thyself Joshua, and hast vowed to serve no other
than the Lord our God. I am well aware thou canst accomplish far greater
things as commander of an army than I, who have grown grey in driving
herds, or than any other Hebrew, by whatever name he is known, so I will
fulfil the vow sworn at Succoth. I will ask Moses, the servant of the
Lord, and the elders to confide to thee the office of commander. In
their hands will I place the decision and, because I feel that the Most
High beholds my heart, let me confess that I have thought of thee with
secret rancor. Yet, for the welfare of the people, I will forget what
lies between us and offer thee my hand."

With these words he held out his hand to Joshua and the latter, grasping
it, replied with generous candor:

"Thy words are manly and mine shall be also. For the sake of the people
and the cause we both serve, I will accept thy offer. Yet since thou
hast summoned the Most High as a witness and He hears me, I, too, will
not withhold one iota of the truth. The Lord Himself has summoned me to
the office of commander of the fighting-men which thou dost desire to
commit to me. It was done through Miriam, thy wife, and is my due. Yet
I recognize thy willingness to yield thy dignity to me as a praiseworthy
deed, since I know how hard it is for a man to resign power, especially
in favor of a younger one whom he does not love. Thou hast done this,
and I am grateful. I, too, have thought of thee with secret rancor; for
through thee I lost another possession harder for a man to renounce than
office: the love of woman."

The hot blood mounted into Hur's cheeks, as he exclaimed:

"Miriam! I did not force her into marriage; nay I did not even purchase
her, according to the custom of our fathers, with the bridal dowry--she
became my wife of her own free will."

"I know it," replied Joshua quietly, "yet there was one man who had
yearned to make her his longer and more ardently than thou, and the fire
of jealousy burned fiercely in his heart. But have no anxiety; for wert
thou now to give her a letter of divorce and lead her to me that I might
open my arms and tent to receive her, I would exclaim:

"Why hast thou done this thing to thyself and to me? For a short time
ago I learned what woman's love is, and that I was mistaken when I
believed Miriam shared the ardor of my heart. Besides, during the march
with fetters on my feet, in the heaviest misfortune, I vowed to devote
all the stren