92 THE SCRIPTURES ON A GREAT DROUGHT. 



which droughts produce over immense areas of the 

 earth's surface ; it would be easy to multiply instances 

 of these calamities which have at times caused tremen- 

 dous losses to settlers in South Africa, Australia, South 

 America, and other places. The historical records of 

 the Old Testament, for instance, teem with accounts 

 of the sufferings inflicted upon the peoples of the East 

 by droughts and famines, many of which are full of 

 dramatic power and pathos. It would be difficult to 

 find a better example than is afforded to us by one 

 of these, where the bursting of the monsoonal rains, 

 after a long continued drought of three and a half 

 years, is graphically described in the sacred writings. 



It was the occasion when the Prophet Elijah had 

 gone forth to meet Ahab, the King of Israel, about 

 the year 914 B.C. * At this time, as we are told, 

 "there was a sore famine in Samaria" so much so 

 that Ahab had called Obadiah, the governor of his 

 house, into his councils and, commanded him to 



" go into the land, unto all the fountains of water, and unto 

 all brooks ; peradventure we may find grass to save the horses 

 and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. So they 

 divided the land between them, to pass throughout it. Ahab 

 went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way 

 by himself." f 



Subsequently Elijah meets Ahab, and the scene is 

 changed to Mount Carmel, a high promontory over- 

 looking the Mediterranean, and rising to an elevation 

 of about 1500 feet, where all Israel was gathered 



* Chronological Table, Murray's Handbook for Syria and Palestine, 



1855, p. 12. 



f /. Kings, xviii, verses 5 and 6. 



Calmet's Dictionary of the Bible, 1 4th edit. 1861. Edited by the 

 late Chas. Taylor article " Carmel." 



