Chapter 12
The Desert Tabernacle ~ continued from Chapter 12 | Men Fight
David slipped quickly in front of his comrades and put his hands up to both parties.
“Now, gentlemen, plenty of time for fighting later,” he said while pushing Shimea back as he tried to get at the two soldiers.
“Brother, not now.”
“Save your strength.”
The other soldiers backed off. They turned and walked away in the mud.
“I’ll cut you so bad,” Yazan yelled at the two as they disappeared past a supply wagon full of farm equipment that would be sharpened for war.
“We haven’t seen a Philistine yet we are already at war,” David laughed.
“Let’s have at them,” Aron said.
“You are one for war,” David raised his hand over Aron. “I like this one.”
Yazan slowly put away his knife.
“Reminded me of my alley days in Damascus with me slicing and dicing.”
The group came to a row of tents guarded by four soldiers, two of them the ones they had had the altercation with. They stood in the rain with shields and spears.
“Morning, girls,” Yazan said as he walked up to the soldiers and added, “Want to play now?”
He threw back his robes showing his long, sheathed knife.
“Anybody?”
He stared at the two men.
An officer walked up and into the tent without a word. The two soldiers stared straight ahead.
“Let them be,” David said. He approached the two.
“Abner wanted to see us.”
The tent was open and loud voices could be heard from outside.
“No, don’t tell Zadok under any circumstances.”
“Very well,” said the officer as he walked out of the tent and went about his duties.
“Yes,” yelled Abner, the captain of Saul’s army, to the soldiers outside.
“The lion killer is here,” one soldier said.
“Aye, good, send him in.”
The four men filed into the small tent and stood around, happy to be out of the wet if only for a short time.
“David,” said Abner, a tall, slender man with a large beard who looked sharply at the men. “Your father and brothers are already at the front.”
“We should be there,” David said.
“Just wait.” Abner went and closed the tent flap. “You are all able-bodied men.”
He looked at the drenched group who had not slept and had had very little to eat over the last few days.
“Able and willing?”
“Eager,” said Aron with a large grin. “Eager is the word, sir.”
Abner picked up a piece of parchment that lay on a wooden box. His tent consisted of only a makeshift cot, a bowl of water and many saddle bags full of parchment and letters. His spear and helmet were hung on a ring post.
He unrolled a map, put it on the small table and began to point at dots in different places.
“The Philistines are pushing in from the sea.” He looked up at the men who gathered around the map. “To the east are the Moabites.”
“Can we move north to the Euphrates?” David asked. “We could control the trade routes.” He pointed on the map, “here and here.”
“That’s the plan but for now we have to worry about other matters,” Abner said.
“Edom and Ammon are also pushing in from the west, no?” Aron said.
Abner looked at the two men. “You know well our troubles.”
“I’ve heard some news and it is not good,” Abner looked at the men. “But I need secrecy in this matter and men who are not tied to Saul. Men who are expendable.”
“I can expend,” Yazan said and smiled a wide, open smile showing rotten teeth.
“Eager is the word,” Aron said.
David stepped up to Abner. “Let us serve.”
“Good.” Abner turned to the tent flap and opened it. “Get me some hot tea and grapes, olives and warm bread.”
He turned back to David.
“Your men are hungry.”
“Very.” David said as he shook with the cold that was in his bones.
“Now where was I?” Abner picked up the dispatch again. “We had success at Jabesh-Gilead but this is different. We are outnumbered greatly at Michmash.”
“Just numbers,” Aron said.
Abner continued, “We have at most 600 slingers, 300 archers and very few chariots not to mention rusty farming tools.”
He put down the dispatch and looked at the tent flap again.
“This is not why your men are here.” He motioned them to come near.
“We have other news,” he said as he began to whisper. “There is a rugged valley horse trail that leads to Michmash and a column of priests went down that road.”
He brought the men in closer and looked at David. “They had the Ark of the Covenant with them as they said prayers.”
“The Philistines have it,” David said.
Abner bowed his head and looked at the floor, “Yes.”
He rubbed his face.
“My dispatches say that they may have it but we have to know.”
“So we scout today?” Aron said.
“No,” David said. “Under cover of darkness. The soldiers don’t have to know this, nobody does.”
“Exactly,” Abner said. “Your orders are to scout out the trails, find the Philistine camp and report back here.”
Abner looked at each and every man. “Understood?”
“What if they have it?” Aron said.
“Report to me; do nothing,” Abner said.
Continue reading… Chapter 12 | The Mountain Man
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