rich valley of the lower
Jordan lay smiling in the warm afternoon sun¬
light, fair and fragrant as a garden of the Lord.
Directly opposite rose the towering cliffs of the
eastern mountains, their bald tops glowing with
THE STORY OF SODOM.
29
all the tints of the rainbow. From the sapphire-
hued surface of the mysterious sea that lay be¬
tween rose a delicate haze that clothed the
palm-groves of the plain and the sides of the
lower hills with a veil of gauzy pink and blue.
In the broad, deep valley of the Jordan, a
short distance from the north shore of the Salt
Sea, shone out, amid the dark-green orchards of
fig and olive and palm, the white walls and
palaces and the many colored temples of the
Canaanitish cities—Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah,
Zeboiim, and Bela. Here, in the most ancient
times, five kindred tribes had formed a confed¬
eration, and for mutual protection had built
their cities in a straight line from mountain
range to mountain range across the Jordan val¬
ley in such a position as to command the great
route of commerce between the Nile and the
Euphrates.
Of these five confederate cities Sodom rose to
be the acknowledged head ; and in the days of
Abraham the so-called kings" of the other
four tribes were probably little more than vice¬
roys, subject to the sovereignty of their suzerain
Bera, King of Sodom.
It was toward the walls of Sodom which, built
on either bank of the Jordan, occupied the cen-
3 o THE STORY OF SODOM.
tral position of the five cities, that the eyes of
Ariel, the Hebrew shepherd, turned as soon as he
had swept a hasty glance over the sea and the
mountains and the southern plain. Silently he
gazed, with an expression of almost ferocious
hatred, upon the fair, proud city that far away
below him sparkled in the brilliant sunshine.
Judith, raising her eyes to his face, perceived
the fierce look upon his features, and, believing
that she knew the cause, she said, gently :
" Our master Lot dwells amid yonder habita¬
tions of wickedness ; yet is it worth the pain it
costs you, brother, thus to sorrow over his mis¬
takes or the sins of the stranger? "
The young man turned a quick, startled look
upon the speaker.
How knew you whereof I was thinking ?
Has the Lord God given to you also the spirit
of divination whereby you read the thoughts of
the heart ?
The young man's voice was harsh, and Judith
shrank back against the rock as her brother's
burning, almost angry, eyes met her own.
Nay, Ariel," she said, humbly, you know
me to be only a poor, simple shepherdess. It was
your face that betrayed you, my brother; I read
in your features the bitterness of your soul."
THE STORY OF SODOM,
31
poor, simple shepherdess!" Ariel cried,
breathlessly, his voice softening and the fierce
look upon his face dying away. Long may it
be your happy fortune to continue to be such !
And I, when I left you yesterday to visit our
kinsman Abraham, was likewise nothing more
than a poor, simple shepherd. But now, O
Judith,'' the young man moaned, his hands
tightly clasped oyer his eyes and his whole
frame quivering with some intense emotion, I
am what I have been no longer ! "
The girl was thoroughly alarmed. She sprang
to her feet, and, throwing her arms about her
brother's neck, she besought him to tell her all
that had happened.
" Be seated, my sister, and I shall speak,"
Ariel returned, striving hard to calm himself.
I brought you here that while I make known
to you every thing that has occurred, I might
see yonder accursed city before me," and once
more an expression of intense loathing swept
over the speaker's countenance.
Judith again sank down close to the side of
the high rock, out of the glare of the hot Syrian
sunlight, and her troubled eyes looked up anx¬
iously into her brother's face as he began.
32
THE STORY OF SODOM.
III.
" T ONG years ago our father, with his kins¬
men, Terah, Abraham, and Lot, left his
native city, Ur of the Chaldees, by the side of the
great river Euphrates, and, removing to Haran in
Padan-Aram, dwelt there. And when Terah
was dead the word of the Lord came to Abra¬
ham, commanding him to go into the land of
Canaan, and promising him that there he would
make of him a great nation; for Haran, like Ur,
was wholly given over to the worship of false
gods, and the Lord would have Abraham and
his kindred keep themselves separate from the
wicked and idolatrous people.
In Haran our father had become the steward
of Lot's household, and he had also taken a wife
of the women of the land, Rizpah, the daughter
of Eber ; and when Lot decided to go forth
with Abraham, our father agreed to accompany
them ; because he worshiped the Lord God and
hated the idolatry of the Chaldeans and the As¬
syrians. So Abraham and his family and Lot
and his family came into Canaan to Bethel, and
THE STORY OF SO BOM.
33
they dwelt there ; and at Bethel were we born,
and there, too, is the sepulcher of our mother,
Rizpah, the wife of Enoch the Hebrew.
In the course of time both Abraham and
Lot grew very rich in flocks and herds and tents,
so that the land could no longer bear them ; and
they separated. Lot choosing yonder broad val¬
ley, heeding it not that there, in the cities of the
Canaanites, all the idolatry and the wicked prac¬
tices of Chaldea, from which he had aforetime
fled, had found a home. He even pitched his
tents by the walls of Sodom, and finally, built
himself a house within the city.
But our father refused to go with him, and,
surrendering his stewardship, he besought his
master to make him as one of his slaves and to
permit him to keep his flocks upon these mount¬
ains, so that he might have no dealings with the
Canaanites ; for his soul loathed the abomina¬
tions of the cities of the plain. Never did he
visit his master in Sodom or permit us to do
so. Thus he lived, and when he came to
die he blessed us and made us swear that we
would keep ourselves separate from the people
of the plain, have no dealings with our kins¬
folk in Sodom, and in all things do as our great
kinsman, Abraham the Hebrew, commanded
3
34
THE STORY OF SODOM,
us ; and thus for nearly two years have we
done/*
Ariel paused, and resting his folded arms upon
his staff, bowed his head upon them. Judith
had been listening intently, and although every
thing which her brother had said was known to
her, she knew that this review of their family
history was but a prelude to a full disclosure of
whatever it might be that distressed his mind.
As she sat watching him she saw that he was
struggling to keep calm. His breast heaved
with his deep, labored breathing, his form trem¬
bled violently, and the muscles of his neck rose
until they stood out like knotted cords. Then
suddenly he seemed to give over the hopeless
effort to control himself. Judith saw him break
his staff across his knee and fling the broken
pieces far out over the cliff, and she heard him
as, with hands and eyes lifted heavenward, he
cried
" Lord God, I will be no longer rebellious !
Not as I would, but even as thou wilt ! '*
Then turning to the awe-stricken girl a coun¬
tenance that had suddenly become transflgured,
as if by some divine illumination, Ariel cried, in
tones that thrilled the listener's soul :
The Lord my God hath laid his hand upon
THE STORY OF SODOM.
35
me, Judith. He spoke to me last night by the
voice of Abraham, his friend. ^ Go, Ariel, son of
Enoch,' he said, ^ to that wicked city, even to
Sodom, and stand in the midst of her and cry
out : Thus saith God who made the heavens
and the earth. Hear ye, ye inhabitants of Sodom,
your wickedness has come up before me. Yet
if ye repent and turn away from your abomina¬
tions which my soul hateth ye shall not be de¬
stroyed.' Such was the message that Abraham
gave me when he said : ' Go and preach thus to
the people of the plain for the sake of our kins¬
man Lot, because the anger of the Lord God is
kindled against the city in which he dwelleth.'
And then I said to him : * O, my lord, let
me find grace in thy sight ; who am I, a child,
that thou shouldst lay this heavy burden upon
me ? and who am I, a simple keeper of sheep,
that God should send me into that great and
wicked city ? ' And Abraham said : ' Thou art
named Ariel, which is the lion of ,God ; be bold,
therefore, and fear them not, but speak the thing
which the Lord commandeth thee. Peradvent-
ure they may repent, and the Lord will not de¬
stroy them as he has said.'
Then Abraham sent me away, and as I was
coming hither Melchizedek, King of Salem and
THE STORY OF SODOM,
priest of the most high God, met me in the val¬
ley of Shaveh, and he laid his hands upon my
head and blessed me, and said : ' Thou lion of
God, be not afraid, but do what Abraham hath
spoken to thee, and, lo, the angel of the Lord
shall go before thee and the power of the Al¬
mighty shall uphold thee.' And I answered
him and.said : ^ Nay, my lord, be not angry with
thy servant ; I cannot do this thing which thou
hast spoken,' and I fled away from him. Thus it
was that I came to you, Judith, with my heart
full of loathing for the people to whom I was
sent, and my soul rebellious against the com¬
mand which the Lord laid upon me. But now
I have yielded ; what the God of Abraham hath
spoken unto me that shall I do. Go thou, my
sister, to the tent of the mother of Eschol the
Amorite, and abide with her until I return to
thee."
Then before Judith could reply, before she
could realize his intention, Ariel was gone ; and
when she sprang to her feet and looked down
the mountain-side she saw him hastening upon
his way toward the pass that led to the plain
below, through which ran the great highway to
Sodom.
THE STORY OF SODOM,
37
IV.
JUDITH stood watching her brother's retreat¬
ing figure until it disappeared behind a spur
of the mountäin, and then, with a deep sigh, she
descended to the broad pasture-land below, her
flock still following her.
The girl was sorely bewildered over what she
had just seen and heard. She had indeed long
believed that beneath her brother's light-heart-
edness and seeming frivolity lurked his true self—
deeply serious and capable of intense religious
feeling—and that this needed but the inspiration
of some worthy call to be roused into activity.
Now, though that call had actually come, and
though she had witnessed the expiring struggle
of the gay, dashing old-time spirit against the
awakening forces of his truer nature, it neverthe¬
less was hard for her to realize that it was Ariel
—her own brother Ariel—in whom so great a
transformation had been wrought. She was
dazed, and again and again she passed her hand
over her brow as if she would rid her mind of the
recollections of some unpleasant dream. But it
3ö THE STORY OF SODOM,
was no dream. Here at her feet, as she reached
the grassy slope at the base of the hill, lay the
broken crook which her brother had cast from
him in token that he thereby renounced his old
life for the stern mission of a prophet of the
Most High; and there just before her, standing
by the rock upon which she had been seated but
a short hour ago, was Eliezer of Damascus.
A joyful light flashed into Judith's eyes as she
beheld her lover, and a warm blush dyed her
fair face to a still richer olive. Timidly she
approached Eliezer, expecting that he would
hasten forward, as was his wont, to meet her.
But he seemed to be unaware of her coming,
and not until she had touched the sleeve of his
tunic did he raise his head. Ignoring the gloomy
look that clouded her lover's handsome face, the
maiden, piqued at the listless manner in which he
had been awaiting her, asked, in a grieved tone :
Why doth my lord bow his head, and why is
his countenance troubled? Surely he hath been
loth to come hither ; he repents him of his vows
to the shepherdess of Lot. He hath looked up¬
on the daughters of Canaan, and his soul no
longer delighteth in the love of the Hebrew
maiden."
Eliezer had sprung forward to clasp the girl in
THE STORY OF SODOM,
39
his arms, but with a quick movement aside she
placed the rock between them.
'^Judith, Judith," he cried, his face lighting
up in a joyful welcome, and his eyes eagerly
drinking in her fresh, radiant loveliness, said I
not in my message I would be made glad by the
beauty of thy countenance, I would be com¬
forted by thy voice ? O my well-beloved, I am
weary because of the haste with which I sought
thee. I need thy counsel—"
The girl had listened with an affected indiffer¬
ence, and now, with a mocking laugh, she broke
in :
Nay, nay, my lord loves me not ! " and she
waved Eliezer back, though no longer withdraw¬
ing herself from his advance. Are the eyes of
the lover upon the ground when he would be¬
hold her in whom he delighteth} Does he
stand and wait for his love to seek him ? Is his
face gloomy as the storm-cloud at her coming ?
"Thou knowest, Judith, thou knowest the
heart of Eliezer. Thee, and thee only, doth he
love; but, O Judith, the bitterness of my soul !
It was that which made me appear—"
A half roguish, half scornful smile parted the
girl's rich, pouting lips. With a coquettish toss
*
of the head she again interrupted him.
40
THE STORY OF SODOM.
Nay, then, I care not. My lord hath not
heard that henceforth I am to dwell in the tent
of old Mehetabel the Amorite, and that her son
Eschol is with her, that goodly youth Avho, at
our last sheep-shearing, said to my master Lot :
^ Speak, I pray thee, to Ariel, the son of Enoch,
that he give me his sister to Avife/ Thinketh
my lord that Eschol will come to me with a
heart clothed in sackcloth and ashes? Nay,
verily ! "
Before Judith had ceased speaking tlie strong
arm of her lover was about her, and she felt his
kisses on her brow and hair, and she heard his
whisper in her ear ;
Nor shall Eliezer of Damascus do less than
would Eschol the Amorite. My heart shall be
full of joy and gladness, and my tongue shall
speak but of love in the presence of her in whom
my soul takes delight. I shall say to Sorrow,
Sorrow, flee thou away ; and to Care, I will have
none of thee.'*
Judith raised her face to his and pressed a kiss
upon his lips.
" Then shall I say to my lord that I spoke as
I did because I knew his sorrow to be unworthy
of him," and the maiden's eyes met the man's
with an earnest, penetrating look. O Eliezer,
THE STORY OF SODOM. 41
thoU( hast been heavy at heart, and for what?
Because the Lord God has said to Abraham thy
master : ' This Eliezer of Damascus shall not be
thine heir ; but a son of thine own body shall be
thine heir.' My beloved, covet not the silver
and the gold and the flocks and the herds of
Abraham the Hebrew ; for if thou dost commit
this great sin, surely the anger of God will be
kindled against thee."
" Said I not, Judith, that I would forget my
sorrow in thy presence ? Wilt thou now, by thy
words, keep it ever before me? " and the man's
countenance again darkened. I have but a
short time to spend with thee, my love ; I must
go to Sodom, to the house of Lot, and warn
him, as my master commanded me, to flee with
all that he hath from the city of the Canaanites.
While I am here let us speak but of love."
Judith perceived the gloom that had settled
over her lover's features, and her own face grew
very pale. She knew avarice to be the beset¬
ting sin of the otherwise noble-natured man
before her ; and the lingering bitterness with
which he regarded the destruction of his hope
of being one day the possessor of his master's
wealth told her that at heart he was still cov¬
eting what he had lost. Once he had said to
42
THE STORY OF SODOM.
her that it was his desire to see her surrounded
with the luxuries of life and waited upon by a
troop of slaves that made him wish for riches.
She determined, therefore, to be no longer a
temptation to his soul.
Tearing herself loose from her lover's embrace,
Judith began hastily to gather some of the
stones lying at her feet and to pile them in a con¬
ical heap upon the flat-topped rock at their side.
Then she turned to the astonished Eliezer and
cried :
My lord, thou hast said in times past that it
was for me that thou didst desire the wealth of
thy master. Hear me, Eliezer, and let this heap
of stones be a witness between me and thee.
Before the word of the Lord God came to Abra¬
ham, saying, Sarah thy wife shall have a son,
and while yet thy master and all his house
looked upon thee as his heir, my heart desired—
yea, I prayed—that thou mightest never come
into thy heritage ; for what art thou, a servant,
that thou shouldst become as the mighty ones
of the earth? And what am I, a shepherdess
and slave, that I should be a princess among
the people ? "
Why speak of this, Judith ? " Eliezer replied,
gloomily. Thou knowest I no longer expect
THE STORY OF SODOM,
43
to be Abraham's heir ; and when thou becomest
my wife we shall be as poor as even thy heart
could desire."
The harsh, bitter tone with which the speaker
uttered the last words pained the heart of the
listener.
Eliezer," she said, firmly, a resolute light
glowing in her deep, dark eyes, I know that
thou dost not now expect to be Abraham's heir,
yet thy heart, O my beloved, is hardened against
the will of the Lord who has taken from thee
the promise of a goodly heritage. Lay thy hand
with mine upon this heap of witness, I pray thee,
and swear that thou shalt no longer covet what
belongeth to thy master."
''Nay, nay, Judith, that is unnecessary," the
other sullenly answered, not lifting his eyes from
the ground.
" Thou wilt not ? " the girl cried, the color
flaming back into her face and her lithe figure
trembling with the intensity of her emotions.
" Then hear me, Eliezer, henceforth let the name
of this rock be Mlzpah ; for the Lord, in our ab¬
sence the one from the other, shall watch be¬
tween us. In the hour that Eliezer, steward of
Abraham the Hebrew, again looks upon the
things of his master to covet them, in that hour
44
THE STORY OF SODOM.
may his soul no longer cleave to the soul of Ju¬
dith, the daughter of Enoch."
An overmastering impulse seized Eliezer as he
listened to the fiery words of the shepherdess.
Coming to her side, he laid his hand by hers upon
the heap of stones, and, in a clear, ringing voice
cried out :
And in the hour that the heart of Eliezer of
Damascus forgetteth the countenance of his be¬
loved, may another take from him that which
is most precious in his sight," and the speaker
looked down into Judith's face and then toward
the hill from which the girl had just come. De¬
scending this with the agility of an antelope
came a young man dressed in the garb of a hun¬
ter, his bow and quiver hanging at his back, a
short bronze-pointed javelin in his hand.
It was Eschol the Amorite.
THE STORY OF SODOM,
45
V.
the close of the day following the one in
which the events already described took
place the spacious outer inclosure of the great
double-towered temple of Sodom was thronged
with worshipers. Just as the sun sank from
sight behind the distant western hills a priest
stationed upon one of the two lofty ziggurats^
or staged towers, raised a trumpet to his lips
and blew a piercing blast that rang out over the
roofs of the city and far across the surrounding
plain. Scarcely had the echo died away when
the heavy brazen doors of the temple swung
noiselessly open, revealing to the eyes of the
multitude in the outer court two long lines of
gorgeously robed priests, with smoking censers
in their hands, drawn up on either side of the
gigantic images of Bel and Istar, the patron
god and goddess of the Canaanites of the low¬
er Jordan. With a shrill cry the people pros¬
trated themselves, touching the stone pavement
with their foreheads ; then, still kneeling, they
chanted in unison an ancient litany received
46
THE STORY OF SODOM.
by their forefathers from the temple courts of
Chaldea :
" O Bel, O my god, my sins are many, my transgressions
are great !
O Istar, O my goddess, my sins are many, my transgres¬
sions are great !
O god, destroy not thy servant !
O goddess, destroy not thy servant !
To my god, the merciful one, I turn myself, I utter my
prayer ;
The feet of my goddess 1 kiss and water with tears.
The sins I have sinned turn to a blessing ;
The transgressions I have committed may the wind carry
away.
Strip off my mianifold wickednesses as a garment.
O my god, seven times seven are my transgressions ,
Forgive my sins !
O my goddess, seven times seven are my transgressions ;
Forgive my sins ! "
At the conclusion of the litany the worshipers
rose to their feet and stood gazing into the dark
recesses of the temple, as if they awaited the
coming of some one. The priests, too, as they
swung their fragrant censers to and fro, frequent¬
ly looked over their shoulders in the direction
of a door that opened into the chamber of the
high-priest, behind the statues of Bel and Istar,
and beneath the great platform from which rose
the twin towers of the temple.
Among the watching people without were two
THE STORY OF SODOM.
47-
men who from their features it was easy to see
were not of the race of the Canaanites. The
elder of the two leaned listlessly against the
shoulder of one of the many stone lions that
extended in a line along the border of the court,
his keen black eyes now glancing toward the
priests, now surveying the dense throng of wor¬
shipers about him, and then sharply scrutinizing
his companion's countenance. His own face
was not altogether a pleasing one. The long
flowing beard that reached to the girdle binding
his loose robe about him concealed, it is true,
the fawning smile which always hovered over
his thin, pale lips ; but the look of crafty cun¬
ning that gleamed in his small, piercing eyes,
half hidden under shaggy brows, gave his swarthy
features a sinister expression which neither his
tall, well-proportioned form nor his full, rich
voice could make the beholder wholly forget.
The gentler and more refined face of the
younger man, with its large, pathetic eyes and
mournful cast of countenance, we have already
seen in the pasture-lands above Hazezon-Tamar.
It was the face of Eliezer, the steward of Abra¬
ham the Hebrew.
The present was the first time that the young
man had ever stood within the court of the
48
THE STORY OF SODOM.
famous temple of Sodom ; and its marvelously
harmonious blending of the sacred architecture
of Chaldea and Egypt, its massiveness and gor¬
geous splendor, amazed him. When the wor¬
shipers fell down before the images of Bel and
Istar his companion also prostrated himself,
though not joining with the others in the litany.
But Eliezer remained standing, and as soon as
the people rose he turned to the elder man, and
speaking in Aramaic—the primitive language of
the Hebrew race—so that the by-standers might
not understand what was said, he quietly asked :
Is it because Lot would find favor in the
eyes of the Canaanites that he bows his knee to
Bel, or has he indeed forsaken the God of
Abraham ? ' '
The dark features of his companion flushed,
and his eyes fell before the questioning look the
steward bent upon him.
Nay, nay," he answered, uneasily, ^Hn the
privacy of my home I and my house worship
Jehovah. For the sake of peace and the good¬
will of my neighbors, however, I sometimes visit
their temple ; but, though I prostrate myself
before the altars of Bel and Istar, my heart is
lifted up to the God of Abraham."
If the knee be bowed to the idols of the
THE STORY OF SODOM.
49
heathen, vain is it to lift the heart to Jehovah,'*
the other gravely responded, " " Let me repeat,
my lord, the words which Abraham, by the
mouth of his servant, sent to Lot, the son of
Haran : ' Come out from among them ; be thou
separate from their abominations—' "
I heard enough of that when you delivered
your master's message to me last night," Lot
broke in, with an impatient gesture. What !
does not Abraham know that all my possessions
are in Sodom ? Has he not heard that my two
daughters are betrothed-—one to the son of the
high-priest of-this temple, the other to a prince
of the king's house ? Years ago, when, at his
bidding, we divided the land between us, I chose
the valley of the Jordan for my portion, and he
said naught against it. And now he would have
us flee, as for our lives, from our goodly home to
dwell again in tents upon the mountains or live
like the conies in the caves of the earth ! Nay,^
verily I cannot."
4
50
THE STORY OF SODOM.
VI.
MOVEMENT among the worshipers about
them interrupted the conversation of the two
men, and suddenly a great cry arose from the
waiting priests within the temple : " O Bera,
beloved of Bel and Istar, live, O king, forever! **
Lot and his companion, turning their gaze
toward the sanctuary, beheld the majestic figure
of Bera, King of Sodom, slowly advancing between
the two lines of priests toward the altar of sacri¬
fice that stood just in front of the statues of the
god and goddess.
The monarch's abundant hair, plaited into
loose, wavy braids, fell to his massive shoulders,
and the heavy beard that concealed his entire
breast was cut square and curled. He wore no
head-dress save a broad and richly jeweled band
of gold that hiy close upon his smoothly pressed
hair. His feet, likewise bare, were almost con¬
cealed by the long purple robe of fine linen,
blazing with gold embroidery and, precious
stones. A wide silver belt encircled his waist,
and from this hung numerous trophies of war and
THE STORY OF SODOM. 51
the chase in the form of jewels once worn by
conquered kings, and the teeth and claws of wild
anirnals highly polished and rnounted in rich set¬
tings of the precious metals. The deeply fringed
mantle of a bright scarlet color thrown over his
left shoulder was held to its place by a delicately
embroidered sash that passed under the right arm,
and beneath the large rosette-shaped knot into
which this was tied hung the fringe of the mantle
and the tasseled ends of the sash. The right arm,
bare to the shoulder, sparkled with a lavish dis¬
play of bracelets and armlets, while in his hand he
bore the badge of his sovereignty—a short ivory
staff carved in the shape of five intertwined ser¬
pents, supporting upon their heads a miniature
ziggurat surmounted by the figures of the patron
deities of the confederate cities—Bel and Istar.
With slow, even steps Bera, followed by eight
eunuchs marching two and two, bare-footed and
bare-headed like their master, approached the
great altar ; and the people in the outer court, at
a signal from the chief eunuch, prostrating them¬
selves, cried out in unison :
" Hail to thee, beloved of Bel, thy servants bless thee !
Hail, hail, beloved of Istar, O king, live forever Î "
Lot had prostrated himself with the others,
but glancing up and perceiving that Eliezer was
52
THE STORY OF SODOM,
still standing, he plucked the hem of his garment,
saying, in a whisper:
Bow yourself before the king, Eliezer. Know
you not that it is death to stand in his presence
until commanded to do so?"
But it was now too late for the steward to
prostrate himself, even had he wished to do so ;
for, at a loud call from the chief eunuch, the
worshipers rose to their feet. Eliezer perceived
many an angry eye turned his way, and, as he
again looked toward the king, he saw that he,
too, was closely watching him. The steward sus¬
pected that he had already aroused the resent¬
ment of the people by his refusal to bow himself
before Bel and Istar, and now, as he caught an
interchange of ominous glances between the king
and his chief eunuch, he felt that he had per¬
mitted his contempt for the Canaanites to carry
him too far. It might be well for him, therefore,
quietly to withdraw while the religious service
was still in progress aild the attention of the
people occupied.
He was on the point of suggesting this to his
companion, when a loud burst of music from
some hidden recess of the temple caused him to
look that way. Three persons were slowly
advancing out of the gloom that now shrouded
THE STORY OF SO BOM,
53
the farther interior of the sanctuary toward the
altar where stood the king surrounded by his
eunuchs. At the same instant two men were
seen to enter the temple by a side door, leading
between them a young bullock for the evening
sacrifice.
See, Eliezer," Lot whispered, pointing to the
three white-robed figures, now almost at the side
of the altar, " yonder old man is Ulam, the high-
priest of Bel, and the two maidens following him
are the chief priestesses of Istar. You have per¬
haps heard of the one upon the right, for her
beauty and her learning have made her famous
throughout Egypt, Canaan, and Chaldea. She
is Nena the Egyptian. The other—"
Lot did not finish what he was about to say,
for at that moment a strange, wild figure was
seen standing before the king. Whence he had
come no one knew; his appearance was as sud¬
den as if he had arisen out of the stone pave¬
ment upon which he stood. Lot and Eliezer
needed but a glance at the coarse sheepskin
mantle and the pale, gifl-like face, set in thick
masses of curling hair, to recognize in the new¬
comer Ariel the Hebrew. They saw him turn
his face toward the crowded court in which they
were standing, and then, as he stretched out his
54
THE STORY OF SODOM,
hands toward the astonished people, they heard
his clear, strong voice :
Thus saith God who made the heavens and
the earth : ^ Hear ye, ye inhabitants of Sodom,
your wickedness has come up before me. Yet if
ye repent and turn away from your abominations
which my soul hateth, ye shall not be destroyed.' "
Then, suddenly and mysteriously as he had
come, Ariel was gone, leaving the eunuchs, the
priests, and the worshipers staring in one another's
faces in blank amazement at what they had wit¬
nessed. The high-priest was the first to recover
from the shock of surprise that, like a spell,
seemed to bind into motionless silence all within
the sacred precincts.
Servants of Bel and Istar, " he cried, address¬
ing the priests whose smoking censers were now
filling the sanctuary with thick clouds of incense,
"heard ye not the words of the blasphemer?
He is but some wretched shepherd of the hills;
haste ye, lock the doors of the temple and
search him out."
" Make fast, likewise, the gates of the outer
court," called out now the chief eunuch, his thin,
piercing voice reaching the guards at the main
entrance to the great inclosure wherein the wor¬
shipers were assembled, "Ye men of Sodom,"
THE STORY OF SODOM.
55
he continued, addressing the surprised people
before him, I am told that among you there is
one who bowed not his knee before Bel and
Istar, nor yet fell down in the presence of the
king; let him be brought before the seat of
judgment/'
And then the ponderous gates of the outer
court shut with a heavy clang ; but the brazen
doors of the temple closed as noiselessly as they
had opened.
56
THE STORY OF SODOM.
VII.
the side of the ziggurat dedicated to Istar,
opposite the open court where the worship¬
ers were accustomed to assemble, extended a
long, one-story structure, containing the dor¬
mitories of the priestesses of the goddess. In
striking contrast to the gorgeous decorations of
the other edifices within the temple area stood
this plain, dull gray pile ; the severe simplicity
of its exterior matched by the unadorned walls
and the meagerly furnished apartments within.
From a narrow hall, running the entire length
of the building, opened the cells that served as
sleeping-rooms. Of these, the two nearest the
ziggurat^ being the largest and most desirable,
were set apart for the use of the two chief priest¬
esses, under whose charge all the women con¬
nected with the temple were placed.
Shortly after the evening sacrifice had been in¬
terrupted in the manner described in the last
chapter the hall in the women's quarters, in
common with every other part of the sacred edi¬
fice, presented an animated appearance. The
THE STORY OF SODOM.
57
news that some shepherd from the hill-country
had by his presence profaned the inner sanctu¬
ary, even daring, before both king and people,
to blaspheme the national faith, had spread rap¬
idly among the large troop of temple attendants,
arousing the wildest excitement. In obedience
to the command of Ulam, the high-priest, a
search had already been instituted for the of¬
fender. Many of the priestesses joined in the
hunt, and, with blazing torches in their hands,
rushed hither and thither, visiting every cell and
exploring every recess in the vast temple in their
mad eagerness to discover the hiding-place of
the intrepid intruder.
The sudden appearance of the king and
Ulam at the lower end of the long hall quieted
for a moment the uproar in the women's quarter,
the searchers falling upon their knees until the
two men had passed by. Bera, still clad in his rich
robes of state, accompanied by the high-priest,
made his way through the throng toward one of
the rooms set apart for the chief priestesses.
Arriving at this, he struck the stone wall thrice
with his ivory staff, and in answer to his knock¬
ing the door noiselessly opened, and an Ethio¬
pian slave-girl appeared.
Thy mistress, where is she? " demanded the
58
THE STORY OF SODOM,
king, and the slave, who upon recognizing the
visitors had prostrated herself at their feet, arose,
and, silently pointing toward the interior of the
room, stood aside for the men to pass.
Mention has already been made of the scanty
furnishing of the women's dormitories; but in
the apartment to which Bera and Ulam were
now admitted there had plainly been an effort
to surround the. occupant with many of the
luxuries and artistic adornments of the age. The
furniture of the room—consisting of gorgeously
upholstered chairs, couches, and divans—as well
as the decorations upon the ceiling and the walls,
were wholly of an Egyptian pattern. The fres¬
coes overhead represented the night sky studded
with golden stars, among which were traced on
the blue ground fanciful figures of the gods and
demi-gods of the Nile seated on silver thrones
in the heavens. The bare white walls of the
large apartment had been covered by heavy
arras, extending from the many-hued cornice to
the fioor ; and upon the soft-textured cloth—the
choicest workmanship of the looms of Tanis and
of Thebes—were recorded, by hieroglyph and
picture, legends of Egypt's divinities and max¬
ims culled from the wisest of her sages.
In the center of the room stood a small por-
THE STORY OF SODOM. S9
i
phyry table, its disk supported upon the fore
paws of two rampant leopards. On this was
placed a broad, shallow basin of bronze, filled
with scented olive-oil. Five hooded serpent
heads rose from the rim of the basin, and from
their mouths projected cotton wicks which burned
with a steady flame, diffusing a delicate perfume
and a brilliant light throughout the chamber.
As Bera and the high-priest advanced into the
room two young women rose from a divan at
the farther side of the .apartment and came for¬
ward to meet their visitors. The taller of the two
was she whose fame, according to Lot's statement
to Eliezer, had spread from the Nile to the Eu¬
phrates—Nena the Egyptian, daughter of Pen-
taur, a priest of Isis at Memphis, and now herself
one of the chief priestesses in a Canaanitish tem¬
ple devoted to the worship of Bel and Istar.
Nena's features were beautiful, with that calm,
impassive beauty which gives so great a charm
to Egyptian faces. The stained eyebrows met
in a velvety shadow over a thin, straight nose,
and beneath them shone a pair of large black
eyes, half veiled by the silken lashes that fringed
their drooping lids. The face was long rather
than round, the delicately arched nostrils^ the
small mouth with its red and somewhat thick
6o
THE STORY OF SODOM.
lips, the evenly rounded chin, and thé com¬
plexion of palest and most transparent brown
marking her as one in whose veins flowed the
purest Egyptian blood. ---
The brilliant black hair of the priestess, woven
in fine plaits and massed on either side of her
face, fell to her shoulders. She wore no jewels
or metal ornaments, the decorating of the body
by any thing dug out of the earth being ex¬
pressly forbidden the women of the temple.
Her dress consisted of a flounced, sleeveless robe
of fine linen, bleached to a snow-like whiteness.
