tches of
the flock; but this one night of the year I have spent upon these
hills these many years, and I always shall as long as I have strength
to walk so far."

"Was your father, too, a shepherd?"

"Yes, and all his fathers before him for many generations. On these
hills my ancestors have kept their sheep for I know not how long."

Joseph was still for a moment. His eyes wandered away over the silent
hills, lit by the rising moon. His face was troubled. At length, he
said gently:

"Grandfather, I heard Rabbi Eliezer saying, the other day, in the
synagogue, that a shepherd's life is not a noble life. He was reading
from one of the old doctors, who said: 'Let no one make his son a
camel-driver, a barber, a sailor, a shepherd, or a shopkeeper. They
are dishonest callings.' I was angry when he read it; but I held my
peace."

"You did well, my son, to hold your peace. I myself have often heard
such words, of late, from the doctors in the synagogues; but it is not
wise to answer them. Where they got their notions, I know not. From
the Egyptians, I think, more than from the prophets. All Egyptians
hate shepherds, and can never speak of them without sneering. Perhaps
they have not yet forgotten how the shepherds conquered and ruled them
for generations. Nevertheless, there is some reason why the calling of
the shepherds should be despised. Many of them are rude and fierce
men. Living out of doors so constantly makes their manners rough and
their temper harsh. They are often quarrelsome. Such bloody fights as
I used to see among them, at the wells in the south country, where
they brought their flocks to water and each one wanted the first
chance at the well, I hope you will never look upon."

"But all shepherds are not so," protested Joseph.

"No, indeed. Brave men they must be; fleet of foot and strong of limb
and stout of heart; but brave men are not always quarrelsome. Many a
shepherd whom I have known had a heart as pure and gentle as a
child's. And the godliest men that I have known have been among them.
If the shepherd has but learned to think, to commune with his own
soul, he has time for thought and time for prayer. More than one with
whom I have watched upon these hills knew all the Psalms of David by
heart and many of the books of the prophets. The doctors in the
synagogues teach only the law; the shepherds love best the Psalms and
the prophets. They do not forget that King David was himself a
shepherd's la