Children of the Old Testament | Page 3

kind messages.
But it was all of no use. He could not make friends of these dark,
bearded men, whose flashing eyes spoke only of their bitter hatred
towards the young lad their brother.
Seizing him roughly, they stripped him of his coat of many colours, and
leading him to a deep hole in the ground called a pit, they pushed him
in. What would become of his dreams now?
"Let him die there of thirst and hunger," they said, as they turned to
feast upon the good things the lad had brought to them with such a
joyful heart.
Meanwhile Reuben had gone away, so as not to see his brother treated

cruelly; and now the men feasted together in sullen silence, for they
were by no means happy.
While they sat eating they watched a string of camels come over the
hills to the north, and draw nearer and nearer across the plain; and
before long they saw that the travellers were a band of merchants
taking slaves and spices to the distant land of Egypt. Slaves! That was
the very thing; and a flush came over the face of Judah as he said to his
brothers,--
"What shall we gain if we kill our brother? Let us sell him to these men.
Let us not harm him, for, after all, he is our brother."
So they helped Joseph out of the pit and showed him to the merchants,
who saw that he was a handsome lad, such as would bring a good price
in the slave-market in Egypt, where red-cheeked boys were of greater
value than black boys of the desert; and they bought him for twenty
silver pieces, which they counted out to Judah upon the ground.
Tied with a rope like a dog to his master's camel, Joseph was led away
by the dusky merchants on their slow march to Egypt. They did not
heed his cries and tears, for they bought and sold boys and girls, as
other men bought and sold sheep and cattle, almost every day of their
lives.
When night drew near, and Reuben came quietly towards the edge of
the pit and called his young brother's name, he got no answer but the
sighing of the wind in the grass. Believing that the lad was dead,
Reuben tore his clothes in his grief, and ran quickly to his brothers'
tents; but they hid the truth from him, and having dipped Joseph's tunic
in the blood of a goat which they had killed, they brought it to his
father.
"This have we found," they said. "Tell us now whether it is your son's
coat or not."
Then the old man knew it at once, and said, "It is my son's coat; an evil
beast has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces." And in

his bitter grief he tore his garments after the manner of his people,
while his sons and daughters tried in vain to comfort him.
"I will go down to the grave," he said, "mourning for my son."

THE STORY OF BENJAMIN.
I.
Joseph was bought from the merchants by an officer who had command
over the soldiers of Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt; and after a time of trial
he prospered so well that he became one of the chief officers of the
king, having among other tasks the care of the royal granaries or
storehouses of corn.
Now Joseph, who was very wise and thoughtful, caused great
storehouses of brick to be set up in all the cities, and he told the people
to place in these granaries one-tenth of the yield of each year's harvest.
This he did to guard against any time of famine which might fall upon
the land.
For seven years of plenty this was done, and after that there came upon
the land and upon all the lands round about seven years of famine; and
only in the land of Egypt was there corn for the people. And when the
people cried to Pharaoh for bread he said, "Go unto Joseph; what he
saith to you, do." Then Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold corn
to the Egyptians. And from all the countries round about people came
into Egypt to buy corn.
Far away in the Vale of Hebron the famine was sore, and the sons of
Jacob did not know what to do. Then when things were at their worst
news came to Jacob that there was corn in Egypt. So he sent his ten
sons away with their empty sacks and their asses to buy corn for their
families. They wished to take their young brother Benjamin with them,
but their father would not allow them. He had lost Joseph, he said, and
he would not risk