The upper part of this garment was gathered in
narrow plaits, and it was confined at the waist
by a wide and deeply fringed sash of the same
color as the robe. Her small, well-shaped feet
were shod with white leather sandals held to
their place by soft straps that crossed over the
foot and encircled the ankle.
The second chief priestess was attired precisely
like her companion ; but one needed only a
glance at the ivory whiteness of her neck and
face, her clear blue eyes, and her full rounded
features framed in a rich mass of sunny golden
hair that descended in rippling waves to her
slender waist to know that she was kin to neither
the dwellers upon the Nile nor yet to the children
THE STORY OF SODOM,
6i
of Canaan or Chaldea. She it was whose memory
was destined to live in the traditions of at least
three of the great nations of antiquity, and the
story of whose wandering life, embellished by
the fertile imagination of her race, was yet to
become one of the most beautiful of the Old
World legends. She was lo the Argive, in whom
were united all those graces of physical beauty
for which the Greeks from the earliest ages have
been celebrated. Hers was that perfectness of
form and feature that one beholds in a Venus of
Melos, or in the female figures on the frieze of
the Parthenon.
62
THE STORY OF SODOM.
VIIL
j^ENA and lo, with their hands crossed upon
the breast, bowed low before the high-priest^
and then, falling upon their knees with the cry.
Hail, hail! O king, live forever!" they kissed
Bera's feet.
Rise, daughters of Istar," the king said, in a
low, even voice, his features remaining as im¬
movable as a mask. Then, fixing his dark,
somber eyes upon the Egyptian, he continued :
We have a matter of grave importance to dis¬
cuss, Nena; we would see you alone."
I shall retire to my own chamber," promptly
responded the Argive maiden, in answer to a
glance from her companion ; and, if you wish
it," she added, pointing to the slave-girl, Ketu-
rah can go with me."
Be it as you suggest," the king replied,
acknowledging lo's parting obeisance with a
slight inclination of the head ; and as she and
the Ethiopian left the apartment he motioned
Nena to a chair, he and Ulam seating themselves
on a divan directly before her.
THE STORY OF SODOM,
63
** Tidings of the most serious character have
just reached us," said Bera, his sphinx-like gaze
again fastened upon the girl's face. Chedor-
laomer the Elamite, with his allies, is coming to
make war upon us."
The pale features of the Egyptian blanched to
an ashy pallor, but not a muscle of her face
moved. She only darted a keen look at the two
men as she said :
It is but nine months ago, O king, that the
five cities of the plain cast off the yoke of the
stranger."
Time enough for Chedorlaomer to call to¬
gether his subject-kings, Amraphel, Arioch, and
Tidal, with their armies," Ulam returned, with
a grim smile. Time enough, too, for them to
cross the country between the Euphrates and
Damascus. They are now sweeping down the
east side of the Jordan. Three days ago they
smote the Rephaim and destroyed their strong¬
hold, Ashteroth-Karnaim."
" And they will be upon you before you are
prepared to give them battle," cried the priestess.
Nay, not so," Bera answered, quietly. " It is
the plan of the invaders, our spy has learned, to
pillage the entire region to the east and the south
of the Salt Sea, and to penetrate the desert
64
THE STORY OF SODOM.
even as far as Mount Seir and El-Paran. Then,
on their homeward way, after ravaging the Ama-
lekites and Amorites along the west shore of the
sea, to attack us. It will require a month, very
likely much longer, to accomplish all this. We
shall have plenty of time to prepare for defense.'*
And part of that preparation is to be in¬
trusted to you, daughter of Egypt," added the
high-priest, gravely. May the goddess Isis,
whom your father worshiped, and the goddess
you now serve, aid you ! "
I ! " exclaimed Nena, startled out of her
composure, and rising and standing before the
two men ; I ! how is it possible—"
That is just what we have come to tell you,"
the king said, motioning the Egyptian back to
her seat. The five cities are of themselves no
mean match for the Elamite and his allies, but
we must increase their strength by an alliance
with Abraham the Hebrew. He is the most
powerful shepherd-chief between Zoan and Da¬
mascus, and the Amorites are his confederates.
You can secure us this great ally."
Bera paused and looked at the priestess, as if
expecting her to speak.
Say on, O king," she murmured, I am lis¬
tening."
THE STORY OF SODOM.
6S
Eliezer of Damascus, the heir of all the He¬
brew's wealth, is now in Sodom. It was he who
to-night refused to bow his knee before Bel and
Istar, and who remained standing when the peo¬
ple in the outer court prostrated themselves in
my presence. Being the heir of so powerful a
lord as is his master, it will be well for us to
condone his offenses, to seek his friendship, and
to bind him to our interests by means you need
not be at a loss to devise. The young man is
now in the chamber of the high-priest ; I shall
summon him hither, and let the comely steward
of Abraham but find favor in the eyes of the
daughter of Egypt and the alliance which we are
seeking will be secured."
5
66
THE STORY OF SODOM,
IX.
'^HE priestesses face flushed scarlet as the
king disclosed to her the part she was to
take in the preparations for defense against the
coming invaders. She had already rendered her
adopted city services similar to the one now
desired. Not unfrequently had the envoys of
other tribes been caught in her silken meshes to
the betrayal of the trust committed to them.
Rough and rude-mannered mountain sheiks^ and
even powerful kings, had ere now been lured
into bartering away flocks and herds, rich lands
and troops of slaves, for the favor of the fair but
false Egyptian. For Nena possessed all the fas¬
cinating arts of the talented, beautiful, and
wholly unprincipled woman. In an age that
looked upon her sex as immeasurably man's in¬
ferior, and among a people that made woman
either the drudging slave of her husband or
master or the soulless toy for the soft dalliance
of his idle hours, Nena the Egyptian had become
famous as much by the homage paid her genius
and learning as by her rare personal beauty.
THE STORY OF SODOM.
67
Ulam, during a visit of his to the Nile, had met
her in her father's temple at Memphis, and, struck
by the brilliancy of her wit, her superior intellect¬
ual attainments, and the suavity of her manners,
the high-priest sought her services for the worship
of Istar, which he was just then endeavoring to
establish among the tribes of the lower Jordan.
Nena was ambitious, and she saw in Ulam's
offer an opportunity to make the most of the
talent and the beauty which she was very con¬
scious of possessing ; and, if she determined to
do this under the cloak of a sacred calling, she
was but setting an example which many of latfer
generations have followed. Her father was a
sincere believer in the Egyptian religion, but to
the daughter it was only a medley of unintel¬
ligible nonsense ; and she, who in her heart had
pronounced the hymns to Isis to be superstitious
jargon, was not likely to entertain a much more
reverential opinion of the Chaldean Istar. Never¬
theless, she kept her lips tightly closed over her
skepticism and contempt, and as one of the chief
priestesses of the goddess she discharged the
duties of her ofhce with a fidelity and thorough¬
ness that earned her the high-priest's approval
and evoked the praise and admiration of the wor¬
shipers.
58
THE STORY OF SODOM,
The Egyptian's policy was that of the shrewd,
unscrupulous schemer. Not only was Ulam de-
lighted with the interest she displayed in the
temple service, but Bera also believed that she
was heart and soul in sympathy with his endeav¬
ors to strengthen the position of Sodom among
the people of Canaan. To neither high-priest
nor king did she give any occasion to suspect
that her professed zeal and loyalty was but a
cunningly assumed mask, or that she was making
herself indispensable to each that she might ac¬
quire the greater power over both. Already in
her own land a woman had sat upon the throne
of the Pharaohs, and in Chaldea a female high-
priest had not been unknown. Nena aspired to
be both queen and high-priestess of the Canaan-
ites.
She was already far on the way toward the
attainment of both these honors. Ulam was an
old man, and he had more than once intimated
his intention of naming her as his successor. It
only remained to induce him publicly to declare
what he had said to her in private, and she would
soon be the religious head of the five cities ; for
the poisons of Egypt were swift and subtle, and
Nena was skilled in the secret of their use. She
was likewise betrothed to Prince Helon, Bera/s
THE STORY OF SODOM.
69
eldest son, and the heir to his throne. Before
long she would be the prince's wife, and she was
determined that the throne should be made
vacant for him, and that also his occupancy of
it would be short. Such, in brief, were the
plans and aspirations of Nena the Egyptian-
plans and aspirations growing out of an ambition
that was surely unscrupulous enough for a woman
of three and twenty years.
We can understand now the cause of the
deathly pallor that overspread her features when
the king informed her of the impending invasion
of Chedorlaomer and his allies. This might
mean the re-conquest of the people of the plain,
their subjection to a foreign master, and thereby
the destruction of her hopes. Fourteen years be¬
fore the great Eastern conqueror had swept west¬
ern Asia from the upper Euphrates to the front¬
iers of Egypt, and am.ong the many tribes made
to acknowledge the sovereignty of Elam were the
Canaanites of the lower Jordan. Twelve years
these served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth
year, at the instigation of the now influential
Egyptian chief priestess of Istar, they rebelled
and refused to send the annual tribute to Elam.
The ominous silence that for nine months fol¬
lowed this declaration of independence was finally
7o THE STORY OF SODOM.
broken, as we have already learned, by the alarm¬
ing tidings that Chedorlaomer, with three trib¬
utary kings and a mighty army, was on his way
to the Salt Sea, breathing out vengeance and
slaughter against the revolted cities.
Nena's alarm at the danger that threatened
the frustration of her designs made her ready to
welcome the king's plan for securing the alliance
of Abraham the Hebrew ; for aside from the
fact that he was the sheik of the most powerful
mountain clan in the country, what was more to
the purpose, it was well known to the tribes
round about him that whatever enterprise the
great Hebrew shared in was certain to prosper.
To make an ally of him, therefore, would not
only preserve the Canaanites for her own pur¬
poses, but through her association with him she
might become a partaker in his prosperity.
Ever since Abraham had come into the land
of Canaan he had publicly recognized Eliezer of
Damascus as his heir, and, outside the Hebrew's
own family, the recent disinheriting of the stew¬
ard was unknown. It was natural, then, that
Bera and Ulam Usar, desiring an alliance with
the powerful sheik., should seek it through Eli¬
ezer. Nena, also, as soon as the plan was pro¬
posed to her, saw in the steward the quickest
THE STORY OF SODOM.
71
and surest means of obtaining Abraham's friend¬
ship for herself, and she resolved that Eliezer of
Damascus should become, as many had become
before him, a captive in the strong toils of her
irresistible fascinations. This resolution was soon
formed, and the dissembling Egyptian, as she
heard the king's concluding words, Let the
comely Hebrew but find favor in the eyes of the
daughter of Egypt and the alliance we are seek¬
ing will be secured," with an admirably feigned
air of mingled coyness and resignation raised
her blushing face to Bera, and said, simply :
'^Thy will be done, O king; let the Hebrew
be brought before us."
*¡2 THE STORY OF SODOM.
X.
To and the Ethiopian left Nena's
chamber they at once went to the for¬
mer's room. A small oil-lamp, in which burned
a single wick, was suspended by a bronze chain
from the ceiling in the^middle of the apartment,
and its dim light was sufficient to show the
striking contrast between the sumptuous cham¬
ber which Nena possessed and the plain, scantily
furnished one given to To. In one corner of the
room stood a narrow bed, and this, with a single
chair and a small Phrygian mat in the center of
the floor, constituted all the furniture visible.
Motioning the slave-girl to the rug, the Argive
seated herself on the chair ; and then, as the
shouts of the searchers in the hall without rose
in a loud, prolonged outburst, lo turned to the
Ethiopian, and said :
Nearly all the people of the temple have
joined in the hunt for the young shepherd ; do
you wish to go too ? "
The slave-girl shook her head ; but, lifting her
large, mournful eyes to the speaker's, she asked :
THE STORY OF SODOM.
73
Would the great lady of Istar have me go ?
If so, I shall obey."
" Nay, nay, Keturah ; I would have you re¬
main with me. There are already searchers
enough to find the poor offender; he must be
somewhere within the temple inclosure."
The Ethiopian had drawn nearer to lo, and
was now seated on the fioor at her feet. Her
comely face wore an expression of deep anxiety
as she again asked :
" Does the great lady know what will be done
with the stranger when he is found ? "
Jo's voice was very grave as she answered :
I fear he will not be permitted to leave the
temple alive."
"Then the great lady of Istar believes the
young shepherd is deserving of death?"
" I said not so."
" What, then, would the great lady do were
the punishment of the offender put in "her
hands ? "
" Do not ask me, Keturah. What I might
feel compelled to do I cannot say." Then, mus¬
ingly, and more to herself than to her companion,
she continued: "What heroic daring the fair
young shepherd displayed ! And those words of
his—' God, who made the heavens and the earth '
74 THE STORY OF SODOM.
—how they thrilled my soul! * God, who made
the heavens and the earth ! ' Is there such a be¬
ing? O, that I might find him !
The slave-girl had been listening quietly to
the words of her companion. Once more she
raised her eyes to those of the Argive.
Is not the great lady a priestess of Istar?"
she asked.
lo took Keturah's question as a rebuke; was
it meet that she, a servant of the Chaldean god¬
dess, should be seeking other gods ? She bowed
her head, her face reddening with confusion.
" You have spoken truly," she said. " I am a
priestess of Istar."
The humble slave-girl's eyes glowed with a
strange light. She, too, bowed her head and
said no more. She had made a discovery.
For a long time the priestess and the Ethi¬
opian remained silent. The confusion attending
the search for the shepherd gradually subsided,
and finally all became quiet in the women's dor¬
mitories. lo rose and went out into the hall. In
/
a few minutes she returned and said to the slave-
girl :
They have been unable to find the intruder.
The hunt has been given up, as it is evident that
the stranger has escaped."
THE STORY OF SODOM,
The Ethiopian bowed her head so low that
lo could not see her face, but she perceived that
the girl was trembling, as if from some intense
suffering or deep emotion. She was about to
speak to her when Keturah rose from the floor,
saying :
Will the great lady pardon me, but I have
forgotten myself. This evening my mistress
commanded me to polish the brazen altar of in¬
cense before the statue of the blessed Istar. I
shall go and do it now, lest at the morning serv¬
ice my mistress be angry with me."
And the Ethiopian left the room.
76 THE STORY OF SODOM,
XI.
I^ETURAH went at once to that part of the
temple where, but a few hours before, Ariel
had delivered his message to the king and the
people of Sodom. The sacred fire was smoul¬
dering on one of the altars before the gigantic
images of the god and goddess, and as it blazed
up in short, fitful flashes grotesque shadows
danced upon the statues, the frescoed ceiling of
the temple, and the rich hangings upon the walls.
The place was entirely deserted, and, though the
slave-girl listened intently for a time, no sound
was to be heard about the sacred precincts.
Quickly passing behind the great altar of sac¬
rifice, Keturah descended a flight of stone steps
leading back toward the ziggurat under the
statue of Istar. The passage-way was unlighted,
but the Ethiopian groped through the dense
darkness until she reached a point directly under
the image of the goddess, and here she paused
and gave a low call.
Soon there came a softly spoken answer from
overhead, and in a minute more a dim light
THE STORY OF SODOM.
77
shone through a square opening in the high-
arched ceiling of the passage-way.
Take hold and I shall pull you up,'* some
one now said, and a rope with the end tied in a
loop dropped down to the floor.
Putting her feet in the loop, Keturah seized
hold of the rope with both hands, and soon she was
standing within the hollow interior of the great
image of Istar, before Ariel, the Hebrew shepherd.
" Hail, servant of the Most High ! " the Ethi¬
opian murmured, her hands crossed on her
breast. Thy God hath saved thee from thine
enemies ; they no longer seek thee."
Blessed then be the God of Abraham," re-
sponded Ariel, speaking in a low tone ; for it
was he who put it into the heart of his hand¬
maiden to remember the son of Enoch. She
found me a stranger in this wicked city, and she
took me in ; she knew the burden that the Lord
my God hath laid upon me, and she became my
helper. In this house of abominations, even
within this idol of the heathen, she hid me. Lo,
my life was in her hands, and she betrayed me
not into the power of mine enemies. In the day
of his visitation Jehovah will remember her;
her life shall be precious in his sight when the
flame of his anger consumeth the ungodly."
78
THE STORY OF SODOM.
Keturah had fallen on her knees at Ariel's feet.
Shall he who hath been delivered from lions
forget the hand that saved him ? " she said ; and
then, after a moment's pause, she continued :
When thy father, with his kinsmen, Abraham
and Lot, sojourned in the land of Egypt, he
saved my father's life when his master sought him
to slay him. In the tent of Rizpah,d:hy mother,
my mother died ; and thou, Ariel, and Judith
thy sister, despised not the orphaned slave-child,
but entreated me kindly and made me your com¬
panion. From thy lips I first heard the name of
Jehovah; it was thou who made known tome
the greatness and goodness of the God of Abra¬
ham the Hebrew.
And now behold, thou prophet of the Most
High, thy God, who is my God, caused me to be
sold to Nena, the daughter of Pentaur the priest,
and hath sent me hither before thee that I might
shelter thee in the midst of thine enemies whilst
thou speakest in the ears of the inhabitants of
Sodom the word which the Lord hath given thee."
Rise, daughter of Ethiopia, and may God,
whom thou servest in secret, be gracious unto
thee," the young shepherd gently responded.
The day cometh, yea, it is nigh at hand, when
the Lord shall break thy bonds, and she who
THE STORY OF SODOM,
79
now hath rule over thee shall oppress thee no
more. And now say quickly what thou wouldst
speak to me and depart, lest thy mistress find
thee missing when she calleth thee."
" I bring thee tidings of great joy, son of
Enoch,'' the slave-girl answered, still kneeling,
but lifting her eyes to the young Hebrew's face.
One heart at least thy word to-night hath
quickened. She of whom I told thee this morn¬
ing, lo, the beautiful stranger from beyond the
Great Sea, yearneth to hear of Jehovah. I
have just come from her room ; I heard her as
she communed with herself : ' God who made
the heavens and the earth ! Is there such a
being? O, that I might find him!' My own
heart longed to speak to her, but I forebore—"
Thou didst wisely in that," interrupted the
listener ; " thou mightest have found thyself be¬
trayed to thy mistress."
" Nay, I think not," Keturah returned, ear¬
nestly. " I am sure she secretly hoped that thy
pursuers might not find thee. She commended
thy heroic daring ; and, were thy life at her dis¬
posal, thou wouldst go unharmed. Nay, the fair
stranger desireth but righteousness and truth ;
in her heart, I believe, it repents her that she is
a priestess of Istar."
8o
THE STORY OF SODOM,
" Then shall the Lord God enlighten her soul ;
by the mouth of Ariel his servant shall he make
himself known."
The Ethiopian had seized the shepherd's hands
with her own and was covering them with kisses.
" I prayed to Jehovah that he would incline
the heart of the son of Enoch to hear me,"
she whispered back, her voice thrilling with
suppressed emotion ; and, lo, my prayer is an¬
swered. In the morning before dawn, when the
star of Istar first appeareth over the hills, lo the
Argive will pour forth the morning libations
upon the altar of the goddess in the little shrine
upon the summit of the ziggurat above us. Be
thou there. I shall cover thy head with a
woman's wimple, and thy shepherd's dress with
the tunic of a priestess. And fear not to declare
thyself to the stranger, for her heart is ready to
receive the word of the Lord."
Be it even as thou hast said," Ariel gravely
responded. God hath of a surety moved thee
to speak this thing to me, and his will be done.
But do thou now return to thy mistress, and,
when it is convenient to thee, bring me the ap¬
parel of which thou hast spoken."
A minute more and Ariel the Hebrew was
alone.
THE STORY OF SODOM.
8i
XII.
yHE little Amorite city of H azezon-Tamar,
almost hidden from sight in a forest of
palms, lay in the midst of a small plain that
formed a recess in the well-nigh precipitous
mountain wall that skirts the western shore of
the Salt Sea. About a mile distant from the
city, up the steep slope that forms a pass to the
heights above, a spring gushes out óf the rocks,
its silver thread of a streamlet dashing down in
lofty cataracts to the plain below. It is uncertain
what name this spring bore in the days of Abra¬
ham, but it was afterward known as Engedi, the
fountain of the kid, and this name still survives
in its Arabic form, Ain-Jidy.
Not far from the spring a little plateau, only a
few acres in extent, nestles between two con¬
verging lines of cliff ; and four thousand years
ago this was covered with a grove of gigantic
oaks. Under the shadow of these were pitched
the tents of old Mehetabel the Amorite, to
whom, it will be remembered, Ariel, before set¬
ting out for Sodom, had told his sister Judith to
6
82
THE STORY OF SODOM,
go. The family of Mehetabel were shepherds,
and between their tribe and that of the nomadic
Hebrews existed the most friendly relations.
Mehetabel's three sons—Aner, Eschol, and
Mamre—had, in fact, formed an alliance with
Abraham, who, several years before, had pitched
his tents in one of Mamre's oak-groves, about
twenty miles from Hazezon-Tamar. This league
had proved to be of great advantage to both
Hebrew and Amorite in their common defense
against mountain robbers and the plundering
incursions of the Amalekites of the south coun¬
try.
— \
Nearly three weeks after the events narrated
in the preceding chapters, just as the sun was
sinking behind the mountains above Hazezon-
Tamar and a deep twilight was settling over the
palm-groves of the plain, Judith, the Hebrew
shepherdess, came descending the narrow path
cut out of the sides of the precipitous cliffs above
the spring of Engedi. Her flock was following
her, the bolder animals treading the dizzy path
as fearlessly as did their young keeper, the more
timid ones pressing close to the side of the cliff
and creeping cautiously down the steep descent.
Reaching the open glade at the foot of the
rocks, Judith led her flock to the fountain, and,
THE STORY OF SODOM.
83
while the sheep were slaking their thirsts with
the fresh cool water the girl was startled by
loud shouts in the pass below the spring. Glanc¬
ing down the valley, she beheld four men, naked
save the narrow kilt of undressed fox-skins
about their loins, hastening up the rocky ravine
at the head of a great flock of goats that strag¬
gled along behind them.
Judith at once recognized the new corners to
be Amalekites ; for marauding bands of that
warlike people, with their fierce bearded faces,
fiery eyes, and long matted hair, had often car¬
ried terror and death to the more peaceful tribes
of the Hebron country. The goat-herds had
now caught sight of the water and of Judith and
her flock ; and, madly yelling and brandishing
their long knotted clubs above their heads, they
rushed toward the spring.
The girl was so paralyzed with fear that she
was wholly unable either to flee or to cry aloud.
The Amalekites, dashing into the midst of the
flock, began a merciless slaughter of the sheep,
their heavy clubs crushing in the skulls of the
cowering animals and stretching them lifeless
on the ground. As one of the goat-herds ap¬
proached Judith, who, still powerless to move,
was gazing in silent horror upon the work of
84
THE STORY OF SODOM,
destruction before her, the fellow dropped his club
and dashed upon her. A low, inarticulate sob
broke from the girl's lips, and she made a futile
effort to flee; but the ruffian's arms were about
her, and with a horrible laugh he began binding
her hands behind her back with the leathern
cord of her scrip.
Judith, as she realized the brutal intention of
her captor, suddenly became freed from the spell
that hitherto had bound her. Screaming loudly
for help, she struggled with desperate energy to
free herself, but in vain. She felt herself sinking
down in the powerful grasp of the goat-herd, his
hot breath seemed to stifle her, and then, even
as consciousness was leaving her, there came the
sharp whir of some flying object, and the Ama-
lekite, loosing his hold upon the shepherdess,
with a hollow, gurgling cry fell by her side, his
throat transfixed with an arrow. As his com¬
panions, who had seen him fall, ran up to where
he lay writhing in the sand, again came the
swift, deadly hiss in the air, and another of the
Amalekites, leaping up with a hideous shriek,
fell pierced to the heart by the shaft of the un¬
seen foe. With loud cries the two remaining
goat-herds turned and fled ; but even as they
ran another plunged forward among the rocks.
THE STORY OF SODOM. 85
stricken down by the third arrow of the fatal
marksman.
Judith, roused by the shrieks of the men, rose
to her feet, casting her eyes up and down the
pass in search of her deliverer. The shrill blast
of a horn from the cliff above caused her to look
up. There on the brink of the precipice, directly
overhead, stood Eschol the Amorite, his figure
clearly outlined against the pale gray sky.
86 THE STORY OF SODOM,
XIII.
'^HE young man perceived Judith's upward
glance, and waving his bow in a signal for
her to remain where she was, he hastened down
the path along the face of the cliff, and was soon
at the girl's side. Judith had already succeeded
in freeing her hands, and now, turning her pallid
face toward the new-comer, in a voice that still
trembled, she thanked him for her rescue.
Daughter of Enoch," the Amorite responded,
gravely, had not the Lord whom you serve
aided me I would have been unable to have
saved you from the will of the Amalekite," and
Eschol struck with his foot the now lifeless body
of the goat-herd.
Judith's large black eyes met those of the
young hunter.
Verily the Lord God is nigh to them that
fear him, he heareth their cry and will deliver
them ; yet it is often by man whom he hath
created that his deliverance is wrought. Jehovah
has saved me from my enemy by giving power and
cunning to the hand of Eschol the Amorite."
THE STORY OF SODOM.
87
" Has the Lord then revealed to you the se¬
cret of your deliverance ? " exclaimed the Amor-
ite, a look of surprise on his bronzed features.
^'Yet, O Judith, let me speak. I heard the
shouts of the goat-herds as I was coming home¬
ward, and I ran to the brink of the precipice and
looked down. This Amalekite was just rushing
upon you. Before I could unsling my bow he
was bending over you binding your hands. I
was directly above you, the distance was great,
both of you were reeling back and forth in your
struggle ; if my aim failed, you, and not your ene¬
my, would be slain. Thrice did I draw the arrow
to the head, but each time my heart failed me.
Then, daughter of Enoch, I lifted up my
voice and cried unto the God whom you serve :
' Adonai, Adonai, thou who art called Jehovah !
Behold thy handmaiden is in great straits and I
would save her, but my heart fainteth, my hand
hath lost its cunning, and there is no strength
in me. Here me, Adonai, thou great God of
Abraham, of Ariel, and of Judith! Never be¬
fore have I called upon thy name ; but now I
lift up mine hand unto thee and swear if thou
wilt bend this bow and guide this arrow to the
Amalekite to smite him I shall serve thee
henceforth forever.'
88
THE STORY OF SODOM,
"• Thus I prayed, Judith ; and, lo, even as I was
speaking my strength returned, my hand be¬
came steady, and my heart told me that I would
save you. So has it come to pass ; I have de¬
livered you, yet not I, but Jehovah in me. And
my vow, even as I have sworn, I will perform
it ; the God of Abraham, who is your God and
Ariel's God, shall hereafter be my God."
A strange, great gladness thrilled Judith's
soul. She would have spoken, but she dared
not trust herself to speak. Kneeling by the side
of one of the slaughtered ewes, whose lamb was
bleating piteously over its dead dam, the shep¬
herdess, gathering the little creature to her
breast, wept silently. Eschol stood watching
her, his own heart filled with that peaceful hap¬
piness which comes to every earnest soul to
whom God has spoken ; and mingled with this
/
was an exultant joy that it had been permitted
him to rescue the girl before him from a fate
worse than any death. He understood Judith's
tears; her tender sorrow over the motherless
little lamb in her arms afforded an outlet to her
unspeakable thankfulness to God for what she
had just heard.
Judith," the young hunter said, remain
here a short time, I pray you ; I would go to
THE STORY OF SODOM. 89
/
the wounded Amalekite yonder/' and Eschol
pointed in the direction of the lower pass, where
the third goat-herd had been stricken down.
Perchance I may learn something from him
that it behooves us to know ; " and with these
words he left her.
The Hebrew shepherdess rose to her feet, and
with the lamb still in her arms called to her
scattered flock, nearly a score of whose number
lay dead about the spring. Many of the goats
that had come up the pass with the Amalekites
were still among the sheep, and the girl moved
off some distance from the water so as to sepa¬
rate her flock from these. The goats, instead
of following her, gathered with low, mournful
cries about the lifeless bodies of their two
keepers. Seating herself upon a rock, her sheep
crowding close around her, Judith awaited Es-
chol's return.
The girl's thoughts were of the peril to which
she had just been exposed, and of the deliver¬
ance that had come to her by the hand of the
Amorite hunter. Of the miraculous character
of that deliverance she entertained no doubt.
Eschol had lifted his heart to God, and his
prayer had been heard. Jehovah, who, by vis¬
ions of the night-time and by angelic messengers,
90
THE STORY OF SODOM,
had spoken again and again to her ancestors—to
Abraham, and to Enoch her father—had deigned
to listen to this earnest heathen soul. But Es¬
ch ol was a heathen no longer. He had sw^orn
that he would become a servant of the Most
High, and she, through the danger which had
threatened her, had been the instrument of his
conversion. For this she had wept tears of
gladness.
Between Eschol's family and her own their
had long existed the warmest friendship. Old
Mehetabel's husband, Abednebo, had been her
father's intimate friend, and her brother Ariel
and Eschol had grown up from boyhood in the
closest companionship. The orphaned Judith
had found in Mehetabel and her two daughters,
Rahel and Deborah, the kindly counsel of a
mother and the aifectionate interest of sisters.
Eschol, as the young shepherdess was aware, had
sought her hand in marriage from her master,
Lot ; but as soon as he learned that she was
already the promised wife of Abraham's steward
he abandoned his suit, and ever afterward treated
her with the tender and chivalrous respect of a
brother.
During the three weeks that had elapsed since
she and Eliezer of Damascus had held that
THE STORY OF SODOM.
91
solemn interview in the valley above the pass of
Hazezon-Tamar no tidings had come to her of
her absent lover. She knew that he had not re¬
turned to his master, and she was at a loss to
understand why he lingered so long in Sodom
without so much as sending her a message. But,
though troubled at Eliezer's unaccountable si¬
lence, Judith was very far from being a pining,
love-lorn maiden. Her temperament was of too
joyous and sunny a character for that ; and the
active out-door life that she led—her duties as
shepherdess calling for close and absorbing atten¬
tion—and the genial home-ljfe of the AmoHte
family to which she returned every evening, left
little opportunity for melancholy musing. If in
the morning she breathed the wish that that day
might bring word from Eliezer, or if at night-fall
she sighed because no tidings had come, the un¬
availing wish was forgotten in the free, exhila-
rant life among the sunlit hills, and the sigh
quickly gave place to merry peals of laughter as
she romped with RaheEs children in the cool
twilight beneath the oaks of Engedi.
From time to time she had heard of Ariel
through travelers passing over the mountains.
The inhabitants of the plain, these reported,
were deeply excited over the herald of coming
92
THE STORY OF SODOM,
disasters. In the streets of each of the five cities
of the Canaanites, in the fields and vineyards
among the laborers, in the temples, and even in
the palaces of the kings, the young shepherd had
been seen suddenly to appear, and, after having
poured forth his fiery denunciations of their un¬
speakable sins and his prophecies of the approach¬
ing chastisement of heaven, to disappear from
the sight of the people as mysteriously as he
had come.
For the safety of her brother in the midst of
the hostile Canaanites Judith's lofty faith ad¬
mitted no fear. God, the possessor of heaven
and earth, had sent him thither, and he would
protect his prophet. It was coming to pass as
Melchizedek of Salem had said : the angel of the
Lord had indeed gone before him, the power of
the Almighty was upholding him.
THE STORY OF SODOM.
93
XIV.
JN a short time Eschol returned from the lower
pass, his face wearing a very grave and troubled
expression. In answer to Judith's questioning
look, he said :
The man was wounded to death, but I reached
him in time to learn the cause that brought him
and his companions hither. The army of the
Elamite, on its way to the Jordan, is harrying the
south country with fire and sword. Thousands of
the Amalekites are fleeing northward with their
families and their possessions. The goat-herds
were seeking a refuge from the invaders when théy
came upon you and your flock at the spring."
Judith's own face grew pale as she listened to
the hunter's words. Perceiving her agitation,
the young man continued :
Fear not, daughter of Enoch, harm shall not
be suffered to come nigh you. The movements
of the enemy shall be watched, and if, on their
march against the Canaanites, Chedorlaomer and
his allies take the western shore of the sea, we
shall withdraw into the mountains."
94
THE STORY OF SODOM,
But Judith had not been thinking of herself.
In one of the revolted cities, toward which the
powerful Eastern conqueror was now hastening,
dwelt her master. Lot, and there, too, were her
brother and her lover. A great fear for the
safety of these took possession of her. But of
this she said nothing; and she and Eschol now
turned their steps in the direction of the sheep-
folds at the lower end of the grove wherein were
pitched the tents of Mehetabel the Amorite.
Arriving at the oaks, the young hunter left
Judith to fold her flock, while he returned to the
spring to remove the bodies of the goat-herds.
