of vultures flying past. It
could not be otherwise--they must perish.
They had now discovered the palm in the oasis, and hastened thither to
find water. But when they at last reached it they sank down in despair,
for the well was dried up. The woman, exhausted, laid down the child, and
sat down crying by the side of the well. The man threw himself down by her
side; he lay and beat the ground with his clenched hands. The palm heard
them say to each other that they must die. It also understood from their
conversation that King Herod had caused all children of two or three
years of age to be killed from fear that the great expected King in Judaea
had been born.
"It rustles stronger and stronger in my leaves," said the palm. "These
poor fugitives have soon come to their last moment."
It also heard that they were afraid of the desert. The man said it would
have been better to remain and fight the soldiers than to flee. He said
that it would have been an easier death.
"God will surely help us," said the woman.
"We are all alone amongst serpents and beasts of prey," said the man. "We
have no food and no water. How can God help us?"
He tore his clothes in despair and pressed his face against the earth. He
was hopeless, like a man with a mortal wound in his heart.
The woman sat upright, with her hands folded upon her knees. But the
glances she cast over the desert spoke of unutterable despair.
The palm heard the sorrowful rustling in its leaves grow still stronger.
The woman had evidently heard it too, for she looked up to the crown of
the tree, and in the same moment she involuntarily raised her arms.
"Dates, dates!" she cried.
There was such a longing in her voice, that the old palm wished it had not
been any higher than the gorse, and that its dates had been as easy to
reach as the red berries of the hawthorn. It knew that its crown was full
of clusters of dates, but how could man reach to such a dazzling height?
The man had already seen that, the dates being so high, it was impossible
to reach them. He did not even lift his head. He told his wife that she
must not wish for the impossible.
But the child, which had crawled about alone and was playing with sticks
and straws, heard the mother's exclamation. The little one could probably
not understand why his mother should not have everything she wished for.
As soon as he heard the word "dates," he began to look at the tree. He
wondered and pondered how
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