The Ibex or the Wild Goat

It lives in places where you would think no animal could get without falling and breaking itsneck; you would be frightened to see it sometimes, when it climbs up rough and narrow places,or jumps from one great rock to another. But God has given it just such a kind of foot as itneeds; it has a small hoof, something like those of a sheep, excepting that it is hollowunderneath, and has a sort of ridge around it by which the animal can cling to the rock, and sokeep from slipping. I never heard of such a thing as one of them sliding off the rocks, unless itwas pursued by the hunters. Two goats once met on a high narrow path, where there was justroom for one to walk. There was a high rock rising close to their shoulders on one side, and onthe other was a place so steep that it would have made you dizzy to look down. They could notgo back without danger of falling, and they could not pass each other; what do you think theycould do, but stay there and starve? It seemed for a little while as if they were considering aboutit; at last one bent his knees and laid down, and the other walked safely over his back.

The ibex feeds during the night in the highest woods that grow on the mountains; but as soon asthe sun rises it begins to climb, eating the grass or whatever it finds, till it has got up where it istoo high for trees to grow. They go in small companies of eight or ten, and lie down in sunnyplaces among the rocks while the sun is hot; but about three or four o'clock in the afternoon theybegin to go down again towards the woods. They can climb up rather more easily than they canget down, because their fore legs are shorter than the others.

See how the ibex or wild goat is spoken of in the Bible. In the one hundred and fourth Psalm you may find the words, "The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats;" and another place where the animal is mentioned is in the twenty-fourth chapter of first Samuel: "Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats." I should like to have you read with me the whole history of Saul and David in the Bible, so that we might talk about it, for it is very interesting; but now I can only write down what this one verse means. David had been made king over Israel by the command of God; but Saul, who was a very wicked man, was determined to kill him. So David was obliged to fly for his life, with only a few faithful friends; and month after month he hid himself in one place and another, so that Saul might not find him. At last he came to a wild, gloomy place, where nobody lived, near the Dead Sea: it was rocky, and there were many wild goats there. He thought he was safe now; but Saul heard where he was and came after him.

One night Saul and his men went into a large dark cave among the mountains, and behold Davidand his friends were already there; but they were hidden, so that Saul did not know it. David'smen wanted very much to kill Saul, now that he was in their power, but David would not allowthem. He only cut off a small piece from the robe that Saul wore, and he was sorry afterwardsthat he had done even as much as this He did not hurt Saul in the least, but allowed him to gosafely out of the cave, though he might have killed him as easily as not. Was not this returninggood for evil?

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