As he approached the brook he heard the sound
of footsteps before him, and soon the figures of
two persons, a man and a boy, loomed up
through the dusk of the evening. They were
Mamre of Hebron, his elder brother and the
neighbor and friend of Abraham the Hebrew,
and Ishmael, the latter's son.
''Hail, my brother!" cried Mamre, and his
voice betrayed an eager anxiety as he continued :
" Is it well with you, my brother? are you hurt ?
We just now happened upon the dead bodies of
two Amalekites, and Ishmael here at once recog¬
nized the arrows that slew them to be the arrows
of EschoL'*
THE STORY OF SODOM, 95
Let not the son of my mother be troubled/'
the hunter quietly responded ; I am unharmed
and Eschol proceeded to inform his brother of
all that had occurred.
You did well, and of a surety your vow was
right pleasing to the Most High," Mamre said,
approvingly, when the speaker had finished his
story. " My soul loathes the shedding of blood,
yet God is a witness that the Amalekites de¬
served death."
The boy Ishmael had listened with rapt atten¬
tion to Eschol's account of Judith's rescue, and
while Mamre was speaking he came forward and
seized the hunter's hands. The lad was not
more than thirteen years old, but he was remark¬
ably strong and large for his age, and he
possessed a manliness and earnestness of spirit
rare in one so young. Eschol, as he felt Ishmael
grasp his hand, looked down with a kindly smile
into the boy's handsome face.
" O Eschol," Ishmael cried, breathlessly, his
eyes ablaze and his fine features glowing with
admiration for the skillful archer, how I wish
that I might have seen you when you slew the
Amalekites ! Ah, you are a mighty hunter, son
of Abednebo ; your praises are in the mouths of
all people ; the good bless you, the fear of you
96
THE STORY OF SODOM.
restrains the hands of wicked doers. O Eschol,"
the boy continued, pleadingly, " will you not let
me be your companion ? How I long to learn of
you the cunning of the bow and the javelin ! I
mean to be some day a great archer like you ; so
that people will say, ^ He is a great archer, even as
Eschol the Amorite ; a mighty archer is Ishmael,
the son of Hagar.' O, this tame life of the
keeper of sheep, how I hate it, O, how I hate it 1 "
and the lad's hands were clinched and his voice
rose in a shrill passionate shriek. " Abraham,
my father, has threatened to send my mother and
me away from him ; would that he would do so !
Then I should be free !
Son of Hagar," said Mamre, reprovingly,
^'you know not for what you are wishing. This
freedom which you so much desire you would
find to be but slavery—slavery to hardship and
want in the desert, slavery to continual peril and
fear."
Fear!" cried the lad, his fiery spirit flaming
up in indignant scorn. Fear! Does my lord
Mamre know to whom it is that he speaks?"
And Ishmael, his face crimson with anger, drew
himself up proudly before the two men, whose
features betrayed the merriment his words and
manner evoked.
THE STORY OF SODOM,
97
Ah, you are laughing at me," the hot-tem¬
pered youth went on ; " but let me warn you, it
would be better to seek my friendship than to
arouse my enmity. I tell you for a truth, sons
of Abednebo, that the tents of Abraham the
Hebrew are soon to know me no more. If my
father refuses to let me go, I will make his life
and the life of his haughty wife Sarah, whom my
mother hates, such burdens to them that they
will drive me away from them into the freedom
I am seéking. Then shall I become, as the
children of Amalek are, a wild man of the hills ;
even as the angel of Jehovah said to Hagar, my
mother, by the fountain in the wilderness, when
she had fled from the face of her mistress Sarah,
so shall I be—a wild man, with my hand against
every man and every man's hand against me.
And you, Eschol, who are so famous a hunter,
you will teach me your cunning, will you not ? "
Ishmael's voice had lost its angry ring and had
become pleadingly coaxing, as he again clasped
the young Amorite's hands in his own and raised
his eyes with a beseeching look to those of the
man.
We are your father's friends, son of Hagar,"
Eschol quietly answered ; " and we will do
naught that may be displeasing to him. Abra-
98 THE STORY OF SODOM.
ham but follows the word of the Lord his God
who directs his ways ; and if it be the will of the
Most High that you and your mother be separate
from your father*s house, Abraham will send
you away, and then I shall be free to teach you
what you desire."
" Be it so, then," Ishmael said, humbly. I
am but a child, yet the voice of my father's God
speaks to me in the love which he has implanted
in my heart for the free, wild life of the hunts¬
man. By this love I know his will concerning
me ; the honey of wild bees and the flesh of
beasts shall be my food, and the caves of the
rocks shall be my habitation. I shall dwell
in the presence of my brethren, and the Al¬
mighty shall make of me a great nation. The
mouth of the angel of the Lord hath spoken
•i. >>
it.
The will of Jehovah be done ! " Mamre ex¬
claimed, reverently. And then, turning to his
brother, he asked :
Has Aner returned ? "
" He came last evening."
And has brought home a wife ? "
" He has."
" Bashemath the Sidonian ? "
" The same."
THE STORY OF SODOM,
99
I thought it probable that he had returned,"
Mamre said, " and so I came dowa to see him.''
" They are in Rahel's tent," Eschol returned.
Go thither, I pray you, brother ; and, Ishmael,
you accompany Mamre. I must remove the
bodies of those whose lives the Lord delivered
into my hand," and the speaker moved off.
** Nay, Eschol, let me help you, and then we
shall go up to the tents together," the elder
man answered ; and, accompanied by the boy
Ishmael, the brothers turned their steps toward
the spring.
100
THE STORY OF SODOM.
XV.
the upper end of the little plateau above
the fountain of Engedi and close under the
shadow of the cliffs stood the tents of Meheta-
bel the Amorite. Although the encampment
was a permanent one, there had been no at¬
tempt to replace the frail dwellings by more sub¬
stantial structures. The shepherd tribes of the
Canaan of four thousand years ago, like their
successors, the Bedouins of to-day, abhorred
buildings of wood and stone. They therefore
clung to their portable tents of cloth or of skins,
which, at an hour's notice, could be folded and
packed upon beasts of burden in readiness for
flight from approaching enemies or for migra¬
tion to more promising pasture-lands.
Mehetabel's encampment, comprising ten or
twelve tents grouped around a larger one, had
occupied its present site for more than a score
of years. In Chedorlaomer's previous invasion
of Canaan, fourteen years before, Abednebo and
two of his sons had been slain, and the husband
of Rahel, the eldest daughter, had been carried
The Three Amorite ^rothers. Scene: The tent of the Amorites.
See page 101.
THE STORY OF SODOM. IO I.
away into captivit}''. Mamre, to whom, as the
eldest surviving son, the office of sheik naturally
belonged, declined to assume any authority over
the family, and Mehetabel herself remained the
head of the tribe.
Neither of the two remaining sons took kindly
to the quiet life of keepers of sheep. Eschol
chose the profession of huntsman, and Aner
wandered away to Egypt, and thence to Chaldea
and the cities of the upper Tigris and Euphra¬
tes, no other motive impelling him than his de¬
sire to visit all the civilized countries of the
world, that he might look upon their wonderful
temples and palaces, make himself acquainted
with their arts of refinement and luxury, and
study their industries and commerce. He had
just returned from the young but already fa¬
mous city of Sidon, bringing with him as wife
Bashemath, the daughter of one of the leading
Sidonian traders.
A few hours after Eschol had met Mamre and
Ishmael on his way to the spring the great tent
in the center of the Amorite encampment pre¬
sented a dazzling appearance. It was brilliantly
lighted by a number of hanging lamps of bronze
exquisitely wrought in the shape of ships, tem¬
ples, fishes, and wild beasts. These formed but
102
THE STORY OF SODOM.
a small part of the many samples of Sidonian
art which Aner had brought home with him. A
large table, the disk of which was supported
upon the antlers of three antelopes, stood in the
middle of the tent, and upon it were heaped rich
masterpieces of the cunning craft of Sidonian
goldsmiths and lapidaries. Delicately wrought
necklaces, ear-rings, bracelets, and finger-rings ;
golden bowls and vases in rock crystal ; carnel-
ians, agates, chalcedonies, and onyxes cut in the
form of gryphons and sphinxes—all these, a rich
mass of flashing light and color, displayed in
beauty of design and finish a degree of perfec¬
tion never since surpassed. From the tent-poles
were hung specimens of rare needle-work and
embroidery, and numerous samples of the already
famous purple dye, in all its various shades, from
deep crimson through intense violet to blue.
By the table stood the three brothers : Mamre
the eldest, of low stature and heavily built, a
kindly look on his bearded features, his dress a
coarse woolen shepherd's kilt and a long wide
strip of sheep-skin with the fleece on thrown across
his left shoulder, and falling over chest and back
until the ends met in a fold at the right side ;
Eschol, the fearless and renowned hunter, dressed
from head to foot in a close-fitting suit of tanned
THE STORY OF SODOM. 103
gazelle skin dyed a light brown, his frame strong
and massive as that of a young giant, his beard¬
less and boyish face bronzed by sun and wind ;
Aner, the youngest of the three, the cultivated
scholar who had studied in the schools of Egypt
and Chaldea, his closely trimmed hair and beard
fragrant with ointment, his complexion clear and
smooth, his hands delicately slim, his tall, slen¬
der, and somewhat stooping figure clad in mere¬
ly a long gray wrapper of fine linen bound at
his waist by a broad purple sash.
THE STORY OF SODOM,
XVI.
^^NER had returned home, his mind full of
a project for establishing trade between
the merchant city of the Sidonians and the peo¬
ple of the lower Jordan. It was on this account
that he had brought with him so many rich speci¬
mens of the industries of Sidon. The sight of
these, he believed, would convince his tribe that
they could reap a rich harvest of gain by introduc¬
ing such luxuries among the Canaanites. As he
and his two brothers were standing side by side
gazing down upon the glittering array on the table
before them Aner was unfolding his scheme.
''There can be no risk in the undertaking,"
he said. " My wife's father will secure us the
monopoly of the Canaanitish trade ; and the
camels that bring the clotlm and jewelry hither
can return to Sidon laden with wool. The sheep
of our country yield a fleece much superior to
that of the flocks on the maritime plain. The
Sidonians will pay high prices for all the wool
that we can produce, because it is well suited
for their purple dyes."
THE STORY OF SODOM. IOS
Mamre was a shepherd, and Aner's words
pleased him. He had the interests of his calling
at heart, and any thing that promised the advan¬
tage of the shepherd population of the country
would have his approval and earnest support.
" Our wool is, as you say, Aner, the best pro¬
duced anywhere out of Goshen of Egypt,'* he
said, upon hearing his brother's words ; " and if
the dyeing industry of Sidon prospers we might,
indeed, find a profitable market with her mer¬
chants."
" It is certain to prosper," Aner cried, en¬
thusiastically. Already they are sending their
goods to the Argives beyond the sea, to the
northern nations, and to Egypt ; and you know
that whatever is fashionable in Egypt becomes
popular every-where else. You, Mamre, I would
have to act as our agent among the Hebron
shepherds. There is Abraham our confederate,
whose flocks they say can scarcely be numbered.
You could buy his wool, and also that of the
Hittites and the Amorites, and this would make
a good beginning—"
The entrance of Mehetabel and the other
women of the household here interrupted the
speaker, who, turning to his mother and his
wife, cried out, joyfully :
Io6 the story of sodom,
Mamre has given his consent, Bashemath ;
and, mother, you remember you said last night
that if he and Eschol would join in the enter¬
prise you would no longer withhold your con¬
sent."
The face of the young Sidonian wife revealed
the pleasure she felt at hearing her husband's
report, and the eyes of old Mehetabel looked up
questioningly into the face of Eschol, her favorite
son.
" Mamre, it seems, then, approves of this new
thing, but Aner makes no mention of you.
What think you of the project? "
I am naught but a rough huntsman, mother,
a wild man of the hills," Eschol answered, smil¬
ing down into the withered face by his side. " I
know so little of the ways of trade and of civil¬
ized life that it is better that I should remain
silent."
Nay, nay, my son, not so," the mother re¬
sponded, laying her thin, trembling hand upon
Eschol's arm. You may not understand trade
as well as Mamre does, and perhaps Aner is
better acquainted with the fashions and the lux¬
uries of cities; yet you know more than both of
them of the dangers that beset merchants among
the mountains."
THE STORY OF SODOM, 107
I was just speaking, mother," Aner broke in,
of what I trust may be Mamre's part in our
enterprise, and now allow me to speak of Es-
chol's. You are right in saying that he Under¬
stands the perils of travel through the mount¬
ains and the wilderness better than both Mamre
and myself ; and, therefore, he is just the one to
take command of our caravan. With a few score
armed servants under his leadership, there is no
robber band between here and Sidon daring
enough to molest our goods."
Mehetabef s face brightened. She had feared
that the impulsive and fastidious Aner was ig¬
noring Eschol, whose quiet, unassuming dispo¬
sition would be too ready to condone the over¬
sight. Now that she saw him included in the
scheme under discussion the mother's jealous
solicitude for her favorite child was satisfied ;
nevertheless, she again turned to him, and said :
But Eschol has not yet spoken ; I wish to
hear what he has to say."
The hunter's face had grown very grave, and
both Aner and his wife feared an adverse opinion.
But Eschol's thoughts were dwelling, not so
much upon his brother's project, as upon what
the dying goat-herd had told him a few hours
before. He had said nothing of what he had
I08 THE STORY OF SODOM,
heard to any one except Judith, but his mind
was full of anxious apprehensions. Every noise
without the tent startled him ; and he had spent
the entire evening in constant expectation of
beholding some slave dash into their midst with
the announcement that the Elamites were at the
foot of the pass. Consequently, he had taken
but little interest in what Aner had been urging
upon him and Mamre, and now, when Mehetabel
again called for his opinion, he said, simply :
I prefer that we should wait, mother, until
we can consult with Abraham the Hebrew. He
is our friend and confederate, and he will counsel
us for our good."
You have spoken wisely, Eschol," the mother
said, approvingly. Let us wait, my sons, and
do as the great and wise Hebrew may advise us ;
and, Aner, if Abraham approves your scheme, I
too shall give my consent."
Be it even as you have said," both Aner and
Mamre answered ; we are content to abide by
the Hebrew's advice."
And now," said Eschol, gravely, hear what
I have to say ; " and the hunter proceeded to
relate all that he had heard from the Amalek-
ites, and then he added : We knew, of course,
that the invaders were harrying the country
THE STORY OF SODOM,
about Mount Seir ; but it surprises me that they
have reached a point so far north without our
having heard of their coming. I fear that they
intend to march up the west shore of the Salt
Sea, and if they do they will give us trouble."
The women had gathered around the table as
Eschol was speaking, and now, when they heard
his concluding words, their faces grew pale with
dread. They remembered the desperate battle
in the lower pass fourteen years before, when the
tribe of Abednebo had bought their victory over
these same Elamite invaders with the lives of
their sheik and his two eldest sons. Rahel,
whose husband had been taken prisoner and car¬
ried away into slavery, as she listened to Eschol's
report, gathered her two children to her bosom
in an agony of terror, as if already she heard the
savage war-cry of the merciless foe. Deborah,
Mehetabefs younger daughter, and Judith, the
Hebrew shepherdess, their arms about each
other's waist, stood quietly listening, a strange,
terrible fear filling their hearts. Alone among
them all the lad Ishmael seemed unmoved by
the alarming tidings. Coming close to Eschol,
he whispered :
Then we shall behold war and wounds and
death. How glorious to hear the noise of battle !
no THE STORY OF SODOM.
0 Eschol, let me go with you; I shall be brave,
1 shall neither flee nor fear !
''Son of Hagar, foolish child, you know not
whereof you speak/* said the hunter, passing his
hand lightly over the boy*s hair. "When you
are older, if Abraham your father permits it, you
may become my companion in the chase ; let
this content you."
At that moment the shouting of men was
heard in the direction of the folds, and Eschoks
heart leaped into his throat. Intuitively he felt
that the tidings for which he had been waiting
all the evening had come. A shepherd, rushing
into the tent, cried out:
" Thus saith Ithamar, sheik of the Amorites
of Hazezon-Tamar, to the tribe of Mehetabel :
The children of Elam have come up against me
with a strong hand, and is not my cause, O wife
of Abednebo, thy cause also ? Send down thy
people, therefore, to help my people, lest the
foe, when he hath done destroying me, devour
thee also.**
THE STORY OF SODOM.
XVII.
'^REMBLING and moaning, Mehetabel lis¬
tened to the shepherd's words, and when he
had concluded Ithamar's message she stretched
out her withered hands in a gesture of frenzied
despair, crying :
My husband is not, for the Elamite slew
him ; Serug and Enos, the sons of my youth, are
not, for they perished with their father. And
now, behold, mine enemy hath again come up
against me. Ye, my sons, he would destroy;
and ye, my daughters, he would carry away into
bondage. Surely I am straitened greatly ; and
the hand of the Lord, O my children, even the
hand of the Almighty, is heavy upon me."
Mamre, the eldest son, drew his mother ten¬
derly to his breast, and would have spoken, but
the voice of Judith, the Hebrew shepherdess,
broke the silence that followed Mehetabel's
words :
" The cities of the plain are drunken with their
abominations; the name of the Most High have
they held in derision, and the authority of them
112 THE STORY OF SODOM.
that rule over them . they have set at nought.
Therefore hath God stirred up the hearts of the
children of Elam against this wicked people ;
and, lo, fear cometh upon the innocent and th^^
guilty alike ! But I say unto thee, O wife of
Abednebo, that the Lord God shall preserve
thee and thy house, and shall deliver you out of
the hands of the spoiler."
The young girl spoke with a quiet assurance
of tone and manner. She had felt an impulse to
say some comforting words to the grief-stricken
widowand mother, and involuntarily her language
had taken on the prophetic form. The Spirit of
her God had prompted her to predict that the
household of Mehetabel would be saved. It was
thus that she regarded what she had just said,
and at once an implicit faith that it would come
to pass even as she had spoken filled her heart.
Her Amorite friends shared this belief. Eschol
was the first to speak :
Hear her, mother, and be of good cheer ; she
hath declared the will of the God of Abraham,
and what the Lord hath promised that will he
perform." Then turning to his two brothers, the
hunter continued : What say ye, Mamre and
Aner? Ithamar hath spoken to the tribe of
Mehetabel, what shall be our answer? "
THE STORY OF SODOM. 113
Ithamar is our kinsman/' Mamre promptly
responded; "and at our next sheep-shearing he
is to take our sister Deborah to wife ; we must
help him. Moreover, it is as he has said : his
cause is our cause. If Hazezon-Tamar fall into the
hands of the foe our safety will be endangered."
" Mamre has spoken wisely," said Aner ; "we
must go down to the help of our brother. Per¬
chance, our combined strength may prevail against
the common foe. Yet it would be well if the
women and the youths of our tribe got all things
in readiness for flight. Then, should victory in¬
cline to the Elamites, we could retreat from the
battle, and with our women and our possessions
H
escape to the mountains."
The Amorite encampment soon presented a
picture of wild excitement. The three brothers
made haste to arm all the able-bodied men-serv¬
ants that were at hand in preparation for battle.
Mehetabel, her daughters, Judith and Bashe-
math, and the female slaves, began packing away
the rich Sidonian wares and the other possessions
of the tribe in goat-skin sacks, which the youths
were to lash upon the backs of camels and of
asses, in preparation for the worst. Ishmael
sought out Judith among the women, and said :
" Eschol will not permit me to go down with
8
114
THE STORY OF SODOM.
him to Hazezon-Tamar. Is there aught that you
would have me to do?
^'Nay, there is nothing,'* the girl began; and
then she paused, and for a minute gazed earnestly
at the handsome, manly looking lad. If Abra¬
ham, thy father, were here," she added, thinkest
thou that he would have aught for thee to do? "
My father knows me to be without fear ; he
would trust me with any errand, howsoever peril¬
ous it might be."
The boy spoke in a simple, straightforward
way. He already had guessed what Judith would
have him to do, and, looking up with a frank smile
into the gill's face, he continued :
" Lot, thy master and my father's kinsman,
despite the many warnings he hath received, still
dwelleth in Sodom. Perhaps if he knew of the
danger that now threatens the Canaanites he
would flee thence."
Judith was bending over a large leathern case
in which she was packing the Sidonian lamps
which but a short time before had filled the great
tent with a dazzling flood of light. As she listened
to Ishmael's words the girl's face flushed a rich
crimson and then paled to á death-like whiteness.
She rose, and, laying her hands upon the lad's
shoulders, looked into his clear, dark eyes.
THE STORY OF SODOM. I15
I shall speak plainly to thee, son of Hagar,''
she said, in a quick, half-sobbing whisper. Thou
knowest the bond between Eliezer, thy father s
steAvard, and me. Three weeks ago he left me
to go to Sodom to warn my master Lot, even
as Abraham had commanded him. He is still
within that wicked city, but why he lingers there
I know not. I fear, I fear, O Ishmael ! nay, nay,
I shall not tell thee what I fear. Yet I love him
—yea, by the soul of my mother, I do love him
—rand my heart trembles for his safety. Do thou,
therefore, son of Hagar, haste thee to Sodom and
seek him out—in the house of Lot peradventure
thou mayest find him—and say to him : Thus
saith Judith, the daughter of Enoch, to her lord
and beloved, Rememberest thou Mizpah in the
pasture-lands above Hazezon-Tamar ? And why
tarriest thou so long, O Eliezer of Damascus, in
the city of the stranger? Surely, it will repent
thee that thou hast made thy abode in the hab¬
itations of sin. Arise, flee for thy life ; for, lo,
danger threatens the city wherein thou abidest,
destruction is at hand, death and captivity is nigh
—even at her gates. It is the voice of the daugh¬
ter of Enoch to her beloved ; by the mouth of
Ishmael, son of Hagar, hath she spoken."
**Thou art not as others are, Judith," the lad
THE STORY OF SODOM,
said, drawing himself up proudly, when the shep¬
herdess had concluded her message. " Thou hast
faith in me even as my father ^Abraham hath
faith in me, and would entreat me kindly did not
his haughty wife Sarah poison his soul and the
souls of others against me. And because thou
dost believe me worthy to be trusted with this
thy message, I shall do all that thou hast desired
of me. If Eliezer of Damascus be in Sodom
I shall find him, and I shall deliver to him that
which thou hast spoken.''
Daughter of Enoch," said a voice from the
door of the tent, we go now to Hazezon-Tamar
to the help of Ithamar."
The speaker was Eschol, and through the dim
light the strong, majestic figure of the young
Amorite hunter rose up by the tent door like
some high watch-tower.
1 have come to bid thee farewell," he went on,
" and to tell thee again to fear not, even as I, since
I heard thy words to my mother, fear not. The
day thy brother Ariel left thee upon the summit
of the crag above the pass he met me on his way
to the city of the Canaanites, and he put my hand
upon his hand and made me to swear that in his
absence from thee I would take thee to the tents
of my tribe and there cherish thee as a sister, even
THE STORY OF SODOM, 11/
as I cherished Rahel and Deborah, the daughters
of my mother. Then I sware to him, Judith, by
the soul of my father, whom the Elamites slew,
that I would do the thing he commanded me.
Therefore, fear not, daughter of Enoch, for while
Eschol lives thou hast a protector, and, if need
be, a deliverer."
The shepherdess was deeply moved by the
young hunter's words. She knew his deep love
for her, and she pitied him, even while she mar¬
veled at that perfect self-mastery which enabled
him to crush down all outward manifestation of
i
his passion and to appear before her the chival¬
rously respectful friend and brother. Judith
moved toward the tent door to speak to him,
but Ishmael, his young face aglow with the sud¬
den impulse that filled his soul, sprang between
her and the Amorite.
" Judith, Judith," he cried, breathlessly, " I go
now to Sodom to seek out thy lover to speak to
him the message thou hast given me. But, O
daughter of Enoch, would that thou hadst never
looked upon Eliezer of Damascus to love hirh !
Then mightest thou have gladdened the heart of
another, the life of whose life and the soul of
whose soul thou art ! "
And the boy was gone.
Ii8
THE STORY OF SODOM.
XVIII.
^^ONTRARY to the expectations of both
Bera the king and Ulam the high-priest
of Sodom, the Elamite invaders, in less than
three weeks' time, had swept the entire region
east of the Jordan as far as Mount Seir, laying
waste the country and compelling the inhabit¬
ants to acknowledge the sovereignty of Chedpr-
laomer which they, in concerted action with the
five Canaanitish cities, had thrown off a year
and a half before.
In the wilderness of El Paran the Eastern
conqueror made pause. Friendly Horites were
sent northward to report among the tribes of the
Jordan that Chedorlaomer and his host were
preparing to make a descent upon the Egyptian
mines in the Sinaitic peninsula, and consequently
that his attack upon the revolted cities was in¬
definitely postponed. It was in this way that
the wily Elamite sought to lull the people of the
plain into a careless procrastination of their prep¬
arations for defense and to make certain their
complete surprise and overthrow.
THE STORY OF SODOM,
119
In two particulars this expedition of Chedor-
laomer Is noteworthy. It is the first great mili¬
tary movement recorded in history. Undoubt¬
edly there were wars before this one, but all
authentic memorials of them have perished.
Moreover, Chedorlaomer brought with him a
large body of cavalry, and thus for the first time
the horse was seen west of the Euphrates. For
in Abraham's day this noblest of animals was
unknown in both Palestine and Egypt. Indeed,
its introduction into Elam and Chaldea had
taken place since the time when the Hebrews
left Ur. Originating most probably in the wild,
mountainous regions of west central Asia, the
horse was first domesticated by the savage tribes
of that region ; and thence it spread southward
into the valleys of the Tigris and the Euphrates,
where soon its use in war and in the chase be¬
came known. The exact date of the introduc¬
tion of the horse into western Asia, Egypt, and
Europe cannot, of course, be determined, but no
express mention of its use in any of these coun¬
tries occurs before about 1800 B. C,
Neither the Bible nor the ancient monuments
of Chaldea make mention of the number of men
engaged in this earliest recorded expedition.
We may be certain, however, that it was very
I20
THE STORY OF SODOM.
large ; because, in addition to his own army of
Elamites, Chedorlaomer had summoned his son
Arioch, whom he had made ruler of subjugated
Ellasar, and also a tributary king, Amraphel of
Shinar. In addition to these Tidal, the chief of
the confederate tribes or nations to the north of
Babylonia, had brought his contingent of hardy
mountaineers to swell the number of the vast
host with which the over-lord of the empire of
Elam was soon to chastise the revolted cities of
the Jordan valley.
The second day after the Horites had been
sent north to spread their false reports concern¬
ing the movements of the invaders Chedorlaomer
gave the order to advance. Two days of rest in
the palmy oasis of El Paran had refreshed both
man and beast ; and under the guidance of
friendly natives the Eastern conquerors swept the
country of the Amalekites with fire and sword.
Speeding northward by forced marches, they
reached the southern end of the Salt Sea before
the dwellers upon its borders had heard of their
approach, and they were well advanced up the
western shore when some fugitive Amalekites
brought to Ithamar, the sheik of Hazezon-
Tamar, the startling intelligence that in a few
hours the foe would be upon him.
THE STORY OF SODOM,
121
Ithamar realized to the full the magnitude of
the peril which threatened him. His encamp¬
ment was the key to the Engedi pass over which
the Elamites would be compelled to seek a way
to the Canaanitish cities ; for above Hazezön-
Tamar the shore-line is impracticable even for
footmen. No other alterative, therefore, was
left Chedorlaomer but either to force the pass or
to retreat by the way he had come and to seek
the Jordan by a long, circuitous march through
a rough and almost waterless desert. Sending
a messenger to Mehetabel's tribe to implore
their assistance, the young Amorite made haste
to get his own people in readiness for the ap¬
proaching conflict.
But Chedorlaomer remembered the defeat that
he had suffered fourteen years before at the
hands of the warlike inhabitants of Hazezon-
Tamar; and he likewise recognized the neces¬
sity of conquering the pass if he was to succeed
in surprising the Canaanites in the plain beyond.
Therefore he dispatched Tidal with a large com¬
pany of his most intrepid mountaineers by an¬
other route across the almost impassable hills,
instructing him to watch the movements of the
main army from the heights above the shore,
and when he saw it attacking the Amorite set-
122
THE STORY OF SODOM.
tlement to steal to the upper end of the Engedi
pass, and, descending this, to fall upon the rear
of the encampment.
The self-same hour in which Eschol had res¬
cued Judith from the Amalekite goat-herds
Chedorlaomer, a few miles down the shore from
Hazezon-Tamar, was marshaling his forces for
an attack upon the pass. Darkness had already
come on before Ithamar was aware of his ap¬
proach. A few hours later the fierce war-cries
of his legions were heard by old Mehetabel and
her women above the spring ; and Mamre, Es¬
chol, and Aner, with their little band of armed
slaves, were scarcely more than half-way down
the pass when these same vengeful yells from
below told them that the struggle had begun.
The moon was just rising above the hills on
the opposite shore of the Salt Sea when the
three brothers reached Hazezon-Tamar. Here,
along the outer edge of the plateau, Ithamar and
his people were heroically battling the efforts of
the Elamites to gain a foothold on the level
ground. Without a moment's loss of time the
new-comers, rushing forward to the scene of
conflict, threw themselves into the thickest of
the fray. A single glance, however, into the
dark depths of the gorge below, full of madly
THE STORY OF SODOM,
123
yelling foes, and over the moonlit plain beyond,
covered with the hosts of Elam tossing and
surging like the waves of the sea, convinced
Eschol that the struggle which the gallant little
band of Amorites was waging was a hopeless
one. As the light of the moon, now flooding
the pass and the plateau, revealed the hostile
forces more plainly to each other, the battle
raged with an ever-increasing fury. Large num¬
bers of the Elamites, clambering up upon the
rocks on either side of the gorge, discharged
their arrows skyward, and these, falling upon the
heads of the Amorites, harassed them greatly.
Calling one of his most trusty servants to his
side, Eschol bade him return to the encamp¬
ment, and taking MehetabeL and her women,
the flocks, and the other possessions of the tribe,
to flee with them up the pass and into the
mountains beyond the reach of danger. He and
his brethren would cover their flight and en¬
deavor to hold the foe in check until they had
reached a place of safety.
The man lost no time in carrying out the in¬
structions he had received. Running up the
valley with all the speed he could command, he
put the terrified women upon the waiting camels,
and, selecting a number of the largest youths to
124
THE STORY OF SODOM,
lead the flocks, he soon had the entire company
threading its perilous way up the steep, winding
path to the heights above. In the front rode
an aged shepherd, too feeble to take part in -the
fight below, but, by reason of his intimate knowl¬
edge of the hill-country, well qualified to guide
the fugitives to a safe shelter from* the pursuit
of their foes. After him rode Mehetabel, and
then her two daughters, and Bashemath and
Judith. These were followed by the female
slaves and the youths of the tribe. Then came
ten or twelve camels laden with household
goods ; and after them followed the shepherds
leading their flocks.
THE STORY OF SODOM. 125
XIX.
QCARCELY had the entire company gained
the broad table-land at the head of the pass
when they were startled by a chorus of fierce yells
which seemed to rise out of the earth beneath
their feet. The next instant a large body of
armed men sprang up from among the rocks on
both sides of the road where they had been ly¬
ing in concealment. They were Tidal and his
mountaineers. H astily dragging Mehetabel and
her people from their camels, they bound their
hands, and then, leaving the prisoners in the
custody of a small part of their number, their
leader and the remainder of his force, rushing
down the pass, disappeared in the direction of
Hazezon-T amar.
So sudden had been the appearance of the foe
and the capture of herself and her companions,
that Judith scarcely realized what had befallen
them until she found herself bound and standing
with a number of weeping slave-women by the
side of the road, a short distance from another
group of prisoners comprising Mehetabel, Rahel
120
THE STORY OF SODOM,
and her children, Deborah, and Bashemath. The
girl longed to join them, for she beheld Deb¬
orah's pale, terrified face turned imploringly
toward her ; but she feared to move lest she
might attract the attention of the guards. Nev¬
ertheless, she ventured to say to her friend in a
a voice just loud enough for her to hear:
The Lord God is nigh to them that put their
trust in him. He heareth the cry of their dis¬
tress ; he will uphold them and deliver them.
Blessed be the name of the Most High ! "
Yea, I believe it, I believe it!" responded
Deborah. Bashemath calls upon the gods of
Sidon, but Rahel and I lift our hearts to Jehovah."
