With these words he darted past the lepers to join the leaders;
but Ephraim stopped in the middle of the road, pressing his hand upon
his brow, while a new burden of care weighed heavily upon his soul.

He knew that the approaching army would crush the men, women, and
children whose touching fear and helplessness he had just beheld, as
a man's foot tramples on an ant-bill, and again every instinct of his
being urged him to pray, while from his oppressed heart the imploring
cry rose through the darkness:

"Eli, Eli, great God most high! Thou knowest--for I have told Thee, and
Thine all-seeing eye must perceive it, spite of the darkness of this
night--the strait of Thy people, whom Thou hast promised to lead into a
new country. Remember Thy vow, Jehovah! Be merciful unto us, Thou great
and mighty one! Our foe is approaching with resistless power! Stay him!
Save us! Protect the poor women and children! Save us, be merciful to
us!"

During this prayer he had raised his eyes heavenward and saw on the
summit of Baal-zephon the red blaze of a fire. It had been lighted by
the Phoenicians to make the Baal of the north-wind favorable to the men
of kindred race and hostile to the hated Egyptians. This was a kindly
deed; but he put his trust in another God and, as his eye glanced over
the vault of heaven and noted the grey and black storm-clouds scurrying,
gathering, parting, and then rushing in new directions, he perceived
between two dispersing masses of clouds the silvery light of the full
moon, which had now attained her zenith.

Fresh anxiety assailed him; for he remembered the prediction of men
skilled in the changes of winds and waves. If the sea should now return
to its ancient bed, his people would be lost; for there was no escape,
even toward the north, where deep pools of water were standing amid the
mire and cliffs. Should the waves flow back within the next hour, the
seed of Abraham would be effaced from the earth, as writing inscribed on
wax disappears from the tablet under the pressure of a warm hand.

Yet was not this people thus marked for destruction, the nation which
the Lord had chosen for His own? Could He deliver it into the hand of
those who were also His own foes?

No, no, a thousand times no!

And the moon, which was to cause this destruction, had but a short time
before been the ally of his flight and favored him. Only let him keep up
his hope and faith and not lose confidence.

Nothing, nothing w