The altar to Baal was prepared, with the sacrifice arranged upon it in proper form. Only fire was lacking. Loudly the priests of Baal prayed. Wildly they leaped around the altar, crying again and again, _"O Baal, hear us."_ The morning wore away, and there was no response; no fire appeared to consume the sacrifice. About noon, Elijah mocked the frantic priests, saying to them, _"Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awakened."_ The priests of Baal accepted this advice in earnest. They supplicated and raved more wildly, and wounded themselves in their frenzy, continually calling on Baal to hear them. And so the afternoon passed. [Image: SUMMIT OF MOUNT CARMEL TO-DAY. From a photograph.] As the sun was sinking, Elijah came near the altar which he had built with twelve stones--one for each of the tribes of Israel. The sacrifice, carefully prepared, lay upon the wood. All around the altar a trench had been dug, and it was now filled with the water which had been poured upon the sacrifice. Then Elijah prayed to God, asking him to let the people know that day that He was the God of Israel, and that it was by His command that he had done these things. At the close of his prayer, fire unkindled by mortal hands broke out. Unchecked by the water, it wrapped sacrifice and altar in flames and consumed them, even licking up the water in the trench with its heated breath. At this sight the people prostrated themselves as they cried out, _"The Lord, he is the God, the Lord, he is the God."_ [Image: ELIJAH'S SACRIFICE ON MOUNT CARMEL.] The priests of Baal, who were largely responsible for the idolatry of the nation, stood trembling and confounded. Quickly Elijah ordered them to be destroyed, and this was done. Next he turned to Ahab, and told him to eat and drink in haste, for the long deferred rain was at hand, although no sign of its approach was in sight. Attended only by his servant, Elijah then went to the top of Mount Carmel, and crouched upon the ground in the position of meditation commonly assumed in Eastern countries. He sent his servant to a spot which commanded a view of the Mediterranean Sea, bade him look around, and bring him word of what he saw. Six times the servant returned with the word that he saw nothing. The seventh time his report was that he could see a little cloud, not larger than a man's hand, coming out of the sea. Sending the man to warn Ahab that the rain was fast approaching, and that he must start at once for home, Elijah then hastened down the mountain to meet the king at its foot. [Image: A LITTLE CLOUD COMING OUT OF THE SEA.] With all the speed he could command, Ahab barely reached his palace at Jezreel in time to escape the fury of the storm. Elijah ran before the royal chariot the entire distance of sixteen miles, but he did not enter the palace.