Mehetabel heard the words of the shepherdess,
and also Deborah's answer. She had sunk down
upon the ground in the wild outburst of her de¬
spairing grief, and now, beating her breast with
her bound hands, she wailed :
Yea, yea! since the day in which we be¬
came the confederates of Abraham the Hebrew
we have worshiped no longer the gods of our
fathers. And, lo, now, in recompense thereof
this evil thing hath befallen us. I shall turn me
again to the gods of the Amerites—to Bel and
Moloch and Nebo and Nergal—and I shall pray
to them to deliver me and my people."
THE STORY OF SODOM. 127
Judith made no answer to the old woman's
words. Full of confident assurance herself that
in some way she and her friends would be res¬
cued, she could wait in patient serenity of
mind for the issue to justify her faith. Nor was
this calm belief shaken when, about an hour later,
there rolled up from the depths of the gorge be¬
low a wild, exultant shout of triumph which told
her that the Amorites had been defeated. What
had become of Eschol and his brothers she knew
not, but she clung to her confidence in their
safety with a sublime steadfastness and simplicity
worthy the faith of her great kinsman Abraham.
In a short time the vanguard of the vast horde
of the invaders could be heard toiling up the
pass ; and the guards left in charge of Meheta-
bel's people gathered their prisoners and booty
together and removed them a short distance to
one side, so as to leave the road free for the
approaching army. Deborah, Bashemath, and
Judith found themselves together by the side of
a great rock, where their position was such as to
give them an unobstructed view of the road over
which Chedorlaomer and his host were soon to
pass.
The Elamites are on their way to the Jor¬
dan," said Bashemath to her companions.
128
THE STORY OF SODOM.
They will make war upon the Canaanites, and
may the gods of Sodom and Gomorrah give
their servants victory over our captors ! It is
our only hope of rescue, for our own people have
doubtless fallen before their foes."
Trust not to the gods of the heathen, for
they are altogether vain things ; neither to those
that worship them, for they are like unto them,"
returned the Hebrew maiden, stoutly. Believe
me," she continued, fixing her dark, earnest eyes
upon Bashemath, we shall be saved ; but the
hands that save us will be the hands of those
that fear Jehovah."
I would that I had such faith as thine,
Judith," the Sidonian said, in a tone of mingled
awe and admiration. I have prayed to the
gods of my nation, but my heart hath heard no
answer to its petitions. Aner, my husband, has,
I fear, perished with his brethren ; and, save
the Canaanites, there is no prospect of help for
us. We shall be carried away into slavery, we
shall languish and die in the land of the stran-
>» •
ger.
^^Thou art filled with fear, daughter of Sidon,
because thou knowest not the power and the
goodness of Jehovah," Judith gently made an¬
swer. Wait, I say unto thee, and thou shalt
THE STORY OF SODOM.
129
behold the salvation of the Lord God of Abra¬
ham."
" See ! " exclaimed Deborah, raising her
bound hands and pointing them toward the
head of the pass, the Elamites are coming !
O Judith," the girl continued, in a voice that
sounded like the cry of a breaking heart, thy
faith strengthens my faith, yet my soul is made
bitter with fear. Ithamar, my lover, and my
noble brother Eschol—he who loves thee, Judith,
yea, loves thee as never other man loved woman,
«
yet dares not to speak because thy heart is an¬
other's—what of them, O thou prophetess of the
Lord, what of them ? "
Judith's heart beat fast as she listened to
Deborah's words, not from any sense of dread,
but because of this new testimony that the
manly, heroic Eschol loved her. But she felt
the thrill of joy which this assurance gave her to
be a sinful yielding to temptation ; and so, with
a powerful effort of her will, she crushed it down.
Clasping the Amorite girl's hand in her own, she
whispered, comfortingly :
" They, like ourselves, are in the hands of the
living God, Deborah, and his will be done. I
believe that thou shalt again look upon the face
of thy lover and thy brother ; and if it be among
9
I3Ö
THE STORY OF SODOM.
the captive train of the stranger that thou be-
holdest them be strong of heart and fear not ; for
the Lord shall raise up a deliverer for them and
us." Then Judith and her companions looked
toward the pass.
The head of the long line of the invading army-
had just gained the table-land above Engedi.
First came a score or more of guides, composed of
Horites, Amalekites, and renegade Amoriteswho
had purchased their lives by promising to conduct
the strangers over the hills into the valley of the
lower Jordan. The cavalry followed close after
the guides, and Judith' and her companions, as
the brilliant moonlight fell upon the proudly
stepping horses, uttered low cries of fear and
wonder at the sight of the strange animals, and
shrank back against the rock. The cavalry force
was made up exclusively of Elàmites—tall,
brawny-limbed men, with handsome, clear-cut
features and keen black eyes—the Romans of the
most ancient world, whose prowess had been felt
and whose sovereignty had been acknowledged
from the Indus to the Jordan and from the Eux-
ine to the Erythraean Sea.
THE STORY OF SODOM.
XX.
P OR more than two hours the long procession of
horsemen poured past the little group of cap¬
tives above Engedi. Finally the prisoners were
startled by a chorus of loud exclamations from the
guards, who had thrown themselves upon their
knees at the approach of a tall, mounted warrior,
who, from the richness of his appointments as
well as his kingly bearing, the captives knew
could be none other than the mighty Chedorla-
omer himself. As the monarch came opposite
the rock by the side of which Judith and her
companions were standing the loud hails of the
soldiers attracted his attention, and from them
his gaze wandered to the three young women.
Judith felt the king's eyes meet her own, and she
saw a look of startled surprise sweep over his
features. He checked his horse for an instant,
and then, as if recollecting himself, he again
loosened the rein. But as he did this he turned
to one of the captains riding by his side and said
something in a low tone. Then the officer dropped
out of the ranks, and Chedorlaomer rode on.
132
THE STORY OF SODOM.
Judith's consternation at meeting the king's
glance had quickly changed to alarm when she
caught sight of the look of admiration that swept
over his face as his eyes rested upon her marvel¬
ous beauty. Fear would be a feeble word to ex¬
press her feelings as the Elamite warrior to
whom the monarch had just spoken alighted
from his steed, and, approaching her, said in the
language of Canaan :
Hail to thee, thou fairest among women !
Chedorlaomer, whose greatness hath reached un¬
to the heavens, and whose dominion is to the
ends of the earth, hath looked upon thee to love
thee ; his soul is ravished by thy beauty, his de¬
sire is toward thee. Blessed art thou, for hence¬
forth thou shalt be the delight of the great
king." And as he spoke the captain cut the
cord that bound the maiden's hands.
Pale and trembling with the awful terror that
filled her soul, Judith sank down by the side of
the rock, covering her face with her hands.
So suddenly had this new peril come upon her,
so abhorrent to her pure nature was the un¬
speakable fate before her, that her lofty Hebrew
faith in divine guidance and protection was, for
the time, lost sight of in the fierce agony of her
woman's fears. The respectful, even obsequious.
THE STORY OF SODOM.
133
attention which the Elamite officer and the
soldiers now paid to her, making plain as it did
that they already looked upon her as peculiarly
belonging to the king, increased her despair and
wretchedness.
Hours passed. Day dawned, and the sun
rose high into the heavens, and still the seem¬
ingly endless line of foemen swept by. It was
nearly noon when the first train of captives came
wearily toiling up the pass. They were of the
tribe of the Horites, and had been torn from
their cave-dwellings round about Mount Seir.
The men were chained together in gangs of ten,
and behind them followed the women and chil¬
dren mounted on captured camels. Next suc¬
ceeded a large body of Amalekite prisoners, and
then—a low, sobbing cry from Deborah told the
tale. With his hands bound behind him, and his
body covered with dust and blood, came Ithamar,
the young sheik of Hazezon-Tarnar, at the head
of about a hundred of his captive people. Deb¬
orah sank back swooning upon Bashemath's
breast, but Judith sprang forward, and before
the guards could interpose she had reached Ith-
amar's side.
" Eschol, Aner, Mamre ! she cried, breath¬
lessly, are they alive ? where are they ?
134 the story of sodom,
Nearly exhausted by fatigue and the loss of
blood, the young sheik had been wearily march¬
ing on, oblivious to every thing about him. He
had not perceived the group of captives by the
way-side, and even now, when Judith's voice
roused him into a realization that some one was
speaking to him, and he lifted his heavy, dead¬
like eyes to the girl's frightened face, he failed
to see the others or to recognize any thing start¬
ling in the shepherdess's appearance at such a
time and amid such surroundings.
Ithamar, my lord, dost thou not know me?"
exclaimed the anguish-stricken maiden, as she
perceived the blank, stony stare with which the
young Amorite regarded her. "I am Judith,
the servant of Lot, and I would hear of Eschol,
who with his brothers went down to Hazezon-
Tamar to thy help and the help of thy people."
Ah, it is thou, daughter of Enoch," Ithamar
responded, a gleam of recognition finally lighting
up his countenance, and thou wouldst hear of
him who loves thee ? He escaped. The sons
of Abednebo, when all was hopeless, cut through
the enemy's lines and fled. And afterward, even
as my foes were binding me and my people, the
voice of thy lover Eschol came to me from the
top of the cliffs above the pass, saying : * While
THE STORY OF SODOM. 135
Eschol lives let Ithamar despair not ! ' Then
I—"
But the Elamite captain now drew Judith
away, while one of the guards escorting Ithamar
and his fellow-prisoners struck the young sheik
a savage blow with the shaft of his javelin, angri¬
ly shouting to him to move on.
The Hebrew maiden went back to her com¬
panions greatly calmed in spirit. Her former
faith and confidence began to reassert them¬
selves. Eschol was still alive, and while he lived
she too could have hope. Chedorlaomer's cap¬
tain saw the changed expression upon the girl's
face, and, mistaking its cause, said, approvingly :
" It is well, O daughter of Canaan ! A glad
countenance becometh her "who hath found
favor in the eyes of the great king. Let thy
heart therefore be joyful, thou most fortunate
among women, for in the palace of Susa shall
our monarch greatly exalt thee. And now do
thou mount this camel which I have had pre¬
pared for thy use ; in the royal pavilion which
his servants will pitch for him upon the plain of
the Canaanites Chedorlaomer will be awaiting
thy coming."
Tu rning to the soldiers, the officer commanded
them to form their prisoners in marching order,
136
THE STORY OF SODOM.
and soon Mehetabel's people, taking their place
behind the train of captives from Hazezon-
Tamar, were hastening on their way to the Jor¬
dan valley. After them followed a long line of
camels, laden with booty from a score of con¬
quered cities. Then came as rear-guard the
contingent of Ellasar—men of powerful frame
and mighty with bow and javelin. And truly
the number of the invaders did seem to be
countless for multitude ; for the sun had set and
darkness had come on, the stars had appeared,
and the midnight moon was again shining out
of the blue depths of the Syrian sky when the
last man of the mighty host of Elam appeared
upon the heights above the pass of Engedi.
THE STORY OF SODOM,
137
XXI.
JSHMAEL, after leaving Judith at the door of
Mehetabel's tent, did not at once set out for
Sodom. Gaining the heights above the pass, he
ran along the line of cliff that extends from
Engedi to the shore of the Salt Sea, until he
came to a point directly above Hazezon-Tamar.
If a place by the side of Eschol in the struggle
against the Elamites was denied him, he was
determined to be at least a spectator of the con¬
flict.
Standing on the edge of the cîiff, the lad
looked down upon the dense masses of the in¬
vaders now clearly revealed in the light of the
rising moon. The attack upon Ithamar's en¬
campment was already in progress, and the boy
could see the young sheik and his followers, and
Eschol and his brothers, with their little band
of armed servants, valiantly battling the count¬
less odds of the foe that was surging up the pass
against them. Ishmael's heart beat fast and his
eyes glowed with a sudden resolution as he
gazed down upon the struggle. He, too, would
138 THE STORY OF SODOM.
have part in the fight. The rock upon which he
was standing projected far out from the face of
the cliff, so that it overhung a part of the pass
that was densely crowded with the men of Elam.
Running back a rod or so from where he had
been standing, Ishmael found a large, loose
bowlder, and this he managed to roll down the
steep incline and over the brink of the precipi¬
tous cliff.
Clear and shrill above the sounds of the fight
beneath him the boy could hear the wild yells
of surprise and rage as the huge rock fell among
the invaders, crushing one warrior to a shapeless
mass, and then rolling and bounding down the
steep valley, creating a panic in the ranks of the
Elamites, n^any of whom it wounded in its mad
course to the plain below.
A loud scream of delight broke from IshmaeFs
lips as he perceived the consternation he had
caused among the foe ; and dancing and shout¬
ing he rushed off for another bowlder. Thus for
a full hour the lad labored, the sweat streaming
down his face and his hands bleeding from their
contact with the rough, sharp-pointed rocks. It
was in vain that the Elamite archers bent their
bows upon the leaping and madly shouting little
figure far overhead ; their arrows fell short of-
THE STORY OF SODOM.
139
him, and they could only curse, by all the gods
of the Chaldean pantheon, the daring son of
Hagar, who, with his childish strength, was slay¬
ing more of their number than the stoutest war¬
rior of the Amorites.
Finally, when Ishmael saw Ithamar and his
people surrounded and overcome by their foes,
and the invaders swarming up the gorge toward
Engedi, he realized that if he was to gain the
high-way leading to the Jordan in advance of the
Elamites he must hasten. Darting off along the
edge of the cliffs by the way he had come, he
soon reached the head of the pass. What was
the lad's surprise and dismay here at beholding
Judith and Mehetabel and her household bound
and under guard of a strong party of Tidal's
mountaineers. For a short time he stood
watching the group of helpless captives below.
He saw Judith's pale face turned direcjtly toward
the rock behind which he was now hiding, and
the boy longed to show himself or to call out to
the shepherdess to be of good heart, for he would
tell her lover in Sodom of the sore straits into
which she had fallen. But he remembered
that Judith doubtless believed him to be already
far on his way to the Jordan, and, instead of
comforting her, a knowledge of his presence
I40 THE STORY OF SODOM.
would give her new cause for anxiety. Then,
too, the soldiers might see and pursue him, and,
though he knew they could not run him down,
nevertheless they might prevent his reaching the
road he was seeking.
Even with the guards ignorant of his prox¬
imity, Ishmael perceived that it was going to be
no easy matter to steal by them, for the nature
of the ground made it necessary for him to pass
within a few rods of their position, and the moon
was now flooding the plateau with a light almost
as clear as day. Slipping down the sloping face
«
of the rocks to the level stretch of ground below,
the lad dropped upon his knees and began cau¬
tiously to crawl toward the guards, keeping
himself as much as was possible in the shadow
of the loose bowlders that strewed the surface
of the plateau.
His progress was slow, and the cold sweat
broke out on his forehead as the shouting of
men and the neighing of horses close at hand
told him that the vanguard of the mighty host
of the invaders was nearing the summit of the
pass. He had not yet made more than half of
the distance which it was necessary to traverse
before he could feel safe from discovery, and for
a moment the intrepid lad gave himself up for
THE STORY OF SODOM, 141
lost. Breathing a prayer to the God of his father,
Ishmael's eyes sought the starry heavens above
him as if in expectation of some deliverance
from on high ; and, O joy of joys ! there, far up
in the blue depths of the Syrian sky, the boy
beheld the answer to his prayer. A small cloud,
white and fleecy along its broken edge but heavy
and dark in the center, was already beginning to
creep athwart the face of the moon. In a minute
more its sheltering shadow would envelop him
and flight would be possible. Ishmael stole a
cautious glance in the direction of the guards, now
only about fifty feet distant from where he lay.
They, too, had heard the sound of the approach¬
ing troops, and their faces were turned toward the
head of the pass. Then the light grew dimmer,
and then so faint that the lad could scarcely see
the group of captives and soldiers by the way¬
side. Now was his time, and, leaping to his
feet, he darted with noiseless foot-fall past the
unconscious guards, and when again the moon
shone out in unclouded splendor upon the pla¬
teau above Engedi the son of Hagar, his long
black locks streaming in the night wind, was fly¬
ing along the mountain highway, his face set
toward the Jordan and the cities of the plain.
142 THE STORY OF SODOM,
XXII.
TN the days of Abraham the kikkar^ or broad,
circular valley of the lower Jordan, was very
different from the bleak, desolate region it now
is. It was, says the sacred narrative, well
watered every-where, as the garden of the Lord,
like the land of Egypt." Stretching from the
eastern to the western limit of the rich alluvial
plain, which at the head of the Salt Sea is about
twelve miles in width, lay the five confederate
cities of the Canaanites—Sodom, the principal
one, built on either ba,nk of the river, a short
distance from its mouth, with the fortified towns
of Gomorrah and Admah to the west, and Ze-
boim and Bela the Little on the east. The sin¬
gular depression of the Salt Sea and the kikkar
must always have made the former a hot, steam¬
ing caldron, throwing off by evaporation all the
water that passed into it, while the adjacent
plain must always have sweltered in a tropical
temperature, which, in the patriarchal age, called
forth an almost incredible vigor of vegetable life.
Orchards of palm and olive, fields of wheat and
THE STORY OF SODOM,
143
millet and sesame, vineyards and gardens in
which every fruit and plant known to either the
Nile or the Euphrates flourished in rich luxu¬
riance, made the kikkar of four thousand years
ago a veritable Eden of the Lord.
About noon of the day following the battle at
Hazezon-Tamar the plain of the Canaanites pre¬
sented a scene of wild excitement. Early that
morning Ishmael, the son of Hagar, breathless
from the speed with which he had come from
Engedi, had appeared before the walls of Admah,
the westernmost of the five cities, with the warm¬
ing cry : Arm, arm ! The children of Elam are
at hand ! Another hour and they will be in the
plain ! " And when he had uttered these words
the* lad had sped away toward Gomorrah and
Sodom. But all along the broad highway, as he
met laborers going forth to their fields or mer¬
chants with heavily laden camels setting out to
distant towns and villages, or as he dashed by
groups of men working in the vineyards or labor¬
ing upon the irrigating canals, always Ishmael's
warning cry rang out : " Arm, arm ! The chil¬
dren of Elam, the children of Elam ! "
At first the boy's report was discredited. Only
the day before Horites from the south had
brought the intelligence that the invaders were
144
THE STORY OF SODOM,
moving against the Egyptian mines in the Sina-
itic peninsula, and that weeks would probably
elapse before they would be seen at the Jordan.
But visible proof of Ishmael's veracity was not
long wanting. Four hours after sunrise the host
of Chedorlaomer and his subject kings were seen
on the western heights, and in another hour the
vanguard was pouring down into the plain. The
viceroy of Admah had already dispatched swift
messengers to every part of the valley informing
the people of the presence of the foe, and, with
the ruler of Gomorrah, he now hastened to
Sodom to confer with King Bera concerning
measures of defense.
Like the Eastern cities of a later age Sodom
was surrounded by a thick wall of sun-dried
bricks faced without and within with stone. The
city was built four-square, with the angles front¬
ing the cardinal points, as was the custom of the
Chaldean builders, after whose models the
Canaanites had largely fashioned their architect¬
ure. Entrance and egress were had by two
large gates, directly opposite each other in the
north-eastern and the south-western sides.
These were protected by massive barbicans that
were advanced nearly a hundred feet from the
city wall. After having passed through the bar-
THE STORY OF SODOM.
145
bican court one entered the gate-way proper,
which formed a wide vaulted passage through
the wal], which at this point was about sixty
feet thick.
In the center of this solid mass of masonry
was a large arched chamber opening off the
main passage leading from the outer to the inner
gate. Such chambers hollowed out of the
interior of the inclosing walls have always been
a feature of Eastern cities. Sheltered from the
storms of winter, and likewise protected from the
heat of summer, they afford a convenient place of
gossip and business to the people as they pass in
and out of the city. What the agora was to the
Greek and the forum to the Roman, the town-
gate has always been to the Oriental, for in it
can be seen all the varied life of his city—
laborers going forth to their fields, merchants
from distant countries in richly laden caravans,
and armies setting out on military expeditions
or returning in triumph with long trains of cap¬
tives and the spoils of plundered cities.
The important part which the town-gate
played in the civil and social life of the most
ancient times is abundantly illustrated by the
Bible. It was in the gate of the city of Êphron
the Hittite that Abraham concluded the pur-
10
146 THE STORY OF SODOM,
chase of the cave of Machpelah ; it was in the
gate of his city that Boaz sought to have the
relatives of Ruth the Moabitess resign their
rights in his favor ; it was in the gate of Shusan
the palace that Mordecai overheard the plots of
the king's chamberlains ; it was in the gate of
Sodom—to anticipate somewhat the course of
the events we are now narrating—that Lot met
those who came to warn him to flee from the
doomed city of the plain, and it was in this same
gate that the forenoon of which we have been
speaking found him seated by the side of King
Bçra and the high-priest, clad in the rich official
robes of a judge of Sodom.
THE STORY OF SODOM,
147
XXIII.
JN the three weeks that had elapsed since he
and Eliezer had stood in the court of the
temple of Bel and Istar, Lot's friendship had
been zealously cultivated by his Canaanite
neighbors. A wealthy shepherâ-s/iez^ and the
near kinsman of the powerful Abraham, both the
king and Ulam the high priest had recognized
the importance of his co-operation in the matter
of making an alliance with the great Hebrew.
To this end they had loaded him with attentions
and honors. They had enrolled his name among
the elders of the city, and had ordered his statue
to be erected in the court of the temple ; and
lastly, only a few days before, they had elevated
him to the office of judge, giving him the power
of life and death over the inhabitants of Sodom.
In token of this supreme authority Bera himself
had placed upon the Hebrew's hand the king's
signet-ring, the impress of which upon any
proclamation or edict or sentence gave it the
seal of royal approval.
Upon this particular forenoon Bera, in accord-
148
THE STORY OF SODOM.
ance with the custom of primitive times, had
taken his seat upon the judgment-bench in the
gate of his city to hear the petitions of his sub¬
jects, and to ratify the agreements that they had
made one with another. With the rapid growth
of Sodom these duties had become too heavy
for one person to perform ; consequently the
king had first called the high-priest to his assist¬
ance, and more recently, as we have just seen,
he had created a third judge in the person of
Lot the Hebrew. While the three men were
busily engaged in their duties in the crowded
chamber of judgment, and the adjacent passage¬
way was thronged with merrily laughing and
talking passers-by, suddenly a childish voice rose
clear and shrill above all other sounds with the
startling cry: ''The children of Elam are at
hand ! Arm, arm ! The children of Elam ! the
children of Elam ! "
It was the voice of Ishmael, and as the lad,
exhausted by his long run through the hot,
suffocating atmosphere of the plain, entered the
cool, grateful shadow of the gate, he felt a loud
roaring in his ears, and wall and people and
passage-way seemed to be whirling about him.
But amid all the blurred and fantastic images
that danced before his eyes the boy caught
THE STORY OF SODOM,
149
sight of the face of Lot the kinsman of his father.
Then, feeling that his strength was fast leaving
him, he staggered toward the seat of judgment,
his arms outstretched toward the Hebrew, and
his voice broken and almost inaudible : " Thus
saith Judith the daughter of Enoch to Lot her
master and to Eliezer her beloved : Arise, flee—
destruction—death and captivity—are at the
gates ! " And then the son of Hagar fell swoon-»
ing at the feet of Lot the Hebrew.
" It is Ishmael, Abraham's son by Hagar, the
bondwoman of Sarah," cried Lot, as he de¬
scended from his seat and bent over the uncon¬
scious lad. My shepherdess has sent him to
Sodom to warn us." Then, rising up and facing
Eera, he continued : What he says must be
true ; Chedorlaomer and his allies have been seen
at Engedi, else Judith had not sent the boy
hither."
The coming of Ishmael, his warning, and now
the words of Lot created the utmost consterna¬
tion in the judgment-chamber, and as the news
spread rapidly through the city the streets soon
presented a scene of wild alarm and excitement.
To swell the tumult the messengers from Admah
followed hard in the footsteps of Ishmael, and
their words confirmed the boy's report. The
ISO THE STORY OF SODOM,
king and Ulam hastened to the palace, and very
soon the excited people saw the viceroys of the
other four cities, mounted on camels and urging
their animals to their highest speed, dash through
the gates and direct their course also toward
Bera's palace. From city to city trumpet now
answered to trumpet in warning signals, the roads
leading to the gates were thronged with laborers
fleeing from their fields to the shelter of the walls,
merchants that had just set out with their cara¬
vans hurried back to the town, and those that
were too far off to do this, as well as others that
were on their way to the valley, seeing the dense
horde of invaders pressing down into the plain,
hastily fled to the mountains. By noon outside
of the walls of the five confederate cities the
whole extent of the kikkar of the lower Jordan
was deserted by man and beast, save where
along the base of the western foot-hills the mul¬
titudes of Elam were marshaling themselves for
battle.
THE STORY OF SODOM,
XXIV.
J^OT, as soon as he had made known to the
king who Ishmael was, had raised the pros¬
trate lad in his arms, and, calling two of the by¬
standers, gave him to them, ordering them to
carry him to his house in the city. It thus hap¬
pened that when the son of Hagar regained con¬
sciousness he found himself lying on a couch in
the main apartment of the Hebrew's dwelling. A
young woman was bathing his forehead with water.
Lie still, I pray thee," said his attendant, as
the boy attempted to rise. My father has given
orders that you do not move until evening."
Ishmael at once surmised that the speaker
was one of Lot's two daughters, though the room
was so darkened that he could not distinguish
her features. His head throbbed with such a
terrible pain and he felt so faint and dizzy that
he was glad to heed her injunction to remain
quiet. Yet the faithful lad remembered his
errand, and he resolved, at all hazards to himself,
to seek out the one he had come to find and to
deliver him the message of the Hebrew shepherd-
152
THE STORY OF SODOM.
ess. He was on the point of speaking to his com¬
panion when the door of the room opened and
two other female figures entered and approached
the couch.
Has young Egypt awakened yet?" asked
the taller of the new-comers, in a harsh, queru¬
lous voice. What thy father was thinking of
when he sent us this dirty little slave I know not.
When he awakens feed him and let him go."
Hush, mother," said the maiden by the
couch, the lad is asleep. Thou knowest," the
speaker continued, in mildly reproving tone,
" that though Ishmael be the son of a bond¬
woman, yet his father, our kinsman, loves him
and would have his friends entreat him kindly.
And, moreover, it was because Judith the shep¬
herdess sent him to warn us of the coming of the
Elamites that he lies here now, fainting from
the haste with which he sought us to save us.
Nay, mother, let not thy love for Sarah thy
kinswoman make bitter thy heart against the
son of her handmaid whom she hateth."
. Lot's wife made no answer to her daugh¬
ter's remonstrance, but, coming to the side of
the couch, she asked, with a sneer : Is what
Zahi saith the truth, Egypt ? Was it, forsooth,
to warn us that thou camest to Sodom ? "
THE STORY OF SODOM.
153
Ishmaers proud heart burned with rage. He
knew the speaker's hatred for his mother, and
that, in common with her kinswoman Sarah, she
never lost an opportunity to insult her. How
the indignant lad longed to fling back taunt for
taunt and to repay scorning with scorning ! But
he remembered that he was in his enemy's house
and consequently at her mercy. It behooved
him to be careful, or he might be prevented from
fulfilling the errand on which he had come.
Curbing, therefore, his wrath at the woman's
insolence, he said, quietly :
Let thy servant, great lady, find favor in thy
sight. I indeed saw my lord Lot in the gate
of the city, and I told him that the Elamites
were at hand. Yet I shall declare the truth to
thee and lie not. It was not to warn thee that I
came to Sodom. The daughter of Enoch sent me
to my father's steward, Eliezer of Damascus."
The mention of Abraham as his father stung
Lot's wife into a violent passion. She hated the
son of the Egyptian bondwoman with as much
bitterness as she did his mother, and it was as
galling to her pride as it was to Sarah's to hear
Ishmael call the mighty Hebrew sheik father, or
to witness the tenderness which the latter was
inclined to show toward his base-born child.
154
THE STORY OF SODOM,
Lot's wife would have broken forth in a mad
torrent of abuse had she not felt the pressure of
Zahi's hand upon her arm and knew that the
girl's soft, pleading eyes were lifted to her face in
a piteous appeal not so wantonly to violate the
sacred law of hospitality. Nevertheless, it was
with a half mocking, half scornful laugh that she
turned again toward the lad.
So, so, then," she sneered". Our pretty-
faced slave-girl sent little Egypt to coax EHezer
back to her! Because, fbrsooth, he has smiled
upon her in the pasture-lands above Hazezon-
Tamar does she think she is to be the wife of the
great Abraham's heir ? Nay, verily ! Go back
to Engedi, thou son of Sarah's slave, and tell our
scheming shepherdess that it would be well if
she thought less about Eliezer of Damascus and
more of the flocks of Lot her master. Yea, tell
her, too, that her lover tarries in Sodom at the
feet of Nena, the priestess of Istar. Peradvent-
ure it may heal the daughter of Enoch of her
madness to know that she no longer is aught to
him. And ye, Zahi and Rawa, my daughters,"
continued the speaker, addressing the other two
maidens, set food before this slave, and when
he hath eaten let him begone." And the wife
of Lot left the room.
THE STORY OF SODOM,
155
XXV.
UR mother is too bitter against the lad,"
said Zahi to Rawa. Were our father
«
here she would not have spoken thus. It is a
proverb among our people that to turn away a
stranger from the door is to expose one's self to
Heaven's rebuke ; and if we do this wicked thing
which our mother has spoken, and refuse shelter
to a kinsman, surely the wrath of Jehovah will
be kinciled against us."
" Nay, it must not be so," returned the other.
" Do thou, Zahi, remain with the boy while I
fetch him meat and drink. Our mother in the
meantime may repent her for her hasty and bit¬
ter words."
In a minute more Ishmael and Zahi were
alone, and the lad's eyes, accustomed now to the
dim light, eagerly sought his companion's face.
" I heard them call thee Zahi," he said, softly,
^^and I know thereby that thou art the elder
daughter of Lot. Thou art good ; Abraham
my father hath said so. Tell me, is it yet
night ? "
156
THE STORY OF SODOM,
" Nay, the afternoon is barely half spent/*
And Lot thy father, where is he ? **
I know not ; after he brought thee hither he
at once left us. It may be that he hath gone to
the palace of the king.*'
Ishmaeks heart sank ; and when he again
spoke his voice betrayed the bitter disappoint¬
ment he felt.
Then he heeds not the warning my father
hath sent him ; he chooses to share captivity or
death with the Canaanites rather than to seek
safety by flight ? "
"Thou hast said," the girl answered, slowly—
and Ishmael fancied he detected a shade of re¬
gret in her tone. " My father hath great posses¬
sions in the city, and he says it would be cow¬
ardly for him to flee from Sodom, leaving to
strangers the defense of his goods. Yet methinks
he would have sold his houses and land and
flocks three weeks ago when Eliezer brought
him thy father's warning had it not been—*'
The speaker abruptly paused, and Ishmael,
who had been closely following her, looked up
questioningly and repeated her last words :
" Had it not been—" Then, seeing the per¬
plexed look on the girl's face, he added, ear¬
nestly: "It is meet that I should know every
THE STORY OF SODOM, 15/
thing, Zahl, that I may report the matter aright
to Abraham my father. You may trust me ;
speak on."
" My mother," the other returned, in a whis¬
per, and with a glance in the direction of the
door ; " she was loth to leave Sodom ; it is on
her account that we are still here. Then, too,
the king hath advanced my father greatly, and
the people of the city assure us that they will
prevail against the invaders."
" Theirs is the confidence of fools who know
neither their own weakness nor yet the strength
of the enemy," the lad broke in, fiercely. I tell
thee, Zabi, that for their wickedness Jehovah will
deliver the Canaanites into the hand of Chedor-
laomer of Elam."
Then, rising on his couch, Ishmael asked,
breathlessly, Is the fight yet begun? "
" Nay," the girl responded ; " King Bera and
the other rulers, in their council at noon to-day,
decided not to join battle with the foe until the
morrow. The Elàmites are encamping, they
say, on the plain of Siddim before Admah."
Then there is yet time for fiight,'* the lad
cried, excitedly. When thy father returneth
this evening plead mightily with him to flee with
all that he hath to the shelter of the hills, for
158 THE STORY OF SODOM,
verily on the morrow the Lord will discomfit
the Ganaanites that they will fall before the chil¬
dren of Elam."
Zahi shook her head sorrowfully.
It will be useless, I fear, son of .Hagar.
When Lot hearkeneth not to the warning of
Abraham, will he listen to the word of his daugh¬
ter? Nay, if the city fall into the hand of the
foe we, too, shall be spoil for the destroyer. But
thou, Ishmael, thou must leave the city to-night,
if so it be that thy strength return to thee.''
