Part 4 (1/2)

Look--listen--as he wanders over the hillside at dusk, he shows alarm--he hears a dreaded sound! Ah, yes, one he knew too well--the stealthy glide of a creeping foe co for weapon, in that wild unpeopled country, the shepherd boy stands, brave and alert, ready to protect his sheep

Ah, a lion! the stealthy beast creeps nearer, nearer

Suddenly David draws his sling, the stone strikes the lion between the eyes, he falls by a single shot But look--this is not the end of the battle Even while David is encountering the lion, that lides with stealthy steps, and seizes a lamb Quick as an arrow David hurls himself upon the ry power on his hind legs to hug and crush his enerasps the bear by the jaith iron force, grapples with hireat creature snarls, moans, writhes and is no more, while David, hot with the joy of victory, turns back to quiet his frightened flock

Does not this encounter give a hint of the fearless courage that made David such a famous warrior in later life?

Now let us note another side of his many-sided character while we listen to the melodies he so dearly loved to play on his harp as he wandered over the hills and plains with his flock David had in hi, but he had too, a dreamy, sensitive, poetic side to his nature, which made him deeply appreciate and enjoy all the beauty of nature which he tried to express in hisyears later, came out more clearly in those wonderful psalms which he wrote, and which have coenerations of Christian people

In those days Saul was beconified, self-controlled leader, as he began to realise that he was not powerful enough to hold his people, and he frequently gave way to fits of terrible anger or prolonged melancholy, from which no one could rouse hi so many victories over the Israelites, it was ive way to such attacks, as they unfitted him to perfor hiested thateffect on troubled spirits, and when the idea was mentioned to Saul it pleased hiht to him Then came the question of who that musician should be, and one of Saul's counsellors said:

”Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse, the Bethlehe and a comely person, and the Lord is with him”

The description pleased Saul and he at once sent a :

”Send me David, thy son, which is with the sheep”

And so once again, there came to David a new experience for which he had had no preparation, and again, as before, he neither refused nor questioned the call to a different life, but while Jesse, his father, was preparing a present to send to Saul by David, according to the custo hasty preparations to leave ho with hi kid, which were Jesse's present to Saul, on he journeyed over the hills and through the valleys until he reached the court of the King, and presently stood in the presence of Saul, who alht face and sturdy figure, took a great fancy to him, and commanded him to become one of his household and to come and play to hie back to Jesse:

”Let David, I pray thee, stand before ht”

So David stayed at the King's court, and whenever Saul gave way to an attack of anger or depression, the young ay, sweet and brilliant, playing with such skill that before he knew it, Saul would be in good hu sleep, and little did he dream that the lad who had such power to soothe and amuse him had been anointed by Saht often and earnestly about this, would be only natural to suppose, and we can but fancy that in those days a lad learned 's life, and learned too, froht to be and do Probablywith men and circumstances at a later day came from his observations in those early days when he was but ahe remained there, we do not know, but until Saul's attacks of passion and melancholy had been entirely overco obedience as he showed before to the call of circuer needed by Saul, David went back again to his hoain tended his father's flocks in the Judean pasture-lands

The Israelites and the Philistines were still at war, and the two ares that overhung a valley, called the valley of the Terebinth, about sixteen miles from Bethlehem

Battles in those days were sometimesariven no hint to the Israelites that this was to be their plan of action, when suddenly, out frohtiest of the giants of Gath, and shouted out a challenge to the Israelites, saying:

”Why are ye come out to set your battles in array? Am not I a Philistine and ye servants to Saul? Choose you a ht with me and kill ainst him, then shall ye be our servants and serve us!” And he added in a h the valley:

”I defy the arether!”

Colossal and terrifying, the greatmountain of power as the rays of the sun fell upon him, for he was over ten feet tall, and his coat of old would be, and shone like a e helhty li metal He carried a brass spear with a head heavier than that of ten ordinary spears, and the staff of it was as huge as a young birch tree, while before hi too in the rays of the sun A iant of Gath, as he faced the are to theht with him, and the Israelites were filled with fear as they saw him, and Saul's heart was heavy with terror, and he at once offered great riches and the hand of his daughter to any warrior ould accept Goliath's challenge But for forty days not a e or attempted to win the reward offered by Saul

Then David, as still tending his father's flocks, but whose three elder brothers ith the army of the Israelites, was sent by his father to carry supplies of food to them Of course, David had heard much at home that interested him deeply in the armies and their manoeuvres, and now he could scarcely restrain his joy at the thought of seeing the enca and leaving his sheep with a keeper, set out gleefully, even though what he had to carry was a heavy burden, for he was taking a large quantity of parched corn and ten loaves of bread to his brothers, as well as ten cheeses to the captain of their division of the are in his th of the journey nor the weight of his burden

And when he saw the tents of the encae and the desire of a born warrior, and quickly leaving his provisions with the keeper of supplies, he ran forward to the division of the careeted theh he had co them sorely needed food

Jealousy is one of the worst faults a person can have, and it is to be feared that David's faest brother, who though a mere boy of seventeen, had received honours, and shown ability far beyond their own, instead of rejoicing in his good fortune, as they should have done

But David was evidently accusto but his keen desire to knohat the plans of the two armies were, and poured out question after question, without heeding the impatience of his brothers' answers

And as he stood talking, there suddenly stood before hi through the valley; and as alhen Goliath was seen or heard, the men of Israel turned away and fled in terror But not so David He was thrilled at the sight of the iant and asked the men who stood by him:

”What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine and taketh away the reproach of Israel? For who is this Philistine that he should defy the ar God?”