o the fight, shouting for the battle. So he left his gifts in the
hands of the keeper of the baggage, and ran into the army, amongst the
soldiers, to find his brothers. When he found them, he saluted them and
began to talk with them.

But while he was asking them the questions his father had commanded,
there arose a great shouting and tumult among the Israelites, and men
came running back from the front line of battle; everything became
confusion. David looked to see what the trouble was, and he saw a
strange sight: down the slope of the opposite mountain came striding a
Philistine warrior, calling out something in a taunting voice; he was a
gigantic man, the largest David had ever seen, and he was covered with
armour, that shone in the sun: he had a helmet of brass upon his head,
and he was armed with a coat of mail, and he had greaves of brass upon
his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders; his spear was so
tremendous that the staff of it was like a weaver's beam, and his shield
so great that a man went before him, to carry it.

"Who is that?" asked David.

"It is Goliath, of Gath, champion of the Philistines," said the soldiers
about. "Every day, for forty days, he has come forth, so, and challenged
us to send a man against him, in single combat; and since no one dares
to go out against him alone, the armies cannot fight." (That was one of
the laws of warfare in those times.)

"What!" said David, "does none dare go out against him?"

As he spoke, the giant stood still, on the hillside opposite the host
of Israel, and shouted his challenge, scornfully. He said, "Why are ye
come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and ye
servants of Saul? Choose you a man, and let him come down to me. If he
be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants;
but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our
servants, and serve us. I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a
man, that we may fight together!"

When King Saul heard these words, he was dismayed, and all the men of
Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were sore afraid. David
heard them talking among themselves, whispering and murmuring. They were
saying, "Have ye seen this man that is come up? Surely if anyone killeth
him that man will the king make rich; perhaps he will give him his
daughter in marriage, and make his family free in Israel!"

David heard this, and he asked the men if