THE STORY OF SODOM,
159
XXVI.
'^HE door now opened and Rawa entered the
room. The girl bore in her hand a large
silver cup brimming with milk, while behind her
came a slave-girl with a bronze tray loaded with
soft white bread and figs and grapes. Setting
the food and drink upon a small table near Ish-
maeFs couch, Rawa dismissed the slave, and
then, turning to the boy, she said :
Arise now, son of Hagar, and eat what I
have prepared for thee. Thou hast gone long
without food ; this will refresh thée."
It was as she had said. Since the. evening be¬
fore Ishmael had eaten nothing save a few wild
figs that he had plucked by the way-side. He
was faint with hunger, yet the proud-spirited
lad scorned to touch the food that Lot's wife in
her contemptuous hatred had ordered to be given
him that she might be rid of his detested pres¬
ence.
'^Nay, Rawa, I cannot eat," he said, gently,
for he recognized the good-will the maidens had
shown him and he would not wound their feel-
l6o THE STORY OF SODOM,
îngs. My meat and my drink is to do the
thing that brought me hither. Nay, nay, urge
me not ! he earnestly implored, as Zahl made
as if she would have expostulated with him.
Behold now, daughters of Lot, I lift my hand
unto the God of Abraham my father and swear
that I shall neither eat nor drink until I have
delivered the message of Judith to Eliezer of
Damascus and have told him that his beloved hath
fallen into the hands of the children of Elam."
This was the first intimation that Zahi and
Rawa had received of the misfortune that had
befallen their father's shepherdess, and they lis¬
tened eagerly to the story of the previous night
which Ishmael, at their request, now proceeded
to tell them.
^'Ye have heard all," he cried, when he had
finished the account of his adventure. And
now tell nie, if ye can, where I shall find my
father's steward. Your mother said he tarried
at the feet of the priestess of Istar ; is it so ?
Hath Eliezer of Damascus forgotten his vows to
the daughter of Enoch ? "
Both the maidens were silent for a time, but
iC. ... ,
finally Rawa spoke :
Thou hast said."
"Yea, yea, I knew it would be thus!" cried
THE STORY OF SODOM, l6l
the lad, excitedly. Would that Judith had
never looked upon him to love him ! Then had
her soul cleaved to the soul of Eschol the Amor-
ite, and this evil thing had not come upon her."
Then, after a moment's pause, Ishmael contin-
tinued more calmly :
Yet what I promised the daughter of Enoch
last night and what I have sworn in your
presence I shall perform. I shall seek out Elie-
zer and I shall tell him of the sore straits into
which Judith hath fallen. It may be that her
message and mine will bring him to himself again,
for, of a surety, he will endeavor to save the
woman who loves him." Then, looking up into
Zahi's face, the lad again inquired: Dost thou
know where I shall find him ? "
He was here this morning," the girl answered,
and he said that he was to spend the after¬
noon in the company of Prince Helon. O
Ishmael ! " the speaker cried, pityingly, " thou
knowest not how Eliezer hath fallen, else thou
wouldst understand the folly of seeking him.
He will not hearken to thy words; he is fast in
the toils of the beautiful priestess : his srul is no
longer his own, but another's. Yet, if thou
wouldst seek him, go to the temple of Bel and
Istar ; he is there."
11
102 THE STORY OF SODOM.
" Did I hear my lord Lot say that this Prince
Helon you mention was to take Nena the Egyp¬
tian to wife? How can it be, then, that Eliezer
seeks her love? how is it that he loveth the
company of the prince?"
Ask us not, for we are unable to answer
thee," Zahi returned, mournfully. Our father
hath often questioned Eliezer, but the steward
only smiles and says, ^ Wait.* What promise the
wily Egyptian is holding out to him we know
not, but whatever it is, it surely is evil and not
good."
Ishmael now rose from the couch, but so faint
was he that he could scarcely stand. Zahi, per¬
ceiving the lad's weakness, made haste to bring
him the food, but he waved her back.
My vow, daughter of Lot, my vow! Nay,
fear not for me ; the Lord will sustain me, and
the power of my father's God will uphold me.
I go now to the temple. I know the way. And
ye, Zahi and Rawa, flee this night to the mount¬
ains, for behold, on the morrow death and cap¬
tivity shall be theirs who abide in the plam."
And the lad made as if he would pass out of the
room.
" Son of Hagar," cried Rawa, in a distressed
voice, " I pray thee to recall thine oath which
THE STORY OF SODOM, 163
thou hast sworn. For behold now, if, by reason
of the bitter and hasty words of our mother, thou
touch not our drink and our meat, then surely
shall Jehovah be wroth with us, and in the day
of his visitation he will destroy us."
The lad drew his little figure to its full height,
his eyes flashed, and his young voice thrilled
with a prophet-like solemness as he answered
Zahi's appeal :
Ask me no more, daughter of Lot, to recall
my vow. Not upon you nor upon your father
rests the guilt of this thing which I have suffered ;
but upon the evil-doer shall it remain. Yea,
and even as thou, Zahi, hast said : in the day of
his visitation shall the hand of Jehovah avenge
it." So the son of Hagar, departing from -the
house of Lot, took his way through the streets
of Sodom toward the great temple of the city.
104
THE STORY OF SODOM.
XXVIL
|T was near sunset of this same eventful day
when Chedorlaomer's captain, who had Judith,
the Hebrew shepherdess, in charge, reached the
camp of his royal master, which had been pitched
some hours before near a little fountain that
flowed from the base of the low range of foot¬
hills that skirted the western border of the field
of Siddim. The king's servants had already
prepared a tent for the Hebrew maiden, and to
this the captain at once conducted her. Meheta-
bel and her family had been placed among the
other captives on the highlands just above the
main army of the invaders, and a strong body of
soldiers was detailed to guard them during the
approaching battle. Judith, after she had been
separated from Deborah and the others, felt, for
a time, a return of the melancholy despair that
had possessed her when she had first realized
the king's purpose concerning her. But once
again her strong, buoyant faith re-asserted itself,
and when she entered the tent that had been
made ready for her use it was with the confi-
THE STORY OF SODOM,
dent assurance that, in some way, her deliver¬
ance would be accomplished. The captain, per¬
ceiving that she was exhausted with fatigue and
needed rest, said, kindly :
Thou art wearied, daughter of Canaan, and
thy eyes are heavy from loss of sleep. I shall
call the slaves that the king hath appointed to
serve thee and have them prepare thy couch,
that thou mayest rest until the morning."
Judith's heart leaped with joy. Until the
morrow, at least, she was safe, and in the hours
of darkness now drawing on who could tell what
daring plan of rescue the heroic Eschol or per¬
chance Eliezer her lover might not carry into
successful execution } At the summons of the
Elamite warrior a eunuch and two slave-boys
appeared. The youths bore basins'of water and
napkins, and while they bathed the girl's hands
and feet the captain, pointing to the eunuch, said :
Naram here and these two youths will at¬
tend thee. They all speak the language of this
land and will perform that which thou com-
mandest them. Fare thee well, daughter of Ca¬
naan ! May our Lady Istar speed thee on the
morrow to find favor in the eyes of the great
king ! " And with a low bow the warrior passed
out of the tent.
THE STORY OF SODOM.
Judith had learned to like the bluff", kindly
soldier, and she regretted that she was no longer
to be under his protection. She watched his re¬
treating figure until he disappeared from sight
around a neighboring tent, and then she turned
an apprehensive glance toward her new keeper.
Naram the eunuch was a small man with full,
heavy features and little, sleepy eyes. He could"
not have been niore than thirty years of age, and
his fresh, beardless face and long curling hair
made him appear still younger. Naram was an
exquisite. Despite the hardships to which long
marches and the rough life of military camps had
exposed him, the little man's hair was as sleekly
dressed and perfumed, his fine linen robe as
spotlessly white, and his daintily embroidered
sandals as clean and trim as if he were walking
the marble fioors of the palace of Susa. Seeing
Judith's eyes resting upon him, the eunuch
dropped upon his knees before her.
It is the king's will that I should attend thee,
thou fairest among women," and Naram's thin,
squeaking voice was clothed in an abjectly defer¬
ential tone. "He would have her who hath found
favor in his sight arrayed as becometh the favor¬
ite of the conqueror of the world ; and, when
thou art rested, he would see thee in the royal
THE STORY OF SODOM. 167
pavilion, that his soul may be made glad by the
beauty of thy countenance/'
May the handmaid of the great king indeed
find favor in his sight ; yet what is his servant—
a shepherdess and slave—that the mighty Ched-
orlaomer should take knowledge of her! Yea,
and I am weary, and did not the king's captain
say that I might rest until morning? "
The eunuch listened to Judith's words, a quiet,
knowing smile overspreading his face. To him
they were nothing more than a pretty little piece
of feminine acting. He had seen scores of cap¬
tive maidens in just such situations as the pres¬
ent ; he had heard them protest their unworthi-
ness and plead for release, when he was well aware
that their hearts were secretly swelling with pride
because their beauty had won them a place in
the royal harem in Susa. Nor could Naram con¬
ceive the possibility of such an elevation being
repugnant to any maiden. With thousands of
the noblest born and the most beautiful women
of his own land to be the concubine of the mon¬
arch or of some powerful prince was one of the
highest of earthly honors ; and that this obscure
slave-girl of Canaan should scruple joyfully to
accept what her wonderful beauty had won for
her was quite beyond his comprehension. Still
THE STORY OF SODOM,
kneeling before the maiden, the eunuch raised his
eyes to her face, and, though his manner was as
obsequiously fawning as .before, Judith detected
an undertone of reproof and warning in his voice.
Fortunate was it for thee, daughter of Ca¬
naan, that the king looked upon thee to admire
thee last night by the way-side. Had it not
been so thy beauty ere this had made thee the
slave of some rude soldier. But, lo, now thou
art to become the delight of the monarch him¬
self. Happy art thou among women ! " and then
the caution that Naram had conveyed by his
tone merely took shape in words as he added,
with a significant gesture toward Chedorlaomer's
tent: "Yea, and I say unto thee, O maiden, see
to it that thou angerest not the heart of the
great king, lest his wrath burn against thee to
consume thee."
THE STORY OF SODOM,
IÓ9
XXVIIL
JUDITH saw plainly that further expostulation
or entreaty was useless, and she made no re¬
sponse to the eunuch's words. Naram and the
two youths now left the tent, and very soon a
female slave appeared bringing rich garments and
jewels. The shepherdess permitted the woman to
clothe her in the gold-embroidered robes and to
adorn her hair and neck and arms with the dazzling
gems. It was not until after the maiden had par¬
taken of food that the slave-boys brought her
that the round, smiling face of the little eunuch
re-appeared in the door of the tent. Naram's
sleepy eyes actually flashed wide open with
amazement at the glorious beauty of the captive
maiden as, clad in her rich Chaldean robes
and glittering jewels, she rose at his approach.
Truly, among all the beauties of Susa there
were none—no, not even the haughty Queen
Gula herself—to compare with this radiantly
magnificent creature before him. The splen¬
dor of the vision took away his breath ; he was
dazzled and bewildered. Dropping upon his
170 THE STORY OF SODOM.
knees, he bowed his face to the floor of the
tent, crying :
A goddess art thou, and no woman ! Thou
art Nana the glorious ! Our Lady Istar is in all
thy lirnbs ! The Queen of Heaven hath come
down to dwell in the tent of the great king!
Yea, verily, thou—"
Thou hast come from my lord Chedorlaomer,
hast thou not?" Judith broke in, the shadow of
a smile passing over her face as she looked at the
prostrate little eunuch whose sudden and almost
reverential admiration threatened to liken her to
every goddess in the Chaldean pantheon.
"Yea, O lady, thou sayest," answered Naram,
rising to his knees and stealing a furtive glance
at the shepherdess. " I have come from the king.
The captain who brought thee hither hath told
his lord of thy weariness, and it is granted thee
to rest, as thou hast desired, until the morrow»
Before he goeth forth to join battle with the
Canaanites Chedorlaomer will visit thee in thy
tent."
Had the Elamite, who, unsolicited by her, had
pled the captive's cause before his monarch, seen
the grateful light that glowed in the Hebrew
maiden's eyes as she heard the eunuch's words,
he would have felt amply repaid for all his efforts
THE STORY OF SODOM,
171
ill her behalf. Of a truth, the Lord God of Abra¬
ham had heard her prayer on the heights above
Engedi, and even as she had said to Deborah so
was it coming to pass with herself ; the strength
of the Almighty was upholding her, the Most
High was making straight the way for her deliv¬
erance. She saw the need of conciliating her
keeper and his royal master, that their watchful¬
ness might be relaxed, so that the chances for
escape might thereby be increased. Turning,
therefore, with a bright smile toward the eunuch,
who was still looking at her with an expression
of amazed admiration, she said, softly :
Give thou to the great king thy master the
thanks of his servant, and be it on the morrow
even as he hath said ; for, lo, what is his hand¬
maid that she should seek to do other than the
will of her lord ? "
The girl's words pleased the little eunuch. He
sprang to his feet, his face glowing with delight,
and his eyes drinking in the fresh, glorious beauty
of the maiden before him. A moment he stood
thus, staring at the shepherdess, and then once
more falling on his knees at her feet he seized
the hem of her'rich purple robe and began kiss¬
ing it with passionate ardor.
Let thy slave, great lady, find grace before
1/2
THE STORY OT" SODOM,
thee," Naram cried, breathlessly, his impulsive
Oriental nature again carrying him into an im¬
passioned outburst of praise of Judith's loveliness.
" Pardon him if he hath said aught to offend thee.
In my ignorance I did call thee the most fort¬
unate of women ; but now that mine eyes have
seen thy beauty, and because I know that thou
art fairer than all other maidens that Chedorlao-
mer, my master, hath yet looked upon to desire
for himself, I do put my hand upon my mouth
and I humble mine face at thy feet. Yea, it is
the great king who is the fortunate one ; for hath
not Istar descended from the heaven of Anu to
grant him her favor? hath not the beauty of the
lady of the gods been made flesh for his pleas¬
ure ? and the delight of the great gods, hath she
not bowed herself to his side to be his queen in
his palace at Susa? "
"Nay, now," the Hebrew maiden responded,
gayly, touching with her hand the perfumed head
of the prostrate Naram, " I pray thee arise ; it is
♦
naught that thou sayest. For when my dress of a
shepherdess was upon me didst thou not esteem
me but lightly ? It is the robe of Chaldea and the
jewels of my lord the king that thou art admir¬
ing. And why speakest thou of my reigning in
the royal palace? Hath not the slave which thou
THE STORY OF SODOM.
173
sent with these gems and this clothing told me
that the mighty Chedorlaomer hath even now
queens three and concubines many? How say-
est thou, then, that I shall reign in the palace of
the great king ? "
Judith had affected a gayety of manner and a
light, bantering tone that was very far from being
a true expression of her feelings. But she real¬
ized that for the present she must seek the favor
of the eunuch, for she had heard of the powerful
influence such persons as he had with their mas¬
ters in any thing touching her sex. She was
scarcely prepared, however, for the answer that
her raillery called forth. Naram was again upon
his feet, and, after a cautious glance toward the
door of the tent, coming close to the shepherd¬
ess, he said, in a shrill, excited whisper:
I am Naram of Akkad ; chief of the eunuchs
of the palace am I, and governor of the royal
harem. Those whom I uphold are exalted those
that cross me or my favorites vanish away,
and no man asketh whither went they. Beltis
was queen, but she incurred my displeasure.
They say in Susa that she died of a scorpion's
sting ; but there is one that knoweth better. I
championed the cause of Gula my country¬
woman, I won for her'the love of the king; she
174
THE STORY OF SODOM.
became his favorite wife and queen. And, lo,
now, she despises the hand that crowned her.
Yea, but I shall cast her down, and thou, daugh¬
ter of Canaan, thou shalt reign in her stead ; for
behold Naram of Akkad shall cause thee to sit
by the side of Chedorlaomer upon the throne of
the world."
The vehemence of the eunuch's manner and
the ferocious look that convulsed his features
appalled Judith. That this daintily dressed ex¬
quisite should be capable of such violent emo¬
tions astonished her. Instinctively she shrank
back in loathing from his overtures ; but, upon
remembering all that was at stake, she assumed
a half yielding, half doubting manner, and said,
lightly :
Well promised, but it is naught save thy
word that I have for it all. How shall I know,
then, that this thing which thou sayest shall
come to pass? Come, now, would that a ma¬
gician of thy land wert here ! Peradventure he
might read me my future by the stars, yea, and
even by the lines of my palm would a seer of
Chaldea—"
Be it as thou hast said, great lady," the ex¬
cited eunuch cried, interrupting the maiden's
speech. Naram's dull eyes were flashing now.
THE STORY OF SODOM.
175
and his whole frame trembled with some deep
agitation. " Thy future shall be told thee as
thou hast desired," he continued. Even as I
came into thy tent a wild soothsayer of the hills
was at the gate pf the camp telling the guards
what their fortunes were to be in the morrow's
battle. I shall fetch him hither." And before the
astonished girl could protest Naram had dashed
out of the door of the tent.
It seemed no more than a minute before the
\
eunuch returned bringing a stranger with him.
Judith looked wonderingly toward the new¬
comer who entered the tent close behind Naram.
A single glance at the soothsayer, and then the
Hebrew shepherdess, uttering a low, sobbing cry,
sank back into a chair and covered her face with
her hands.
The new-comer was Ariel her brother !
THE STORY OF SODOM.
XXIX.
^RIEL was clad in the same shepherd garb
that he wore when, three weeks before, he
and Judith had stood upon the rocky height
above Hazezon-Tamar, and the girl had heard
from his lips the story of his mission to Sodom.
But over his head was now thrown a wolfs skin,
which, gathered closely about his face, concealed
his mouth and chin, a strap and buckle fastening
it at his throat. Ariel, as he entered the tent
behind the eunuch, threw up his hand in a
warning gesture to his sister ; but the shock
of surprise was too great. Reeling backward
into a seat, Judith covered her face with her
hands, lest Naram, seeing the look of uncon¬
trollable gladness that swept over her features,
might become suspicious. Mastering her emo¬
tions by a powerful effort, thé girl, in a well
simulated tone of terror, cried out to the eu¬
nuch :
" Darken the tent, Naram ; make dark the tent,
that I may uncover mine eyes and not be afraid.
For the form of the stranger maketh my heart
THE STORY OF SODOM,
177
to tremble ; surely thou saidst truly, he is a wild
soothsayer of the hills/'
Before the girl had ceased speaking the eunuch
had sprung to obey. Extinguishing all the lamps
except one that cast but a feeble light through
the large tent, he came to Judith's side.
It is as the great lady hath wished, and she
may uncover her eyes ; for were the stranger as
hideous to behold as is Tiamat thou wouldst not
perceive it. Arise, lady, and may the great gods
fill this man's soul to prophesy comfortable
things for thee, yea, even the things that Naram
thy slave hath spoken."
Trembling with excitement, the girl rose and
looked through the thick gloom to where her
brother was still standing by the tent door.
When Ariel perceived that Judith's face was
turned toward him he stepped forward, and with
the wand that he held in his hand he began to
trace mystical figures upon the floor of the tent,
accompanying his movements with a low chant.
Naram, though he understood none of the He¬
brew's words, had no suspicion that they were
aught else than some magical formula of incan¬
tation ; and, stepping back a few paces, he stood
watching the proceedings with superstitious rev¬
erence. But Judith, as her brother, swaying his
12
THE STORY OF SODOM,
body back and forth, circled, about her, bending'
low hef head, caught, in the accents of her
childhood Aramaic—the language of her own
and her brother's Haran home—these words :
" I have come to save thee, Judith. Be calm,
therefore, and be brave, and Jehovah who sent
me hither will guide thee safely from this place.
Thou didst well to have the tent darkened, for
we must exchange clothing. I shall remain here
in thy stead, but thou wilt leave the camp in the
way I shall direct. Ishmael and another await
thee in the olive-grove before the gate of Admah.
The lad shall take thee to Hebron, to the tent of
Abraham his father. And fear not for me, for
the Lord Most High, who hath sheltered me
among the wicked people, of Sodom, shall still
be my shield in the tent of Chedorlaomer of
Elam."
In breathless amazement Judith listened to her
brother's daring plan for her escape. Its feasi¬
bility was evident, could she and Ariel but ex¬
change clothing ; for she was well aware that they
resembled each other enough to pass the one for
the other anywhere except among their most
intimate friends, ''As much alike as are the
twin children of Enoch the Hebrew " had be¬
come a proverb among their kinsfolk and neigh-
THE STORY OF SODOM, 1/9
bors. Bending her head low over the circles
that Ariel was tracing at her feet, Judith whis¬
pered, softly :
" It is well ; and may the God of our father
and of Abraham our kinsman be with thee and
with me."
" Fear it not, doubt not the issue, O my sis¬
ter ! " came back the muttered response, and
Ariel, with increasing vehemence and swiftness,
continued to draw mysterious figures and sym¬
bols in ever lessening circles around the shep¬
herdess. I heard of thy captivity to-day, and
I hastened hither, knowing that, in the disguise
of a soothsayer, the superstitious children of
Elam would welcome me. In the camp of the
captives I heard from Deborah where to look
for thee. Then, even as this keeper of thine
came forth from the tent of his master, I was
talking with the Elamite warrior who brought
thee hither."
Ariel now suddenly ceased the motion with
his wand, and, after a brief pause, he turned to
the eunuch, saying :
Lo, my master, secret spirits are they that
have come to disclose what the gods have in
store for this maiden. Will my Lord withdraw
from us a little space ? or shall his servant com-
l8o THE STORY OF SODOM,
mand the spirits to return to their abodes with
their message unspoken ? "
" Nay, nay, I shall retire," the little eunuch
returned, briskly. I shall await without the
door of the tent, unless,'* he added, with a ques¬
tioning look toward the shepherdess, unless
thou, great lady, art fearful of being alone with
this man."
I pray tliee to remain close without the
door, then I shall not fear," the girl promptly
answered. And Naram, with a profound bow,
passed out, closing the tent door behind him.
' The little eunuch was in high spirits. He had
taken care to suggest to the soothsayer what he
considered would be an agreeable sort of proph¬
ecy, and he knew the magician class too well to
doubt but that the revelations of the spirit would
fall in with his suggestion. Then with the
maiden's mind fully possessed of the idea that a
glorious destiny awaited her, he could use her
as an instrument for the accomplishment of his
plans. The haughty and ungrateful Gula should
fall, and this new favorite would reign in her
place. So absorbed was Naram in pondering
upon his scheme that he was wholly uncon¬
scious of the lapse of time. At length the cur¬
tain before the door of the tent was swept aside.
THE STORY OF SODOM. l8l
and a slight figure, clad in the garb of a shep¬
herd and with the wolf-skin drawn closely about
the face, stood by his side. Naram drew the
new-comer away from the tent, that their con¬
versation might not be heard from within, and
then he breathlessly asked :
''What said the spirits of the great gods?
Spake they happy things for the beautiful daugh¬
ter of Canaan ? "
"Thou hast said," the other answered, the
wolf-skin that was drawn closely over the mouth
muffling the voice. "Yea, now, thou too, my
master, art a revealer of the will of the great
gods, for even as thou didst speak to me before
we went into the tent, so spake their messen¬
gers.
Naram smiled half contemptuously ; neverthe¬
less he was highly pleased.
" May Hea, the god of wisdom, direct thee
always to speak as surely as thou hast done to¬
night ! " he cried, gleefully rubbing together his
fat little hands. " And now fare thee well, thou
confidant of the gods, I must return to my
charge."
Naram bustled off in the direction of the tent,
and the soothsayer, who was none other than
Judith disguised in her brother's clothes, with
i82
THE STORY OF SODOM.
quickening step hastened past the royal pavilion.
A tall figure rose out of the gloom beneath the
spreading branches of a large fig-tree, and the
shepherdess, glancing up, recognized the stranger
to be the Elamite captain who had been her
guard from Engedi to the camp.
*'Thou didst prophesy pleasant things for me
in the battle to-morrow," said the captain, ex¬
tending a hand to stop the supposed soothsayer.
^'Comfortable things thou hast spoken of my
future," the warrior went on, looking down with
a friendly smile upon the girl ; " and now may
Nergal wither my hand if I do not repay thy
pleasant words with some service. Thou art
going to Admah, thou hast told me, to raise thy
voice to prophesy against our foes. Yea, it is
well ; curse them, O thou magician of the great
gods, that on the morrow they may be discom¬
fited before the sons of Elam. And now, come,
I shall lead thee through the army and place
thee upon the highway before the cities of the
Canaanites."
THE STORY OF SODOM,
XXX.
JN the little olive-grove before the great gate
of Admah two persons were anxiously await¬
ing the result of Ariel's attempt to rescue his
sister. They were Ishmael and lo the Argive.
Nearly three hours had passed since the Hebrew
shepherd had left them, and they were becoming
alarmed^lest something had befallen either him
or Judith.
The moon had not yet arisen, but the stars
were shining brightly overhead, and by their
light the two watchers could see a considerable
distance. On one side of them stretched away
the dead level of the kikkar^ from which, at ir¬
regular intervals, rose high into the night heav¬
ens five dull and tremulous pillars of light—the
reflection of the countless torches, flaming lamps,
and beacon-fires that made the streets of the
confederate cities as bright as noonday. Occa¬
sionally the gates of either Admah or Gomor¬
rah would fly open for a minute and a company
of black-robed figures, issuing forth into the
plain, would dash off through the darkness
184
THE STORY OF SODOM.
toward one or the other of the more distant
towns. From within the walls was borne to the
ears of the watchers the shouting of men, the
shrill, piercing blasts of horn and trumpet, and
the sharp clinking strokes of many busy ham¬
mers that were making secure joint and rivet of
the stout bronze shields which upon the morrow
were to be the defense of thousands of breasts
against the arrows of Elam.
Westward, the camp-fires of the invaders
gleamed on the sloping sides of the foot-hills
and upon the adjacent plain, and in the light
cast by these long lines of armed men could be
seen moving from point to point, as if the Elam-
ites were already taking up their position for
battle. The vale of Siddim, lying to the north¬
ward and extending from the hills to the Jordan,
seemed also to be full of the strangers, for every
now and then could be heard their interchange
of signal cries and the neighing of their horses.
Ishmael and lo, keeping close together, now is¬
sued from the grove, and entering a small vine¬
yard, hastened through this until they reached a
slight elevation by the way-side which command¬
ed a view of the highway as far as the borders
of the hostile camp.
Let us remain here," Ishmael said, pausing
THE STORY OF SODOM.
I8S
under the spreading foliage of a large palm. " It
would be dangerous to proceed further, and
from this point we can see any one approaching
us on the road."
O, Ishmael," cried lo, I am full of fear.
Had Ariel's plan succeeded his sister ought to
have been here before this. Alas ! they both
are prisoners—"
" Look ! " exclaimed the lad by her side,
■ ' look up the highway, lo. Seest thou those
two figures ? One, methinks, is clothed as Ariel
was clothed ; ah, even so," continued Ishmael,
as the approaching twain drew nearer, for now
I see upon his head the wolf-skin you gave the
son of Enoch this evening. But what means
this?" the speaker cried, after another short
pause. The other figure is that of a warrior
of Elam. May Jehovah shield us, but I under¬
stand this not ! "
The new-comers, as the reader has already
surmised, were Judith and the Elamite captain,
who had offered to conduct her to the highway
before Admah. Ishmael and lo, in wondering
surprise, concealed themselves behind some
bushes that grew up about the palm-tree, await¬
ing the approach of the twain upon the high¬
way. These came on at a brisk walk, until they
186 THE STORY OF SODOM,
were almost opposite the watchers ; then they
suddenly stopped, and a colloquy ensued. The
son of Hagar, leaning out over the bushes, lis-
ened intently. He heard the Elamite say:
'^Yea, but thou didst, of a surety, prophesy
comfortable things of me ; therefore, I pray thee,
now, take this," and the captain held out toward
his companion a heavy silver and gold bracelet,
exquisitely wrought and thickly studded with
jewels. N^y, now, it is but a trifle," he urged,
as the other shrank from accepting the gift. " I
tore it from the arm of a priest of Egypt who
fell in battle against us in the wilderness beyond
El Paran. What, then, is it but a trifle between
thee and me? Take it, I pray thee, for by the
memory of my mother thy words did my soul
good."
Ishmael saw the warrior bend down and fasten
the bracelet about the other's wrist. Then fol¬
lowed an interchange of low-spoken farewells,
and the two separated, the Elamite hastening
back to the camp, and his companion moving
slowly and looking anxiously from side to side.
" Seek you the friends of Ariel and Judith, the
children of Enoch the Hebrew ? " called out the
lad, in a low, clear voice. ''Bend hither thy
steps ; you will find them here ! "
THE STORY OF SODOM,
187
A cry of joyful surprise broke from Judith's
lips as she, recognized Ishmael's voice, and in
another minute she was up the slope and with
the others at the foot of the palm-tree.
Is it Ariel, or is it his sister Judith of whom
I have heard him so often speak ? " inquired Jo,
bending a questioning look upon the new¬
comer.
The voice is the voice of Judith, the cloth¬
ing the clothing of Ariel, and the face the face of
either," cried the lad, merrily.
is Judith," the maiden responded, with a
sigh of relief, and this," she added, drawing the
Argive close to her side, this, methinks, is lo,
whom my brother loveth. He told me of thee
to-night, and as he spoke of thy beauty and thy
goodness my heart warmed toward thee as
toward a sister."
Hark ! " cried Ishmael, raising his hand
warningly. Heard you not that sound behind
us ? A troop of Elamites are passing by."
The two maidens looked in the direction indi¬
cated by the lad's outstretched hand and be¬
held a long, shadowy, serpent-like line creeping
through the vineyard to the northward. ^
" The strangers are seizing all the best posi¬
tions on the plain," lo said, as the three stood
i88
THE STORY OF SODOM.
watching the movements of the Elamites below
them. " On the morrow, unless they beware,
the children of Canaan will find themselves at a
disadvantage."
It was along that canal running westward
that Ariel told us to make our way around the
enemy and to the hills," Ishmael observed, anx¬
iously. Now I fear that that part of the plain
is covered with the foe. lo and Judith," the lad
continued, after he had closely scanned for a
time the long silvery thread which marked the
course of the irrigating canal before them, do
you both remain here while I creep off yonder.
It may be that the way is yet clear ; if so I shall
call you. When you hear the cry of the bulbul
thrice repeated, make haste to come to me."
Speed thee then, good son of Hagar," Judith
whispered, anxiously. Dangers are thickening
about us. The moon will soon be up, and then
we can no longer hide from the eyes of our
foes." '
Ishmael now glided away into the vineyard
through which he and lo had shortly before
come, and the two maidens awaited in anxious
suspense for his call. The plain seemed to be
growing fuller and fuller of moving forms.
Sometimes these seemed to hurry past in heavy,
THE STORY OF SODOM.
189
unbroken squares ; then again they would gather
in dense masses on some little rise of ground,
and at other times they seemed to creep over
the fields and through the vineyards and orchards
in long sinuous lines. An hour passed away and
still no signal cry had come to the ears of the
now almost despairing watchers. Then, even as
they waited with sinking hearts and pallid faces,
the sound of the measured tread of a large body
of men caused them to look up the highway in
the direction of Chedorlaomer's camp. There,
almost at the base of the little hill upon which
they were standing, a hundred or more Elamite
soldiers were turning off the main road and mak¬
ing straight for their covert.
" Now may the God of Abraham protect us ! "
Judith whispered to her companion. These
soldiers have been sent to occupy this height.
Come, we must fiee." And the two maidens
stole softly down the slope in the direction Ish-
mael had taken.
Their flight was none too soon, for looking
back from the shelter of the olive-grove they
saw the summit of the little hill which they had
just left covered with dark forms, while to their
great consternation they perceived that a part
of the company was approaching the olive-grove
I90 THE STORY OF SODOM,
through the vineyard. Just then the musical
note of a bulbul was heard from the direction of
the canal, and it was with difficulty that lo and
Judith repressed a cry of joy and thankfulness at
the sound. Ishmael, then, had discovered a way
of escape. Again, and for the third time, came
the signal call, and the shepherdess and the
Argive hastened toward the sound. But what
was their dismay and terror to find that the plain
between them and the canal was full of foes ?
Ishmael, it was evident, was unaware of this
sudden advance of the Elamites, for again and
again rose his joyous bulbul cry to guide the
course of the maidens toward him. Judith was
the first to rouse herself from the stupor of de¬
spair into which the discovery of the apparent
hopelessness of their situation had cast both her
and her companion.
