ecame filled with religious excitement, and
neglected their errand. Then Saul himself was frenzied with impatience
and started out for Ramah, but before he reached the city, he, too, was
overcome by the spirit of religious excitement, and for a day and a
night forgot his own errand. So David had time to escape, and went
straight back to Saul's court, the place where he had been in such high
favour only a short time before. He went to find Jonathan, his friend,
who had been eagerly waiting for news of him. The meeting of the youths
was a glad one, but there was no time for discussing anything except
what David had come to get advice about. At once he asked Jonathan:

"What have I done? What is my sin before your father, that he seeketh
my life?"

And Jonathan loved him with a great love and was deeply troubled for
his safety, and he answered David:

"God forbid. Thou shalt not die. Behold my father will do nothing
either great or small, but he will show it to me, and why should he
hide this thing from me? It is not so."

But David knew the truth and he answered:

"Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found favour in thine eyes,
and he said 'Let not Jonathan know this lest he be grieved' but truly,
as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between
me and death."

A solemn thing for a young man, so strong, so full of the joy of life,
to believe and to say, and as he said it, his voice trembled, and
Jonathan's cheeks were white with fear. Only for a moment was Jonathan
silent, then looking straight into David's eyes, he said:

"Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee."

Could there be any better proof of friendship than that?

Then David, who had been thinking what was wisest to do, told Jonathan
of the plan which must be carried out in order to find out Saul's
intentions with regard to him. There was to be a great festival on the
following day, to which Saul had invited David, just as if he and David
were on the best of terms, and David told Jonathan that instead of
going to the feast, he would hide in a field near by, while Jonathan
must go to the feast and see how his absence affected Saul, and also
draw him on in every way, to show his feelings for David. Then, as soon
as Jonathan had found out his father's feeling towards David, he was to
go to the field where David was hiding and shoot three arrows as if
shooting at a mark, and send a boy to pick them up. If he shoul