One day she had gone to gather herbs for the daily mess, a work in which she was especially useful from the knowledge of plants which she had taken pains to acquire in her unmarried days. She had taken, of course, the new-born infant with her, and Miriam, who was delighted to perform, as far as her strength permitted, the office of nurse. The little Judith, whose night’s rest had been disturbed by some childish ailment, had been left at home to make up her allowance of sleep. The mother found on her return that a strange visitor had made herself at home in the cave. The little one was fast asleep on a bed of rugs which had been made up for her, and curled up at her side with one of her fore paws round her neck was a jackal. The two companions were roused together by the arrival of the party, and, wonderful to relate, neither showed any symptoms of alarm. The jackal rose from its resting-place, approached Ruth, and fawned at her feet, and the child came after its bedfellow and stroked affectionately its shaggy skin. When, two or three weeks afterwards, the new comer gave birth to a litter of cubs, the joy of the children was complete. The little animals soon learnt to play with the girls, and their dam sat by and watched their gambols, and sometimes even condescended to join in them herself. The little colony heard of the strange incident with delight, and saw in it a token of Divine favour. “Man rages cruelly against us,” they said, “but we find friends among the beasts of the field. Surely it is our God who hath changed the heart of this savage dweller in the wilderness, and we will trust that He will do yet greater things than these.” “Mother,” said Miriam one day to Ruth, “by what name shall we call our new friend?” The question puzzled her, and she referred it to her husband. “It does not seem fitting,” she said, “that we should give the name of a daughter of the Covenant to the beast, for though she is of kindly temper yet she is unclean.” Seraiah thought awhile. “You say truth, my wife. Let us call her Jael.” “But why Jael?” “Because the wife of Heber was of the unclean, for was she not of the house of the Kenite? Yet was she a friend of Israel, for she slew Sisera that was captain of the host of Jabin, King of Canaan.” So thenceforward the creature went by the name of Jael. It was not long before she justified her name by showing that she could be fierce on occasion.