To the highway, lo, to the highway, and by
it to the eastern hills ! she whispered, the des¬
peration of despair filling her heart with a
strange, new courage. It is our only chance,"
she added, breathlessly, as she perceived that
her companion hesitated ; the whole plain this
side of the Jordan is in the hands of the
Elamites."
The two maidens hastened now in the direc-
THE STORY OF SODOM,
191
tion of the high-way, keeping under cover of the
grove until they were beyond the danger of be¬
ing seen by the Elamites on the hill behind
them. Then, entering the road, they turned
their faces toward the Jordan and the eastern
side of the kikkar. It was fully ten miles to the
nearest spur of the foot-hills upon this side of
the valley, and it would require three or more
hours to reach a place of safety. As lo and
Judith hastened on their -way the bulbul cry of
the son of Hagar for a time floated to their ears
on the night wind, and then it suddenly ceased.
Had the heroic lad discovered the impossibility
of their reaching him ? had he been captured ?
or had he been slain ? They did not know.
192
THE STORY OF SODOM,
XXXL
JO and Judith breathed freer when, after nearly
two hours of rapid walking, they placed the
Jordan between themselves and the host of
Elam. Shortly after crossing the river the Ar-
give pointed to a narrow lane running off the
main highway toward the left.
" If I mistake not that road will lead us to the
hill-country by a much shorter route than the
one we are now on. Besides, we shall not be so
likely to meet travelers upon it."
" Then let us take it by all means," Judith
rejoined. I am growing weary and cannot go
much further without a rest. We are now safe
from the invaders for some hours at least ; all
that is necessary is to avoid falling in the way
of the Canaanites. The night is not more than
half spent, so we have plenty of time to reach
the hills before daylight."
The fugitives now turned into the lane that
seemed to lead away toward the mountains
through a succession of orchards and vineyards
and cultivated fields. So narrow was the road
THE STORY OF SODOM,
193
that in some places the branches of the trees
growing on either side met overhead, forming a
thick canopy of green. The moon had arisen
some half an hour before, and its slanting rays,
piercing through the open spaces in the foliage,
checkered the grass and the level stretch of
dusty road with a fantastic mosaic of light and
shadow. The burning heat of the day had been
succeeded by a deliciously soft and dewy cool¬
ness, and a gentle breeze, laden with the fra¬
grance of myriads of flowers, stirred the fronds
of the towering palms and awoke a musical
movement in the boughs of the wide-spreading
fig-trees by the way-side. It was one of those
perfect tropical nights in which earth and sky
seem in accord to reveal to man a fleeting vision
of the delights of the ancient and lost Eden of
God.
Through this enchanting scene of fragrant
beauty lo and Judith walked side by side in si¬
lence, the mind of each too busy for words. Far
away in the distance behind them the shouting
of men in the camp of the invaders was borne
faintly to their ears, while near at hand sounds
of preparation for battle could be heard in the
direction of Sodom and the adjacent Canaanitish
cities. But the maidens felt themselves to be
13
194
THE STORY OF SODOM.
safe. The Elamites would scarcely venture across
the Jordan, and the people of the plain had fled
to their walled towns, and, excepting upon the
roads that lead from city gate to gate, the en¬
tire extent of the kikkar was deserted by its in¬
habitants.
I am too weary to go farther ; let us seat
ourselves upon this bank and rest for a time,''
the shepherdess said, as the two emerged into
an open space into which the moon poured a
flood of brilliant light. Judith pointed to a
grass-covered embankment on one side of the
road, and even while she was speaking she drew
her companion toward it, and removing the wolf¬
skin from her head she spread it out upon the
grass for a seat for both.
On either side of the road at this point ran a
deep and wide irrigating canal, the banks fringed
with trees thickly festooned with the trailing
vines of the wild grape. lo and the Hebrew
maiden sat silent for some time listening to the
gently rippling flow of the water beneath them,
the occasional cry of a fox or a jackal in the
neighboring fields, and the musical notes of the
night-birds as they called to one another from
their leafy coverts overhead. Judith was the
first to speak.
A Talk by the Way. Judith, disguised as her brother, walking with lo.
See page 195.
THE STORY OF SODOM.
195
" lo," and the speaker's hand stole into the
Argive's and her voice was soft and low as she
spoke, " to-night I heard of you for the first
time ; for of all that has occurred during my
brother's three weeks' stay in Sodom I know but
little. But to-night as we were exchanging
clothing in the tent in which I was held captive
Ariel told me of you, of his love for you and
yours for him ; he informed me that you were
fleeing with him from Sodom, and he said that
in our tents above Hazezon-Tamar he would
take the daughter of far-off Argos to wife. And
I, my sister, rejoiced thereat, for whom my
brother loves shall I love also. Fain would I
hear more, if it please you to tell me." And the
Hebrew maiden looked up questioningly into the
other's face.
A soft crimson dyed the Argive's cheeks and
her eyes dropped before her companion's gaze,
and with faltering speech she told her story—
how she had first seen Ariel upon that never-to-
be-forgotten evening when he appeared before
King Bera and the people of Sodom in the great
temple of Bel and Istar ; how his fiery and coura¬
geous words not only awoke in her mind an in¬
terest in the intrepid preacher, but stirred the
inmost depths of her soul with a desire to know
196 THE STORY OF SODOM.
more of that God in whose name he spoke ; how
during that same night, while she was pouring
forth the libations to Istar on the summit of the
ziggurat at the rising of the morning star, Ariel
had suddenly appeared before her ; how she had
gone down from that interview no longer in her
heart the worshiper of idols, but a child of Je¬
hovah ; how Keturah the Ethiopian concealed
Ariel in the secret chamber within the great
image of Istar; how there she and the young
Hebrew, disguised as a priestess of the temple,
frequently met until their hearts became knit
together in the bonds of a deep and holy affec¬
tion ; how when, the evening before, Ariel had
found the son of Hagar in the streets of the city
and heard from him the story of Judith's captiv¬
ity and the impending destruction of the city by
the invaders, he had sought her out ; and how,
when he had told her his plans to rescue his sister,
asking her to flee with him from the doomed
city, she had consented. .
THE STORY OF SODOM,
197
XXXIL
JUDITH had listened with close attention to
the Argive's story, and when she had fin¬
ished she threw her arms about lo's neck, kiss¬
ing her passionately.
My sister, my sister!" she cried, the joy
that filled her heart glowing in her fine dark
eyes and thrilling in her voice. Your tale is as
the tales which our great Abraham tells of his
youth-time in Ur of the Chaldees, full of the
mysterious providence of Jehovah; for of a
surety the Lord God brought you and Ariel to¬
gether amid the abominations of Sodom that
you might find that for which your soul had been
longing, and that he might meet the desire of
his life. And now, my sister, I would ask more
of you," and the speaker's voice grew inexpress¬
ibly sad. You have heard from my brother of
the bond between Eliezer, the steward of Abra¬
ham the Hebrew, and myself. Ariel to-night
said naught of him, but told me to ask my mes¬
senger, the son of Hagar, if I would learn of my
lover ; but now Ishmael is not here to tell me,
198
THE STORY OF SODOM.
and will you speak what you have heard, for my
heart would know whether Eliezer of Damascus
hath kept his vow to the shepherdess of Lot."
The last words were sobbed forth rather than
spoken, for Judith felt a strange, undefinable
foreboding that evil tidings were to be her por¬
tion, and this growing fear was strengthened by
the expression of sympathetic sorrow that sad¬
dened her companion's countenance. lo was
silent, but her silence told more plainly than
words could have done the woeful message she
had for the disconsolate maiden by her side.
Judith felt a dull, heavy pain at her heart; she
neither spoke nor wept, but her anguished face
and hot, tearless eyes were raised In a dumb and
piteous appeal for her companion's sympathy.
And lo, her own soul stirred with an unutterable
grief for her suffering friend, caught the shep¬
herdess to her bosom, weeping over her in silent
and tender compassion.
Nay, it is naught, it is naught," Judith cried,
rallying, and gently disengaging herself from lo's
arms. "Abraham and his household and Ariel my
brother warned rñe of this, but my heart would
not hear them, and now this evil thing hath
come upon me. But, lo, O my sister!'* and
the pitiful misery in the girl's voice pierced the
THE STORY OF SODOM.
199
listener's heart, " I loved him, I loved him !
Yea, by the soul of my mother, I loved Eliezer
of Damascus."
Judith was upon her feet now and her face
was turned in the direction of Sodom as she ut¬
tered the last words. For a brief space she
stood thus gazing off through the night toward
the beacon-fires that flamed up luridly on the
summits of the twin ziggiirats of the great tem¬
ple. Then, seating herself again by To's side,
she said, calmly :
It is past, lo, this dream of mine ; yea, I
have crushed it out of my life forever, and this
man's trespass against me shall never again make
bitter my soul. And now tell me all that thou
knowest ; it is meet that I should hear it." And
then lo told the daughter of Enoch the strange
passion of Eliezer for Nena the Egyptian.
" Blame not thy lover unduly," she said, in
conclusion, ^Tor no man upon whom the beauti¬
ful Egyptian hath set her heart to ensnare him
hath yet been proof against the spell of the sor¬
ceress. The king and Ulam the high-priest be¬
lieved Eliezer to be Abraham's heir; and, wish¬
ing to secure the alliance of the mighty Hebrew
sheik, they sought to inveigle the steward into
a compact with them, and this work they in-
200 THE STORY OF SODOM,
trusted to Nena. Eliezer hath said nothing to
the Canaanites or to Lot of his disinheritance by
his master in favor of the promised son of Sarah ;
on the contrary, he has declared to both Bera
and Ulam that his are to be the possessions of
his master.'*
A low cry from the shepherdess interrupted
the speaker. She remembered the afternoon
that she and her lover had parted by the altar
Mizpah in the pasture-lands above Hazezon-
Tamar, and she recalled the words that she had
there uttered : In the hour that Eliezer, stew¬
ard of Abraham the Hebrew, again looks upon
the things of his master to covet them, in that
hour may his soul no longer cleave to the soul
of Judith, the daughter of Enoch." That prayer
had been answered. Instead of casting away,
as she had pleaded with him to do, his evil desire
for his master's wealth, Eliezer had cherished
it, and had even given himself out to be the He¬
brew's heir, thus making himself the object of
the plots of the unscrupulous Çanaanites, who
used him merely as the instrument for the ac¬
complishment of their designs. Thus had her
lover continued to covet the silver and the
gold aad the flocks and the herds and the tents
of Abraham the Hebrew; and thus by so doing
THE STORY OF SODOM,
201
had the prayer of their covenant been answered,
he had fallen a victim to the wiles of the Egyp¬
tian priestess, and his soul no longer cleaved to
the soul of Judith, the daughter of Enoch.
Nay, heed me not," the shepherdess ex¬
claimed, as lo, hearing her cry, paused in her
narrative. Heed me not, sister, but go on
with your story."
There is no more to tell," the Argive con¬
tinued, bitterly. Eliezer, in these latter days,
has become the mere creature of the court and
the priests. He who three weeks ago rebuked
thy master Lot because he bowed his knee to
Bel at the evening hour of worship now himself
assists in the religious services of the temple.
This afternoon, when Ishmael sought him out to
tell him of thy captivity, he said all would be
well on the morrow when the children of Canaan
had discomfited the strangers with the edge of
the sword. Then would you be rescued and re¬
turned to Lot your master. Yesterday Nena
the Egyptian went to Beth-Jesimoth, eastward
of Bela, and this evening after sundown Eliezer
of Damascus, mounted pñ a swift camel, has¬
tened to fetch her to Sodom lest the Elamites,
when defeated here, might move upon the city
wherein she was tarrying.'*
202
THE STORY OF SODOM,
This, then, was the reason why Eliezer had
been loath to make any effort to rescue Judith.
His heart was with the beautiful priestess at
Beth-Jesimoth, and he chose to conduct her to
the shelter of the walls of Sodom, and to allow
the daughter of Enoch to languish in captivity
in the tent of Chedorlaomer of Elam.
I am rested, lo,'* the shepherdess said, with
a weariness in her voice that ill accorded with
her words. Let us be moving upon our way.''
The two maidens now arose and set forward
along the moonlit road. Scarcely had they ad¬
vanced a dozen yards when the sound of ap¬
proaching footsteps arrested their attention.
A troop of Canaanites are coming," cried lo,
breathlessly. I see their spear-points gleaming
in the moonlight, and behind them come some
mounted figures. Haste thee, Judith, let us con¬
ceal ourselves ! "
But concealment was impossible. Close by
the road on both sides ran the deep and wide
canals, and excepting the trees on the embank¬
ments there was nothing to shield a person from
sight ; moreover, it was now too late for the fu¬
gitives to hide themselves in the boughs of these,
for the Canaanite soldiers had seen them.
Adonai, Adonai ! thou great God of Ariel,
THE STORY OF SODOM,
203
help^ thou now thy servants ! " prayed lo, rais¬
ing her eyes and her hands heavenward in a gest¬
ure of despairing supplication. But Judith spoke
not and moved not. Rooted to the spot where
she stood, and her face blanched to the pallor of
the dead, she gazed upon the approaching com¬
pany. In the center of the party came two
mounted figures, one a tall, queenly woman, and
close by her side a man ; and as he turned his
eyes toward his companion so that the moon¬
light fell full upon his bearded features Judith
recognized the face of Eliezer of Damascus.
204
THE STORY OF SODOM.
XXXIII.
JT was not until the soldiers were within a few
rods of her that Judith made any attempt to
flee. The Canaanites, believing her to be Ariel
the shepherd-prophet, whose fearless voice had
of late been so often heard in Sodom denounc¬
ing the wickedness of the inhabitants and pro¬
claiming the fast approaching chastisement of
heaven, rushed toward the girl, shouting:
^'The shepherd, the shepherd! It is he who
profaned the sanctuary of the great temple ! it
is he who, in the streets of the city, blasphemed
the names of Bel and Istar! Seize him, kill him !
The shepherd, the shepherd ! "
With a low cry of terror the Hebrew rriaiden
dashed up the sloping side of the embankment,
upon the summit of which the Argive was
standing.
O, lo," she whispered, breathlessly, they
believe me to be Ariel whose life they have so
long sought. They will slay me ; and you, O
my sister, you, too, they will put to death !
If such be the will of the Most High, I am
THE STORY OF SODOM,
205
content," the other whispered back, calmly.
" Escape is impossible, Judith ; let us therefore
descend into the road and surrender ourselves
to the soldiers."
But the shepherdess, while her companion was
speaking, had been carefully measuring with her
practiced eye the. width of the canal, and, seiz¬
ing a stick she drew toward her two of the stout¬
est of the many vines that trailed from the
branches of the trees overhanging the water.
Giving one of these to lo and herself seizing a
firm hold of the other, she cried :
" Haste thee, sister. Take this and swing
yourself across the canal. It may be that these
vines will bear us over. Once upon the other
side escape may still be possible."
Suiting the action to the word, the Hebrew
shepherdess ran back so that she might gather
momentum for her forward leap, and then, with
a quick run and a spring, she swung out over
the canal. For a moment it seemed as if she
would fail in the attempt, but, seizing with one
hand the drooping boughs of a tree on the fur¬
ther side, she drew herself up on the opposite
embankment, still holding to the vine that bore
her over.
lo watched the result of Judith's effort and
2o6
THE STORY OF SODOM,
then prepared to follow her ; but as she ran back
to attempt the leap some one caught hold of
the hem of her robe, and the next moment the
foremost of the Canaanitish soldiers was on the
embankment bv her side.
" lo, my Lady lo, thou here ! " exclaimed the
astonished warrior, as he recognized the Argive.
Great Lady Nena," continued the speaker, ad¬
dressing the Egyptian who had now ridden up,
" It is Jo, she who with thee is high-priestess of
the blessed Istar of Sodom."
A cry of amazement broke from Nena's lips
as she heard the soldier's words. At a sign
from her,, Eliezer of Damascus, alighting from
\
his own camel, lifted the beautiful Egyptian from
hers, and Nena, with the steward's assistance,
climbed the embankment until she stood before
the Argive.
Ephra spoke truly, then ; it is indeed thou ! "
she exclaimed, and then, after a glance across
the canal to where Judith was still standing mo¬
tionless, the Egyptian bent a look of malignant
hatred upon lo, saying, in a hard, icy whisper :
I understand it now, lo ; you will return with
us to the city, and then— but this lover of thine,
i
may Isis, whose priest my father is, curse
me if I do not feast my vengeance upon him ! "
THE STORY OF SODOM,
207
Then, raising her voice, she cried to the soldiers
about her: Ho, men, seize that shepherd!
but see to it that you harm him not ! " and
while the warriors sprang to obey. Nena, with
a wicked glitter in her eyes and a mocking
laugh upon her lips, turned toward Eliezer, and
said :
"How now, my worthy Hebrew! Are your
people so poor in damsels that your young men
must needs go to the heathen for wives ? Yea,
to the temple of false gods even to steal away
our priestesses from the altar ?
The steward*s face flushed scarlet, but, bow¬
ing low, he returned :
" The youth hath done wrong, great lady, yet
—yet thou knowest it is not his heart only that
hath gone out in longing toward the temple of
gods other than Jehovah."
The beautiful Egyptian heard her admirer's
words with a scornful indifference. She knew
her mastery over Eliezer was complete, and she
could safely presume to treat him in whatever
way her mood inclined her to do. Just now she
felt a contempt for his weak, yielding nature,
and she made no effort to conceal her feelings.
" It is meet, indeed, that they who are so poor
as to have but one god should look with envious
2o8
THE STORY OF SODOM.
longing toward the temple of those who are
rich in divinities," she sneered, and, turning im¬
patiently away from the steward, she watched
the movements of the men who were now swim¬
ming across the canal, in obedience to her order
to seize the Argive's companion.
Had Judith fled, into the orchards as soon as
she had swung herself across the canal she might
have made her escape. But she determined to
remain with lo. Seeing now the men crossing
over to the side on which she stood, she tight¬
ened her hold upon the vine still in her hands,
and with one superb, swinging leap she re-
crossed the canal, placing herself by-the Argive's
side. An exclamation of surprise from the be¬
holders gave her the opportunity of whispering
in lo's ear :
" Tell them not, lo, who I am ; let them be¬
lieve me to be Ariel." Then turning to Nena,
the shepherdess, assuming as nearly as she was
able her brother's tone and manner, said, with
quiet firmness :
" I am in thy power, Egypt, even as thou art
in the power of the God whom I serve. Do thy
pleasure ! "
And from Nena Judith's gaze turned to Elie-
zer of Damascus, and the steward shrank back
THE STORY OF SODOM. 209
in confusion beneath the righteous indignation
and rebuke that glowed in the eyes of the shep¬
herdess'.
" Forward now to the city," Nena cried to the
men about her. Drive this shepherd slave
ahead of you! and you, priestess of Istar," the
Egyptian continued, speaking to lo in a tone of
sarcastic and mocking courtesy, "you may share
my camel with me. Methinks you must be
wearied with much walking, even upon a night
so pleasant and with company so select.'' And
the speaker, taking lo's arm, led her down
the embankment to the waiting camel. Soon
the company was again in motion, moving swift¬
ly along the moonlit road in the direction of
Sodom. As they rode on Nena leaned over
toward the steward, who was again riding by her
side, and cried, playfully :
" You chafed under the delay I put you to in
Eeth-Jesimoth this afternoon. You were afraid
we would find the entire plain in the hands of
the children of Elam, and would be unable to
enter the city by reason of our foes. But, lo,
now, was it the providence of your Jehovah or
of my Istar that ordered our journey? By the
lateness of our coming has occurred this unex¬
pected encounter. I have recovered my asso-
14
2IO
THE STORY OF SODOM.
ciate in the temple, and you a brother Hebrew.
But, Eliezer, are you not unfriendly to the man ?
I have shared my camel with my fellow-priest¬
ess, but you compel your kinsman to walk with
slaves."
Nena, thou knowest my love for theè else
thou wouldst not dare thus to mock me ; but
remember, Egypt, the youth belongs to Lot the
Hebrew, and unless thou wouldst kindle the
anger of his master and of his master's kinsman
Abraham against you I counsel you to restore
the man his liberty and leave his punishment to
those to whom he belongs."
The Egyptian laughed scornfully. Leaning
toward Eliezer, she whispered, in a voice that
sounded like the hiss of a serpent :
Is it thus that Eliezer remembers his oath to
*
the daughter of Pentaur? Nay, the slave shall
know my vengeance ! Thinkest thou that we
would be safe with him at liberty?" Then, as¬
suming a softer and more conciliatory manner,
she said : " Hath not the shepherd sought to
turn away from me the love of Eliezer of Da¬
mascus? And, therefore, can my lord marvel at
my fear of him ? Did not Eliezer swear to me
that should he ever be required to make choice
between one of his own tribe and me he would
THE STORY OF SODOM.
211
choose me? Now, when the time for such a
choice hath come, will he forget his vow ?
The touch of the Egyptian's hand and the
love-light which the infatuated steward fancied
that he saw in her eyes melted away the resent¬
ment that her former contemptuous words and
manner had aroused in his heart. :
«
^*0, Egypt, Egypt!" he whispered, passion¬
ately, " I am thy slave ; speak what thou wilt,
do as it pleaseth thee, I am still thine. Thou
art the fairest and the best of women ; thee, and
thee only, doth my soul desire."
For the remainder of the journey both Nena
and Eliezer were silent. The steward's heart
was troubled. Jus^ ahead he whom he believed
to be Ariel marched wearily on among the sol¬
diers, and again and again the steward's eyes
sought the captive, and rested long upon him.
There was something about Ariel to-night—
something in his manner, something in his walk,
something in that awful look he gave him upon
the embankment—that called up in Eliezer's
mind a recollection of the parting scene between
himself and the shepherd's sister in the pasture-
lands above Hazezon-Tamar. Again he saw
Judith's pale, resolute face, her pleading eyes,
and her sorrowful indignation over his covetous
212
THE STORY OF SODOM,
desire for his master's wealth. He heard again
her thrilling words, and with an inward shudder
his own part in that solemn covenant rang in
his ears : " In the hour that the heart of Eliezer
of Damascus forgetteth the countenance of his
beloved, may another take from him that which
is most precious in his sight."
And upon this fateful evening that which was
rriost precious in his sight was the love of Nena,
the daughter of Pentaur.
THE STORY OF SODOM.
213
XXXIV.
T"HE twin ziggurats of the great temple of Bel
and Istar were built each in seven rectan¬
gular stages that diminished in size as they ap¬
proached the top, thus giving the towers the
general form of two lofty stepped pyramids.
Through the fifth stage of the ziggurat sacred to
Istar ran a long gallery, and from this, on either
side, opened a series of narrow and lofty cham¬
bers, each lighted by a small window in the face
of the tower.
Late in the forenoon of the day following the
events described in the last few chapters from
one of these windows that commanded a view
of the entire breadth of the valley of the lower
Jordan that lay north of Sodom a young woman
was anxiously watching the battle then in prog¬
ress between the Canaanites and the armies of
Elam. She was I o the Argive. Some hours
previous she and Judith had been imprisoned in
one of the ziggurat chambers, there to await the
issue of the struggle now raging in the plain of
Siddim. With the return of tranquillity to the
214
THE STORY OF SODOM.
city their fate, they had been told, would be
definitely decided. The room in which they
were confined was destitute of furniture of any
sort, and Judith, exhausted by the harsh vicissi¬
tudes through which she had passed, had sunk
upon the stone floor, glad for even the mere
privilege of quietness and rest. lo, making her
companion as comfortable as their circumstances
permitted, had gone to the window to watch the
movements of the hostile forces on the plain,
and to report to Judith the progress of the
fight.
What seest thou now, sister ? " the shep¬
herdess inquired, when her companion had for
some time been silently looking out upon the
struggle. When last you spoke the children
of Elam were pressing hard upon Canaan's right,
and those strange creatures which the invaders
ride, even as we ride camels, were spreading ter¬
ror through Bera's army. Tell me, lo, how fares
the conflict now ? "
I can scarcely say," the Argive responded,
her eyes never for an instant leaving the plain.
A short time ago I could distinguish the lines
of the opposing forces, but now Elam and Ca¬
naan seem mixed together in inextricable con¬
fusion. Ah ! " she added, after a short pause.
THE STORY OF SODOM.
215
those swift animals of the strangers, each bear¬
ing a warrior upon its back, and so wheeling and
rising and plunging forward together that it
seems as if man and beast were but one creat¬
ure—they are gathering in a long line upon the
great highway between Admah^ and Gomorrah.
Now they dash upon the army of Canaan. Je¬
hovah save us ! What a sight ! "
What is it, lo? The horsemen of Elam are
rushing, you say, upon the Canaanites ; and do
these sustain the shock of the assault, or do they
break and flee ? " And Judith, in her excitement,
endeavored to rise, but, finding her strength in¬
sufficient for the effort, she sank back upon the
floor with a low moan of pain.
Hear you not that wild shriek of terror,
sister ? " lo cried, glancing hurriedly in the di¬
rection of the shepherdess. It rises from the
ranks of Canaan as they behold those terrible
horses of the foemen sweeping down upon them.
And now, now ! they are breaking ranks and
fleeing from before the face of Elam. Another
shout—this time one of triumph from the armies
of Chedorlaomer—and the invaders follow hard
after the people of Canaan, smiting them down
i
with the edge of the sword. Verily, has it come
to pass as Ariel said : the hand of Jehovah fights
2I6
THE STORY OF SODOM.
for Elam; the Most High God hath given Canaan
to be trodden under foot of his foes ! "
The Argive now left the window and hastened
to Judith's side, What thinkest thou, sister ? "
Will the Elamites sack the temple ? and if so,
what will become of us? "
Nay, I know not," the Hebrew maiden re¬
sponded, faintly, a feverish light in her eyes.
Sister, I pray thee give me a little water, or I
faint."
lo ran to a small alcove in the opposite wall
of the room, and taking the jug of water that
their keeper had placed there a short time before,
she brought it to Judith.
Thy hands and face are hot, sister. Thou
art ill, I fear. Alas, now, if thou becomest sick
what shall we do in such a place as this? " And
the Argive, kneeling by the suffering maiden,
bathed her hands and temples with the cool, re¬
freshing water.
Nay, nay, it is but weariness ; I shall be well
presently,". Judith answered, bravely, looking up
with a feeble smile into the anxious face bending
over her. Ah, what outcry is that ? " she
asiced, as a wild, terrified wail seemed to rise up
from the temple and city below. " Look, lo !
Perchance thou canst discover what it means."
THE STORY OF SODOM,
217
The Argive ran to the window. The
Canaanites have become entangled in the slime-
pits by the Jordan, and Elam rages among them
as a lion rages in the sheep-fold," she exclaimed,
after a sweeping glance over the plain. The
people of the city have evidently just learned of
the defeat of their forces in the field," she
added, looking down upon the city below her.
The cry we heard must have come from them ;
for the streets are thronged with a panic-stricken
multitude rushing toward the north-eastern gate
of the city in the hope, it would seem, of escap¬
ing to the mountains."
Wilder and wilder grew the tumult in the city
arnong the terror-stricken inhabitants. The cap¬
tives, in their lofty prison, listened in breathless
suspense to the many-Voiced confusion that grew
louder and louder until, about the middle of the
afternoon, the uproar grew well-nigh deafening.
Looking again from the window, lo saw the
streets full of Elamite warriors, and their pres¬
ence and the pitiful wailing of the women and
the shrieks of the wounded were sufficient to tell
them of the harrowing scenes of sack and out¬
rage that were being enacted in a thousand parts
of the devoted city. Later still the tread of
armed men could be heard in the courts of the
2i8
THE STORY OF SODOM,
great temple directly beneath the prisoners, and
then harsh voices speaking a strange language
were heard as a party of Elamites ascended the
tower. lo crouched down by Judith's side, and
in an agony of terror the maidens waited. The
strangers passed by on their way to the summit
of the ziggurat, whence could be soon heard the
sound of something rending and the heavy
strokes of hammers.
They are tearing off the plates of beaten
gold from the shrine of Istar," lo whispered,
breathlessly. They will also take away, I pre¬
sume, the golden statue of the goddess. It may
be that they will be so laden with booty that
they will not explore the chambers within the
towers. If it be so we shall escape their fury."
It was as the Argive had surmised. The
Elamite warriors who had been dispatched to
strip off the gold from the highest stage of the
ziggurat and to bring down the statue of thé
goddess found themselves sufficiently burdened
with spoil. One of their number, as they were
descending the tower, did indeed glance into the
long gallery that pierced the fifth story from side
to side ; but seeing nothing that promised any
booty worth the search, he passed on his way.
V
Through the remaining hours of that dread-
THE STORY OF SODOM.
219
ful day and long into the night the cities of the
Canaanites lay at the mercy of the spoilers ; but
by sunrise of the following morning Chedorla-
omer, gathering together his booty and captives,
set his face northward. The object of his great
campaign had been achieved ; the revolted
cities had been re-conquered, and his prowess
had been felt even to the frontiers of Egypt.
And thus, with a proudly swelling heart, the
mighty Chedorlaomer set forth on his homeward
march to far-off Susa by the caravan route to
Damascus and Babylon.
220 THE STORY OF SODOM,
XXXV.
MONTH passed by and Judith and lo still
languished in their prison chamber in the
ziggurat of Istar. Punctually every evening as
the priest from the summit of the neighboring
tower blew the trumpet-call for the worshipers
in the great court of the temple below to pros¬
trate themselves before the shrines of the patron
god and goddess of the city, the door of their
chamber opened and a pitcher of water, a loaf
of hard, coarse bread, and some fruit were thrust
into the room. Then the door would close, not
to be opened again until the following evening.
The sickness with which Judith had been threat¬
ened happily did not amount to any thing more
than a slight fever, which passed away in a short
time, leaving her as well as ever. But as day
after day dragged slowly by, and no tidings of
what was occurring in the city below came to
them, their anxiety grew almost insupportable.
In the recent battle and the subsequent depart¬
ure of the Elamites, what had become of their
friends ? Ariel, Ishmael, Eschol and his breth-
THE STORY OF SODOM.
221
ren, Mehetabel and her daughters, where were
they ? safely restored to their nriountain homes,
or pining in hopeless bondage in the land of the
strangers? lo and Judith knew not ; they could
only hope for the best, but very often their
hearts were filled with woeful misgivings, and
then the two captive maidens, folded in each
other's arms, would weep bitter tears of sorrow¬
ful despair. Of what was to be their own fate
they knew as little. What Nena's object was in
thus delaying her contemplated punishment they
could not imagine. Perhaps she had lost her
power among the Canaanites ; perhaps she was
waiting until her ambitious schemes were real¬
ized ; perhaps she had been carried away captive
to Elam. lo and Judith knew not.
Late one afternoon the two maidens were
standing by their window gazing out upon the
green loveliness of the kikkar and, beyond the
plain, to the Hebron hills, upon the sunny up¬
lands of which were pitched the tents of Abra¬
ham the Hebrew. O, that the great sheik might
know of the captivity of his kinswoman, how
quickly would he hasten to accomplish her de¬
liverance ! Such was the thought that filled
Judith's soul as her eyes rested upon the blue
summits of the distant hills. Checking a sigh
222
THE STORY OF SODOM.
that rose to her lips,, she said to her compan¬
ion :
It is a month to-day, Jo, since we were im¬
prisoned in this chamber. I believe that our
captivity is drawing to an end, but what is to
befall us I know not.''
Hast thou, too, my sister, had the feeling
that we are soon to be taken hence ? " the Ar-
give inquired, in a surprised tone. Ever since
we arose this morning the conviction has been
growing upon me that this shall be our last day
in this chamber. But like thee, Judith, I have
no idea of what our fate is to be. Would that
the God of Abraham, who hath given his spirit
\
of divination to Ariel thy brother, would send
his word into thy heart also ! "
I have been called a prophetess of the Lord,"
Judith responded, gravely; the household of
Mehetabel the Amorite believed me to be such,
and verily I did feel a message in my heart for
them ; but, lo, now, of my own fate the Lord en-
lighteneth me not. Nevertheless, it is well. This
month of captivity hath taught me to submit
myself to the will of Jehovah in all things."
"Yea, with me, too, hath this chamber been a
Bethel," the other said, devoutly. " I knew very
little of the God of Ariel and of Abraham when
THE STORY OF SODOM, 223
I fled with thy brother from Sodom ; but in these
days of my captivity my soul hath communed
with the Most High. Long have I sought such
fellowship with the Divine. In my native Argos,
in the temple of Hera the queen of the gods ; in
Egypt, in the worship of Amen ; at Babylon, be¬
fore the shrine of Bel-Merodack ; and here in
Sodom, as priestess of Istar, did I earnestly and
sincerely seek the truth ; but not until I heard
from thy brother's lips the name of Jehovah did
I feel the hunger of my soul satisfied."
