saying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my children and
thy children forever."

And David went away to hide from Saul, and Jonathan went back to the
king's house.

For seven years Saul hunted for David to take his life, and David,
often hiding in caves in the wilderness, could not see his friend
Jonathan, but they were faithful in their friendship, and when at last
Saul was slain in battle, and Jonathan also, David came to mourn over
his friend, saying:

"I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou
been unto me; thy love for me was wonderful, passing the love of women."

CHAPTER XXII.

DAVID THE OUTCAST.

For seven years King Saul hunted David from one end of the land of
Israel to the other. The evil spirit of jealousy and hate had full
possession of him, and David, with a few faithful men, was driven from
one stronghold to another, until he cried, "They gather themselves
together; they hide themselves; they mark my steps when they wait for
my soul. What time I am afraid I will trust in thee."

He had escaped again and again from the hand of Saul, and now he was
down in the desert country by the Dead Sea, hiding among the cliffs and
caves of Engedi. Saul heard of it and took three thousand men to hunt
for him among the rocks of the wild goats. He was very tired after
climbing the rocks, and seeing a cave, he went in to lie down for a
little sleep. He did not know that David and his men were in the cave
hiding in the dark sides of it. Then his men whispered to David:

"Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee: 'I will deliver thine
enemy into thine hand that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good
to thee.'" Then David arose and crept near to Saul, and--did he kill
the man who had so often tried to kill him?

No, he bent down and cut off a part of Saul's robe. Even this seemed
wrong to David.

[Illustration: The garment of Saul]

"The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master," he said
"to stretch forth my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the
Lord," and in this way he kept his servants from harming Saul, and
after Saul awoke he went out of the cave.

David also went out of the cave and cried,

"My Lord the King!"

And when Saul turned David bowed down to him and asked him why he
listened to men who said that he wished to harm the king, and then he
told him how the Lord had given him into his hand in the cave, b