nset of a much more numerous
body of troops. The caves afford, as we know, almost impregnable
refuges: David had often hidden himself in them in the days when he fled
before Saul, and now his soldiers profited by the knowledge he possessed
of them to elude the attacks of the Philistines. He began a sort of
guerilla warfare, in the conduct of which he seems to have been without
a rival, and harassed in endless skirmishes his more heavily equipped
adversaries. He did not spare himself, and freely risked his own life;
but he was of small stature and not very powerful, so that his spirit
often outran his strength. On one occasion, when he had advanced too far
into the fray and was weary with striking, he ran great peril of being
killed by a gigantic Philistine: with difficulty Abishai succeeded in
rescuing him unharmed from the dangerous position into which he had
ventured, and for the future he was not allowed to run such risks on the
field of battle. On another occasion, when lying in the cave of Adullam,
he began to feel a longing for the cool waters of Bethlehem, and asked
who would go down and fetch him a draught from the well by the gates
of the town. Three of his mighty men, Joshebbasshebeth, Eleazar, and
Shammah, broke through the host of the Philistines and succeeded in
bringing it; but he refused to drink the few drops they had brought,
and poured them out as a libation to Jehovah, saying, "Shall I drink the
blood of men that went in jeopardy of their lives?"* Duels between
the bravest and stoutest champions of the two hosts were of frequent
occurrence. It was in an encounter of this kind that Elhanan the
Bethlehemite [or David] slew the giant Goliath at Gob. At length David
succeeded in breaking his way through the enemies' lines in the valley of
Kephaim, thus forcing open the road to the north. Here he probably fell
in with the Israelitish contingent, and, thus reinforced, was at last
in a position to give battle in the open: he was again successful,
and, routing his foes, pursued them from Gibeon to Gezer.** None of his
victories, however, was of a sufficiently decisive character to bring
the struggle to an end: it dragged on year after year, and when at last
it did terminate, there was no question on either side of submission or
of tribute:*** the Hebrews completely regained their independence, but
the Philistines do not seem to have lost any portion of their domain,
and apparently retained possession of all tha