een it and been in its midst. So surely as I
stand here, I know that it is too mighty for Thy people. Pharaoh's power
will crush them as the hoofs of the cattle trample the grain on the
threshing-floor. And my people, who are also Thine, are encamped in a
spot where Pharaoh's warriors can cut them down from all directions, so
that there is no way for them to fly, not one. I saw it distinctly from
this very spot. Hear me now, Adonai. But canst Thou hear my words,
oh Lord, in such a tempest? Surely Thou canst; for they call Thee
omnipotent and, if Thou dost hear me and dost understand the meaning of
my words, Thou wilt see with Thy mighty eyes, if such is Thy will, that
I speak the truth. Then Thou wilt surely remember the vow Thou didst
make to the people through Thy servant Moses.

"Among the Egyptians, I have witnessed treachery and murder and
shameful wiles; their deeds have filled me, who am myself but a sinful,
inexperienced youth, with horror and indignation. How couldst Thou, from
whom all good is said to proceed, and whom Miriam calls truth itself,
act like those abominable men and break faith with those who trusted
in Thee? I know, Thou great and mighty One, that this is far from
Thee, nay, perhaps it is a sin even to cherish such a thought. Hear me,
Adonai! Look northward at the troops of the Egyptians, who will surely
soon leave their camp and march forward, and southward to the peril of
Thy people, for whom escape is no longer possible, and Thou wilt rescue
them by Thy omnipotence and great wisdom; for Thou hast promised them a
new country, and if they are destroyed, how can they reach it?"

With these words he finished his prayer, which, though boyish and
incoherent, gushed from the inmost depths of his heart. Then he sprang
with long leaps from the ruined tower to the barren plain at his feet,
and ran southward as fleetly as if he were escaping from captivity a
second time. He felt how the wind rushing from the north-east urged
him forward, and told himself that it would also hasten the march of
Pharaoh's soldiers. Perhaps the leaders of his people did not yet know
how vast was the military power that threatened them, and undervalued
the danger in which their position placed them. But he saw it, and could
give them every information. Haste was necessary, and he felt as though
he had gained wings in this race with the storm.

The village of Pihahiroth was soon gained, and while dashing by it
without pausin