"What you fear has not escaped our notice," replied Hur, "and it is in order to guard against this peril that Moses has set forth on a dangerous quest." "Whither?" asked Hosea. "That is the secret of the leaders of the tribes." "Of which my father is one." "Certainly; and I have already offered to take you to him. If he assumes the responsibility of informing you ..." "Should he deem it a breach of duty, he will keep silence. Who is to command the wandering hosts tomorrow?" "I." "You?" asked Hosea in astonishment, and Hur answered calmly: "You marvel at the audacity of the shepherd who ventures to lead an army; but the Lord of all armies, to whom we trust our cause, is our leader; I rely solely on His guidance." "And so do I," replied Hosea. "No one save the God through whom Miriam summoned me to this spot, entrusted me--of that I am confident--with the important message which brings me here. I must find Moses ere it is too late." "You have already heard that he will be beyond the reach of any one, myself included, until to-morrow, perhaps the day after. Will you speak to Aaron?" "Is he in the camp?" "No; but we expect his return before the departure of the people, that is in a few hours." "Has he the power to decide important matters in Moses' absence?" "No, he merely announces to the people in eloquent language what his illustrious brother commands." The warrior bent his eyes with a disappointed expression on the ground, and after a brief pause for reflection eagerly added, fixing his gaze on Miriam: "It is Moses to whom the Lord our God announces his will; but to you, his august maiden sister, the Most High also reveals himself, to you . . ." "Oh, Hosea!" interrupted the prophetess, extending her hands toward him with a gesture of mingled entreaty and warning; but the chief, instead of heeding her monition, went on: "The Lord our God hath commanded you to summon me, His servant, back to the people; He hath commanded you to give me the name for which I am to exchange the one my father and mother bestowed upon me, and which I have borne in honor for thirty years. Obedient to your summons, I have cast aside all that could make me great among men; but on my way through Egypt,--bearing in my heart the image of my God and of you,--braving death, the message I now have to deliver was entrusted to me, and I believe that it came from the Most High Himself. It is my duty to convey it to the leaders of the people; but as I am unable to find Moses, I can confide it to no better one than you who, though only a woman, stand,-- next to your brother--nearest to the Most High, so I implore you to listen to me. The tidings I bring are not yet ripe for the ears of a third person." Hur drew his figure to a still greater height and, interrupting Hosea, asked Miriam whether she desired to hear the son of Nun without witnesses; she answered with a quiet "yes." Then Hur turned haughtily and coldly to the warrior: