and
was made steward of his estates. But mindful of the God of Israel, he
begged the Prince to excuse him from work on Saturdays, which the
Prince, without understanding, granted. Still the Rabbi was not happy.
He prepared to take flight, but a vision appeared to him, bidding him
tarry a while longer with the Tartars. Now it happened that the Prince
desired some favor from the Viceroy's counsellor, so he gave the Rabbi
to the counsellor as a bribe.

Rabbi Eliezer soon found favor with his new master. He was given a
separate chamber to live in, and was exempt from manual labor, save
that when the counsellor came home he had to go to meet him with a
vessel of water to wash his feet, according to the custom of the
nobility. Hence Rabbi Eliezer had time to serve his God.

It came to pass that the King had to go to war, so he sent for the
counsellor, but the counsellor was unable to give any advice to the
point, and the King dismissed him in a rage. When the Rabbi went out
to meet him with the vessel of water, he kicked it over wrathfully.
Whereupon the Rabbi asked him why he was in such poor spirits. The
counsellor remained dumb, but the Rabbi pressed him, and then he
unbosomed himself.

"I will pray to God," said Rabbi Eliezer, "that the right plan of
campaign may be revealed to me."

When his prayer was answered he communicated the heavenly counsel to
his master, who hastened joyfully to the King. The King was equally
rejoiced at the plan.

"Such counsel cannot come from a human being," he said. "It must be
from the lips of a magician."

"Nay," said the counsellor; "it is my slave who has conceived the
plan."

The King forthwith made the slave an officer in his personal retinue.
One day the monarch wished to capture a fort with his ships, but night
was drawing in, and he said--

"It is too late. We shall remain here over night, and to-morrow we
shall make our attack."

But the Rabbi was told from Heaven that the fort was almost
impregnable in the daytime. "Send against it at once," he advised the
King, "a ship full of prisoners condemned to death, and promise them
their lives if they capture the fort, for they, having nothing to
lose, are the only men for a forlorn hope."

His advice was taken, and the desperadoes destroyed the fort. Then the
King saw that the Rabbi was a godly man, and on the death of his
Viceroy he appointed him in his stead, and married him to the late
Viceroy's daughter.

But the Rab