Thou hast often spoken, Jo, during the past
month, of thy wanderings to many lands and
among strange peoples. How came it to pass,
my sister, that you left your native Hellas to
sojourn in distant cities and to pass from one
country to another?"
" It is a long story, Judith," the other returned,
slowly, her eyes dreamily gazing out upon the
fields and orchards of the plain amid which, like
a silver thread on a green field, could be traced
the meandering course of the Jordan.
" I have told the tale of my life to few persons,
because I have met few to whom my soul has
been knit in loving friendship. But to thee I
may speak as I have already spoken to thy
brother, for if Jehovah delivers us from this
224 THE STORY OF SODOM,
place we shall be sisters. Briefly, then, Judith,
this is my story :
I was born in the pleasant land of Hellas be¬
yond the isles of Javan in the fair city of Argos.
My father in my early childhood dedicated me
to the service of the goddess Hera; she it is
whom my nation worship as consort of the father
of gods and men and queen of all the bright im¬
mortal beings that dwell in the high heavens. I
.loved the service of the temple, and the gayly clad
worshipers that on our sacred feast-days marched
in long processions to the altar with crowns of
fragrant flowers upon their heads and hymns of
thanksgiving and praise to the bountiful Queen
era upon their lips filled my soul with delight.
But when I reflected that every town in Hellas
had each a patron god or goddess, honored by
the local worship as the fountain of all power
and goodness, even as we at Argos honored
Hera, my heart would become troubled. Could
it be that each city was under the protection of
its own particular deity? and if so, how was it
that each of these divinities, innumerable for
multitude, could be, as their worshipers claimed
for them, all-powerful, all-wise, the source of all
blessing, the creator of those that adored them ?
These thoughts disturbed my soul exceedingly,
THE ¿TORY OF SODOM. 225
and when I sought the counsel of the wise ones
of Argos, they told me it was dangerous to raise
such questions lespecting the gods, and they
bade me to come no more to them, but to attend
to my duties as priestess of Hera.
Near Argos lived an old man alone among
the hills, having neither flocks nor herds, nor yet
tilling the soil. But Unotheos—for such was the
name he gave himself—passed his nights in a
cave in the mountains, and during the day-time
he wandered through the shadowy forests, hold¬
ing converse with bird and beast, or, seeking some
open slope, he would lie outstretched among the
flowers, gazing up into the far blue depths of
the sunny sky and dreaming dreams and behold¬
ing visions such as only seers dream and proph¬
ets behold. The people of Argos feared the
hermit and shunned him, for they believed that,
because of some grievous impiety, the gods had
made dark his soul and had crazed his brain ; but
there were others that said that his great learn¬
ing and overmuch meditation upon divine things
had made Unotheos mad.
^^To this old man I went in my perplexity;
for I said to myself : ' Peradventure, though he
be but a maniac, a hint of some truth may fall
from his lips, seeing that he has the reputation
15
220
THE STORY OF SODOM.
of having been once most wise touching the
things of the gods/ So I stood before the her¬
mit, my face kindling with shame because others
beheld me in the presence of the madman ; and
I told him my doubts that harassed me, and
haughtily asked him to render me, if he were
able, an answer to my questions. But Unotheos,
sitting at the mouth of his cave in the twilight
of the evening, lifted not his eyes to my face, nor
opened his mouth to speak to me. And I, when
I had waited long and in vain for an answer, left
him, and, angry at heart and crying, ^ Fool, fool ! '
I fled through the darkening forest to Argos.
Time passed, and my soul grew ever more
restless ; and I said : ^ Lo, now I must find a
solution to this thing that afflicts me or my brain
shall be maddened, even as the mind of Unotheos
was made mad ; ' and I sought the cave of the
hermit, again to beseech him to teach me, if so
it were that he knew aught of the great problem
of the gods. But, with his eyes upon the ground,
Unotheos laughed scornfully, and asked me:
' Doth the wise one seek wisdom from the mouth
of a fool, or she who hath reason from him whose
soul the gods in their anger hath stricken with
blindness T The hermit said no more ; and I, with
my heart full of heaviness, returned unto Argos.
THE STORY OF SODOM.
227
Still once again my spirit drove me to the
mountains unto the cave of Unotheos, and I fell
at his feet, and with tears I cried unto him, say¬
ing: ^Unotheos, Unotheos, thou whom the wise
ones of Argos say hath of all men most deeply con¬
sidered the things of the gods ! behold, I ackowl-
edge my mistakes ; grant thou me pardon. I
came despising thee, and thou heardst me in
silence ; I came again, and thou didst most justly
rebuke me. But, lo, now I am here a suppliant
to thy wisdom for instruction. Tell me, O Uno¬
theos, are there many gods ? or is there but one
god?' Thus I besought, him, and Unotheos
smiled, and, with his eyes fixed upon the ground,
he said unto me : ^ Go thou to thy temple and
pray to thy goddess to teach thee, for surely, if
she created thee, she also will hear and instruct
thee. And if Hera be deaf to thy cry, seek
thou the altars of the other divinities of Hellas;
peradventure among them thou mayest find the
god who is God.' And Unotheos arose and de¬
parted from me.
For a year I followed the word of the hermit,
seeking among the gods of my race an answer
to my petition ; but I found none. Then I arose
and went unto Unotheos even again, and I told
him the tale of my quest ; and the old man, fix-
228 THE STORY OF SODOM.
ing his soul-thrilling eyes upon me, said : ^ Know
thyself! * And turning away from me he en¬
tered his cave. Then I studied my own soul ;
even as the hermit had spoken did I do until
one night there came a messenger in haste to
me, saying: ^Unotheos dies, and, lo, he calleth
for thee.' And I ran out of the city to the
mountains unto the cave of the hermit, and Uno-
theos, the twilight of death in his eyes, ques¬
tioned me faintly : ^ The unknown God, hast thou
found him to know him by name ? ' and I, my
tears falling like rain, in the bitterness of my soul
cried unto him, saying: 'Nay, O my master!'
and Unotheos answered: 'Neither shalt thou
find him until thou hast sought out the people
unto whom the god who is God hath revealed
his glory.' And Unotheos died; and I, broken
in spirit and weeping, returned unto Argos.
" Two years passed away, and the unrest in my
life was softened by time into patience and hope.
I still did service in the temple of Hera, but in
my own chamber I raised an altar to the un¬
known God of Unotheos the hermit. Here
morning and evening I poured forth my prayers,
biding the time when, in the fullness of knowl¬
edge, I should call by his name him whom I now
ignorantly worshiped.
THE STORY OF SODOM,
229
While thus I was waiting certain Sidonian
merchants anchored their ship before our city,
and the people of Argos went out to them and
bought rich purple cloths, jewels of precious
stones, and vessels of bronze and of silver and
of gold. And it came to pass on the sixth
which was the last day of the sale, that the
captain of the traders sent to the temple, bid¬
ding all the priestesses come to him ; for before
his departure he would clothe us each in a
fair, white robe, and would put chains of cun¬
ningly wrought gold about our necks, and brace¬
lets of beautiful gems upon our wrists. This
would he do, that the handmaidens of Hera
might remember the merchants of Sidon to pray
for them before the altar of their goddess.
But when we had gone up upon the ship,
then came it to pass that the seamen raised
their anchor, and spreading their sails to the
favoring wind bore us wretched and weeping
ones away from the sight of our native Argos.
And those among the captives that were comely
to look upon the merchants took to wife, and
those that were not favored with faces that were
beautiful they gave unto the seamen to espouse.
But me they made priestess, and daily I poured
forth libations, chanting hymns rnade in the
230
THE STORY OF SODOM,
honor of Hera before the images of the gods of
the strangers.
For nearly a year I sailed with the Sidonians
from city to city, and once more the old-time
longing awoke in my soul, and when I remem¬
bered the words of the dying Unotheos, in every
place which we visited I sought to learn if there
dwelt there a people unto whom the god who is
God had revealed his own glory. Vain were
my efforts. Finally, in Egypt the Sidonians
loaded me with rich gifts and gave me my free¬
dom. Then it was that I searched through the
cities by the Nile for the folk who worshiped the
unknown God by his name. But neither in
Egypt nor yet in the most ancient of lands—
Akkad and Shinar of Chaldea—found I the race
that I sought. In Babylon I met Ulam, the
high-priest of Sodom, and with him I came to
Canaan, hopeful that here my quest would come
to an end. And, yea, so it hath, for even as
Unotheos said, so has it come to pass. I have
found the children of the unknown God in the
people who worship Jehovah."
Sister, I thank thee ; thy story to-day is
even more marvelous than the one thou didst
tell to me that night by the way-side when we
fled from the face of the warriors of Elam."
X-'
THE STORY OF SODOM,
231
Judith said, earnestly, when lo had concluded.
^^Yea, too, thy story strengtheneth me; for, of
a surety, the God who has thus far led thee so
wonderfully shall not suffer thee now to be cast
down and destroyed."
Such has been the ground of my hope for
deliverance," the Argive answered, simply, and
likewise thou, too, Judith, hast the same source
of comfort ; for out of what deadly perils hast
thou not been delivered? And shall not rescue
come to thee even in these, thy present straits,
also ? "
Thus through the remaining hours of the sunny
afternoon the two captives in the ziggurat of
Istar sought to comfort each other and to buoy
up their fainting hearts for- the ordeal which, by
a common presentiment, they felt to be near at
hand. Sunset came, and with it the loud pierc¬
ing blast from the summit of the neighboring
tower that called the dense throng of worshipers
in the temple court below to prostrate them¬
selves before the statues of Bel and Istar. The
two maidens turned their eyes toward the door
of the chamber, expecting to see it open as it
had opened promptly at the sound of the trum¬
pet every evening for the past month. But to¬
night there was no sound of drawing bolts or of
232 THE STORY OF SODOM.
jarring hinge. An hour passed by and another
and another ; the twilight faded out of the west¬
ern sky, the night-shadows that had been lurk¬
ing all the afternoon in the depths of the gorges
that furrowed the eastern slope of the Hebron
hills crept slowly out of their hiding-places and
spread themselves over the broad plain of the
lower Jordan. Higher and higher they mounted,
until the walls of the city and the loftiest houses
were wrapped in impenetrable gloom.
Then as Judith and lo stood by the'window
of their unlighted chamber, clasping each other s
hands and silent in the new alarm that filled
their hearts, they heard a light footfall in the
gallery outside. There was a moment's hesita¬
tion at the door, as if the person without was
studying how to open it. The rattle of falling
bolts and the grating of the hinges followed,
and then the door swung open, and Nena the
Egyptian, holding a lamp above her head, slowly
advanced into the room.
THE STORY OF SODOM, 233
XXXVI.
QUSPENSEand expectation of evil cause more
suffering than the actual presence of danger;
a knowledge of the worst often brings with it a
sense of relief to the mind overstrained by long
uncertainty. It wás thus with lo and Judith.
All the afternoon and evening they had been
harassed by a presentiment that something de¬
cisive, either of their deliverance or their de¬
struction, was about to occur; and, despite their
strong and lofty faith, this feeling oppressed
their spirits and filled them with alarm. The
coming of the Egyptian, therefore, while confirm¬
ing their worst fears, was nevertheless a positive
relief from the torturing alternation of hope
and despair which so long had racked their souls.
In the presence of their implacable foe their
fears vanished away, leaving instead a strangely
peaceful calm. Advancing together into the
middle of the room, they quietly awaited the
Egyptian's message, no trace of terror on their
countenances, and their eyes meeting those of
the priestess with a steady and fearless gaze.
234
THE STORY OF SODOM.
Nena had not counted upon beholding her cap¬
tives in such a frame of mind. She had expected
to see them shrink in abject terror from her
presence, or, throwing themselves at her feet, to
supplicate her mercy. Now that they did
neither dumfounded her, and their quiet, dig¬
nified, and courageous bearing quite threw her
into confusion. She found herself at a loss for
words, for the torrent of contemptuous scorn she
had planned to pour upon the heads of the
cringing and spiritless creatures, whom she had
pictured to herself as clinging to her feet in an
agony of slavish terror, was manifestly out of
place in the presence of the two imperturbable
beings before her. Judith perceived Nena's
consternation, and remembering the rôle it was
necessary to play before her if she would main¬
tain her disguise, she said, coldly, and with a
touch of sarcastic scorn in her tone :
Let not Egypt be afraid, neither let her be
troubled for words, for are we not her captives ?
Let her speak boldly, therefore, and we shall
hearken to the message which she hath for us.''
The words of the shepherdess stung the Egyp¬
tian into a furious passion. With a mocking
sneer, which, however, but ill concealed the
trepidation she still felt, she cried :
THE STORY OF SODOM.
235
" Ah, is it the Hebrew slave that I hear ? and
is this his love, the whilom priestess of Istar,
whom I see by his side ? Now, by the love of
the gods ! have ye not yet had enough of soft
dalliances and caresses that ye needs must stand
in my presence in each other's arms? Yea, a
month of delight have ye had, and are ye still
not sick of love ? Ah ! by the soul of Pentaur
my father ! "
The last exclamation was .called forth as Nena
perceived on Judith's wrist the bracelet which
the Elamite captain had given her on the night
of her escape from Chedorlaomer's tent. Lower¬
ing her light that she might the better flash
its rays into the faces of the captives, the
Egyptian had caught a sight of the glittering
jewels as Judith raised her hand to shield her
eyes.
Wretched slave ! " the priestess shrieked,
starting back in amazement, her wild, horrified
eyes fastened upon the bracelet, the jewels of
which burned and sparkled in the flickering
lamp-light, " how camest thou by that ? It is
the bracelet of Pentaur my father. Wert thou,
then, with those who beset him and his company
on their way to Sodom, and slew them in the
wilderness ? Speak, tell me, dog of a shepherd.
236
THE STORY OF SODOM.
or, by the gods of Egypt, I shall call hither
my slaves to have them rend thee limb from
limb !
Judith, only less astonished than the priestess
herself, suddenly called to mind the words of
the captain when he gave her the gift : I
tore it from the arm of a priest of Egypt who
fell in battle against us in the wilderness beyond
El Paran." This fallen priest, then, was Pentaur,
the father of Nena. The shepherdess was on
the point of unfastening the bracelet to give it
to the Egyptian with an explanation of how she
came by it, when the latter, her face pallid and
distorted with fury, continued in a voice that
sounded horridly like the shrill hiss of a ven¬
omous snake :
" It is well, dog of a Hebrew slave, it is well !
I forgot myself and was about to summon the
torturers hither to rack a confession from thee.
But I shall not ; I will wait until the morning,
when the hour of my power and my triumph
shall have fully come. Then right royally will
I slake the thirst of my revenge. This ten¬
der love of thine "—and the Egyptian, quiv¬
ering with rage, pointed toward lo—" this ten¬
der love of thine," she repeated, thou shalt
behold given over to slaves. Then shalt thou
THE STORY OF SODOM,
237
be—nay, but I may not utter what my ven¬
geance hath in store for thee. Wait ! for, lo, I
have spoken ; and to the uttermost shall the
words of my mouth be performed." And the
•1
daughter of Pentaur swept out of ^the prison-
chamber, closing and making fast the door be¬
hind her.
Judith and the Argive listened to the retreat¬
ing footsteps in the gallery without until they
died away in the distance ; then they both sank
down upon the floor. lo, the prospect of an un¬
speakable fate just before her, broke into an
uncontrollable tempest of sobs and tears. The
Hebrew maiden, gathering her weeping com¬
panion to her heart in an affectionate embrace,
said, comfortingly :
lo, lo, listen to me, O my sister; for of a
truth the spirit that moved me to speak in the
tent of Mehetabel the Amorite, and when she
and her daughters were in tears of distress and
of terror to comfort them, thrilleth my soul even
now with the assurance that the hour of our de¬
liverance draweth nigh."
Yea, yea, my sister,'' lo responded, between
her sobs ; so believe I the one moment, and
the next the awful threat of Egypt burneth my
faith unto ashes. There is war in my heart, and
238
THE STORY OF SODOM.
hope and despair and doubt and belief strive for
the mastery. The old spirit of unrest liveth
again in me, and it filleth my soul with the cry
of Unotheos my master: * The unknown God,
hast thou found him to know him byname?'
Yea, and it says : ' Doth the god who is God
thus mock his child who long hath sought him
with weariness of flesh and travail of soul ?
Doth he stand afar off and withhold his hand
from delivering her from those who seek her life
to destroy it?' O, Judith, can it be that Je¬
hovah is God if he visit us not with his salva¬
tion ? "
In her bitter agony of spirit the Argive maid¬
en did not wait for Judith's answer. Springing
to her feet, she rushed to the window, and
stretching her hands toward the cloudless Syrian
sky, thickly set with blazing stars, she cried, in
tones of piteously touching appeal :
Jehovah, Jehovah, thou whom Ariel saith is
the great God, maker of heaven and of earth, and
beside whom there is none other God ! O
Jehovah, if thou be indeed God thou must know
me ; thy heart must have taken knowledge of
my longing for thee ; thine eye must have fol¬
lowed my wanderings through the nations as I
searched for thee ; thy ear must have heard my
THE STORY OF SODOM.
239
prayers in temples not thine. O thou who wert
to Unotheos my master an unknown God ! O
thou who art the god who is God ! to thee, yea,
unto thee do I utter my cry. Hear me, have
pity upon me. O Lord God of Ariel and of
Judith and of Abraham their kinsman ! thou
canst look down into this prison and canst be¬
hold our captivity. We are thy handmaids, yea,
even we two whose hearts are bowed down with
trouble, and whose souls the word of our enemy
hath straitened. Unless thou comest speedily
to our deliverance, Jehovah, we shall be made a
mocking to them that'hate thee; they shall
laugh us to scorn, saying: ^ These believed in
the name of Jehovah; where now is their God
that he hath not saved his servants out of their
distresses?' O Lord, wilt thou not accomplish
our salvation in the presence of our foes ? Garest
thou not that we perish ? Yea, verily, I believe
that thou carest for us ; my soul and all that is
within me crieth. aloud, ^ Blessed be the Lord
God of Abraham the Hebrew, for mine eyes
shall see his salvation ; in the day of the showing
of his power he will remember his servants to
save them, and he will cause them to behold the
destruction of those that hate them without
cause. Blessed be the name of the Lord ! ' "
240
THE STORY OF SODOM.
The simple, earnest prayer of the maiden was
ended. From a passionate outcry of a dis¬
tressed and doubting soul it gathered strength
as it had proceeded, and had mounted upward
until it died away in a hymn of praise for the
deliverance that faith had made visible while
it yet was unwrought. lo's voice at the close
of her prayer had sunk into a faint, dreamy mur¬
mur, and Judith, who had remained seated upon
the floor in the center of the chamber, saw in the
dim light that the Argive was leaning heavily
upon the window. Hastening to her compan¬
ion's side, she called upon her name, but receiv¬
ing no answer, she leaned over her and raised
her drooping head. lo had fainted. Lifting the
insensible form, Judith laid the Argive gently
upon the floor, and then fetching some water
she bathed her temples and hands. It was long
before the girl, her strength exhausted by the
intense strain to which her mental struggle had
subjected her, showed any signs of returning
consciousness, but finally a faint sigh escaped
her lips, her bosom rose and fell with the light,
fluttering pulsations of her breath, and with no
further marks of reviving life lo passed from un¬
consciousness into a heavy slumber.
For an hour or more Judith sat, resting her
THE STORY OF SODOM. 241
back against the wall and supporting her sleep¬
ing companion's head in her lap. Then she, too,
felt an irresistible drowsiness steal over her
until strange, sweet visions passed before her
closed eyes. In her dreams she saw Eschol's
manly face looking toward her, and afar off she
beheld Eliezer, stooping as if with age, and his
countenance heavy with remorseful sorrow.
Deborah she saw too, and Ariel her brother, and
Ishmael, Hagar's son. Again and again these
fleeting forms and faces appeared before her
until a mighty pillar of flame suddenly shot up
from the earth almost at her feet, and its dull,
heavy roar seemed to shake the mountain on the
summit of which she fancied herself to be. With
a shriek that startled lo into wakefulness, Judith
sprang up, and, rushing to the window, she
looked out. The streets below were blazing
with lights, and the night air was filled with a
heavy and increasing volume of sound.
16
242
THE STORY OF SODOM.
XXXVIL
meaneth it, Judith?'* cried lo,
scarcely yet awake, but groping her way
to the side of her companion. Those horrible
cries, whence do they come ?"
From beneath us," was the whispered re¬
sponse, and the shepherdess, leaning far out of
the window, looked down upon the temple and
the houses below. The streets are thronged
with people," she reported to her companion.
They are dressed in strange, fantastic cos¬
tumes, and they have lighted torches in their
hands ; yea, and they are all hastening toward
the south-western gate of the city, and I see a
long line of them moving out upon the plain
toward the field of Siddim, eastward by the Jor¬
dan. And, likewise," the speaker continued, after
a moment's pause, ^^all the other cities are send¬
ing forth each its multitude with blazing torches
and loud shoutings, and they all seem to be aim^
ing for a common point near the slime-pits of Sid¬
dim, and there, too, I behold a multitude of mov¬
ing lights. But what meaneth it all I know not."
THE STORY OF SODOM.
243
" Hark! hearest thou those awful shrieks?"
Id said, with a shudder of fear, as a loud out¬
burst of piercing cries rolled up from the temple
below. "Tell me, sister, what it is that thou
seest."
An exclamation of horror broke from Judith's
lips, and, withdrawing her head from the win¬
dow, she sank to the floor, covering her face
with her hands. The terrible shrieks continued
to ring out upon the night, and at their blood¬
curdling sound a low moan, as of intense an¬
guish, came from the shepherdess. The Argive,
throwing herself on the floor by her companion's
side, inquired, breathlessly :
"Tell me, tell me, sister, what terrible thing
didst thou behold ? "
"O thou God of Abraham, defend us!" Ju¬
dith cried ; " O, lo, I saw the great court of the
temple full of slaves ; madly dancing were they,
and shouting. And then—then even in the
moment that I saw them, the doors of the tem¬
ple were flung open, and as it appeared to my
eyes a multitude of wretched female captives
were driven by savage blows and thrusts into
the midst of the slaves. O Jehovah, canst thou
«
look upon these abominations of cruelty and
wickedness to spare them ! Then, lo, it was
244
THE STORY OF SODOM.
the awful shrieks of the women that so appalled
US.
Hush, Judith! " cried the Argive, her heart
leaping into her throat with terror. Methought
•I heard some one in the gallery without." Then,
as the sound of the unbolting of the door came
to their ears, lo flung her arms about Judith's
neck with a low, shuddering wail.
O my sister ! " she moaned, piteously, they
are coming for us to do unto us even as the word
of the Egyptian hath said."
Before Judith could make answer the door of
the prison chamber swung open and the two
maidens, not daring to look toward it, shrank
back into the farthest corner of the room, and,
crouching down upon their knees, hid their faces
upon each other's shoulder, and waited for the
word or the touch of those sent to conduct them
to their doom. But had they lifted their eyes
they might have perceived through the all but
impenetrable darkness the dim outline of a soli-
»
tary figure, without lamp or torch, stealing noise¬
lessly into their chamber. The new-comer ad¬
vanced into the middle of the apartment, and
then, dropping upon the knee, peered about in
quest of the prisoners, while a soft, low voice
broke the deathlike stillness.
THE STORY OF SODOM,
245
In the name of Jehovah, let the Lady lo and
the daughter of Enoch the Hebrew be of good
cheer, for, behold, the Lord God whom they
serve hath sent his messenger to deliver them
out of the hands of those that would destroy
them."
" The voice is the voice of Keturah, the Ethi¬
opian servant of Nena," lo cried, joyfully, free¬
ing herself from the embrace of her companion
and running to the side of the new-comer. O,
Judith, thou prophetess of the Lord," she called
back to the shepherdess, who was now following
her, it hath come to pass even according to
thy word. Our God hath remembered us to
save us ! "
^'Thou hast said," the Ethiopian responded,
in a low tone. But there is need now that we
hasten, for shortly the slaves of my mistress will
be here to do what she hath threatened. I
know that your hearts are full of inquiry, yea;
and 1 have much to tell you. But we must leave
this chamber at once ; when we have reached a
place of safety we shall talk over all that hath
come to pass since you fell into the pcKwer of my
mistress."
Keturah arose, and going out into the gallery,
returned with a small bundle.
246 THE STORY OF SODOM.
" It will be necessary to disguise yourselves as
I have disguised myself," she said, unrolling the
bundle and giving To and Judith each a long
black gown. Leave your present clothing here
and put on these. You will find a hood attached
to each robe; draw that down over your faces.
It is provided with eyeholes so that you can see.
These are such gowns as those who have sworn
to immolate themselves before the gods in the
morning wear, and thus disguised we can go any¬
where about the temple, for the devotees are
sacred in the eyes of the heathen."
THE STORY OF SODOM.
247
XXXVIII.
'^HE two maidens were soon ready, and with
Keturah guiding them they descended the
inclined pathway that wound around the ziggurat
into the interior of the great temple.
The sacrificial court is full of priests and
priestesses,'' the Ethiopian whispered to her
companions as they stood before a small door
that opened into the place of sacrifice. " Walk
boldly through the midst of them, for many of
the devotees have been in here to-night, watch¬
ing the slaying of the beasts and lashing them¬
selves into transports of religious fury, that they
themselves may not quail on the morrow. The
priests will not molest you ; come."
Keturah flung open the door and the three
entered the great hall of sacrifice. The stench
of burning flesh seemed suflbcating; and in ad¬
dition to this the place had the noisome odor of a
vast slaughter-house. And such, indeed, it was.
The marble pavement was slippery with the
blood of the many bulls and goats that since
sundown had been slain before the high altar of
248
THE STORY OF SODOM.
Bel and Istar. The mighty images of the god
and goddess, looming up spectral and gigantic
in the vivid light cast from the roaring fire on
the broad altar of burnt-offering, were flecked
with gouts of blood even to their great stone
faces. The throng of officiating priests and
priestesses appeared like so many butchers, their
faces splotched with deep crimson stains, and
their hands and their once white robes reeking
with blood. Between the statues and the high
altar stood a company of youthful singers, chant¬
ing in a shrill monotone the words of some Chal¬
dean psalm. The sight and smell of blood and
of burning flesh ; the weird, monstrous shadows
that wavered and leaped and danced upon idols
and pillars and high vaulted roof; the hurrying
throngs of bloody priests ; the shrill, piercing
voices of the singers ; the bellowing of oxen as,
one after another, they were led to the slaughter-
ing-place before the altar ; and the frenzied yells
and shouts of the mad throng of brutal slaves in
the great court without, mingling with the awful
shrieks of their victims, made Io*s and Judith's
hearts grow sick with fear and pity ; and it was
with audible sighs of relief that they followed their
guide down a dimly lighted passage-way which,
descending under the high altar, joined another
THE STORY OF SODOM.
249
long gallery that ran beneath the statues of Bel
and Istar and back under the ziggurats. The
priests in the temple had paid no attention to
the three black-robed figures passing through the
hall of sacrifice, and now the fugitives were practi¬
cally beyond the reach of danger. Leading her
companions along the dimly lighted gallery to a
point directly beneath the statue of Istar, Ketu-
rah paused.
Above us is the chamber within the great idol
in which thy brother, daughter of Enoch, made
his abode while he tarried in Sodom. The
Lady To knoweth of it, for full often did she and
I secretly visit the servant of Jehovah in his
hiding-place to take him meat and drink, and to
learn from him of the God whose servant he is.
Now do ye raise me up that I may remove the
stone that covers the opening."
It was but a minute's work for lo and Judith
to lift the slight figure of the Ethiopian and to
hold her until, reaching with her hand the low
ceiling of the passage-way, she pushed aside the
stone that fitted into the opening to the upper
chamber so as to conceal its presence completely
from those not acquainted with its existence.
Having removed the stone, Keturah reached
up her hand and drew down a rope-ladder, the
250
THE STORY OF SODOM,
upper end of which was fastened to a beam high
up in the interior of the idol.
It was Uiam the high-priest that had this
chamber cut out/' the Ethiopian said to Judith,
and the workmen who did it he had put to death
that they might not betray its existence to the
people. Here he was accustomed to send me
when it was desired to have Istar bow her head
to her worshipers, or to utter sounds from her
stone lips. I am the only person now who knows
of the room." Then, as the Argive turned a
startled look upon the speaker, Keturah added :
The Lady To would know what has become of
Ul'am ; wait, you shall hear presently ; I have
much to tell you."
In a short time the two maidens and their
guide were seated within the little chamber
where nearly two months before the Ethiopian
had secreted Ariel the Hebrew. A larnp was
burning on a small table before them, and lo
and Judith, their hoods thrown back from their
faces, had their eyes fixed upon Keturah, who,
seated upon the fioor at their feet, was beginning
the story she had promised to tell them.
And in substance this is what she said :
THE STORY DE SODOM.
251
XXXIX.
the day following your capture by my
mistress, Nena the Egyptian, the people
of Canaan went out to do battle against Elam.
King Bera was chief, and with him were the
King of Gomorrah, the King of Admah, the
King of Zeboiim, and the King of Bela the Little.
Against Chedorlaomer, the King of Elam, and
Tidal, King of Goim, and Amraphel, King of
Shinar, and Arioch, King of Ellasar, they fought
—five kings against four. And they fought in
the vale of Siddim, in the eastern borders of
which are the slime-pits whence the Canaanites
draw the,bitumen which they send down into
Egypt for the embalmers to embalm the bodies
of the dead. And Canaan was discomfited be¬
fore Elam, and the warriors of Bera were made
afraid by the horses of the foemen, so that they
fled, and the Elamites drove them into the field
of the slime-pits and smote them with the edge
of the sword ; and Bera of Sodom and Birsha of
Gomorrah perished there ; and they that escaped
fled to the mountains.
252 THE STORY OF SODOM,
Then the children of Elam sacked the cities
of the Canaanites, and, gathering all their goods
and many of the people for slaves, they departed
for their own country. And Lot the Hebrew
and his wife and his daughters and all his pos¬
sessions in gold and in silver the strangers like¬
wise bore away with them. But Ishmael, who,
when he had failed to find you and the Lady lo
that night on the plain, had returned unto the
city to the house of Lot, escaped ; and, fleeing
to Hebron, he told Abraham his father all that
had befallen his kinsman in Sodom. And the
sons of Mehetabel—Mamre and Eschol and Aner
—also besought the great Hebrew to assist them
in rescuing their friends whom the Elamites had
captured at Hazezon-Tamar and upon the heights
above the pass of Engedi. So Abraham, taking
his trained servants and his Amorite confed¬
erates, pursued Chedorlaomer unto Dan, and
there, at night, he fell upon the camp of Elam
and took and destroyed it, freeing the prisoners
and regaining the goods of the Canaanites. And
he brought back with him as captive Arioch,
King of Ellasar, the mighty Chedorlaomer's son.
Mehetabel's people likewise returned with him—
Aner and his wife, Deborah and Ithamar her
lover, and Rahel, who among the camp slaves of
THE STORY OF SODOM,
253
the Elamite found her long-lost husband—all of
them dwell now in the oak grove of the Arho-
rites by the fountain of Engedi/'
«
A cry of glad surprise broke from Judith's
lips, and, clapping her hands together for joy,
she exclaimed :
Jehovah be praised ! And Rahel found him
whom she has so long mourned as dead ? And
Deborah is alive yet and well ? And the others
—Mehetabel the mother and Aner and Bashe-
math and Mamre and—and—are they all wèll?"
Judith longed to hear of Eschol, but she dared
not speak his name, fearful lest something had
befallen him.
^'Yea, they are all well—at least they were
yesterday, when Eschol and thy brother left them
to come to Sodom."
Judith's heart beat fast. Eschol, then, was
alive, and Ariel, her noble, heroic brother Ariel,
he, too, had been saved. Keturah saw the in¬
quiring look in the girl's eyes, and she hastened
to continue :
^*Yea, thy brother escaped. Chedorlaomer
discovered how, to save thee, Ariel had taken
thy place, and partly through his own admiration
for his daring, and partly by the intercession of
the captain who brought thee from Engedi, thy
254 THE ETORY OF SODOM.
brother's life was spared ; and with the other cap¬
tives he was rescued by thy kinsman Abraham."
