s pressed around him and Miriam with shouts of joy, and
the drooping courage of the timorous appeared to put forth new wings.
Asarja, Michael, and their followers no longer murmured, nay, most of
them had been infected by the general enthusiasm, and when a Hebrew
mercenary stole out from the garrison of the store-house and disclosed
what had been betrayed to his commander, Eleasar, Naashon, Hur, and
others took counsel together, gathered all the shepherds around them,
and with glowing words urged them to show in this hour that they were
men indeed and did not fear, with their God's mighty aid, to fight for
their people and their liberty.

There was no lack of axes, clubs, sickles, brazen spears, heavy staves,
slings, the shepherds' weapons of defence against the wild beasts of the
desert, or bows and arrows, and as soon as a goodly number of strong men
had joined him, Hur fell upon the Egyptian overseers who were watching
the labor of several hundred Hebrew slaves. Shouting: "They are coming!
Down with the oppressors! The Lord our God is our leader!" they rushed
upon the Lybian warders, put them to rout, and released their
fellows who were digging the earth, and laying bricks. As soon as the
illustrious Naashon had pressed one of the oldest of these hapless men
like a brother to his heart, the other liberated bondsmen had flung
themselves into the shepherds' arms and thus, still shouting: "They are
coming!" and "The Lord, the God of our fathers, is our leader!" they
pressed forward in an increasing multitude. When at last the little band
of shepherds had grown to a body of several thousand men, Hur led them
against the Egyptian soldiers, whom they largely outnumbered.

The Egyptian bowmen had already discharged a shower of arrows, and
stones hurled from the slings of the powerful shepherds had dealt fatal
wounds in the front ranks of the foe, when the blast of a trumpet rang
out, summoning the garrison of the fortress behind the sloping walls and
solid door. The Hebrews seemed to the commander too superior a force to
fight, but duty required him to hold the fort until the arrival of the
reinforcements he had requested.

Hur, however, had not been satisfied with his first victory. Success
had kindled the courage of his followers, as a sharp gust of wind fans
a smouldering fire, and wherever an Egyptian showed himself on the
battlements of the store-house, the round stone from a shepherd's sling
struck heavily upon him.