and
its indestructible walls contained an Egyptian garrison, who could
easily defend it against a force greatly superior in numbers.

To-day it looked as if the sons of the desert had assailed it; but the
men and women who were bustling about below and on the broad parapet of
the gigantic building were Hebrews, not Shasu. With loud outcries and
gesticulations of delight they were seizing the thousands of measures
of wheat, barley, rye, and durra, the stores of pulse, dates, and onions
they found in the well-filled granaries, and even before sunset had
begun to empty the store-rooms and put their contents into sacks, pails,
and skins, trays, jugs, and aprons, which were let down by ropes or
carried to the ground on ladders.

The better classes took no share in this work, but among the busy
throng, spite of the lateness of the hour, were children of all ages,
carrying away in pots, jugs, and dishes-borrowed from their mothers'
cooking utensils--as much as they could.

Above, beside the unroofed openings of the storerooms, into which the
stars were shining, and also at the foot of the ladders, women held
torches or lanterns to light the others at their toil.

Pans of blazing pitch were set in front of the strong locked doors of
the real fortress, and in their light armed shepherds were pacing to
and fro. When heavy stones or kicks belabored the brazen-bound door from
within, and threats were uttered in the Egyptian tongue, the Hebrews
outside did not fail to retort in words of mockery and scorn.

On the day of the harvest festival, during the first evening watch,
runners arrived at Succoth and announced to the Israelites, whose
numbers were twenty-fold greater than those of the Egyptians, that they
had quitted Tanis in the morning and the tribes intended to leave at
night; their kindred in Succoth must be ready to go forth with them.
There was great rejoicing among the Hebrews, who like those of their
blood in the city of Rameses, had assembled in every house at a festive
repast on the night of the new moon after the vernal equinox when the
harvest festival usually began. The heads of the tribes had informed
them that the day of liberation had arrived, and the Lord would lead
them into the Promised Land.

Here, too, as in Tanis, many had been faint-hearted and rebellious, and
others had endeavored to separate their lot from the rest and remain
behind; but here, too, they were carried away by the majority. Eleasar,