VILLAGE LIFE IN THE HOLY LAND 



295 



begged the loan of a loaf of bread, to be 

 returned as soon as she baked, for her 

 oven was still too cool and her boy cry- 

 ing from hunger. 



This was also refused, which so called 

 <lown the wrath of the Almighty that an 

 angel was sent, who, lifting up the hot 

 taboon, or oven, placed it on the back of 

 the merciless woman, leaving only the 

 limbs and the head protruding. 



So she who thus refused bread became 

 the mother of all turtles, and if you seem 

 to doubt it, the fellah will prove it to you 

 by calling your attention not only to the 

 fact that the turtle's shell resembles the 

 taboon in shape, but also to the markings 

 on the top of the shell like the pebbles 

 used in the oven. 



The shells of small turtles are much in 

 vogue as charms, by peasants and city 

 people alike, and are often to be seen 

 strung on a cord along with blue beads, 

 a bit of alum, etc., and worn by the chil- 

 dren. 



A story told by a peasant living at 

 Artas, where King Solomon had his gar- 

 dens,* runs thus : A certain fellah living 

 by the seaside was in the habit of feeding 

 €very day a loaf of bread to a whale. 

 The chief of the genii noticed it and, ad- 

 dressing him, said : "For your kindheart- 

 edness you shall be rewarded. Gold and 

 riches you can obtain by working for 

 them, but I will give you something you 

 cannot otherwise get. You shall have 

 the gift of understanding the animals, but 

 mind you do not tell any one about it." 



When he returned home with his tired 

 oxen from the day's plowing he heard 

 the donkey say to one of the oxen, k 'If 

 only you would not eat your food the 

 master would think you were sick and 

 would not take you out to plow." 



Hearing this the man began laughing, 

 and his wife asked the reason, but he did 

 not tell her. The next morning, to repay 

 the donkey for his intriguing, he hitched 

 him to the plow instead of the ox. When 

 he was brought back in the evening the 

 ox asked him how he liked plowing. He 

 pretended not to be tired, but advised the 

 ox that if he continued not eating, the 

 master would slaughter him. 



* Eccl. 2 : 5. 



The farmer, hearing this, laughed heart- 

 ily, but would not reply to his wife's 

 queries as to the reason of seemingly 

 laughing at nothing. Next morning he 

 took out the ox to plow, and the beast, 

 fearing that the man might be leading 

 him away to slaughter, as the donkey had 

 said, pulled back and did not want to 

 move. The man, knowing the reason, 

 again began to laugh, which so aroused 

 his wife's curiosity that she insisted if he 

 did not tell her the cause of his amuse- 

 ment it was because he did not love her. 



After much importuning, he at last told 

 her the whole story, and no sooner had 

 he done so than he lost this peculiar gift 

 and could no longer understand the lan- 

 guage of the animals. 



HOW DAVID SLEW GOLJATH 



Some experience as a shepherd befalls 

 almost every peasant boy whose family 

 has flocks. 



As he watches over the feeding sheep, 

 he cuts a little wool from the back of one, 

 spins it with the aid of only a smooth 

 pebble, and then converts the yarn into a 

 sling such as is always carried in the scrip. 



With this he becomes expert in throw- 

 ing stones to a great distance and with 

 much precision. It not only serves as a 

 weapon of defense, but when a sheep or 

 goat wanders off and will not return at 

 his call he will drop a stone near it, and 

 this at once has the desired effect. 



With such a simple weapon, and a 

 stone taken from his shepherd's bag, 

 which was undoubtedly similar to the one 

 above described, it will be remembered 

 the stripling David, while still caring for 

 his father sheep, encountered Goliath, 

 the Philistine giant, and slew himf (see 

 page 280). 



When the owner of a flock has no son 

 to care for the sheep, he hires a shepherd, 

 and not only feeds him, but supplies a 

 stipulated amount of clothing and shoes. 

 The wages paid in money amount to only 

 a few dollars a year. 



It is not uncommon for a shepherd or 

 a plowman thus serving a master to re- 

 ceive, instead of wages, one of the man's 



t 1 Sam. 17 : 40, 49. 