And what of the temple-folk, Keturah ?" lo
inquired, Ulam, Nena, and the others—did the
strangers do aught with them ? "
Nay, Chedorlaomer despoiled the temple of
its gold and jewels but spared the stone statues
of Bel and Istar, seeing that they are Chaldean
/
deities. He likewise forebore to carry away
priest or priestess into captivity. He made the
new king swear allegiance to Elam over the great
altar and in the presence of Ulam the high-priest,
and with that he departed. Scarcely had he
gone, however, when King Helon took Nena, my
mistress, to wife, and then the two charged Ulam
with being in secret alliance with the foe. The
high-priest was put to death, and the queen was
elevated to his place."
An exclamation of astonishment from both
listeners interrupted the speaker.
"Do not heed us," Judith cried, breathlessly,
" go on, go on ! Your tale fills us with wonder."
" It well may," Keturah answered, " for surely
the evil spirit that presides over the destiny of
the wily Egyptian is a being most powerful.
Eye never saw, never hath heart conceived,
such triumphant wickedness as that which to-
, THE STORY OF SODOM.
255
night fills the throne of the confederate cities of
Canaan. For Helon is dead ; he died two weeks
ago, and his wife rules now, queen and high-
priestess, over the people of the plain.
With all power in her hands you might think
that she would have ceased from her plots. But
nay, such is not the temper of Egypt. Arioch,
King of Ellasar, whom Abraham the Hebrew
captured at Hobah, was given to King Helon to
hold in ward. Arioch has not only a kingdom
of his own, but he likewise is heir to the wide
empire of Chedorlaomer his father. Here in
Sodom he was kept as a prisoner of state at the
court of the king. Over him the queen has
thrown the spell of her charms ; she has plotted
with him to unite the kingdoms of Chaldea and
Elam with those of Canaan ; and this new mighty
empire they, joined together in marriáge, shall
rule. Nay, the sea hath its shores and the earth
its ends, but the ambition of Nena the Egyptian
knoweth no bounds. She aspires to be queen
and high-priestess of the world ; yea, even now
she saith : ^ The gods in heaven, and Nena, the
daughter of Pentaur, on earth.' "
But what of Eliezer, the steward of Abraham
the Hebrew?" It was Judith that spoke, and
her voice betrayed no other emotion than that
256
THE STORY OF SODOM.
of interested curiosity. Her false lover had
passed out of her life, and her heart had become
as if it had never loved him. " Did not Egypt
promise him aught ? How came it to pass, then,
that he clings to her so long, even while she is
plotting with another to wed him ? "
Strange, passing strange, it was, that infat¬
uation of the fair young Hebrew for the daugh¬
ter of Pentaur," Keturah said, musingly. The
Ethiopian was ignorant of the relations that had
once existed between this same Eliezer and the
now calm and thoroughly self-possessed maiden
before her. Nena believed him to be the rich
Abraham^s heir, and King Bera and Ulam the
high-priest wished to make an alliance with the
mighty shepherd sheik; and, therefore, they
urged the priestess so to captivate the steward
and so to entrap his soul in the strong toils of
her irresistible fascinations that they might have
his co-operation in securing his master's friend¬
ship. Most successfully did the false but fair
Egyptian carry out their instructions. The
coming of the Elamites was too sudden to per¬
mit the king to benefit by Nena's triumph over
Eliezer, but the Egyptian, with her own ambi¬
tious schemes in mind, still held out the hope
to the steward that when she had used Helon
THE STORY OF SODOM, 257
and Arioch as the means for the attainment of
her desires she would turn to him and be his
wife. This she promised with no other thought
than keeping him in her power, for she coveted
the great possessions of his master, the Hebrew.
But less than six hours ago she learned from a
messenger that Abraham sent to Sodom to call
his steward home to Hebron that Eliezer, even
before she first saw him, had been disinherited
by his master. O, the rage into which this rev¬
elation threw her ! She summoned the steward
before her, and what a scene ! She, furious with
passion, pouring a torrent of abuse and con¬
temptuous scorn upon the wretched Hebrew ;
and he, weeping at her feet, abjectly confessed
his fault, pleading his love for her as his excuse,
and imploring her to allow him to remain by her
side, even as the lowest of her slaves. But she
called her servants, and they thrust him forth
from the palace into the streets of the city."
11
258
THE STORY OF SODOM,
XL.
IO saw Judith's eyes grow misty with tears, and
she knew that, though Eliezer had indeed
been cast out of the heart of the shepherdess
even as he had now been cast forth from the
presence of the Egyptian, yet the story of his
terrible punishment touched her compassionate
nature into a tender pity. She already had heard
enough of the ruin that had come upon her err¬
ing lover, and the Argive, fearing lest Keturah
might continue the painful subject, said :
"You spoke a short time ago of Ariel' and
Eschol coming to Sodom ; are they even now in
the city ? "
"They are at the house of Lot, great lady,"
the Ethiopian answered. " They came to warn
him to flee from the midst of the Canaanites, for
the word of the Lord hath come to Abraham
the Hebrew, saying : ^Yet another day and I
will visit the cities of the plain to destroy them
forever from the face of the earth.' Yea, and
Lot feareth now and longeth to quit Sodom, for
the heathen, drunken with wine, and raging
THE STORY OF SODOM,
259
through the city, beset his house to-night and
threatened to destroy it."
We saw the streets full of people," Judith
broke in. They were marching with torches
through the gates into the plain ; what does it
mean ? "
" It is the great feast that Nena proclaimed
two weeks ago. The Canaanites on the morrow
are to adopt the gods of the neighboring nations
to make them their gods. It is thus that the
queen hopes to extend the influence of Sodom
and to secure the friendship of the surrounding
tribes. The city is full to-night of priests from
Egypt, from Sidon, from Damascus, and from
the peoples east of the Jordan. On the banks
of the river near the slime-pits of Siddim, whither
you beheld the processions hastening, will be
observed at sunrise the ceremony of adoption.
There hundreds of sacrifices will be offered—
birds and beasts, and, yea, human beings too, for
the queen hath decreed that a child for each day
of the year shall be made to pass through the
fire to Bel-Molech of the Sidonians. Many dev¬
otees, moreover, are to immolate themselves
in the flames that will burn before the altars and
idols. Verily, the cup of their abominations and
of their filthiness is full, and the Lord Most
26o
THE STORY OF SODOM,
High will dash it out of their hands as they raise
it brimming to their lips."
The Hebrew shepherdess sprang to her feet,
her eyes aflame, and her voice thrilling with
prophetic fervor.
Yea, and the hour of His visitation hath fully
come," she cried. Lo, now, Sodom shall re¬
ceive the recompense of her iniquities ; for her
sin hath reached unto heaven, and the anger of
the Lord hath become a consuming fire to de¬
vour her." Then calming herself, Judith con¬
tinued, addressing the Ethiopian : And you,
servant of Nena the queen, how comest it that
you have been able to save us ? "
The Lady lo knoweth me to be a servant
of Jehovah," the other neturned, quietly ; I was
brought by my mistress with her out of Egypt,
and I dared not attempt to escape. She knew
not rny love for the God of the Hebrews ; she
believed me to be devoted to herself, and she
trusted me as she trusted none other. She ap¬
pointed me to bear you your meat and drink to
your chamber in the ziggiirat of Istar, but I
feared to make myself known unto you' lest
others might see or hear us, for then there would
be no hope for your rescue. I, too, like my mis¬
tress, believed that it was Ariel and the Lady lo
THE STORY OF SODOM,
that were prisoners ; but to-night, daughter of
Enoch, I met thy brother in the streets of the
city on his way to the house of Lot, and he told
me of how he had rescued you from the tent of
Chedorlaomer of Elam. But he was mourning
both you and the great Lady lo as dead. Eschol
alone has never despaired. Believing you still to
be living, he has never ceased searching for you.
^'And now,'' the speaker continued, rising,
the morning must be nigh. The sounds about
the temple have subsided into silence, and the
priests and the priestesses have, doubtless, all
gone forth from the city to the field of the fes¬
tival. The streets will soon be free for our flight.
Eschol the Amorite and Ariel are to meet us at
a point we have agreed upon without the city
walls. They are even now conducting Lot and
his household out of the city. Let us, too, be
going ; for the word of the Lord by the mouth
of his messenger to Lot the Hebrew is for us
also : ^ Escape for thy life ; look not behind thee,
neither stay thee in all the plain ; escape to the
mountains, lest thou be consumed.' "
The fugitives, descending from the secret
chamber, passed through the long gallery up
into the temple of Bel and Istar. The great
hall of sacrifice was deserted. The fire still
202
THE STORY OF SODOM.
smouldered on the altar of the burnt-offering,
and the pavement was yet reeking with blood
and filth. Hastening to the open idoor, they
passed down into the outer court. There were no
worshipers, neither was there priest or priestess^
to be seen. The streets without were quiet, and
the whole city seemed to be wrapped in slum¬
ber. But from the plain beyond a loud uproar
of voices was borne to their ears. The stars
were still shining in the cloudless heavens, and
eastward, over the distant heights beyond the
Salt Sea, the first flush of the new day was
creeping upward into the sky.
Sodom, so lately full of scenes of wild, licen¬
tious revelry, was silent and almost deserted.
Here and there a few pedestrians, hastening in
the direction of the great south-western gate to
join the mighty throngs of worshipers upon the
plain, flitted like shadows through the gray
light of the early dawn. But none of them
heeded the three dark-robed figures stealing
cautiously through the less frequented streets
toward the gate of the city; and even the watch¬
men on the walls gave but a passing glance at
them as they emerged into the open highway
that traversed the plain in the direction of the
Hebron hills.
THE STORY OF SODOM,
263
"Jehovah be praised!" Keturah exclaimed,
devoutly, when the three fugitives had put a
goodly distance between themselves and Sodom.
"We are safe, and there beneath those olive-
trees are Ariel and Eschol the Amorite await¬
ing us."
The three women hastened onward until two
other dark figures joined them at the olive-grove.
Then were heard quick sobbing cries of joy, and
devout prayers of thanksgiving to God ; but the
fugitives made no pause. On and on they sped ;
and as the daylight grew stronger, nearer and
more distinctly loomed up before them the hills
of refuge and of life. Over the wide extent of
the kikkar with its orchards, its vineyards, and
its fields of waving grain, round about the walls
of Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Ze-
boiim and Bela, gathered the hazy mists of the
morning ; but above it all the eye of Ariel the
young prophet of Jehovah saw the angel of the
judgment of God, his wrathful countenance tow¬
ering to the heavens, and in his hands, out¬
stretched over the cities of the plain, he beheld
the sword of Jehovah's vengeance and the torch
of destruction.
264
THE STORY OF SODOM.
XLI.
EARLY a mile northward from Sodom and
not far from the western bank of the Jordan
stood an oak-grove, about an acre in extent.
On the western border of this grove lay the
slime-pits or wells of bitumen for which the val¬
ley of the lower Jordan and the shores of the
Salt Sea have in all ages been famous. The en¬
tire rock formation of the strangely sunken re¬
gion is thickly impregnated with this inflamma¬
ble substance, which, kindred to naphtha and
A
petroleum, burns fiercely when once set on fire,
throwing off a heavy black smoke and strong
sulphurous fumes. In Abraham's day the bitu¬
men of the Jordan formed an important article
of commerce between the Canaanites and the
surrounding nations. The supply was inexhaust¬
ible, for in hundreds of places in the plain and
among the mountains bordering on the Salt Sea
the black, viscid fluid oozed out of the earth in
thick streams.
It was, however, in that part of the plain
called Siddim that the purest bitumen was
THE STORY OF SODOM.
26s
found. Here deep pits had been dug, and in
these collected a naphtha-like oil that best met
the demands of the trade. Close to these wells
was the oak-grove already mentioned, and it
was in this grove that the festival of the adoption
of the foreign gods by the people of the plain
was to take place.
The grove, in shape an exact square, had been
cleared of underbrush, and presented the ap¬
pearance of a well-kept park. The space be¬
tween it and the river, as also wide tracts on its
northern and southern' sides, had been leveled
and prepared for. the accommodation of the
spectators of the sacrifice. A short distance
from the edge of the grove, and at regular inter¬
vals, stood a line of portable wooden platforms,
their height about that of an ordinary man. On
these were placed lofty thrones, upon which
were seated images of the gods of the Canaan-
ites and of the neighboring nations, the faces of
all turned toward the grove. All the principal
divinities worshiped from Babylon to Memphis
and from the Gulf of Akaba to Lake Van were
represented there. Ana, the most high god in the
pantheon of Erech ; Beltis, worshiped through¬
out western Asia as the mother of the gods ;
Sin, who in Ur of the Chaldees was honored as
266
THE STORY OF SODOM,
the god of gods ; Istar, called by the Sidonians
Astarte and Astoreth by the tribes of the upper
Jordan, the infamous goddess of lust ; Dagon,
the fish-god of the Philistines ; Hadad, the sun-
god of Damascus; Osiris, Isis, and Horus of
Egypt, these were but a few of the deities that
were henceforth to constitute the pantheon of
Canaan.
But pre-eminent among all the divinities there
represented, both for the number and the cost¬
liness of his statues, stood the great god Bel
under his various titles of Bel-Gad, the Lord of
Fortune; Bel-Molech, the Lord who is King;
Bel-Elion, the Lord Most High ; Bel-Shaddai,
the Lord who is the God Almighty ; and Bel-
Samin, the Lord of the Glory of Heaven. Stat¬
ues to these and to numerous other attributes
of the god testified to the strong hold which the
worship of their favorite deity had upon the
tribes and the peoples of western Asia.
Before the thrones of the waiting divinities the
Canaanites had made ready a mighty holocaust
to propitiate their old gods and to welcome the
new ones to a home in their midst. Here and
there throughout the grove wide and deep
trenches had been dug, and these were filled
with liquid bitumen from the neighboring wells.
THE STORY OF SODOM, 267
The trunks and the branches of the trees had
likewise been thickly smeared with the same in¬
flammable substance. Piles of dry wood, also
soaked in the naphtha-like oil, were heaped up
in various places, and the ground was covered
to the depth of a foot or more with a coating
of half-dried bitumen. The entire grove was
soon to be transformed into a vast altar of burnt-
offering, and the sacrifices were already there,
awaiting the hour of their immolation. Fast¬
ened by heavy chains to the trunks of the trees
stood scores of oxen, sheep, and goats, their feet
buried in the soft, yielding bituminous mire
that was soon to envelop them in a mantle of
deadly smoke and flame. Birds, almost count¬
less for number, hung suspended by their legs
from the branches overhead, where they strug¬
gled and fluttered, filling the air with their fright¬
ened cries. A long, richly decorated altar stood
in the exact center of the grove, and upon this
were heaped costly garments of purple and of
fine linen, vessels in bronze, in copper, in silver,
and in gold, and jewels of precious stones, the
offerings of the faithful.
Since sunset of the preceding evening the
inhabitants of the five confederate cities had
abandoned themselves to all the frantic and
268
THE STORY OF SODOM.
licentious orgies that characterized the worship
of the infamous Istar. Unnatural lusts, sensual
pollution, disgraceful and nameless deeds had
made the courts of the temples and the streets
of the cities a veritable hell of abominations.
Three hours before sunrise—the time appointed
for the holocaust—the worshipers began to as¬
semble on the open plain about the grove of sac¬
rifice. The people were clad in their bright,
many-colored holiday costumes. Each person
bore a blazing torch in the right hand, and the
vivid light falHng upon the faces of the surging,
turbulent multitude showed them to be pale
and haggard, and the eyes of many seemed to
be full of fear. While they awaited the coming
of the procession of the priests, which could
now'be heard issuing from the gate of Sodom,
the people sought relief to their over-strained
and excited minds by loud shouts and groans
and hysterical shrieks. As they caught a glimpse
of the idol of some favorite deity their voices
would rise in prayer : " O Dagon, mighty one,
hear my cry! " '*0 Istar, favor me; I am thy
servant!" "Come to my help, Bel-Shaddai,
thou god of all power ! I need thy strength ! "
" Isis, uphold me or I faint ! O my mother Isis ! "
were some of the wild half-shrieked petitions that
THE STORY OF SODOM. 269
went up from the frenzied and tumultuous
throngs. The air was close and sultry, and the
heat from thousands of torches increased its
oppressiveness. Children sobbed piteously in
the midst of the ever-increasing press, women
screamed and fainted away, and strong men, their
feelings wrought up to the verge of insanity by
their religious frenzy, shook as if in the throes
of an ague fit ; and not a few of them fell upon
their faces, and, groaning and praying aloud,
wallowed in the sand, heedless that the by-stand-
ers tramped over their prostrate bodies.
270
THE STORY OF SODOM.
XLII.
PINALLY, just as the dawning day was spread¬
ing upward from the eastern horizon, a loud
blast of trumpets in the direction of the Sodom
highway announced the arrival of the priests ; and
the worshipers, now a mighty multitude cover¬
ing every foot of space between the line of idols
and the Jordan and reaching far into the fields
north and south of the grove, fell upon their
knees before the approaching procession.
First came Nena the Egyptian, queen and
high-priestess of the Canaanites of the lower
Jordan. She was borne by sixteen gigantic
sons of Anak in a palanquin glittering with gold
and jewels and upholstered in the richest Sido-
nian purple. At the foot of her throne was seated
Arioch, the captive King of Ellasar, dressed in
an exquisitely embroidered Babylonian garment
and with his hair and full flowing beard curled
and falling over his shoulders and breast to his
waist. The queen had donned the purple robes
and the golden tiara of her priestly office, for
she herself was to conduct the services attending
THE STORY OF SODOM,
271
the holocaust. As the bearers placed the royal
palanquin upon the high platform prepared to
receive it a loud shout went up from the assem¬
bled thousands, and then, in a chanting mono¬
tone, the people cried :
" Hail, O queen, live forever : thy servants bless thee !
Beloved of the gods ; daughter of the great gods !
Thyself a goddess ; live, reign over us for ever and ever !
Hail, hail ! O queen, in whose breath our life is ! Thy peo-r
pie adore thee ! "
King Arioch's handsome face flushed with
pleasure as the salutation of the populace rolled
across the plain, filling the morning air like the
sound of many waters.
" Hearest thou them, my Egypt ? " he whis¬
pered, breathlessly, bending his face close to the
knees of the queen. Ah, but the gods do
smile upon thee to favor thee. Thou hast be¬
come all that heart can long for."
" Nay, O my lord, thou knowest better," and
the beautiful Egyptian returned Arioch's glance
of love-lit admiration with a look of tender and
languishing reproach. '^Yea, thou dost know
better," she repeated, with an admirably feigned
tenderness of tone and manner, what is all she
now hath to the daughter of Pentaur to what hath
been promised her by her king and her lord ? "
2/2
THE STORY OF SODOM,
The present was neither the time nor the
place for love ; yet Arioch threw himself at Ne-
na's feet, crying, in a low, passionate voice :
Blessed be the great gods that delivered me
into the hands of Abraham the s/teik of the He¬
brews, and put it into the heart of my captor to
give me into the keeping of Sodom ! For there
I found thee, my beautiful and my beloved. O
Egypt, Egypt ! what I have promised thee, that
shall I perform. Queen of Canaan thou art,
queen of the kingdoms of the two rivers, yea,
queen of the world in the city of the lilies thou
shalt be. The word of Arioch, the son of
Chedorlaomer, hath spoken it." Then, still
kneeling before the Egyptian, the king cried in ,
a loud voice: The great gods in the heaven of
heavens. Queen Nena upon the earth ! " and the
watching rnultitude caught the cry, and with
mighty shouts rolled it again and again back
and forth across the plain: The great gods in
the heaven of heavens, Queen Nena upon the
earth ! "
After the queen followed the priests. They
were composed of men, young and old, from
every tribe and nation of western Asia, and they
appeared like an army in numbers. At their
head marched Ben-Hadad of Damascus and Bcl-
THE STORY OF SODOM.
273
Azur, the great high-priest of Sidon. These and
hundreds of the others in the long procession, at
the^queen's invitation, had come to Sodom to
help install their gods in the new pantheon of
the Canaanites. The priests, clad in white linen
vestments, marched into the open space before
the images of the deities and drew themselves
up in ranks four deep that encircled the three
sides of the oak-grove.
Next came the musicians, a host still greater
than that of the priests. They consisted of both
men and women, naked to the waist and with
fantastic figures painted upon their backs and
breasts. The men bore long, straight trumpets,
flutes, heavy drums, and short copper clarions
that shone in the flashing torch-light like bur¬
nished gold ; the women^s instruments were
timbrels, sistra, cymbals, castanets, and eight-
stringed kinyiors., or harps. The musicians filed
in back of the priests and between the line of
idols and the populace.
18
274
THE STORY OF SODOM,
XLIII.
g VERY thing was ready — altar, sacrifices,
priests, and people. Seated upon their lofty
thrones, the gods waited, their great stone eyes
fixed upon the sacred grove. The gray dawn
was fast brightening into broad day ; soon the
sun would flash over the heights east of the Jor¬
dan the signal that the hour of immolation had
come. Through the great multitude of worship¬
ers ran a low, shuddering wail, dull, deep, and
powerful ; and the hundreds of priests looked
into one another's gray and ghastly faces, a
strange terror in their gaze. A shadow of the
awful horror to come weighed upon all hearts.
Rising from her throne, the queen and high-
priestess stretched forth her scepter in signal to n
the priests, the musicians, and the breathless
populace beyond. Instantly the air was rent
with a deafening hurricane of sound that rolled
up from trumpets, kinnors^ ^ clarions, sistras,
drums, and cymbals, and the loud chanting
voices of the priests rose in a swelling antiphony
of praise to the great and mighty gods. The
THE STORY OF SODOM. 275
hearts of the multitude of worshipers were
thrilled as by an electric shock ; the spell of
awful fear that had bound them was broken, and
a frantic and delirious exhilaration of spirits
took its place. They leaped, they prayed, they
danced, they sang, they called upon the names
of their gods. Flourishing their blazing torches
in their hands, they surged this way and that ;
the strong trampled down the weak ; and the
more frantic among them, writhing in horrible
contortions, tore out their hair and bit their own
flesh. A troop of devotees of both sexes, dressed
in black robes, burst into the open space along
the edge of the grove, where, circling and weav¬
ing back and forth in a wild, frenzied dance, they
cast aside their clothing, and, drawing sharp bod¬
kins, cut deep gashes in their thighs and arms
and faces, from which the blood flowed in
streams.
The light grew brighter, and the half-burned-
out torches of the worshipers glowed red and
lurid in the face of the rising day. A quivering
flame, as from the mouth of some great furnace,
shot up from behind a notch in the eastern hills ;
in another minute the upper limb of the sun's
disk would be in sight. The high-priestess saw
this, and she arose from her throne. Her face
276 THE STORY OF SODOM.
blanched to a death-like pallor, her heart beat
as if it would break through her side, and her
hand trembled so that she could not raise her
scepter. But Bel-Azur saw her trepidation, and
just at that moment he saw, too, a gleam of sun¬
light upon the highest tree-top in the grove of
sacrifice. Then, at a signal from him, song and
music ceased, and the worshipers hushed them¬
selves into silence.
Behold your gods, O children of Canaan ! "
cried Bel-Azur, taking up the part the terrified
high-priestess ought to have spoken. Behold
your gods, O ye people ! Henceforth and for
evermore be they your gods ! And now, O
servants of the great gods, why need ye your
torches ? for behold the rays of the high gods
enlighten you ! Cast, therefore, your light be¬
fore the feet of the gods of light, for, lo, the
strong and mighty ones that dwell in the heaven
of heavens have come down to earth to-day to
the banquet made ready for them by the chil¬
dren of men."
Another signal from Bel-Azur and the music
crashed forth again, and the priests began sing¬
ing in a loud voice : " Come, O ye high gods,
eat ye of the feast of our hands ! " The devo¬
tees, with hideous shrieks, resumed their mad
THE STORY OF SODOM.
277
dance, but the worshipers stood motionless with
wildly staring eyes and fear-smitten faces.
^'Your torches, your torches!" shouted Bel-
Azur, his face purple with rage, and his voice
rising above all the uproar about him. " What I
would ye have the great gods blast your fields
with famine, yoiir cities with pestilence? Ho
there, ye slaves ! the torches, the torches ! "
Then some one threw a torch, but with too
feeble force. It fell among the devotees, and
one of these picked it up and fiung it into the
grove, where it dropped upon a pile of dry wood,
which immediately burst into a blaze. As soon
as it was seen that the grove of sacrifice was
already on fire, the multitude hesitated no
longer, and the air was soon full of flying brands
that poured into the grove from each of the
three sides. The awful cries of the terrified
birds and animals were drowned in the discord¬
ant din of the musicians, the shouts of the now
thoroughly excited worshipers, the loud singing
of the priests, and the maniacal shrieks of the
devotees. At a sign from Bel-Azur, those of the
latter who had dedicated themselves to self-
immolation now dashed through the rising
flames to the center of the grove, where, join¬
ing hands, they began circling around the altar
2/8
THE STORY OF SODOM,
upon which were piled the offerings of the peo¬
ple.
The grove was now on fire all around its outer
edge, where the blazing torches had fallen. At
first the bitumen burned but slowly, sending
«
up dense clouds of black smoke that hid from
the eyes of the spectators the struggling ani¬
mals and the wildly leaping devotees. Then
the fire reached one of the trenches filled with
the naphtha-like oil, and at once a broad sheet
of flame shot up to the tree-tops, and through
this the beholders fancied they could see a line
of human figures still circling and dancing in the
center of the grove, but no sounds of life could
be heard above the roar of the now furiously
raging flames and the deafening din from the
multitude upon the plain.
The priests sang: The best to the best is
the best ; what man loves most, that the great
gods love." The worshipers understood ; and
one of them reeling forward, her face petrified
into a look of dry, ghastly horror, placed a child
in Bel-Azur's hands. The little one's feet were
bound together, and a broad band passing around
the body pinioned the arms to the sides. Its
head was enveloped in a sack of coarse black
linen soaked in bituminous oil. Again rose the
THE STORY OF SODOM, 279
chanting voices of the priests : " O ye high and
eternal gods ! bestowers of life, and destroyers
thereof! They are yours; ye gave them; we
return them into your hands ! and Bel-Azur,
when he had put upon the child's breast the
symbol signifying that it was to bear the sins of
the people, gave it into the hands of a priest to
be flung into the midst of the flames, the people
meanwhile crying in unison : O lords most
mighty ! the lives of our offspring we give for
our lives, the heads of our offspring for our
heads, the hearts of our offspring for our hearts.
Grant us your blessing, gods and goddesses !
Keep war, famine, and pestilence far from our
habitations."
The offerings now poured in from all quarters,
and Bel-Azur and Ben-Hadad were kept busy in
consecrating the victims for the sacrifice. Those
who had no children brought their richest robes,
their most precious heirlooms, their costliest
jewels; women cut off their hair, and some of
the more frenzied among the men lopped off an
ear, a finger, a hand, and gave them to the
priests to be flung into the flames as an offering
to the gods. Still the fires burned ever and ever
the more fiercely, throwing up vast clouds of
i
thick black smoke which were fast overspread-
28o
THE STORY OF SODOM.
ing the sky with an inky pall. The trees of the
grove were already consumed, the bitumen in
the trenches ought by this time to have been
exhausted also, yet at an alarming rapidity the
fire was increasing in fury, licking the heavens
with its red, darting tongues, and creeping out
further and further into the plain. The heat
had grown so intense that the priests could no
longer approach close enough to throw the
children into the flames. They fell short of the
wall of fire, and perished miserably where they
fell. The roar of the conflagration was becom¬
ing more and more fearful.
" The gods are angry with Canaan ! rang out
again the voice of the priest BebAzur. " Pacify
the great gods with gifts or they will consume
I
you I
Maddened with terror, the people rushed for¬
ward, dragging even their half-grown children
to the priests. Some, wholly delirious with ex¬
citement, threw themselves into the flames, and
a hideous shriek arose at the cry that the bitu¬
men wells had caught fire. The heat of the con¬
flagration had driven priests and musicians and
people back from the idols, and now, when the
wooden platforms supporting these burst into a
blaze, frenzied screams went up as one god after
THE STORY OF SODOM,
281
another tottered on his throne and then plunged
headlong from sight into the fiery abyss. Arioch,
supporting the terrified queen in his arms,
shouted to their bearers to convey them back
to the city ; but before the men could raise the
palanquin Bel-Azur's blazing eyes rested for a
moment upon the royal pair, and then into his
countenance, hideous with despair and terror,
flashed the light of a sudden hope.
" The gods despise common gifts to-day," he
roared to a company of frightened priests about
him. Kings and queens of the heavens are
they; kings and queens of the earth must be
our oblations, else the fires of the gods shall not
be quenched. For the salvation of her people
let the queen perish ; and her lover, Arioch of
Ellasar, let him die by her side."
Even as he was speaking the air was rent by
a terrific explosion, and this was followed by
another and another in rapid succession. The
fire had penetrated to the subterranean beds of
bituminous oil, and now jets of flame were seen
bursting from the ground in all parts of the
doomed kikkar oi the Jordan. The plain rocked
and heaved as if shaken in the throes of a mighty
earthquake, and the people, now fleeing from
the place of sacrifice, were hurled'to the ground
282
THE STORY OF SODOM.
by the violence of the shocks. But Bel-Azur
and à few priests, regaining their feet, seized the
staves of the queen's palanquin, and, inspired by
a last desperate hope of appeasing the wrath of
the gods, they rushed toward the flames. For a
moment Nena's wild, terrified face shone out
against the background of lurid flame, and then
she sank swooning into the arms of her lover.
And Arioch of Ellasar folded the Egyptian to
his heart, and then, calm and dauntless, as be¬
came the son of a hero-king, he rode on to his
death. At the very foot of the roaring tower
of flame Bel-Azur and his intrepid companions
dropped their burden, themselves falling by its
side. The wall of fire bowed slowly outward,
and over bearers and palanquin and royal obla¬
tion it crept, shrouding them all in its richly-
dyed robe of flame.
But vainEad been the offering. With swiftly
accumulating horrors of earthquake and storm
of fire the conflagration raged on. The plain
was torn and rent by exploding gases beneath
and overwhelmed in a deluge of burning bitumen
that was hurled high into the air only to fall in
flaming rain upon the orchards and vineyards
and the crumbling towers and palaces of the
doomed cities, until the kikkar of the Jordan,
THE STORY OF SODOM.
283
that had been as the garden of the Lord, was
transformed into a seething lake of fire.
Thus came it to pass^ even as in His Word it is
written, that the Lord rained upon Sodom and
Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out
of heaven ; and he overthrew those cities, and all
the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and
that which grew upon the ground S
On one of the higher heights between Hebron
and the shores of the Salt Sea an aged shepherd
sheik stood all that day looking down into the
deep valley of the Jordan whence rolled up into
the sky the smoke of the burning country like
the smoke of a furnace. In the dusk of the
evening there crept up the mountain to the feet
of the watcher a solitary fugitive from the plain.
His head was bowed upon his breast, and he
appeared like a man whose soul is dead. But
the aged sheik, when he beheld him, ran to meet
him ; and he bowed his head over him, with his
arms about his neck, and he kissed him and wept.
"Jehovah my God hath heard my prayer, and
hath saved thee out of the hands of those that
sought thy life to destroy it ; yea, he hath pre-
284 the story of sodom.
served thee from the destruction he hath visited
upon the ungodly ; and now come to the tent
and rest thee and eat, for, lo, all this day have I
watched for thy coming. Thy stewardship
awaiteth thee, and thou shalt dwell as of old in
my love.'*
And the other cried : It is too much, O my
master; for I have grievously sinned against
Jehovah and against thee ! " And Eliezer of
Damascus wept upon the neck of Abraham the
Hebrew.
The Story of Sodom is ended, and it remains
but to bid farewell to those whose acquaintance¬
ship has been ours. Judith, the daughter of
Enoch, became the wife of Eschol the Amorite.
To both her and her brother their master Lot
gave their freedom, and they, at their own re¬
quest, became members of the tribe of their
kinsn]an Abraham. Ariel took lo to wife, and
in after years they went to live in Egypt, whence
in process of time some of their descendants
crossed over the Great Sea to Hellas, the land
from which their ancestress had come. Ithamar
and Deborah in their marriage united the Am¬
erites of Hazezon-Tamar and those of Engedi,
and the new tribe long continued to be the con¬
federates of the Hebrews. Aner and Bashemath
THE STORY OF SODOM, 285
removed to Sidon and dwelt there, and Mamre
passed his life near the encampment of his
friend, the great Abraham. Every Bible reader
knows the story of Ishmael, the son of Hagar,
and also remembers that after the death of Sarah
Keturah became the wife of Abraham's old age.
If any one doubts the sincerity of Eliezer's re¬
pentance, or the faithfulness to his master that
marked all his remaining years, let such a one
read the twenty-fourth chapter of Genesis and be
convinced.
The steward never married.
THE END.
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