Then Moses carried all the rods out for the children of Israel to see, and the Lord said, "Bring Aaron's rod again before the Testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not." [Illustration] XI. TO THE CITY OF REFUGE WEARY and spent, the man ran; traversing the hot desert roads in the daytime; and hurrying on through the night if perchance there were a moon or stars to guide him; or else crouching in some corner behind some rock, till daylight enabled him to hurry forward once more! Why was the man running over the ground at his topmost speed? Was he carrying a message, or bringing bad news, or what could it be? No, he was hurrying to a place of safety! But why? you may ask. Was he being pursued, or what was it? Yes, he was being pursued by a man who was called "The Avenger of blood." For God's law was, that a man who had hated his neighbour and had planned to kill him and had carried out his purpose should surely be put to death. So if any one was killed among the Children of Israel, at once "the Avenger of blood" hurried to the spot and seized the murderer, who was then examined before the priests and the judges; and witnesses were called to give evidence as to whether the prisoner had intended to kill his neighbour, so that the judges might decide whether he were guilty or not. God's law made it necessary that there should be more than one witness before a man could be condemned. But if a death were caused by an accident, God provided a way of escape for the manslayer, and it is this way of escape that I am going to tell you about. When the Children of Israel had wandered in the wilderness for forty years—for their murmuring and disobedience, as God had said—they came at length to the land of Canaan; and here God told Moses to divide the land among the different tribes, and instructed him to separate Six Cities in different parts of the land, three on one side of the River Jordan, and three on the other side. These six cities were to be called "cities of refuge," and God told Moses to make good roads leading to them, so that if any one killed a man by accident or at unawares, he might flee to one of those six cities, at his utmost speed, and not lose his way in his haste; for when once there, he would be sheltered, and in safety, so that the Avenger of blood might not catch him and kill him. You will find in the 19th chapter of Deuteronomy the wonderful directions which God gave Moses about these cities. God said, that any one who killed his neighbour ignorantly, and had not intended to hurt him, might flee to the city of refuge, and be safe.