THE DELUGE OF NOAH 143 



became aware that the ark not merely floated, but 

 ' went/ or made progress in some definite direction. 

 Remark the simple yet significant notes 'The ark 

 was lift up from the earth/ and ' the ark went upon 

 the face of the waters.' The direction of driftage is 

 not stated, but it is a fair inference, from the probable 

 place of departure in Chaldea and that of final 

 grounding of the ark, that it was northward or inland, 

 which would indicate that the chief supply of water 

 was from the Indian Ocean, and that it was flowing 

 inward toward the great sunken plain of interior 

 Asia, which, however, the ark did not reach, but 

 grounded in the hilly region known to the Hebrews as 

 Ararat, to the Chaldeans as Nisr. A curious state- 

 ment is made here (Elohist) as to the depth of the 

 water being fifteen cubits. Even in a flat country so 

 small a depth would not cover the rising grounds ; but 

 this is obviously not the meaning of the narrator, but 

 something much more sensible and practical. It is 

 not unlikely that the measure stated was the water- 

 draught of the loaded ark, and that as the voyagers 

 felt it rise and fall on the waves, they may have 

 experienced some anxiety lest it should strike and go 

 to pieces. It was no small part of the providential 

 arrangement in their case that in the track of the ark 

 everything was submerged more than fifteen cubits 

 before they reached it. Hence this note, which is at 

 the same time one of the criteria of the simple 

 veracity of the history. The only other remark in 

 this part of the narrative relates to the entire sub- 



