hem.
"This," said they, "is the finger of God." But Pharaoh still refused to
knuckle under. Even against the force of this supreme wonder his heart
was steeled.

So the fourth plague came. A grievous swarm of flies descended on Egypt,
so that "the land was corrupted by reason of them. But not a single
fly crossed over into the land of Goshe" where the Jews dwelt. Thereupon
Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and told them he was willing to
let their people go and sacrifice to the Lord for three days, but not
outside Egypt. Moses reiterated his demand for a three days' journey
into the wilderness. Whereto Pharaoh replied that they might go, but
"not too far." Moses then undertook to banish the flies. And he was as
good as his word; for there was made such a clean sweep of them that
"not one remained." This precious narrative always runs to extremes.
Egypt without a fly in it would be in a very abnormal condition. At
ordinary times the land is infested with flies; so much so, indeed, that
large numbers of the people suffer from diseased eyes, in consequence
of these insects incessantly fastening on the sores caused by the
irritating sand which fills the air. It was absurd for this Hebrew
story-teller to scotch the last fly; he should have left sufficient to
maintain the character of the country.

Again Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and when the flies were banished
he refused to "let the people go." So the fifth plague came. A "very
grievous murrain," which spared the cattle of Israel, broke out on the
cattle of Egypt, and with such virulence that they all died. Pharaoh
found on inquiry that there was "not one of the cattle of the Israelites
dead," yet for all that his heart was hardened, and he would not let the
people go.

So the sixth plague came. Aaron took "handfuls of ashes of the furnace,"
which Moses sprinkled towards heaven, and "it became a boil breaking
forth with blains upon man and _upon beast_." Even the magicians were
afflicted. Now the readers will bear in mind that _all_ the cattle of
Egypt were killed by the fifth, plague. What beasts, then, were these
tortured with boils? Were they dead carcasses, or were they live cattle
miraculously created in the interim? Surely this is a thing which "no
fellah can understand." From the serpent of Eden to Jonah's whale, the
animals of the Bible are a queer lot.

Pharaoh's heart remaining still hardened, God commanded Moses to make
a special appeal to him, and to