From a photograph taken by Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton, and used by her kind permission. These men are on the way from Palestine to sell their camels in Egypt. Every year great herds of camels are still brought from the East to sell for the carrying of merchandise in caravans, just as they were used in the days of the Bible. [End illustration] {177} JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN Vesture Clothing. Famine A time when the crops fail and there is no food, and people often starve. Hostage One who is held by an enemy to be sure that promises are kept. Myrrh and balm Precious gums very much used in the East. There was once a boy whose father loved him very much indeed. The boy's name was Joseph. His father's name was Jacob. The father gave the boy a coat of many colors. It was a very fine coat and he was very proud of it. He had eleven brothers, and they hated him because he was his father's favorite. He had a dream in which he saw the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowing down before him. This made the brothers hate him still more, and even his father was none too well pleased. One day the brothers were taking care of the sheep in a distant pasture, and Jacob sent Joseph to see how the boys were getting along. The shepherd boys saw him while he was still a long way off, and they said, "Here comes {178} the dreamer. Let us kill him and put him into some pit, and say to father, 'Some wild beast has killed him,' and then see what will become of his dreams!" They were very bad boys indeed. They all agreed but Reuben, who was the only one who had any pity for Joseph. He really wanted to save his brother, but in order to deceive the others he said, "Do not kill him, but put him alive into some pit, in an out-off the-way place." He said this hoping to come back and rescue Joseph when the others had gone. They finally consented; so, when Joseph came up, they took off his coat of many colors and put him into a pit. Probably they did not handle him at all gently! Then Reuben went away and the others calmly sat down to eat their dinner. While they were eating, they looked up and saw a long caravan with camels loaded with spices and balm and myrrh going from the East down to Egypt. Then an idea came to Judah, one of the brothers. "Let us sell Joseph," he said, "so we shall get rid of him and no guilt of his blood will be on our hands." {179}{180} [Illustration] ONE OF THE PYRAMIDS From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public Library, and used by kind permission. Another one of the great pyramids which rise above the level country of Egypt, monuments to the departed greatness of her rulers. Recent explorations show that the civilization of Egypt goes back more than four thousand years before the time of Christ. [End illustration] {181}